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After testing out a Kzinti carrier, Patch and I cycled back to ASL, and picked a scenario from this year’s ASL Journal #15. Scenario J256 “Mortal Wounding” is, I think, the only official scenario outside of Operation Veritable that features the SturmTiger. It was an obvious choice to play.

Patch initially picked the attacking Americans and regretted his choice to some extent when looking at the terrain and tight time limit, though they certainly have what they need. The Germans are defending the board 1a village with seven squads (2nd line and conscript) in February 1945, and have substandard leadership, three MGs, a roadblock… and a SturmTiger with a 9-1 leader. It had better not malf its first shot (with a circled B10…). The Americans have nine elite squads, one MMG, one BAZ 45, and two M18 Hellcats enter on turn 2. The good news for the Germans is the scenario is 4.5 turns, and there’s open space outside the village. Also, the American attack and move first… and also set up first.

Patch set up in two groups, one facing directly across from the village with an orchard for cover. I forgot this was a ‘vertical’ board and didn’t scroll down far enough in VASL to see the second group down in the woods and brush in the corner preparing to hit from a second direction. The SturmTiger gets a special rule to not only set up HIP, but can either start the game with a free shot, or do a free hit against a predesignated building location on turn 3. I didn’t like revealing the SturmTiger at the start, it’d be too vulnerable, and I never did find a place to put it that could see a building I thought he’d be in on turn 3. I eventually marked the graveyard, and then realized a turn in that I needed a building.

I contemplated M9/L8 for the roadblock (where Patch expected it as it turns out), but I didn’t like the fact that it would give him cover as he headed for the victory area east of the column-M road. So, it went into M12/M13 where I figured it’d be better cover for me, and keep adventurous M18s out of the street. (L8/K8 would have been good, if there was a building to link up to in L7.) I had outlying squads in G11 and J7 to slow the American advance and then bug out, and a HS in M8 to hold the flank. The main resistance was a MMG squad in K9 and a LMG HS in the steeple there (if I’d seen the full set up, I think the LMG HS might have gone in N13). The last LMG was in K10. It was a good set up against the orchard, but I had too little in the south with the other force there.

Patch started with the southern force, and while I realized I had a setup problem, all the brush and woods showed I did have time to respond it. In the north, I quickly put down a fire lane, and when Patch moved into it later, it rolled a two for a 1MC on a 2+2 shot. When his south flank moved along the hedge my squad opened up as he got into range, and even a cower got a NMC. Sadly, Patch easily passed all the resulting morale checks. I self-broke G11 to get him out of there before I had to worry about all that American firepower getting close. (If I’d thought through my setup through a bit more, the 7-0 would have been in the first line of buildings so he could rout there in one turn.)

Situation, American Turn 1, showing almost the full board.

Naturally, my conscripts did not self-rally for my turn, and my one prep fire (the LMG in the steeple) didn’t get a result. I skulked, and the squad in the graveyard crept out using the orchard for cover, but disrupted to Final Fire.

Situation, German Turn 1.

I managed to rout everyone to L9, but still couldn’t rally conscripts under DM for Patch’s second turn. Patch took the turn cautiously, his force in the south kept outside of the three hex range of conscripts, which was not full movement. The tank destroyers entered in adjacent hexes, but split up, with one looking up the M-column road, and finding the roadblock, while the other parked just clear of the orchard. My MMG put down a firelane to break one squad and pin another (…it should have broken both; Patch mixed up with the 9-1 that just passed, and would have pinned on that other roll). My LMG HS also managed a good final fire roll, but the squad passed the resulting 1MC.

Situation, American Turn 2.

I just barely managed to rally both of my squads for my turn 2, which was a big relief. I tried an MMG shot, but got nothing. Most of the action was skulking, but the 8-0 dashed over to where he would be a rally point later. Patch had a 24FP shot to break the MMG squad… who then routed to the 8-0. Sadly, I lost track of things in APh, and the 7-0 went out on the front line instead of being a rally point in L12.

Situation, German Turn 2.

Patch rallied his broken squad for his turn 3, but my MMG squad casualty reduced. Prep fire broke the LMG HS in K10. Luck was short on both sides, with only one smoke attempt working out of several, and most of my shots did nothing. One squad should have pinned, but it didn’t get marked. And, I successfully stunned one of the M-18s. Patch then revealed and broke the conscript/7-0 stack, and worse, my brokies couldn’t ignore the first row of building, and got stuck in L12 instead of routing back towards my final defense.

Situation, American Turn 3.

Since everything was under DM, I got nothing back for my turn 3 RPh, and my one prep fire rolled a 12. I evacuated to the victory area, but there just weren’t enough places to go. Notably, I ended up dragging Acq to my rally point, and Patch nearly got a hit (thought we had a K/3 before I pointed out it was a stone building), got a BAZ hit on the forward rally point to wound the 7-0, CR two broken units and disrupt the unbroken conscripts, and he disrupted the prep firing conscripts, who surrendered.

Situation, German Turn 3.

A good chunk of my force was now broken, but all under DM, so I still couldn’t rally for Patch’s turn 4. His first move took him into N12, eliminating my Dummy, and Searched to reveal the “?” LMG squad, but his HS was eliminated. Other moves got the rest of the infantry into various buildings, and the tank destroyers cruised around to the rear, presumably to stop routs, but there were also only so many places my SturmTiger could be.

The 8-0 tried for a PF, but pinned, and then I revealed the SturmTiger to take a shot across the street, and got a good roll to very nearly CH L10, but a ‘mere’ 36FP -3 hit was enough for a 3KIA. The Original DR was K/3, so no rubble/flame—though I just now realized that the Heavy Payload -3 does apply to those. So, a missed 1/2 chance of rubble, with a subsequent 7+ DR causing falling rubble, with two chances of killing further Americans (with one of those being a 9-1, after the hit had killed the other one).

Patch’s fire encircled N10, but had no other effects, including no hits on the SturmTiger, though both M18s were found to have no APCR. He sent two squads and a leader into N11, against my LMG squad, with no result on either side.

Situation, American Turn 4.

Going into my last turn, I had 1.5 squads GO, an 8-0, a mobile pillbox, and a squad tied up in Melee. The 8-0 tried for a PF again (having pinned during my DFPh trying to find one), and rolled a ‘6’ again. The encircled squad had nowhere to go, and prepped, ELRing the squad adjacent in the road. M8 moved out into the road to N6 to have a wall between it and the AAMG on the M18, but pinned to it anyway, leaving him out of position to guard the N7 stone building. The SturmTiger started, and was immediately hit by one of the M18s, and burned with a 2 TK DR.

Afterword

I conceded at that point, since Patch had plenty of firepower left to take care of my one good squad, and the biggest problem with getting the stone buildings would be not muffing two 3:1 CC rolls in a row to take N11.

The SturmTiger has a lot of special rules, which are entirely deserved. It can only fire once a game turn, as it gets a special ‘fired this turn’ marker which flips to ‘fired last turn’. These are in orange and purple type, but since they flip in CCPh, should have used red type on white. I’m certainly glad to have used one, even if it waited most of the scenario. At least it didn’t blow its big moment. I doubt I’ll ever have a practical application of the Heavy Payload rule again.

And the scenario itself is nice tight little tournament-sized village assault. I wouldn’t mind more time on board 1a/b; that approach is murder. On the other hand, a mostly conscript force with ELR 2 is asking for trouble, and I got it. Thankfully, I didn’t have 2nd lines going to conscripts, but the conscripts were very prone to disrupting. Patch’s sniper went off… I think three times, but mostly hit already-broken squads, while mine never activated.

Using the SturmTiger straight off seems like a great way to lose it early to the M18s, though if it wipes out a couple squads in the process, that might be worth it. Other than it, and missing the southern part during setup, I’m fairly happy with my defense. I probably relied too much on routing back to better positions with troops that just don’t rally well.