It took a while, but Mark and I finished going the Operation Dauntless tutorial scenarios a little bit ago. All of the last three were certainly interesting exercises, and the last one in particular has had some knock-on effects (which I’ll mention later).
T9 is focused on the transport pool, which is a part of the rules I felt I already had a good grasp on, and we did one play through in one session. The British have three groups loaded MG sections (which must stay that way), while the Germans get a few Sd Kfz 250/9 units. Both sides get VPs for causing casualties and for transport losses, and the Brits get VPs for successfully exiting units.
Mark set up a little too clustered, and one group immediately exited without him being able to take more than a couple shots, which missed, while the other two moved up to near 1204 (Bellemare). However, he sent a pair of units to assault one of my groups, and caused a transport loss in the AT stage, and I then withdrew out. His other two units assaulted the same group but didn’t get any hits before I withdrew out. The combat phase didn’t get him any luck either.
The British get a couple of recon platoons and a armored car troop on turn 2, which advanced all the way from the southern area to 0802 (Le Haut d’Audreiu). The group Mark had picked on was in a relatively poor position, but managed to get out with no losses and then get off the map. The last group had no problems exiting since the Germans couldn’t see them from where they’d ended up.
Mark tried assaulting my remaining group (where were much more capable than the MG sections), and I knocked out three out of four steps, one on the way in (20 AT roll…) and two during the assault, after which I withdrew out having lost a AC step. The second pair came in, and Mark finished off the AC unit in an assault, and I withdrew out again. I circled around to exit off of 1001 on my turn, taking a tranport loss on the way.
Overall VPs were 17:4. It’s a little hard to say how to do really well as the Germans here. There’s too many hexes to cover for exiting to really stop the British, and assaulting MG sections is essential (they can’t cause losses to the Germans), but the British can generally make sure the Tactical Advantage draws aren’t too good. Admittedly, actually failing a transport loss check would have hurt.
T10 is more of a proper dress rehearsal for dealing with towed units. The Germans begin in control of the goal, 0807 with two Pz IV, and one AC unit. They get a bunch more on turn 2, but that’s the initial defenders. The British start with three recon platoons, two 6-pounder batteries and an AC section, and get a full battalion on turn 3. The general idea is that the British should capture 0807 at the start, and then fend off German counterattacks for the rest of the six-turn scenario.
I started by bringing the three recon platoons in and assaulting the lone AC in 0806. I managed one AT shot in the assault to reduce the unit, and then set up 6-pdrs in 0705 and 1006, with my AC unit swinging wide around the NW corner of the board to end in 0606. In the combat phase, I managed to knock out a Pz IV unit (with help from a high roll and fire from the AC while the Panzers were faced towards 1006. However, Mark had good return fire to kill the AT in 1006. 0705 thankfully survived, but the lighter terrain it was in was a worry.
For my second turn, the scout platoons circled around to 0907, taking Friction Fire from the AC. This was ineffective, but set off an ARC with my AC missing, Mark’s AC reacting into 0807, my 6-pdrs missing, and Mark missing a return fire at them with the Pz IVs. I passed at that point and assaulted 0807, getting Tactical Advantage thanks to having the only infantry there for a DDA killed the Pz IV unit with good chit draws (and thereby skipping the “A” as the ACs had no AT capability). On the other hand, he didn’t have to take any results from the assault itself (and I took none; 0/3). The AC unit was finally taken out in my Combat Phase as the AT unit finally connected. (In an interesting wrinkle of the victory rules, that gave me control of victory hex 0807 as I had an uncontested ZOC on it).
On German turn 2, they get four Panzer IV platoons, already lined up in north edge of Fontenay, and six infantry platoons, an MG section, a mortar battery, and a AC platoon, all of which start at the southern edge of the board. With all the infantry having organic halftrack transports, Mark was able to drive them up to just east of my positions, out of site, and then do a one-hex move into close terrain, while the AC moved to 1309. Two Pz IVs stayed in 0710, while one unit moved west around to 0407, and the last moved east up to 1205.
The rest of my forces became available on my turn, and Operation Dauntless doesn’t disappoint on showing why tanks need infantry support. A two-company assault on 1205 got me an AA chit, and both shots got good modifiers (+7 and +14) to destroy the Pz IV unit in 1205. The other pair assaulted 1206 and forced a three-hex retreat to 1008. On the other hand, I tried moving my new 6-pdr unit down to 1606 to chase the Germans away from that part of the board, and Mark’s ACs shot up the transports, and I failed the survival check.
I tried suppressing 1107 for an assault, but failed, while the one platoon in 0907 moved out of the hex, and the last started digging in. In the combat phase, I went after 1107 with with the contents of 1106 and 1206 and plenty of support, while Mark with his available units, with only his AC managing a suppression, but it was still a 7:1 combat, which forced a three hex retreat to 1110.
