August 10th Game Day in Bellflower AAR

We had another great turnout, 12 members, for the August edition of our ASL Game Day at the Guild House in Bellflower:

Stance Nixon's Germans defeated Dave Nicholas' Russians in “Kampfgruppe at Karachev”.

Fen Yan's Germans defeated Blair Bellamy's Russians in “Wrecking the Rentals”.

Robert Hammond's Chinese defeated Eric Visnowski's Russians in a playtest of Robert's scenario design “Crisis Becomes Real”.

In the epic game of the day that came down to the last CC, Guy Jimenez' Germans defeated Hank W.'s Russians in “Where Iron Crosses Grow”.

And we had two playings of the Friendly Fire scenario “Wiener Walzer”. In one game, Jim Svette's Russians defeated Dan Plachta's Germans. In the second game, Gerard Unterreiner took the Germans against my Russians. In this scenario a company of Germans in SPW251-1 halftracks have to race across the board, under fire from a 45L AT and a BT-7, and seize two bridges on board 22. They are reinforced with 5 Panzer IIIH's. The Russians get a couple of platoons and a pair of MMG's, and a Lt Mtr at start. They are reinforced with another 1st line platoon, 3 T34M41's and another BT-7 with no MA.

I put the 45L in B5 and the BT-7 in O3. The 45L was really too far back, and should have been closer the entry hexes. I never got a hit with it. The BT-7's location made up for it. I was able to kill a track with it, after which it escaped back into the board 22 village. My infantry set up as far back and center as possible, to head through the village to dig in at the far east edge. Gerard came on quickly and did a student body right, heading into the village. I got lucky with a kill on two tracks, one by the BT, and another with a lucky CH from an MMG. My plan was to give up the center bridge and hold the one on the east edge. I left a couple of squads in the village as a rear guard, and sent the rest to the east board edge. My reinforcements came in on the east edge and piled into the building southeast of the bridge. Gerard pushed into the village, and sent his Panzers in on the west edge, and then around to the south. Two of them engaged one of my T34's, one was lost to a Sniper, and the other went into the center. Gerard was able to dominate the center of the village, but his attack ran out of steam as it headed east. We called this a Russian victory on turn 5.

Because we still had time, we set up “Turned Away”; one of my favorite RB scenarios. Gerard took the Germans on the attack, and guessed correctly where my HQ building was. This one was close, but Gerard's attack came up just a little short.

We hit 600 Degrees Pizza for lunch, and the survivors adjourned to Hambone's for our usual excellent BBQ dinner. It was another great day at The Guild House.