Turn 1:  German machine gun engaged the lead Machine Gun (MG) Truck.  The MG Truck failed the ambush morale check, causing it to rout.  Machine gun fire resulted in a terror result.  The Partisans moved out of the woods, one group to attack the convoy, the other to act as security to engage the escort and/or any reaction force.  The second vehicle in line failed the ambush morale check.  It routed and took a terror hit from the German Infantry’s rifle fire.   The Warlord Escort carried in the trail vehicle dismounted.  The MG truck Rallied.  However, the routed cargo truck did not.

Turn 2:  Germans again engaged the MG Truck, but failed to inflict any damage.  Likewise with the advancing Ambush Group’s fire on the stalled cargo truck.  The Security Group reached the crest of its objective.  The Warlord Escort advanced down both sides of the road towards the front of the column.  The stalled cargo truck again failed its morale check, but the MG Truck maneuvered to engage the advancing Partisans.  The MG Truck’s fire was ineffective.

Turn 3:  The Partisans advanced,  masking  the Germans’ field of fire.   Once again, Partisan fire at the stalled cargo truck was ineffective.  The security group attacked the nearest Warlord Escort, inflicting a terror hit.  The MG Truck could not hit the Partisan ambush group.  The Warlord escort maneuvered towards and ineffectively engaged the security group.  The other Warlord Escort continued to advance to the head of the column.

Turn 4:  Poor die rolling continued, as the Partisans once again could not damage any of their targets.  However,  both the Partisan Security Group and Warlord Escort recoiled in the fight for the hill.

Turn 5:  The Partisans again attacked both the stalled convoy and the escort.  Again, their fire was ineffective.  While the MG Truck and Escort both inflicted terror hits on the ambush and security group.

Turn 6:  According to plan, the Partisans disengaged, falling back to the woods, and prepared to move to the rally point.  The Chinese did not pursue.

Comments:  Fun little scenario, horrific die rolling for both sides.  I thought the Partisans would make short work of the convoy, but their low firepower (4 factors for each stand) was consistently ineffective.  The Germans should have been able to do more damage to the convoy, but again, the marksmanship (die rolling) was bad.  The Warlord unit engaging the Security Group did its job, and the resilient MG Truck forced the Partisan Ambush Group to retire.  A decisive victory for the Warlord’s forces.

After much procrastination, started playing this scenario.  I posted up some preliminary thoughts and photos of a couple of turns  back in December.

The scenario involves a Chinese Warlord convoy carrying all classes of supply.  The mission of the ambush force is to destroy the convoy and, if possible, remove weapons, ammunition and medical supplies.

Since the best ambush point was near a Warlord controlled town, there is the chance that a reaction force will appear.

The first step was to construct a simple situation generator, which hinged on the awareness level of the convoy.  The levels were clueless, cautious, and, know something will happen.  This status was settled by a die roll.

If clueless, the convoy had little discipline, moving at maximum speed and bumper-to-bumper.  If cautious, distance was greater, speed lower, with armed vehicles at head and front.  If an ambush was suspected, there was a reaction team attached, in addition to an escort.

In each case, there was the chance of a reaction force coming to the aid of the convoy, but again, a die roll settled that with modifiers to decrease the size of the force the less “aware” the convoy was.  The number of turns it took the reaction force to arrive on table was again a function of the Warlord force’s awareness level and die roll.

The required wristage created the following:

A clueless convoy, moving at maximum speed, with little dispersion and an escort of only two stands of troops.  Feeling sorry for these poor bastards, I threw in a light truck armed with a machine gun.

The ambush force consists of two stands of Germans, one machine gun, along with five stands of White Russian partisans.

It is a classic “L” shaped ambush.  The Germans are to engage the convoy, bringing it to a halt, and if possible, continue to support the Partisan attack.  The Partisans are to attack the convoy from the wooded flank alongside the road.  Two partisan stands will move to the rear of the convoy occupying a small hill taking up a position to engage either the convoy escort, or a reaction force.  The remaining Partisans will, using fire and maneuver, destroy the convoy and, if possible, retrieve needed supplies.

The Partisans are low on ammunition and cannot engage in a lengthy firefight with the convoy.  If this occurs, they are to withdraw back into the woods, covered by the Germans.  All units will then proceed to a rally point.

I’ll post up the results tomorrow.

Really windy here, gusts up at 30 mph.  Riding out of the question, college football schedule marginal, and World Series doesn’t start until 1700.  Decided to get another game in.  Same scenario, and tactics, but with Reds being more aggressive.

An aggressive wargamer really needs good die rolls.  That happened for the Soviets.

There was the usual push and shove between the Soviet company providing the base of fire and the Chinese regulars entrenched on the ridge.  However, the Soviet Sailor company advanced quickly  out of the woods and effectively attacked the Chinese Conscripts in reserve.

The Conscripts acquitted themselves well, maneuvering when called upon (they consistently rolled higher than two (2)),  shrugging off terror markers like regulars.  However, over time they were pushed back, losing one platoon.

With the Chinese Regulars also pushed back, and with two (2) terror markers halving their fire strength, the Soviet Regulars advanced towards the ridge, supported by the Cheka company,  engaging in a firefight with the now weakened Chinese.

The overwhelmed Chinese had no choice but to conduct a fighting withdrawal, with the retreating Regulars covered by the Conscripts!

Good and quick game with plenty of action.

Next time, machine guns and artillery.