THE KILLING GROUND

TURN 1 (6 of July 1944)

A  Weather:

 No need to roll for weather as secenario set up says  that it is “light overcast” and “no rain”. But anyway,  allied player must roll next turn weather and keep the information secret. Dr= 3 with a drm of +1 (turn before 19-july) =4 it means light overcast like first turn.

Sea condition dr=1 (drm=-1) calm      

Rain dr=2 so no rain next turn either

Allied air segment

Allied player rolls in a table for the air support this day (turn), it depends on the  weather 

Dr=3, It gives the allied player just “6” air points with light overcast no rain.

Now these 6 air points must be allocate between moviment interdiction, ground support and supply interdiction. I will set  two points each.  Sure it is not a great strategy but that way I’ll learn.

B Mutual support and supply  stage.

First, form the army reserve allied player allocates support  points to keep corps HQ supported.

USA 1st army uses 0  s.p. for supporting all of his corps. 5th, 7th, 8th and 19th, (so army reserve still has  6) as all 4 corps are at less than 12 hexes from supply source (depot at W6021)

British 2nd army must support five corps 1st, 8th, 12th, 30th and 2nd can. All five corps are again closer than 12 hexes to supply source. British 2nd army reserve has 14 s.p.

All allied corps already have 1sp at each corps reserve, so armies can’t give them more sp’s as it is the maxim now (this maxim daily corps support level can be arisen in later turns). Now each army can resupply for free a number of artillery units equal to the artillery support level (in both armies is 2). British resupplies  as free unit  52Hv and 55Hv near Courselles.

American do it with 406 and 188 artillery reg. from 4th and 90 div. British resupply paying (2sp’s) 8AGRA and one more for 59HV. (Brit 2nd army reserve=14-3=11.

187 art reg.(1st div)  , 190 art reg. (30 div). USA army res=6-2=4. I don’t  ressuply 82div artillery as I see 82 div very weak now.

German supports for free one HQ and one artillery for ecah army. V Pz army have 5 corps 86ht, 1SS, 2SS, 47th and 74th, so it expends 4sp’s (18-4=14 sp’s left ). VII army have 2P, 25th and 84th corps so it expends 2sp’s (12-10=10 sp’s left). Army artillery at N3817 resupplied for free.

Supply segment  All units are in supply, excepting German flack ¿¿??.

Units attachment (I think it’s important and a bit complicated, so do it for every corp in game)

German: V pz army: 86 corp: 711, 346, 16lft and 716. A corps may attach 3 div. Plus one more if any is assigned as a corp div… such as 711 or 346. So no sp expended for 86 corp

1SS corp: 12SS, 1SS, 271 and 21st Pz div- (3+1 div attached no sp cost) /2SS corp: 9SS, 10SS                          47 corp: 2Pz, PzLehr / 74 corp: 276, 277

German: VII army:  / 2 parachute corps: 3Fsjg, 352 /25 corp: 265, 275 /84 corp: 91, 243, 17SS, 2Fsjg (no sp cost)

USA 1st army attchment:  /8 corp: 79, 90, 82Abn / 7corp: 4, 83, 30 / 19 corp: 19, 29, 3Arm             5 corp: 1, 2 , 2Arm

British 2nd army: 1 corp: 51, 6Abn, 3, 4Arm /2 can corp: 3can ,2Tank / 8 corp: 43, 15, 11Arm   /      12 corp:  53, 59 , Gds Arm  / 30 corp: 49, 50, 7 Arm

No roll can be made yet to increase “daily corp support level” as it would be an “1” with two dice.

C    ALLIED PLAYER TURN

1      Operation phase.  No operations beginthis turn. No german operational initiative segment either.

2   Army support and replacement phase: No new army is activated this turn. Rolling how many sp are received this turn, it depends on the weather and the sea condition. USA dr=6-1 (USA support drm for 6-july)+1 Cherbourg.=6   it is 7sp’s for 1st USA army. So now at the reserve there are 11 sp’s Brit dr=3 +1=4 (Cherbourg no table drm for brits), it means 5 sp’s, now Brit reserve=5+11=16 

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Replacement segment: USA has 3rp points and Brit have just one. No rp spent this time but will retreat for reting two regiments: 23reg, 2nd div 5th corp (USA) and 29 reg 43 div 8th corp (brit). They will come back three turns later as reinf. without -1 effectiveness penalty.

Reinforcements are added this step, this turn only american 79(Art) unit. It is placed at the american depot.

                3.- Movement phase:  

 First of all, units move using tactical move. Move all three tracks from Isigny-sur-Mer to join 9th inf div. Before moving the rest of the unit moves I must check which units MUST attack in their actual situation. They are N34.16 and N36.23 both are in flooded lowland where attack is mandatory. In Brit area no mandatory attack as all of them are  in hedgerows, bocages, IP, etc.

79 art reg moves to join 19 corp as I think it will be the corp where I will begin an american operation in any future good weather turn, I would like to cross Vire river there at Point Herber (north of St Lo.). In British sector move 59th div to relieve 53th div (both from 12 corps) in order to retreat them next turn to rest.

              

               4.- Combat phase:  

As I only have 2 air missions I will only do this attacks (sure not a great strategy again!) anyway lets learn how attacks work. As I must  attack N34.16 I move all 90th div. One reg (359th) to N3215. 358th goes to N33.16. That way I can attack with two regiments (not regiment + cadre), but to do that I must put a unit in zoc of german 941th inf reg, as attack from hedgerow is not mandatory, but if you choose to attack you must do to all units in your ZOC (excepting if this unit is also  in a fiendly zoc of a unit not attacking)

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First image is just the terrain near the combat and second one shows the same area with combat units.

Combat secuence:

1-      Attacker declares suppported attack so 8 corp (the one 90 div belongs) pay 1 sp from the corp reserve (so now 8th corp reserve=0).

2-      American now declares one air support and support from the 406 art regiment.

3-      German declares support from 8NW (as 84 corp artillery are out of range. )

4-       Total the combat strength of units. For every regiment a chit is drown, (in spite of being “2” regs  chit from “1” are drawn for both units due to the -1 effect of replacement received). 358=7; 357=7 and german KG=3.

5-      USA units=14, German=5  (3 from the KG and 2 from the 561 OST batallion- No chit drawn for battlion size units, they have combat strength printed on the counter)

6-      14/5 is a 3vs1 attack on flooded lowland row. But now before rolling dice  the ratio may change due to:

a.       Divisional integrity: one column right as all 90div is adjacent (4vs1)

b.      Air support, an air chit is drawn (available air points now is 1) 2cshifts in favor of attacker (as no rain and no special terrain for air support) (6vs1)

c.       American artillery support, rolling in 5column of the table (+1 for USA, -1 for flloded hex) dr=5 is 1 col shift (7vs1). German art dr =1 (2col left shift) (5vs1). Both artillery units are flipped to it’s spent side.

No ASV or combined arm bonus here intis kind of terrain hex. When solving combat no drm is used, just column shifts. Rolling two dice in 5vs1 “flooded lowlands”= 11. Very lucky result for germans   1<1/-  It means 1 casualty and one hex retreat for attacker and nothing for the defender.

 Combat secuence:

1-      Attacker declares suppported attack so 7th corp pay his 1 sp from the corp reserve.  

2-      American now declares one air support and support from the 190 art regiment.

3-      German declares support from 115 art reg.

4-       Total the combat strength of units. Again  for every regiment a chit is drawn, 1B=4 for german reg +1 for anti air unit totals a 5 for german defense. A3=15 and A=13 for american inf reg. As all american units are attacking across a stream strength are halved. 15+1=16/2=8 for 117 inf reg and 743 tank batallion. Next in the other hex 13 for 119 inf reg +cadre value for 120 inf reg=8.

5-      USA units=16, German=5.    16vs5 is a 3vs1 in hedgerow+village hex

6-      Column shifts:

a.       Divisional integrity: one column right as all 30div is adjacent (4vs1)

b.      Air support, an air chit is drawn (available air points now is 0) 3 shifts in favor of attacker (as no rain and no special terrain for air support) (7vs1)

c.       American artillery support, rolling in 5column of the table (+1 for USA, -1 for hedgerow) dr=5 is 1 column right shift (8vs1). German art dr =6 (no column left shift) (8vs1). Both artillery units are flipped to it’s spent side.

d.      No combined arms bonus as defender has both infantry and antitank guns.

e.      ASV, german have 2 black dots and american only one White, so 1 column to the left for defender. 7vs1.

f.        German defending in hedgerow 1 col left 6vs1

g.       Infantry defending in town 1 col left 5vs1

Rolling two dice in 5vs1 “hegderows”= 11. -/>1 No casualties for both sides, but this time allied wins as the german must retreat one hex. St Jean-de-Daye is conquered by the alllies it means Germans must do one attack mandatory next turn.

No reserve move this time as NO operation is in course now. No target air interdiction as

6.- Engineering phase Each HQ supported at a 6 hex range may begin IP positions (free the first one, 1sp for the second). On the american side: They will be N3212 8th corp; N35.19 7th corp. ; N41.28 for 5th corp.; N3927 for  19th corps. British side:  N4139 for 30th corp, N4143 8th corp; N4042 for 12th corp. 2nd can in and 1st corp in N34348 both begin an entrenchment.

7 Disorganization/Regroup phase. Nothing to do.

Later will try with German half turn.

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