CS Middle East: High Water Mark (Saasa Ridge, Syria; 12 Oct 1973)

Started by Crossroads, November 04, 2017, 07:30:33 AM

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Crossroads

The final butcher's bill, and victory score, can be seen here.

The game ended at 349 victory points at Israeli hands, so a proper draw. The Israeli commander - c'est moi - has been given a proper hairdresser treatment for his tentative first turns and allowing so much of the Syrian force escape the Tel Shams encirclement. Any chance for victory were lost there and then.

I will do a proper analysis of the game in coming days, but in short congratulations for Berto for his careful management of the Syrian battle force out there. Israeli Arm'd Bde mostly kept together, so advancing to face them would have been foolhardy, and his decision to allow Israeli's advance to him while shelling them at every point of the way certainly kept the gates to Damascus firmly shut. Well done!

Of note are the Syrian tank losses - there were only five tanks lost during the whole battle! Israeli tank losses were more severe, mostly caused by the Syrian tank hunter teams. The lack of Israeli mech infantry played well to Israeli difficulties, just as it historically did.

All in all, Israelis were stopped cold, just as they were. A historical result, a Draw it is.



Campaign Series Legion | CS: Vietnam 1948-1967 | CS: Middle East 1948-1985

CS: Vietnam DAR: LZ Albany as NVA (South Vietnam 11/17/65)  
CS: Middle East AARs: High Water Mark (Syria 10/12/73) Me vs Berto | Riptide (Libya 8/6/85) Me vs Berto | The Crossroads (West Bank 6/5/67)  Me vs Berto

Boardgame AARs: AH D-Day | MMP PanzerBlitz2 Carentan | OSS Putin's Northern War | GMT Next War: Poland | LnL Against the Odds DIY

Crossroads

Analysis to come next, in coming days. Meanwhile, let me know what you think  :)
Campaign Series Legion | CS: Vietnam 1948-1967 | CS: Middle East 1948-1985

CS: Vietnam DAR: LZ Albany as NVA (South Vietnam 11/17/65)  
CS: Middle East AARs: High Water Mark (Syria 10/12/73) Me vs Berto | Riptide (Libya 8/6/85) Me vs Berto | The Crossroads (West Bank 6/5/67)  Me vs Berto

Boardgame AARs: AH D-Day | MMP PanzerBlitz2 Carentan | OSS Putin's Northern War | GMT Next War: Poland | LnL Against the Odds DIY

Crossroads

Quote from: Crossroads on January 30, 2018, 03:02:27 AM
Analysis to come next, in coming days. Meanwhile, let me know what you think  :)

What the heck, I have the time so let us go.

After Action Analysis

Let us begin with Cunning Plan - a classic Hammer and Anvil move:



On paper, a proper plan. Maybe. I was likely right in my assessment that should I bring an overwhelming force to pocket the Tel Shams heights, that would be enough for a Minor Win in this quite tough scenario for Israelis.

However, I played it too much by the book, did not risk driving through the Strength 1 (only) minefields, waited for the Engineers to arrive on turn 3, and once I finally broke through the Syrian lines at the southern slopes it was too late to prevent the Syrians to withdraw a significant portion of their units. Victory lost right there and then.

Instead, maybe, I should have taken that idle Tank Battalion and with two of the three Engineer platoons, tried to clear those obstacles on the highway towards Saasa and to Damascus. I had played this earlier once vs-AI, and there I just managed to storm Saasa proper during the last turn. However, playing against a human opponent is always going to be tougher, and with the strong Syrian artillery, I would have probably lost the Engineers on those blocks and minefields. Especially as I only had three Smoke missions for covering them.

Or, instead, maybe, I should have just bypassed Tel Shams, and went all out to Damascus exit-hex. I had overestimated the Syrian tank force, but not the tank hunting infantry, but maybe still I could have stormed the area from the highway and via the right flank as I did here. Would have at least forcced the Syrians to come out to fight it out. Obvious danger in this would have been that I would have been trapped in between the Tel Shams formation, and the forces in Saasa. My vital HQ and Leader units, all soft targets, would have been toast anyway there. Which is why I chose not to do that.

I guess all this speculation just shows why this scenario is such a fun fight. Having played it now twice, I still do not have the keys to Damascus. I need to revisit this scenario at some stage, and try a properly aggressive tactic then, to see what happens. It will not be easy for the tank heavy Israeli formation then, either. This is no tank country. Well, not infantry country either, for the strong Syrian artillery, out of reach by counter battery fire as they are off board.

But it is great fun, High Water Mark is certainly a challenge, I will return to see how high the tide will be next time...
Campaign Series Legion | CS: Vietnam 1948-1967 | CS: Middle East 1948-1985

CS: Vietnam DAR: LZ Albany as NVA (South Vietnam 11/17/65)  
CS: Middle East AARs: High Water Mark (Syria 10/12/73) Me vs Berto | Riptide (Libya 8/6/85) Me vs Berto | The Crossroads (West Bank 6/5/67)  Me vs Berto

Boardgame AARs: AH D-Day | MMP PanzerBlitz2 Carentan | OSS Putin's Northern War | GMT Next War: Poland | LnL Against the Odds DIY

Crossroads

Quote from: Crossroads on January 30, 2018, 03:00:46 AM

The game ended at 349 victory points at Israeli hands, so a proper draw. The Israeli commander - c'est moi - has been given a proper hairdresser treatment for his tentative first turns and allowing so much of the Syrian force escape the Tel Shams encirclement. Any chance for victory were lost there and then.


Demoted from a Brigadier General to Captain, your's truly has been having a heck of some good times fighting the Teaching Set battles over and over.

This is the Campaign Series version of tic-tac-toe: there's the contested village, both sides begin with five 10VP objectives, both sides only command a enforced company, may the best commander win!

Winning me the Major stripes at least back, here are my victorious Israelis in the 1967 - there's one for each decade from 1940s to 1980s - holding the captured enemy village hex for 10VPs, and indeed, securing thus a Minor Win - by 9 points!

Egyptians had the final phase, but their artillery battery was out of ammo, and although they managed to liberate the other contested village hex there, my LMG squad stood strong and held to my gains. Disrupted units highlighted, it was a proper mayhem:



Campaign Series Legion | CS: Vietnam 1948-1967 | CS: Middle East 1948-1985

CS: Vietnam DAR: LZ Albany as NVA (South Vietnam 11/17/65)  
CS: Middle East AARs: High Water Mark (Syria 10/12/73) Me vs Berto | Riptide (Libya 8/6/85) Me vs Berto | The Crossroads (West Bank 6/5/67)  Me vs Berto

Boardgame AARs: AH D-Day | MMP PanzerBlitz2 Carentan | OSS Putin's Northern War | GMT Next War: Poland | LnL Against the Odds DIY

Sir Slash

I'm really enjoying these AAR's and the very detailed map screens. Great work Crossroads.  O0
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

mirth

Quote from: Sir Slash on January 31, 2018, 11:36:06 AM
I'm really enjoying these AAR's and the very detailed map screens. Great work Crossroads.  O0

+1 great fun following these.
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

Crossroads

Campaign Series Legion | CS: Vietnam 1948-1967 | CS: Middle East 1948-1985

CS: Vietnam DAR: LZ Albany as NVA (South Vietnam 11/17/65)  
CS: Middle East AARs: High Water Mark (Syria 10/12/73) Me vs Berto | Riptide (Libya 8/6/85) Me vs Berto | The Crossroads (West Bank 6/5/67)  Me vs Berto

Boardgame AARs: AH D-Day | MMP PanzerBlitz2 Carentan | OSS Putin's Northern War | GMT Next War: Poland | LnL Against the Odds DIY