The Big Drop AAR - OST Vol. 2 Airborne Expansion

[Barthheart]

This is my first playing of scenarios A3 and A4 of OST Vol. 2 Western Front 1944/45 Airborne Expansion

Scenario A3 and A4 are linked in that what ever you have left at the end of A3 stays on the map and you get to use in A4.

A3, The Big Drop, takes place at night around Saint-Mere-Eglise, France on June 6, 1944.
The US player has seven turns to capture as many VP locations as possible while keeping his casualties to a minimum.

Eight C-47 cargo planes full of paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne will drop around the town and attempt to take the 6 victory locations already controlled by the Germans.
Each plane can carry 3 squads, plus support weapons and leaders, and/or crewed weapons.

The Germans setup in town first then the US player places his planes full of troops. Once the US player is done the Germans get to place to patrols in certain hexes on the map.
I chose by die roll for this solo play through.

The Germans in town setup on the VP locations, might as well make the Yanks fight for them.

[mirth]

I wanna be an Airborne Ranger...

[Barthheart]

At least 4 of the US planes had to setup East of hex column BB. These are them.

[Barthheart]

I chose to setup the other 4 planes closer to town to shorten the walk to the fight.

[Barthheart]

Here is the entire map after all the setups were complete. You can see the German patrols East of the town.



(click pic to embiggen)

[Barthheart]

The air drop procedure is very simple and results in the units spread around. Each plane moves ahead 1 hex at a time. In each new hex you roll for direction and amount of drift and one squad or crewed weapon lands in that new spot. Keep moving until the planes are empty.

The drop for the first group, East of hex column BB, went well in that no units were shaken or took casualties.

The second group, nearer town, were not so lucky. One group came down in a woods hex and were shaken.
A second group came down in a building hex and that resulted in a squad being reduced and Lt. Murphy being killed.
Another group came down next to a German squad who was able to fire and reduce them.
So 3 casualty points just from the drop.

[Barthheart]

Overall situation after the drop.

[Barthheart]

The first turn and normal impulses start. The Yanks open fire on the Germans in the VP hex and manage to cause a broken result. Then the reduced US squad assaults and forces the Germans to retreat. First VP!

[Barthheart]

In the East, Cpt. Winters, Sgt. Garcia and some squads start a firefight with the southern patrol. This results in the patrol being wiped out but the Yanks get another reduced squad and a couple are shaken.
A firefight with the northern patrol results in a reduced German squad.

[mirth]

This would be great as a video AAR :P

[Barthheart]

Overall situation at the end of the first turn. US are at 4 casualty points the Germans are at 5.
For every 5 points a side takes, they lose an impulse point next turn.

[Barthheart]

This would be great as a video AAR :P

Quiet you. 

[Barthheart]

The second turn sees the Yanks get 21 impulse points on the 5 dice worth they are rolling. The Germans, rolling 3 dice, get 10 but lose 1 for the casualties, so end up with only 9 impulse points.
This turn doesn't see a lot of shooting, just lots of moving by the Yanks as they try to close on the town.
Then German northern patrol tries to get to cover but good shooting by the airborne troopers causes one squad to become broken and stops their movement. The Germans spend the rest of the turns impulses trying to create cover in their open hex and finally manage it.
In town, the previously broken German squad, who became only shaken in the rally phase, gets melee'd again. The melee is inconclusive but because the Germans are shaken they must retreat out of the hex.
A lucky shot from another German squad shakes another airborne squad.
Then the Germans play their Luck card, Friendly Fire, right near the end of the turn.

[Barthheart]

For this they chose Cpt. Winters and his reduced squad, who had just retrieved the southern patrols LMG, to fire on the crewed MMG a couple of hexes away. The result is a reduction to the MMG and the Yank 5th casualty.

[Barthheart]

Overall situation at the end of the second full turn.