On the Table Sunday, ASLSK#1 - Simple Equation

Mervyn came over Sunday afternoon to play a scenario we had played on our last go with ASLSK, the Simple Equation scenario. It was Americans, me, vs. Mervyn's Germans. The Americans were on the attack having to capture 25 building hexes on board z but had to setup on board y.

The first time we played this scenario my Americans advanced on the wings with good results especially making good use of the wooded road on the left. This time Mervyn posted a unit to guard that approach so I decided to go straight up the middle. Mervyn had pre-planned his setup before coming over and it appeared to be a good one after the first turn as he managed to get good defensive fires on my advancing units. At the end of the turn he had already casaulty reduced one of my squads and the rest of the broken ones routed to YK6 to for a rally attempt with an 8-0 leader left behind for just such an occasion. Luckily for me with their 8 morale on the reverse side I managed to roll low enough even under desperation morale to rally all of my broken squads.
Turn two kept the Americans occupied trying to take the YI2 building position. Mervyn had set two squads with an LMG there in the beginning. I managed to break one of them and he routed away. The lone surviving squad survived my first close combat attempt and the units were locked in melee. Later that squad needing a 3, rolled snake eyes and eliminated my squad who needed a 6 to do likewise. Of course my squad failed its roll so the German's still held the building.
In turn 3 I wasted a lot of ineffective prep fire on YI2 so had to send in another squad to take the building. I was finally successful but I was taking too much time on board y. Mervyn's turn 3 prep fire managed to break my point platoon eliminating the half squad carrying the Flame thrower in YJ1. These broken units would rout back to YH3 and YL3.
My lone 9-2 leader, not wanting to leave the Flame thrower in YJ1 during turn 3 stayed and tried to pick it up. I needed anything but a 6. Guess what I rolled? You got it a six further stalling my attack. After my turn 4 movement we had to stop the game; Mervy had to go home. Half the scenario time was over and I still had not made it to board z and Mervyn's defensive fire was making it tough.
The "Simple Equation" the Americans used was to use their machine guns to suppress the Germans so the Flame thrower could make quick work of them. In this game my GIs could not do this; the prep fire with the MGs was ineffective and when I got close enough to use the flame thrower it didn't do its job either.

We will have to play this one again Mervyn!