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After Action Report (AAR) of Alpenfestung XIII

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on February 27, 2020 at 9:36:07 pm
 

 

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Flyer

 

This was the official invitation for the tournament: Einladung ASL Alpenfestung XIII

 

Date

 

The Alpenfestung XIII tournament took place Thursday, June, 13th until Sunday, June, 16th, 2019.

 

Venue

 

We played in this vacation house in Cumbel (Kanton of Graubünden).

 

Participants

 

  1. John T. (Germany)

  2. Michael S. (Germany)

  3. Daniel T. (Switzerland)

  4. Marc B. (Switzerland)

 

Scenarios

 

This was the selection of the scenarios for the three rounds:

 

First round: «Son of Squad Bleeder» | «Assaulted at Arras» 1940

 

I. Assaulted at Arras. British vs. Germans. May, 1940. 5 Turns. (? hrs.)

 

Download the selection of «Son of Squad Bleeder» Scenarios (pdf., 3.4 MB)

 

Second round: Mid War 1942/1943 | «The Solomon Sea»

 

I. Brigade Hill. Japanese vs. British. September, 1942. 6.5 Turns. (4:03 hrs.)

II. The Triangle. Japanese vs. Americans. November, 1942. 9 Turns. (4:21 hrs.)

III. Through the Dragon's Teeth. Japanese vs. Americans. July, 1943. 6.5 Turns. (4:02 hrs.)

 

 

Third round: Early War 1940 | April and May 1940

 

I. Good Night, Sweet Prince. Germans vs. Danish. April, 1940. 7.5 Turns. (4:34 hrs.)

II. Strangers in a Strange Land. Germans vs. French. May, 1940. 8 Turns. (4:41 hrs.)

III. The Abbeville Bridgehead. Germans vs. French. May, 1940. 7 Turns. (4:50 hrs.)

 

Download the scenarios for round 2 and 3 (pdf., 1.1 MB)

 

Results

 

First Round

Daniel (as the British) vs. Marc (as the Germans) in Assaulted at Arras. Marc wins.

John (as the British) vs. Michael (as the Germans) in Assaulted at Arras. ? wins. 

 

Second Round

John (as the Japanese) vs. Daniel (as the British) in Brigade Hill. ? wins.

Marc (as the Americans) vs. Michael (as the Japanese) in Through the Dragon's Teeth. Marc wins.  

 

Third Round

John (as the French) vs. Marc (as the Germans) in The Abbeville Bridgehead. Marc wins.

Daniel (as the...?) vs. Michael (as the...?) in The Abbeville Bridgehead. ? wins. 

 

Ranking

 

1st: Marc (3:0) - Tournament winner

2nd: ?

3rd: ?

4th: ?

 

After Action Report (AAR)

 

Jan

(your AAR) 

 

John

(your AAR) 

 

Daniel

My third visit to Alpenfestung, paying homage to the nigh indomitable will of Marc to continue organising the tournament, but also looking forward to good company and at least three face to face games of Advanced Squad Leader, which are hard to come by given the ongoing opponent scarcity crisis. I was not disappointed.

 

I played a quick sneaky round of some AP8 scenario against John, but it was a complicated Fortenberry design, so due to having travelled all day and the excitement of it all, we called it an early night. During the three tournament rounds, I enjoyed defending the German paratrooper landing on Crete versus John very much, that was one cool scenario. Second round for me was against Jan, and I like a Stalingrad scenario any day, however, I don't love them.

 

Most memorable game was surely the last round against Marc, where my Japanese defenders were very hard pressed by being forced to play using the IIFT. Despite all that, In a rare show of skill, I managed to roll 1,2 about five times in a row during a late game DFPh. Marc suffered badly on those rolls, but I did have a nagging feeling that he let me win, because he didn't want to take the first place trophy back home. Anyway, great game.

 

As usual it was a relaxed tournament with good food, although it would have been nice to catch that coop@home delivery, too bad. The bottle of Röteli was a classic. Enjoyed the stay despite the ear shattering church bell in front of my window that made one of my teeth fall out.

 

Marc

Despite sending out the invitation to the Alpenfestung to many ASL players, those who answer my call are often the «usual suspects». Daniel returned to the Alpenfestung after a long break, but Jan and John are regular attendees. 

 

In my first game against Jan, most of his paratroopers landed in the rear area of the battlefield. Which was safer for his troops, but extended the path he had to cover to reach the victory area. Only in the middle of the game, I realized that there were two different variants for the Germans to win, but I managed to prevent both. Yet, it was a reminder of my old wisdom in ASL: Read the victory conditions before the game and after each game turn. You will be surprised how long it takes until  you fully understand the subtleties of the victory conditions...

 

The second game against John was a fierce street fighting combat in Stalingrad, 1942. The victory hexes changed hands several times, and the scenario was only decided in the last close combat of the last turn. An epic ending of a dense and nail-biting scenario!

 

My third game against Daniel saw my relentlessly advacing American troops against the stealthy and skillful defenders of his Japanese forces. I did achieve a final breakthrough, but Daniel ruined my timetable severely enough that my troops reaching the victory area were «too little, too late».

 

Thanks to Daniel, John and Jan for another ASL gaming experience highlight!

 

 

Photos

 

Our rented vacation apartment was in the top floor of the front building. It is located in Vignogn (Canton of Graubünden).

 

Our cozy and spacious living room. It featured a view into the Swiss Alps right from the gaming table (a typical Alpenfestung characteristic).

 

Setting up the first scenario - German paratroopers invading Crete (Greece) in early 1941. 

 

A walk with Jan and John near the town in between two scenarios.

 

What do you see:
a) a beautiful belltower or
b) a perfect sniper/ artillery observer location?

 

Where every hex was fought over bitterly: Round 2 in Stalingrad, 1942.

 

A nasty (and noisy!) surprise for almost half a day on Friday and about two hours on Saturday: Construction workers breaking up the underground garage driveway with a jackhammer. It was the first Alpenfestung that was impaired by outside noise. :oP

 

One more reason to make a refreshing trip to the natural bathing lake near Vignogn.

 

Marc and John enjoying the fresh and cooling water.

 

On our return walk from a neighbouring town after we had dinner there. As the road terminates at the end of the valley, there is so little traffic that you can safely walk on the entire road.

 

Marc congratulates Daniel on winning the Alpenfestung for a third time.

 

Daniel sent us a gallery of his Alpenfestung winning trophies later on. You can also see the evolution of the miniatures and bases over the years. :o)

 

Did we manage to wet your appetite for our jubilee Alpenfestung XIII in 2019? Please send me a message if you want to be updated about its planning.

 

(Photos: 640 x 480 pixel) 

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