Operation Dauntless: Illustrated Example of an Assault

Disclaimer: All map and unit art is for playtesting purposes only. This example involves infantry and AFVs, including a British carrier platoon (which can qualify as both), and includes examples of the Ambush and Zero-Range AT Assault routines. Therefore it represents a rather extreme situation involving the greatest possible diversity of units. Not all Assault situations will make use of every routine shown here, or require as many steps to resolve! Below: An overview of the scenario setup. Our Assault will take place along the northern map edge.

It is the first turn of the Cristot scenario. A British stack containing 3 x Centaur IV CS tank platoons plus the carrier platoon of the KOYLI is about to move and conduct an Assault. The stack starts in hex 1301. Below: Starting positions of units involved in the Assault.

The British stack moves to 1402, then 1501, then 1601 for 8 total MPs. Since all units in the stack are tracked vehicles, they pay 1 MP per field hex, 2 MPs per light bocage hex, and 3 MPs per heavy bocage hex. The stack then Assaults into 1701. To conduct an Assault, they must pay the cost of the target hex (heavy bocage= 3 MPs) plus one additional MP. This means the total cost to move and conduct the Assault is 12 MPs. Below: Final location at the instant of the Assault. The units remain in these hexes while the stages of the Assault are resolved. Note: The German scout HT unit should still be on its full strength side when the Assault begins (it is on its reduced side in this photo).

Ambush. As the Assault will involve both AFVs and leg units with zero-range AT weapons (PIATs, panzerfausts and the like) we must first resolve the Ambush roll. This will determine how many units of each side with zero-range AT weapons can make AT Fire rolls, and in what order. The unmodified Combat Ratio is used to determine the DRM. In this case, 14 total CS attacking 8 total CS yields a ratio of 3:2, providing a +1 DRM. No other DRMs apply in this situation. A 10-sided die roll yields a 4, modified to a 5. The result: two units of each side may perform a Zero-Range AT Assault, defender first,

then alternating. In this case, there is only one unit on each side which qualifies (the German scout platoon and the British carrier platoon). Zero-Range AT Assaults. As previously determined by the Ambush roll, the Germans get to roll first. Their scout platoon, with an AT rating of 12, chooses a Centaur platoon as its target. The following DRMs apply: +4 (heavy bocage), -5 (targets Armor rating, halved and rounded up), -3 (targets CS), -4 (two steps of enemy infantry in the assaulting hex) = net +4. Two 10-sided dice yield a 12, modified to a 16. Result: one step reduction to target unit. The British player reduces one of his Centaur platoons. Now the British player chooses the transport half-track unit as the target for his carrier platoon. The carrier platoon has an AT rating of 14, and the following DRMs apply: +4 (heavy bocage), -1 (targets Armor rating, halved and rounded up), -4 (targets CS), -4 (one step of enemy infantry in the hex defending against the Assault)= net +6. 2d10 yield a 8, modified to a 14. Result: one step reduction to target unit. The German player flips his transport HT unit to its reduced strength side. AT Fire. Per the Combat/Assault procedure, the next step is to allow all other AT Fire capable units on each side to fire, with defender rolling for all units first, followed by the attacker. Zero-Range AT units cannot fire during this step (they already had the opportunity). In our situation, the German player can roll for his scout HT unit plus his transport HT unit, and then the British can roll for all 3 Centaur platoons. Note that both German vehicle units have their AT rating derived from 20mm guns, so they will not be effective against Centaurs with the Armor rating of 10. The German player chooses the British carrier platoon (Armor rating of 1) as his target instead. Note that the carrier platoons are special units in that they are treated as both infantry and AFVs, depending on the situation (more on that later). The recon HT unit has an AT rating of 4 and a Fire Control (FC) rating of -2. AT minus Armor (4 1) = +3. No DRMs apply during Assaults. The German player rolls 3d10 (two black and one red) and 1d6 (the FC die). These yield: 6, 4, (red 7), (FC 5). As the result of the FC die (5) is greater than the units negative FC rating of 2, there is no effect for FC and the red d10 result is not used. 6+4= 10, modified to 13. Result = no effect. Now all three Centaur platoons can fire. They choose the recon HT unit (Armor rating of 2) as their target. Their AT rating is a 3, and their FC rating is -2 (Note: their HE shells arent really intended for targeting AFVs). AT minus Armor (3-2)= +1. No DRMs apply during Assaults. Centaur unit #1: The British player rolls 7, 4, (red 8), (FC 3). There is no FC effect, and 7+4= 11, modified to a 12. Result: No effect. Centaur unit #2: The British player rolls 10, 8, (red 5), (FC 2). This time the FC effect kicks in, and the lowest two d10 results must be used. 8+5= 13, modified to a 14. Result: one step reduction to target unit. The German player flips his recon HTs to their reduced strength side. Centaur unit #3: The British player rolls 9, 4, (red 3), FC 1). FC again has an effect, and the lowest two d10 results are used. 4+3=7, modified to an 8. Result: no effect. Assault Resolution. All aspects of AT Fire have now been resolved, so the Assault is resolved normally using the CRT. The combat ratio is 13:8, or 3:2. The following column shifts apply: 1L for close terrain, 1L for Dug-In marker in target hex, 3R for 3 orange-boxed CS units participating (the Centaurs), 1L for 12th SS units defending in an Assault. Net shift = none. The Assault is resolved in the 3:2 column of the CRT. The British player rolls 2d6, which yield a 7. Result: 0/1. The attackers take no losses, and the

defenders take 1 loss. This loss can be taken as a Retreat by all defending units, or by taking a step reduction to a unit of the German players choice. Retreat. The German player opts to Retreat. He pulls his scouts back 1 hex to 1702. Normally, AFVs can choose to ignore all losses from Combats, Assaults, and Ranged Attacks (they are vulnerable to step reductions only from AT Fire and indirect Ranged Attacks which are resolved using the PFVT). However, in Assaults, all AFVs must retreat if non-AFV units Retreat. So in this case, both German HT units must retreat as well. All three German units are rotated 90 degrees as a reminder that they retreated this phase. The Dug-In marker is removed from the vacated defending hex. Advance After Combat. The Assault has succeeded in clearing the target hex of defenders, so the British units must advance into the hex. While this is optional during normal Combats, it is mandatory following a successful Assault. Note that because the Centaurs are AFVs, they qualify for Overruns (the British carrier platoon is not considered an AFV with respect to Overruns, as denoted by the green circle around its Armor rating); the Centaurs can continue to move and/or Assault with any MPs remaining. However, in this case, the Centaurs have already spent 12 of their 14 MA. It would cost them 3 MPs to Assault the retreated Germans (2 MPs for the light bocage terrain in the target hex, +1 MP). They only have 2 MPs remaining so they cannot perform an Assault. This is to the regret of the British player because units that previously retreated cannot perform AT Fire later in the same phase. If his Centaurs had enough MP to perform another Assault, they could do so while immune to German AT Fire! Continuing the Action Phase. As all this took place during the British Action Phase, play would then continue and the remainder of the British units could also take actions. Its a good idea to rotate units 180 degrees as they take actions (not shown) to denote which have already activated during the current phase.