Bloody Omaha - My Biggest Panzer Leader Game EVER! (Part 1)

[@AnotherHistorianWargamer]

What a game! Thankfully we're just getting the highlights, I imagine the housekeeping parts of the game were a real nightmare. Seeing all the dozens and dozens of wreck counters in a Panzer Leaders game is pretty crazy. I can only imagine how much work went into planning and running this game, congrats Jim it's amazing.

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much Dylan. Yes, there was a lot of research and drawing the map was a bit of a journey, but I usually like that kind of stuff. It helps having actually walked this beach a few times end to end, although of course it looks very different today. To be honest, a FEW maps would have been a little more realistic, showing the incoming tide through the six hours represented in the game. The only pain point was setting up all those American waves. And if anything, the arrival of American follow-on waves was a little too clean. Yes, I had drift rules, but new waves of American units always arrived "on schedule" - which they certainly didn't do historically. I think having a chance for waves to "stall" off board would better recreate the chaos on the beach and get previous units "hung out to dry" on the sand, which sadly happened all too often. And yeah, stacking up the wrecks and smoke "kill" markers hopefully portrays the real losses both sides are taking. I hope you like Part 2 as well! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHfZlX96h56lotE

[@CraigPauls]

Great production, Jim! And of course, how can you go wrong with Panzer Leader. Even watching the game is fun. I'm looking forward to the next instalment.

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much Craig! Indeed ... few and far between are the battles where Panzer Leader is not an optimum choice (true, true ... sometimes with some updated rules). 😃 Thansk very much for checking it out!

[@bennijohnson942]

Of course. Omaha. I remember doing this with you about 10 years ago with many of the newer rules and it was quite something !!!

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Oh yes, Scenario 02 with the classic boxed set! 😃

[@WargamingHistory]

Excellent Jim, looking forward to your game. Good idea to use the updates from Arab Israeli wars

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks veryt much! I hope you like it! And yes, if anyone's serious about playing PanzerBlitz / Leader these days, they really should be using the some variant of the Arab-Israeli Wars rules. Part Two is now up! Hope you like that as well! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHfZlX96h56lotE

[@WARdROBEPlaysWWII]

Impressive

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much! 😅 Definitely a labor of love on this one!

[@blairfenning7718]

Great Battle well done..

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much, very glad you liked it! So far we've covered 8 turns out of 20. Wednesday's content will be Part 2, Turns 9-20 (we start going much faster).

[@joeokabayashi8669]

Great commentary.

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much!

[@jenniferlemon3876]

What a massive game! I wonder how big a table this would be in 15 mm?

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

I think I mention that. Larger than a football field. 350' by 200'.

[@jonfleenor461]

Super!! Quick question. Yup said your using AIW morale rules. Where is the rule about an HQ/S unit being hit affecting a regiment? Great rule. I want to find it and learn. Thank you!

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much. That's totally a "house" rule we use for lost CPs/HQs - and it's very simple. When a CP/HQ is eliminated (not dispersed), the owning player makes an immediate morale check (based on whatever that force's morale is in the scenario, A-D). If that roll succeeds, the overall formation (all units under the lost CP/HQ) plays as normal for the rest of the game. A staff officer takes over, the actual commander has survived his unit's destruction and finds anouther radio, who knows? If that roll FAILS, the loss of the HQ/CP has a noticeable effect on the overall formation. Whatever that force's morale level was, it drops by one (so a Morale B force becomes morale C for the rest of the game, etc). Like all good house rules, it's simple and doesn't have THAT big of an impact on the overall system. Clearly, solid units like Morale A and B don't have to worry too much about this, because they're likely to succeed with that "change of command" roll - better staff officers, NCOs, etc. "Shaky" units with over-centralized command structures (C and D) ... stand to lose much more when their commander is knocked out. The only issue is when a Morale D unit loses its command sectiion and fails that roll. Is there a "Morale E?" Actually, yes, as written by Brian Train in his "Desert Leader" series in 2000. A Morale E unit doesn't rally, period. Or rallies on a "1" only - depending on whether you're using the morale tables from Tactical Combat Middle East by Toshach Miniatures, but that's another whole discussion. Thanks for the great question!

[@victorfinberg8595]

i think there's something seriously wrong with this assault plan. the beach area should have been absolutely BLANKETED with smoke, so that the assault troops can come ashore and get organized. that way, all they need to worry about are mines and artillery. then you bring in some engineers, clear a couple gaps in the obstacles, bring in some tanks (ESPECIALLY "funnies"), feed in infantry behind them, and so forth. human wave assaults are just insanely stupid.

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Well, it wasn't SUPPOSED to be like that. Looking closely at the INTENDED assault wave schedule, at least two companies of tanks were supposed to be onshore (one in 116 RCT / 29th US Infantry and one at the 16 RCT / 1st US Infantry assault sectors) before the first infantry got out of the boat. Needless to say, didn't happen that way. 😑

[@victorfinberg8595]

@@JamesJohnson-wq6bs that's not good enough. the biggest vulnerability of tanks is mines. one small thing, and an expensive unit is lost. putting tanks up front does not work. no, i said what the requirements are very carefully. first of all, MASK the landing. in particular, blind the defensive direct fire units. second, CLEAR at least some obstacles. third, get TANKS onshore. NEVER use human wave tactics. Lots of people question the courage of Americans, sometimes as a matter of political policy. History shows them to be wrong. I consider it personally offensive for anyone to throw away lives by sending them into a meat grinder, even if the leader is doing it from the front. Many American leaders have done exactly that, all the way back to the beginning.