Stranger Captures Three-Peat To Earn 7th Title!

The Squad Leader tournament had twenty players this year with 45 games played. We had many devoted players who played almost a third more games than last year. The majority of the games played were at the Squad Leader level, but a few games were played at Cross of Iron. Each year, the event draws a core of usual players and a few new players arrive to check out the game.

The free form play went throughout the entire week. Without the usual George Bott to help round out play throughout the week. Though the Semifinal and Final games get all of the attention in the write-up, I can’t pass up 'tales of the dice'. In one short game, Kevin Welsh displayed ‘expertise’ with his dice by tossing five snake-eyes! Just that feat alone was demoralizing for his opponent, but both played on to the finish.

The four players who qualified for the Semifinal were Kevin Welsh, Bill Thomson, Eric Stranger, and George Bott.

One Semifinal game saw Eric (German) and Bill (American) playing Eviction Notion. This scenario has the Germans defending on board 3 with the 3-hex two-story ‘hotel’ as the victory location. The Americans enter on a modified board 2 (no hills) and must quickly engage the attack in order to push the Germans out of the victory location. Bill Thomson’s Americans moved up six squads, support weapons, and leaders to the Eric's defensive line close to the hotel by unloading passengers from the halftracks. He positioned his mortar for support to smoke the hotel. Other infantry, who had to march the whole way in, were eliminated by Eric's accurate defensive fire. By turn 3, Bill’s Americans were closing the noose of the hotel’s defenders. The American armor moved around the back to cut off any opportunities for the Germans to reinforce the hotel. By turn 4, it looked like Eric’s Germans were going to get pummeled. Bill threw even the kitchen sink at the Germans, hitting him with good shots, but each time the Germans shrugged off their effects. Eric’s shots destroyed two of Bill’s best tanks severely weakening his punch. German artillery landed on top of both friend and foe in an attempt to stop the American advance into the hotel and the German engineers were able to reinforce the hotel. The last crucial combat was only hand-to-hand combat in the hotel. The final battle would decide the fate of the game. Eric’s roll failed to eliminate Bill’s Americans. However, Bill needed to remove the last Germans from the hotel. Bill needed an 8 or less on two dice, but he rolled a 9. The Germans win and Eric advances to the Final.

In the other Semifinal, George (American) and Kevin (German) played the same scenario. For the first half of the game, the Americans maneuvered to encircle the hotel. Kevin’s hidden anti-tank gun opened up and destroyed a halftrack with passengers when George tried to slip by. George’s attack began to lose steam as his forces began to break from Kevin’s artillery and other defensive fire. Kevin kept George out of the hotel and advanced to the Final.

The Final and the third/fourth place games were the original Avalon Hill scenario Buchholz Station. This scenario pits the Germans on the attack in the Battle of the Bulge against the Americans. The victory conditions are the same for both sides: inflict casualties. The first to lose ten infantry units loses. Also, the Germans may move units off the far edge of the board, but the Americans will have a say about that.

The the third/fourth place game had Bill Thomson (American) defending the village from George Bott (German). The Americans survived the initial attacks by the Germans. After that, the US troops continued to fade into the terrain and harass the advancing Germans. Bill also positioned his deadly .50cal machine gun in the hotel of the village and supported front line troops against the German advance. George, frustrated by any success in his previous assaults, then made a bold move to break the American defenses. Unfortunately, George’s move resulted in too many losses and he conceded the game to Bill.

The Final had Eric Stranger (American) defending the village of Buchholz Station from Kevin Welsh (German). This year marks Kevin’s return after many years, yet he found himself in the Final, again. Since the scenario has all of the on-board forces setup in predetermined locations, it makes for an interesting start since players may try similarly played strategies or go for a new gambit. Kevin moved his forces on an attack from the cover of woods outside of the village with the remaining forces following behind. The initial contact provided only a marginal success of pushing the Americans out of their starting positions, which Eric was happy enough to abandon anyway. The American used in inner lines of movement well by adjusting his forces to a solid defensive line and to use his only halftrack as a means to harry any Germans brave enough to run out in the open. By turn 2, the Germans were pushing forward with all of his forces west of the village, consolidating positions for a major assault. The Americans did the same. Both sides preparing for the big push, Germans rearranged their units for an optimum attack and the US troops lined up machine guns for crossfires and mutual lines of support. The up-coming battle will be bloody. Turn 3 began the exchange of heavy fire. The Germans took the first losses, but enough of the assault group was left standing to hit back. The Americans lost about as many of the German losses, who would flinch first?

The next turn saw continued loss on both sides. The Germans had lost enough units that their tactics had to change from a steady attack to an all-out assault. The Americans knew this was coming and slipped into the woods to give up some territory and time to keep the Germans from achieving his victory. Additional German losses only strengthen the American defensive capabilities, and Kevin Welsh conceded the game to Eric. This win for Eric Stranger is the third in a row and his seventh win of this tournament! Congratulations to Eric!