CASLO Scenario Lists

The Canadian ASL Open (CASLO) is barely six weeks away. If you have yet to register, here are some reasons to do so today.

The Purple Heart Mini

This year the CASLO will feature a Mini tournament geared toward newer and less experienced players. The “Purple Heart Mini” is a single-elimination event running from Saturday through to Sunday. Players eliminated in the first or second round of the Mini may engage in open play thereafter.¹ 

The “Purple Heart Mini” is the ideal place for tyros to earn their first wound stripes. A tyro is a competitor competing in an event for the first time. However, one need not be a tyro to enter the Mini.²

Click to enlarge

We have selected scenarios that provide players with challenging situations, but which generally do not require advanced knowledge of the ASL rule set to play. For instance, in the first and second rounds, players can choose from a minimum of two scenarios featuring no vehicles, and very little, if any ordnance. For those players interested in combined-arms actions, we have included one scenario with vehicles in each of these rounds.

Because the third round is for all the marbles, or in this case a copy of Lone Canuck’s Purple Heart Draw, we have provided two scenarios that feature Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFV). These scenarios will give the finalists a greater opportunity to play a more complex scenario in the last round. Players will notice that there is also a fourth scenario choice for the third round. We included this fast-playing, infantry-only scenario as an option for players who wish to finish early on Sunday. Note that this scenario is only an option if both players agree to play it instead of the other scenarios in the round.

The Main Event

The winner of the CASLO, or main event, will receive a copy of Le Franc Tireur’s new historical module Kampfgrupper Scherer: the Shield of Cholm. The CASLO consists of five rounds. Participants play all five rounds, with the winner determined by points. A player scores 10 points for winning a match, and receives one bonus point for every victory that  his defeated opponents have at the end of the tournament.

Click to enlarge

Sponsored rounds

Each round of the CASLO has five scenarios to choose from. In addition, four of the rounds are sponsored by ASL publishers. In each of the sponsored rounds, three of the scenarios are drawn from the sponsor’s library of scenarios. Should a player opt to play one of the sponsor’s scenarios (in the sponsored round), he or she is automatically entered in the raffle for this round. The winner of the raffle will receive a scenario pack from the sponsor.

Ian was especially fond of this design.

In recognition of the late Ian Daglish’s contributions to ASL, we have included his favourite scenario design in the last round of the CASLO. Copies of this and other scenarios will be available at the tournament. Players who have pre-registered may request a pdf copy of any scenario on the list that they currently do not have access to. These copies are for tournament use only.

For more information, check out this post, or contact me, the Tournament Director, at battleschool@rogers.com

See you in September!

Notes

1. In most cases, a player who played in the Main (the CASLO) tournament on Friday will return to next round of the CASLO.

2. A handicap may apply to more experienced players, i.e. those seeded in the top half of the field.

DHL Delivery! KGS (Cholm) Update

Kampfgruppe Scherer: the Shield of Cholm (KGS) has arrived. We have let everyone who pre-ordered a copy know. Now it is time to let the rest of you in on the secrets.

First, I must say that I am particularly impressed with the historical and rule booklets. Both are printed on the same high-quality stock that Le Franc Tireur (LFT) uses for its magazines. The historical booklet is just over 50 pages. In addition to before-and-after photographs of the siege, the booklet is littered with contemporary photographs, mini biographies of key Germans, maps, aerial photographs, orders of battle, and colour illustrations. Much of this material has been provided by researcher Dirk Burgdorf, who has conducted extensive on-site research of the battlefield. He has also interviewed a number of veterans of the battle, including Iron Cross First Class recipient Joachim Dettmann. Leutnant Dettmann won his Eisenkreuz while serving as an artillery observer during the siege. There is also a 13-page excerpt from Jason D. Mark’s history: Besieged: the Epic Battle for Cholm. The historical booklet is a treasure trove of detail that adds considerable value to the module.

While quantities last, KGS is $105 from our KitShop.

On time, on target...

Air dropping supplies is fraught with problems. Even if the load is dropped on target, the supplies inside the canister can be damaged. This was the case with some of our KGS modules that arrived today. 

I opened the box that appeared to have the most damage, and checked the contents. The picture above shows part of the contents of this box. Nothing inside showed any significant damage. The historical booklet, for example, has some crimping on the top right-hand corner (about 2 mm). Some of the counters have come loose from their tree, but this is not unusual with LFT counter sheets—their punch is extremely sharp! The maps, overlay, and various cards were undamaged. All in all, much better than I had feared. 

Damaged copies of KGS are available, as is, for $95 each.

As an added incentive to purchase a copy of KGS from our KitShop, we are offering discounts on other LFT products. These discounts apply even if you purchase a damaged copy. Below are the regular and discounted prices for a number of LFT scenario packs and magazines. Although we also stock From the Cellar 4: the Russian Civil War, and Operation Chariot: the Raid on St. Nazaire, we regrettably cannot offer a discount on these publications at this time.


UPDATE: 21 July
I just wanted to let everyone know that Xavier Vitry, the editor of Le Franc Tireur, has been very supportive and understanding with regard to the unfortunate "canister drop." I also wanted to reiterate that there was very little damage to the contents of these boxes.

From the Cellar 6

This is the latest LFT scenario pack. As the cover teasingly suggests, the scenarios are all short, four-to-six turn actions that can be played in less than four hours. I have played four of the ten scenarios in the past three weeks. The longest took about four hours to play. So far FT165 Shopino Struggle and FT167 Wasp Sting have proven the most popular. I also thought that FT163 The Price of Persia (Iranian versus  Indian troops) was a good scenario for teaching new players the basics of Infantry combat. One of the scenarios—an all metal bash—features six French armoured cars in a whirling battle with eight panzers. It is another good candidate for a “training” scenario. In sum, there is a lot of variety in the pack.

From the Cellar 5

The rat brings us another mixed bag of scenarios, 14 in all. The pack comes with two articles on the battle of La Horgne, which takes place in France in May, 1940, and a mapboard (LFT2). Noted British historian and ASL player Ian Daglish penned one of the articles. In addition to the four early-war scenarios in France, there is a rare scenario using Steppe terrain. A PTO night action (one of two night scenarios in the pack) uses the mapboard that comes with LFT11 (see below). There is a cool match up between the Red Army and an allied force of Italians and Germans: FT152 Avanti! FT158 Close Combat Teams sees a dug-in Japanese force defending against a combined arms Russian assault that uses the board that is included with this pack. If you love late-war armour, FT157 The Lost Column may be for you. The Canadians are hard-pressed in this one. They need to fend off a company of the 12th SS supported by Panther and Tiger tanks. There are plenty of medium-sized scenarios in this pack. Finally, one of the smallest scenarios uses the Spanish counters that come with LFT10 below, although standard German counters work just as well in this Ostfront firefight.

LFT Magazine 12 

An 80-page magazine with an emphasis on the Pacific Theatre of Operations (PTO). It includes ten scenarios and a (corrected) board LFT2. Given the theme, subjects include an overview of Japanese characteristics in ASL, PTO terrain, and a how-to article on sea-borne assaults. One will also find information on the Chinese Civil War, Japanese island defences, and other historical subjects. If you are interested in PTO, you will find much in here to your liking. I cannot comment on the scenarios, as I have yet to play any. I just started playing a few PTO scenarios last year, after a 20-year hiatus.

Board LFT2 comes with LFT Issue 12, and FTC 5

LFT Magazine Issue 11

My favourite issue because it has a rare picture of me playing a game at ASLOK that I actually won! Seriously, this is a polished issue concentrating on France 1940. There is an extremely well done article on Stonne, complete with aerial photograph and hex-grid overlay. All ten of the scenarios  that come with the magazine feature French troops. (The scenarios are printed on A4 cardstock inserts.) Eight take place in France, including a little-known action where Italians attack French positions along the Mediterranean coast. Another takes place in Belgium. The most unique stars French colonial troops in Indochina. Scenario FT98 And Then They Landed uses mapboard LFT1, which comes with the magazine. The Japanese must storm ashore in landing craft and push inland—a nice primer for sea-borne assaults. The magazine’s 80 pages are chock-a-block with articles such as Franco-German infantry tactics, Gun Duel, Platoon Movement, and Group Solitaire ASL.

Board LFT1 comes with LFT Issue 11. Shown is only half of the map. The entire map is only a thin strip of land one to three hexes deep. Most of the map is ocean/river. In scenario FT98, the Japanese landing craft must start the game at least five hexes from the beach.

LFT Magazine Issue 10

One of the most sought after of the LFT magazines, this 80-page issue focuses on the Spanish volunteers who served with the Wehrmacht. If you are a fan of the Ostfront, this issue may be for you. The 10 scenarios in this magazine capture some of the action between the Spanish and Russians, including a final battle in the streets of Berlin. There are superb articles on the history and operational employment of the Division Azul, or 250. Blaue Division, as the Germans referred to this division, which operated under German command. What makes LFT10 especially attractive is the Spanish counter set. The sheet contains enough Spanish infantry to play all of the scenarios in the magazine. As an added bonus the sheet includes counters representing pre-1942 German paratroopers, as well as “opportunity fire” and “SW First Fire” counters, to name a few. I have played more than half of the scenarios in this magazine, several more than once. 

The quality of these counters is superb

KG Scherer: the Shield of Cholm

Le Franc Tireur (LFT) has announced the release of their new historical ASL (HASL) module depicting the siege of Cholm, or Kholm. The siege lasted more than 100 days, beginning with the Soviet encirclement of the town in January 1942. Kholm is a small town in Russia, situated at the confluence of the Lovat and Kunya Rivers, some 100 kilometres north by northeast of Velikiye Luki.

KGS Contents

Below is a contemporary sketch of the cauldron by Polizei-Rotwachtmeister Schlimmer, of Reserve Polizei Battalion 65. A talented artist, he also co-designed the Shield of Cholm.

Legend

Compliments of Andrew Hershey

1. The “Judentempel” drew repeated artillery fire because the Soviets suspected that German forward observers were using the building to call in artillery. Judentempel is a term coined by the Germans within pocket to describe a former church. Before the Russian Revolution (1916) the building was known as the Church of Christ’s Appearance. By 1942, however, the structure had undergone dramatic renovations, including the loss of its bell tower and much of its classical façade, although its rotunda remained. These alterations left the exterior of the building looking somewhat like a synagogue, hence the name “Jewish Temple.” In any case, it is doubtful that the building actually was a synagogue during the Stalinist period. (That said, the 1926 census lists 103 Jewish inhabitants in Kholm, as the Russians called it.) This imposing stone structure dominated a portion of the town centre. The building features prominently in several of Richard Muck’s photographs in the slide show above. The circular roof is an unmistakable landmark.

2. The GPU prison was a key defensive position in the eastern portion of the town. It was here that Hauptmann Albert Biecker earned his Ritterkreuz on the 20th of March. And it was also here that Beicker would be killed on the 1st of May, only a few days before the siege was broken.

3. Das Kino (cinema) was one of the main Soviet staging areas for attacks against the prison.

4. The “Alte Panzernest” (literally old tank nest) was an area where Soviet armour routinely formed before attacks against the eastern part of the town, especially the prison. The “Neue Panzernest” was located farther east in a forested area, as the old staging area came under increasing German artillery fire directed from the prison.

5. The “Rote Ruine” (red ruins) was a place of savage fighting that changed hands several times during the siege. It was a popular hide for opposing snipers. The nickname is a reference to fine red dust of pulverized bricks that blanketed the buildings, rubble and debris of this block.

6. “Der Lausepelz” (lice pelt) was a collection of wooden buildings that were eventually rubbled. It was a prominent Soviet position, and a jumping-off point for infantry assaults.

7. Der Nordfriedhof (northern cemetery) was a heavily fortified area, and the scene of see-saw fighting. When in Soviet hands the nearby church tower served as an artillery observation post. By May, the church was no more, having been battered by artillery, and finally consumed by fire.  

8. Kirche im Osten (literally church in the east) was used as an artillery observation post by the Germans. It was also an important defensive position in the eastern portion of the pocket. The crypt of the church was, for a time, the battalion command post of Hauptmann Heister, commanding officer of III Battalion, Infanterie Regiment 386. Like most of Cholm, the church lay in ruins by the end of the siege.

9. The final headquarters of “Kampfgruppe Scherer.” The first HQ was located on the east bank of the river, but was abandoned when the Soviets threatened this sector of the line.

10. Die Haarnadelkurve, or hairpin curve, was the primary drop point for supply containers. The main field hospital and ammunition dump were located here, in the western part of the town.

11. An improvised airstrip where Junker 52 transports and Gotha 242 gliders landed. The strip was located in no-man’s land.

12. The Tannery. Once the Russians secured this building complex, they used the larger building as an artillery observation post. The complex was also used as a staging area for some attacks on Cholm.

Generalmajor Theodor Scherer flanked by Polizei-Rotwachtmeister Schlimmer (holding what looks to be his sketch book), and Kriegsbereichter Richard Muck (with camera). 

The outcome of this oft overlooked siege would have disastrous consequences for the German 6th Army at Stalingrad later that year. The small German force of mostly second-line troops and security forces in Cholm was able to hold out by receiving just enough supplies by air. Luftwaffe transports and gliders suffered heavy losses, however. Ecstatic that the garrison had held out until relieved in May, Hitler commissioned a special award for the survivors: the Shield of Cholm. Their heroic stand would lead Hitler to insist on more and more of his soldiers holding their ground instead of sensibly withdrawing when faced with imminent encirclement by the Red Army.

Veteran designer Andy Hershey recreates the siege of Cholm in a way never attempted in any previous HASL. Because the battlefield changed so much during the course of the siege, and because the landscape was transformed after the snows melted, the module comes with winter and summer (technically spring) maps. However, this is not simply a case of painting one set of maps white. On the contrary, the terrain on each map set differs due to the accumulated destruction wrought by artillery and combat.

The module includes a historical booklet that contains some of the original research undertaken by Andy and his collaborators. A nice touch is the counter sheet. In addition to special counters such as ammunitions dumps, it includes Infantry counters in winter camouflage.

In June, I ordered copies of this innovative HASL from Xavier Vitry, the editor of LFT. I hope to have them for sale in our KitShop sometime later this month, or early August. Several people have already pre-ordered copies.

As an aside, Xavier kindly donated a copy of Kampfgruppe Scherer: the Shield of Cholm as a prize for the Canadian ASL Open (CASLO) in September. The winner of the CASLO will take home this marvelous new release from Le Franc Tireur. Copies also will be for sale at the tournament.

I will post more pictures of the module as they become available. In the meantime, here is what is inside the box:

Contents

Rules booklet 

Historical background booklet 

15 scenarios 

2 campaign games

1 counter sheet: 

130 x ½” counters; and 

88 x ⅝” counters 

1 A4 overlay 

3 A4 players aid sheets 

2 A5 small player aid sheets 

2 A1 maps Winter

2 A1 maps Summer

A1 sheet: 594 mm x 841 mm/23.39” x 33.11”

A4 sheet: 210 mm x 297 mm/8.27” x 11.69”

A5 sheet: 148 mm x 210 mm/5.83” x 8.27”

Note the "Judentempel" near the top of the map. It is surrounded by -1 TEM (paved areas). The area was used as a kind of market square. According to the designer, the three buildings immediately to the south were "market" buildings where people came to trade and peddle their wares.

Note the use of varying shades of grey used to denote the lower elevations near the river.

Red Ruins Block

Scenarios

Kampfgruppe Scherer : The Shield of Cholm includes: 

ID         Name                           Turns   Date (1942)

Winter Map Scenarios

KGS 1    Slayed                          6.5      18 Jan         

KGS 2    Their Fate Sealed?          13       23 Jan         

KGS 3    Reclamation                   7.5      27 Jan         

KGS 4    From Matilda with Love    7         14 Feb         

KGS 5    Red Army Day                7         23 Feb         

KGS 6    Biecker’s Bastion            4.5      10 Mar         

KGS 7    Contested Canisters        6         11 Mar         

KGS 8    Battle in... Organ Gully    5         25 Mar         

Summer Map Scenarios

KGS 9    Lost in a day                  7.5      10 Apr        

KGS 10  Red Ruin Roulette            5 1 May         

KGS 11  Knock! Knock!                 5        1 May         

KGS 12  May Day – East side         8        1 May         

KGS 13  May Day – West side        7        1 May         

KGS 14  Regained in a Day            9        1 May         

KGS 15  Fighting Over Dead           6        8-9 Jun         

Campaign Games

KGS CG 1 Red Army Day      4 days    23 Feb   Winter map

KGS CG 2 Five days in May   5 days    1 May    Summer map

Here are some books dealing with Cholm. Besieged: the Epic Battle for Cholm by Jason D Mark is the most recent study of the battle. 

Arguably the best contemporary source was written by Kriegsbereichter (war correspondent) Richard Muck. He was flown into the pocket (Kessel) in March 1942 at the behest of Generalmajor Scherer, the commander of the German forces trapped in the pocket. Muck was a member of a propaganda unit and subsequently published a book on the battle entitled: Kampfgruppe Scherer: 105 Tage im Kessel von Cholm (105 Days in the Cholm Cauldron). The book is hard to find, but is available on Amazon in Germany. Incidentally, each survivor of the siege received a copy of this book, in addition to the Cholm Shield. The book was originally published in 1943.

Circle of Fire: the Epic Battle of Cholm (left, and bottom centre, with no image) is an anglicized version of Muck's work. It features photo captions in English, and added commentary drawn from other contemporary German sources. This commentary provides more detail on each month of the siege.




There are additional works on Cholm, but most are either in German (including a history of 329. Infanterie-Division, an ersatz formation), or of questionable value. The McTaggart book below includes a chapter on Cholm. I consulted this book for another project and found it to be fairly generic with not a lot of specific tactical detail. It does offer a good overview, however. I found it in my local university library. I recommend that you do the same. The last book is a historical novel. The fellow who runs a "walking the battlefields" blog recommends the book. The link below does allow a sneak peek inside the book. Thanks to C. Dawson for the tip. He managed to find a copy for $4.00, shipping included!


More details here.

The Canadian ASL Open 2011

For the second year in a row, Ottawa is pleased to host the 15th Annual Canadian ASL Open (CASLO). The event runs 16-18 September.

The CASLO originated with the Winnipeg ASL Club. It owes much of its continued success to the late Jim McLeod, who died suddenly in his 40s. Jim was a founding member of the Canadian ASL Association (CASLA), the organization behind the CASLO. Jim is also the designer of the forthcoming Ortona HASL. However, despite the artwork on our CASLO poster, there is no Ortona theme this year. I personally would prefer to see such a theme coincide with the release of Ortona.

Like last year (and every year before), CASLO will consist of two tournaments. The main tournament (the CASLO) is a three-day, five-round, point-based affair. Players are seeded based on their experience ratings and paired accordingly. The Mini tournament is a two-day, three-round, single-elimination tourney.

The CASLO

Unlike 2010, the main tournament in 2011 features sponsored rounds. Each sponsored round has three scenarios from the sponsor, and two from other publishers. Participants are eligible to win  a prize if they play one of the sponsor's scenarios during this round. The winner of the prize will be selected by raffle. In addition to sponsored rounds, the CASLO is sponsored by Le Franc Tireur and MMP. The top three finishers in the CASLO will receive a plaque, a major prize, and a set of our precision, custom BattleDice. First prize is the forthcoming historical module from Le Franc Tireur entitled, Kampfgruppe Scherer: The Shield of Cholm.

The siege of Cholm (Jan-May 1942) lasted more than 100 days.

The Purple Heart Mini

The Mini tournament differs from previous years in that it is designed specifically for less experienced players. In each round, two of the three scenarios are infantry only, while the third is a mix of infantry, ordnance and/or vehicles. All scenarios are within the European Theatre of Operations (ETO), with no winter or adverse environmental conditions in play. Additionally, more seasoned players wishing to enter the Mini may be subject to a handicap. The winner of the Mini will receive a plaque, a set of precision BattleDice, and a copy of Purple Heart Draw donated by the sponsor of the the Purple Heart Mini: Lone Canuck Publishing.

Open Gaming

This year is also the first CASLO to offer open gaming. Open gaming allows players to play anything that they desire, including linked scenarios, and full-on HASL campaign games. Open gaming is also permitted on Friday for those pre-registered in the Mini tourney, and on Saturday and Sunday following elimination from the Mini. Note that players posting two losses in the CASLO on Friday may enter the Mini on Saturday. However, should they be eliminated in the Mini, they are asked to return to the CASLO in the next round. In other words, players signing up for the CASLO are asked to play five rounds (CASLO/Mini) and not engage in open play (EXC: between rounds).

Prizes

Our sponsors have been extremely generous this year. I will post a picture of the prize table later this summer. In the meantime, suffice it to say that there will be roughly 20 prizes valued at more than $600.00 to be won. Apart from the prizes for the top finishers in each tournament, there will be a number of door prizes, as well as raffles for the sponsored rounds. 

Our Sponsors

Le Franc Tireur

Multi-Man Publishing

Bounding Fire Productions

Lone Canuck Publishing

Friendly Fire

Key's Games and Hobbies

The Gamer's Armory

Countersmith Workshop

BattleSchool KitShop

More information

If you a question or would like to receive a CASLO flyer, please email battleschool@rogers.com.

See you in September!