The Closer WTO (id:#64038)
See Also: The Closer by Multi-Man Publishing
St. Lambert-sur-Dives, France 1944-08-20 ()
Designer: Pete Shelling
Starter kit scenario?:    Deluxe scenario?:
 
Balance:
GermanCanadian
54.945054945055%

Overview:

Having secured most of the small village of St. Lambert-sur-Dives with a quick strike the day before, Major David Vivian Currie of the South Alberta Regiment, consolidated his mixed force of tanks and infantry around the main bridge across the Dives River, which was really a little creek by mid-summer. As the remains of the German 7. Armee attempted to escape between the Polish and US troops to the east near Mt. Ormel and Chambois and the Canadian First Army advancing from the west towards Trun, many of the fleeing Germans believed the route through St. Lambert to still be open, but instead ran into Currie's small but well-prepared battle group. At first, many of the would-be escapee's were taken by surprise and captured on the spot, but as the day on the desperate (and potency) of the German counterattacks increased.
Attacker: German (Infanterie-Division 352 with Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 5 and Panzer-Division 2)
Defender: Canadian (C Squadron,South Alberta Regiment and B Company, Argyll and Southern Highlanders)  
5.5 turns
    Players: 2     OBA: None     Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:20.0 D:7.0
AFVs: A:5
PzKpfw VIE (L)
PzKpfw VG
PzKpfw IVH x 2
PSW 234/2

AFVs: D:5
Sherman VC(a)
Sherman V(a) x 4

Guns: A:0 D:0

Victory Conditions:

Exit VP: Building Control VC: Area Control VC:
Unit Based VC: LOS Style VC: CVP Cap:
Misc Rules: Gully is a shallow stream (B20,42), Bocage (B9.5), A: Lax (A11.8)
Overlays: NONE
Errata (source)
Players wanting to play this game/Request a match:

Scenario info

Last Played:
DateReporterOpponentBal.ResultTimeComments
2025-05-08(A) Peter Albrechtsen vs Claus Jakobsen German win5 hrs
2024-05-09(D) Paolo Cariolato vs Federico Corso Canadian winMy opponent sent everyone on his left flank except some token force in the middle. He took horrendous losses but since numbers have a quality of their own, the difference started to tell. my infantry managed to stay away from his firepower, but AFVs couldn't, and I lost 4 Sherman during the course of the scenario, one for a stupid mistake since I forgot about a PSK 4 hexes away, and bocage was not enough to save my bacon.
There was an 18 CVP differential in the last turn. He had a Panther, 2 PzIV and 1 squad with a 8-1 that could exit.
The AFV had to take a BOG check and the Pz. IV ESP for 1 and 2 MPs on top of that all units had to run the gauntlet of the last Sherman GUN and MGs, a 3 hexes PIAT and the fire from 4 squads well led. It was not easy but not impossible either.
the Panther exited, but then the first PzIV bogged exiting the stream while the other rolled boxcars on the ESB roll. That was game over. Nice scenario with high replay value.
2024-04-06(A) Jason Wert vs Chris Hannum German win
2023-01-03(D) Rob MacGinley vs James Short Canadian winA real board endge battle
Can atatck any direction and Candians just swing to block teh advance
EVP have to make it thru
He missed by a small amount so I think balanced
2022-06-10(A) Martí Cabré vs Massimiliano Colosimo German winRound 2 of Roma 2022. I was the Germans and decided to go west with the first two groups, using the bocage as cover and the board edge as protection. I had to do some attacks across the stream and I was stalled there. From the third group three vehicles went east to stop the Canadians from closing on the main group, I lost two vehicles but the third managed to exit for EVP. On the west side, on the last turn I managed to exit enough units for a win, after many close fire lanes, to hit rolls and broken morales.
2022-04-09(A) Indy Lagu vs Chris Pavle German winTough for both sides, for different reasons.

The Brits need to fall back...Chris tried an upfront defence and,
I think, fell back too late. As the Germans, I thought there was
no way I could get anyone off board.

The Germans have a looong way to go, but have the advantage
of numbers.

I was lucky to break his 10-2 early and keep him under DM for
most of the game. Chris' upfront strategy almost worked, but
once the facade began to crumble, his defence fell apart.

Give this one a go!
2022-03-31(A) Simon Staniforth vs Canadian win
2022-03-31(D) Ian Morris vs Simon Staniforth Canadian win
2021-09-25(A) Will Willow vs D. Lamb Canadian winTried to push everyone along the West edge. Got bottled up and had to do the end game gauntlet run. Lost the Puma and a PzIV to LOSs that I didn't pick up.
2021-07-19(A) Tuomo Lukkari vs Morris Legge German win[Imported from ROAR]
2021-07-12(D) Paolo Cariolato vs Alessandro Levarato Canadian winMy opponent took great risk at the beginning that unfortunately for him translated into CVP losses. He concentrated all his forces on his eastern flank, my canadians lived a couple of turns of real fear as I tried to cover that flank waiting for the tanks to come. He sent the tank also in the center-eastern side of the map and that was game over, i concentrated my tanks on that side, he lost his Tiger to a gun duel against my Firefly and the Panther to a side shot from and humble 75. He could have done it when I captured the 2 squad he sent with the PSK to fry the Firefly. That was game over. Nice scenario with high replay value.
2021-07-11(D) David Garvin vs Tom Repetti German winRTFC. Read the Frickin' Card. LOL.
I defended as though his armour was coming on first. As such, my tanks with their powerful 75 mm guns and machine guns, etc, were not correctly positioned. Still, I made Tom fight for his ground. Unfortunately for me, my 10-2 leader rolled a casualty morale check and then wound severity sent him away. That didn't help.
In the end, he had a clear path to the exit point with his tanks and as such sealed the deal.
Great fun!

For Illuminating Rounds Semi Finals.
2021-06-19(D) Andy Bagley vs Canadian winMy opponent's strategy was excellent to begin with: The infantry force concentrated on the eastern flank, bypassing my strongpoints in the village, while the two heavy tanks that arrived on turn 3 took the extreme western approach. I had two Shermans defending this approach, which managed to shoot up his supporting infantry before they were quickly dispatched by the Tiger and Panther. By the end of turn 4 I fully expected to lose, but then instead of continuing along the western edge with the Tiger and Panther (which risked only a bog DR of 10+), he tried to drive these along village roads where my infantry was waiting. CC reaction fire destroyed the Panther, and I still had a PIAT waiting for the Tiger, at which point he conceded.
2021-06-09(A) Andy Bagley vs Matt Ellis Canadian winEarly on I was ahead 2CVPs to 1, and Matt thought I should have stopped my attack at this point and dug in. I thought this was too tenuous though, so pressed on and lost a PzkwIV and my armoured car for my pains. However, my Tiger and Panther both moved forward on the eastern edge, and would have got me the VPs I needed to win had they exited successfully. The Tiger made it but the Panther fell at the last hurdle, rolling a DR of 11 to bog on the very last bocage hexside! Aaarghh!
2021-05-07(D) Simon Staniforth vs Canadian winThose Germans just keep coming with 3 waves of infantry plus the AFVs in T3. Canadians chose their shots carefully and the CVP count began to rise. The Germans were down the Tiger, Puma and a PzIV going into the endgame, they could still win but this had to include exit of the remaining armour (Panther with AL = 10 VP) but the Panther was undone by a DI IF shot which got the low roll leaving it stranded mid board. 1 Sherman KO when we called it. Fun game and good to help learn / practice armour / infantry in Bocage
2021-04-26(D) Vilis Pavulans vs Matt Velazquez Canadian winNice game. Looked really hard for the germans but in the end, not many VCs missing despite heavy losses. Canadian dumb move in the beginning meant one lost AFV into a cellar, otherwise pretty functioning setup. Very close game! Fun!
2021-04-07(A) Jeff Wright vs Stu Rubin German win
2020-09-14(D) Lawrence Spangler vs Diane Spangler Canadian win
2020-09-14(A) Diane Spangler vs Lawrence SpanglerA Canadian win
2020-06-13(D) Maurizio Mai vs Gunny Canadian winNice scenario. The Germans avoided the Eastern bridge and tried to push on the West and on the East, avoiding the center (South). On the West the German lost his best panzer betting on a 5/8" dummy counters (the Canadian exchange some 1/2" "?" for 2 5/8" counters). It was the best Canadian tank. The game was quite in favor to the German until the Turn 4 when the German made another bold move and lost the PZ VG. Eventually in Turn 5, the Canadian in its Prep Fire tried to intensify against PZ IVH and got a snakeyes. End of the game. Strategy of the Canadian: sacrifice the infantry to inflict as much CVP to the German and delay the Germans in the Bocage.
2020-04-11(A) Stephen dedier vs pilon, bill German winI used the first 2 turns to force the bridge on the right against pretty strong Canadian forces.
At the end of 2 turns, Canadians had lost 2 squads (and a created leader) and Germans had lost 2 squad equivalents but held the area with the Church/cemetery and the other side of the road. The Canadians had three tanks and 3 squads in opposition on that side with the 10-2 an LM and a Piat.
On turn 3 I pushed everything up the Canadian right flank. I ran my Tiger and Panther up to front facing shooting positions against the 2 shermans on that side and got my PzIV and AC across the stream and up to the main building cluster knowing he could only have 2.5 squads there. Panther rolled a 3 in advancing fire and burned one Sherman and the Tiger took out the other in Brit movement. Germans had taken another squad prisoner when they broke and were surrounded in the German half of 3. Bill felt he was in too bad a position at that point and conceded with the Germans holding all the flank.
2019-12-16(A) Eric Partizan Eric vs German win
2019-12-07(D) Rich Weiley vs Dave Wilson Canadian winPaddington Bearz - December 2019. Tricky setup restrictions for the Canadians but I was largely able to hold him on the board edge for half the game. By the time he was able to force my flanks it was too late.
2019-11-23(A) Dan Best vs Kermit Mullins Draw
2019-11-23(D) Kermit Mullins vs Dan Best DrawI messed up the setup. So this game is a draw.
2019-10-11(A) Hennie van der Salm vs Wes Vaughn Canadian win[Imported from ROAR]
2019-10-10(A) Andy Beaton vs David Nicholas Canadian winASLOK 2019
2019-10-10(A) Jason Wert vs Robert Scripps Jr German winASLOK 2019
View all or balance report
ActionDate
PeterA Added a playing2025-05-11 21:11:23
Michel Bongiovanni Uploaded a VASL file2024-12-10 16:29:25
Cpl Wright Added a playing2024-06-01 01:36:28
Dispang12 Added a playing2024-05-31 20:21:08
Dispang12 Rated the scenario2024-05-31 20:20:32
FileDescriptionUserViews
Map + scenario infos + counters (AP142 board V669.vsav)VASL SetupMichel Bongiovanni222
(germ-canada new.png)Imagehoxson11109
(firefly bocage.png)Imagehoxson11135
(closer map new B20 is stream hexside.png)Map Imagehoxson1763
DescriptionUploaded by
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Statistics:
Avg Rating: 7.44Votes: 32
Views: 7538
To-Play list count: 3
Estimated Play time: 5.6 hours
Recorded Games: 26
Archive recorded plays:
German10
Canadian15
Drawn:1

ROAR Data: (as of today)
The Closer [Confirmed]
[A] German 40
[D] British 26
All Rights Reserved. (c)2022 Dave Ramsey.