Issue 61 May - Jun 2005 UK 2.00 US $5.00

IN THIS ISSUEVIEW FROM THE ARMPIT - Paul Case at HEROES 2005 USING DCs AND FTs CORRECTLY - DC and FT tips

COMMANDOs, NOT SUPERMEN - scenario analysis by Michael Davies CRUSADERS LADDER - updated

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PREP FIREA couple of weeks late, but whats new nowadays :-( Though

in my defence I have just spent the last week on a Microsoft VB.NET programming course as I am working towards taking the MSVB .NET exam to make me a Microsoft Certified Professional :-)

As expected this issue contains all the gory details from Black-pool where HEROES 2005 took place in March, along with anotherscenario analysis from Michael Davies. Ive got one or two possiblearticles in the pipeline for the next couple of issues but am still onthe look out for material. Try your hand at writing a scenario analy-sis, or a look at a rules section, or some general tactics. Or if you arereally ambitious, how about a series replay? Maybe some of you atthe top of the Crusaders ladder would like to show us mere mortalshow to play the game a bit better. Or are you afraid well end upbeating you!!

Double 1. My last, best hope for victory.

Pete Phillipps

EMOTICONSWith the growth of the InterNet, emoticons have originated to allow

people to show expressions in text. I find these very useful for the printed wordin general, so you'll see plenty of them in View From the Trenches.

An emoticon is created with keyboard characters and read with the headtilted to the left. Some typical emoticons are:

:-) humour or smiley;-) winking:-> devious smile grin:-( sad:-o shocked or surprised#-( hung-over

COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICEMost products are trademarks of the companies publishing them. Use of a product name without mention of the trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.Copyright for all material printed within VFTT remains with its author, who can be contacted via VFTT if you would like to reprint his/her material.

VIEW FROM THE TRENCHES is the bi-monthly British ASLjournal. All comments are welcome. Even better, contribute. Writean article. Design a scenario. Share your ASL experiences with oth-ers. VFTT allows you to communicate with other ASLers. Don't be asilent voice.

Issue 62 should be out at the beginning of July 2005.

VFTT costs 2.00 per issue (overseas 3.00), with a year's sub-scription costing 10.00 (overseas 15.00). Payment should be inpounds sterling, with cheques made out to PETE PHILLIPPS. Read-ers are reminded to check their address label to see when their sub-scription ends.

Back issue are now out of print but can be downloaded for freefrom:http://www.vftt.co.uk/vfttpdf.htm

VIEW FROM THE TRENCHES24 Huggett CloseLeicesterLE4 7PY

Telephone:(0116) 210 1798

E-mail:pete@vftt.co.uk

World Wide Web Home Page:http://www.vftt.co.uk

COVER: VE Day being celebrated in traditional British styleby members of the British armed forces.

THE ASL MAILING LISTThe ASL Mailing List is devoted to discussion of Advanced Squad Leader, and is runby Paul Ferraro via a listserv program at the University of Pittsburgh. To subscribego to:http://lists.aslml.net/listinfo.cgi/aslml-aslml.net.

IN THIS ISSUEPREP FIRE 2

INCOMING 3

VIEW FROM THE ARMPIT 2005 4

THE CRUSADERS OPEN

ASL TOURNAMENT LADDER 7

COMMANDOS, NOT SUPERMEN 9

USING DCS AND FTS CORRECTLY 15

THIS IS THE CALL TO ARMS! 16

ON THE CONVENTION TRAIL 19

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THIRD PARTY PRODUCERSUK AVAILABILITY

As well as editing VFTT I also help todistribute those third party products notgenerally available in the shops over here.

The prices are as follows, and areeffective until the next issue of VFTT:

Wacht Am Rhein 14.00Canadians In Italy 1 9.00Canada At War 2 6.00

Add 50p per item for postage and sendyour payment made out to PETE PHILLIPPSto 24 Huggett Close, Leicester, England, LE47PY.

For the latest on stock availabilitytelephone me (as usual evenings when ManUnited are not playing are your best bet!), oremail me at pete@vftt.co.uk.

UK RETAILER STOCKISTS OFTHIRD PARTY PRODUCTS

To purchase other third party productssuch as Critical Hit, Schwerpunkt or Heat ofBattle contact any of the following shops.

LEISURE GAMES, 100 Ballards Lane,Finchley, London, N3 2DN. Telephone (020)8346 2327 or e-mail them atshop@leisuregames.com.

SECOND CHANCE GAMES, 182 BoroughRoad, Seacombe, The Wirral, L44 6NJ.Telephone (0151) 638 3535 or e-mail them atsales@secondchancegames.com.

PLAN 9, 9 Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen,AB25 1NE. Telephone (01224) 624 467 or e-mail them at PLAN9@IFB.CO.UK.

If you know of other shops stocking thirdparty ASL products let me know so I caninclude them here in future issues.

MMP TO RULE ORIGINS?MMP hope to have ASL Starter Kit 2

and the reprinted ASL Rulebook released atOrigins at the end of June.

The ASLRB reprint is a straight reprintof the existing second edition, althoughcorrected dividers and charts and acomprehensive list of other published erratato the ASLRB second edition will beincluded. The corrected dividers and chartswill be available for purchase separatelysoon after the ASLRB release, while the listof errata should appear on the MMP website soon. Also due to appear there soon willbe a version of the errata published in ASLJournals 4-6 formatted for printing out onadhesive paper and sticking in the ASLRB.This will be the same format as the existingsticky errata published in ASL Journal 3.

Work continues on Armies of Oblivionand the reprint of Beyond Valor and whileMMP are aiming to release both in earlyAugust at the World BoardgamesChampionship, they are not confident thatthis will be achieved.

Once layout work has been completedon AOO, Charlie Kibler is due to start workon Valor of the Guards. While no releasedate has been announced MMP are hopefulthat this might be ready by the end of theyear. ASL Journal 7 is also pencilled in for arelease around the end of the year.

HOB CHARGE AHEADDespite printing problems which have

delayed the release of Recon By Fire 2, workhas continued on RBF3, and this is stillscheduled for release at ASLOK in October.Although details of its contents are sketchy,HOB are considering including the DASLrubble overlays and several scenarios fromthe now out of print Hell On Wheels 1 pack.

As soon as RBF2 is printed HOBexpect that Firefights 2 will be sent to theprinters, while several scenario packs are alsoscheduled for release later this year.

Also in the pipeline are several morehistorical studies in the vein of OnslaughtTo Orsha. Among the campaigns beingworked on are the Hurtgen Forest andKohima, while there is also talk of a Berlinpack which would include the map andscenarios from the Berlin: Red Vengeancemodule as well as new scenarios and possiblymaps. There are also plans to produce ascenario pack, minus counters, reprinting theSS scenario packs, and a module combiningthe contents of King of the Hill and Fortress

Cassino.

HEROES MAKE PTO EASYHero Pax 3: PTO Made Easy is the

latest scenario pack from Critical Hit. Priced$11.95, it contains eight tournament sizedscenarios on card stock. Each features a herobut none of the more complex PTO rulessuch as caves or landing craft, making thepack an ideal introduction for playerswanting to move from Europe to the Pacific.

FRENCH IN THE CELLARFrom the Cellar Pack 1 is the latest

release from the people behind the FrenchASL zine Le Franc Tireur. It contains 10scenarios printed on A4 colour card whichuse the VASL counter art and map images.The majority are medium sized, althoughthere are several large scenarios included.All are set in Europe and cover all periodsof the war, ranging from Poland in 1939through to the Finnish-Russian War to theend of the war on the Franco-Italian border.The latter action sees French units clash witha German-Italian force at Night on DeepSnow on half of board 9.

Further details can be found at http://monsite.wanadoo.fr/Le_Franc_Tireur/index.jhtml.

BUNKER COMES OF AGEDispatches From The Bunker 21 is

due to be released at the Bunker Bash on 17September and will contain three scenarios.Erstwhile Allies sees American and FrenchLegoionnaires clash in Algeria, whileWetlet features a clash between die hardJapanese and Indian troops in Burma. Thefinal scenario sees American troops assaultthe airfield at Biscari in Sicily, and featuresvariable OB additions for both sides. Therewill also be the usual mix of articles andTactical Tips and a look at HOBs Beyondthe Bridgehead module. Four issuesubscriptions are available for $13.00($15.00 outside the USA). Issue one isavailable free with a subscription or an SAE,while other back issues are $3.50 ($4.00outside the USA). Payments should bepayable to Vic Provost and sent toDispatches from the Bunker, P.O. Box 1025,Hinsdale MA 01235. You can email them ataslbunker@aol.com.

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Paul Case

Ben Jones already here, just. When the hippyturned up, about 1 hour later, we startedseriously talking ASL(?) and drinking beer(more normal!). Other people turned up later,and there was a couple of games being playedby about 1700hrs. Ben is on about doing aSaturday Heroes event in the usual BritishASL style, something along the lines ofZombies ASL, when the hippy willprobably be trying to get a Blackpool Shag.Thursday passed without me doing anythingtoo seriously damage my reputation, asBritish ASLs greatest loser.

FridayGame 1

After breakfast, the mob gathered tofind out who they were playing, with PaulLegg taking on the Gun-Pit at SP34Frankforce. This is a scenario set in 1940France, with the Brits trying to get 34VP offthe southern board edge. Paul was the Brits,leaving me to take Hitlers finest.

Turn 1, and my 37L does the deed onthe Mark IVC in the DFPh (killing the crew,as well) after hitting it in his MPh, butwatching the shot go to meet God. Beingthe good Germans that my boys are, to eventhings out a bit, my 467 w/ Lt Mtr takes ashot (rifles, not Mtr), and rolls boxcars andcowers (morons). Then, Paul breaks my37Ls crew, but , also Boxcars his Lt Mtr ona different shot.

Turn 2, and I manage to rally that crew.

In his MPh or my DFPh, my Mtr does stirlingwork in getting 4xROF shots. Even thoughthe Mtr did basically nothing, my snipercomes into his own, breaking first a 457, andthen a 457 w/LMG. In his AFPh, Paul letsfly with a tanks MGs at my 9-2/467/MMGcombo, which it turns out , he cant see.Thats not that bad, but he threw my SAN,who goes to work again on the broken 457/LMG team, and makes them into a broken247/LMG team. In my RPh, that crew cannot find there 37L because of all that wheatthose French farmers havent harvested yet(I know its too early for harvest time, butthats no excuse!).

Turn 3, Paul throws a Snakes with atanks MG shot at my 37L crew (who did findtheir gun), and does nothing. Next shot, andhe rolls Boxcars, broken tank MGs. Paulshoots at that 37L crew again with somethingelse (not sure what, sorry), and it gets a 1MC,the crew promptly do a usual for me and rollsa Boxcars getting itself eliminated, but I doget a sniper shot, and the sniper is asleep!An unusual (for me anyway) event happenedin the CCPh, both Paul and me throw double3, that has never happened in any game Iveplayed before, but the result is I die and helives.

Turn 4, and Paul wastes a Snakes on aPTC. The attack goes in as my 467 in 4I10breaks. In my AFPh (nothing much reallyhappened out of the ordinary that I wrote inmy note book during the rest of the turn) my9-2/467/MMG combo shoots at his 8-0/3x457 Platoon, and the end result is awounded 8-0, 457, 447, 247 all broken andDMed. His 9-1/457 team are in melee withmy 247.

Turn 5, and enter my big hitters in thisgame, the 88Ls. One of them burns a MatildaII, and then eliminates the other Matilda II.This effectively leaves Paul needing to exitall his remaining tanks (the 4x Matilda Is)and at least 1 squad. My 467/ATR team joinsin with the melee for something to do, andis the only survivor.

Turn 6, and Paul surrenders as his onlysquad capable of exiting, goes and gets itselfK/1, leaving not enough points able to exit.This gives me a 1-0 record, something of ararity.

Game 2My next opponent is none other then

the top ASLer in the UK at the moment, TobyPilling, so I shall see if I can do the nearly

Hi folks, here we are at anotherHEROES event in sunny Blackpool. Firstthing I would like to do is to thank TrevorEdwards and Steve Thomas for introducingus to Blackpool ASL, its just a shame thatthe two Lancashire ASL gurus were not hereto welcome us morons. I have heardsomething about Trev, but nothing aboutSteve, which is a shame. Both these peopleneed to get back into our style of ASL.

Now, you might be wondering aboutthe title of this piece, Ok, so you arent, butIll tell you anyway (so there!). A certainScouser (not mentioning any names, L/CplJones. B) crossed out the Gun on mytourney pack, and inserted the word Arm,making it Arm-Pit. So, not having a titlefor this crap, I thought View From The Arm-Pit would do just fine. Any complaintsabout the title, see him.

To the players here, I extend a warmishwelcome. Warmish, because, with you lotturning up here, it decreases my chances ofwinning anything above bottom prize. Thisyear, I doubt that I will even win a spot on atiny rock in the middle of the ocean. As perusual, there is always the sad sods who turnup to play this dribble we call ASL. They, ofcourse, have only ASL to entertain them(poor sods), while us morons have a normallife (I dont think!!).

ThursdayArrived at about 1050hrs, and found

Gathered at the most popular site of an ASL tournament in the UK - the bar!

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impossible, and beat him. This is not thematch that I would of liked for the followingreasons (nothing against Toby, of course, buta reflection on our positions in the Ladder):- 1/ If I had beaten Toby, would he show hisface at IF later this year? Yes, more thanlikely, and wanting to redeem his completelyshattered honour, (and I cant find my steeltoe-capped boots), and 2/ In this tournament,your oppos Ladder rating can have an effecton the tourney outcome for you, I didntthink it fair for Toby to be lumbered withmy rating, and 3/ I would only get 150 pointsfor beating him (Derek, sort that system out,so I can get a decent amount, come on now!).

The game chosen was Steamrollerby Critical Hit, with me as Ivan. This gametakes place in Hungary in 1945. TheTotenkopf Division is attacked by the 6thTank Army. This places some heavy metalon board, in the form of 2x Tiger IIs, 1x Jagd-Panther and a Pz IVJ for the SS, and 3xJSIIms, 2x JSU-122s and 2x T.34/76 M41sfor the Russians.

Turn 2 (nothing much really happenedon Turn 1), and I manage to bog a T-34 onmy right flank, due to that stupid mud. ThePz IV takes a shot, and I see some light forme, he breaks the MA. The light then goesaway, as one of Tobys Tigers burns first aJSU-122, and then a JS-IIm.

Turn 3, and lo-and-behold the boggedT-34 manages to free itself, but spends itsentire MPh cleaning the vehicle, instead ofattacking fascist pigs. The stupid 7-0 leaderwill not be getting to see Comrade Stalin toget his Sergeants stripes, as he was killed bythat criminal SS sniper. Still, all is not badfor Mother Russia, as that fascist Pz IV getshis AAMG jammed.

Turn 4, and the sons of this great landshow their skill at shooting, by shocking oneof those Nazi Tigers, later to burn the bastard.

Turn 5, and the Hitlerites do somemore damage to our workers greatmechanical war machines, by turning theminto burning tombs for their crews. On Turn6, I conceded, but can proudly say that Ilasted much longer than I, or anyone elsethought I would. Not bad for some-one nearthe bottom of the Ladder.

This gives me a 1-1 record, and notbad for me.

SaturdayGame 3

This morning I really have to play ashort scenario, as I fully intend to watch theBolton v. Arsenal match on TV, so that limitsmy choice to WCW4 Cat Becomes TheMouse. Being that this is such a smallscenario, it was played 3 times, once as theBritish, once as the Germans, and roll for

the third time.Ian Pollard was my opponent for this

one, and as usual, it was a laugh. The Britishwon all 3 games, but the last one was a lotcloser than the other 2. I think that we playedthis one 3 times for the following reasons:-1/ Work out how to win as the Germans, and2/ Use up the time.

For the first game, I was the Germans,and basically lost on the first turn.

Ian was the Germans for the nextgame, and he lost by about Turn 2.

Third and final game, and I end up asthe British. This game is a lot closer, as Ianhas worked out a plan for the Germans, andit nearly works, but my Firefly kills his thirdtank just before he can get it off.

The Gun-Pit goes 2-1 in thetournament, which surprises quite a fewplayers.

Game 4After watching Arsenal go through to

the Semi-Finals of the FA Cup 1-0 (to playBlackburn Rovers in the semi-finals), I ampitted against Wayne Kelly in SP80 Die,Gurkha, Die, as the Sons of Nippon. Thereis a big query with the British set-up, in thatit says ...within 2 hexes of 38AA3, 38T3 or38AA8. Because of the write-up inSchwerpunkt in which they set-up in 2 ofthose hexes, some players thought that thatwas right, so, after a TD ruling by Derek, itwas decided to allow that. Personally, Iwould say that you go strictly by the scenariocard, and not some write-up (even thisauthors poor attempts).

Turn 1, both my 81mm Mtr and my

Inf Gun lose there WP in my PFPh. My 8-0gets a Snakes on a Morale Check, HOB, andhe decides to go Berserk. Once again, mysniper does some stirling work at the start ofa scenario (shame about the end of ascenario), and kills his 7-0 leader and pinsthe 458/MMG in with him. His first shotwith the Bofors (40L to you lot) and it jams.In a CC, I do my usual and roll Boxcars.

Turn 2, and my Berserk Leader goesand joins the melee (Brit 228 and Jap 237),and both my berserk 8-0 and 237 die in themelee, while he gets an 8-1 for rollingSnakes. My 137 gets broken, and dies forfailure to rout. My pinned 447 gets attackby the crew from hell, with its 8-1 creation,and lo-and-behold dies while Wayne getsanother Leader (8-0 this time, small mercies).

Turn 3, and a 137 dies in Self Rallyby rolling Boxcars, as does a Brit 248 whena Leader tries to Rally him. The Chargestarts, and his MMG guys break on a FPFshot.

Because of the late start, this game wasadjudicated, and because I still had 3 turnsto go, it was decided to call it a draw. Thisseems reasonable to me, as the game couldof gone either way. Just part of the tourneything, which if you dont come to one, youwill never experience. This gives me a 2-1-1 record.

Andy Ashton, of Second ChanceGames, turned up with his travelling gamesshop, and I parted with enough money tobuy the latest ASL Journal from MMP. Onequestion on that, which are we going to seefirst, ASL Journal 7 or Armies Of Oblivion?As it says in ASL Journal 6 by Journal #7srelease you should be eagerly fondling

Drinking, socialising and gaming - what more do you want at a tournament?

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Armies Of Oblivion..... So, does this meanthat the AWOL module will actually be onour gaming tables before Xmas? I hope so!!!

SundayGame 5

For my final game, I am upgraded tothe 3-1 group (HELP!!!), and pitted againstanother top UK ASLer, in the form of DaveSchofey Schofield. Being as I have neverplayed as the Chinese, I manage to get Daveto play the Japs in A110 Shanghai InFlames.

Turn 1, and in 3 separate CCs I lose a337, while Dave loses 3x 137s. One of my337s goes Berserk after a HOB roll, whichgives me a chance to use those red Berserkcounters from HOB. There are a lot ofPTCs being forced on my valiant heroes ofChina by those treacherous Japs, but my boyshandle them with ease.

Turn 2, and this is where my not sobrilliant plan starts to go wrong, as Davedeclares a multi-hex Banzai, which bringshim close to the victory building (20E7).Dave grabs my HMG from those Chinesewho left it in the building when they vacatedit, and promptly does the only effectiveshooting of his in the whole game, breakinga lot of my boys as they try to get back to the20E7 building. Some manage to get to thebuilding broken, not much use, really.

Turn 3, and Dave does another Banzaiinto the victory building, going straightthrough a fortified hex because the only guysin there are a HS. I then decide to give in, so

TOURNAMENT RESULTSHere are the individual win/loss records for the tournament

POS. PLAYER P W L CRUS1 Toby Pilling 5 5 0 3032.02 Derek Tocher 5 4 1 3076.33 Dominic McGrath 5 4 1 3075.04 Peter Struijf 5 4 1 2910.05 David Schofield 5 4 1 2833.86 Billy Carslaw 5 3 2 3126.77 Ian Daglish 5 3 2 3120.08 Tony Gibson 5 3 2 2731.79 Martin Vicca 5 3 2 2666.710 Malcolm Hatfield 5 3 2 2660.011 Michael Davies 5 3 2 2598.312 Russell Gough 5 2 3 2962.513 Tim Bunce 5 2 3 2847.514 Mike Standbridge 5 2 3 2807.515 Paul Case 5 2 3 2775.016 Phil Draper 5 2 3 2745.017 Wayne Kelly 5 2 3 2702.518 Nigel Blair 5 2 3 2697.519 Ian Pollard 5 2 3 2662.520 Andy McMaster 5 1 4 3000.021 Neil Brunger 5 1 4 3000.022 Paul Legg 5 1 4 3000.023 Adrian Maddocks 5 1 4 2795.024 Robert Seeney 5 0 5 No Wins

The Crus column is the average Crusader Ladder rating ofthe opponents beaten.

THE SCENARIOSHere is the table of Scenario Win/Loss records:

Scenario Allied Axis88 Art Nouveau 1 0A110 Shanghai in Flames 2 2A72 Italian Brothers (atp8 repub.) 5 3AP12 Cream of the Crop 2 4BtB4 Firestorm In St Manvieu 1 0BtB5 Mortainville Ridge 0 1CH41 Test of Nerves 2 2J12 Jungle Fighters 2 1J95 Typical German Response 0 1J98 Lend-Lease Attack 1 0PBP11 A Civil War, Not a Gentlemens War 0 1PBP19 House of Pain 2 3PBP2 The RHA at Bay 2 4PBP26 Steamrollers 1 2SP1 Raiders at Regi 0 1SP113 The Tigers Wrecked Em 1 0SP118 Tigers Wrecked Em 0 1SP34 Frankforce 3 2SP39 Down the Manipur Road 2 1SP78 The Golovchino Breakout 0 4SP80 Die Gurkha Die! 4 2T2 The Puma Prowls 1 0WCW4 Cat Becomes Mouse 2 1

TOTALS70 34 36

PLAYER RESULTSHere are the individual win/loss records.

PLAYER P W LIain Ainsworth 1 0 1Nigel Blair 8 4 4Neil Brunger 6 1 5Tim Bunce 5 2 3Billy Carslaw 5 3 2Shaun Carter 2 0 2Paul Case 5 2 3Ian Daglish 5 3 2Michael Davies 5 3 2Phil Draper 5 2 3Tony Gibson 6 4 2Russell Gough 6 3 3Malcolm Hatfield 5 3 2Ben Jones 3 2 1Wayne Kelly 5 2 3Paul Legg 6 2 4Adrian Maddocks 5 1 4Dominic McGrath 5 4 1Andy McMaster 7 2 5Pete Phillipps 2 1 1Toby Pilling 5 5 0Ian Pollard 6 2 4David Schofield 5 4 1Robert Seeney 5 0 5Mike Standbridge 5 2 3Peter Struijf 5 4 1Derek Tocher 5 4 1Martin Vicca 7 4 3

Back from the previous night in time to handthe winners prize to Toby Pilling (right)!

Continued on page 14, column 3

going 2-1-2 in the tournament. Not all thatbad for me, being as my only loses were toplayers who are FAR better than I am.

My set-up in this game was not thegreatest that Ive ever done, as I failed toremember that a Japanese Banzai can getthem nearly anywhere they want to go. Also,I hoped to do a fall-back defence when Ishould of set-up a screen, with most of myguys in, or near, the victory building. Also,I forgot that the Chinese have Dare-Deathsquads, which would of helped me cross that

blasted street. Ah well, live and learn, Isuppose.

Of note was Dutch ASLer, PeterStruijf, giving out flyers for his tournamentin Holland (or is that The Netherlands?). Thisis what I like to see, foreign ASLers comingto our tourneys and inviting us to theirs. Justin case you lot did not know, it takes placein Arnhem. Yes, thats right, whereMontgomery went a bridge too far. Hencethe title of this tournament, A Bridge Too

The Silverback takes time out to release thedreaded foot odour!

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The Crusaders Open ASL Tournament LadderHEROES! 2005 Update

Toby Smashes the 4000 Barrier!

Derek Tocher

Rank Player Played WDL Points1 Toby Pilling 70 6325 40602 Steve Thomas 42 3219 37553 Mike Rudd 38 3215 36604 Fermin Retamero 13 1102 36505 Dominic Mcgrath 103 58243 36256 Derek Tocher 98 72223 36207 Michael Hastrup-Leth 45 31113 36158 Simon Strevens 78 51125 35959 Dave Schofield 113 80033 357010 Aaron Cleavin 6 600 356511= Peter Bennett 14 1211 356011= Bjarne Marell 36 26010 356013 Steve Linton 17 1403 354514 Carl Sizmur 16 1105 351515 Jes Touvdal 24 1608 347516 Lars Klysner 11 803 340017= Trevor Edwards 74 38135 338017= David Tye 39 18021 338019= Ran Shiloah 11 704 337019= Peter Struijf 10 802 337021 Bernt Ribom 5 500 335022 Joe Arthur 21 1308 330523 Frank Tinschert 15 1005 329524 Philippe Leonard 9 711 328525= Will Fleming 3 300 328025= Ralf Krusat 6 501 328025= Alan Smee 4 400 328028 Dave Booth 7 502 327029 Keith Bristow 48 29118 326030 Daniel Kalman 11 803 324531 Aaron Sibley 50 30020 324032= Daniel Batey 4 400 323532= Paul Saunders 19 1009 323534 Ray Woloszyn 31 18112 322535 Christain Koppmeyer 15 807 322036 Tom Slizewski 5 401 321537= Klaus Malmstrom 4 310 321037= Nils-Gunner Nilsson 5 401 321037= Yves Tielemans 3 300 3210

Rank Player Played WDL Points40 Francois Boudrenghien 3 300 320541 Jean Devaux 3 300 319042 Armin Deppe 13 715 318543 Bill Durrant 5 401 318044= Steve Crowley 47 21125 317544= Jonathan Pickles 8 503 317546= Grant Pettit 7 412 317046= Bruno Tielemans 3 300 317048 Russell Gough 71 40427 316549= Rodney Callen 6 402 316049= Simon Croome 33 18015 316049= Mel Falk 9 504 316052 Jeremy Copley 9 603 315053 Nick Edelsten 22 1417 314554= Paul Haesler 10 424 313554= Paul Odonald 72 44127 313554= Frenk Van Der Mey 4 301 313557 Chris Courtier 13 724 313058 Paul Sanderson 41 21020 312559= Lee Brimmicombe-Wood 12 804 312059= Michael Davies Bk-02 37 22015 312059= William Hanson 19 1107 312059= Paul Ryde-Weller 10 514 312063= Georges Tournemire 3 210 311563= Mark Walley 4 301 311565= Luis Calcada 43 21121 311065= Luc Schonkerren 5 302 311067= Scott Byrne 6 402 310567= Andrew Dando 44 23219 310567= Bob Eburne 53 30023 310567= Paul Kettlewell 64 29035 310567= Simon Morris 11 605 310567= Stewart Thain 15 807 310573 Russ Curry 6 402 310074= Nigel Brown 26 11015 309574= Mikael Siemsen 6 303 3095

With yet another tournament win (noless than seven from nine held in Blackpool)Toby Pilling has finally passed the 4000point barrier on the ladder. With the next bestactive player trailing by over four hundredpoints in his wake there can be doubt thatToby is by far the best ASLer in the UK. Nowif he would only retire and give others achance to pick up some silverware :-)

INTENSIVE FIRE 2005 inBournemouth at the end of October will bethe 20th British ASL tournament. Remarkablythere are three players who have attendedevery event so far; Ian Daglish, DominicMcGrath and Pete Phillipps - perhaps theyshould receive a long service medal if theymake to this years INTENSIVE FIRE.There are many however who have attendeda large number of events and the ladder logs

show that no fewer than 23 others have beenat ten or more of the tournaments. The largestnumber of games played over the last tenyears have been racked up by DaveSchofield, 113.

The top 10% of players have ratingsof 3280+ while the upper quartile are rated3160+. Those in the lower quartile haveratings below 2810 while the bottom 10%of participants are rated 2665 or less. Thesenumbers have remained essentially invariantover the last six years and the distribution ofresults is essentially Gaussian about 3000.

Tobys five wins over the weekendgave him 65 points making the impressivetotal of 4060. Other big winners over theweekend were Tony Gibson (4-2 and +275points) and Billy Carslaw (3-2 and +260points). Special mention however must go

to tournament regular Paul Case who ishabitually at or close to the bottom of theladder. He recorded a remarkable +245points over the weekend moving him from221st to 202nd. Similarly Mike Standbridge,who was at the foot of the table, went 2-3and gained 150 points to lift him from thebottom position to 218th. The biggest loserover the weekend was tournament newbieRobert Seeney who lost all five games andwith it 490 points. Other players to have abad weekend were Phil Draper (-210 pts) andRussell Gough (-250 pts) who drops from16th to 48th.

Without further ado here is the ladderas of 10 April 2005.

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Rank Player Played WDL Points76= Kevin Beard 13 913 309076= Steve Cook 4 301 309076= Gary Lock 2 200 309076= Iain Mackay 43 22021 309076= Peter Michels 3 201 309081 Paulo Alessi 6 4-0-2 308582= Dirk Beijaard 5 302 308082= Martin Vicca 13 805 308084= Billy Carslaw 11 407 307584= Robin Langston 9 423 307584= Chris Milne 5 302 307587= Jean-Luc Baas 3 201 307087= Serge Bettencourt 3 201 307087= Stephen Burleigh 20 8111 307087= Brenan Clark 1 100 307087= Robert Schaaf 3 201 307092= Alexander Rousse-Lacordaire 4 211 306592= Bob Runnicles 3 201 306594= Kevin Croskery 3 402 306094= Patrik Manlig 16 907 306096= Stefan Jacobi 11 506 305096= Bo Siemsen 4 202 305098= Scott Greenman 8 314 304598= Ulric Schwela 40 17122 3045100 Steve Pleva 6 303 3035101= Daniele Dal Bello 4 103 3025101= Patrick Dale 30 12117 3025101= Peter Hofland 4 202 3025104= Tony Gibson 11 506 3015104= Vincent Kamer 4 202 3015104= Ian Percy 6 312 3015107= Colin Graham 5 302 3010107= Andrew Saunders 33 15117 3010109= Nick Brown 3 111 3000109= Steve Grainger 8 404 3000109= Martin Hubley 4 301 3000109= Ian Kenney 4 202 3000109= Phil Nobo 11 605 3000109= Duncan Spencer 4 202 3000115= Michael Essex 23 12011 2995115= Ivor Gardiner 2 101 2995115= Gilles Hakim 5 203 2995118= Eric Baker 2 101 2985118= Ben Jones 47 22025 2985120= David Farr 4 202 2980120= Malcolm Rutledge 3 102 2980122 Sergio Puzziello 5 104 2975123= Derek Cox 6 204 2960123= Phil Draper 30 17112 2960125 Michael Maus 7 304 2955126= Laurent Forest 3 003 2945126= Alex Ganna 2 011 2945126= David Murry 5 212 2945126= Pedro Ramis 6 303 2945130= Paulo Ferreira 9 405 2940130= Wayne Kelly 11 416 2940130= Bob Nugent 3 201 2940130= Jon Williams 14 608 2940134= Derek Briscoe 1 001 2935134= Martin Bryan 19 8011 2935134= Martin Mayers 15 5010 2935137= Andrea Marchino 1 001 2930137= Andy Price 3 102 2930139= Paul Boyle 5 203 2925139= John Sharp 8 305 2925141= Steve Allen 6 114 2920141= Tim Collier 17 7010 2920143= Iain Ainsworth 1 001 2915143= Edo Giaroni 3 102 2915145= Joel Berridge 3 102 2910145= Ian Daglish 97 46150 2910145= Brian Martuzas 5 203 2910145= Andy Smith 4 004 2910149= Ray Jennings 4 103 2905149= Phil Ward 5 203 2905

Rank Player Played WDL Points151= Nigel Blair 47 20027 2900151= Josh Kalman 10 505 2900153= Tim Bunce 20 9011 2895153= Martin Kristensen 6 204 2895155= Jakob Norgaard 6 114 2885155= Bernard Savage 21 9111 2885155= Neil Stevens 57 23232 2885158= Sam Belcher 8 305 2880158= Shaun Carter 63 27135 2880160 David Kalman 5 203 2870161= Peter Ladwein 21 9012 2860161= Lutz Pietschker 4 103 2860161= Neil Piggot 4 103 2860164 Nick Angelopoulos 5 104 2850165 Wayne Baumber 41 18026 2845166 Bill Eaton 21 8310 2840167= Dave Otway 5 104 2835167= Pete Phillipps 91 39052 2835169 Sam Prior 12 408 2830170 Mike Daniel 5 203 2825171 Mark Chapman 6 204 2820172 Michael Robertson 4 103 2810173 Mark Warren 14 608 2805174 Clive Haden 5 203 2800175= Alistair Fairbairn 3 003 2790175= Nick Ranson 5 104 2790175= Nick Sionskyj 8 305 2790178= Justin Key 44 17125 2780178= Chris Littlejohn 14 329 2780178= Andy Mcmaster 19 6013 2780181 Graham Worsfold 3 003 2775182= Lee Bray 14 3011 2770182= Richard Kirby 7 205 2770184 Bill Hensby 31 10021 2765185= Andrew Hershey 10 406 2760185= Flemming Scott-Christensen 6 105 2760187= James Crosfield 11 506 2755187= Oliver Gray 9 306 2755187= Malcolm Hatfield 41 5026 2755190 Peter Neale 3 003 2750191 Jackie Eves 25 9016 2745192 Burnham Fox 23 10013 2740193= Rupert Featherby 3 003 2735193= Nick Quinn 14 509 2735195 Gareth Evans 4 004 2730196 Hamish Hughson 4 004 2725197= Steve Cocks 4 004 2720197= Marc Horton 6 105 2720199 Brian Hooper 106 34171 2705200 Simon Hoare 4 004 2690201 Jeff Howarden 7 205 2685202= Paul Case 95 24269 2680202= Christain Speis 5 104 2680204 William Roberts 7 006 2675205= Pedro Barradas 7 106 2655205= Chris Netherton 23 8213 2655207 Ian Pollard 78 30046 2640208 Nigel Ashcroft 52 19132 2635209 Adrian Catchpole 11 209 2625210 Adrian Maddocks 12 309 2620211 Arthur Garlick 21 2514 2615212= Bryan Brinkman 9 108 2610212= Raurigh Dale 32 14018 2610214 Tim Macaire 42 18024 2605215 Paul Legg 79 30148 2600216 John Fletcher 6 006 2585217 Nick Carter 9 207 2560218= Chris Ager 18 5013 2555218= Mike Stanbridge 47 13133 2555220 Michael Rhodes 43 10033 2545221 Robert Seeney 5 005 2510222 Neil Brunger 26 9017 2500223 Roger Cook 28 8218 2460224 Graham Smith 28 8020 2440225 David Ramsey 9 108 2435226 John Kennedy 24 5019 2415

9

Michael Davies

resistance to fire, makes for quicker rallyingand gives a realistic chance of survivingFinal Protective Fire (FPF). I think usingFinal Protective Fire helps a lot in thisscenario. For instance a half squad uphillfrom a light jungle hex can attack a Japaneseunit or stack moving uphill into a light Junglehex two, three, or four times, firstly with a 6IFT First fire attack, followed by a 2 IFTsubsequent fire attack, and another 2 IFTfinal fire attack;, if the half squad can stillfire, it can take another 2 IFT shot!. AsBritish, well Commonwealth, troops theAussies simply dont cower, although thereis a risk of activating the Japanese sniper withany shot, and for the FPF shots an 8 DR pins,anything higher breaks the unit, box carseliminates a half squad, or reduces a squad.That is a lot of fire power. If other units moveadjacent even more attacks are possible. FPFis a valuable tactic when you are consideringfalling back by breaking. If other units arefiring at the same time any casualty moralechecks are resolved by random selectionbetween them, spreading the risk of unitdamage slightly. The Hero and Leader helpto exploit FPF, applying their modifiers toall attacks, with the Leader improving thechances of surviving FPF high rolls just a

bit. As Australians (A25.44) all units areStealthy though admittedly so are Japanesetroops. In Jungle terrain the attacker mustadd +1 to its Ambush dr. With all unitsstealthy the Aussies have a huge advantage,which grows if the attackers are CounterExhausted and subject to another +1. If youwin an Ambush, immediate withdrawalshould be considered. If you stay and win amelee great, but if drawn into sustained closecombat eventually the Japanese will declareHand to Hand and you will die.

Historical special rules allow theCommandos to freely deploy. Your threesquads can become up to six units. As mostcombat is likely to take place at one or zerohexes range deploying units has some merit.You do lose some firepower, and the abilityto place smoke or use spraying, or advancingfire but this is offset by a greater number ofunits. The Leader, an 8-1, has had a passingmention. He provides the usual benefits, keyones being favourably affecting fire attacks,and helping troops to rally. If stacked with asquad or half squad he favourably modifiesambush rolls and helps by adding both afactor and modifier in close combat. TheLeader might just be needed with the Bren.If the Hero is used to fire the Bren, pairing

him with the Leader allow it to befired at full effect. There is a minutechance of retaining rate but they canparticipate in subsequent fire andpossibly final fire attacks. The herocan beef up a position, assist in fireand close combat as well as beingable to man either support weapon.With a morale of nine he can survivea lot, general you can expect to loseyour hero after attempting a recklessact or absorbing an awful lot ofJapanese attention.The LMG has already had a mention.If all your squads are deployed itmight not be an ideal weapon for ahalf squad as it reduces its First Fireattack. If you keep one or moresquads combined give it to them. Ina short game dont get toosentimental about support weapons,fire them until they break everychance you get. The mortar is hardto exploit. Line of sight needs someco-operation to achieve. Spotted fireis more likely. Hits on troops inJungle gain a -1 for air burst. Even ifnot particularly lethal the mortar does

This scenario is one of the dozenincluded in the Tropic Thunder pack, whichcovers a range of fights between theAustralians and Japanese in Borneo. Thepack contains a good selection of actions,with a few challenging ones featuring caves,night and landing craft. A few contain armoursuch as the British Matilda and the MatildaFrog, the flame throwing version.

Straight out of the pack I liked the lookof Commandos not Supermen. This is ahill top defence by a platoon of Aussiecommandos against close to a company ofJapanese Infantry. It is possible to play to aconclusion within half an hour and temptingto replay given the low counter density.

Australian Set upIn the Tropic Thunder pack the

scenarios historical perspective gives aninteresting narrative that gives clues as tohow to play the action. The suggestion is tolet the Japs run up the hill and meet themwith automatic fire and lots of it!

To win you have to control at least oneof the five level three hill hexes in play andstay below a casualty cap. The CVP is high,set at seven points out of your initial OB ofeight. It makes sense for your defenceto aim to keep your casualties low,so avoid close combat where theJapanese can afford to trade twosquads for each of yours. The levelthree hexes are in two groups, oneconsisting of K3 and K4, the otherK6, K7, and L7. Yur options are todefend both, or defend just one ofthe two areas, of this more later. Fornow we must appreciate if we blowthe casualty cap or lose control of allthe hill hexes the Japs winimmediately.

The infantry force youcommand is tiny, three squads, aHero, a Leader and two supportweapons. Continuing with thedoomed theme one of the weaponsis a 50mm mortar firing frompositions of very limited visibility!On the plus side this small force isexceedingly tough. With anunderscored morale of eight andELR of five high rolls need somehelp from modifiers to deploy ordisrupt a unit for failing a moralecheck. The high morale gives

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have the ability to look like something nastyin a stack! The Aussie sniper boast a higherSAN than the Japanese, hopefully triggeredby masses of Japanese morale checks. Dontforget you can set up in foxholes, you shouldconceal, and have the option of smoke fromthe mortar (with the depletion number raisedby 1 for being elite) and squads have aninherent smoke exponent, with a 1 drrequired for white phosphorous.

This scenario uses a decent sizedchunk of the PTO rules. The ones coveringterrain, particularly bamboo and Swamphave a big effect on play, so a careful read ofthe rule book is worth the effort. Light Junglerules apply, costing the same movement coststo enter as Woods, along with same TEM.The usual rules for concealment and rallyalso apply. Ambush is slightly different;, inJungle or Bamboo the Attackers roll ismodified by +1 to represent the noise andeffort required to move through the terrain.This helps a bit when you either choose tostand and fight or are surrounded byadvancing Japanese! Jungle is a level twoobstacle, as a consequence line of sight isvery restricted. The level 3 Hill hexes K3and K2 benefit from elevation and the openground in L3, making them good choices fora mortar team if you decide to defend thearea.

With dry streams in play some marshhexes become mud flats, any marsh adjacentto Jungle becomes swamp. As the namesuggests this is a stand of trees in stagnantor slow moving water. Even swamp is a twolevel obstacle to line of sight. I cant see youtaking too many shots against units inSwamp. It is significant in channellingJapanese movement. To enter Swamprequires all a units MF, and cant be donein the APh. Any Japanese attack throughswamp is going to be slow.

Dry streams transform some marshinto Mudflats. I think there is only one hex,P1, affected. The Japs can move though thehex for 2 MF, then bypass the swamp in O1.Dont expect the entire Jap force to do this,it is more likely to be useful for troopsmoving towards K2/K3. PTO rules replacebridges with fords.

In PTO brush becomes Bamboo.Bamboo is a dense stand of , err Bamboomostly. It can only be entered by MinimumMove or advance against difficult terrain. Itis a level one obstacle, and merits a +1 TEMvs. IFT, and -1 for airburst. Units enteringbamboo become CX, and pinned. Expect theJapanese to avoid the two bamboo hexes inplay. One idea is to start a unit in bamboo,L8 is tempting. It is very resistant to attemptsto enter its hex. On the downside you arenot allowed to entrench, so have less

protection against fire. I think it is possibleto stray when exiting the L8 Bamboo hex, atbest for a Stealthy unit this is a 1 in 18chance, but you dont roll if there is a line ofsight to a Known unit. Section E1.53 coversstraying and is easy to follow if needed.

Gullies are significant for the earlypart of the game, Japanese units exiting themare subject to elevation change movementcosts, entering woods or abrupt elevationchanges are expensive.

The most worrying terrain feature isthe path. By moving along the path theJapanese can quickly gain elevation andmove into the centre of the hill mass. It isreasonable to expect the bulk of the enemyforces to use this approach. Part of your gameplan should seek to limit rapid movement,which we will discus later. Quick mentionof palm trees; these are in season orchardhexes.

The Japanese are stronger troops onthe defensive where their excellence atcamouflage and concealment as well as akeenness to build field fortifications gavethem a chance against superior firepower. Onthe attack these qualities are reduced. Thatsaid all Japanese units can and should startthe game concealed, and 10% can even startthe game hidden (G1.631)! In this scenariothe main problem is numbers, six squads andtwo Leaders outnumbers your force close to

two to one, with a 25% advantage infirepower. Enemy squad morale is lower,unless a Japanese leader is stacked with theunit. Japanese officers and NCOs areexcellent. When rallying troops they countas commissars, and always raise the moraleof accompanying units by one. With twoLeaders the Japanese can increase the moraleof two stacks. With tougher Leaders and alonger scenario you really would have aproblem as concentrated Japanese firepowerresistant to return fire would destroy yourtroops. The Japanese SMC are nothingspecial though, a 9-0 and 8-0 who have tosurvive your fire attacks before conferringan advantage on other troops. If you can killthe leaders the Japanese morale is reduced,better yet a wounded leader has a +1 modifierthat must be applied to morale checks andfire attacks. Leadership helps in combat, andis crucially important for movement. Withoutthe movement benefits the attacker couldntreach the top of the hill in time, unless youare very unlucky or make serious mistakes.

To win the attackers either need toengage in close combat or hit you withsuperior fire power. Either strategy requiresclimbing up the hill. Expect double time, useof the path, and use of Leaders to gainmovement factors. When in line of sight youmight hear one of the best known Japanesewords, Banzai, in real life the prelude for

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a ferocious bayonet and sword charge. InASL this translates to some Red counters,until banzai squad counters are developed(it will happen). There are similaritiesbetween a Banzai charge and human wave.The main advantage for the Japanese ismovement factors gain, followed by highermorale, and immunity to Pin results. A singleunit, even an SMC can declare a charge. Thebest defence is fire power, lots of attacks andplenty of residual firepower, a fire lane fromthe Bren maybe? and if that hasnt beenenough doing your best in melee!

The Japanese do have inherent smoke,you cant stop in happening occasionally, ithelps to slow enemy movement, but degradesthe effect of fire combat. The Japanese Sniperactivation number is low, in a short gamedont expect too many attacks. With such alow counter density every attack counts; apinned squad is one third of your OB, whilstlosing the Leader really hurts. I dont thinkthe SAN is so high as to discourage firecombat, but you have to appreciate a randomevent can impact your game. If there is anyjustice your sniper should be more active.

One of your other assets doesntappear onboard but gets a mention in thehistorical perspective, the Australianmortars. From turn four onwards they willplaster the hill with high explosive, theJapanese need to either occupy fox holes ordrive any artillery observers from the hill.The Japanese can establish contact on turnone, you need to carefully respond beingcareful not to be drawn into a steady battleof attrition that the Japanese expect to windue to sheer numbers. If you can keep thelosses down to one or at most two of yourunits per turn you should win.

Be cagey on turn four. If a red mistdescends and you start attacking, particularlyin your player turn, you can suffer anunnecessary defeat. You must considerwithdrawing from close combat and evenskulking. Hanging on to one hill top hex withtwo CVP of units wins the game for you.Then the mortars start and the enemy meltaway.

Set up allows you to use any level twoor level three hexes on Hill 804. There arefive level three hexes, and I think fifteen leveltwo hexes, which gives you a ridiculousnumber of options. Basic ideas though areprobably to defend the whole hill, defendone or other of the two clusters of level threehexes or go for an aggressive defence mostlyfrom level two hexes. Other ideas mightinclude massing the entire force in a singlehex, or defending the reverse slope of thehill.

Taking the wilder stuff first. Stackingyour entire OB in a single hex threatens to

hit any adjacent hex with a lot of firepower.An unconcealed target can be attacked witha 36 IFT attack and a -2 modifier, a concealedtarget a 20 IFT attack with a -2 modifier. Thiscan work, particularly if subsequent first fireis allowed. The main weakness is the wayJapanese troops react to fire. A kill resultdoes the job, morale checks just dont. Asingle morale check will likely be failed ifsubject to serious modifiers, Japanese squadsjust step reduce and keep coming. Im notconvinced a killer stack will win this one. Ifit really appeals, well try K3 or K4, maybeK6. You can make the position stronger bydeploying one squad and placing it in frontof the main stack to act as a spotter, or trythis with the Hero.

Another idea is a reverse slopedefence. If you allow the Japanese free accessto all level three hexes, expect a rapid lossas he will quickly occupy them all to claimimmediate victory. You can try defending justone hex, using the units behind to assist byfire and by moving onto the hill. For anydefence if you concentrate on one cluster oflevel three hexes, the Japanese do still haveto allocate a unit to capturing or contestingthe other hill hexes. This helps as you weakenthe Japs by at least a half squad, or if you arereally lucky a Leader.

There are other defensive options. Ifyou start some units on level two hexes youaccelerate the pace of the engagementallowing Japanese units to close quicker. Ifyou win the ensuing fire fight this is a goodthing. There is a chance of bad luck in youropening shots but that can thwart any plan!A more serious threat is Japanese unitspausing to retain concealment thenadvancing adjacent to your troops. Leavingany fox holes would expose you to fire,perhaps the best bet is to open up in PrepFire or if you are feeling cunning andfighting as squads try for smoke or whitephosphorous then fire in the Advancing FirePhase. As half squads you can hold your fireor retain concealment. This defence worksbest if subject to a Japanese rush, less wellagainst a slightly slower attack.

The stronger defences concentrate onlevel three hexes. Id likely opt for defendingboth hill tops, but going for just one isequally valid and as mentions earlier forcessome part of the Japanese force to move ontothe undefended hill reducing the forcesavailable for combat on the other.

A quick lazy defence would put asquad in L7, K6 and K7, the Leader in anyof those hexes, mortar in K6 or K7, and theLMG and Hero can also start in any of thethree hexes, keep the MG away from themortar, maybe with the Leader. Despitebeing an obvious defence that could take less

than three minutes to plan it is tough for theJaps to beat. You can change the idea slightlyby deploying a squad and using a half squadforward as a slight break on Japanesemovement. I think contesting path movementhelps you win, a unit in M7, makes usingthe path harder, try teaming a half squad witha mortar team for this.

Set up helps, be aware the game ismore than an opening fusillade against theJapanese. Some of their troops will surviveto shoot back and advance deeper into yourdefences. To continue play you need todecide where to hold, where to fall back, planany counter attacks, keep your casualtiesdown, and decide when to take FinalProtective Fire shots. Much of the action willbe concentrated around a tiny area on theboard, expect this to be stressful. It can helpto take a break for five minutes at the end ofa particularly tough turn, at the very leastlook away from the board for 30 seconds.Another top tip is to forgive any mistakesyou make during play. Few players areconsistently accurate in everything they do,some players come close, but Ive yet to seeanyone play a perfect game.

Id like to win this one by fire power,chopping small chunks of the Japaneseattackers to bits, slowly giving ground andhaving enough territory and troops to claima win at the game end. Less satisfying wouldbe a slow Japanese attack that exploitsconcealment and numbers to slowly driveup the Hill but runs out of time.

For anyone Australian, withAustralian relatives or an affection for thingsfrom Oz (Rolf Harris, either of the MinogueSisters, some imported lager or Skippy thebush Kangaroo perhaps) this is an excellentplatoon sized defence of a strong hill positionagainst a horde of Japanese.

Japanese Set UpThere are two ways to win this

scenario, although neither is particularly easyto achieve. The first is to gain control ofterritory; control all the level three hexes atany stage in the game and you winimmediately. The second is to inflictsignificant casualties on the Australians,seven CVP and again you win immediately.Its possible to achieve both objectives at thesame time.

The casualty cap is very high. SevenCVP is a half squad short of the entire AussieOrder of Battle. Worth noting the enemy herodoes not count in this. Any enemy Leadersgenerated and eliminated during play thoughdo bump up the tally, and I suppose if the 8-1 Leader improves to a 9-2 you bag anotherpoint that way too! Your own casualtiesarent a factor. The remainder of your entire

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force can die at the same time as you gainthe seventh point and still win.

The territorial objective is trickier inthat you need to commit forces to taking eachhill. Some commandos may decide to holdone side of the hill in strength, whilst havingno forces at all on the opposite flank. To gaina territorial win at least a half squad needsto climb and control the hill hexes.

There is no harm in deciding early onto go for either tactical objective, or evenstarting the game ambitious and opting totry for both. A recurring principal in militarywriting is selection and maintenance of theaim, but it is probably more fun to changeyour mind part way through a scenario.

Prisoners are worth considering. Unitscount for double CVP, making the Leaderor a squad worth four CVP and even a halfsquad two. If the opportunity arises takeprisoners, guard them and keep them out ofdanger. ASLRB section G1.621 specificallystates No Quarter is in effect, making closecombat the only way I think you can takeprisoners. If you greatly outnumber youropponents, are desperate, or have a goodchance of capturing the Aussie Leader givethe idea some thought. Most times youll bemore attracted to the idea of Hand to Hand.

Australian forces are a full strengthplatoon of commandos, led by an 8-1 Leader,with a light mortar and Bren gun for support.The platoons three squads are 6-4-8 elitetroops with high firepower, able to use smoke(and white phosphorous), spraying fire andassault fire. With an underscored ELR of fivethese guys are tough. As Australian elitetroops they are considered Stealthy andconsequently resistant to ambush in Jungleterrain. Helping the defence is a Hero whocan man the LMG or mortar, assist enemyfire combat and do dozens of really annoyingthings that make you game just a bit harder.Admittedly you face a strong force but it isnot unbeatable, the defenders need furtherhelp in the form of concealment,entrenchment, an aggressive sniper, set upallowing deployment and difficult terrain.Well look at the geography later.Concealment makes understanding theAustralian defence harder. Without being allZen, it is helpful to know where the Aussiesarent. For example if only one hill summitis defended you can plan a massed attackwith a small force designated to take theother. Set up allows the enemy to deploy onetwo or three squads, allowing up to eightseparate locations to be occupied. Simply bycounting the number of hexes containingunits you can make reasonable estimates ofthe defence that can be tested by either aprobe or serious attack. Without doubt yourattack would be easier if you knew wherethe enemy are and in what strength.

Concealment helps units survive fire, andgives some help in avoiding ambush. Youcan strip concealment by encouraging fireattacks, moving onto an enemy units hex inthe Movement Phase, or least likely besighted to a unit using non assault orAdvance Phase movement. Enemy foxholesprovide good cover. Generally you will bein jungle terrain meriting a +1 TEM, formuch of the game the commandos will beshooting from cover offering +2 TEMprotection. This is roughly equivalent to youshooting on a weaker IFT column, with morelethal KIA/K results becoming just moralechecks. Without a significant advantage innumbers/fire power standing and shootingat entrenched units will not earn you victory!Foxholes do help against Banzai chargesfirepower in the Advancing Fire Phase, andhelp if the defenders try shooting into theown hexes. The downsides or rather upsidesto foxholes are the extra movement costs theyrequire when the enemy leaves them, andthe opportunity for you to use them for coverto consolidate a Hill summit position or keyarea.

The sniper threat can amount tonothing or be really annoying. Aussie SANof 4 gives a one in six chance of activation.In a short game broken units would hurt youas the time delay to rally and return to thefight might prove too great As Japanesethough full strength squads step reduce,while step reduced squads become halfsquads instead of breaking. Losing a smallamount of squad firepower shouldnt swingthe game. More significant would be the lossor even wounding of a Leader. Defendagainst the sniper threat by thinking beforemaking that 1 up 2 IFT attack, shooting atunits that will be eliminated for failure torout and needlessly rolling dice. Dontbecome shy of shooting though, take anydecent shots and even the odd feeble one thatkeeps a unit under Desperation Morale orleads to another favourable result.

Being allowed to deploy freelycomplicates Australian set up. With a LMGthe temptation must be to keep a squadcombined, and team up with the Leader,possibly with the sniper to create a Kill stack.It is hard to fault this as a strategy. Deployedsquads lose the ability to try for smoke, butcan occupy more defensive terrain and arentat too much of a disadvantage in melee. AsElite Commonwealth troops the enemy donot cower, and with high morale they canconsider Final Protective Fire attackstriggered by adjacent movement. When thisresults in a broken or eliminated defenderthis can help. The Hero with a morale of nineis an ideal unit for this, if teamed up withthe LMG he can threaten a 4 IFT attackfollowed by a series of two factor attacks,

survive wounding and generally be anuisance.

In brief the Australians field a smallforce of considerable strength. Your owntroops are also good, with characteristics thatgive you winning opportunities. The uniquerules that apply to Japanese are essentialreading. Section G1 runs to a little over threepages, some parts do not apply to thisscenario, skip the paragraphs coveringarmour leaders, Tank hunters, Demolitioncharge Heroes, and some of themiscellaneous rules. The important sectionsare those covering Japanese squads, Leadersand Banzai charges.

The six Japanese squads in thisscenario are all first line. They are basic riflearmed troops with good morale, and averagefire power and range. They do have aninherent smoke exponent of one, so you needto be lucky to get smoke and place it uphill!In some respects Good Order squads are likeother nations Berserk units, they do notimmediately break, instead they are subjectto step reduction. In certain circumstancesthis is a distinct disadvantage, in an extendedfire fight Japanese squads slowly melt awaywhilst their opponents recover from breakingat full strength. The step reduction feature isa real boon when charging into close combator committing units to defending a specificlocation. First line squads are Stealthy ,mighty useful in close combat, also handyfor searching to strip enemy units ofconcealment. Another national characteristicis the choice of declaring Hand to Handcombat. This reflects tactical ideas and the15 inch bayonet the Japs fitted to rifles,and some sub machine guns. In most westernarmies the bayonet use was limited, mostinstructors would teach fencing moves butstill recommend shooting an opponent if atall possible. Japanese soldiers would spendhours developing techniques derived fromspear fighting. Part of the Japanese doctrineincluded the Banzai charge. Extremely usefulwhen facing troops with wavering moraleor limited fire power, it comprised a mob oftroops running at the enemy shooting andthrowing grenades as they advanced todispatch the enemy. In ASL each Banzaicharge must include at least one Leader (ora tank hunter hero), and may be accompaniedby one or more squads or half squads in thesame or contiguous hexes. The rules insection G 1.5 are good, you also need to readsection A25.23 covering human wave.Banzai brings two main benefits. Firstlymorale is raised by +1, secondly you gainMovement Factors. Each squad is allowed8 MF, and can even advance. This is superbfor running up wooded hills. If banzaingunits enter during the Movement Phase youdo not roll for ambush, so have the option

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of declaring Hand to Hand if still there inthe Close Combat Phase. It gets a bitdifferent if you advance as ambush becomespossible; almost likely as you areautomatically lax, enemy units are stealthy,and in most terrain a +1 applies against yourambush roll.

The squads are led by two JapaneseLeaders, a 9-0, and 8-0. Japanese officers,had a propensity for displaying considerablebravery. Some carried hand and a half swordsor Katanas, a number of these were familyheirlooms centuries old. Swordsmen spentyears learning the skills needed to use thekatana. In modern warfare, the Katana wasstill lethal at close range, and inspired boththe user and his companions to acts ofconsiderable courage. Unfortunately swordcarrying soldiers drew considerable firemaking officers lives shorter than theyneeded to be. In ASL Jap leaders rally troopslike commissars, ignoring DesperationMorale and raising the morale of troops inthe same Location. They do not step reducebut do wound. Being upbeat, woundedLeaders do have their uses! They can startoff a Banzai charge then lag behind with awell intentioned promise to catch up later.

In this scenario your leaders are theirto assist movement, initiate Banzai charges,raise the morale of your troops and rally theodd broken half squad. Keep in view theycan conduct one man attacks even Banzaicharges.

Dont forget the two light machineguns in your OB. You will not need long

range fire power, you can make use of theadditional fire power the LMGs have.

Last unit to consider is the sniper. ASAN of three is low, perhaps reflecting thehasty Japanese attack and the tree coveraround the Australians positions. With a tinyOB each activation should chill the enemy.If you can kill a Leader you immediately gaintwo CVP, anything at all is useful. Simplypinning a unit is worthwhile especially whenyou are on the point of charging, pinningreduces the fire power of units and helps inclose combat.

Nearly forgot, one tactic is to shootinto Melees. Japanese squads are fantasticfor this. With average luck there is a crediblechance of a step reduced Jap unit fightingagainst withdrawing commandos.

Terrain is always important. The fivelevel three objective hexes are crucial as theyare in themselves one of the TacticalObjectives. The quickest way to these isusing the path from the dry stream leadingthrough Hill 804. Most of the map is coveredwith Light Jungle, very similar to woods buta level two obstacle and in the case of interiorwoods hexes straying terrain. The advantagesof woods/light Jungle are cover, by blockingline of sight they protect you from fire,protection, they negate movement in theopen and give a +1 TEM vs. direct fire, andthe potential for concealment. There aresome negative features, Air burst gives a -1modifier for mortar shots, and the movementpenalties for moving up hill in light Junglewithout a path are severe.

There are two clumps of bamboo on

the North side of the hill. These are difficultto move into when unoccupied requiringMinimum Move! If occupied its even worse,building a case for clearing the hex usingfire combat.

Dry streams are treated as Gullies, nottoo difficult to move into, or exit exceptwhen entering Light Jungle or swamp(!). Asa consequence set up will favour hexes onrows Q and/or R that do not involve movinginto swamp, into light Jungle from a lowerelevation or over double crests.

Quick mention of swamp. I am fairlysure the two swampy areas on the Easternand Western flanks are worth avoiding . Okmaybe a squad or half squad could exploitthem in a cunning flank attack, if you massforces in them the delays moving forwardwill likely cost you winning chances. Keepin view the pond on the western flank is apond, dont start swimming it there just isnttime.

The net effect of the terrain is tochannel your attack into a smaller area thanthe width of board 36. The most favouredroute is up the path, the eastern flank of Hill804 is also attractive, not ideal but stillusable. The direction your attack favours hasto make some allowance for the Australiandispositions, Ill give specific examples a bitlater.

The historical perspective gives avivid impression of a rushed attack.Sometimes called a hasty assault this is avalid tactic when further delay will allow theenemy to concentrate more forces orstrengthen his position more rapidly than theattacker can. Given more time, and aninactive defender you could leisurelyadvance up the hill, gain concealment andeliminate isolated sections of the defence. Ifyou could wait until dark even better(although youd need to read a big chunk ofrules!). Thing is the Battalion commanderwants that hill in a hurry and that means youhave four turns. That means a lot ofmovement, Advancing Fire, use of doubletime, Banzai, close combat and less emphasison concealment, fire combat in general orprotracted fire fights. A tough mission butthe Japanese soldiers you command are thebest in the game system for the job, try thiswith an equal or greater number of Russiansquads and youd struggle to do the job.

As the attacker you should makegeneral plans before play starts then adjustthem slightly to exploit any weaknesses isenemy set up. The tactical objective is toeither blow the Aussie casualty cap orcapture all five hill hexes. If you aim for thehills then you need to allocate part of yourforce to assaulting each hill top, orconceivably go up the path and gain the hillsCommandos advance cautiously.

14

when you get there. If either group of levelthree hill hexes is undefended a lone halfsquad is enough to do the job.

The rest of set up is trickier. Beforeyou place a piece on board you should havean idea of where it aims to move on turnone, and to a lesser extent where you wouldlike it to be over the rest of the game.Casualties and other factors will make theultimate location of units harder to guess butfor turn one you can make distinct plans.

Even with a tiny defending force I candescribe every eventuality and it wouldntbe a lot of fun to play with too detailed anattack plan. Decide how you prefer to attackthe enemy. If you want to shoot in theadvance phase and then advance into combatmove up the Hill retaining concealment ifyou can. If you prefer to shoot in the enemyplayer turn then Banzai on turn two you canoptionally manoeuvre to retain concealmentand reduce exposure to fire by advancingadjacent to enemy units. As for set up,position units so they can reach the positionsyou want them to be. Apologies that wasnttoo helpful! It can help to start checkingmovement from the position you want theunit and work backwards check it though,as one MF out and you arent where youwanted to be.

Odd things help. Use spare MF tosearch, maybe try for smoke, concentrate theLMGs where they can be used to beef upfire combat. The most important units arethe Leaders. A Leader is important for raisingthe morale of the troops, enhancing firecombat, and most importantly allowingBanzai charges. Basic infantry squads canmanage without leadership, but are lesseffective without it. In scenarios like this Imdisappointed to end the game with theattacking OB intact and a lost game;. thereis no casualty cap for the Imperial forces. Ifthe game is in its closing stages and youstill have mobile units left commit them toaction, take risks and go all out for a win.This is totally in character with the historicalaction and part of the fun of commandingJapanese counters.

Once you close with the enemy youshould win. Luck can destroy your chances,so strive to minimise adverse modifiers, forexample dont advance into close combatunder a CX marker unless you really needto, try to pin or break defenders before youmove and go for hand to hand when it helps.

You need to read the historicalperspective to get in the mood for this attack.The basic plan is to drive up the Hill, butwhen you do it, instead of steadfast fire fromdug in defenders you want sporadicdischarges of wild fire failing to stop yourvaliant advance. For this type of attack theJapanese are without equal.

Play BalanceThe Australian balance adds a 9-2

Leader to the commando forces. The goodnews is the gain to fire combat, modifiersfor ambush, faster rallying potential andimproved morale benefits. The downsidesmostly arise from the affects of this leaderbeing lost. If broken or eliminated he has anadverse effect on the troops he is with whenthis happens. His death raises the Japanesecasualty tally by three points, if the guy iscaptured by six! Despite the negativepossibilities Mr 9-2 is well worth having butlimit his exposure to fire.

The Japanese balance is another 1stLine squad. Considering the small size ofthe defending force this is helpful. It is a bitof a waste to just lump the unit into a stackand risk more in a single hex. Perhaps it isbetter to keep the unit slightly in reserve. Icould be wrong and maybe the extra unit isjust begging for a glorious death!

There is scope to tune the balance abit, make the Jap unit a half squad, changethe quality of the Leader to give one side astronger game. For games where you areintroducing a new player to PTO the helpwill be appreciated.

A quick mention of the Owen machineGun. In 1940 the Australian Army could notbe supplied with British sub machine guns,mainly because Britain had few importedweapons and no indigenous design. Smallnumbers of Thompsons were purchasedfrom the States, and work began ondesigning Australias own sub machine gun.The gun used 9mm ammunition and anunusual top mounted magazine. The gun washeavy, well made and very reliable with ahigh rate of fire. It was as good as most othercontemporary guns, in some opinions betterthan many, and popular with the troops. Theweapon is visible in the scenario illustration.Later in the war an Australian version of theSten called the Austen was developed.

ConclusionIn Commandos, Not Supermen the

Japanese are on the offensive, rushing to getan attack in before Australian mortars canmake movement in the open deadly. For hardcore PTO fans this scenario works as a quickplay game. For folk new to PTO and sectionG, this is not a bad way to be introduced tothe jungle and Japanese without all the newterrain rules and the Japanese strength indefence.

The Australian player needs steadynerves for this defence. Fire discipline isterribly important but being lucky can make

Far 2005. I hope to attend this, not to playthis crap game, but to tour the battlefield.Being as Im a Somerset Boy, Im especiallyinterested in the part played by 43rd WessexDivision in the battle.

What I find disappointing this year, isthat only a total of 29 players turned up forthis years event, 24 in the actual tournament.Is this the shape of things too come? I hopenot. Lets see if we can get back up to 40players in this tournament, and 60 at IF2005.

Sunday ended with the Hippy and megoing to the same pub that we went to lastyear, after watching the Man Utd game atthe other pub (The Star). After we had ourmeal, I did a perfect demonstration of hownot to jump off a wall!! Still, never mind,the pavement broke my fall.

So, until next time, this is the Gun-Pit wishing you all a happy, winning/losingtime. And as a personal note, my brothersstep-daughter had a baby at the end of March,a girl called Morgan Leigh, so this piece isdedicated to her.

VIEW FROM THE ARMPIT 2005Continued from page 6

up for the odd lapse.As the Japanese charging up the hill

should work. The best results happen whenyour timing is near perfect. If you can arrivein a solid block rather than one or two unitsat a time you will overload the defence andearn a win. Brush up on the banzai rules,they provide the best way to climb thicklywooded hills.

Given a free choice Id rather play theAustralians, but this owes more to a fondfeeling for the country than play balance. TheAustralian forces came to Britains aid in twoWorld Wars and even the Boer War, fightingin a unique style and enduring considerablehardship to make the world a better place.

The last few relax at the end of the weekend- from left to right, Nigel Blair, Paul Case,Pete Phillipps and Ben Jones..

15

Using DCs and FTs CorrectlyRobert Delwood

DEMOLITION CHARGESThis has to be one of my least

favourite weapons, right up there with theATR and just about any American tank.While it carriers a potential wallop of up to36-3, they often are death charms for themanning infantry. Delivery of the weapon isthe tricky part.

First, the DC has two purposes. It canblow stuff up real good. Used in this manner,their applications and tactics arestraightforward. This is not what this articleis about. Rather, their second use is as a SW,attacking other units in direct combatsituations. As part of a normal scenario DCare given for a single purpose - often to blowup some fortification or tough building. Byall means, use them for that purpose.However, it is common in campaign gamesfor units to be assigned these weapons withno specific use. It is mostly for thosesituations I write target this article.

The basic problem is that thedelivering infantry has to be adjacent to thetarget. Obviously, if the target is smallenough that you are not worried about itsDFF/SFF/DF then that target may not be agood choice. I hate wasting such a powerfulweapon on small targets. And yet, the correcttarget, a large kill stack, is going to be toopowerful to survive to use the weapon.Ironically, this is the exact situation for whichyou are looking: one that you cant use theDC.

Remember, the DC itself packs suchan impressive FP that no self-respecting killstack can afford to have an operable one nextto it. In other words, the kill stack has toDFF/DF against it. On top of that, since thestack forms a mandatory fire group, youropponent has to decide how much FP he isgoing to allocate before the attack in orderto pin/break the unit. He doesnt have theluxury to fire at it once, see the result andfire again hoping to get a better result. Theimplication is that any fire directed at thatunit will not be used against others. Bymoving this DC unit first, you force youropponent to fire, making the way for theother assaulting troops a little easier, perhaps.I would much rather my main attack forceface the halved SFF of a large stack ratherthan its deadlier DFF. If by chance, youopponent chooses not to attack the DC unitopting to wait for other units instead, then,you have you ideal situation for a DC vs.the kill stack. True, DF is always available

as are ROF weapons not addressing thatpoint either; you have to face some peril.

Chances are, the unit with the DC willnot survive unbroken/unpinned, which iswhy I like to use a HS. The HS is going todraw an amount of fire disproportional toits threat otherwise. But that is exactly thepoint, make your opponent fire at smalltargets, leaving the more important targetsalone. While it may break, it is unlikely itwill be eliminated. Just rout away, rally andcome back. Understand now how a one-useweapon can be used more than once? Whileyou have it and is posing a threat, youropponent had better factor that into hisstrategy.

This introduces the next concept:simply not using the weapon. Having aweapon like this around is much moreeffective than not have it around. The threatof its use is as much of a weapon as its actualuse. When it gets used it is no longer a threatand the opponent suddenly has many moreoptions. But by keeping the weapon withinstriking distance, you opponent is going tobe uneasy. Again, a weapon that should onlybe used once is being used many times. Ofcourse, there will come a time, you will wantto actually use it, that is the point of theweapon, but you will have to decided whento make that moment count.

Using a DC on the defence is eveneasier since your opponent has to come toyou. In that case you have DFF rather thanreceiving it. Also, if there is a hex you verymuch want to prevent him from taking,consider setting the DC. With some effort, itcan become a 36-3 atom bomb. You may alsowant to consider setting it so he will have totake the time to defuse it. Either way, it is avery effective tool.

Naturally, the actual situation dictatesthe timing and tactics of the weapon. But Ihave seen too many DC wasted by badplanning, timing and execution. They arehard too weapons to use for sure. Very fewtimes will they ever be used in the optimalsituation but because of the high FP and thefact it can be used only once. Even so, I feelI have to try for that one perfect attempt. Inpractice I use it more to draw fire thananything else. It does draw fire well.

FLAME THROWERSIf DC are my least favourite weapon,

the FT has to be my favourite. High FP, no

TEM effects and it can be used full strengthduring the AFPh. What is there not to likeabout it? Well, mostly the -1 for manninginfantry and the fact it is going to draw evenmore fire than DC.

This weapon is the opposite of my DCfor all the reasons I just stated. Additionally,I am told its a multiple use weapon, althoughmy breakdown on the first use is actuallyover 100%. In theory I think it can be usedseveral times. As a tactic, I move this unitlast. Since your opponent is going to firemadly at it, most of the other units will move.Again, the idea is to perplex the opponent.If he waits to fire at the FT, then all the otherunits move safely. If he fires at other units,then the FT has greater mobility and will fryat whomever it aims. There is little you cando about DF but by moving as I described,your opponent has to make hard decisions.

Again, I like using HS here. I wouldmuch rather a HS taken out of action than afull one. There is something to be said forthe extra shot provided by a squad, but mostof the time I am just happy for a FT to shootthat I tend not to press my luck. Do not assigna leader to a FT. The ones with good enoughmorale to survive the DF shots can be usedmuch better elsewhere. Lower morale leaderminimizes the odds. Heroes should never beused. While they have good morale, they caneasily the eliminated if they break simply byrolling a five or six. Then a FT is left un-possessed - hardly a good situation.

Another common tactic I like to useis move a HS or some equally unthreateningunit next to the kill stack. He is not going towaste firing at that. After that unit moves,start moving up some choice targets. The ideais to get him to DFF. If he does, is limited toSFF to the HS next to him. Bring the FTunit to two hexes and blast him in the AFPh.While the attack will be halved, it is still a12 FP attack no TEM, respectable attackregardless. Also, the FT is safe from theblistering effects of DFF.

Like the DC, the FT is a potentialweapon by not using them. They are sopowerful (the FP equivalent of 4 to 6 squads)just the threat of them is enough to for youropponent not to stack. The differencebetween the two support weapons is that Iuse the DC much more capacious. They areused only to draw fire and run interferencefor the other troops. FT however, are thesingle unit that has to survive and the other

Continued on page 19, column 2

16

THIS IS THE CALL TO ARMS!This is the latest edition of the ASL Players Directory. It is broken down by country and then by postal code region. The date at the end

of each entry is the date the address was last confirmed.

AUSTRALIAR. Cornwell, PO Box 252, A-2533 Kiama MW (31/12/94)N. Hickman, 12 Blampied Street, Wynn Vale, SA 5127 (28/10/97)Mark McGilchrist, 7 Smith Street, Bexley, Sydney, NSW 2207 (09/02/97)Scott Byrne, 14 Longworth Place, Holt ACT, 2615 (31/10/04)

AUSTRIAJeff Crowder, Erdbergstrasse 74/17, 1030 Vienna (24/04/99)M. Holub, Peter-Neuschmidt Str. 10, A-6363 Westendorf (31/12/94)Ronald Novicky, Othellogasse 1/7/8, A-1230 Vienna (10/09/03)F. Schonbauer, Institut fur Softwaretechnik,, Resselgasse 3/188, A-1040Wien (31/12/94)

BELGIUMJ Baines, 2A Vijverlaan , B-2020, B-2020 Antwerp (31/12/94)Y Barette, 52, Rue du Chateau deau , B-1180, Bruxelles (31/12/94)T Bauwin, 23, Avenue du Cerf-volant , B-1170, Bruxelles (31/12/94)Serge Bettencourt, 11, Rue Fontaine dAmour, B-1030, Bruxelles (31/12/94)D. Boileau, 15, Avenue Rene Stevens, B-1160, Bruxelles (31/12/94)Mr. Bosmans, Koningin Astridlaan 180, B-2800, B-2800 Mechelen (31/12/94)J.P Buchkremer, 20A, Rue du College , B-5530, B-5530 Godinne (31/12/94)T. Cavelier, 22, Rue O. Maesschalek, B-1080, Bruxelles (31/12/94)F Colard, 46, Rue de lAbbaye, B-7801, B-7801 Ath (31/12/94)J.P Dasseville, Reginalaan 3E , B-8670, B-8670 Oostduinkerke (31/12/94)R De Sadeleer, 1, Quai des Peniches, B-1210, Bruxelles (31/12/94)F. Delstanche, 107, Av G. Latinis, B-1030, Bruxelles (31/12/94)J.M. Dricot, 7, Avenue des Grenadiers, B-1050, Bruxelles (31/12/94)P Dutrieux, 38, Polderstraat , B-9500, B-9500 Geraardsber (31/12/94)A. Gottcheiner, 11, Avenue Feuillien, B-1080, Bruxelles (31/12/94)P. Henderyckx, 11, Sint-Johannastraat, B-2160, B-2160 Wommelgem(31/12/94)H Heyman, 91 B, Klapperbeekstraat, B-9100, B-9100 Sl-Niklaas (31/12/94)J Himschoot, 36,Truyensstraat , B-2930, B-2930 Brasschaat (31/12/94)Vincent Kamer, 275, Albert Ier , B-1332, B-1332 Genval (31/12/94)D Kronfeld, 70, Avenue Houzeau , B-1180, Bruxelles (31/12/94)P. Lanote, 91, Avenue Gevaert , B-1332, B-1332 Genval (31/12/94)A Lens, Saulcoir, 1A, B-7380, B-7380 Quievrain (31/12/94)O Leo, 37, Rue des Glaieuls , B-1180, Bruxelles (31/12/94)Philippe Leonard, 212 Avenue des Hospices, B 1180 Bruxelles (10/12/01)P. Lesage, 184, Avenue du Roi, B-1060, Bruxelles (31/12/94)R. Letawe, 181, Av. des Croix de Feu, B-1020, Bruxelles (31/12/94)V. Libert, 43, Rue de la Vignette, B-1160, Bruxelles (31/12/94)J.P Mahieu, 9A, Rue des Hirondelles , B-519, B-519 Spy (31/12/94)J.L Maistriaux, 13 Rue du Maieu Carlot , B-7387, B-7387 Honnelles(31/12/94)H Mielants, 43, St Lievenslaan , B-9000, B-9000 Gent (31/12/94)X Mols, 7, Rue des Champs , B-5030, B-5030 Gembloux (31/12/94)J.L Morelle, 15, Rue Famenne , B-5590, B-5590 Ciney (31/12/94)B Postiau, 52, St-Antoniuslaan , B-1700, B-1700 Dilbeek (31/12/94)P. Ramis, 18, Rue Leanne , B-5000, B-5000 Namur (31/12/94)Pedro Ramis, 18 Rue Leanne, B -5000, Namur (15/11/96)Luc Schonkeren, Borsbeekstraat 43, B-2140, Borgerhout, Antwerpen (26/03/05)C Scref, 109A, Avenue Jupiter , B-1180, Bruxelles (31/12/94)M Steenwege, 74, Rijshenvelsstraat , B-2600, B-2600 Berchem (31/12/94)Bruno Tielemans, Smoutmolen 7, 1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode (15/11/96)Yves Tielemans, Stationsstraat 154, 1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode (15/11/96)M Valkenaers, 1207 Chaussee de Wavre , B-1160, Bruxelles (31/12/94)B Van Wassenhove, 12, Avenue Isidore Gerard , B-01160, Bruxelles (31/12/94)G Verdonck, 28, Morselveldenlaan , B-2640, B-2640 Mortsel (31/12/94)Jan Verreth, Trompetvogelstraat 29, 2170 Antwerpen (15/01/97)J Vrijdaghs, 46 Dennenstraat, B-2800, B-2800 Mechelen (31/12/94)

CANADAMartin Hubley, 105 Melrose Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3N 2E6(14/10/97)L Fernandez, 3220 Milleret, Ste Foy, Quebec, G 1 X- 1 N8 (31/12/94)I Gongora, 3316 Edouard Montpetit #10, Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1K5(31/12/94)Michael Rodgers, 5187 Beamish, Pierrefonds, QC, H8Z 3G4 (02/09/99)Adrian Earle, Apt 201, 17 Martborough, Ottawa, K1N 8E6 (24/04/00)Jim MacLeod, 978 Strathcoma Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3G 3G5(25/11/96)Rick L. Fortier, 766 Brock Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3N 0Z5George Kelln, 350 Kenaston Blvd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3N 1V8 (31/01/01)D Matiieson, PO BOX 3124 Medley, Alberta, TOA 2M0 (31/12/94)R Sanderson, 19005-76th Ave, Surrey, British Columbia, V4N 3G5 (31/12/94)

S.P Smith, 1001 1 NE 9th Slreet, Vancouver, WA98664 (31/12/94)

DENMARKMichael Hastrup-Leth, Favrholmvanget 15, 3400 Hillerod (30/10/99)Lars Klysner, Egilsgade 2, 2. t.h., 2300 Copenhagen S (25/02/99)Peter Lageri, Tolderlundsvej 86, ltv, 5000 Odense C. (15/12/96)

EIREPaul Boyle, 24 Lennonstown Manor, Dundalk, Co. Louth (17/03/2002)J. Marrinan, 63, Mc Kee Park, Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 7 (31/12/1994)

ENGLANDPete Bennett, 84 Littlebrook Avenue, Burnham, Bucks. (16/09/02)Billy Carslaw, 52 Spring Lane, Birmingham (19/03/05)Andrew Daglish, 7 The Spinney, Cheadle, CheshireJohn Kennedy, 2 Hawthorn Road, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire (23/10/98)Aaron Sibley, 13 St Pauls Close, Swanscombe, Dartford, Kent (31/03/04)Mike Brewer, 6 Goldsmith Way, St Albans, Herts, AL3 5LG (01/03/02)F. B. Dickens, 62 Yarnfield Road, Tyseley, Birmingham, W. Mids., B113PGSteve Grainger, 23 Winterton Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, W.Mids., B44 0UU (18/11/98)Garry Cramp, 25 Ferndale Road, Hall Green, Brimingham, W. Mids,B92 8HP (31/10/96)Stuart Brant, Flat A, 1186 Evesham Road, Astwood Bank, Redditch,Worcs., B96 6DT (28/01/02)Gary Lock, 7 Dover Place, Bath, BA1 6DX (16/03/04)Jeff Hawarden, 9 Laburnum Road, Helmshore, Rossendale, Lancs., BB44LFCraig Ambler, 2 Queensbury Square, Queensbury, Bradford, W. Yorks.,BD13 1PS (28/02/97)Phil Ward, 7 Burnsall Mews, Silsden, Keighley, W. Yorks., BD20 9NY(06/03/00)William Roberts, 1 Kiln Close, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset, BH213UR (23/10/98)David Schofield, 11 Longfield Drive, West Parley, Ferndown, Dorset,BH22 8TY (23/10/98)Stuart Holmes, 1 Milne Street, Irwell Vale, Ramsbottom, Lancs., BL00QP (08/03/02)Shaun Carter, 3 Arnside Grove, Breightmet, Bolton, Lancs, BL2 6PL(19/03/05)Mike Standbridge, 31 Hunstanon Drive, Bury, Lancs., BL8 1EG (24/03/04)Ian Kenney, 53 Withdean Crescent, Brighton, W. Sussex, BN1 6WGGraham Smith, 56 Durham Road, Bromley, Kent, BR2 0SW (31/10/04)Andy Tucker, 78 Constance Crescent, Hayes, Bromley, Kent, BR2 7QQ(11/11/99)Bill Durrant, 5 Gatcombe Court, 65 Park Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR31QG (19/06/99)Wayne Baumber, 3 Polo Mews, Home Farm, Kemenal Road, Chislehurst,BR7 6GL (23/10/04)Brian Hooper, 7 Jessop Court, Ferry Street, Bristol, Avon, BS1 6HW (31/10/04)Neil Piggot, 2 Beechmount Grove, Hengrove, Bristol, Avon, BS14 9DNMark Warren, 5 Gazzard Road, Winterbourne, Bristol, BS36 1NR (31/03/04)Rasmus Jensen, 17 Berkeley Road, Bishopston, Bristol, Avon, BS7 8HF(29/10/97)Gaute Strokkenes, Girton College, Cambridge, CB3 0JG (23/10/98)Paul ODonald, 13 Archway Court, Barton Road, Cambridge, Cambs.,CB3 9LW (07/08/02)Andrew Eynon, 36 Greenbank Drive, Pensby, Wirral, CH61 5UF (08/07/05)Ray Jennings, 57 Wheatfield Way, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 2QZ (09/10/04)Derek Cox, 25 Cramphorn Walk, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 2RD (01/02/04)Nick Ranson, 34 Mill Lane, Witham, Essex, CM8 1BP (22/03/97)Alistair Fairbairn, 3 School Lane, Brantham, Manningtree, Essex, CO111QEMartin Johnson, 16 Wick Lane, Dovercourt, Harwich, Essex, CO12 3TAMatthew Leach, 12 Lodge Road, Little Oakley, Dovercourt, Essex, CO125ED (19/08/02)Rob Gallagher, 153 Halstead Rd, Stanway, Colchester, Essex, CO3 5JT(31/07/01)Derek Tocher, 19 Tyrell Square, Mitcham, Surrey, CR4 3SD (27/09/98)Derek Briscoe, 129b Melfort Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon, Surrey,CR7 7RX (18/01/99)Joe Arthur, 33 Cedar Close, St Peters, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 3BU (31/10/99)Peter Wenman, 12 Clementine Close, Belting, Herne Bay, Kent, CT66SN (26/07/98)Andy Back, 21 Elmwood Court, St Nicholas Street, Coventry, W. Mids.,CV1 4BSHubert Noar, 39 Rugby Road, Cifton, Rugby, Warks., CV23 0DE (06/01/04)Tim Collier, 71 Kinross Road, Leamington Spa, Warks., CV32 7EN (09/05/05)

Tony Wardlow, 6 Beech Tree Avenue, Coventry, W. Mids., CV4 9FGIain Mckay, 8 Southfields Close, Wybunbury, Cheshire, CW5 7SE (28/10/00)Ian Pollard, 115 The Brent, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1YH (19/03/05)Carl Sizmur, 53 Singlewell Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 7PUSean Pratt, 19 Premier Avenue, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 1LH (07/08/02)Neil Brunger, 72 Penhill Close, Ouston, Chester Le Street, Co. Durham,DH2 1SG (01/06/04)M. W. Jones, 1 Cheviot View, Front St, Dipton, Stanley, Co. Durham,DH9 9DQChris Bunyan, 89 Hallcroft Road, Retford, Notts., DN22 7PY (17/10/98)Roy Quarton, 8 Bassey Road, Branton, Doncaster, S. Yorks., DN3 3NS(01/11/00)David Farr, First Floor Flat, 259 High Road Leyton, Leyton, London,E10 5QE (25/04/99)Larry Devis, 104 The Mission, 747 Commercial Road, London, E14 7LE(21/07/01)Michael Essex, 1 Manchester Court, Garvary Road, London, E16 3GZ(24/04/03)Michael Chantler, Flat 7, Pickwick House, 100-102 Goswell Road, Lon-don, EC1V 7DH (04/05/04)Mike Elan, 26 King Edward Street, St. Davids, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4NY(01/06/00)Andrew Saunders, 3 Torbay Court, 221Devonshire Road, Blackpool,Lancs., FY2 0TJ (29/12/00)Nigel Brown, 3 Chepstow Road, Blackpool, Lancs., FY3 7NN (31/10/96)Arthur Garlick, 23 St. Annes Road East, Lytham St. Annes, Lancs., FY81TA (04/05/98)Michael Davies, 36 Heyhouses Court, Heyhouses Lane, Lytham St Annes,Lancs., FY8 3RF (21/10/03)Russell Gough, Bellare, New Road, Southam, Cheltenham, GL52 3NX(31/10/04)Tim Bunce, 33 Ryder Court, Newport Road, Aldershot, Hants., GU466NZ (19/03/05)Jeff Cansell, 24a Upper Queen Street, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1DQ(17/03/97)Giuilo Manganoni, 111 Kings Road, Godalming, Farncombe, Surrey,GU7 3EU (30/04/96)Kendrick Fearn, 12 Nelson Hse, Hants., GU11 1HX (05/03/01)Simon Croome, 1 Dowling Parade, Bridgewater Road, Wembley, Middx.,HA0 1AJJackie Eves, 1 Dowling Parade, Bridgewater Road, Wembley, Middx.,HA0 1AJMalcolm Hatfield, 336B Alexandra Ave, South Harrow, Middlesex, HA29DB (23/01/04)Neil Stevens, 8 Trenchard Avenue, Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 6NP (27/09/03)Chris Littlejohn, 214A Field End Road, Eastcote, Pinner, Middx., HA51RDPaul Kettlewell, 1 Puffin Way, Watermead, Aylesbury, Bucks., HP20 2UG(01/01/00)Nick Edelsten, 139 Hivings Hill, Chesham, Bucks., HP5 2PN (05/09/01)Ivor Gardiner, PO Box 62, Hereford, HR2 6YL (17/03/02)Gary Headland, 35 Grammar School Yard, Old Town, Hull, Humber-side, HU1 1SEMalcolm Holland, 57 Westfield Rise, Barrow Lane, Hessle, Humberside,HU13 0NASteve Balcam, 1 Cornwall Street, Cottingham, N. Humberside, HU164NB (01/01/96)Ruarigh Dale, 13 Swinemoor Lane, Beverley, Humberside, HU17 0JU(31/10/04)Tony Maryou, 41 Benton Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4AU (15/08/00)Kevin Gookey, 95 Willingdale Road, Loughton, Essex, IG10 2DD (17/02/01)David Austin, 86 Lindsey Way, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 2PD (04/01/00)Paul Legg, 21 Grimsey Road, Leiston, Suffolk, IP16 4BW (19/03/05)Andy Smith, 31 Egerton Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 4AP (23/06