Category Archives: After Action Report

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Cross Keys:  A Good Day for Richard Stoddert Ewell (Part 1)

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The Battle of Cross Keys:  A Synopsis 

The aftermath of Nathaniel Banks’ defeat at Winchester on May 25th, 1862, roused the Lincoln administration to action.  With Stonewall Jackson rampaging through the lower Shenandoah Valley to within a few miles of the Potomac at Harper’s Ferry, half of Irwin McDowell’s corps marched west from Fredericksburg, threading its way through the Manassas Gap in the Blue Ridge mountains.   Meanwhile, John C. Fremont’s “Mountain Department” troops advanced eastward across the Alleghenies from Moorefield (West Virginia).  The two forces formed the jaws of a pincer designed to meet at Strasburg on the Valley Pike, cutting off Jackson’s Valley Army from its line of communications.  But a combination of poor mountain roads, poor intelligence, and Confederate resistance delayed the Yankees and enabled Jackson’s hard marching troops to escape south before the jaws could close.  Fremont gave chase via the Valley Pike, while James Shields’ division of McDowell’s corps moved up the less negotiable Luray Valley east of the Massanutten.

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Apocalypse Road AAR: Full Metal Jacket Derby at Black Widow Hollow (Part 1)

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Ladies and Gentlemen! Load your guns and start your engines! The Apocalypse Road Beckons!

You´ve seen your Thunder Alley buddies link up with the other lane, and thereby leaving your car alone, activated and ultimately lapped in turn 1 on Saint Adriana. Your words “…but we had a deal…” seemingly lost to your buddies.

You´ve seen your Grand Prix buddies move the entire field past you with NPCs and conditional linking and thereby ending all your hopes of a podium on Vasal Towers. Your words “…but why go after me, I wasn´t even leading…” seemingly lost to your buddies.

What can you do?

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Tokyo at Dawn #5: The Doolittle Raid Debriefing

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This is the fifth installment of Tokyo at Dawn, an after action report created using GMT’s Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid. Where a word appears in bold, it references a game mechanic or rule. The first four articles of the Tokyo at Dawn series can be found here, here, here, and here. Another of Chris’ fantastic InsideGMT articles, “Walking the Distant Plain” can be found here.

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Death Valley: Rearguard Action at Winchester, Virginia, May 25th, 1862

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The 1st Battle of Winchester

Spring, 1862, brought the southern Confederacy a succession of defeats in the west and retreats in the east.  Richmond’s only glimmer of hope came from the Shenandoah Valley, where at great cost Stonewall Jackson drove back elements of John C. Fremont’s Army of West Virginia at the Battle of McDowell in early May.  As dubious as that “victory” was, however, it sowed the seeds of a dramatic reversal of fortunes.

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Tokyo at Dawn #4: The Doolittle Raid: April 19th, 1942

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This is the fourth installment of Tokyo at Dawn, an after action report created using GMT’s Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid. Where a word appears in bold, it references a game mechanic or rule. The first three articles of the Tokyo at Dawn series can be found here, here, and here. Another of Chris’ fantastic InsideGMT articles, “Walking the Distant Plain” can be found here.

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Tokyo at Dawn #3: The Doolittle Raid: April 18th, 1942

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This is the third installment of Tokyo at Dawn, an after action report created using GMT’s Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid. Where a word appears in bold, it references a game mechanic or rule. The first two articles of the Tokyo at Dawn series can be found here and here. Another of Chris’ fantastic InsideGMT articles, “Walking the Distant Plain” can be found here.

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Tokyo at Dawn #2: The Doolittle Raid: April, 1942

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This is the second installment of Tokyo at Dawn, an after action report created using GMT’s Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid. Where a word appears in bold, it references a game mechanic or rule. The first article of the Tokyo at Dawn series can be found here. Another of Chris’ fantastic InsideGMT articles, “Walking the Distant Plain” can be found here.

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Tokyo at Dawn #1: The Doolittle Raid: January Through March, 1942

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This is the first installment of Tokyo at Dawn, an after action report created using GMT’s Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid. Where a word appears in bold, it references a game mechanic or rule. Chris’ last InsideGMT article, “Walking the Distant Plain” can be found here.

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Dark Sands – Compass Scenario AAR, Part 4 (and final)

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Iron&Oakbn1(RBM)

Click on the following to read the three previous installments of this article: Part I, Part II, Part III.

Chit 7 British Reinforcements.

The British Turn 4 Reinforcements include 3 brigades as normal arrivals. And the 6th Australian Div as an exchange for the 4th Indian Division. Indicated by the black box around both the arriving and withdrawing units.

The 3 arriving brigades may land at any port, up to stacking limits. They choose to land at Bardia where they may stack with the Garrison. Number 1.

Units that are arriving as part of an exchange may directly replace any units of the division they are being exchanged for. In this case the three brigades of the 6th Australian change places with the 3 brigades of the 4th Indian brigade. Number 2.

The 4th Indian are withdrawing, indicated by the red box around their image on the Reinforcement Track. They are placed on the Reinforcement track on the next turn where their image appears. Follow the blue arrow from Number 2. The green box around the image indicates that this is (or will be) a returning unit. If there is no future turn to place them on, place them on the red-boxed images on the current turn to indicate that they were withdrawn and will not be returning.

Note that two of the 4th Indian Brigades was reduced, but the arriving unit was full strength. Arriving units always arrive at full strength, regardless of their state when withdrawn. Moral of the story, always lead with units that about to be withdrawn. When they return, they will be a full strength.

Figure 19 British Reinforcements

Figure 19 British Reinforcements