Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => The Great War => Topic started by: monk2002uk on May 16, 2015, 07:14:17 AM
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My sons and I played an exciting game based on the final phase of the war. The context is that the German forces retreated through an important cross-roads after an earlier British victory. The British pursuit had been slowed by the ever-lengthening supply lines. The Germans have therefore broken contact with the British and have been able to organise a counter-attack. The aim is to get back to the cross-roads and occupy the village and the nearby farm in order to set up a defensive position that will further delay the British. Meanwhile, however, the British advance guard has come within sight of the cross-roads and the village. The scene is set for an encounter battle between the two sets of advance guards.
Here is an overview of the battlefield, taken by an observation 'aircraft'. The top edge of the table is facing North. The German forces will approach from this side. The British advance guard will approach from the 'southern' edge at the bottom. The cross-roads can be clearly seen. The farm complex is located in the top right quadrant. The other two buildings in the village are arranged either side of the road running east-west. The rest of the terrain has been largely untouched by the fighting on the Western Front.
Robert
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The Germans chose to advance all of their squads and teams onto the table during the first turn. Two squads headed for the farm as quickly as possible. A sniper and anti-tank gun teams covered the left flank. The third squad, anti-tank rifle team, and the field gun moved along the road. They were flanked on the left by the command team, FOO, and MMG team. The right flank was covered by the light Minenwerfer (medium mortar) and the Granatenwerfer.
Robert
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In this photograph, the British artillery can be seen paralleling the road. There is a British infantry squad protecting the right flank. A British sniper team is away over on the far British R flank just out of shot. The British advance is slower, with some units still off table. The longer supply lines were causing real problems at this stage of the war.
Robert
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The farm is from Total Battle Miniatures. The other two buildings are from Crescent Root. The fields are a mix of Hotz Mats, Noch (wheat field) and Faller. The close terrain is typical of this region of northern France at that time, as can be seen in this original aerial photograph:
(http://www.britishbattles.com/firstww/le-cateau/forest-mormal-1200.jpg)
Here are some photos of the set up, which better illustrate the buildings.
Robert
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Some more British squads took up position near the village.
Robert
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Meanwhile a German squad gets ready to occupy the farm complex.
Robert
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At the end of turn 1, the reconnaissance pilot returned and took an aerial photograph with his iPad. The German forces are skewed more towards their left flank. The British have concentrated their advance in the other half of the battlefield. The German field gun is in a strong position to control the road and take the restaurant under fire. The British field gun has made quick progress towards a position from which it could bring the crossroads under direct fire, as well as the farm and hotel if necessary.
Turn 2 coming up next...
Robert
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Nice set up and looking forward to the rest.
And the poor cow that gets knocked out by the iPad when it falls out of the plane...
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What an awesome set-up. :)
I really need to get playing again.....
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Very nice!
I particularly like the table and scenario, very well done!
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Turn 2 saw first blood to the Germans. The British sniper team opened fire on their counterparts at long range but missed. The German sniper returned fire, killing his British equivalent.
Robert
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The British field gun unlimbered and took up position in the field. The associated infantry section pushed forward towards the road. The German squads took up positions in the farm, discovering that the fields of fire were extremely limited especially from the outbuildings. The German squad on the road immediately took up position in the ground floor of the hotel. The AT rifle team ducked into the light cover to the right of the road. The Granatenwerfer and Minenwerfer continued to push forward through the hedges to provide additional flank protection. The MG08 took up position to take the restaurant under fire. The FOO pushed forward into the next field.
The rest of the British forces made their forward across the various obstacles. An infantry section made it into the ground floor of the restaurant. The Vickers MG team made for the second floor. The FOO and Stokes mortar team set up near the small bridge over the culvert.
Here is the aerial view of the battlefield at the end of turn 2.
Robert
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In the centre, the German anti-tank rifle fired at the British field gun but the shot deflected off the shield at the longer range. The British flank attack arrived. An Austin armoured car, which had been attached from 17th Battalion, drove on from the British left flank. It immediately opening fire with both Hotchkiss MMGs on the German anti-tank rifle in light cover. The AT rifle team went down in hail of bullets, killed to a man. The Minenwerfer returned fire on the armoured car, inflicting two pins. Smoke started billowing from the engine compartment but the crew were able to douse the fire. The Granatenwerfer opened fire on the British section that was flanking to their left, beside the restaurant. One infantryman was killed and one pin was inflicted. The fourth British section appeared in the fields next to the armoured car, opening fire on the Granatenwerfer. Its crew was halved, as the accurate musketry took effect. Here is the armoured car.
Robert
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The British field gun took aim at the ground floor of the hotel. An HE round went straight through one of the windows, exploding inside. Three German infantry were killed immediately. The rest of the squad was severely shaken. The Stokes mortar tried to screen the British forces in the restaurant but the smoke landed away to the right. The German field gun tried to emulate their Royal Artillery Regiment counterparts, firing on the Vickers MG that had now taken up position in the top floor of the restaurant. No such luck. The German FOO called in a fire mission on the restaurant but nothing happened. Here is the British MMG safely ensconced in its new overwatch position. The Crescent Root buildings are idea for these types of actions.
Robert
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The German MGO8 opened up on the British infantry section to the left of the 18 pounder from the German perspective. The British section immediately hugged the ground, reducing the number of casualties but leaving the men very shaken nonetheless. Seeing that the British were committed to their left flank, the Germans decided to debouch from the farm complex. The fact that the British FOO team had ranged in on the farmhouse helped the decision. Both German squads made their way as quickly as possible across the road towards the now open British right flank. It was a daring move, perhaps foolhardy... The sniper team and light anti-tank gun team moved forwards on the German's far left flank but both teams were now isolated. Here is the aerial photograph showing the situation at the end of turn 3.
Robert
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I particularly like the table and scenario, very well done!
Thank you, Cessna. The scenario planning aspect is something that I like to pay attention to. There were several instances in the war on the Western Front where two equal-size forces could have engaged each other like this. The later war period means that the variety of weapons systems can come into play with some justification. At the same time, we don't have to worry about the overlapping effects from either flank or multiple artillery echeloned to the rear.
Robert
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I'm really enjoying this battle, Robert. I love the terrain and the bird's-eye views especially. :)
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Thanks, Anna. One of my sons came up with the idea of using the iPad to take overhead shots. He is quite tall though, so could reach up close to the ceiling and hold it steady enough ;)
Robert
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Fantastic Robert! Well done on another magnificent table! AAR sounds good to! :)
Shawn
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Turn 4 saw a German FOO make contact and request an artillery barrage. It fell short, landing on the German Minenwerfer team. All of the crew were killed. The British FOO also called in a barrage but it was not able to add to the casualty list, fortunately. The British armoured car tried to open up on the Granatenwerfer. In the heat of the moment though, one of the machine-gunners mistook the nearby British infantry for enemy. He opened fire, killing one of the section and causing further pins on the others. Further over, one of the German squads that had stormed out of farm was able to open fire on the British section that was hugging the ground, inflicting a further pin and killing another infantryman. Here is the German attack unfolding against the British right flank.
Robert
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Great looking table and game. Thanks for taking such great photos and posting.
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Friendly Fire - *ain't*. Great update, I *so* want to get playing! :)
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'Friendly fire' was a recurrent theme in the 'open' warfare phases, particularly in close terrain.
On with the account, as turn 4 continued. The British MMG took aim at the German field gun. Rounds smacked into the shield but one gunner went down and one pin was inflicted as well. The Granatenwerfer opened fire on the British section near the armoured car but missed. The section advanced and returned fire on the Granatenwerfer, killing one of the crew. The British section in the ground floor of the restaurant opened fire on German squad in the building opposite, killing two. The German squad tried to ascend to first floor but failed. It was in big trouble, having suffered terribly despite being in hard cover. To add insult to injury, a second British section pushed forward and opened fire on Germans in building, inflicting a further pin. The German MMG inflicted a pin on British MMG but this was small consolation. Soon afterwards, the British command team opened fire on the remnants of the German squad in the hotel and destroyed it. A dismal round for the Germans ended with the sniper team opening fire on the Vickers MMG and missing. The light AT gun moved forward but there were no targets available. The only minor plus was that the left-hand German squad advanced and opened fire, inflicting further casualties on the downed British section. In a last ditch attempt to hold the hotel, the German FOO team entered the building on the ground floor. The rooms were strewn with the dead and dying - an omen of what was to befall the FOO and his signaller. Desperate times though... (or, more accurately, a good example of command failure in the face of rising tension). Here is the aerial photograph at the end of the turn 4.
Robert
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Looking good. :) I should have realized you were using Bolt Action, what with FOOs and all.
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Thanks, Anna. You can make out the BA dice in some of the photos too. The only adjustments we made were for the way that the weapons systems were organised. It was mainly a case of mapping some of the WW1 systems to their BA equivalents, such as the field- and anti-tank guns. In all other respects, we played the rules as written.
Robert
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Really enjoying this, great write up, and together with the photo's it really makes the action exciting to see unfold. Great toys and scenary too.
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Thanks Phil.
And so to the final turn. One of the German squads on their left flank advanced, opened fire and destroyed the downed British section. The second German squad advanced and opened fire on the British field gun, killing one crew. The field gun returned fire, killing 3 German riflemen. The gunners had set the shrapnel shell to explode as soon as it left the tube. The German MMG and field gun failed to inflict any casualties, though one pin was put down on the Vickers MMG. The British Stokes mortar team came into action, killing one more German rifleman and (you guessed it) rendering a second squad hors de combat.
In the hotel, a British section assaulted the FOO team killing both men. Another British section took out the remnants of the Granatenwerfer team. And so it ended. While it was possible that the intact German squad could have taken out the artillery, there was little hope of defending the German right flank with just the field gun and MG08. The jubilant British pilot snapped a final aerial shot before the Germans exited south to regroup. On a more positive note, all of the commanders motored off the battlefield to partake in dinner together in Chez Moi.
We had a fantastic time together. The game ebbed one way, causing the British commanders to fret, and then the other. Even within turns, there was constant uncertainty and tension. I hope I have done justice to the game flow. It is impossible to capture the value of being together as a family. That was the greatest outcome though.
Robert
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A great series of reports Robert. 8). How long did the game take to play?
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A grand finale.
It has to be the biggest joy of our hobby, bringing friends, family and indeed strangers together, a bit ironic that we are replicating things that divide people.
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Thanks Silent Invader. The five turns played out over 2 hours or so.
You are so right, Phil.
Robert
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thanks for sharing, great write up. Any chance of some close up pic's of the figures?
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Hi Slayer. I will get some close ups sorted. The starting point will be the Vickers MMG team, as my grandfather served in the NZ Machine Gun Corps in the Great War.
Robert
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Loved reading this, excellent report of what looks like a great game.
Thanks for sharing.
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Here is a first closer-up photo of the British forces, focusing mainly on the support teams.
Robert
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AWE-sum! I especially like the artillery and caisson. Do want for my BEF guys. :)
What a lovely force to game with.
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Thanks Anna,
The artillery pieces are set up to connect to the caisson, unlimber and then the trail is able to sit on the 'ground' when the gun is in action.
Robert
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*That* is impressive. :)
Are the gun's wheels magnetized? I'd worry about wear and wheels separating if it's just friction.
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The wheels are not magnetised. They are secured to the base and the axle just rotates in the centre hole in the wheel. Wear will not be an issue.
Robert
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Cool, thank you. :) I like that idea. :)
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Another close up, this time of the infantry squads and the armoured car. The squad on the right includes dismounted (early war) British cavalry.
Robert
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Excellent. :) I need some of those dismounts for my BEF. I love the armoured car, too. :)
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Here are some of the German support teams.
Robert
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Smashing! Love the consistently excellent basing. Thanks for posting.
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Excellent troops, terrain, and write-up. Really reflected the "fog of war."
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Thank you for the feedback. Here are the German infantry sections.
Robert
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And a close-up of my all time favourite - the British sniper.
Robert
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A finely painted body of troops you have there.