Author Topic: CoC - Western Front - Martlet Map 3 Game 6 report (Read 128208 times)

Digits · « **Reply #1080 on:** February 12, 2023, 07:46:46 PM »

Indeed.

So, we had out first game of the Operation Martlet campaign yesterday.

Game 1 is a probing attack, with the Brits looking to move a unit off bottom of this table.

Worth noting, this campaign (I suppose like others) is pretty brutal in that you have to watch your men closely. Losses are costly and with limited replacement opportunities, you can ill afford to squander the chaps.

The opening turns in this campaign fully utilise the overwhelming fire support from the allied warships meaning that pre game bombardments restrict Germans coming onto the table on a 5 or 6 only!

That doesn’t mean Tommy will get his own way though…..as the jump off hour approaches, heavy mist and clearly piss poor compasses, ensure that it isn’t easy for him to get his forces coordinated onto th3 table either!

Anyway, following the patrol phase, we ended up with the following jump off positions.

Note how far forward the Brits are on the top most jop. The house by the bottom German jop is fortified into a bunker. We both have 10 on the morale wheel.

Well, we started throwing dice. Long and short of it, the Brits lost a few chaos in the mist. An AVRE went missing…..a section and a PIAT team also got lost in the fog. They were however able to deploy a section into the walled area b6 that top jop. They made sure they clambered over the wall and started moving, all be it slowly at first, toward my table edge, popping a little smoke out just in case.

They also got a forward observation team, a two inch mortar and a senior leader into position.

Now whilst this was going on, I was trying desperately to make my guys brave the artillery bombardment and get themselves into position to try and thwart Tommy….but the swinehund wouldn’t get out of their foxholes! This would look like I may fail to stop Tommy without getting a single chap on the board to stop them! In fact the only guy who was brave enough (or certainly foolish enough) to get himself on the board was my senior officer….who, realising he was alone, dived inside the barn for cover. Finally I managed to get a section on, but they were too late to catch the British section before it disappeared behind my barn!

They readied themselves for the dash to to my rear lines, calling for smoke to be laid down to obscure any fire I could bring if I moved my section back across the courtyard to take a pop at them. They also made contact with their fire support, as if the Ship bombardment wasn’t enough.

Now, whilst trying to get stuff on the table, I was however rolling a few Fives, and I had amassed enough for a CoC dice…now was the time, use it or loose it……end the turn! The ship bombardment lifted, and the smoke disappeared…..we had a slim chance to do something!

First a tank arrived…a little way off to be immediately helpful but…

Then I was able to get a section into the top floor of the strengthened farm house.

Tbc

Digits · « **Reply #1081 on:** February 12, 2023, 08:07:09 PM »

This section (by the way…all my sections are reduced in numbers…each simply being two mg’s with a junior leader, still, 16 firing dice isn’t too bad….) then attacked the FOO, putting shock on before the section in the courtyard finished it off…first blood. The senior leader hightailed it back to join his mortar team.

The plucky British section now picked up the pace and started the final dash to my table edge.

More smoke landed to protect itself from the courtyard, but I was able to deploy a third section into the open behind them, with little to expose themselves to, and they chewed up the Brits, killing five of their number, including their Junior officer and inflicting nearly enough shock to pin them.

Now my tank rolled up to the hedgerow and fired its main gun.

The shell failed to kill anyone, but the shock of the tanks appearance and the near miss from the shell pinned them in place!

Surely, just a case of mopping them up now.

Almost, Jamie had also amassed enough fives and also had a CoC dice. Knowing e game lost, he used it to move his forward most JOP forward even more ( the jops stay in place if this table has to be played again, so next time he will have even less distance to cover) then withdrew his forces from the table. This wasn’t without loss though, as another couple of the shot up section were captured, and two more got lost (for the next game at least).

A temporary reprieve then! Most importantly, I hadn’t lost a single man, but Jamie is down 8 men next game, four of them permanent. He also has to raise another junior leader from th3 ranks. The mist will stay in play next turn, and of course, I will still be facing that awful bombardment……

Will Jamie press on and try to get ttmap 2 quickly, or will he wait, gather himself (and a few replacements) wait for the mist to lift, then simply breeze through my lines?

We shall see……

CapnJim · « **Reply #1082 on:** February 12, 2023, 08:31:19 PM »

Well, how easy it is to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And vice versa...

Looking forward too the next BatRep...

has.been · « **Reply #1083 on:** February 12, 2023, 10:40:42 PM »

Quote

still, 16 firing dice isn’t too bad….)

16? That's a sniper for you David.

flatpack · « **Reply #1084 on:** February 13, 2023, 07:56:54 AM »

Only 16 firing dice ?
Times must be hard

Digits · « **Reply #1085 on:** February 13, 2023, 08:29:06 AM »

You still gotta hit! 😉

has.been · « **Reply #1086 on:** February 13, 2023, 02:23:17 PM »

Quote

You still gotta hit! 😉

Need I remind you David that I got a hit EVERY time!
OK it was on the 'Risk to Officer' throw & it concerned MY officers.

Digits · « **Reply #1087 on:** February 13, 2023, 04:59:42 PM »

Anyway, thought I’d finish off the forecourt and car for the garage. Simple bit of scenery to set the scene. I need to find a small sign image but otherwise it will do.