It’s been a while since Jamie and I had a battle, so it was good today to catch up.
We have actually played a couple of rounds on our campaign since last posting here but I forgot to do a write up. I will have to find my notes and do a very quick precis at some point for completeness.
Anyway, Jamie had set up a one off game with for us anyway, a little additional narrative.
We were going to use the scenario “ Going with a bang” from the Bltzkrieg 1940 supplement.
My platoon had received notification indicating that some crack 82nd airbourne were advancing on my position operating just North of Gallicshrugville. Their intention to pave a way for an American breakthrough.
My orders were clear. I had to destroy key infrastructure in order to slow any advance down.
As such, the Bridge and the approach road Junction would need expert demolitions placing so as to do most damage.
The terrain outside the village was pretty flat with hedgerows, with a straight track running South to the bridge. This was going to be tricky with both of us facing challenges.
In my case, not much hard cover to be found, and an as yet untested demolitions attempt that sounded tricky. Jamie had his own issues starting quite far back and only having two admittedly elite, sections plus their supports.
I think Jamie started with a point more force morale than I, and moved first.
I had been assigned a demo team, but knew this would be tricky so with my six support choices, I took a second demo team, a trench, a second Senior leader (really worried this could me messy!) and believing he’d maybe bring a tank, a second panzerfaust team.
He got both sections out quickly so as to get a start on his first objective…stopping me from blowing the crossroads. His first section deploying just behind the stables and the second from the table edge in my right field.
I had to get something in his way and brought out my first section which went into overwatch
And was then lucky to get my first Demo team on the crossroads, into a prepared dugout. They had to amass 6 pips on th3 dice before they could attempt to detonate. They managed I think 3 on their roll……going to take a tad longer….
In the first few phases, I had quickly rolled a batch of fives …..one more and I’d have my first CoC dice.
Jamie then deployed an M8 greyhound. I think he’d thought it would face down the road to secure or prevent my use of the jump off somehow, nut as this track was a bit tough going, it wasn’t able to speed up too quickly. Unable to see anything, it didn’t fire.
He also started pushing his sections forward in support.
A senior officer started to manoeuvre a mortar team and a .50cal to the left of the stables….starting to mount a little pressure. The panzer grenadiers would have liked to use a panzerfaust on the armoured car…but it was out of range….
My very next throw and I had the elusive CoC………using it straight away, I ambushed….and a panzershreck popped out of a hedge, and as my most trustworthy of weapons is want to do, hit the greyhound first time of asking, blowing it up before disappearing back to where they came from!
Th3 .50 cal made it to the hedgerow in my left field…..and only my left hand team had it covered putting a little shock on it, before it responded and winged my junior leader, along with killing another.
The gloves were off and the grenadiers found themselves in a gunfight with the .50 cal and the emerging section. On top of that, the 50mm mortar had found their range and he started dropping in too. His extra dice telling, rolling double sixes and retaining the phase was starting to hurt.
The demo team, safe in their foxhole, continued setting the charges with the encouragement of my leader who was positioned behind them….ready to sprint back to the bridge.
The combined weight of fire had now started chewing up the grenadiers……but finally, the engineers had their charges set………and moved back ready to detonate.
The grenadiers, crumbling under the intense fire, broke, running straight though the retreating demo team as they hit the button. There is a 4 in 6 chance it would blow on first trying and a pleasing blast churned up the junction! 😁
The demo team also broke and the leader high tailed it backward, over the hedge and started setting the second team who had now arrived to setting the charges under the bridge.
I was however down a section and one of my precious demo teams….☹️
.
Jamie with his extra dice, had stared ammasing CoC dice and used one to rout both elements.
My morale was plummeting…..I was down to four dice.
TBC