Defending the crossroads

[Westbury]

Recently did a WWII skirmish set in Holland post Market Garden.
Basic scenario was a squad of Polish paras and a section of Dutch resistance defending a crossroads position they'd recently taken from the Germans and the Germans were coming to take it back.
Dutch were deployed in a windmill and barn, the paras in a fortified house. The Germans were 4 squads strong and came on at 4 randomly determined positions.

[Westbury]

The Germans advanced from the north with one motorised squad, one motorised from the south and two across country from the south east.

[Westbury]

The Germans to the north (3rd) debussed and crossed the field heading toward the windmill and took an early sniper hit on the lmg gunner, return fire was ineffective and it was then a mad scramble for cover as the bren on top of the bunker opened up and the Dutch revealed themselves at the windmill.
The Germans on the southern road (1st) also debussed and crossed the hedge to their left and worked their way forward.
The two squads emerging from the tree line (4th & 2nd) received fire from the house which they eventually shut down although 4th squad had it's corporal seriously wounded. 

[Westbury]

In the north, 4th squad got chewed up (50% losses) but eventually cleared the windmill of the Dutch and prevented an ambush on 1st squad. The bitter lesson of running across open ground was learnt again.
In the south, the 1st squad got to a break in the hedge at the crossroads and immediately took a casualty from the bunker so they hopped back over the hedge and advanced on the house using a burning Hanomag as cover from the bunker. Not so fast Hans! A hidden Dutchman in the barn fired a captured panzerfaust which exploded against the vehicle, downing 3 of the squad, one of whom was the sergeant, who died of his wounds. That was effectively it for 1st squad and they crawled away to safety, taking no further part.

[Westbury]

The 4th squad slung some grenades up into the house and suppressed the defenders for a while and then sneaked round the back of the house to enter the yard only for the first man to be gunned down by a shot from the bunker. After that it was a gunfight at the yard entrance where the superior numbers of the Germans made no difference because they couldn't get a firing position to make the numbers count and the para in the bunker was almost impossible to hit.
The 2nd squad followed in the path of the 4th and also indulged in the grenade throwing idea only for it to go horribly wrong when the grenade hit the windowsill and bounced back into the squad! The blast downed a couple of men, including the sergeant who died of his wounds, but unlike the 1st squad these men rallied from the shock under the corporal and pressed the attack. Despite losses, one plucky soldier managed to drop a grenade in the firing slit of the bunker door and silence the shooting long enough for an improvised charge to blow said door loose but not off its hinges.
By game end 1st & 4th had the position surrounded but the paras refused a surrender offer and the Germans already knew the cost of trying to assault through one man wide gaps so they settled down to starve the paras out or get ready to retreat if XXX Corps arrived.

[has.been]

Sounds like an interesting game, & as usual
you have put on a pretty table Ian.

[vodkafan]

I commented on your blog, but I agree with Peter lovely terrain to game over.

[Westbury]

James, Pete. Your comments are appreciated.

[Tom Dulski]

Pretty cool. I really dig that ruined house/bunker terrain piece.

[Ragnar]

Looks like an action packed game.  Nice buildings.

[CapnJim]

Nice report.  Nice figs and terrain, as well.  Well done, lad!

[flatpack]

Nice pics.