OK - game 5 of the campaign. So far I have won one and lost three, and this is going to be the final game for me. My losses have been 3-4, 1-6 and 3-4, and my single victory has been 5-2, which means I am 16 points down and only 12 up. I need to win 6-1 in order to finish 'ahead' on points (but who's counting???).
I am up against Martin and he's gone with a Fusilierkompanie - four platoons of Confident Veteran infantry bristling with MG teams and HMG teams, plus a platoon of StuGs and a six-strong battery of mortars. This game is also notable for the fact that it is the first outing for my new bocage - although I can now tell that I need to make at least another 8 feet of the stuff.
And we roll...encounter. Of all the missions...but still at least it is the same for both of us. Martin goes first, and moves a platoon up through the bocage on his left, and digs in with the platoon guarding the objective on his right. The mortars in the centre are of course silent on the first turn.
I have deployed two platoons of infantry in the bocage country, my engineers on the opposite flank, and my light artillery in the centre. Over the next few turns, the engineers make their way up through terrain to threaten Martin's right flank, and my two platoons in the bocage try to use the little fields to enfilade Martin's now exposed platoon.
As good luck would have it, Martin's reinforcements all turn up on the 'bocage' flank and the ones that don't he is more than willing to throw there to support his outnumbered infantry. He also directs almost all of his mortar fire on that flank as well (which is remarkably ineffective anyway). I am then able to support the opposite flank with my own reinforcements, and it is the engineers who put the assault in, clearing the defenders off the objective and holding it, although they are eventually reduced down to two bases.
Victory is mine and thanks to some very lucky dice I haven't lost a single platoon, meaning it is a 6-1 victory and in terms of the campaign as a whole I am 18 points to 17 to the good. Wellington eat your heart out.
Tuesday 30 July 2013
Thursday 25 July 2013
British paras versus German Grenadiers
This was my fourth game in the Overlord campaign, and having lost the first three I was keen to put a win in. My opponent brought a confident trained Grenadier list with some minefields, machine gun nests and plenty of artillery to break up my advancing infantry.
We rolled counterattack and I opted to do a night attack. Having spearhead moves and the first turn in this mission meant that I was able to advance a considerable distance by the end of turn one. I put two platoons of infantry towards the free objective, thinking that it would be the decisive flank, but sent my third platoon and the engineers towards the guarded objective.
It worked out in the exact opposite way. By the time my footsloggers had got to the far objective, it was being guarded by a platoon of grenadiers supported by a machine gun nest and a platoon of AA guns. There was no assaulting it. However, it turned out to be possible to launch a series of small assaults on isolated platoons on the opposite flank, and between that and wearing the platoons down with machine gun and six-pounder fire, managed to take the objective. The dice were on my side as my very much depleted infantry platoon saw off a counterattack (from the Company Commander and his 2iC) and passed platoon morale to hold the objective.
5 - 2 to me, and the first victory of the campaign!
We rolled counterattack and I opted to do a night attack. Having spearhead moves and the first turn in this mission meant that I was able to advance a considerable distance by the end of turn one. I put two platoons of infantry towards the free objective, thinking that it would be the decisive flank, but sent my third platoon and the engineers towards the guarded objective.
It worked out in the exact opposite way. By the time my footsloggers had got to the far objective, it was being guarded by a platoon of grenadiers supported by a machine gun nest and a platoon of AA guns. There was no assaulting it. However, it turned out to be possible to launch a series of small assaults on isolated platoons on the opposite flank, and between that and wearing the platoons down with machine gun and six-pounder fire, managed to take the objective. The dice were on my side as my very much depleted infantry platoon saw off a counterattack (from the Company Commander and his 2iC) and passed platoon morale to hold the objective.
5 - 2 to me, and the first victory of the campaign!
Wednesday 17 July 2013
American Rifles versus Panzergrenadiers in Cauldron
This week, I was playing the role of the Axis player again, and hoping for my first victory in the campaign. I found myself defending in Cauldron against my opponent Richard 'Yith' Heath's American Rifle Company. I ended up deploying two platoons of infantry with attached HMGs at either end of a village to defend the objectives, with a mortar platoon at the back of the table, as far out of harm's way as I could manage.
The Americans deployed a platoon of infantry in a large wood very close to the objective on my left flank, with an artillery park and a Recon Jeep platoon not far away. A platoon of Stuarts started in the opposite quarter and needed their first turn to get into a supporting position.
The first three turns were very promising for me, with very few casualties to shooting in the first two turns, and my mortars inflicting a great deal of damage on an American infantry platoon coming on from reserve. The American platoon in the wood broke cover and went for an assault in turn three, which was comprehensively bounced my the combination of HMG and MG team fire. I continued to fire on the exposed platoon in my following turn and reduced the platoon to below half strength. Richard failed his platoon morale test.
In the following turns, Richard was much more successful in whittling down the Panzergrandier platoon in the village, and the incoming Panzer IVs from reserve (which spectacularly managed to fail to kill his Trained Stuarts), and eventually caused both platoons to break in turn six. Although he had lost another two platoons in the process, he could take the objective at the top of turn seven with no chance of opposition from me. My other reserve platoons arrived far too late to be useful.
Three games in, and three losses! Next week I will be returning to my beloved British paras, and hope to make good this appalling deficit!
The Americans deployed a platoon of infantry in a large wood very close to the objective on my left flank, with an artillery park and a Recon Jeep platoon not far away. A platoon of Stuarts started in the opposite quarter and needed their first turn to get into a supporting position.
The first three turns were very promising for me, with very few casualties to shooting in the first two turns, and my mortars inflicting a great deal of damage on an American infantry platoon coming on from reserve. The American platoon in the wood broke cover and went for an assault in turn three, which was comprehensively bounced my the combination of HMG and MG team fire. I continued to fire on the exposed platoon in my following turn and reduced the platoon to below half strength. Richard failed his platoon morale test.
In the following turns, Richard was much more successful in whittling down the Panzergrandier platoon in the village, and the incoming Panzer IVs from reserve (which spectacularly managed to fail to kill his Trained Stuarts), and eventually caused both platoons to break in turn six. Although he had lost another two platoons in the process, he could take the objective at the top of turn seven with no chance of opposition from me. My other reserve platoons arrived far too late to be useful.
Three games in, and three losses! Next week I will be returning to my beloved British paras, and hope to make good this appalling deficit!
Wednesday 10 July 2013
British Lorried Infantry versus Panzergrenadiers in Hasty Attack
This time I took command of the axis forces in Hasty Attack. After brilliantly luring my opponent's armour onto my Panzer IVs by leaving one objective exposed, and orchestrating a daring attack on his objective early in the game, the gods of the dice deserted me, my plans fell into ruination and I lost the game 6-1. It could all have been so different.
Still, enjoying the campaign.
Still, enjoying the campaign.
Monday 1 July 2013
Assault on Varaville
My opponent and I chose to do an Airborne Assault scenario based on the battle for Varaville, involving 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and other elements of 6th Airborne Division.
On turn one, one parachute platoon, a mortar section and a platoon of Royal Engineers with a flamethrower turned up in the same corner of the board, advancing towards the town which contained two platoons of German grenadiers supported by a platoon of sIG33 assault guns.
On allied turn three, a textbook assault was carried out on one of the two platoons of Grenadiers, wiping out the whole platoon. The objective remained just out of reach, but two platoons were poised to capture it on the following turn. Victory seemed all but certain.
On Axis turn three, one of those platoons was wiped out by a Bunker Buster hit on a building, and the second platoon was pinned, not to unpin until turn six (despite the presence of the CiC!).
The Canadians quickly prepared themselves for another assault, and it went in on Turn Six, but it came at a price. Having captured the objective on Turn Seven of the game, they started their turn eight needing to pass Company morale to win the game (the Axis player, having lost their CiC, had made a platoon morale test the turn before to stay in the game). Unluckily for the Canadians they rolled a one, meaning that the town remained in the hands of the Germans for now.
Those Germans consisted of two Mortar teams, two tank teams (from different platoons) and an infantry platoon who had come in from Reserve late and on the far side of the board and had taken no part in the battle. I can say without fear of contradiction that this was the most bloody game of FoW I have ever played in, one of the closest and certainly one of the most fun.
A great start to the campaign.
On turn one, one parachute platoon, a mortar section and a platoon of Royal Engineers with a flamethrower turned up in the same corner of the board, advancing towards the town which contained two platoons of German grenadiers supported by a platoon of sIG33 assault guns.
On allied turn three, a textbook assault was carried out on one of the two platoons of Grenadiers, wiping out the whole platoon. The objective remained just out of reach, but two platoons were poised to capture it on the following turn. Victory seemed all but certain.
On Axis turn three, one of those platoons was wiped out by a Bunker Buster hit on a building, and the second platoon was pinned, not to unpin until turn six (despite the presence of the CiC!).
The Canadians quickly prepared themselves for another assault, and it went in on Turn Six, but it came at a price. Having captured the objective on Turn Seven of the game, they started their turn eight needing to pass Company morale to win the game (the Axis player, having lost their CiC, had made a platoon morale test the turn before to stay in the game). Unluckily for the Canadians they rolled a one, meaning that the town remained in the hands of the Germans for now.
Those Germans consisted of two Mortar teams, two tank teams (from different platoons) and an infantry platoon who had come in from Reserve late and on the far side of the board and had taken no part in the battle. I can say without fear of contradiction that this was the most bloody game of FoW I have ever played in, one of the closest and certainly one of the most fun.
A great start to the campaign.
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