WW2 West Front 1944 Campaign game 01 on a A4 3x4 grid with 6mm forces

Introduction

This is mission 1 in a campaign following a British company through 1944 France.  I am using 6mm forces and playing on a 3x4 grid on a A4 page.  I did a similar East Front campaign in 2017.

I am still playing another 6mm East Front campaign on a 2'x2' table but this one is quicker to setup and play.

I was looking for a un-fiddly game – something on a 6x6 that was not too dynamic.  I thought about using One Hour Wargames as I have some 6x6 grid rules I could use but while they provide a great tactical game, I find the atmosphere of them a bit bland.

I also wrote some of my own for ancients and WW2 but then remembered I had the 3x4 rules and game!  Hoping it will scratch the itch for a campaign that is quick, no measurements, and fairly simple rules but has tense and tricky tactical decisions.

Lastly, you may note the pink case that the battlefield (well A4 sheet) is in.  This is my daughter's document case that she no longer uses.  In mission 3 I went into my storage and got out a wooden box I had made and used that rather than the pink one.

Rules

I am using my own rules.  I have modified the ones I used in 2017 to be 1d6 for all rolls, rather than 1-3 per attack.  They are likely to change slightly as I playtest them on the games.   I am using Platoon Forward to generate the missions.

The rules are here: ww3x4 Advancing Companies V2.0b.pdf

In summary, most units move 1 square and can fire out 1 square and non-firing units are seen at 0 or 1 square.  Stacking is 3 units of one side per square.  Each turn normally has one square activated (random side but a chosen square) and units in that square can fire, move or rally.  Then the other side activates a square.  After each side has an activation there is a special melee phase where opposing units in a square fire at each other. Play another turn and keep this up until one side's morale fails.

Mission 1

Luckily a very simple mission was generated.  Two German sections defending a building with most of the British company (8 sections) with mortar support sent out to destroy it.  How hard could that be?  Well, the Germans are vets and the company is green...

It is 1944 and a UK infantry force is attacking a German recon force. The UK mission is a raid on observation post.

The force is ordered to raid into enemy territory to destroy an observation post.

The terrain is rural, with some wire deployed:

Stream | Road |1-3 buildings

Key building | Crops |Crops

Open | Hill |Crops

Brush | Rough |Open

The battlefield - listening post top right, Russian entry at bottom.

The stream is represented by a pond as I do not yet have a stream.  A stream would block infantry from crossing so it basically makes the top square inaccessible, as would a pond.

Victory is to spend at least 4 turns engaged in combat and cause several enemy casualties. Lose if do not capture a prisoner or observation post or inflict casualties in the 4 turns of combat.

Major Victory is achieved if capture a prisoner or observation post without sustaining significant casualties. Minor Victory if spend at least 4 turns engaged in combat without receiving major casualties and cause several enemy casualties.

The UK force enters in zones 10-12. The German force deploys in zones 1-6.

Note: Observation post needs to be on high ground (hill, building etc). Zone 3. The counter-attack force are reinforcements that enter on turn 3 after shooting starts.

The UK has green morale for its eight sections and two leaders. No support.

Preparatory artillery consists of 2x25pdr. Available indirect support is 2x3" mortars.

The German has veteran morale for its two sections and one leaders. They start dugin. No support.

The counterattack force consists of 1xSquad.

Troops

Co HQ Godfrey (Green)

1 Plt HQ Spencer (Green), 1 Plt 1 Section Burns (Green), 1 Plt 2 Section Knowles (Green), 1 Plt 2 Section Davies (Green)

2 Plt HQ Rowley (Green), 2 Plt 1 Section Turner (Green), 2 Plt 2 Section Wade (Green), 2 Plt 3 Section Hartley (Green)

3 Plt HQ Burns (Green), 3 Plt 1 Section Manning (Green), 3 Plt 2 Section Hanson (Green)

Note: although Rowley and Burns are in the game they are intrinsic to a squad.  They are not represented on the table as leaders so cannot add a bonus to rallying. It is the way the scenario is generated that specifies the number of on-table represented leaders.

Deployment

All the Germans - 2 Gruppe in the building aka listening post.

Germans deploy the 2 Gruppe with the listening post in the rearmost building.  Wire is placed in front 9hasn't been placed yet in image above).  It is impassable to infantry so they will need to assault from the centre crops or the road 

9units may move diagonally0.   Although only two Gruppe, a third will come on as reinforcements.  They are veteran so will recover from suppression easily and the hard cover protection of the building means they will only be suppressed, not routed unless assaulted in the same square.  This means the British will need to enter the square to engage at close range (each square is about 150mx150m) to actually rout the Germans. The Brits are green and will struggle to unsuppress.  For France, I will assume Crops also has hedges and so will offer some protection.  Use of mortars will definitely be required to suppress the Germans so the British can assault the listening post without being slaughtered on the way.

The lack of any MGs on either side is frustrating for them both.  MMGs have a range of 2, while normal rifle squads have a range of 1.  The Germans cannot stop the British early, and neither can the British setup a MG on the hill.

Game

25pdrs suppress the Germans.  Not unexpected.  But they should be able to recover in time – veterans with a leader.  They do a turn later.

1^st and 2^nd British platoons arrive.

Mortars move on while the 1st platoon continues the advance.

Brits get a reinforcement – the 9^th section.

All the Brits on now.

The company is now all one square away from moving into the crops, which then has access into the building.  Plan is to supress the building with the mortars and then advance.

And now the Brits are in a good position

OK, German units suppressed, move up 1^st platoon.

1st platoon in position

The Germans get a chance to unsuppress (3+on a d6).  Only one succeeds.  Spencer and the 1st platoon goes in!

First platoon assaults.

Note on the rules: Each side alternatively activates a square. Units in an activated square may move OR fire OR rally.  After every activation, every square that has units from both sides conduct a melee phase where units simultaneously fire at each other.  Units that just moved into the square cannot fire but may be fired upon (to reflect defensive fire) and suppressed units that cannot normally fire can fire in the melee phase at a penalty (last stand).  If all a sides units are suppressed and there is at least one unsuppressed enemy unit in the same square, all that sides units will retreat.  This seems, at least to me, to neatly capture combat at the scale of a square (150mx150m).

The unsuppressed Gruppe fires – no effect.

Melee phase: one 1st platoon British section suppressed and all Germans suppressed.

Lots of suppression but no units lost on either side.

Allies get two activations so move up Rowley's 2^nd platoon next to the house.  No point doing fire in the house with the 1st platoon sections as Germans are in hard cover and can only suppress them and they already are. Note: Can’t read my own rules properly – at range 0 the hard cover no longer counts as both sides are in the same situation. 

In the melee phase a British section suppressed and in the following turn the Germans all unsuppress.

Next turn.  One British section lost, one German Gruppe suppressed.

And then another British section lost to German fire L

Not looking good.

The last British section is supressed and there are unsuppressed Germans in the square at the end of melee so the British retreat.

Hmm.  It has been four rounds of combat and no casualties inflicted. Victory conditions have not been met . I will call it a loss for the British who will retire from the battle.

Post-battle status

Co HQ (Godfrey) 2XP gained.

1 Plt HQ (Spencer) routed during the mission and will not be returning.

1 Plt 1 Sect (Burns) routed during the mission and are ok to continue. 1XP gained.

1 Plt 2 Sect (Knowles) surrendered during the mission and are not replaced.

1 Plt 2 Sect (Davies) routed during the mission and are not replaced

2 Plt HQ (Rowley) 2XP gained.

2 Plt 1 Sect (Turner) 2XP gained.

2 Plt 2 Sect (Wade) 2XP gained.

2 Plt 3 Sect (Hartley) 2XP gained.

3 Plt HQ (Burns) 2XP gained.

3 Plt 1 Sect (Manning) 2XP gained.

3 Plt 2 Sect (Hanson) 2XP gained.

3 Plt 3 Sect (Williams) 2XP gained.

Verdict

Tough game – really shows why MMGs were invented.  The Brits may have been able to take the building with a new round of mortar suppression and assault except the aim was minimal casualties and they did not do that. I really like that the rules show how difficult It is to dislodge a small number of dug-in veteran units.  I thought it was going to be hard for the Brits to win and it was harder than I thought! A good small game that shows me the rule at working how I want them.  Future missions have more opposing forces.