WW2 West Front 1944 Campaign game 04 on a A4 3x4 grid with 6mm forces

Introduction

This is mission 4 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.

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 V2.0c.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 4

It is 1944 and a UK infantry force is defending against a German armoured force. The UK mission is an ambush.

The force is lying in ambush along a likely route for enemy forces.  Hit them hard!

The terrain is mixed, with:

Crops | Brush |Hill

Crops, road | Marsh |Wooded Hill

Key building | 2-4 buildings |Stream

Open | Hill |Crops

The battlefield

Victory is to inflict more casualties than receive. Lose if receive more casualties than inflict.

Major Victory is achieved if destroy all transport as well as more casualties.

The UK force deploy in zones 4-6. The German force enters zone 4 single line and spaced apart.

Note: Road in zones 4,5,6 that enemy travels down.  Zones 4-6 need to have covering terrain.  A relief force should enter on turn 5 at zone 4 but will fail to appear.  The British can breakoff when relief shows up but as it will not, the British will have to drive the Germans from the field.

The UK has green morale for its five sections and three leaders. Support includes 2xMMG.

Available indirect support is 2x3" mortars.

The German has regular morale for its four sections and one leader. Support includes MMG + panzerschreck team + 75mm ATGun.

 

Troops

British

Company HQ

1^st platoon – 2 sections

3^rd platoon – 3 sections

2xMMG

2x3” mortars indirect support

 

Campaign notes:

Co HQ Hodgson (Green)

1 Plt HQ Cole (Green), 1 Plt 1 Sect Burns (Green), 1 Plt 2 Sect Knowles (Green)

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

German

1 Kompanie HQ leader

4 Gruppe, 1 with a panzerschreck

1 MMG

1 75mm ATGun (towed)

6 halftracks (they are an armoured force).

Deployment

The two key points are the Germans will move in two groups of 3 halftracks each, and that any units can be seen in the same square but only on a 6 one square away in good concealment.  If the British are in the same square as the Germans, they will be able to see the British and dismount (units can move and dismount in one activation).  The British need all six halftracks on the field to have a good chance of winning.  The short of this is the British setup one square away from the first two squares of the road, and then in the wooded hill in the third square of the row as the Germans may not get that far!

The British deploy in ambush (3^rd platoon + MMG at the bottom, 1^st platoon +MMG to the right on the hill).

Game

Germans get one activation and move on the first three halftracks.  They then get another activation and bring on the other three half tracks.

The German halftracks enter the ambush.

The British have one activation.  They do have PIATs with two of the sections, but they need to be in the same square. An MMG can fire on the halftracks but only have a one in six chance of destroying them.   But if the British sections move into the same square as the Germans, the halftrack MGs will likely rout them.   So much easier if they were trucks!  Hmm.  The British move into the rear square with two sections of the 3^rd platoon (one with PIAT), Lieutenant Burns and an MMG. 

The British launch themselves into the rear of the transport column

The melee phase in simultaneous.

The British PIAT destroys one halftrack, a section manages to destroy another halftrack and a third is damaged and so also destroyed.  Two German Gruppe passengers dismount and are suppressed.  The towed ATGun (the third halftrack was towing it) and crew is considered lost.

The halftracks MG fire managed to rout all three British units (unbelievable dice rolls – lots of 6s). Nearly half the British units are lost already!

The two suppressed German sections can stay in the square as there is no remaining British in the square.

The rear column after melee

The Germans attempt to rally the suppressed Gruppe but fail.  The British, being mad, move the 1^st platoon  from the wooded hill into the leading three halftracks. Live or die!

The other main attacking force moves into combat with the lead halftracks.

Two halftracks are destroyed and the passengers (a Gruppe, Commander and an MMG) dismount suppressed.  Amazingly no British units were destroyed but all were suppressed and as there was a remaining good order German unit in the square the British retreat. The halftrack that is still OK is assumed to have done its task and will retire and hide.  I left it in the square but it is not in the battle anymore.

State of play in the ambush

The British attempt to rally the 3^rd platoon in the wooded hill, the MMG team is the only successful rally.

The Germans dismount the Gruppe from the remaining halftrack and successfully rally the remaining two units. And the Germans receive a random event and they unsuppress one of the two Gruppe in the rear of the convoy.

The Allies get two (!) activations.  The MMG on the hill fires on the leading Gruppe and does manage to supress the only unsuppressed Gruppe.  The other two sections of 3^rd platoon attempt a rally, it does not succeed and one routs.  The British have lost over 50% of their forces but continue on.  The second activation sees the lone 1^st platoon section fire at the Gruppe for no effect.  The Germans manage to unsuppress the MMG and a Gruppe.

The Germans are doing Ok, unlike the British.

The British get the upper hand and manage another two activations!  MMG suppresses the German MMG and the 3^rd platoon section on the hill rallies. Major Hodgson successfully calls in the support mortars but the fire for effect results in nothing.  The Germans unsuppress a Gruppe.

This may go on for awhile and the Germans have the upper hand as they have more forces.  At the moment neither have enough active forces to make a difference but the Germans will win an attrition battle – they are better at rallying.

The Germans manage to rout the British MMG but in retaliation the British also rout a German Gruppe.   Very lucky.

The British still hanging on.

A bit of back and forth firing but the next major event is the British mortars successfully rout the German MG.  Even though the Germans are down to half their casualties, they carry on!

German MMG is lost

A little bit more firing but no routs, just more suppression and poor rallying.  The British finally unsuppress the 3^rd platoon section on the hill and move the 1^st platoon section onto the hill.  They can then move and assault the marsh!

The remaining British force on the wooded hill gets ready to assault the Germans in the marsh.

The assault (this was an British activation after a German one and then followed by a melee phase)

The British assault the Germans in the marsh

The British rout the Germans.  Even down to two Gruppe (in the first square of the ambush) and losing their leader, the Germans still decide to hang in there.

Success – the British eliminate the Germans.

There is nothing for it – the only way the British can still win is to assault the remaining Germans and hope they roll better in a melee

The British assault the last of the Germans.

 

They win – they rout a Gruppe and the remaining Gruppe finally has enough and retires from the field.  The British were untouched.

An overview of the battlefield at the end.

 

Post-battle status

Co HQ (Hodgson) 3XP gained.

1 Plt HQ (Cole) 2XP gained.

1 Plt 1 Sect (Burns) 2XP gained.

1 Plt 2 Sect (Knowles) routed during the mission and are ok to continue.2XP gained.

1 Plt 2 Sect (Davies) had no troops prior to battle.

2 Plt HQ (Ross) was not in the battle.

2 Plt 1 Sect (Turner) was not in the battle.

2 Plt 2 Sect (Wade) was not in the battle.

2 Plt 3 Sect (Hartley) had no troops prior to battle but have received replacements.

3 Plt HQ (Burns) routed during the mission and are disbanded.

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

3 Plt 2 Sect (Hanson) routed during the mission and are disbanded.

3 Plt 3 Sect (Williams). 1XP gained. New morale level is Regular.

Verdict

Well, that was harder than I thought.  If only I had not rolled up for a German armoured force then the transports would have been trucks that do not fire back.  I really thought the British were going to lose.  I did think about giving the British units an advantage to being in ambush but the spotting rules and turn sequence worked OK without needing any special ambush rules.  I have not changed the rules at all since game 1 (even if sometimes I play them wrongly) so that is good.  And one section is now no longer green!