WW2 West Front 1944 Campaign game 05 on a A4 3x4 grid with 6mm forces

Introduction

This is mission 5 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 but spoiler (see the end of the post) will change from next game.

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 5

It is 1944 and a UK infantry force is attacking a German armoured force. The UK mission is a small attack. The depleted company is ordered to make a local attack on an enemy position.

The terrain is mixed, with a bunker and some wire deployed:

Wooded Hill | Brush |Key Building

Crops | Open, road |Hill

Marsh | Stream |Orchard

Woods | Crops |Hill

Primary Objective: Key Building (3).

Victory is to capture the primary objective. Lose if do not capture the objective.

Major Victory is achieved if capture objectives with minimal casualties. Minor Victory if capture objective but take major casualties.

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

The UK has green morale for its seven sections and three leaders. Support includes 2xMMG, 2xChurchill, 1 Engineer section.

Available indirect support is 2x25pdr.

The German has veteran morale for its two sections and one leader. They start dug in. Support includes MMG + tank hunters + Sdkfz251/9.

Troops

British

1 Company HQ

1^st platoon – 2 sections + 2” mortar and PIAT

2^nd platoon – 3 sections + 2” mortar and PIAT

3^rd platoon – 1 section + 2” mortar

2 Vickers MMG teams

2 Churchill VII

1 Engineer section

Artillery support – 2 x 25pdrs

 

Forces relative to campaign:

Co HQ Hodgson (Green)

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

2 Plt HQ Ross (Green), 2 Plt 1 Sect Turner (Green), 2 Plt 2 Sect Wade (Green), 2 Plt 3 Sect Hartley (Green)

3 Plt 1 Sect Manning (Green), 3 Plt 3 Sect Williams (Regular)

German

1 Zug HQ

2 Gruppe

1 MMG team

1 tank hunter team (with Panzerschreck)

1 Sdkfz251/9 (with 75mm/L24)

Deployment

Where to put the bunker?  The hill in front of the building seems like the likely choice and I went for this position.  It gives a line of fire across all the lines of advance on the building.  In it is the MMG.

The wire can go in front of the bunker (between the orchard and the bunker) to really limit infantry assaults on it.

The tank hunter team needs to be in the same square as a tank to fire at it.  And cannot really be be seen until the enemy is in the same square.  But the British are unlikely to move the tanks into a square without having infantry go in there first.  So wooded Hill to the top left or maybe the marsh?  Wooded Hill wins the roll.

Sdkfz251/9 is really anti-infantry and so into the Brush at the back. 

The two infantry units and leader?  Into the building.  I was tempted to put one in the wooded hill or the Brush but focus! The objective is to deny the British the building, not hurt them a lot.

I am a little concerned I have spread defence over 4 squares, considering most of the time will be only one square activating at a time.  But multiple squares have the advantage of being harder to spot and less susceptible to artillery.

The British will do a two-pronged attack up both flanks.  The openness in the centre means each flank can hopefully support the other.  More tanks on the right to help with the bunker assault.

German deployment

Game

British move 1^st platoon and a Churchill onto the hill.  The Germans could open up with the MG. At this range is a 4+ and good chance to suppress or KO the two sections.  But then that means the Churchill could see the bunker and suppress it.  I roll randomly for what the Germans do – they fire with the MG. The 1^st  platoon that is only two sections is suppressed and must retreat as in the open.  They retreat off the battlefield and are lost. Well, that did not go well but the same thing happened in the previous mission (one entire platoon routed after first combat).

British entry

Allies move the other Churchill up and then move into the orchards, hoping there is no anti-tank there.   I am very nervous with only tanks on the table.

Churchills in the orchard.

A British sniper (a random event) gets a bead on the bunker MMG and suppresses them.

Germans move the tank hunters into the brush with the Sdkfz251/9; those Churchills seem as though they will be annoying.  The British move the 2^nd platoon onto the hill.

The Churchills move onto the hill with the suppressed bunker (note the Germans have had three attempts to rally the MG but to no avail).

The 1^st section of 2^nd platoon wanted to move with the Churchills but forgot the barbed wire is impassable to infantry.  I will need to bring the engineers on ASAP.  

Churchills assault

The bunker MG will only be KO’d on a 6.  The Churchills have 2 weapons each.  They get a 6!  The German MG in the bunker is gone.

The British bring on the engineers.  The Germans move in the tanks hunters and the Sdkfz251/9 into the Churchill square.  The best chance they are going to get to remove the Churchills.

Germans throw their anti-tank forces at the British Churchills.

Melee phase is simultaneous.

One Churchill suppressed.  Tank hunter team routs, Skkfx251/1 is fine.

The 75mm/L24 is not going to do anything to the Churchill.  What was I thinking?   It retreats. 

The Damaged Churchill tries to rally and routs instead.  The other Churchill moves off the hill.

The Churchills in a good supporting position

The Engineers move up and cut a gap in the wire.  British artillery target the key building (this was a random event) and suppress a German defending Gruppe that routs in a later rally attempt.

The suppressed Gruppe that routs on a failed rally attempt.

The Churchill fires at the half track and destroys it.

Churchill Vs the Sdkfz251/9

British move up to the hill with the abandoned tank and then advance into the building..  

British advance.

 

British assault the building.

The Germans fire and miss!  Melee phase sees The German Gruppe eliminated as well as 1^st section of the 2^nd platoon.

The British have captured the objective!

End state

 Note: The Germans decided to stay on the table for every army morale check (kept rolling 6s for this)

Post-battle status

Co HQ (Hodgson) New morale level is Regular.

1 Plt HQ (Cole) routed during the mission and are ok to continue. New morale level is Regular.

1 Plt 1 Sect (Burns) routed during the mission and are disbanded.

1 Plt 2 Sect (Knowles) routed during the mission and are ok to continue. New morale level is Regular.

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

2 Plt HQ (Ross) 2XP gained.

2 Plt 1 Sect (Turner) routed during the mission and are disbanded.

2 Plt 2 Sect (Wade) New morale level is Regular.

2 Plt 3 Sect (Hartley) 2XP gained.

3 Plt HQ (Burns) had no troops prior to battle.

3 Plt 1 Sect (Manning) New morale level is Regular.

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

3 Plt 3 Sect (Williams)

 

Verdict

Another great game.  The fact the British had the Churchills and the Germans had little Anti-Tank really helped the British.  Not a balanced scenario but the campaign is not about balanced scenarios.

But…after this game I played a game with these rules with my 13yo son, using 10” grid squares.  I have changed the activation sequence.  For that though, you will have to wait until the writeup of that game.