Operation Jupiter 20 - Secure the Village. 20mm WW2.

Introduction

This is game 20 in replaying the scenarios from the Briton Publishers Operation Jupiter skirmish scenario book.   Links to previous games are on this blog page.

Rules used

I am using a variant of my 4x3 grid rules without grids and sections are 3 person units rather than 1 base. I have changed them a little and now if within 3” are fighting in melee but all have cover modifiers. Also activation is now (mainly) 2 section/vehicle per side per player turn.

Scenario

The British have 8 turns to capture the objective building. The British player enters from the northwest road on turn 1. Although the Germans have a small force, they can concentrate their firepower in a narrow lane. The British must not become channelled by the road.

Troops

British

1 Platoon HQ

    1 figure

    1 2" mortar

    1 PIAT team

3 Sections

    3 figures

1 MMG

British are all regular

Germans

1 Zug HQ

    1 figure

2 Gruppe

   3 figures (with panzerfausts)

1 MG42 team

Germans are all regular

 

Deployment

The German’s deploy one Gruppe in the objective building, one Gruppe in a building opposite and the MMG in the building that has a good view up the road and the building along the British entry road.

German deployment

The British have no choice in coming on the road but will quickly pivot off the road to the right and get to the objective.  Time is tight.

Game

British enter 2 sections.  The first section comes under MG fire and 2 figures are out of the fight.  Already.

Germans MG lining up the British

The British run as fast as they can out of the line of fire, using the buildings to block LOS to the MG.

British run to cover

The remaining British enter – the Vickers MG to a building that has LOS to the objective but not in LOS for the German MG.  The third section enters with the Major and support (PIAT and 2” mortar), the German MG fires at the third section and two are suppressed (unlucky).

The remaining British enter

The first (and single figure) section and second section move into the woods and spot the Germans in the building opposite.  They fire, suppressing one.  The Germans fire back and suppress the first section that retreats.

Germans and Brits clash

The Germans in the building fire at second section in the woods, KO’s one and the other two are suppressed and forced to retreat.  The MG fires at the far building but inflicts nothing.

Germans force the British to retreat further into the woods

The British third section in the building rally one figure and one other is now OK. The rest of the unit (including the major and the 2” mortar) move towards the woods.  The Vickers MMG can see (just) into the German Gruppe in the building and cause two suppressions.

British fire and movement

The Germans attempt to rally their Gruppe in the building. Alas, even with the commander present, one routs and the other two figures remain suppressed.

The British concentrate on the building on their side of the road

A bit of fire and rallying with the result that the second platoon (2 figures) in the woods is unsuppressed, as is the German Gruppe in the building.  Two more turns of trading fire saw one German figure in the building rout, and the British infantry in the woods advance but then retreat again suppressed.

The British just cannot make headway

The turn count is up and the British have not managed to take the objective.  A win for the Germans!

Verdict

That was good fun!  Two things from the game:

1. I seem to have rediscovered my art of being able to play a turn or two (5-10 minutes to play and write some notes) and then come back some other tie, even days later.  I lost this several years ago, glad it is back.

2.  I have overused the word vignette but I find these games are like vignettes of a larger battle and are very tactically challenging with a small number of units and a small battlefield.

It was never going to be easy for the British.  They only had one more section than the Germans and the German MMG was going to be tough to avoid.