Monday 17 August 2015

Flames of war - Late war - Hasty attack

Forces 1500
Overlord - British - 11th Armoured Recce (CT)
HQ 2x Cromwell + 2x Cromwell CS
Recce Platoon 3x Cromwell
Recce Platoon 3x Cromwell
Recce Platoon 3x Cromwell
Recce Platoon 3x Cromwell
Regimental Recce 3x Stuart V
Tank platoon 2x Sherman, 1x Firefly

Panzers to the Meuse (pdf) - Panzer Lehr (CV)
HQ Panzer IV
4x Panzer IV J
Gepanzerte panzergrenadiers w/ tank hunter
2x Wirberlwind
2x Puma Scout car
2x Jagdpanther
3x Volks Nebelwerfer (Reluctant Trained)


This scenario is a Hasty attack somewhere in the french bocage landscape of 1944. In this scenario both sides have delayed reserves and two objectives to defend in opposite corners. At the top corner, the Germans hide in the fields while the Brittish tanks start in the town at the bottom corner. The Brittish force goes first.

Turn 1
The British Stuarts platoon and Cromwell platoons make a reconnaissance move to come closer to the action before the game starts. Grenadiers and Nebelwerfers fail to dig in. The Nebelwerfers hits two Cromwells but fails to damage any. Not much movement or action this turn.


Turn 2
Still not much action. Both sides are waiting for the reinforcements. Nebelwerfers dig in, but the grenadiers fails. No targets visible for the Nebelwerfers.


Turn 3
One Cromwell platoon arrives from reserves, blasting away two infantry teams in the open. A luckily tank hunter team survives the torrent of bullets.

Grenadiers unpin and dig in. The Panzer IV platoon arrives from reserve, getting off a few shots at the Cromwells in the town, resulting in two bailed Cromwell tanks. A Jagdpanther gets off a shot that miss the Cromwells that just arrived from reserve, while the Nebelwerfers fail to penetrate any armor.





Turn 4
Another Cromwell platoon arrives from reserves and move forward supported by two other Cromwell platoons and the Stuarts. Their shooting only result in one dead infantry team! In the town, the Cromwells shoots back at the Panzer IV platoon and hits two tanks, but they both save the hits.

The Pumas arrive from reserve. The Panzer IV destroys the Cromwell platoon from long range. The Pumas strikes a lucky Bailed result at the Company command. The infantry (one Schreck and one Faust) destroys one Cromwell and bails another. The Panthers destroys one Cromwell. Then the Company command tank finish off the Bailed Cromwell.



Turn 5
Both the Sherman tank platoon and the CS tanks arrives from reserve and then moves toward the infantry. Two Cromwell platoons push further into the German lines getting a side shot at one Jagdpanther - which misses. The other Panther is smoked. Massed MG fire kills another three infantry teams forcing platoon morale - which fails, the grenadiers runs away! 

The Jagdpanthers destroy one and bail one Cromwell .The Pumas and Panzer IV platoon moves into better positions.




Turn 6
One Cromwell platoon is rushed (doubled) towards the town to stop the Germans! The firefly miss the Panthers, and the Cromwells smokes one of them to reduce return fire. The Company command Panzer IV escapes being hit. 

The Jagdpanthers destroys the bailed Cromwell, which is also platoon command, leaving the last immobile. The Wirbelwind platoon rushes towards the objective and the Pumas secure the other objective. The Panzer IV platoon advance towards the town and destroys the Company command tank. 



Turn 7
Another Cromwell platoon is rushed towards the town. The one Cromwell in position to flank the Jagdpanther do so and destroy it with a side shot, grabbing one objective in the process. The Firefly targets the Company command Panzer IV and scores two hits at long range killing him. The Cromwells at the town shoots at the Pumas (witch fails to disengage). But only one is destroyed witch makes the second one securing the victory for the Panzer Lehr by holding the objective!

German 5-2 Victory.

Comments:
This was a really fun game for both of us. Neither side really hold their ground and it could have changed in any direction after turn five, when most reserves where at the table. And most reserves arrived at their first attempt! In the end only a single Jagdpanther was left defending against the Cromwells, and the Brittish also held one objective with more reinforcements on the way. If the other Puma also had been destroyed it could have gone either way.