Across the L'Epvre stream and Rue du Vacourt - with Battlegroup Westwall - D-Day to Berlin series, game 4

The next in our series, game 4, and a first tank brawl, with 900 points of US Armour vs a Panzer Brigade list (somewhere in the Lorriane). A straight meeting engagement ‘attack/counter-attack’ scenario. The point of the series is change things up each time, with different types of game and using variant army lists (and use our model collections).

With objectives places (4, at the white building, on two main hilltops and the woods on the right - US right), timed strikes and ammunition selected etc, and corners rolled for. Te US selected their corner and recce units we’re deployed… phew! Time to start playing.

Both sides rolled well and the forces rushed onto the tabletop. The Germans had soon captured 3 objectives, with their recce getting their first. The US recce (a single M20) called in some mortar fire, but scored no hits. As the German panzers arrived, a Pz IV platoon, a StuG battery and a single Panther, with armoured grenadiers and a combat engineer section. The Shermans rolled in to face them, along with an armoured infantry platoon, backed up by an M7 Priest battery. When the FOO was in place, in the hilltop wood line, leaving his jeep behind (it left a few turns later), those M7s got busy, launching fire from behind he hill over the valley. The first stonk caused some pinning, but after this, every turn, the artillery would plunge in and hurt the Germans. The first casualty was the Panther, KO’d by a 105mm direct hit (later a FAMO arrived and tried but failed to fix it), but the 105s went on to score more kills, including thought the game: a StuG and 2 Pz IVs as well infantry… the Germans took a pounding (and the M7s kept rolling 6s!). 

German advance in red. US in blue. X marks the objectives. 

The Shermans split up, one went to support the attack on the far right, where infantry had de-bussed from their half track in the trees and made their way forwards to attack the objective. The single Sherman in support crept (if you can creep in a tank) around the rocks to get a shot a Pz IV, scored a hit but glanced off, but the surprised crew were pinned. Unfortunately, the grenadiers in the trees had a panzerfaust and they responded by destroying the Sherman. The small attack here stalled, with some MG fire traded and pinning, but not much else until far later in the game, a second effort resulted in a M3 half track getting destroyed by a panzerschreck team - a nasty surprise.

The main US thrust was on their left, down into the river valley to get across and up to the road (near the wooden barn and white house). Shermans and more M3 rolled out, as the support fire set-up on the high ground behind, MMGs, 60mm mortar and covering 76mm Sherman on ambush fire. The scout car spotted in more 81mm mortar fire, and in a ‘wild’ shot first killed another StuG, then later, an SdKfz 251 parked behind trees… the IDF was punishing.

The attack down into the valley encountered another Panzer IV, which KO’d a Sherman, then an M3 HT (after the squad had dismounted and moved up across the water, under its .50cal suppressing fire). That Panzer IV proved hard to hit, behind bushes, and much AP fire whizzed by, or scored a hit only to again glance off. One 76mm hit did then immobilise it. It remained firing away, out of AP, then out of HE and down to just MGs. The resupply truck had a long way to come, all cross country and never got there.

Trying to get across the stream became a ferocious fight, the US infantry squad was wiped by MG-42 fire (infantry and 251 pintle-mounted), but a Sherman’s AP round smashed the half-track in turn. The counters had built up. The US drew an Air Attack, but had to roll for it just before the FAC rolled onto the table (last unit on from reserve - a mistake!). The air support didn’t show - drat! A mine strike resulted in another 251 being KO’d as it climbed out the stream valley to help out at the far right objective. The punishment continued, a Sherman KO’d by long-ranged StuG fire, then another by the last Pz IV… then another immobilised too (3 vehicles got this in this game). But one Sherman was dragged away by the ARV after it couldn’t be fixed (allowing a 5 counter to be returned to the pot - sweet!).

The BR counter piles were again large… but the US artillery continued to rule. A volley targeted at the white house resulted in another 2 direct hits… as the combat engineers (in reserve) lost their half track and an MG team was wiped. 2 more counters… and that was enough, the Panzer Brigade had taken enough punishment and pulled back. The US armour had fought its way across the L’Epvre stream and onto Rue de Vacourt (under a lot of 105mm shells… in all, with reloading, each M7 fired 21 timed, so 63 dice in all, and we counted well over the odds in 15 direct hits scored). German artillery support had been 2 priority requests, which were never granted and two timed 81mm mortar strikes, that caused some pinning, but not much else

So, it is 2-2 in the series after 4 games with 2 more to go. The next game, hopefully we can squeeze it in around Christmas, will be for the Battle of the Bulge using Wacht am Rhein, a German armoured attack with the US defending for once. After that, we'll finish on Fall of the Reich for a game (or 2). 

 

Recce M20 spots for mortars across the valley, from the hill top tree line.

The white house, objective, and mortar target. Held by a recce foot patrol throughout.

StuG on station, on the Rue du Vacourt above the valley. A stray mortar bomb unluckily (luckily) took it out.

No one can rid the Germans of these troublesome Priests!. Just arrived (2 supply trucks would be just behind). Hidden behind a hill, they could sit back and let fly.

German armour arriving and moving up hill towards the white house.

76mm Sherman covering across the valley. Smoke is our ambush fire marker. It would quickly need one of those supply trucks.

Armoured grenadiers rush up, over the bridge to deploy to their right and block the route up the valley to the objective.

Down in the stream valley, armoured infantry and a Sherman ford it, but soon get pinned down...

by these defenders, grenadiers, their 251 and a Pz IV put up a hell of a fight against the main US advance. Panzer ended up immobile and out of ammo.

The far right objective, which the Germans pinched early with their armoured car and held on to.

Early victim of the Priests, the single Panther, FAMO trying to fix it, but you just can't get the parts! StuGs beyond largly pinned by the incoming fire (one also got immobilised, FAMO's next job).

Still pushing up in the valley, M3 offing suppressing fire, but then KO'd by the Pz IV's last HE round.

No fixing this one... dragged away for the workshop.

German counters, started all 1s and 2s... then probability caught up. Final 5 finished it with a BR total of 50.  US had 10 BR left... solid-ish win.