Operation Mercury campaign - Game 1 - Coup de Main at Maleme Airfield, with BG: Tobruk

This is the start of new BG campaign, in which we'll be playing out part of the Operation Mercury, around Maleme airfield, Hill 107, Pirgos and Palantias. The defenders had already deployed their forces on the campaign map and I then dropped my first wave of paratroops, elite troops from 1st Sturm Regiment, in. From the campaign map, we'll determine where the games are and what forces are around for them, and what might be reinforcements. 

This was game 1, my direct landing to seize the airfield by a coup de main strike. It was just 300 pts, a 'squad' game, on a 4x4 board, which was largely empty (as the airfield was mostly just open runway). The New Zealand defenders were largely dug-in on their perimeter, as the gliders and paras dropped in all around. 

The forces selected were:

Germans:
FJ Sturm Platoon in 3 gliders       
HMG-34 team             
'Adler Tag'               
FJ Sturm squad (paratroops)
2 snipers, + 1 observer (paratroops)
JU-87 air strike (turn 1)

BR 23, 2 Scouts, 1 Officer

British (New Zealanders):
Infantry Platoon (all in foxholes)
Ad Hoc Infantry Platoon (auxiliary - RAF ground crew)
Vickers HMG team in dug-out
Bofors gun in dug-out
3" mortar in mortar pit

BR 19, 0 Scouts, 2 Officers

The tabletop, near edge is rough/overgrown ground at the end of the Tavrontis river. Far side is the few RAF huts and tents. Up top, the dispersal pen with an abandoned Hurricane (non-flyer left behind when the RAF pulled out to return to Egypt).

Two tin RAF hits (soft cover only), a few tents and the gate.

Dispersal pen (them were just low stone walls) and non-flying Hurricane. (It may have been a Fairey Fulmar, but we don't have one of them, and reports vary).

Luftwaffe's daily hate ends, as JU-88 buzzes over. In the reaming smoke and dust cloud, in come the DFS-230 gliders and JU-52s. 

Stuka pins the Bofors after braving its fire.

 

The first wave of 3 gliders skidded in, all with rough landings, so the FJ squads jumped out and were pinned. The defenders rolled  a 1 for their orders and so could do little, too surprised. The Vickers HMG opened up and missed. A dive-bombing Stuka targeted the Bofors gun, which was on ambush fire, its AA fire didn't stop the dive, and the bombing only resulted in pinning the gun, no direct hit! Still, the crew were cowering.  Turn 1 was quick... the fight was on.

The three gliders have landed and disgorged their squads. Next wave will be paratroops dropping.

Turn 2, and the second wave, the paratroops dropped down, one rifle squad being shot to death in the air and the survivors surrendering, lost them. The others landed mostly pinned as they sort their drop canisters. With a few unpinned units now, the FJ could open fire, and the HMG was set up, under the lead glider's wing, and raked the NAAFI hut. It cut-up the RAF squad inside badly, who broke and ran. It was going well. But most of the FJ were stood in the open, at short range, to troops that would surely decimate them next turn. Until, they only got 2 orders - lucky!. Still, rifle fire cracked out, and the Vickers blazed away and FJ started to die quickly. A few 'Fall Back!' moves helped, as we allowed FJ that fell back to make for the Tavrontis edge and its rocks and bushes for some cover...

The fighting was a smattering of firefights across the tabletop, usually one unit against the other, as the FJ got some MG-34s going, but the Vickers was a problem, it cut down a squad in the open. The resulting counter was an Air Attack, today we needed the Luftwaffe, and the 'Adler Tag' special rule should help. Send more Stuka's please!

One rifle squad assaulted the Vickers dug-out, throwing grenades, armed with pistols, and only killed a single crew, who then fought back and won. They followed up with a 'heroic action' from their morale test and a burst of close range fore finished of the FJ's finest. The HMG team would survive the game with 1 man left... medals for their efforts.

Three Air Attack counters had to be roled for, with the Luftwaffe due in force, but terrible rolls saw no help arrive... the boys on the ground were on their own. Now, the defender's reserve arrived, another RAF ad hoc rifle squad, which re-occupied the NAAFI (vital to hold that). On counters it was very close, with both having picked up Air Attack and special counters, but got little from them.

 

The final turns saw an MG-34 team take out the last Bofors crew at close range and then force an RAF squad to surrender too... heroics from them... but meanwhile, on the other side of the air strip, the bold FJ PHQ was finished off by the reserves from the NAAFI hut, and other FJ sqauds had fled to the Tavronis bank's cover, when an MG team, running for the 'safety' was spotted and shot down by riflemen from their dug-outs, this final counter pushed the FJ to their break point. The assault had failed. But, oh, it had been close, the Brits were on 18 from 19, so 1 more counter would have done it... how the Vickers team's last man did not get pinned, and thus break... the dice gods know! (snipers and MG-34s tried but he passed all his cover saves). 

So, game 1 sees the initial assault fail to capture the western end of Maleme airfield. We'll obviously be back, as getting the airfield is vital to getting more reinforcements in the later campaign. Game 2 will be the landings at the Tavrontis bridge, not far from this tabletop, as more gliders and paras land. Fun to play this scenario... which is a mess... but unlike any other BG game. 

Brits/New Zealand counters.

German counters

Man on the match, the Vickers team somehow survived everything, with 1 man still shooting (at half firepower).

The Old World - Dwarfs vs Daemons

An afternoon of hard-fought, fun, 'hammering... with 2,800 points aside. The terrain was randomly generated, getting us a hill (centre of the Dwarf side), a ruin, 2 marshes, an area of rocks (on the hilltop) and another ruin (which we turned into a statue of a Dwarf king, centre). So far, the Dwarfs have been undefeated in our WH games, and have already seen-off chaos twice, as Beastmen and then WoC, so third time luck for the Chaos Gods, this time with daemons of Khorne. 

Here are the army lists, roughly. Bare in mind we don't hone our lists for competitive play, just fun play. We don't treat the game like a sport... we're here for the bash and 3-4 hours of fun, winning is having a good time.

Daemons
Bloodthirster with great axe
Herald with collar of khorne, on juggernaut
Herald with collar of khorne
Herald, BSB, with Totem of Eternal War

20 x Bloodletters with full command
20 x Bloodletters with full command
20 x Bloodletters with full command
6 x Fleshhounds
6 x Fleshhounds with ambushers
6 x Chaos Furies
6 x Bloodcrushers with champion and standard
Skullcannon 

Dwarfs
King on shieldbearers, with master rune of gromril, rune of fury, rune of swiftness
Thane with great weapon
Anvil of Doom with a rune of fortitude
Engineer 'Beardy Hari' with hand gun, rune of rapid fire, rune of bursting flame

20 Dwarf Warriors with full command and spears
20 Dwarf Warriors with full command and spears
10 Thunderers
10 Crossbows
10 Rangers with champion and standard
16 Slayers including 6 giant slayers
16 Ironbreakers with full command
15 Hammerers with full command
2 Cannons
Organ Gun

The battle lines were set, time to start the slaughter.  The daemons, of course, were on fulls send (par the skull cannon) which misfired... as rushed up, picking their targets. The Dwarfs manouevred to intercept and loosed everything they had, as cannons and handgunners and organ gun boomed out. Chip damage only resulted, although 2 Bloodcrushers did go down... a good result. Turn 2 would see the melees start.

The Bloodcrushers crashed into the Slayers and wrought havoc, killing 10... the Furies made a risky long-bomb charge and made it to the cannon, tearing the crew apart. Then followed the 'Ironbreaker Incident' (described below, we won't linger on it!!). The Dwarf right advanced to face the many Bloodletters, but it was their  and centre that was crumbling fast. Again, no major damage from firing the guns, and no cannon could see the Bloodthirster after his rash charge. On to Turn 3. 

The grind had started, with the Dwarfs doing well with their spear blocks and the King and his Hammerers flattened Bloodletters, things looked up a bit. 1 Slayer survived to hold up the Bloodcrushers, thankfully, and the Rangers chipped off a couple wounds from the Skullcannon with their crossbows. Was it enough? As the Bloodthirster flew round the hill to line-up the Anvil of Doom, which cast its lightning bolts but was thwarted (Magic Resistance 2 was a shock). Ambushing Fleshhounds arrived behind the lines and rushed towards the organ gun, it had time to swing round and blast them... but again, not enough to stop the charge and the munching of the crew next turn.

Turn 4 pretty much saw the end of it. Although the Dwarfs on the right finished off the Bloodletters blocks, it didn't help, as the Anvil was charged and would loose in the next rounds of combat, destroyed, picked up and hurled away! Beady Hari blasted the last Furies into oblivion, but the organ gun was lost, the last cannon misfired, the spear line at the hill was swamped and losing and the slayers finally surcomed. The flank 'Rangers vs Skullcannon duel' took a turn when its shot at them hit their Thane (Bugman) and killed him on failed 'look out sir!' test. Next turn, the daemon-engine lost its cool and charged in anyway... Bugman may well have killed it... but his men couldn't quite do it.

 The daemons were mopping up now, the central spear unit was butchered and broke off the table edge (fast runners for short legs). The Bloodthirster final took a  cannon hit, but with 1 wound left charged and dispatched the engineer. We called it and added up VPs...

Deployment. The Dwarfs weight they combat power to their right, with a smaller force on their left. The daemons go the same, main hitting power right and centre. Hmmm... can the Dwarf left hold?

Bloodletters on their extreme left, avoiding the marshes.

Centre, the Bloodthirster leads with Fleshhounds and more Bloodletters, and the handy Totem of Eternal War in support.

Right, Bloodcrushers (and Herald) and Furies (models do double duty as Harpies too, when needed).

Bugman's Rangers scout onto the far left, crossbows out.

The Dwarf detachment on their left, a lure, to just hold as long as they can (and the slayers to die), whilst the Dwarfs sweep round on the right (well trudge round).

Centre, behind the hill (rock is impassable). Ironbreakers, warriors, anvil, and on the hill, the engineer gunner 'Beardy Hari', sniper's vantage point.

Leading on the right, King and his Hammerers. Hard as rocks...

Turn 1, the daemons on full send, Bloodcrushers line-up the Slayers, but cannon and crossbows take down 2 early.

Bloodthirster flaps up to the central statue (surely not hiding from a cannon!). The Fleshhounds lead the rush, as behind, the Ironbreakers round the hill to meet them.

The daemons far left, Bloodletters rush the warrior spear block (we allow Dwarf warriors spears for a +1 point, as all our old models have them, and frankly, Dwarfs could do with spears).

The Furies make a long charge and with good rolls make it to the cannon... oops. 18" charge, by fluke... the crew are torn apart. Precious cannon lost.

Overwhelming charge of the Bloodcrushers, only 6 Slayers survive the impacts and hellblades. This unit hits like a tank... or a big charging bull (made of brass and anger). 

Another Dwarf disaster, as the Fleshhounds charge, the Bloodthirster then fails it's Impetuous test and must also charge the closest Dwarfs, causing the Ironbreaker's terror, and on a double 6(!!), they break and run, to be caught by the Fleshhounds and wiped out, as the 'thirster then fails its rash charge behind (but puts a hill behind it and a cannon). The early turns have defo gone against the Dwarfs.

Drilled warriors expand the spear line and charge... resulting in a melee grind with the Bloodletters, which they win... even after their champion was cleaved in two in a challenge. Grudge settled, but it took all game, small wins.

King and his Hammers do their hammering, and destroy another Bloodletter unit, some measure of revenge, and a comeback is on... or its it?

No!. The Bloodthirster sweeps round on his might pinions and lines up the Anvil of Doom, its lightning bolts twice thwarted by Khorne's magic resistance. Guards and Rune Priest get ready to defend their anvil - some hope, but not no hope... for Grugni!

Ambushing Fleshhounds arrive and rush the organ gun, which spins and gets a full volley off at 1" range. But only 2 hounds die. Crew now doomed, as dinner.

The skirmishing Furies continue to be a right pain, jumping the crossbows in the flank as the last Bloodletter block closes in. The Dwarf left is being overwhelmed.

After the, err, 'Ironbreaker Incident', the drilled spear-dwarfs take their place and give the Fleshhounds a good stabbing... or would, but for amazing 5+ ward saves.

Last brave Slayer goes down, but the Slayers did well, killing 2 Bloodcrushers as they met their doom...

The Skullcannon fails its Impetuous test and madly charges the Rangers... this after targeting the Ranger's Thane (Bugman) and him failing his 'look out sir!' test, and dying to the hit. We house rule that chariots do half impact hits vs skirmishers, and the Dwarf great weapons hit hard, so its a real tussle. In the end the cannon wins, just, and the last Rangers break.

The end is nye... the crossbows wiped out, the spears are next for the treatment... as the Fleshhounds prove ever resistant to spear-stabbing and instability... the line is swamped next turn.

Epic fight for the anvil of doom... but doomed it is, but the guards hurt the Bloodthirster back before it is wrecked. Bloodthirster's first kill, a worthy one though. 

Last for his ire, reforming to line-up the engineer, but also hit by a cannon, so only 1 wound left. Can it survive the 'quick shot' stand and fire from Beardy Hari, or will he get a wound and a legendary kill? He didn't, and was then chopped to iddy-bits... last action of the game.

 

Adding up VPs, the Daemons had score 1702... the Dwarfs, 686... ouch. Big Daemon win then... and the Dwarfs have finally lost a game. Khorne is well-pleased with his tribute of skulls today...

 

Tank action at Jebel Sayyid - with Battlegroup:Tobruk

A Libyan desert tank fight (with some other supporting arms) for 1941, and a chance to get a lot of the desert models out, as they don't see much action these days. We pre-agreed, no infantry, just vehicles and guns for a meeting engagement, and picked our forces from the BG:Tobruk lists, DAK vs British Armour. We also pre-organised them into a march/arrival order. Here are the rough lists.

Brits - in order of march for reserves arriving.
3 x A9s (deployed)      
3 x Crusader II   
FHQ in Dingo       
2 x 3” mortars - off-table
3 x Crusader II
2 x 25 pdrs + loader teams + quad tows
2 x 2 pdr Portee AT guns   
1 x Matilda II
1 x Supply Truck
1 x Repair Truck
Timed P-40 Kittyhawk air strike (turn 3)

43 BR, 4 officers, 0 scouts

Germans - in order of march for reserves arriving.
3 x Pz II F  (deployed)
3 x Pz III H
3 x Pz III H
1 x Quad 20mm AA on truck
1 x FHQ Pz I Befehlswagen   
1 x 1st priority artillery request   
1 x 2nd priority artillery request
1 x PzJaeger I
3 x Pz III G
2 x Supply Trucks
1 x Timed Stuka air strike (turn 5)

39 BR, 5 officers, 0 scouts

The action began as the A9s and Pz IIs, both advancing south of the central ridge, came into contact. The Pz IIs quickly lost a tank, pinned an A9 with 20mm cannon fire, but then pulled back, as more tanks arrived. As they did so, a second was KO'd by 2 pdr fire. So, lost that firefight...

Now, the first Crusaders had arrived, and the first Pz IIIs, and the long range duel was prooving ineffective from both sides, who would risk moving up? The RAF but in a showing, the Kittyhawk bombing on the German rear just pinning the newly arrived PzJaeger I and a supply truck. Mortar fire had already pinned the German AA truck's quad 20mm, so it sat useless at the back (all game really), covering in case any more aircraft arrived (they didn't). It was the Luftwaffe that put in appearance, first a timed strike which caused much pinning with its bombs, then another immediate followed, this time from an Air Attack counter. It plunged in to add to the pinning, and a near miss caused one Crusader crew to abandon their tank and run for it (first lost British tank). 

Meanwhile, the tanks had manouevred a little and risked some closer shots, but 50mm and 2 pdr shells found the frontal enemy armour too thick, with many glancing shots to no effect – until one did, and a 2 pdr shell wrecked the first Pz III, another A9 kill... they were, surprisingly, having a day.

Reserves continued to roll in, the German FHQ in his little befehlswagen called in some 105mm artillery fire, and the Brits used their 3" mortar harassing firing to some pinnign effect. Both sides were taking chits to unpin, one being a 'Mine Strike' that saw another Pz III destroyed. Another being a 'Breakdown', that saw an A9 conk-out... no matter, a repair truck was on the way. 

The Brits had got their two 25 pdrs unlimbered and loaders teams active as they added their firepower, and one HE shell wrecked another Pz III. Getting those guns pinned was a top Geman priority. The Stuka did the work, bombing one to pin it, then a 'Confusion' counter saw the crew run... abandoning their gun and limber. Still, the other remained in place, but under HE fire from Pz IIIs.

The Crusader vs Pz III duel north of the jebel, over the open ground, saw a third Pz III KO'd and the Germans were getting the worst of it. South of the ridge, a German success saw a portee'd 2 pdr truck wrecked by the last Pz II, before it too was hit by return A9 fire and burnt. 

By now, the Stuka had used up all its ammo, three starfing runs against soft targets had seen only pinning, and it returned to base. That's when the desert dust clouds reduced ranges and spotting. Both sides now had to think about pushing up again, and the Brits did, their Matilda (a monster here) leading (slowly), as 50mm shells bounced off it. Three Crusaders followed, and a Pz III was KO'd at close range. The fight here was being lost, and the Pz IIIs, low on all ammo and still under punishing 25 pdr fire had to pullback and seek safety. The Pzjaeger's supporting fire had hit nothing (8 shots fired, 0 hits -disappointing!). With the Germans needing to unpin, this counter (a 4) pushed them over their BR limit. The British had won... still with 13 BR to spare, so a solid win, and the DAK would have to concede Jebel Sayyid. 

A cracking game, a bit different to others without the infantry, but it felt very 'desert'... Crusaders turned out to be handy vs 50mmL42 AP rounds, no kills for the German gunners today. Losses in the end were, for the Germans, 4 Pz IIIs and 3  Pz IIs. For the Brits, 2 A9s (1 was breakdown), 2 Crusaders (1 abandoned and recovered), 1 porteed 2 pdr and a 25 pdr (again abandoned). But they held the high ground of the ridge.

Pics of the action –

 

Jebel Sayyid in the centre, Brits arrive from the right corner, Germans from the left. The first tanks approach - A9s vs Pz IIs in the opposing vanguards.

Leading the Brits, the three A9s... come face to face with the German Pz IIs. The small rock marks the objective point, south of the low rocky ridge.

Pz IIIs arrive and manouevre into place north of the jebel.

First Crusader moves to the objective, the first loss of the day sees a Pz II burning from an A9's 2 pdr.

Crusader platoon arrive and move right, then halt to begin supporting fire at long range vs the Pz IIIs in the distance.

25 pdr is hauled into place to provide effective HE suppressing fire.

Early strike from the RAF, Kittyhawk bombs the Germans and pins their Pzjaeger I. German quad AA was pinned and so could not engage...

Then the Luftwaffe also get involved, target rich environment at the end of the ridge, as it plunges in... but scores no direct hits from its bombing run. Back with MGs then...

Trading fire with the A9s. No cover, so rely on your armour...

A lost Crusader gets aid from a repair truck, as the second 25 pdr deploys to aid the valiant A9s, still up front and duking it out. Ammo is a worry. 

German 105mm artillery impacts around the Crusaders and pins the lone Matilda. White smoke indicates on 'ambush fire'. 

PzJaeger I (first ever game I think), moves up and engages Crusaders at long range. No kills today. Bit rubbish...

25pdr and loader team continue to be a major threat, but return HE keeps pinning it.

Last Pz II makes itself useful, and brasses-up a portee 2 pdr truck at range.

First A9 lost, but they have put up a hell of a fight, and are now low on ammo. One retired to re-bomb.

The smoke and dust clears, and the Germans have withdrawn. Solid victory to the Brits today at Jebel Sayyid. Crusaders are tougher than you think...