MORNING OF THE 902nd - PANZER LEHR CAMPAIGN - GAME TWO

Overnight from the 10-1ith July, Task Force X pulled back its armour and was replaced in the line by troops of 3rd Battalion, 120th Infantry and various supporting units of 30th Infantry Division. Meanwhile, the Panzer Lehr division launched its attack, with the 902nd Panzer Grenadier Battalion striking through Hauts-Vents. At dawn, the panzer and supporting armoured grenadiers hit the US troops.

This was a largely game (platoon-level), here are the special rules and forces. I adjusted the German force as it had some odd choices in it. A Flammpanzer III (?) - none in Normandy, and a Grille, which I didn't have, so replaced it with a Marder.


SCENARIO SPECIAL RULES
Platoon-level: Roll 2D6 for Orders

Dawn Attack?: The German player can choose to attack at night, using the Night Fighting rules, or at dawn. In a dawn attack, all US reinforcements enter on turn 1.

Soft Ground: Wheeled vehicles which move off-road treat it as Dangerous Terrain. On a 1, roll again. 4+ OK, on a 1-3 Bogged down and immobilised. Half-tracked and tracked vehicles move as normal.

Allied Air Superiority: In a dawn attack, German player must roll a 6 for any Air Attack counter.

US Reduced Strength Squads: * Reduced strength. Roll D6 at the start of the game. 1-3, reduce by 2 men. 4-5, reduce by 1 man. 6, full strength.

Objectives: 1, house on northern table edge.



GERMAN FORCES - ELEMENTS OF 2nd BATTALION, 902nd PZ GRENADIER REGIMENT (All Vets)

Pz IV H Platoon (4)                    12    Officer

StuH-42                            3

PzGrendier PHQ - 3 men in SdKfz 251/10        2    Officer, Mortar Spotter

PzGrenadier Squad in SdKfz 251/1            4    D3 Panzerfausts
5 men with MG-42, 3 men with MG-42

PzGrenadier Squad in SdKfz 251/1            4    D3 Panzerfausts
5 men with MG-42, 3 men with MG-42

Marder                            1    

Total                        BR 26 + attachment    2 officers, 0 scouts


Roll once for attached support (+/-2) (Roll 14)
D20 Roll    Attached   + BR
1-3        FAO Team - 2 men in Kubelwagen    +2    Officer, Arty Spotter

4-11        2 x Recce Teams            +4    Scouts 2, Mortar Spotter
        4 men with MG-42 in SdKfz 250/1

12-17        PzGrenadier Squad in SdKfz 251/1    +4    D3 Panzerfausts    
        5 men with MG-42, 3 men with MG-42

18-20        Flakpanzer 38(t)            +2    



Artillery Support
Off-table 1 x 80mm mortar
4 x 1st Priority Artillery Requests (maximum is Divisional request), if FAO attached. 

US FORCES - ELEMENTS OF 3rd BATTALION, 120th INFANTRY REGIMENT, 30th INFANTRY DIVISION, 743rd TANK BATTALION & 823rd TANK DESTROYER BATTALION  (All Regs)

2 M4 Shermans                    6    

2 M10 Tank Destroyers                4    Enter on Turn D4+1

FHQ - 3 men                    3    Senior Officer

Bazooka Team - 3 men                1

Sniper and Observer                1    Sniper-Scout

Inf Squad - 7 men, 5 men with BAR *        3    * Reduced strength

Bazooka Team - 3 men                1

MMG Team - 3 men with .30 cal MMG    1

Foxholes for 20 men                0    3+ cover save

1 Minefield                        0        

Total                            BR 20 + attachment  1 officer, 1 scout


Roll once for attached support (rolled 5)
D20 Roll    Attached   + BR
1-3        3 x M8 Greyhounds        +3    Scouts 3, Enter on Turn D4+1

4-8        Recce Jeep with MMG- 3 men    +5    Scout, Enter on Turn 1
             and
             M4 Sherman    

9-10        2 x M8 Greyhounds        +2    Scouts 2, Enter on Turn D4+1

11-14        Infantry Squad in truck        +6    Enter on Turn D4+1
                 and
                 2 Bazooka Teams, each
                 - 3 men in Jeep with a Bazooka

15-18        3 x M4 Shermans            +9    Enter on Turn D4+1

19-20        M16 Half Track            +1    Enter on Turn D4+1    

Artillery Support
None



Attacking through these hedges (impassable to vehicles except at gates or by blasting gaps), then the only hope of reaching the objective (the building on the northern table edge) was with infantry attacking on foot. The vehicles could shoot them in, but not go with them. The road was still blocked by the minefield, and the wrecked M8 which we agreed could be pushed into the ditch by a heavier tank (if it survived the mines) but not a half track. Too risky! The shortest distance was via the scenario’s allowed flanking attack from the east. This then would be my main strike, the rest would engage and try to pin the US down and destroy what they could to avoid it redeploying and helping the defenders in the woods, which would the first major obstacle.

The US deployed into the hedges and their foxholes, a scattered of infantry with the armour and M10s behind in the hedges and woods. First obstacle. remove the armour from the woods so the half-tracks could arrive and debuss infantry into it for a rush to the building, without being destroyed.

I sent a Pz IV and Marder for the job, whilst mortaring the wood as best I could, which wasn’t greta with 1 80mm mortar. Elsewhere on the table we traded a few shots and not much else. One lucky hit immobilized a Sherman, and crew rolled a 1 and abandoned it on the morale test. The woods was the crucible of the fight.

My Pz IV rolled on and the ambushing M0 missed it (rolled a 1) - first luck. The Marder arrived and got the M10 in return, ten switched to HE to shell the infantry and was soon out of ammo and withdrawing (just 4 shots). The Pz IV traded fire with the Shermans, both missing, or failing to spot… until I had enough orders in a turn to risk the ‘251’ rush. On they came at speed, 2 squads and MG teams disembarking into the woods. The first squad moved up and Panzerfausted the Sherman side on – it was burning. The rest rushed through the woods to the northern edge. I kept the redeploying US bazooka teams at bay with tank and 251 MG fire, pinning them down in the hedges. His reserve Sherman failed to spot my grenadiers (twice) and in return, it to got a surprise panzerfaust through the front glacis and was also burning. My MG-42 teams moved up and brought the house under heavy fire, pinning the sniper team and FHQ inside. The US were, at this point, in big trouble and their dice rolling was just terrible. Cover saves of 3+ were repeatedly failed. 4+, no chance! 3, 3+ cover saves on US infantry teams resulted in 3 1s, pinned and a dead man. It broke a bazooka and MG team…

The second M10 repositioned to try and hold the farm, and was lucky when my last panzerfaust missed it, but it also ran out of ammo and was down to just an MG. With the MG-toting German infantry now at the hedge just outside the house objective, and panzers moved up to fire on the building up the road, including the StuH’s 105m gun, the weak defence was pinned and about to be close assaulted. They had to unpin, and that last BR counter draw broke the US force.

It had been a one sided affair. The US got overrun, nothing went right, his tanks and tank destroyers missed with every shot they fired, his cover saves were freakishly awful. After 6 or 7 turns it was over, US broken on 25 BR. Of their 30 BR, the Germans had lost 9 on 3 counters (and 1 of them for out scouted, and 1 for the objectives, so just 1 for unpinning). The 902nd’s attack had not lost a single unit. Crushing. I don’t think it can go much better. They didn’t know what hit them!

That win gives the Germans a maximum 10 VPs for a 11-0 lead after 2 games. Also they now have a +/-4 attachment credit for future rolls.

For the next game I’ve decided to swap around the published order. Game 3 would be over the same battlefield as 3rd Armoured counters, but game 4 actual happens first, with a Panzer Lehr recon grouping getting behind the US front lines. We’ll do that as a squad-level game 3 before the larger US counter-attack in game 4. 

StuH, its task was to hit the target builling at maximum range, along the road.

US infantry in their foxholes

Hauts-Vents farm, the HQ for launching the attack. Waiting for the off....

Working past the wreck of yesterday's air attack... Opel Blitz shoved out of the way.

Leading the main attack, to take-out the US armour in the woods, Pz IV and Marder in tandem

Marder vs M10... Marder got him!

On the other flank, the other M10, it had to  pullback to the objective building to try and help hold it.

Infantry assault disembarks into the woods - schnell!, schnell!

Panzerfaust KO's the Sherman, not being on mabush fire, it was vulnerable.

Armoured build-up, but with the road blocked, it has nowhere really to go.

Panzer grenadiers reach the far side of the wood, no pausing in the quick dash for the objective

Marder pulls back, out of ammo.

Cleared the woods, more wrecks for the next battle at Hauts Vents.

Hit, immobilized and abandoned. Sherman left in German hands.

Reserve Sherman, another 'faust victim, now cover for an MG team, blazing into the target building.

 

US counters.... ugly reading

German counters... nice!