DIRECT FROM DETROIT, PANZER LEHR CAMAPIGN, GAME FOUR

A third battle on the same tabletop lay-out, as the US make their next advance towards the Hauts-Vents crossroads. This was another ‘squad’ sized game (but a larger one than game 3). For random support, the US added 2 M8s to their force (one was an M20, as my US collection only has 2 M8s, I need to get another one). The Germans added a handy Panzerscheck team.

GERMAN FORCES

1 x Pz IV H                            4    Panzer Ace, (Elite)

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

PzGrenadier Squad                    3    D3 Panzerfausts
5 men with MG-42, 3 men with MG-42

PAK-40 AT gun with 4 crew and truck tow        3

SdKfz 250/9 armoured car                1    Scout

Foxholes for 15 men                    0    3+ cover save

1 minefield                            0        

Total                        BR 13 + attachment    1 officer, 1 scout


Roll once for attached support (20 rolled, modified to 17)
D20 Roll    Attached                  BR
1-5        Sniper team - 2 men        +1    Sniper-Scout (Elite)

6-7        FHQ - 3 men in Kubelwagen    +3    Senior Officer

8-15        MMG Team                 +1
        - 3 men with tripod MG-42    

16-17        Pzschreck Team - 2 men        +1

18-20        Mortar Fire Support        +0    1 x 80mm mortar


Artillery Support
Mortar Fire Support - 1 x 80mm mortar (off-table), if attached

US FORCES - ELEMENTS OF TASK FORCE Z, CCB, 3rd ARMOURED DIVISION 
(All Regs)

3 M4 Shermans                    9

M8 Greyhound                    1    Scout

Arm Infantry Platoon HQ in M3            3    Officer
, 9 men with a Bazooka*

Arm Infantry Squad in M3            3   
9 men with BAR and Bazooka*

Arm Infantry MG Squad in M3            3
2 x .30 cal MMG Teams - 3 men       

FAO - 2 men in Jeep                1    Officer, forward observer

Total                        BR 20 + attachment    2 officers, 1 scout


Roll once for attached support (+/-1) (6 rolled)
D20 Roll    Attached                BR
1-5        Recce Jeep Team - 3 men in jeep    +1    Scout (note, no pintle MG)

6-10        2 x M8 Greyhounds            +2     Scouts

11-15        Engineer Squad - 10 men in truck    +3    Engineers
        with flame thrower and mine detector and D3 demo-charges

16-20        M16 AA half Track            +1               

Artillery Support
5 x 2nd Priority Artillery Requests (maximum of divisional requests) 

 

Scenario Special Rules

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: 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.

Poor US Artillery Targeting: Each time the US fire any off-table artillery or mortars, roll an extra D6 for the distance it deviates. So, accurate is 2D6, normal is 3D6 and wild is 5D6!

Objectives: 1 at Haut Vents Crossroads

Squad-level: Roll 1D6 for Orders

 

The US attack started cautiously, not much happening, the infantry squad moved up and deployed into a bocage on their left, a few Shermans rumbled forwards and the first artillery barrage was radio’d up, which hit the farm (not the crossroads as requested). The 3 x 155s (ouch) smashed the place up and a direct hit wiped out my platoon command squad that was in the farmhouse, first blood to the attackers, I;d lost my 1 officer, but the counter drawn was a ‘Confusion’ special and it pinned a Sherman (‘Hey, Hank, I think we’re in the wrong place’). US shelling around Hauts-Vents would be a big factor in the game, as the Germans had no response. 105s and 155s would hammer the area and make the defence, err… fraught!

The Germans got onto ambush fire, covering the road and fields, and waited.

The US attack moved up, the first Shermans appearing to open fire with HE into the hedges. One pinned the Pak-40 and so, with it unable to fire up the road, the M8s made a move. One (actually the M20) raced over the road junction to their right but once it hit the muddy field rolled a 1 and got bogged-down in the field’s gateway. The other rushed up the road, failing to notice the grenadier squad (and 2 Panzerfausts) on ambush fire, but they rolled two 1s to spot and the M8 drove right past the unwary squad! It rushed the crossroads (another kamikaze M8).

The Germans responded, the 251/10 moved up the lane and shot the M8 at PB range, its 37mm gun good enough to KO the armoured car. My MG-42 team pinned down the US infantry and my panzer ace moved out, took a pot-shot (missed) at Sherman and headed to were he could get in the fight. The 250/9 did likewise, seeing the chance for an easy kill on the immobilised and vulnerable M20. This move brought more US artillery, more pinning only this time, but things were getting hot. The Pak-40, now unpinned, swung round and with a greats hot hit its first Sherman (6 rolled), KO-ing it! Yes. The counter drawn was a Air Attack! No! Thankfully it didn’t show, small mercy.

With no Pak covering the road, the next M8 followed the first in a rush towards th crossroads (what is with these crazy armour cars?), but this time the grenadier squad was ready and a Panzerfaust from the hedge (on ambush fire) left it another wreck on the road, now littered with smoking Greyhounds.

The Germans were ahead on counters inflicted, but my low BR total wouldn’t last unpinning from US artillery strikes. A few turns of failed requests or comms test helped me here, a respite, phew! The 250/9 moved up to get a line of sight at the stranded M20 and hammered at it with 20mm fire, missing, or then failing to penetrate… argh! When a Sherman moved to the hedge to engage it, so it was time to go, and the little halftrack raced off for the cover of the farm’s orchard - damn, it didn’t get the kill, rubbish dice.

The US started to push up, their platoon HQ squad moving up on their right, debussing and heading across the field for the farm. Here, only my Panzerchreck team on ambush fire waited (not much use against 9 men with a BAR). They pulled back, but a suppressing fire shot from a .30 cal MG pinned them down. I rolled a 1 for a cover save, lost a man, pinned, and that was team done… he dropped the ‘schreck and legged it. Now unhindered, the US infantry squad ran to the farm’s out buildings. I had moved the 250/9 and its 20mm fire failed to pin them in the stable block (must have thick walls). In return, the US infantry moved the bazooka up and – Whoosh! Boom!. No more 250/9, it was burning in the orchard. Another 105 arty stonk pinned down the  units around the crossroads and the German defence was down to basically a Pz IV and a 5-man squad, which, faced by a Sherman, with no ‘fausts left, got out of their foxholes and withdrew.

I had to risk unpinning, but with only 2 BR left it was dangerous. I drew, a 3… drat!Time to go. The Panzer Lehr units pulled back and left the shell cratered fields at Hauts-Vents to the Americans. They had won, with 6 BR still to spare. So, 6 campaign victory points to them for the win, so the campaign is now 10-6 to the Germans.

A solid(ish) US win. I don’t think the scenario really gives the Germans too much hope of winning it outright, it’s just a case of reducing the US VPs as best you can in the longer campaign. 6 was an ‘average’ result, a few chits more would have helped (maybe not the air attack), but with no IDF and under that US artillery fire, its a matter of how long can you hold out, not winning. I got away with the Pak-40, the Pz IV and the 251/10 and some men, to fight another day.  

First Shermans move up towards Hauts-Vents.

250/0 lurks behind the farm, my mobile reserve.

Defending the orchard around the farm, the /10 soon moved out leaving just the 'schreck team.

MG-42 team in foxholes on my right, covering the field and keeping US heads down in the opposite bocage.

M8s, risk the muddy ground and wait to rush down the road for the objective.

Wreck from the early games. All were in place as extra terrain. e added some craters too, around the most shelled areas. 

Getting into place.

155s rain on the farm, the hidden Pz IV was lucky, the HQ unit in the farmhouse, not so...

Pz IV moves up to cover the field and road.

Another kamikaze M8 (see game 1), rushes the crossroads, only once the Pak-40 has fired.

M20 tries to lead the way, but gets stuck! Immobilised, but somehow survived.

Close encounter. SdKfz 251/10 rounds the corner and deals with that M8 at PB range. Hurrah for the door-knocker (for once).

250/9 comes forward to try and get the M20, and fails... terrible dice. It then pulled back fast rather than duke it out with a Sherman.

Next 105 stonk. Incoming! Life around this crossroads is difficult.

Pz IV seeking to get into the action.

250/9 retires to the orchard, put soon finds itself needed again.

US infantry make it to the farm's stable block through 20mm cannon fire.

and deal with it! Bazooka takes out 250/9 in the orchard, the farm has fallen.

Next 155 stonk causes a lot of pinning, and the attrition of counters to unpin costs the Germans the game. Fear the 155!

LEHR RECON, PANZER LEHR CAMPAIGN, GAME THREE

Game 3 is a very small squad affair, as a Lehr Recon detachment gets behind American lines and runs into a battalion HQ area. As it’s a small game, we played this on a tiny 2x4’ board, but it still worked, as the night fighting restricted range for aimed fire and we agreed at the start everything would always count as obscured, in the open or not. Here are the forces… because BRs were so low, I just gave each side +3 BR to make a longer game of it, even though we removed all 4 and 5s from the BR counters (we really are the extreme small end of the BG rules working here).

On random attachments, the Germans went with the 250/9 rolled, the US got a flamethrower team (very random!).

GERMAN FORCES - ELEMENTS OF 130 RECONNAISSANCE BATTALION (All Vets)

1 Platoon HQ- 4 men in heavy car            3    Officer

Recon Team - 5 men with MG-42            3    1 Panzerfaust

in SdKfz 251/1    

Recon Team - 5 men with MG-42            3    1 Panzerfaust

in SdKfz 251/1    

The ‘this scenario is too small’ bonus       3


Totals                            12 BR + attachments    1 officer, 0 scouts                

Roll once for attached support (Rolled 14)
D20 Roll    Attached                BR
1-8        SdKfz 234/2                +1

9-14        SdKfz 250/9               +1

15-18        SdKfz 251/9             +1

19-20        StuG III G                +3


Artillery Support
None    


US FORCES - REAR ELEMENTS OF 3rd BATTALION, 47th INFANTRY REGIMENT, 9th INFANTRY DIVISION  (All Inexperienced)

Battalion Staff    - 7 men                             2    Officer, start in HQ dug-out

Ad-Hoc Rifle Team - 5 men with a BAR    2

Ad-Hoc Rifle Team - 5 men with a BAR    2

Bazooka Team - 2 men                                1    with D6 rockets (5 rolled)

MMG Team - 3 men with .30 cal MG        1

HQ Dug-out                                                 0    2+ cover save (max 2 can fire out)

Foxholes for 15 men                                    0    3+ cover save

The ‘this scenario is too small’ bonus        3
    
Totals                        11+attachment    1 officer, 0 scouts



Roll once for attached support (Rolled 2)
D20 Roll    Attached                             BR
1-5        Flamethrower Team - 2 men      +1

6-8        HMG Team - 4 men                   +2    with .50 cal HMG

9-18        HQ Team - 2 men in Jeep        +2    Officer, Jeep is unarmed    

19-20        M4 Sherman tank                   +3    * may be immobilised awaiting repair


Artillery Support
None
 

SCENARIO SPECIAL RULES
Squad-level: As a small squad level scenario, remove all 4 and 5 counters from the BR counters before the game begins.

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.

Night Fight: This scenario takes place at night. Use the night fighting rules.

No Air Support: It’s dark. Any Air Attack counters drawn count as 0.

Objectives: None

Advance through Enemy Lines: If the Germans can get an infantry squad off the US board edge, they gain an extra +/-2 attachment credits.  

Immobilised Sherman: After placing the Sherman roll a D6. On a 1-4 it is immobilised awaiting a mechanic and cannot move. On a 5+, to may move as normal.

2'x4', Germans advancing from the far end. US HQ dug-out on the hill, facing the other way, as that is actual forwards for the US. The recon group is behind them.

 

The game began with the Germans arriving behind the US forces, my squad de-bussing into the cottage and the hedges. 1st Squad would move up on the left, covered by their 251’s MG. 2nd Squad would move up on the right, with its 251’s MG to cover and pin the enemy ahead. In the centre, the PHQ would be on covering ambush fire, as would the 250/9, its main firepower would target the biggest US threats, and with suppressing fire because we can’t really see much of each other… let the tracers rounds fly!

The US responded with setting some ambush fire themselves and their .30 cal team let fly into the night, and scored 2 lucky pins, on squad 1 in the cottage and the PHQ. That fire was close… bad start!

The Germans just couldn’t get going in the early turns, an inability to roll over a 2 for orders meant I was living on scraps, the 250/9 blazed away, but with 10 ammo, it was soon under half and had to start being more cautious. My 251s proved hard to pin and their fire got some US heads down, but not the bazooka team, it was dug-in deep and covering the only gap in the walls and hedges to get up the table. They just kept passing 3+ cover saves… I took the first counter to unpin and given we might get through 5 or 6 max, each one hurt!

The first turns had become a stalemate, MG42s firing one way, .30 cal, BAR and M1 rounds coming back, with both scoring a few pins, and 1 GI became the first casualty on a 1 for a cover save, hit by a stray round. I was getting nowhere, so when I finally rolled some orders, my men started to push up. 2nd squad scurried off across the walled paddock, on the right, and made it to the far wall under .30 cal fire that missed (too high!). The 250/9 managed to finally pin the bazooka team and my chance to get through the gap appeared. The 250/9 pushed up to the gap, then was hit by small arms fire and pinned. No, a lucky shot, but it was now stranded. I could see what would happen now. The bazooka team would unpin (they did), my armoured car would be stranded, unpin in my turn, only for the bazooka to have an easy shot at the armoured car, about 10 m from them through the hedge! That’s what happened and two bazooka shots flashed to turn the 250/9 to a burning wreck. Argh! The risky rush had ended in disaster.

Things had turned bad on the left, but on the right 2nd Squad, my only hope for completing the objective, got a stroke of luck. Having passed repeated cover saves behind their wall, their MG pinned the US infantry in foxholes in the field ahead. With them still pinned, the squad made their move and rushed past in the dark. Then, fired on from the left, 1 man was hit, but the resulting morale test was a BtCoD! The squad moved again and were through the next hedge and past the GIs. They rushed on in my next turn, getting to about 8” from the far table edge. US suppressing fire came after them - from the battalion command staff that had armed itself and come out their dug-out. It scored a suppression, but the cover save was a 6… OK. They could keep going. In a bold dash they had made it through, pure fluke, but sometimes you have to go for it and hope.

Everybody else was still stalled, and the US flamethrower team was stalking up behind the paddock wall towards my (static ) half-tracks. If it fired, that would a counter, and most likely another for a destroyed half-track. I raced one 251 forwards to get a shot and they spotted the dangerous 2-man team and machine gunned them down, but I’d made a mistake. The 251 was now in bazooka range if the team moved up from their foxhole cover. They did, and my covering fire, the PHQ on ambush, had just moved to the cottage. No covering fire then. The bazooka fired again and boom, lost the 251 - double argh!

I was close the breaking now, 11 BR from my 13, so the next counter was likely to be it. I couldn’t unpin anything, leaving me just the second 251 and 4-man PHQ to act. They tried to suppress and pin the bazooka team menace, and both failed. That allowed that them to come forward again and fire, the next 251 was hit and burning - triple argh!… the bazooka had 3 victims and the counter drawn was a… 2! So 13 from 13, still going somehow.

Next turn, the bazooka team’s reign of destruction ended when my PHQ moved and shot them down with rifle fire. That counter broke the Americans, a 3 taking them to 13 from their 12 BR total. The Germans had somehow won.

Well, I say won, but actually, the campaign VPs are the BR margin of the victor which was, err… 0. So no VPs, but I gained the extra attachment credits for the escaped infantry squad. Interesting small game… never played like this before and it worked fine (with the bonus BR). It as lucky win (we should call it a draw really).

Game 4 is back to the Hauts Vents crossroad and the US counter-attack. 

The German force, hvy car (light truck), 2 x 251/1s, 250/9.

German deploy on the lane, PHQ is pinned by incoming .30 cal rounds.

2nd Squad get ready to rush across the paddock. 250/9 behind on ambush fire to cover them.

US ad hoc rifle squad and bazooka team in their foxholes

250/9 meets its bazooka-end making for the gap.

2nd Squad dash passed pinned GIs, up the hill in the dark, and make for the far table edge.

Costly error, 251 is the next bazooka victim!

Medal of Honour for these two guys, as they come forwards and kill the second 251. They almost won it single-handed.

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADVANCE TO HAUTS-VENTS - PANZER LEHR CAMPAIGN - GAME ONE

The first Battlegroup game in a 6-part mini-campaign using the Skirmish Campaigns book ‘Heroes of Omaha and Panzer Lehr’. These games are set during Panzer Lehrs brief counter-attack on July 10th-11th near Pont Herbert and the Vire river. Game 1 is the advance by US Task Force X towards the crossroads at Hauts Vents, whilst beset German infantry of Kampfgruppe Heintz try to stop them. Behind, Heintz knows Panzer Lehr are moving into place to strike the next day.

The book gives forces for the scenario, so I just converted them to BG, with BR ratings et al. I also changed the map, from Google Earth investigations, to  something closer to right, I think, than book has it (not miles off though).

Here are the two forces, special rules and the random tables from which each side gets an single attachment, rolled before the game. This keeps the forces unknown until you start, and is good for replay-ability.


SCENARIO SPECIAL RULES
Squad-level: As a squad level scenario, remove all 5 counters from the BR counters before the game begins.  

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 immobilized. Half-tracked and tracked vehicles move off-road as normal.

Off-table fire from East: Any US unit that ends its turn in a field with an open edge to the east comes under fire from a 75mm anti-tank gun to the east. The fire counts as a single shot at maximum range. It may be Suppressing or Aimed Fire. Max 2 shots per turn.

Allied Air Superiority: 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, in farmhouse at Huats-Vents.



GERMAN FORCES - ELEMENTS OF KAMPFGRUPPE HEINTZ (All Regs)

1 Platoon HQ Squad - 4 men in Kubelwagen    3     Officer, mortar spotter

Infantry Squad - 5 men, 3 men with MG-42         3    (start with D3 Panzerfausts)

Infantry Squad - 5 men, 3 men with MG-42        3    (start with D3 Panzerfausts)

HMG Team - 3 men with tripod MG-42        1

PAK-40 with 4 crew and truck tow            3

SdKfz 10 with 20mm flak and ammo trailer *    1    *as loader team

FAO - 2 men                        1    Officer, Arty Spotter

Foxholes for 20 men                    0    3+ cover saves

10” barbed wire                        0

2 Dug-outs, under bocage                0    2+ cover save, for MG Teams only

1 Minefield                            0

Total                            BR 15 + attachment    2 officers, 0 scouts

Roll once for attached support (rolled 15)
D20 Roll    Attached  + BR
1-4        PAK-38 with 4 crew and truck tow    +3

5-9        Sniper + observer                +1    (Vets) Sniper-scout

10-12        CHQ (FHQ) - 3 men in Kubelwagen    +3    (Vets) Senior Officer, Mortar Spotter

13-14        sIG33 with 3 crew and truck tow    +2    + loader team

15-17        Pzschreck team - 2 men            +1    *D6+1 shots

18-20        Mortars Spotter Team - 2 men        +1    Mortar Spotter


Artillery Support
3 x PRTPs
Off-table 2 x 80mm mortar
2 x 2nd Priority Artillery Requests (maximum is Divisional request)

* Ammo trailer, counts as a loader team    


US FORCES - TASK FORCE X  (All Regs)

1 M8 Greyhound AC                1    Scout

M4 Sherman Platoon (3 tanks)            9    Officer

Arm Infantry Platoon HQ in M3            3    Officer, Mortar Spotter
10 men with a Bazooka*

Arm Infantry Squad in M3            3    Mortar Spotter
10 men with BAR and Bazooka*

Arm Infantry MG Squad in M3            3
2 x .30 cal MMG Teams - 3 men

Total                        BR 19 + attachments    2 officers, 1 scout

Roll once for attached support (rolled 16)
D20 Roll    Attached  + BR
1-6        FAO Team - 2 men in Jeep        +2    Arty Spotter, Officer
       
             and
             Jeep Recce - 3 men in Jeep            Scout (note, no pintle-mounted MG)
                              

7-14        2 x M8 Greyhounds            +2    Scouts

15-18        Engineer Squad - 10 men in truck    +3    Engineers
, with flamethrower, mine detector, D6 demo charges (5)

19-20        2 x M4 Shermans                +6    

Artillery Support
Off-table - 1 x 81mm mortar from M21 Half-Track
3 x 1st Priority Artillery Requests (only if FAO team attached, maximum of divisional request)



The game was a cracker… for US, routes through the bocage were hard to find. The engineers blew a hole through a hedge to allow access into the woods (still counting as dangerous terrain to cross), but the German minefield on the road, covered by a Pak-40, made the obvious route very lethal. The engineers would be busy blasting an alternative.

The early turns passed quickly with the US getting on the table, under harassing mortar fire, some pinning, and the engineer’s deuce-and-a-half instantly bogging down in the mud. They;d be on foot from now on, humping their demo-charges about. The US’ first advance into the woods encountered the first MG bunker under the opposite bocage and it proved very tough, not failing any cover saves as .30 cals, M1 rifles and 75mm HE lashed it! The returning MG and mortar fire got some US troops and half tracks pinned and that cost a few BR counters to remove. The US replied with their single mortar (M21 half-track, off-table, but as I have a rarely used old converted one, it came on the US table edge), targeting the Hauts-Vents farm, but doing little, except one wild round did unfortunately kill my Panzerschreck team, sneaking up through the ditches – boom, urgh!, first German KIAs. Stalled, unwilling to risk the unpinned MG-42 bunkers at short range, it seemed Task Force X would not get far today. That was until they pulled an Air Attack counter and passed the check. Jabos! In came a P-51 and bombed the crossroads, pinning the Pak and an MG team. With the ambush-waiting Pak suddenly out of action, for the moment, an M8 decided to risk the minefield (not waiting on the engineers would were themselves now pinned by mortar fire on the road junction, in a ditch). The kamakazi armoured car sped down the lane, and – boom! Destroyed… can’t roll a 1-2 when you need to. Its smoking wreck was now another obstacle in the lane.

As US fire built-up against my two forward bunkers, I unpinned and pulled the MG teams out, and they withdrew before being lost, heading back to main line of resistance, job done. The US aircraft was sudden back, and it strafed the lane behind the farm destroying an Opel Blitz (the Pak’s tow)… that counter, along with 1 for the air attack and 1 to unpin the Pak-40 meant trouble, with only 16 BR, my counters rushed up for 6, to 15 – Eek! That Jabos would win it. Except, my 20mm flak (on SdKfz 10) opened up and hit, pinning the P-51… did the US have the BR to risk unpinning? It seemed not… because the P-51 never returned. I was hanging on by 1 BR point, still mortaring away and preying his mortar didn’t hit anything. It didn’t - due to a failed comms tests (HT must be re-arming), and then, as his infantry pushed on to the next hedgerow, my grenadiers opened rifle fire from ambush, breaking an .30 cal MG team as they were setting-up in the hedge. They ran, and the chit taken broke Task Force X – Yes! A German win, by 1 BR point. I had just, only just, held Hauts-Vents. It was very tense at the end.

It was small, squad-level game, and lasted less than 2 hours. US loses were about 12 men, 1 ‘crazy’ M8, 1 bogged down truck. German looses, about 8 men and 1 Opel Blitz.

The way the campaign VPs work from the book, I have changed. Instead of its more complex method, we agreed campaign VPs would equal the winning margin on BR (so here, 1!), maxing out at 10. Other scenario special bonus as written would apply (so in this scenario, +5 VPs for 4+ US AFVs KO’d by the Germans – not a hope of that here). The winner also gets ‘attachment credits’ to spend on changing his attachment roll result in future games. + or - 2 to the Germans for the first win.

With the board set-up (it took longer that the game), we decided to go for Game 2 the next day. We’re in lock-down, so not like much batter to do and the board was up. So, Sunday would see Pz Lehr strike, over the same table. Wrecks (and bogged truck) remain in place, I added a few craters were the most mortaring had occurred and where the P-51s bombs hit.

Germans wait for the approach of Task Force X

Road blocked by a minefield and covered by my main AT weapon

US engineers arrive first and de-buss as their truck gets stuck.

Bocage MG-42 bunker

Sherman moves up to thr wire and tries to suppress a bunker. Engineers would later blast the wire open.

M3 pinned by mortar fire.

US forces move through the woods and engage the MG bunker opposite, to no-effect.

Jabos!

Bombs away!

Kamizake charge! Dead M8...

Engineers clear the wire, and are pinned by 80mm bombs raining in.

Rare tabletop time for my old M21 conversion.

P-51 strafing victim

Mortaring the farm house, didn't get the FAO team inside.

US counters

German counters, 15 from 16, the narrowest of wins