Sitrep: It's Normandy 1944, a few days after D-Day, Oeration Overlord. A small battle-group of the Wessex Division, the Westcountry infantry probes into the French village of Le Twittierre up the main road to Caen. It consists of a two section depleted platoon supported by a Sherman '75 and a PIAT Team in a bren gun carrier. On hearing from the locals that German troops are in the noth end of the village, the infantry debuss from their lorries and the battle-group takes up a combat formation.
Kampfgruppe Murphy takes up position straddling the road using the rubble created by a naval bombardment for cover. They include a depleted infantry platoon supported by a Hanomag for the platoon HQ and a STUG III assault gun.
The Sherman advances up the road covered by fire from a Vickers gun to keep back panzerfaust men. The STUG crests the hill and opens fire. The Sherman halts and a tank duel starts. Neither vehicle can land a killer punch for shot after shot.
To break the deadlock, the British throw forward an infantry section and the PIAT team moves forward to stalk the STUG. The other British section supported by the Carrier and the Vickers pin down the bulk of the German infantry on the German left flank.
Crisis: The British infantry start taking losses. The PIAT team rush the STUG and open fire but miss. The STUG doesn't, its Spandeau cutting down the tommies. Spandeau fire from the German left takes out the Vickers.
Victory: The STUG blows a track of the Sherman but return fire sets the STUG on fire and its crew bail out. The German position is now hopeless as the Sherman dominates the road splitting the German platoon into two groups and the British infantry can roll up the German right flank.
Kampfgruppe Murphy retreats but it has bought time and inflicted irreplacable losses on the British infantry for the loss of a STUG.
Afterthoughts: (i) Spandeaus are bloody vicious and a terrible threat to allied infantry. (ii) In a small game (about 700 pts) the tank duel decides the game.
That is a weakness in a small game...the tanks determine the winner in a real sense, and the rest is often a sideshow.
ReplyDeleteUnless of course you are doing a piece of Kursk, and its tank battles all the way down... :)
Dear Paul
ReplyDeleteSee my next post. Skirmish Batrep from Kursk.
:)
J
Thanks for the report! I just looked at the BA book this weekend, I think tanks should not be in low point games like yours but closer to 1k lists perhaps.
ReplyDeleteDear Styx
ReplyDeleteI have a bigger point Batrep to put up today.
J
Very nice report!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm rather interested in the relative power of the vehicles in this game. I've been surprised by the low count of infantry A/Tweapons allowed (although as a British player, they're bound to be relatively weak anyway...!
ReplyDelete