Nuts! Normandy '44 Campaign - Mission 02: Attack on Blanchemaison

Following on from their success in their intial patrol mission, our plucky Brits from the Tyneside Scottish have been assigned their second task in the Nuts! Final Version Normandy 1944 campaign - an attack on the edge of the small town of Blanche Maison.

Nuts! Final Edition

The "Attack" mission calls for the deployment of a full platoon, so I used the following order of battle:

Platoon HQ:
Me - Platoon Commander (SMG) Rep 6
Sgt Kerr - (SMG) Rep 5
Pte Hopkins - Rifle/Signaller Rep 4
PIAT team (2 x Rep 4)
2" Mortar team (1 x Rep 4, 2 x Rep 3)

1 Section:




Cpl Williams - Section Commander (rifle) Rep 5
LCpl Robson - Section 2IC (rifle) Rep 4
Pte Charlton - Bren Gunner Rep5
Pte Todd - Bren Gunner 2nd Rep 4
Pte Armstrong -  Rifleman Rep 4
Pte Brown - Rifleman Rep5
Pte Elliot - Rifleman Rep3
Pte Johnson - Rifleman Rep4

2 Section:
Cpl Robinson - Section Commander (rifle) Rep 5
+7 inc. JNCO, Bren Gunner + no.2, 4 Riflemen (all Rep 4)

3 Section:
 Cpl Armstrong - Section Commander (rifle) Rep 5
+9 inc. JNCO, Bren Gunner + no.2, 4 Riflemen (Rep 4, except Rifleman 9 & 10 are Rep 3)

The Battle:

The SW approach to Blanche Maison.  The British approach from the South (bottom), using the hedge, contours and buildings for cover. 

A closer look from the lead element of 2 Section towards the pond and the village

1 Section approach a farm on the right flank

...and the riflemen move through whilst the Bren covers the road junction.  The Bren team guns down a Panzerschrek team which attempts to nip across the road past the hedge.

Eek! The remainder of a German Platoon turns up on the British left flank!  The riflemen of 3 section engage and there are casualties on both sides.  The German machinegunners are temporarily silenced as they suffer three wounded, but one of the British riflemen is killed out right.

Another German section is generated and tries to outflank 3 Section.  However, 1 Section is in the perfect position to enfilade the Germans as they cross the road.  In less than a minute, half the Germans are hors de combat.

A wider view at the same moment.

When the German NCO goes down, the Germans caught on the road break and run.

Situation on the left at the end of the battle - more Germans are generated (off-picture top right) so the British Pl Comd, after losing another man to the German platoon in the field (who have got their MG42s back into action), decides to withdraw.  This was carried out without further ado.  Mission failed!

Outcome: That didn't go too well, did it?!  The Germans were clearly in the village in company strength and the Brit Pl Comd figured that pushing the attack would be suicidal.  Because the actual firefights in the game happened in circumstances helpful to the British, the Germans lost more men (4 KIA, 8 WIA) against 2 KIA, 4 WIA for the British, but there was clearly no chance once the second German Platoon was generated.  This is just the way it goes in Nuts! though...the advantages that the British gained in the firefights were lost because of the formidable German reinforcement rolls.

Game Notes: Not an entirely satisfactory game, this.  Nothing at all to do with the rules, which again performed admirably, but from set-up issues on my part. After the success of the first game, I once again plumped for using my 6mm figures.  However, although individually-based 6mm figures were okay in section-strength, when I began to set-up a full platoon, it just became annoying.  So, I decided to use the multiple-based figures which I normally use for WRG 1925-1950 Platoon and Company-level actions, figuring that since much of the information was kept on rosters anyway, I would simply use the rosters for engagements and not worry too much about the status of individual figures.  This all worked absolutely fine.  Where the problems did arise was that Nuts! really requires that the exact position of each figure in relation to the terrain and LOS is known, in a way impossible with multi-based figures.  So this meant I had to put in a "reality test" at various stages, to work out where figures within the section would be in reality, using the base only as indicative.  This did work after a fashion, but it did slow and stress the game, because it didn't rattle along with its normal speed.  It may be that this can be made to work, but I will need to do some more thinking and testing before I try this again.  Or I may just switch and use my 15mm figures!  The reason that I haven't done this is that I don't have much 15mm terrain and I have a far smaller selection of 15mm vehicles, should they be needed.  So more thought needed before I proceed.
Rules were of course the Nuts! final version from Two Hour Wargames, figures from Baccus, Adler and GHQ, buildings from Total Battle Miniatures and Leven Miniatures.