Heretical Gaming is my blog about my gaming life, featuring small skirmishes and big battles from many historical periods (and some in the mythic past or the far future too). The focus is on battle reports using a wide variety of rules, with the occasional rules review, book review and odd musing about the gaming and history. Most of the battles use 6mm-sized figures and vehicles, but occasionally 15mm and 28mm figures appear too.

Monday 4 March 2019

29, Let's Go! Campaign! - Mission 2, Second Attempt

Having been ambushed and forced to withdraw with heavy casualties in his first attempt to take Arthenay, and following on from the accidental USAAF attack on his column, the US regimental commander, Colonel "Pop" Goode, was inclined to halt and prepare a full set-piece attack on the village.  However, sensing that the initiative was being lost at a moment when speed and aggression were called for, assistant Divisional Commander Cota has moved forward, given the good Colonel a stiff word, and demanded immediate action!  The US therefore send forward another infantry platoon with tank support...



Having failed in their first attempt in mission two of the Too Fat Lardies' 29, Let's Go campaign, the US will have to give it another go.  The only advantage is that the Germans did suffer the loss of an MG team in the last mission.  To maintain strength, the Platoon HQ Panzerschrek team has taken over an LMG instead...

United States:
Pl HQ:1 x Rifle group (Pl HQ); 1 x Bazooka team
3 x Squads: 3 x Rifle groups
 2 x Shermans
1 x FOO with a battery of 4 x 81mm mortars on call
1 x additional Bazooka team

n.b. As discussed in the previous mission, the organization of US infantry in these rules will very much depend upon how the player feels about the BAR.  For this mission, I have assumed that the BAR is more rifle than machine gun and is classified accordingly.

Germany:
1 x Rifle group (Pl HQ); 1 x Panzerschrek team
2 x Sections: 2 x Rifle groups; 1 x LMG team
1 x Sniper
1 x FOO with a battery of 4 x 8cm mortars on call
1 x MG42 (tripod-mounted) team
1 x IG18 and crew
1 x Pak38 and crew
1 x Pak40 and crew

2 x off-table Marders (at a nominal range of 500m.  The scenario notes in the book show their LOS.  They are assumed to be too well hidden for the Americans to spot and engage them).

The Germans are generated randomly from this list.

A slightl different deployment for the US this time: one squad and a Sherman are in a flanking overwatch position on the far side of the road

Another view

And immediately up pops a German section, and a Panzerfaust is fired towards the tank...

Missed!

The MG42 cuts down some of the supporting GIs though


However, massed firepower and good shooting lays low 6 Germans within a few moments...

And the remainder surrender

The German Platoon commander watches on, aghast

The US begin to gingerly cross the field; the firing support has driven back the German Platoon command group back from the hedgerow (left)

However, a German FOO attempts to call in a mortar strike!

The flanking US squad cross the hedge and see the FOO team - it is quickly neutralized and the Germans are not able to call in an effective strike

The German Platoon command team is pinned (top) and flanked...

And eliminated! Advancing by rushes, the US platoon moves forward

German resistance is weak: a single sniper in the buildings is identified and dealt with

The next stage is clear!
 Losses:
US: 1 KIA, 3 WIA
Germans: 6 KIA, 7 WIA (prisoners), 4 POW

Game Notes: That was much more like it from the US troops, with a slower but smoother advance paying dividends.  The US were lucky too - it would have been much more tricky if the same German troops had exchanged their positions.  In particular, if the FOO had appeared where the German Pl Comd had been. the German mortars would have caught the US infantry crossing the open field.  Whereas, as it was, the US infantry accidentally outflanked and killed the FOO quite easily.  And of course this time, the US were aware of the possibility of flanking 88mm fire, so their tanks just sat back and gave very effective support.  Some days it just goes your way!
The Threat Generation System also have the US a nice run of blank cards towards the end of the combat, which helped. Obviously the German Company Commander had no intention of holding the place...



Rules WRG 1925-50, figures and tanks by Baccus 6mm, buildings by Leven.

12 comments:

  1. I like seeing people using their favorite rules with different rule’s scenarios. I do this all the time.

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  2. I like seeing people use their favorite rules with other rule’s scenarios. I do this all the time with BKC.

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    1. Yes, me too. Thinking about it, it is more unusual for me to play a scenario with the rules actually intended for it!

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  3. Curious if you change the scenarios at all to fit the rules?

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    1. Sure, all the time. For Too Fat Lardies specifically? I don't change the basic order of battle, the terrain or the objectives too much. Because I don't use a patrol phase and extra troops are generated in a different way, those things get changed. As a solo player, I will often add in random elements to replace 'surprise' elements. For instance, in this scenario as written, there are separate umpire's maps to determine when the off-table 88s can fire. Instead, I use dice to determine that kind of stuff (to stop me having to do totally counter-productive moves when playing for one side). Plus, I will generally modify the game to fit the figures in my collection - 'make the game fit the figures' as one wise writer wrote (Conrad Kinch).

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  4. I just acquired this campaign myself. Looking forward to having some time to read your previous entries on it, too!

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  5. Thanks John, I should get some more reports up soon.

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  6. A very entertaining action report. Looking forward to the next one.

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  7. Why do you keep talking about "Marders" and "88s"? Marders were armed with 7.5cm or 76.2mm, depending on the version.

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    1. Well spotted! For a very good a reason: the US were describing them as "mobile 88s" but they were in fact Marders from Pzjg Bn 352...

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    2. Ah, the "every gun is an 88" and "every tank is a Tiger" thing. Got it.

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