The Gembloux Gap Campaign Battle 03 - Blitzkrieg on Villeroux II

Since the Germans were (just!) held off in the previous battle, they have to have another go at the Blitz on Villeroux scenario, the third scenario (and now the fifth engagement) of the Too Fat Lardies' pint-sized campaign Taking the Gembloux Gap.

 

As usual, I am using "The Farquhar Variant", John D Salt's variation of the WRG 1950-85 modern rules re-imagined for the WW2 period.

 

 

The Forces:

The French:

1 Rifle command group

1 Rifle grenadier group

1 Rifle + LMG group

1 Rifle group

1 25mm ATG and limber

1 Renault R35

1 Panhard

The French platoon is really weak now after suffering heavy losses in the previous two engagements

The Germans

1 SMG command group

4 Rifle groups

2 GPMG groups

Plus the following additions:

1 SMG company command group

1 le.IG18

2 Stuka dive bombers

1 car

1 pioneer team

support from a 105mm howitzer battery

The Set-Up:

The same battlefield, although losses have forced the French to redeploy: the top wood has been abandoned, the remaining infantry section is in the bottom wood, the anti-tank gun is by the junction, the tank and the armoured car are behind the L-shaped building with the platoon command group in, and the rifle grenadiers are in the big building (top-left)

Another view

The single consolidated rifle section in L-formation in the woods, with the anti-tank gun guarding the junction

The AFVs are sheltering behind the L-shaped building

The Battle:

A German squad arrives: it has commandeered a car from somewhere and four Landsers are in it.  The remainder advance on foot.

This time the Germans are being more methodical: a battery of 105mm howitzers shells the village

Most of the French troops are suppressed, and the anti-tank guns horse team is wiped out

And then, in an early and heavy blow to the French, the rifle grenadiers are eliminated by some direct hits on the big building!

The bombardment lifts and the Germans instead bring up the smaller, but still useful, infantry gun

Then the Stukas arrive! (Okay they are 109s, but I amongst friends, no?)

Not that they spot much...which is fine, since they both miss by a mile anyway! Fortunately the Germans hadn't begun advancing much yet (the foot soldiers are sneaking through the wheatfield (top-right))

In a bold (foolhardy? rash?) move, the Germans adapt the failed tactics from the last battle and instead use the car to drive very quickly up to the building and jump out!

Another view.  The unfortunate gap left in the French arcs by the elimination of the rifle grenadier group allowed the Germans to get away with their bold move!

Most of the rest of the German platoon arrives (2 squads), led by the company commander in person and a pioneer team. 

Another view

The Renault R35 moves forward: the advanced German rifle group has hopped into the building, abandong the car; the tank therefore concentrates on pinning the Germans trying to advance by the road; however, the remainder of the first German squad has managed to get to the corner of the top wood (top)

Some devastating MG34 fire cuts down the anti-tank gun crew! Meanwhile, the French platoon command is coming under heavy fire from the rifle group in the building, plus the German infantry off to the right

The French platoon commander can stand no more, and he, followed by the rest of his platoon, beat a hasty retreat! However, just as the French rifle section is running across the road...

They are gunned down by the German MG34 and riflemen in the corner of the top wood!

Waiting for a gap in the firing, the surviving French riflemen try to escape...

But they are cut down too!

The position at the end of the battle: the German infantry is mainly by the hedge in the centre

Game Results:

The French lost 6 KIA and 12 WIA (all taken prisoner), plus the anti-tank gun and the horses.  The Germans lost no-one, only a couple of soldiers received minor wounds.

Game Notes:

The French managed to combine being unlucky and outnumbered and outgunned in a pretty terrible combination! The French casualties were distributed evenly between those from artillery fire and those cut down by machine gun fire: all very realistic and it is very possible that no one was incapacitated by rifle fire on either side...

Not much to say on this one, really.  If not using semi-realistic command and control, the French armour could have wreaked havoc on the Germans but since orders in this game have to be defined (they are supposed to be written, but since it is just me, I simply declare it) then those kind of omniscient-gamer moves just don't happen...it might have worked in this game, but on the other hand, they might well have been spotted and knocked out by the Stuka strike in short order, so who knows?  I am a bit unhappy that the Germans in this campaign don't carry anti-tank rifles though, just in case...

There should be another fight with this French platoon before it gets replaced for the final battle, but since it is literally just the lieutenant, a sergeant and a runner left, not sure how realistic that is?!? But they would have some attachments..thinking that one over.

Figures by Baccus 6mm and Adler, vehicles and guns by Heroics & Ros, aircraft by Plastic Soldier Company.
 

The Gembloux Gap Campaign Battle 03 - Blitzkrieg on Villeroux

The next action in the Too Fat Lardies' Gembloux Gap campaign continues the German attack - this time against the French defenenders of the hamlet of Villeroux.  All the Germans have to do is get forces off the western side of the table.

 

 

Again, the rules used are "The Farquhar Variant", John D Salt's version of the WRG 1950-1985 Modern rules retro-fitted to the WW2 area.

 

 The Forces:

The French:

1 Rifle Command group

1 Rifle Grenadier group

2 Rifle + LMGs groups

2 Rifle groups

1 Panhard

1 Renault R35

1 25mm anti-tank gun and limber

 

Eagle-eyed readers may have spotted that the French platoon is a little stronger than it was left at the end of the last game.  Normally I am a 'let the chips fall where the may' player but John D Salt has made some modifications to small arms lethality which make it much harder for infantry to be eliminated in certain circumstances: this will unduly penalize the French since they have suffered heavier losses and would then move in to a lower casualty environment going forward, making it harder for any fortune to balance out.  With that in mind, both sides were allowed to restore 50% of their infantry losses from the last game (but this benefited the French more, since they lost more).

 

The Germans:

1 SMG Command Group

5 Rifle groups

3 LMG groups

1 Panzer IIIA

1 SdKfz 221

1 Pak36 and tractor

1 FOO with 8cm mortar battery on call

The Set-Up:

The French are defending the hamlet, while the Germans will advance from the East (right); the wall at the top of the board is like a computer game 'edge of the world' feature to make the board into the correct shape for the scenario.

French infantry in the woods and in the bottom house (centre), with the platoon commander in the L-shaped building.

A closer look: the Renault R35 is located just below the junction, and the Panhard is hidden behind the L-shaped building. the Rifle grenadiers are located in the big building at the top of the village.

Another look at the French infantry in the bottom woods

The remaining French are in the top woods: the anti-tank gun at the bottom-left corner of the wood, with the infantry split between the bottom and the right-edge of the woods.

 

The Battle:

The Germans arrive by the road: a Panzer III, accompanied by the Pak36 and an infantry squad.

But the French anti-tank gun spots the attackers immediately and knocks out the Panzer III right at the beginning of the battle!

The view towards the French gun at the edge of the woods

The German mortar fire controller arrives, hidden by the wheatfield (in reality, about 3' high)

The Germans begin returning fire towards the woods

The German bullets whizz into the trees but hit nothing

The German infantry move forwards under cover of the hedges

The German mortar fire controller calls in the 8cm mortars onto the woods - French heads are kept firmly down and half the infantry section is hors de combat

The German infantry try to move into position to develop a base of fire....

More rifle fire breaks out from the houses of the village, cutting down the MG34 team

The remainder of the German infantry hug the ground behind the hedges to avoid the crossfire

More german infantry arrive, along with an MG34 in the support role

The Germans bring up the the Pak36; note that the French anti-tank gun limber has been eliminated in the mortar bombardment (which has now lifted)

Everything has gone quiet for the Germans now: the surviving French in the top woods have moved back to the top-left edge, out of the way.

The French platoon commander waves the Panhard forward to cover the open areas uncovered by the withdrawal of the French troops in the woods: the French anti-tank gun is now in its new position at the corner of the top wood.

The German infantry resumes its advance towards the village

But they are cut down in the crossfire by some very very accurate French rifle fire

The Germans are halted but begin to pour fire into one of the located sources of fire, the building by the junction (bottom-left)

The French riflemen are eliminated

But then the German mortar fire controller team (edge of wheatfield) is located by the Panhard at the corner of the big building (bottom-left)...

...and is cut down in turn

The remaining French infantry in the bottom woods re-occupy the building

The Germans change direction and plan to assault the southern woods

More Germans arrive: the Platoon command group, another squad, the le.IG18 and an SdKfz221 - which is immediately destroyed by accurate fire from the Panhard

A wider shot

Discouraged by heavy losses in soldiers and vehicles, the Germans pull back - perhaps not realizing the weak state of the French defences or the damage they had caused

A wider shot of the position at the end of the battle.

Game Results:

The French managed to hold on, just.  The French lost 3 KIA, 5 WIA and a horse-limber team.  The Germans lost a Panzer III, an armoured car, 5 KIA and 13 WIA.

Game Notes:

All very good fun and it could have gone either way: some very accurate French shooting at key moments made the difference - plus the moving forward of the Panhard at the right moment.  It should be made clear perhaps that the French had less than 50% chance of each of those vehicle kills - even less for some of the infantry kills. The Germans might have made another flanking move rather than the central advance that their deployment suggested, but it isn't particularly clear that that would have worked better.  And the Germans simply hadn't located the other French positions. The German mortar fire was pretty effective and the various artillery control mechanisms are a real strong point of these rules.

The change to infantry lethality worked quite well: small arms and machineguns were very effective against infantry that was moving, but high explosive was needed to winkle them out of cover, which feels all as it should be.
In any case there was nothing that happened which seemed unbelievable which is always a good thing.

The German figures are by Baccus 6mm, the French by Adler.  The vehicles are mainly Heroics and Ros, with the exception of the Pak36 tractor (a GHQ).  Buildings mainly be Leven, I think.