Nuts! Normandy Campaign Mission 05: Attack on Lac d'Iseult

Pressing home their advantage, our plucky Tommies from the Tyneside Scottish, have some scoff, a brew and a fag, pull-through their weapons, bomb up and mount up for the next attack...

This mission is very similar to the previous one, an attack through the countryside to try and penetrate the weakening German defences around a small pond in some parkland.  The German force is down to morale level 1 now, so another successful mission might just seal victory...

The Tyneside Scottish have a more-or-less full platoon, although with a couple more Rep 3 replacements newly-joined since the casualties suffered in the last mission.

The Mission:

The battlefield.  Mainly woods and hills, with a big pond/minute lake in the corner.  The British are advancing from the btottom of the board as viewed.

1 Section, the Pl Sgt and the 2" mortar team advance gingerly into the dead ground

Note the potetial enemy forces (PEFs): one near the hedge by the house, one right in the centre, one top-right (also in the open)

Contact!  British LMGs from 1 Section (bottom left, on the hill) and 2 Section (by the lake) open fire on the German MG42 caught in the open - it is despatched in short order.

2 Section's view of the German MG42 pair.  You can see them, honest!

Position cleared, note the German PEFs starting to appear closer.

The Pl Sgt, a Bren gun team and the 2" mortar team adopt a position atop one of the hills.  They spy another set of Germans - a full section - in the open (just seen between the two woods)

The eagle's eye view:  British Pl Sgt's group on top of the hill, the Pl Comd leading 3 Section into the woods (extreme right); the Germans caught in the open are about to get plastered

The British LMG and 2" mortar open up: the Germans are suppressed and have no answer, the MG42 silenced in the first seconds

The Germans lose six casualties in a few moments: the survivors break and run (top-right)

And 3 Section and the Pl Comd eliminate the rest as they emerge through the woods before they can make good their escape.  However, at this point, more stray artillery hits the British!  One man is killed and two are injured from 2 Section.

More bad luck!  A wandering German patrol comes in to the British rear.

The German patrol's view: nothing seen

The German section adopts covered positions; the British Pl Comd decides to ignore them

Without much further incident, the majority of the British Pl is able to exit the German-side of the battlefield.  Victory!

Game Notes: The British were very fortunate with the position of the German PEFs in this one, as they were able to catch both of them (the other was a 'false alarm') in the open and hit them with superior firepower.  I was able to use the additional THW mortar rules and they seemed to work fine; the 2" mortar on the hill was very effective indeed!  Even when the unexpected German reinforcements came up, they luckily arrived in such a place as they could be ignored safely.  Mirroring reality very well, every single casualty in this game was caused by artillery, mortar or machinegun fire.
And that about wraps up this campaign, as the Germans' campaign morale is now 0.  However, the main objective of this series of games was to teach myself the basic mechanics in a fun way before I start thinking about how to adapt them more fully to my ways of thinking and to look at creating some more involved scenarios.  The rules have been everything I imagined they would be and more.  I will try and write a more full review when I have played a couple more times and at least had a proper go with some armour/anti-tank interactions but I really like this game.  The games are quick and simple to pick up, but very involving to play.  I only wish I'd had this game at 12 - 14: I would have absolutely loved it!
As in all the other games in the series, I used Baccus 6mm, Adler and GHQ figures, Leven Miniatures' buildings, Nuts! Final Edition rules on a 2'x2' board.  I hope that this short campaign has been interesting and maybe useful for those who play or who are considering playing this ruleset.