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.

The Gembloux Gap Campaign Battle 02 - The Culverts at Noirmont

The next battle in the Too Fat Lardies' Gembloux Gap pint-sized campaign is entitled "The Culverts at Noirmont"; this is basically a bridge destruction scenario, although, with the name being the clue, the targets for destruction being culverts rather than bridges...

 

 

 

Having got through the outer crust at Perbais, the Germans now release the Panzers whilst the French attempt to stop, or more realistically, delay them. 

 

As usual, I am using "The Farquhar Variant" of the WRG rules: essentially the 1979 2nd edition "Modern" rules re-engineered to cover WW2.

 

 

The Forces:

The French:

1 Rifle command group

1 Rifle/rifle-grenadier group

3 Rifle/LMG groups

3 Rifle groups

1 Panhard armoured car

1 25mm anti-tank gun

2 engineer demolition groups 

The Germans:

The basic German platoon consists of:

1 SMG command group

1 50mm light mortar team

5 Rifle groups

3 GPMG groups

The following reinforcements were given to the German platoon:

1 Panzer IIIc

1 Panzer IVb

1 SdKfz 221

1 MG34 SFMG

1 37mm ATG with tractor

1 FOO with 80mm mortar battery on call

1 Pioneer demolitions team

1 Sniper

Company HQ (1 SMG command group)

Ouch indeed...

The two French engineer groups are working on the culverts: one will blow up after turn 6, the other will blow up after turn 12.  If the Germans prevent either explosion, they have succeeded.

The Set-Up:

The sleepy village of Noirmont.  The French enginners can be seen working around the culverts: meanwhile, the French platoon has a section deployed in the woods just adjacent to the culvert bottom-centre; in the hedges and barn by the junction (centre), and in the hedge below the second junction (centre-top).  The anti-tank gun is hidden in the farm complex (bottom-left), the Panhard and the rifle grenadiers are by the building in the top-left, and the platoon command group is in the square-ish building near the second culvert.

A closer look at the anti-tank gun hidden in the farm but covering the junction; and a rifle section is hidden in the woods by the culvert.

The French have two rifle sections by the hedge along the road, with a few soldiers held back in the building (bottom) as a reserve; the platoon commander is by the building (centre).

The engineers are working on the culvert (bottom-left), with the platoon's grenadiers in the L-shaped building.  A Panhard armoured car hides behind the cottage, doubtless trying to avoid being spotted from the air...

n.b. Where an infantry element is next to a building, that was for display purposes: the element is actually in the building and removed from the table, so if one doesn't show up where you were expecting, that is why.

The Battle:

Squad 1 gingerly enters over the high ground...

A wider shot

The French must be dozing or something, because the squad manages to get down the slope without being spotted!

Meanwhile, the Germans have managed to infiltrate forward on their right flank, bringing up an infantry gun

The French spot it but choose not to reveal their positions by firing

The French on the other flank do now spot the advancing German infantry however...

and in a few seconds, four Germans fall to the French fusillade - the others have their heads down out of the way at the bottom of the tree line

German 2 Squad arrives: but the entire platoon is halted, wondering what has just happened and what is going on

A sniper has snurgled forward onto the hill without being spotted, but he too isn't feeling too much like advancing at the moment!

After 30 minutes, the Germans have achieved absolutely nothing apart from lose four men, and the first culvert is blown! 

The management is not happy...the German Captain arrives to take over affairs and brings up the rest of the platoon, a tank, an armoured car, an extra machinegun, an anti-tank gun and a FOO to get things going!!!!!  Whatever might be thought of their dash or lack of it, the German platoon has obviously taken concealment seriously - none of the foot elements get spotted!!

As the Germans push forward, another tank (a Panzer III) and a small team of Pioneers arrives to assist

The Germans have got going, but again been hit by effective French small arms fire: the light mortar team was shot down as it moved down the slope, and the platoon commander is pinned down by the hedge

The French marksmanship has been very good early on - if only it had been matched by their observation skills!

The Panzer IV crew, by contrast, spies a little movement in the hedgerow...

The French suffer their first casualties as the 75mm HE round lands close enough to make life impossible

But the French infantry was not unsupported: the anti-tank gun is covering the junctions..

...and when the SdKfz 221 boldly moves forward to try and probe the French defences...

...it does not miss! The German armoured car is destroyed

However, the Panzer III has moved up towards the culvert, and only the Panhard can stop it...it emerges from its cover to fire...

...the gunner does his job and the Panzer III is hit...but the shot is deflected

the German pioneers are following in the wake of the Panzer III, as the Germans break right; the French infantry fire but without much effect, merely keeping a few German heads down...

The German return fire is rather more accurate, and more Frenchman go down

Whilst more accurate German rifle and machinegun fire cuts down the other French squad in the woods!

And at the end of a dismal few minutes for the French, the Panzer III knocks out the Panhard for good measure

This proves too much for the French, who begin to run: the French crew try and limber up their gun

15 French infantry (including 4 running through the building to avoid detection/fire) and 3 engineers in flight

The wider picture: note the Germans advancing through the woods (bottom)

Most of the French get away, but these last four are too slow and surrender to the German pioneers

The French anti-tank gunners decided there was no route back, so abandoned their gun and team to the advancing Germans

The position at the end of the battle

Game Notes: 

The Germans lost 3 KIA, 6 WIA and an armoured car.  The French lost an armoured car, an anti-tank gun, 5 KIA, 11 WIA and 4 unwounded prisoners.  Well, it was all going so well for my Frenchmen at the beginning, wasn't it?  The German initial card draws were very weak and their advances were quickly stopped so I began to wonder if the battle was going to be a piece of cake.  And then the Germans arrived en masse and swamped the French defence.  In fairness to myself, the Germans could never have had that much stuff in a face-to-face playing of this scenario, but it can be done in my solo rules, since the draw is much more random and allows combinations which are impossible in the normal scenario (e.g. a Panzer III and a Panzer IV).  And it really would have been quite easy for this to be a terrible German failure, since the initial platoon advance was stopped in its tracks and could not get going until a commander arrived or there was another reaction test forced by the French fire...who weren't going to do that unless a decent target turned up.  Even then it was quite touch and go - the odds were actually with the Panhard in the AFV duel but their round failed to penetrate and the Panzer III's shell did - after which it would have been really difficult for the French, even if their morale didn't just collapse anyway. 

So a very exciting game - and not too much to say about the rules that I haven't said before.  I made some changes to the threat generation system, using the area entry I used in the previous game but this time the 'threat' is automatically generated at the furthest point that the 'threat could be seen on that line of advance. So, the German infantry gun rolled a '1' for its entry point.  I used equally weighted arrival points in this game, so this meant 5cm down from the top-right corner.  But no French element could spot it there, so it was allowed to move forward until just by the house at the top, where it was possible that French elements could see it.  As long as you have mental "routes of approach" mapped from each point towards the objective, this is really easy to do and it seemed to work quite well. Obviously in this game I as the solo player ended up pretty overwhelmed: but that is all part of the solo game for me, the flipside to the games when it ends up being a turkey shoot...

Buildings were a mixture, mainly by Leven, on a 60cm x 60 cm board.  The figures and guns are by Baccus and Adler (with a couple from GHQ too), with the vehicles by Heroics and Ros.