FoW & Ian's terrain boards

Yesterday Ian and I managed two fun games of FoW (LW) on his terrain boards. It is probably only the second time they have been used which is a shame as they are absolutely stunning!

Ian's Airfix Bailey Bridge- he's made two versions for his board. one intact...


The other destroyed.


All his buildings are scratch built.









Onto the games
We played No Retreat twice- we both got to attack and defend- the table was ideal for it. Both games were close and see-sawed but in the end the defenders hung on for 4-3 wins- although in both games it came down to a stay on the board check so were very close!

Ian ran a Grenadier company

• 3x platoons
• 4x stugs
• 4x MkIVs
• 4x 120mm Mortars

I ran US Vet Rifles (FE II- Italy)

• 2x Rifle platoons
• 1x full weapons platoon (because I had no more infantry)
• 3x 57mm AT
• 4x Hellcats (vets)
• 4x 105s
• Limited Thunderbolts

A few random pictures rather than a blow by blow account of the games:






An assault goes in- we treated the river as simply very difficult to infantry and impassable to all vehicles. It was going to be hard enough without using the river crossing rules!


Hellcat Ambush- they took out the panzerIVs


Stugs push forward to grab an objective after my infantry finally break- an observer attaching to a platoon to launch an assualt (50/50 chance of the assualt going in) was the only thing that managed to keep me in the game at this point!


The assualt goes in...



57mm AT guns took care of a stug and artillery managed to bail one as well.


Hellcats to the rescue. IIRC we bailed the last stug which failed its morale test and scarpered leaving the Germans with only 2 platoons left on table and with no CO it was a close victory to the Americans. So close in fact that had the stugs not fled the German won at the start of his turn as we could not contest the objective!



GAME 2
Another nasty river assualt. The order is given to advance.




M20 utilities cautiously cross a bridge- expecting to be ambushed at any moment.



An infantry platoon clears the enemy of the fields on the edge of the river.


Only to be destroyed when panzer IVs ambush and roll over their positions.


Stug reserves arrive and take up position.




The infantry (even with company commander attached) failed to unpin for two turns so it was left to the 2x carbine teams and a hellcat to drive the Germans from their foxholes on the rivers edge!


At this point the camera batteries died. The game continued to see-saw until I was left with:
A single HQ stand + 60mm mortar in the weapons platoon, 2x LMGs (combat attached and the only two teams left!) as part of one infantry platoon, my artillery and hellcats. I lost the commander of the hellcats and they fled dropping me to 2 platoons out of 6. But Ian was also only 1 team away from breaking with no company commander as well (he managed ot keep his last stug on table with no company commander elft either) so it really did go down to the wire!

The game was brutal but fun.

Thoughts
I enjoyed using Vet hellcats but missed a third infantry platoon so will take those instead of a weapons platoon in future. I really msut be my butt into gear and build some terrain boards-the ones we played on are truly inspirational!

Craig