BA Somewhere in Italy 1944

Kent dropped by for our much anticipated game.

I ran 1000pts of kiwis
1st lieutenant
Free observer
3x reg sections (8 men incl LMG)
1x Maori section (as above- using commando rules)
Mortar
Sniper
Recce carrirs
6pdr
Sherman

Kent ran his SS:
HQ
3x sections (2 vets, 1x reg each about 9 storng with 2x SMGs and a LMG in each)
81mm Mortar
75mm infantry gun
MMG
222 AC
Stug

We've given the Germans a choice of special rules and Kent chose stormtrooper (which is basically the British tough as boots rule)

We rolled up Hold until Relieved and I got to defend.

I placed two sections in the building and waited for reinforcements. Two sections of SS organised behind a copse.

A German sniper appeared on a hillside- taking a shot at my sniper before being taken our by small arms fire from the stone house.

All appears quiet...for the moment.

Kiwi reinforcements rush forward to support the infantry holding the Stone House.

The German's start to infiltrate through the woods.

And soon a stug appears to reinforce the assault.

A view from the far end, the third SS platoon advance towards a cornfield, my reinforcements arrive from the right table edge.

 A 222 armoured car sneaks forward to fire on the Stone House.

 A Sherman arrives to bolster the defence and manages to damage the stug.

In the woods the SS wait the order to charge the house.

Meanwhile the other section creeps though the cornfield.

The Maori section advances to counter the German flanking move.

The 6pdr prepares to fire on the stug.

The stug has a total of 6 pins (3 of which came from my artillery barrage) but on turn 4 it managed to rally and remove them all!

The Maori section fans out ready to charge. All I need was to win the first dice on the next turn...

Unfortunately Kent got the first dice and his assault swept away the commandos, though he lost 3 men in the process- oops perhaps I was a tad rash!

And now he assaults the troops in the Stone House.

Wow! That is a lot of troops.

 The best defence is... ATTACK. Okay, brain fade on turn 5, I decided that as there would be no defensive fire in assault I'd be better off assaulting first- but missed with 5 out of 6 dice and was smashed. A silly thing to do really, I should have fired and then taken my chance in the assault whilst defending the building.

Then the second veteran German section then charged my other section but was destroyed in the hand to hand fighting- a bit of good luck at last!. However, Kent then threw his other section into the building and killed my last remaining troops- the building was Kent's.

My last chance to salvage the game was to charge my last section in to counter attack the Germans now ensconced in the building to bolster my defence but I rolled double 6 and retreated instead!

The Germans then cleared out the other section, capturing the entire objective.

 The final section opens fire on my carrier, causing a pin.

And there the game ends.

Result: Victory to the Germans. I lost 5 or 6 units and Kent two so again it ended up quite decisive in the last turn or two. Two silly, rash mistakes really cost me but Kent kept his assault troops intact and timed his charge perfectly- though I thought he'd left it a turn to late.

Another fun game, neither of our artillery was very effective- a few pins here (I pinned the stug) and there but my mortar never showed up! I much preferred having 4 infantry manouvre units.

Craig