BA: Hold the Line

Been a bit busy lately but last week and tonight I finally got a couple of games in vs Kent. Tonight we decided to shake things up a bit and play a modified FoW Hold the Line scenario and, although we were making it up as we went, it worked really well.

I ran my Free French:

• Vet 1st Lt
• 3x vet squads
• 1x tough fighter vets (Goumiers)
• MMG, Mortar, 105mm howitzer, 75mm Sherman, Greyhound and half track.

Kent ran his SS/FJ mix but swapped his MkIII (he usually runs it as an early war version) for his stug for extra fire power- so lost his flamethrower and panzershrek

• Vet 1st lt
• 4x Vet Squads (2x 8 man, 2x 10 men) with a sprinkling of assault rifles. 
• mortar, 105 recoiless gun, MMG, stug, 222 AC

Since it was my idea Kent got to decide to attack or defend and chose to attack. As with hold the line we played lengthwise.

Rules:

• 1/2 defenders on table, rest in reserve. 
• Each turn roll 1 die for each reserve unit, on a 6 the unit arrives. Next turn it is on a 5+, the following turn a 4+ etc.
• 2 objectives placed by the attacker at least 12" from the table centreline. The defender could then move one objective up to 6".
• To win the attacker had to have one uncontested objective at the end of a turn, otherwise the defender won.
• The defender deployed then the attacked could place all his force on the table at least 24" from the centreline, but could also use flanking forces if they wished. 

That was it really.

I chose 2x rifle squads on table, the 105mm, MMG and mortar.

The table from the Free French lines.The objectives are just in front of the hill and in the right rear corner of the area of scrub/copse on the left. One squad and the MMG are on the hill, the other squad is in the hedge row at the top of the wooded area.

And from the German perspective.

Germans advance towards the ruined house.

The stug advances, covering some infantry on the German left flank, the rest of the German force is heading towards the copse.

Turn 2 the Sherman arrives and misses the stug in the distance. The two red markers are to represent dead mortarmen- Kent's mortar took out mine, and his was taken out by a direct hit from the 105mm howitzer (the first of 4 units it claimed!)

 Return fire fro the stug immobilised the Sherman at the start of turn 3 but in return the 105mm ranged in with its first round and blew up the stug!

On the French left flank the German infantry mass and overcome my squad

 Turn 4: With the US squad destroyed the Germans stream though the copse towards the objective which was now undefended - luckily my reserves finally arrive.

The 222 hits the French half track.

Free infantry prepare to assault the advancing Germans.

Outnumbered the French inflict 3 casualties but are wiped out. Still, it may slow the Germans down a bit.

 The Goumiers now arrive and, supported by the Greyhound, advance.

The smoke represents where the 105 has just destroyed a squad of Germans, its 4th 6 to range in in a row. So far it has accounted for: the 105, the stug and now a squad of infantry!

Goumiers and SS trade blows at the end of turn 6. I'm just hanging on but Kent has lost half his units. Alas we rolled and got a turn 7.

The goumiers get shredded by SMG and assault rifle fire and my last squad on the hill desperately try to run over to contest but are out of range.

 End of turn 7, Kent survives a break test and so wins the game!

A real nail biter, and the mission worked really well. My artillery was MVP knocking out 3 squads/units, the mortar claimed another kill of the 5 German squads/units knocked out.

We are going to swap roles on the same table over the holidays and see how it goes, only tweak at this stage is to allow the defenders to start dug in.

Craig

Bolt Action- Free French vs Fallschrimjager

Kent asked for a game late yesterday and since we haven't gamed in quite a few weeks I jumped at the opportunity and grabbed one of my lists.

We decided to play Maximum Attrition as it had been a while and wanted a simple game.

I took my Free French
Reg HQ
2x 8 man Vet squads
2x 8 man Goumier squads (tough fighter)
1x Reg MMG
1x Reg mortar
1x Reg 75mm Sherman
1x Reg Greyhound AC
1x Reg M3A1 Half track
1x 57mm AT Gun

Kent Ran his Fallscrimjager
1x Vet HQ
4x 9-10 man Vet squads(1 with flamethrower)
1x MMG
1x 105mm recoiless gun
1x Panzer Mk III
1x 222 AC
1x Reg Mortar
1x Panzershrek team

Turn1: Panzershrek team advances along a hedgerow

The Free French Sherman advances to the high ground.

On the Free French right flank infantry advance to occupy a copse, supported by the half track which has a second squad embussed.

The German Mk III advances and fires at the Sherman which catches fire! Fortunately the crew remain with their tanks and pout the fire out.

German infantry spread out along the hedgerows.

Turn 2: The panzer III moved forward to engage the Sherman, and avoid the 57mm AT gun,  but missed. The greyhound then put a shell through its side armour and brewed it up. First blood to the French. The Sherman then reversed of the hill after being hit by the 105mm recoiless gun.

Meanwhile two squads and the MMG team advance with the 222 armoured car.

The US MMG team takes up position on the hill but two men are killed by the Germans in the hedgerow before they can deploy. Just out of sight my infantry squad move out and destroy the panzershrek but in return are hit by the German 105 and obliterated to a man.

Meanwhile the pins are mounting on the half track, the men aboard have jumped out but the half track itself isn't going anywhere- and is eventually pinned out of the game. In the distance you can see the 222 armoured car which is responsible for some of the pins.

Next round and there were 8 pins!

The Sherman continues to move towards the right flank but is hit by the panzershrek which needed a 2+ to immobilise/destroy it and rolled a...1. The Sherman was pinned out of the game though as the crew were not able to do anything else in the game. My regular 1st lietenant had run over to get the Sherman moving but he was cut dwon by rifle fire from the hedges.

In the past couple of turns the armoured cars duke it out without causing any damage,

The Germans then attacked the now undefended hill...

Only my mortar team, the lone MMG gunner and 57mm are on the reserve slope.

On the far right some brutal assualts go in vs the infantry in the copse. Both sides lose a squad over several bloody assaults.

So after a promising start Kent once more got himself back into the game and we ended with a 6-5 draw. A good hard fought game. more open terrain than we usually use and that made for more of a " game of trying to suppress rather than assualt but still lots of fun tactical decisions needed to be made.

Well, the half track was disappointing and underwhelming so will be ditched for some more infantry (maybe the Russian slogans ion its sides confused the crew). I will be upgrading my officer to a veteran and adding another MMG team instead- although it got hammered I really like the BoltAction.net RoF 6 MMG, much more useful. I think I will also swap the 57mm for a bazooka for a bit more mobility and see how that goes.

Thoroughly enjoyed the game after several weeks without any gaming and hope for a rematch soon.

Craig

Dux Bellorum- Welsh Completed

Some reinforcements from Gripping Beast arrived the other day so I have been able to complete the last couple of stands for my Welsh, some support from on high (Monks) and a second stand of cavalry.

All the figures, like the rest of the army actually, are from Gripping Beast.

Like the rest of the army I've tried to keep a "red" theme with the shield designs-a gain thanks to LMBS.

The Welsh horde assembled. Looking at this photo, I think I've some work to do on the flag, changing the green and blue tails to maroon to better fir the theme.

All up there are:
1x Noble Companions
1x Mounted (or Ordinary) Riders/Cav
1x mounted skirmishers
5x Warriors (including one of nobles or foot companions)
1x Skirmishers (bow)
1x Monks

The warriors.

Craig

More Goths

Tonight I finished the Goth command stand for the Ostrogoth command for the Chalon game. Most of the figures are Footsore Miniatures but two are plastic GB plastic Saxons. As per usual the shields are LBMS.

And the rest of the Ostrogoths.

 

 

 

 

Next up, a stand of Welsh Cavalry and some monks to finish off my Welsh Army for Dux Bellorum.

Alas, then I'll be taking a bit of a break, I've some renovations on a rental property that will keep me busy in the evenings after work for the next week or three :(