Bolt Action AAR: Breakout

Tonight Kent popped round for a game  of Bolt Action. We decided to try one of the new missions on WWPD website, Breakout. I ran my Germans, Kent his usual US Paras.

Craig's German Panzer Grenadiers:

• Reg 1st Lt
• 2x 7 man Vet squads (SMG, LMG)
• 1x 9 man pioneer squad (with flamethrower, 3x SMGs)
• 1x 7 man Vt squad (SMG, 2x LMGs) 
• 1x Med mortar with spotter
• 1x reg panzershrek
• 1x 251/9 stummelwerfer
• 1x 233 armoured car
• 1x 251/9
• 1x 251/1
• 1x Nebelwerfer observer (free) 

Kent 's US Paras (approximately):

• Vet 1st Lt
• 3x Vet tough fighter para units (11-12 men)
• 1x Vet med mortar + spotter
• 1x Vet sniper
• 1x Vet bazooka
• 1x Vet 57mm 
• 1x Sherman
• 1x M8 Greyhound armoured car

So going into this game I was quietly confident I had a lot more units that Kent so hopefully I could coordinate them to overwhelm his paras. With Breakout the aim is to both get units into the opponents deployment zone (1 pt each) and also 1 pt per unit destroyed, Both players can start with 3 non vehicle units on table.  I deployed my 2 LMG squad, mortar and 37mm AA. Kent deployed an infantry platoon, mortar and sniper team.

Turn 1, my squad with 2x LMGs is about to enter the building.

Paras advance through the woods.

Two panzer grenadier squads advance to support the 37mm AA and secure my right flank.

 Panzer grenadiers occupy the treeline and go onto ambush.

The Sherman and greyhound advance up the road towards the all important crossroads.

On my right flank the 251/10 (with commander) advances onto the hill.

On the left the 251/1 (with pioneers and panzersrek on board) noses round the buildings.

Turn 2- the 57mm AT fires at the 251/1 but luckily for me misses.

 The 233 advances into wall enclosure round the house, while my infantry occupy the upstairs.

The Sherman puts a pin on the 251/10 while the 251/9 remains out of sight.

Paras advance through the woods towards the destroyed farmhouse.

The Sherman fires on the 251/10 and knocks it out- destroying it and my commander!

I advance my infantry across the open ground towards the crossroads but the Greyhound catches them and kills two men.

And here is my critical mistake! Rather than putting my infantry in the building on ambush I advanced my pioneers (I thought I had already put the guys in the building on ambush, doh!). Kent's response? He charges the paras out of the woods and destroys my pioneers!

The paras then melt back into the woods.

 The Greyhound now commands the ridgeline overlooking the crossroads, continuing to hammer my infantry (who refuse to move).

The 251/1 is also pinned by the paras. Next turn the bazooka destroys it and its nebelwerfer observer! Scratch two more points

With the 251/10 destroyed the Sherman advances.

The Greyhound commands the crossroads.

The paras's return to the wall and massacre my regular panzershrek team! Another point lost.

Turn 5, the tide has well and truly turned. I have now lost 7 units but manage to stay on the board (we've introduced a FoW style break test if 1/2 or more units are lost- a morale test at the commanders rating, at a -1 per two units lost). Smelling blood the paras have finally emerged out of the woods, my ambushing units did minimal damage (the Aa gun missed!) and then both my 37mm and infantry squad were about to becomes seriously pinned....

thanks in no small part to the Sherman.

Oh oh.

Finally a break, my infantry that had been pinned by the greyhound, manage to immobilise the Greyhound with a very lucky roll of 6s.

The Sherman knocks out the 251/9

On the left flank the 233 advances to try to get into the US deployment zone but is just short.

And so the game ended. So how did I fare? Badly. My mortar knocked out the 57mm AT gun and that was it, for the loss of 8 units! Another down trou! 8-1 to Kent! Yikes!

Kent played well, pouncing on my mistakes. He timed, and supported, his attacks well and really did all he needed to do for victory. We both enjoyed the mission and I made two critical errors- one lost me the pioneers, the other was neither of use realised that it was only a half move in reverse so my 251/10 didn't manage to, as I'd intended, reverse out of line of sight of the Sherman. The units on board the half tracks were also killed for 2 easy points when their rides were destroyed. Splitting up my mechaised units to put pressure on both flanks proved a bad mistake too, I should have concentrated most of my vehicles on one flank and refused the flank on the other.

So, not quite the result I had imagined. I was happy enough with the force, might drop the 251/9 to bring back the stuh (also losing the regular panzershrek to do so) next time to add some proper armour but the core will remain the same and am sure that the next game with bring my Italian Front Germans their first victory!


Craig