July 30, 1944 06:13am
As the Germans secretly draw up plans to prepare their great thrust forth to the Rhein, battlegroups are engaged all along the front in bloody fighting on a daily basis. Far from won, the war for the Allies relies on consistently engaging the Germans throughout the chaos of Normandy. Operation Cobra is in its breakout stage and somewhere east of St Lo two reinforced platoons from either side for an afternoon's bloodshed.
The Germans brought to the battle
1x Grenadier HQ (251/10)
2x Grenadier Squad (251/1)
1x Pak40 (Truck)
1x MG42 HMG (251)
2x 222
1x PzIV
1x StuG III
Tot Req: 30pt
Facing them on the field were elements of the 1st Infantry Division supported by fresh recruits
1x US Infantry HQ
2x US Infantry Squad
1x US Infantry Replacements Squad
1x .50 HMG
1x 80mm mortar
1x Bazooka Team
3x Sherman 75mm
2x M8 Greyhound Scout Car
The Germans came on well supported on the left end of the battlefield aiming for the hill closest to them. While I cannot comment on the US strategy they seemed to mirror the Germans' quite closely moving toward their own closest hill and, as the Germans, they left the infantry in relative safety in the second echelon while tanks took firing positions and scout cars moved forth to, well, scout I guess!
The Panzer and Stug dominating the hill claim a Sherman and send an M8 barreling out of control while the return fire is largely ineffective and either bounces off the armor or misses altogether.
One 222 moved wide in a preview to a later more determined envelopment move in an attempt to turn the US flank and catch the Sherman formation in a crossfire.
The AT gun on the hill received no less than three mortar barrages which all scattered and either hit the MG, suppressing it, then the truck behind them, to no effect, and the third went off altogether for no effect. Only a few turns down the line would the AT find its demise but the mortar would prove its value very soon on another flank!
The big markers, while being anything but conspicuous, were of great use in identifying the orders given to each unit and matched the colors of my own German ones with green being a sneak move, red an advance, blue a run and white a hold/opp fire order.
By turn 3 the US had gathered the Germans were gaining steady advantage in a 1:1 hilltop shootout having claimed a Sherman and M8 to no losses. As the Pak deployed, therefore, they attempted to deny the German targets and force a chase. The 222 alone held the leftmost peak which threatened the US right flank and forced the infantry to begin circumventing the battlefield in an effort to stay safe.
The AT gun and a second 222 plus the HMG cover the flanking move of the infantry in 251s and the redeployment of the German armor.
As the sun begins to rise the US carry forth their move to the relative safety of the woods modifying the axis of battle for both players .
A lucky shot of return fire claims the flanking 222
The Shermans had slowly moved in the village and caught some great firing angles. Following the game's early positioning issues and unlucky rolling, about turn 4 their efforts became more and more concerted and they began to understand the ranges and deadliness of combat in RoE.
The Germans continue their enveloping move as the second 222 on the hill is popped by the Americans. The Germans respond by driving the Pak 40's truck almost in front of it which, combined with rock formation and smouldering wreck of the armored car, denies the US line of sight to the gun and allows it undisturbed fire opportunity on the sneaky Greyhound closing the gap.
Time was running out fast as the US commander had to redeploy to...well.....I didn't really ask but given it's Saturday night I'm sure he had somewhere to be! Thus the Germans intensify their onslaught seeking a swift win and bank on their overwhelming firepower and the legendarily unlucky US rolling to close the gap and charge in. The 251s silence the US machine gun and suppress infantry seeking shelter in the buildings, while the armor pounds the Shermans but to little avail.
The US used the ground well and were hard to clear out of those positions.
The US mortar observer, finding no love with the German AT gun, changes his coordinates to direct shells in the armored column approaching and finds a lucky mark in the 251/10 - death comes to the Command Squad's Infantry while the CO and 2IC are both shaken by the sight of their subordinates' insides scattered in the confined space of the halftrack and lose the plot for a turn! The tide had turned at last for the Americans.
In a single, closing and bloody turn of firing the US conquered its break point requirement and claimed a glorious victory! The Stug took one in the right hand hull which showered the crew with shrapnel while the Pz IV's driver lost control of the armored behemoth and thundered into the rear of the Stug exploding both in a hail of diesel and death! Then the AT gun, having sorted out the last M8 and repositioning for an opportunity shot on the advancing US infantry, was itself ambushed by the freshy unsuppressed bazooka team and blown apart, with only the commanding sergeant surviving to write up a report for posterity.
While the German infantry was unhindered save the Command Squad soldiers, the lateness of the eve and the US' sudden turn of luck dictated they best retire from this sector and prepare plans to hold ground further East...after all the Cobra was on its way and the Germans did not want to be found wanting...
Now maybe a Tiger would have changed things a little? Ummm....
After Action Resolutions
Actually aside from the giggly final charge to bring about a close there's not much I'd have done differently. With an average of 10AT value the German guns are worth shooting as often as possible though the Shermans' own 75mm at closer ranges are not to be overlooked, either. That counts for 222s with an RoF of 2, as well, as they can pull some nices one from the proverbial hat or at least threaten to do so if positioned well.
I firmly believe the opening turns went well due of course to Tony's abysmal rolling (ihihi...) but also in good part to careful positioning on my part. Unfortunately he did catch my game pretty soon on and made me come chase him, which is not a play I enjoy much but we needed a result and the truth is the US breakpoint is so huge that if you don't play aggressively the simple battlefield attrition of a normal game will pretty much guarantee them a win if one doesn't take kills when one can.
Thus that brings us to the second last turn when I must say I was happy with the way the game had proceeded all the way to now. AT gun intact, both armored vehicles intact, 222s dead to a pair of Greyhounds and a Sherman, and no infantry losses to the US dozen or so was working. Then as we announced this would be the last turn my careful flanking maneuver went to the wayside and the armor charged forth shooting wildly, missing all its marks and the return fire destroyed my armored fist providing Tony with a well deserved win. In hindsight however with more time or a closer meet - we won't be able to have another game for at least a fortnight and I don't really want the table tied down that long - I believe continuing to maneuver carefully and denying targets as I had would have concentrated two guns a turn on each Sherman with the third vehicle's firepower - probably the 251/10 as it's well suited for it - providing opportunity fire. Couple that with a trio of MG42 firing on the infantry in the buildings forcing them to keep their heads down and the Pak staying in the truck to deploy where I wanted it, ie where the dead Greyhound now blazed away closing off the US' chances of maneuvering so freely - and that's a lot of lead flying in the general direction of unsupported infantry as my own infantry began to close for close assault.
Then again, who knows...maybe the truth is simply that I lost, Tony won, and sooner than later we'll get another game in I hope because Rules of Engagement is exactly my cup of tea! At 6mm, also, you definitely get the sense of troops enveloping, the ranges of the period's weapon systems, and all the little details like long range and zeroed in modifiers, the experience roll mechanic and the using terrain movement formulas mean though the figures might be small the tactics and attention to detail needed to make the most of the scale and the game keep it fresh and interesting from session to session!
