Snow Days and Paras

So, a rare Snow day and an opportunity to work from home catch up on some figures, but as my youngest son who was off school as well and looking for something to do after rolling around in the snow, I suggested a game of Bolt Action and set it up while he warmed up.


After the last Chain of command game pitting Paras against Panzer Grenadiers, I'd painted up about 500 points of late war germans and nicked an MMG from the Afrika Corps chaps to make up a 550 point list.  I thought we'd have a defensive game, the germans holed up in a farm house protecting a fuel supply.  Some British Paras have arrived nearby and are looking to claim it for their own!

the lists were - Ze Germans...

a Vet 2nd Lt and 1 man with SMGs
2 squads of 10 men, an NCO with an SMG and 2 LMGs
1 Sniper (unfortunately the second model has an STG44 for some reason, which had quite an effect later on)
1 MMG tripod MG42 with three crew

set up to take these germans on was a platoon of British Paras

1 Vet 2nd Lt and one man with SMG's
3 squads of 8 men, 1 NCO with SMG, 2 SMG's a Bren gun and the rest rifles.
1 light mortar team.

I set up the Germans in pre planned positions and offered my son the choice of playing the Germans or the Brits, and he chose the Germans, defending the farm at the top left of the picture.

The British arrived at the opposite narrow edge, the light mortar covering the road, two sections on the left and one on the right flank.  I wanted to use teh smoke to blind the german firepower and then move up and strike close up.

The first thing Oberleutnant Freidrich did was move his MMG team from the position covering the road to the farm buildings on his left flank.  The plucky brits moved into the road and up to the hedges.  A german sniper had taken up residence in the  upper floors of the farm house, and took a pot shot at the British Lt, but fortunately missed.

The german MMG took up position in the corner of a hedgerow, and openend fire on the approaching para section, who were hunkering down hiding from the sniper in the farm house. The para section lose two rifles, and starting with smaller 8 man sections, this will prove to be costly.

The paras tried to drop smoke to cover their approach.

But it misses, covering the approach of the other section.  The section on the left flank move up and start firing on the sniper in the building, pinning him, but he fires back - although he's too close for the Sniper, so uses his rifle and his assistants STG44!!  The extra dice for the Assault Rifle do well, killing the Section leader. The Platoon CO and Sgt move up with them, clearing their pins (from the german MMG) and also opening fire on the snipers, killing them and clearing the way for a charge into the building.  My other sections are holding up the ground on the right, hoping to draw away one of the Grenadier Sections.

Unfortunately for Paras, covering the sniper nest was the German CO who pops out from behind the farmhouse and sprays the lead section with SMG fire, casuing another two casualties and some more pins. The section is now down to three men.

On the right, I'm trying to get my Paras to move up and over the hedges without getting withered by LMG fire from a section of grenadiers who have taken up position in the building.

Using the hedge as cover, the Paras wait for smoke to cover their approach and it does!  To counter this, the Germans rush out of the building but can't draw line of sight to the Paras, who charge over the hedge - but, just too far to initiate combat they open fire with their Bren and sten guns!  Masses of lead pour towards the germans in the open, but the Germans manage to avoid taking any casualties, and the first dice of the next round will decide who initiaties combat.

Its British who have the initiative, and the Paras, surprised at the lack of german casualties from their fire, pile in.  I'm going to get first attack, but these Grenadiers are Veterans of the Eastern Front, and they only take two casualties from my attack.  They reply with a devastating 4 kills, and my section are removed from the battle.  The Grenadiers consilidate into the hedgerow and start looking for other targets.  My second section are still covered by the smoke from the mortar, and they bravely charge towards the farm hoping to reach cover.

The grenadiers open fire, but fortunately the Paras only take a pin and the MMG packs up and moves around to get a better position for the next turn.

Over on the Paras left flank, the CO charges forward to engage the enemy commander, and orders his now two man section to 'Snap to Action!' and open fire on the enemy officers.

Unfortunately, the section respond with a raspberry and two fingers and run back towards their own lines!  The CO is lucky my Fubar roll didn't involve them unleashing the fire back at them!  The German CO and his trusty sidekick engage the British Lt in hand to hand to hand fighting, and brush them aside without further ado.

 


The Second section move towards the Farmhouse under the Grenadiers fire.  THe mortar takes a pot shot with HE at the MMG team who have moved out of  cover, and hit it directly first time, destroying the unit.

AShamed of their lack of spirit, the beleagured bren gunner turns round and finishes off the enemy commander, and move up towards the farm.  The Grenadiers jump over the hedge and assault the paras, and after two brutal rounds of combat the Germans lose, and the british are down to two men.  The Mortar team are the only useful unpinned unit left, and they sprint towards the farm as well.

The two battered Para sections manage to hold off the few remaining Germans, and the mortar team move into the farm and take the objective, but with such a high price paid we decide to call it a draw.