Chain of Command Kampfgruppe von Luck - counter attack among the Hedgerows

After repulsing the German attack on the town of le Bas de Ranville in the last game, the remaining soldiers of the Platoon were ordered to counter attack.

As this was the British seizing the initiative in the campaign, the Paras would get 10 points of support and the Germans would be forced to defend map 2 (Probe among the Hedgerows).  Victory for the Brits here would mean the campaign was won, however equally important this game would see another turn of the Germans 8 used up.  To take the town and recapture the bridges will require the Germans to win the next three games on the bounce, no mean feat in itself.

Also, as I was still using the battered remnants of my initial platoon, I still have one fresh platoon of 12 Para as well as the brave boys of the 13 Para holding the church on the flank.  Even if they can't break the germans down here, I can afford to  be a little braver taking casualties in an attempt to stall the germans advance.

 Back on map 2, this time the British would be attempting to get a unit off the German edge.  Sam faithfully recreated the original map, and we started with Force Morale rolls.  Von Luck has cooled his enthusiasm somewhat with the German defeat in the last game, so the Germans roll a straight FM roll (no modifier) and the british get +2 for Elite Paras, however the Germans rolled a 5 and the british a 2 (modified to 4) so the Germans started on 10 and the Brits on 9.

Still missing elements of the Platoon, I rolled for the PIAT and the Bren team who had still not showed up - the PIAT team turned up but no Bren team still, meaning I'd be facing Sams German Platoon with - 

2 x SL
3 x JL
2" mortar
PIAT
Sniper
3x Bren teams
2 rifles.
4 Stens.

with 10 support points, I opted for - 

6 Pounder Anti Tank Gun (figured I'd see the Schlepper in this one!)
3" mortar Observer
Bren Team

which would give me two full sections of double brens, one with an extra 2 rifles, and a 'kill team' of Stens again.  I had sourced a rather lovely car (a 1938 Delahaye Figoni et Falaschi Coupe), for 1 point I could have used it to zip down the road but I felt it would be unlikely to survive a mad dash down the road.

Figoni et Filaschi 1938 Coupe

The Germans had 13 support points, and went with (unbeknown to me)

Pak 40 auf s307(f)
MG42 team
Sniper
Senior Leader


 

Being the attacker for a change meant I got free patrol marker moves, and I had three to get my chaps up the central road.  Although I had a vague idea of a plan, I'd been really busy at work that week and was late getting to the club, so I was initially a little random in my JoP positioning, getting one in the middle of the board, one over on the left flank in the hedgrow and one inside the courtyard again.

The Germans went first, Sam rolling a triple 6 on his first turn. Luckily for the Germans there was no Preliminary Bombardment to lift! Two sections deployed in the orchard area, and on the Germans second turn a Pak 40  auf S307(f) rumbled on to the road.  I was expecting the Schlepper to turn up, and accordingly spent 5 of my support points on an airborne 6 pounder Anti Tank Gun.  This opportunity was too good to miss, and on my turn I deployed the ATG in the hedgrow opposite the road and fired into the side armour of the reconditioned french vehicle.

Although the round struck home, the 7 AP dice only gave three hits, and the German Halftrack/SPG rolled two saves, which resulted in the halftrack suffering a point of shock and the driver stunned.  The germans countered with an MG42 tripod mounted opening up on the gun, killing a crew man and applying some shock.

6 Pounder spots a German Halftrack.  Or is it a French Self Propelled Gun?  Shoot it anyway!

On my right flank, I deployed a senior leader and a mortar spotter.  I had been on the receiving end of a mortar barrage before, and knew how crippling it could be, but the spotter round flew off wide of the mark and I would need another turn to adjust it.

The spotter round had, however spooked a section in the orchard who charged out into the field, probably remembering the damage mortar barrages do in trees.  This was an opportunity for putting some hurt on the Germans as well, and I deployed a section outside the walls who let rip into the German squad, killing three men and piling some shock on.  The Germans tried to escape back into the orchard, but a short roll for movement meant they would be on the receiving end of another burst of Bren fire.  They turned and prepared to return fire themselves.



Meanwhile back on the left flank, the 6 pounder fired again, this time achieving 2 net hits.  The halftrack was immobilised and more shock piled on.  The MMG returned fire on the gun again, but the hits bounced off the 6 pounders gun shield.  The section on the left flank opened fire on the gun as well, killing one man and putting on more shock, but the 6 pounder returned fire on the half track a third time, and this time it exploded spectacularily.  The 6 pounder finished off the action on the left by firing a HE shell at the MMG team, killing two of them dead and putting shock on the rest.  Job done on that flank, but I still needed to get a team off the board and it was a long run over open fields on that side.

Shocked into inaction, crippled and then finally blown up by three shots from a 6 pounder ATG

On the right, the spotter round had dropped long and I needed to shift it across, but before I could, the Germans deployed a sniper who took out my forward observer with his first shot.  Ouch!


The shot up section on my right turned and fired, causing two casualties and plenty of shock.  Two sections slugging it out in the open like this wouldn't end well for me, and I returned the favour on the (supposedly) retreating Germans, taking them down to 3 men and breaking them.  They ran back into the woods, straight into the waiting clutches of a German officer.



Meanwhile another German section deployed in the long trees and started shooting up my now battered section.  more kills and shock followed, the JL taking a hit (and saving a bren team) and although I brought on another section and some smoke to successfully cover the fire from this new threat, the Germans rolled a double phase, moved away from the smoke and fired on my battered section a final time, breaking them and forcing them to rout through the newly arrived section.

British smoke a Grenadier squad, but a double phase allows them to move and return fire.

German FM was down at 5, but this brought mine down to 3 and I decided to withdraw again.  This gives me another option to play map 3 with this platoon, plus reinforcements.

We are down on numbers and pretty and battered though, 4 men lost from the core platoon equals 2 KIA and 1 injured from this map alongside the other 3 and 4 KIA, plus the 2 men missing leaves me 9 men down, although that is also what I started this map with.  To fight again in the corridor of death?  Who knows.

Doing the Maths, it looks like my platoon for replaying the Corridor of Death isn't far off the last time I fought it.  2 men return from the field hospital, however I have now lost 2 men from one of the Bren crews so they come straight in as replacements.  This means that I have -

2 x SL
Sniper
2" mortar team
PIAT team

JL + 2 Bren teams
JL + 4 Stens
JL + 1 Bren team.

I still have 1 Bren team to roll for.

I also get 3 free entrenchments (as it's game 6 on map 3) and 7 support points, which could go towards a roadblock, another Bren team or another PIAT team, and of course a handy Flamethrower. It looks like the Corridor of Death may get the chance to live up to its' name again!

See how the Germans got on here