This Why You Should Read the Newspaper

A few weeks ago I was reading the Classifieds when I saw an ad offering the Flames of War rule book and miniatures for $20. I called the number listed and while trying to arrange a meeting learned he worked in the press room of one of the papers to which I am the IT Manager. We arranged to meet at lunch the next day and he mentioned that he had a tin full of larger scale tanks he would sell for $10. I agreed to look at them and this is what I got; the 1/72 scale Forces of Valor Tiger I, Pzkfw IV, Sherman, and two M3 halftracks. There also enough infantry for one US Company and a below strength German infantry bn for Command Decision.
For my $20 I purchased the rules, enough US infantry for one squad, enough German infantry for a platoon, a German halftrack, and three US jeeps.

I had told everyone in my group that I wasn't going to participate in the FOW army building, and yet here I am.


My advice is to buy a newspaper and look for bargains.

Battle of Rimling; CD-TOB AAR

This past Sunday we played a game of Command Decision, Test of Battle. We played another of Bob MacKenzie's great scenarios, the Battle of Rimling. Below is Richard's take on things.

January 9 proved to be a cold, cold day for the Americans tasked with
holding Rimling.  Faced with six charging Stugs and an SS Pioneer
battalion from the front, with a massive Jagdtiger and an SS
Panzergrenadier battalion threatening on the right, they held the town
doggedly for four long turns.
During this period the US lost a little more than three battalions of
infantry, two M36 Tank Destroyers, a 105 mm field howitzer, a 57mm
antitank gun and a 3” antitank gun.

The Germans traded most of their SS Pioneer Battalion, most of the SS
Aufklarung abteilung  infantry, about half an SS Panzergrenadier battalion
and two Stugs for victory.  As the US relief force of two Shermans and an
infantry battalion came on board (two turns after their earliest possible
entry) the Americans had been cleared out of Rimling and the Jagdtiger
abteilung was coming forward to engage them along with the remaining four
Stugs.

Mike and Bob commanded the US forces, while Richard, Brady and Jeff
handled the German formations.  Perhaps the most startling maneuver seen
was the wide sweeping end run around the US right flank by a split-off
mechanized Aufklarung detachment, racing across the US rear area to launch
a successful attack at the far American left corner of the board. The 20mm
autocannon and 7.92 mm machinegun fire from a Sdkfz 234/1 and a Sdkfz
250/1 destroyed a US regimental cannon company and a 3” antitank gun
company.

Lady Fortuna ruled the battlefield.  From the quick German kills on both
ineffective US tank destroyers to the delay of the US reinforcements, the
dice generally fell toward the German side throughout the game.  Despite
the brutal toll taken by the surfeit of American artillery (they inflicted
almost all of the casualties on the German Pioneers and Aufklarung
infantry) the impetuous assault on Rimling and the fast maneuvering of
German armor won the day.

The mighty JagdTiger rolls on to the battlefield

The town of Rimling. Plenty of terrain on this end of the table

The 2nd US Bn races to support Rimling. They will not make it

The German attack develops

It was a very tough fight. The US players had a lot of artillery and Bob and I planned to use it to slow or stop the Nazi horde. It all missed on both turn 1 and turn 2. I'm not bitter, but if I had rolled as well on the first two turns as I did later, the Germans would not have entered Rimling.
Oh well, fortunes of war. At least I've finally played a game with a JagdTiger in it.

The Germans roll into Rimling

Heiderscheid; WW II AAR

We played a Command Decision-Test of Battle game on Sunday. I chose the Battle of Heiderscheid from Bob MacKenzie's excellent site,  link.

I brought out my 20mm plastic figures and vehicles; first time they've been out of their boxes this year. We had a total of seven players; Richard, Jim T, Bob, and Gus played German; Jeff, Big Mike, and I were the American commanders.

The Germans have a regiment of Volksgrenadiers and elements of the Fuhrer Grenadier Brigade are  attacking the towns of Eschdorf and Heiderscheid; the later held by two companies of the US 80th Division. The terrain is very close on this battlefield, the forest is heavy, half move for personnel and vehicles are prohibited from entering. There are multiple crest lines that block LOS as well.

Eschdorf is the closer town, Heiderscheid is further away

Task Force Hamilton is ready to attack toward Eschdorf.

Panzer Company of the FGB stages to attack Heiderscheid

Charge toward Heiderscheid; the M10 will knock out two StuG's

German Recon Company supported by a Panther platoon

Panzer Grenadiers attack the other side of Heiderscheid

Demoralized German tanks. If my infantry can reach them, they will be destroyed. Didn't happen...

Volksgrenadiers attack toward Heiderscheid

 

German armor advance to the next crest line

German advance on the other side of town. Arty will knock out the halftrack

Germans prepare to attack Task Force Hamilton

My second insane rush to contact with German armor. This one didn't work either.

It was a fun game; very interesting. I recommend it to any CD-TOB players. This one was a German victory. Our October game will be DBA.

Command Decision; Guest AAR

 My friend, Richard sent this AAR of our game yesterday. The pictures are mine.


We had a really good game Sunday with the Americans schooling the Germans in the art of war.  American commanders were Mike and Jim, German commanders were Jeff, Richard, Brady and Jonathon.  The game got off to a late start (around 12:30 or so) and we had to end around 4:30, so we barely got into the beginning of Turn 4 before having to pack it up.  I've drawn up a sketch map of each turn - more or less, and only very generally - which is attached as a PDF to go along with this:
After Action Report: Operation Franz (U.S. Operation Springtime), as told by Feldwebel Schultz, KG Fraz HQ motorcycle recon
“Yes, Herr Generalleutnant, the Americans have broken through on our left flank despite Oberst Burnett’s best efforts.

At the outset of the battle, a veteran American infantry battalion assaulted and rapidly overran the surviving members of a Volksgrenadiers battalion of company plus strength initially suppressed by U.S.interdiction and harassment artillery fire.The impetuous American assault drove the Volksgrenadiers out of their foxholes and back toward the destroyed town.  That unfortunate VG battalion’s StuG.assault guns were unable to assist, and the American infantry – supported by a fast-charging armored reconnaissance force of M5A1 Stuart light tanks and Greyhound armored cars - rushed toward the rubble and an open door into our rear.  Our reconnaissance forces – SdFfZ 250/1’s and 250/9’s as well as a heavy reconnaissance armored infantry company were probing from the left of our “at start” positions, but reacted to the surprise attack quickly.

However, the racing American light armor ran into our advancing PzKw IV’s and a quick but brutal firefight ensued outside the town on our right while the American infantry advanced into the rubble of the town, finishing off the surviving Volksgrenadiers. Three Stuarts and a PzKw IV brewed up as the StuG’s and our reconnaissance troops maneuvered to get into the fight. The Panzergrenadiers accompanying the PzKIV’s also rushed to assist, maneuvering around blocking forests. The American infantry battalion had nothing between it and a breakthrough but the rubble of the town and our kampfgruppe HQ troops while the light armor tied up our Panzers.

Perhaps too late, our Panthers and their two Panzergrenadier companies arrived at the left of the rubbled town, slowing the American infantry assault and destroying the American armored cars that had swung over to engage and delay them.  The reconnaissance 250/9’s plunged into the American positions supporting the infantry attack as the Panzergrenadiers and StuG’s maneuvered to support them and take the Americans in the rear.  Suddenly, our far left flank was seriously threatened by the rapid advance of American Sherman tanks and accompanying armored infantry up the road.  The Americans had successfully drawn our attention and the bulk of our forces to the fight around the rubbled town on our right.  Weakly guarded by PAK 40 ATG and the heavy reconnaissance armored infantry company, our left was open.

Despite the American infantry’s ineffective attack on our HQ troops behind the rubbleof the town, our Panzergrenadiers’ gun halftracks and infantry counterattacking also had little effect.  Our Panther company and one PzKw IV company advanced to support the StuG company now turning to face the new American threat on our left.  Our SdKfz 250/9’s managed to silence the American 57 mm ATG with their concentrated 20mm fire, but all hope was lost when a second American combat group with nine Sherman 76’s and an armored infantry company advanced into the battle, reinforcing the American push at our weak left flank.

Seeing that there was little to no hope of stopping an American breakthrough (for even if we could stop the American infantry battalion pushing past the rubbled town, we had no hope of stopping all of the American armor and infantry at the far left of our line), Oberst Burnett sent me to you with warning, these dispatches and his sketch map of the battle.”

Advance of the Stuarts and Greyhounds

zInitial infantry positions; Germans dug in on left, US just out of picture to the right.

Results of the fire fight between Stuarts and Pz IV's

Rolling to victory

Shermans press the German right flank

German flame thrower attacks; and misses

 


 

Battle of Mokre, Command Decision AAR

 We played a game of Command Decision-Test of Battle yesterday, the Battle of Mokre. The scenario is from Bob MacKenzie's excellant website. If you aren't familiar with it, please stop by and have a look. 

 http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bob_mackenzie/

There are many good scenarios and game pictures.

Jerry brought his camera with the new macro lens, so the quality of the pictures is much better than normal.

The Germans have launched a counter attack, just as the Soviets are reinforcing. Historically, the Soviets ambushed Kampfgruppe Collins as it entered the area. In our game, the Germans pushed their Panthers and Tiger II toward Mokre and engaged and destroyed the Soviet armor there. On the other end of the table, the Germans were unable to withstand the Soviet reinforcements. Their one StuG platoon was destroyed before help could arrive. At the end of the day, the Germans conceded.

A fun game; good scenario and good company. In two weeks I will run the Battle of Smolensk, 1812, at my home and our club game for March will be Flames of War.

The table, before the Germans deply

Kampfgruppe Collins

The Engineer Company attacks with flamethrowers!

T-34's lined up hub to hub in Mokre

Suddenly a stand of knights appears and charges the SU's