"Chain of Command" Maltot Village (5): Tactical Withdrawal

A tense breathless silence consumed the nervous line of advancing Tommies. The wood seemed artificially quiet, too quiet. Then all hell erupted from the barrels of two MG42s. It was horrid, a KIA and multiple shock markers came across the whole of the squad. The murderous MG42 machine guns once again proved how deadly they were in combat. The British advance was quickly thrown into a complete shambles. Again the "unlucky" Second Squad was the hapless victim.

The young, inexperienced, newly promoted, replacement NCO (Corporal Hoops) was being sorely tested in his own personal cauldron of doubt, fear and self loathing (see below):

Then the training kicked in. Corporal Hoops steadied his men, took shock off the Bren section (by shouting encouraging words of advice such as, "Get yer finger out!") so he could get them back into the firing line. "Good lad Hoops" exclaimed the Senior NCO who suddenly appeared at his shoulder. A god-like figure of war McCoy took personal direction of the Bren team and cut down an enemy MG42 team with grim satisfaction. Unbeknownst to McCoy, he had also put a bullet into his opposite number, the commanding NCO of the German squad, wounding him. With that the German fire was halved. Hoops'eyes however were fixed on the two prone, lifeless figures of his squad's casualties. A second KIA from the MG42 menace was grim testimony to the savagery of combat (see below):  

The German Commander knew he had to silence "Timmy the Tank". The crack PanzerSchrek Team (with one 9 RTR Churchill already to their credit, aka "Ken's Tank") hugged hard-cover to get into a perfect "ambush" position, but unluckily ran straight into the Bren Team of the British Third Squad and 16 Platoon's 50mm mortar section. The latter promptly used half of its allotted ammunition for the Normandy campaign on them. The Bren was the real killer though, aka very good dice. Bullets found their mark and "Timmy the Tank" was safe! (see below):

With the initiative dice again falling kindly for the British, Lt Pringle brought up 16 Platoon's First Squad in support of the beleaguered Second Squad. This meant two British squads, that is two full Bren teams each directed by NCOs/officer (12 dice) and one full strength rifle and another one still healthy rifle squad (another 12 dice) let fly at the Germans. Another German KIA and yet 'another' wound to the commanding NCO. This was all too much for the Germans. 

The German Commander called it a day, giving the signal for "Bug Out", his orders were to make a "last stand" at the Alamo, or rather "Maltot Church" (see below):

Lt Pringle was satisfied but a breathless runner from Company HQ ruined his high spirits. 16 Platoon was to conduct a 'hasty assault' with all forces immediate to hand on Maltot Church before the Germans could form a solid line of resistance. Sound strategy, but Pringle knew that the Vickers had overheated and was useless. Also "Timmy the Tank", much to his annoyance had thrown a bloody track and disabled itself, blocking in the process any other vehicles getting to him. Still he got hold of the bossy adjutant (who he was quite impressed with) and told him to "go borrow from somewhere another 50mm mortar". Pringle knew he would need as much smoke as possible, as there was a good deal of open ground he had to cover before reaching Maltot Church.

To be continued in the final episode/scenario of the campaign, entitled "Going to the Chapel."

Watch this space.

"Chain of Command" Maltot Village (4): The Firefight Starts

The Germans desperately looked deep into their kitchen cupboard for some anti-armour assets with a "decent range" as "Timmy the Tank" was keeping a very respectful distance from the German infantry. The PanzerSchrek team was called up in haste. It is seen lurking sinisterly in a French side-alley for a passing Allied Sherman (see below):

Meanwhile the Vickers HMG was creating  havoc and death in the the "Big Grey Farmhouse" (see below):

Then Timmy joined in and the Germans realised they had come to the wrong party and "bugged out" (see below):

On the far British left the PBI strung themselves out in line and advanced onto the German positions (see below):

This time it was the sound of German safety catches making the ominous clicking noises.

Next: Hard Rain Falls

"Chain of Command" Maltot Village (3): The Germans Deploy

The British senior NCO gets the lads cracking down the left flank (see below):

Meanwhile a tooled up German squad (just count the number of MG42's they are carrying) deploys against the far right British flank (see below):

"Timmy the Tank" speaks (see below):

And scores a direct hit (see below):

Strike two MG42 gunners, pity there are more Germans to hand to pick the bloody thing back up (see below):

As a way of countering the British Tank and Vickers threats the German commander decides to occupy the big "Grey Farmhouse" building with MG42 teams (see below):

As the Germans settle into position the Vickers gunner clicks off the safety to take aim and "Timmy's turns its turret slowly to face".

"Chain of Command" Maltot Village (2): Contact

The newly acquired adjutant from Company Headquarters does his job and the Vickers HMG Team deploys into the second story of "Red House," effectively splitting the board into two halves (stopping Fritz from moving left to right) this allows the Platoon Senior NCO to take control of the British left hand side (see below):

"Red House" is reinforced with an infantry section that deploys its Bren Team alongside the Vickers HMG for sixteen dice of death on "over-watch" now facing down the road. The only down side being they don't have "line of sight" to an occupied German farmhouse on the left hand side of the road, still you can't have everything (see below):

Then a "strange event occurred" as in whenever you roll four sixes on your five command dice you consult an interesting chart. The Tommies found a stash of Calvados Brandy hidden away in "Red House". It was liberated generating a +1 Force Morale modifier as Lt Pringle said, "We can drink it later!", so perhaps Pringle ain't all that bad after all: (see below)

More British troops deploy on the left flank. Without knowing where the Germans are just now it seems by default the British are going to race down the left and refuse the right (see below):

The second part of Lt Pringle's master-plan comes into play. "Timmy the Tank" rumbles onto the end of the road and sets itself up in a dominant blocking/supporting position (see below):

Luckily Timmy can see the left hand side farmhouse being used as a German MG42 nest. "Load HE, target left 400 yards. Ready. Fire!"

"Chain of Command" Maltot Village (1): Patrol Phase

After the successful blooding of 16 Platoon Lt Pringle had no time to spend on idle reflection or bask in in his own imaginary glory (the boys from the platoon still though he was a Public School tosser), as he found his CO had already ordered 16 Platoon to immediately move out in pursuit of the retreating Germans.

Lt Pringle made what he thought was a sensible force consolidation. He din't expect to see any German Tigers so he disbanded the PIAT team, absorbing it  into a regular rifle sections. With a returner than meant that 16 Platoon was just one rifleman 'effective' down. Lt Pringle also had a 'plan' of how to push the Germans out of Maltot village. All he needed was a Vickers HMG and a tank, preferably a Churchill, they look big and nasty and didn't tend to explode like a  "Ronson Lighter" Shermans and a bossy adjutant to keep 16 Platoon moving into Maltot. He liked the Churchill's massive and imposing bulk, despite its relatively poor gun, the standard army British 6 pounder, it was always a great morale booster (See below for 16 Platoon's OrBat):

Lt Pringle's plan was simple. Run down the middle of Maltot village and grab the big "Red House" [see middle left below] that dominated the high street. Install a "bloody big" Vickers HMG team in it as a fire base and effectively stop anything German (that is non-armoured) moving left-to-right or right-to-left in the village. Then move the Churchill to the base of the road and blast any (and all) of the buildings that hold an MG42 team or something else 'nasty' from Germany. Lt Pringle sent his patrols straight down the High Street as fast as humanly possible (see below):

The Germans true to their aggressive teaching and tactics quickly patrolled out of their deployment zone and got right into the faces of the Tommies. Despite this the British just managed to claw a foothold close to "Red House" (see below):

By taking jump-off points as far forward to their patrol markers as possible the British they were in hard-cover, "Red House" and "Grey House," and soft-cover in the flanking woods to the right of the table. "Good enough" thought Pringle, "Now let's see if the adjutant gets the boys moving fast" (see below):

After pining the British advance into initial third of the table the Germans drew back into their baseline third to hunker down. The victory conditions of the scenario dictated that the Germans simply had to hold on to their jump-off point placed  closest to their baseline. They were intending to hunker down to a tough and dirty street fight (see below the green poker chip denote their three jump-off points in a triangle of death):

Next: Race against time, to deploy onto table and steal a march on the enemy.