Chain of Command: Normandy (Part III)

The British responded with their most effective countermeasure, smoke. The little two inch mortar churned out smoke like nobody's business aiming to blind the Tiger. Instead they blocked line-of-sight (LOS) to one of the uber effective German MG42 teams, which was of least some cold comfort (see below):

The Tiger spoke as it now had clear LOS to the last "fresh" British infantry (see below, twenty five years and it has finally spoken in anger on a wargames table, but its wargaming destiny is not fulfilled until it takes out an Allied tank, preferably a Sherman):

Trouble enough for the infantry as although o kills the "shock" starts to mount on the resilient British Infantry as this French of farmland looks destined to become a graveyard (see below):

More smoke, but to no avail the Tiger's terrible 88mm is readying another in its barrel (see below):

With the battlefield shrouded in smoke the British only hope was to get their slow but armoured bulk of a Churchill into the fray. However the German MG42 teams in the graveyard (off picture to the right, see below) opened up again spelling disaster for the remain British Infantry (see below):

Enough was enough, the British broke and with that the British Force Morale crashed to zero. The Britisg retreated and left the field to the Germans as the Churchill found its reverse gear (see below):

This was a good run out for the rules. Lots of things remembered, lots of things forgotten but remembered later in those "Oh yes" moments and lots of sections to read again, but very enjoyable fun. Far too hard for the British, the German Panzer Grenadiers were hard enough but to give them a Tiger was just plain nasty. To put this into context, to be a fair booklet game the British should have had a 2d6 +5 support points, with the German half the British total of support points. Er, I had it almost the other way round, the German Tiger counts as 10 support points, the Churchill was 7 support points so I should have really put a Sherman and Sherman Firefly in the Support pool too.

Er, next time (I'll read the book a little more closely)!

 

Chain of Command: Normandy (Part II)

The German Panzer Grenadiers, despite hindered by 2" British mortar smoke, pour a merciless level of fire into "Polygon Wood" (see below):

Too hot for First platoon. Sergeant Hardy down, even the cool Lieutenant Cream could not hold the boys back and they piked out of the wood in unmistakeable 'rout' formation (see below):

Meanwhile from the hard cover of the graveyard another German Panzer Grenadier section blasts away at two fresh English "Tommy" sections (see below):

Again the fire is devastating and "shock" mount on the Third British Infantry section on the far right of the British line (see below):

Things take an even turn for the worse as the heavy calibre barrel of a Tiger Tank rounds the corner of a French farmhouse (see below):

Through the narrow periscope slit the gunner begins acquiring a bead on the remaining fresh British Infantry section.

To be continued ..

Chain of Command: Normandy (Part I)

A training scenario: A platoon of British infantry advance supported by armour (aka Winnie the Churchill Tank) meeting a platoon of German Panzer Grenadiers with armour backup (aha Timmy the Terrible Tiger).

After a disappointing Patrol Phase the Brits get a Squad on table, claiming the "high ground" in the middle of the table.Like a magnet this raws a German Panzer Grenadier Team opposite then (see below):

Both sides bring on their armour early, the Germans gaining a significant psychological edge with their Tiger (see below, after twenty years it finally makes it onto a 'live' wargaming table, its wargaming destiny is being fulfilled):

The Brits meanwhile hammer one section of the German Squad, shock and KIAs cause the German Senior Officer to come on as fast as he can to restore 'a sense of teutonic order' about things (see below, note this means leaving the two man team of Panzerschrekers playing cards in a bunker - they may be just a tad reluctant to come on later, who knows?):

Meanwhile the Tiger crawls forwards, cobered by another Panzer Grenadier Squad deployed in the French Farmhouses (see below):

The Brits have not been idle either as two full squads deploy in rough ground on their right and try to reduce the Gothic graveyard held by the final Panzer Grenadier Squad (see below):

Meanwhile the murderous firefight goes on in the middle leaving both sides 'shocked and KIA'ed' but just holding on.

To Be Continued ...