A New Generation

With it being the school holidays here Dave was accompanied by grandson Will for a game of Bolt Action. Will brought along his recently painted British paratrooper section for a run out on the table.

Will's paratroopers are the second row in.

For the scenario Dave would be holding the German defence line in the middle of the table ready to repel a British advance. However a paratroop platoon commanded by Will had been dropped in their rear. The arrival of the British main force commanded by myself would be determined by a dice draw and the resulting dice determining how many units would arrive and whether it would be a tank or infantry section.

The Germans await the British attack.

News of the parachutists force the Germans to counter the threat.

The Germans also send a section to occupy another of the the empty buildings. The British too, see the advantage of this building to anchor their attack.

Who will get there first?

Its a close run thing but.......

The British pass the post first, yup the British order dice comes out first! The Germans are obliged to take shelter in an adjacent but tactically less useful building.

The British are also heading this way through a field with the shelter of a stone wall.

Over on the other flank the British deploy a section towards the cover of a small copse their howitzer deploys to engage the Germans.

Their fire is a tad off target though.

Turn four and the British attack is on, the dice decide on two infantry sections, a Churchill and Cromwell in support.

The Germans in the isolated house are now targeted by the sections in the field and adjacent house.

Although offering a tough resistance the firepower from the two sections clears the building. The flank is now clear and the way is open to attack the rear of the Germans who are engaged by the British tank and infantry attack. 

Meanwhile on the other flank the Germans have sent a section to halt the paratroopers advance through the copse but they too are dispersed.

The Germans finally got a reinforcement but only a solitary Stug III arrived, too little too late to effect the outcome. Turn 8 and the few remaining Germans held up their hands.

A spirited defence by the Germans that may have succeeded with more and earlier reinforcement?

Will's attack was well executed, his attack on both flanks anchored on the early possession of the centre building paying off.

Until next time KBO

Playing The AI Generated Scenario

Dave, Will and myself set to here in Darkest Rawnsley to play the AI generated scenario I mentioned in previous posts.

It titled the scenario 'The Last Toll', a British vanguard had seized a vital bridgehead and a small ruined hamlet.

Before they can dig in a German Battlegroup supported by a lone tank emerges through the adjacent treeline.

The British set up on the table and place three objective markers in three of the four buildings. The Germans enter the table on turn one.

The scenario set the game at the standard Bolt Action six turns, has we were playing along the short edge of the proposed 6x4 table I extended that to eight turns. To win the Germans must control two of the objectives and British must control two objectives and destroy the German tank. This seems a tall order for both sides. The forces suggested are a typical Bolt Action 1000 point composition.

British Defender	German Attacker
1x Regular 2nd Lt + 1 extra man	1x Veteran 1st Lt + 1 extra man
3x Regular Infantry Sections (with Bren guns)	2x Veteran Grenadier Sections (Assault Rifles/Panzerfausts)
1x Veteran Vickers MMG Team	2x Inexperienced Volksgrenadier Sections
1x Regular 6-pounder Anti-Tank Gun	1x Veteran Panther OR Tiger I
1x Regular Cromwell OR Churchill Tank	1x Regular Sniper Team
1x Regular Forward Artillery Observer	1x Regular 81mm Mortar Team

I opted for a Cromwell as it was typically used as a recon tank and would no doubt gave been in the vanguard. For the Germans in 1945 I thought that full squads of surviving veterans would be few and far between so treated these as regular. My Tiger as yet to be painted so the Panther was allocated.

The following special rules were suggested,

• ​"Desperate Valor" (German): The German units are a mix of veterans and raw recruits. Any Heer or Waffen-SS infantry unit that is Down or Pinned may ignore one Pin marker when taking an Order Test if they are within 12" of their Officer.
• ​"Running on Fumes" (German): German vehicles cannot use "Recce" or "Outflank." Fuel is too precious to waste on maneuvering.
• ​"Heavy Artillery Support" (British): The British have superior logistics. Once per game, the British player may call in an Artillery Forward Observer strike with a +1 modifier to the "Effect" roll on the Artillery Table.
• ​Mud and Slush: All "Rough Ground" (rubble, plowed fields) counts as Difficult Terrain for wheeled vehicles and tracked vehicles alike.
  

  How did it play out, the Germans attacked on a wide front, in hindsight it would have been better to concentrate on the left and risk finding a less difficult route through the broken ground. We decided that troops wishing to enter would roll a D6, odds they would only be able advance, evens they could run. 
• 
• The assault on the right soon bogged down heavy fire pinning and causing casualties. The supporting Panther was constantly being hit by fire from the 6pdr, whilst unable to penetrate the thick armour it caused pins and the having to test and failing the Panther ended up retreating to cover.
• 
• The Germans bring mortar fire down on the Vickers MG team in the building but misses.
  
  The Germans on the right are making no headway the squads on the left switch to the centre avoiding the broken ground.
  
• The British artillery barrage hits causing pinning and halts it. It is now turn eight and with no hope of achieving their objective the attack is called off.
• Could they have achieved it? Perhaps with an advance on the left in mass, the Panther not being pinned out of the game could have changed the outcome?  Or was failure inevitable?
• What do you think?
• An enjoyable game for us none the less and I will definitely try an AI generated scenario again at some point in future.
• 
  
  
• Until next time, toodle pip and KBO

All Set

For some World War II action.

Finding A Gap

This week saw the turn of the 28mm World War II toys on the table.

It is early 1945, Lt. Justin Thyme's platoon has been tasked with finding a gap in the German outpost line which is being tenaciously held by a platoon of Volksgrenadiers. 

To win the game the British must get a squad to the German base line, although I stole the Patrol Phase from Chain of Command the British only got one jump off point out of three further in from the base line. This made the task in hand mighty difficult to put it mildly, nonetheless the British stiffed their upper lip and set too.

The Germans who have made their way through the British barrage (needing to pass an order test to deploy on table) await their adversary.

The British advance cautiously.

A German squad armed with Stg44's deploy forward to slow the British advance.

The British bring up their armour to support the infantry advance.

The German PAK40 hopes to stop the British armour in their tracks.

The British pour fire into the wood to clear out the Volksgrenadiers.

A Sherman Firefly is deployed on the other flank to support the advance there.

A random event brings a stray artillery round that does no damage to either side.

After a long dual between it and the British Sherman's the German PzIV is knocked out.

Meanwhile the British close in.

On turn five of six the second PzIV finally arrived.

The British are getting closer but time runs out.

A Pyrrhic victory for the Volksgrenadiers which will cost them dearly in future games.

Until next time KBO.

Surely Some Mistake?

The place Spain early 1937, objective seize and hold the bridge. Nationalist forces approaching the bridge are four squads of Foreign Legion including two 50mm mortars and a HMG with support of a squad of Regulares.

Also heading to occupy the bridge is the following Republican force consisting of five squads of EPR with HMG and 50mm mortar support.

The opposing forces converge on the bridge.

A squad of SFL wait for their comrades to nullify the threat from the the flanks.

The Republicans have the same plan it appears?

The Nationalists consolidate on their left flank engaging the Republicans on the other side of the river.

The Republicans advance to counter, but there is some confusion (a FUBAR roll) and one squad advances to the rear.

On the Nationalist right a squad and heavy weapons teams in support prepare to give the Republicans on that flank a hot reception.

The Republicans come under heavy and accurate fire, a hot reception indeed 

The Republican platoon commander moves up to encourage the faltering troops on the other flank who are missing the support of the retreating squads less than enthusiastic return to the fray.

A random event draw saw the Republican Assaultos miss an order to advance and support their left where the Republican heavy weapons teams were all but eliminated so that the Nationalist could concentrate their fire on them alone.

Up to turn three it looked as though the encounter would peter out into a draw, however as happens a lot after the break for lunch the balance switched dramatically to the Nationalists the draw of the order dice favouring them. The Republicans suffered from some devastating fire blunting their ability to reply. Turn four and the Nationalists took advantage of this storming over the bridge causing further mayhem.

Turn six and the Republican platoon commander ordered a withdrawal.

A rare victory for the Nationalists, surely some mistake?

As an aside several years ago I made a periscope that seldom gets used, too old school? With the use of measuring sticks in our recent games I thought this ought to get used too especially as Bolt Action uses true line of sight. We are both getting on to keep crouching down if needed and risk not being able to rise again😂 so out it came.

The periscope cunningly disguised as a house front.

Until next time..............

KBO