Projects just ticking along

With Dave away for six weeks our regular Chain of Command games have been on hold. I've also had a bit of time away myself, but there have been a few projects just moving along at a steady pace in the background. 

Last year at the MOAB show in Sydney I bought twenty of Eureka Miniature's 28mm Ragged Continentals figures. My intention was to paint them in various colours to use as additional militia figures. However, Brendan Morrisey kindly pointed out that militia were very unlikely to descend to such a ragged state, as their campaigning was nowhere near as arduous or as long as that experienced by the Continentals. So I decided to paint them up as all part of the same unit, using the 1778 uniforms as the base colour scheme. 

Originally, I bought twenty figures, because a militia unit for Sharp Practice is made up of a group of ten. However, a regular unit like the Continentals has only eight figures per group. So, little surprise, this inspired the purchase of a few more figures - another four men of the line so that I can make up three groups of eight, a drummer, two leaders and an ensign. This hobby is so predictable. 

From what I understand, once on campaign the Continentals were most likely to be unable to replace their small clothes like waistcoat/breeches and trousers/overalls and so would have worn civilian versions, while their hats and coats tended to be the most commonly provided items. So for the next batch of painting, I'm going to mix up the colours a bit for these clothing items to break up the uniformity even more.

I've begun playing the Westwind Konigsberg campaign for Chain of Command with a friend, one that I've not been recording for the blog for various reasons - we play at a venue not great for photography and as I've been teaching my friend the rules I haven't had time to make notes or take pictures. The second game in the campaign features a large girls' school, the Kronprinzessin-Cäcilie-Schule, and I've pondered how best to represent it. Here is a pre-war image and as you can see the building is substantial.

I wasn't aiming to replicate it exactly, but a building in the Sarissa range caught my eye. Described as a Russian town house it looked like something I could make use of in several different setting across eastern Europe. Two of them together could work well to represent the school.

While I think it will serve that purpose well enough, I can see quite a lot of uses for these, so a worthwhile addition to the terrain collection.

Talking of terrain, I have an article in the most recent edition of Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy magazine (#137) on building huts for the Far East. 

The article is a tutorial on how I've used textured craft paper to enhance MDF buildings, as I've done with this one below.

Aside from playing Chain of Command I've also been playing a lot of O Group at the club. Two of us have worked our way through all the games in the Normandy supplement and are close to completing all those in the 1941-43 eastern front supplement. We are playing in 15mm with my opponent's vast Second World War collection, which he has rebased from Flames of War to suit O Group. Difficult to photograph and we've spent much time getting ourselves accustomed to the game mechanics, so that's where our focus has been. 

I've also been playing regular games working our way through the Undaunted Stalingrad campaign for a second time. My opponent is a board gaming friend I've been playing against for more than thirty years. We played through the campaign last year and we've decided to start again this year, but swap sides. I like the system, it's simple, but with plenty of nuance. Perhaps best of all, it plays quickly. There are a fair few abstractions, but for such a playable game I can live with these.

So, no big projects to report, but plenty of small ones just ticking along, hence it's been a bit quiet here on the blog. Dave is back from Europe soon and so it won't be long before we will get back to the Scottish Corridor campaign and more regular game reports.

The Scottish Corridor Scenario 7: Second Attack at Mouen

This is our seventh game in The Scottish Corridor campaign for Chain of Command. If you haven't been following along, you can find all the previous game reports on the Campaign AAR page. 

We return to the village of Mouen, where an isolated British company have found themselves directly in the path of the panzer grenadiers from Kampfgruppe Frey. In their first encounter, the defenders stood firm, knocking out a Tiger I and driving back the supporting infantry. 

The Germans will now make a second attempt to secure the village. They have assigned the task to their second platoon, which is at full strength, and will be backed up with sixteen points of support. The knocked out Tiger from the earlier game sits as a reminder of what the Germans can bring to the fight.

The British enjoy far less support, with only five points available. The decision to call on a 6 pounder AT gun in the first game paid dividends. I have to wonder if I need to do the same for this one. There are good grounds for the Germans to consider armour. The village buildings make for strong defensive positions, but a few well aimed rounds of high explosive from a tank gun could make them untenable. 

Without the 6 pounder, the platoon's only anti-tank weapon would be the PIAT. That's not much insurance. Of course, there is always the chance Dave decides not to call on tank support, but I'm not sure I can ignore the possibility. 

The British start with their force morale at nine. The Germans are at ten and begin the game with three Chain of Command points. The patrol phase plays out in a very similar fashion to the previous game and it leaves the Germans with no option but to cross the open fields to reach the village. While that calls for caution on their part, they have an immense amount of firepower with which to cover any advance. The British must be very careful about exposing their infantry to too much of that. It rarely ends well.

The two mission objectives are in the same buildings as previously.

The Germans have the opening phase and reveal their first support choice - an extra command dice (the Red Dice). Two sections deploy on overwatch behind the hedgerow on their left flank.

A third deploys from the jump-off-point on their right flank. 

The British wait to see how the attack unfolds. In the next German phase, an oberscharführer (senior leader) joins the sections at the hedgerow. 

He orders the one to his left to cross the hedge. 

An Ie.IG.18 infantry gun joins him at the hedgerow and the commander puts the crew on overwatch. 

I have to confess, I hadn't considered the Germans would bring an artillery piece. That was unexpected, but in hindsight, not a complete surprise. I knew that Dave would be looking at some way of hitting those village buildings with high explosive, but I hadn't considered an infantry gun. That suggests the Germans probably won't have any armour. Perhaps my gamble on taking the 6 pounder won't pay off?

The section on the German right flank then moves at the double toward the tall farm wall. 

I should have guessed that Dave would want to try a different approach to dealing with those village houses. The infantry gun could make it very difficult to hold that position. 

Despite that threat, I don't intend giving the Germans free passage across the fields. In the British phase, a section deploys in the upper level of one of those village houses and both teams are placed on overwatch.

The next German command roll brings up their first full CoC die. Meanwhile, the oberscharführer orders the section in the field to continue moving forward.

On their right flank, the panzer grenadiers climb over the high wall and into the farmyard. 

I'm certain the Germans are trying to draw out the British, but I'm determined to wait for the right opportunity. I choose to do nothing in the next phase. In the German phase, the scharführer in the farmyard rallies off the remaining shock from their earlier move and then orders them to move across to the other wall.

On the other flank, the oberscharführer leads the section he is with over the hedge. 

Once there, he orders the section to his left to move more cautiously. 

They risk entering the line of sight of the section in the village, so they move tactically. At this point they can't be targeted, but any further movement forward will change that.

The following British command roll is 66654. There is little I can do with the phase and so the turn ends. At this point the Germans must remove one of the objective markers and they select the one in the house with the British section. 

The subsequent British command roll is 55532, which provides some very useful CoC points. Other than that, all there is to do at this stage is return the teams in the section back on to overwatch.

The Germans continue pressing ahead and the oberscharführer leads the section he is accompanying forward. 

He orders the section to his left to hold their position and take up a tactical stance. I'm not quite sure what Dave has planned, but whatever it is, he will want to bring the Ie.IG.18 gun into action the moment he has the chance. 

The gun commander puts the crew on overwatch. 

On the right flank the section completes its move across the farmyard. Quite where they go from here is unclear, but if they choose to climb over the wall, they will make for a very inviting target. 

The British continue waiting and watching. Until the German infantry come to within 18" of the house they can't react to the presence of the men that are there. Unless, of course, the British open fire. No doubt that is what the commander of the Ie.IG.18 gun is waiting for.

The Germans remain cautious. The oberscharführer leads the section and they move tactically. 

At this point, not a shot has been fired in anger. We are both waiting to see who will blink first.

The section in the farmyard err on the side of caution. They move along the wall toward the road. 

The British spend another phase waiting and watching. In the German phase, the oberscharführer and section move up tactically toward the hedgerow. They've been careful to remain out of the arc of fire of the building. 

The scharführer of the other section designates two men as a scout team and they move ahead tactically. That puts them in line of sight of the village. Do I want to take the bait? With the infantry gun on overwatch, waiting for just this moment, I'm not sure I do. The British hold their fire.

For the moment, it's only the panzer grenadier scout team that has a line of sight to the section on the upper level, but with both the scouts and the section with the oberscharführer within 18" of the house, they are now aware it is occupied by the enemy. 

I'm not certain staying in the upper level can serve any more purpose. It's obvious the Germans have no intention of presenting the waiting section with a target. In the British phase, the corporal moves the men down to ground level.  

From there they can cover part of the orchard and defend the ground level of the house more effectively.

That move may prove premature. The following German command roll includes a triple 6, giving them an opportunity to exploit a double phase just as the British are no longer on overwatch. I've no doubt they'll make the most of this. The scout team move up to the hedge by the orchard. 

The oberscharführer orders the remainder of the section to move up to join them. 

Next, he directs the panzer grenadiers with him to advance to the hedgerow.   

Last, the oberscharführer himself heads back towards the infantry gun. Now that he's aware the building is occupied, he's eager to communicate that to the gun crew. 

In the following German phase, the section's scharführer sends the scouts into the orchard. 

He then leads the rest of the section up to the hedgerow. 

The oberscharführer orders the other section to move along the hedgerow towards them before heading  off toward the gun.

Once within command range, he orders it to fire. 

A round of 75mm high explosive hits the building with a deadly blast. Two men are casualties, one from the rifle team and the other from the Bren team, which also suffers a point of shock. 

Lastly, the panzer grenadiers in the farm yard take the decision to climb over the wall. With the infantry gun able to target the village the Germans have their tails up and feel confident enough to press ahead, despite the risks.

In the British phase, I think it's obvious the house is now untenable. If the infantry gun continues to rain down high explosive, which I don't doubt it will, then the section won't be able to hold out for long. The Germans have conducted a much more cautious and coordinated advance in this game, having learned a bitter lesson in the last one.

The corporal orders the men to abandon the building and head out into the orchard. Whether it's reluctance or miscommunication the section barely move (a movement roll of 1,1 is insufficient for the entire section to exit through the door). They may pay a price for their tardiness.

With panzer grenadiers approaching the objective, a second British section deploys to deal with them.

The platoon sergeant joins them. 

The Bren team uses concentrated fire to target one of the MG42 teams while the rifle team engage the whole section. 

The panzer grenadiers immediately hit the dirt. 

Despite taking cover, they lose a man from each team.

There's an opportunity to try to inflict more casualties and so the 2” mortar team deploys to the section's left. 

They position themselves carefully so as not to present the Germans with a bunched up target. They may not have many HE rounds, but with storm of steel and the ability to negate the German's cover, this could prove damaging. Disappointingly, their first shot has no effect.  

Back at the orchard, a third section deploys along the hedge opposite the Germans.

That puts them ready to receive any panzer grenadiers that try to cross the orchard. If I can extract the remainder of the other section from the house and have them move over the hedge or into the orchard, that should give the panzer grenadiers some pause for thought.

Or.....perhaps not. At a critical moment fortune smiles on the Germans with a very useful command roll of 66421. That's awful timing from my perspective. The infantry gun is the first to fire and targets the village once again. 

To my relief, the hits fail to inflict any casualties or shock.

The oberscharführer then heads back towards the men at the hedgerow.

He orders the section on the left into the orchard. 

He orders the other section to move slowly along the hedge. If they gain a line of sight to the men who came out of the house, they will engage them. They cover the ground quickly and that puts them directly opposite the British.  

I think about using react fire. However, with a Bren team and a solitary rifleman I have seven firepower. That's probably insufficient to neutralise one, let alone both of the MG42 teams, who would then be able to fire. To make matters worse, the men are in open ground and the Germans have another phase. React fire, while tempting, is not a good option.  

Instead, I decide to hit the dirt.

The panzer grenadiers fire at half effect and now that the British are in better cover they manage to inflict only a point of shock. 

The panzer grenadiers on the right flank return fire at the British opposite. 

Given I could be facing another phase of fire, the best option again is to hit the dirt. 

That puts the section in hard cover and the resulting fire inflicts only two points of shock.

While the British managed to survive that phase in reasonable shape, they have to face another one. The infantry gun fires again, killing a man in the rifle team. 

The oberscharführer orders the panzer grenadiers at the hedge to fire again. 

With not enough CoC points for an interrupt, there is nothing I can do but take the pain. The decision to hit the dirt was undoubtedly the right one given the double phase.

However, the hail of German fire proves overwhelming. The solitary rifleman is killed, as is one of the Bren team. That takes the team down to a single crew member and the resulting shock on the section is enough to see them pinned.  

The oberscharführer then moves up to the hedge to join the section. 

At this point, from a British perspective at least, things are not looking promising. The cluster of buildings could have made for a good defensive position, but the presence of the infantry gun means that's no longer a viable option. As always, panzer grenadiers firepower is intimidating and I don't believe we have seen the last of the German supports. I suspect there is another section just waiting for the right opportunity to make an appearance.

Meanwhile, the firefight on the right flank continues.  

Another storm of MG42 fire sweeps the hedgerow. Despite hitting the dirt and benefiting from hard cover, the British lose three men and suffer more shock. That sees the Bren team reduced to a single man.

When the British phase arrives, I do what I can to try to restore some semblance of order. The section in the orchard uses reposition to try and escape their predicament. The corporal and what is left of the Bren team move back into the next orchard.

 

The reposition roll allowed for a move of 5" and while units can cross minor and medium obstacles, as well as enter or leave buildings, we weren't sure how many of these obstacles could be crossed as part of the move. We decided the remaining three men from the rifle team who were still in the house could exit the building, but not cross the farm hedge as well. They take up position in the cover of the orchard. 

On the other flank, the platoon sergeant assigns one of the riflemen to join the Bren team and then moves toward the barn to bring himself within command range of the 2” mortar team. 

Once there he orders the mortar to fire another round of HE. 

The Germans interrupt and the panzer grenadiers open fire on the small mortar team. 

They are lucky to survive, but still lose one man and suffer a point of shock. They fire off their HE round and extract some revenge by killing one of the Germans. 

The section then opens fire. 

Dave intends to hit the dirt, but I remind him that a unit cannot use CoC points more than once in any phase. That means the panzer grenadiers find themselves in open ground and the British fire cuts down another two men and inflicts shock. That reduces one MG42 team to a single soldier and the whole section is now down to three men and their scharführer. 

The platoon lieutenant deploys into one of the orchards and rallies shock from the pinned Bren team. 

He then orders the section to move further along the hedgerow. There's a danger the three riflemen from the rifle team in the orchard are close enough to make for a bunched target. That's not a position I want the section to be caught in when faced with two sections of panzer grenadiers.

In the German phase, a fourth panzer grenadier section deploys near the road.

From there they can see across to the British section near the objective. The line of sight is partly obscured by the knocked out Tiger, but it's clear enough that they can target the Bren team.

There are no casualties, but the team suffer three points of shock. That puts the section very close to becoming pinned down.

The scharführer rallies shock and has what is left of his section continue the firefight across the field. 

The weight of German fire is starting to prevail. The British lose two more men and suffer a point of shock. That's enough to see them pinned.  

To make matters worse, the corporal is hit and stunned. British force morale drops to seven.

The oberscharführer repositions the nearby section over the hedge and into the orchard. 

He then orders them to charge using handgrenaten. I sense my small British force is about to be overwhelmed.

If the grenades don't get the riflemen, then I suspect the attacking Germans will amass odds of at least four to one that will force them to surrender. Either way, I'd say they are doomed.

Well, as it turns out, a couple of stick grenades are enough to do the job. All three are killed, wiping out the rifle team and taking British morale down to six. 

The panzer grenadiers storm across the orchard, sidestepping the corpses of the hapless riflemen and reaching the hedgerow at the other side. 

That puts the nearest British section in a difficult spot. 

However, the Germans are not finished yet. The oberscharführer sends the other panzer grenadier section across the orchard. They move with one die and hope to bring themselves into line for sight to fire on the British behind the hedge. They cover the distance and come close enough to engage in close combat, if so inclined. They are not, preferring to use their firepower instead and inflicting shock.

At this point I can't see how the British can rescue the situation. I've managed to inflict casualties on the Germans, but not as many as I have suffered. I'm not certain I could inflict many more, at least not without taking more myself. The section at the hedgerow could try throwing a grenade and then going into close combat, but as it stands now the German section is at full strength with no shock, and, more significantly, has two fully functioning light machine guns. 

At least I haven't lost an NCO. If I withdraw now there will be less negative impact on the men's opinion, so that's what I decide to do. Yet, things never go as smoothly as planned. The Bren team and accompanying corporal are pinned and so I must roll to see if they withdraw successfully. They don't. The corporal is captured and so, in the end, I have lost a NCO after all.....

Dave took a careful, methodical approach to this attack and it paid off handsomely. The infantry gun was an inspired choice of support, providing the punch the Germans needed to crack the defence. Unlike a tank, it was never going to be at risk from the 6 pounder. Any attempt by the British infantry to suppress it would have been met with a hail of MG42 fire from the supporting infantry. While a couple of timely double phases helped, they simply made a good plan go better.

Despite that, I can't have many complaints, the British have achieved a key objective of delaying the German advance. It was always going to be a tough proposition holding up a well supported force of panzer grenadiers and in the wider context of the campaign that has to be considered a success.

The British suffered seven permanent losses, in addition to the captured NCO. All up, it's another blow to the men's opinion which drops back to -6. The CO is equally unimpressed, but his opinion only falls to -3.

The platoon leader's outlook is now Retiring. The British may have had success at slowing the German attacks, but it has come at some cost to morale.

The Germans are feeling more positive about things, despite the delays. Their men's opinion is at +4 and their CO's opinion at +1. The platoon leader's outlook remains Assured.

Our next game will be on the other flank of the corridor, where another isolated British force holds the small farming community of Mondrainville. The Germans need to push them aside as they drive towards Colleville. So, once again, outnumbered defenders must find a way to stall a superior force of panzer grenadiers. 

However, there will be a bit of a break before that game, as Dave is off on a sojourn to France for several weeks. There will be a short hiatus before the next game, which is likely to take place in late October.