The Scottish Corridor Scenario 6: Counterattack at Le Valtru

This is our sixth 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. 

After beating back the German assault at Mouen in the previous game, the British have an opportunity to mount a counterattack. This is not about retaking lost ground. It's all about putting time pressure on the Germans, by forcing them to spend a campaign turn defending when they would otherwise be attacking. 

The success at Mouen came with very few losses and that helped lift the men's opinion. Nonetheless, at -5, it remains much lower than I would like. So the aim is to delay the Germans, but minimise British casualties. With that in mind, the best option is to counterattack on the other flank of the corridor at Le Valtru, where there is access to more support. 

This is going to be little more than a spoiling attack. The British will rely heavily on armour, with two Sherman M4 leading the way. The tanks will do the bulk of the work and if possible, try to inflict casualties on the panzer grenadiers. It may be quite a short game, as I don't intend using my infantry, unless a very good opportunity presents itself.   

This is fought as an Attack & Defend Mission and the Germans place two objective markers in the village.

We start with British force morale at ten. The Germans are marginally better at eleven and they move quickly in the patrol phase, electing to use only three patrol markers. That restricts British jump-off-points to the rear of the table and gives the Germans possession of the village. That places them in a strong defensive position, which can be approached only across open ground. Asking my infantry to assault in those conditions is simply begging for trouble. The Shermans will have to do the heavy lifting.

The Germans have the initiative and the opening phase. As in previous games, they have taken the support option of an extra command dice. They get off to a good start, their very first command roll includes a triple 6. However, Dave chooses not to deploy. The following command roll gives him three CoC points, but once again, he chooses to wait and see what the enemy have planned.

The British have no reason to wait. In their opening phase, one of the Shermans deploys to the left of the road. The gunner is put on overwatch. 

The commander has the bow machine gunner lay suppressing fire on one of the village buildings that houses a jump-off-point.

German command dice continue rolling hot, with another triple 6. They choose not to deploy in this phase, no doubt anticipating the turn end, when the Sherman gunner will no longer be on overwatch.

That reasoning becomes abundantly clear in the following phase, when a dug-in Pak40 anti-tank gun appears. 

It’s in the orchard on the German right flank, with a good line of sight covering the entry road. This might be a very short game indeed.

. 

The commander lays the gun and orders the crew to fire. The round hits the Sherman, but can inflict only two AP strikes. The tank’s armour manages to deflect both of those. Nonetheless, zero net hits means it must halt and engage the firer in their next phase. Given that's exactly what I plan to do, it's not a bad outcome and one that could have been much worse.

Two panzer grenadier sections then deploy in the outskirts of the village. One is entrenched behind a hedgerow and is placed on overwatch. 

The other is in the upper level of the nearby house. It too is placed on overwatch.

That sets up a rather formidable looking defensive line, ready to tackle both British armour and infantry.

 

The following British command roll is 65522. While it gives me a full CoC dice, the activation rolls don't offer any options for the Sherman. I can't activate the commander or the gunner. That means I'm unable to engage the Pak40, resulting in a point of shock on the crew. This is not a good start.

Given my bad luck with the command roll, I consider whether I should deploy a couple of sections to try to deal with the gun, but soon dismiss the idea. Their best option is to occupy a small area of light cover opposite the Pak40.  To bring enough fire to bear the sections would likely make for a bunched up target, which is less than ideal given they would face the immediate wrath of the two panzer grenadiers sections on overwatch.  That’s a firefight that is going to end in only one way.

Not only has luck deserted me, it appears to be smiling on Dave. He rolls 66544 for his next command roll (in case you are wondering, we are both using the same set of command dice, they just don’t like me!). Another double phase and from the Sherman's perspective, at the worst possible moment. While the roll doesn't give many options for activation, it's enough for the platoon's oberscharführer to deploy into the orchard, within command range of the Pak40.

He orders the crew to fire.

The British may have a lifeline. I use my full CoC die to interrupt. Initially, I want to have the commander fire smoke to lay a screen between the tank and the gun. However, a check of the v2 rules reveals this requires the commander to activate and issue an order, which means it can't be done as an interrupt. My optimism is premature.

Instead, the Sherman fires a round of HE at the gun. Unfortunately, the shock the tank crew are suffering reduces the number of fire dice and my poor luck continues. The HE round inflicts a single point of shock. 

When the Pak40 fires, the shock does nothing to put the crew off their aim. The hit roll is high and includes a 6. The round has struck a weak spot and gains an additional AP strike dice. This doesn't bode well.

The Sherman is extremely fortunate to receive only two AP strikes, which once again, its armour counters. With zero net hits, it suffers the same outcome as before - it must halt and engage the firer in the next British phase.

While the tank's luck has held out, it must face another German phase. The gun commander rallies shock from the crew and has them fire once again. 

The Sherman has been living dangerously and the inevitable happens. One of the Pak40's 75mm rounds finally finds its mark. The hapless tank explodes in flames. The commander is killed and the British are fortunate that their force morale drops only a singe point to nine.  

When it comes to the British phase, I wonder what to do. I could just withdraw now. After all, I've achieved my key objective of delaying the Germans. Having said that, so far, I've also avoided any infantry casualties. Perhaps I should see if the other Sherman can inflict a few casualties on the German infantry first? The Germans have a full CoC die, but can't interrupt the deployment. I decide to continue fighting for a bit longer and the second Sherman deploys. The commander immediately fires off the tank's smoke dischargers.

With the Pak40 screened off, he then orders the main gunner to target the German infantry. 

The gun turns toward the panzer grenadiers behind the hedge and fires off a round of high explosive. 

There are no casualties, but the section suffers shock.

The following German command roll is 442222 and yet Dave decides to do nothing in this phase. What he does choose to do, is end the turn using his full CoC die. That sees the tank's smoke screen removed. 

That will give the British the next phase and a chance for the Sherman to respond first. Despite that, it's obvious the Germans fancy their odds in a gun duel with the Sherman. While that smacks of Teutonic arrogance, they probably have a point. 

In the British phase, I sense there is nothing left to do, except for the Sherman to return fire at the Pak40. If it can inflict enough shock, it might be enough to put the gun crew off their aim. If the bow machine gun then lays down suppressing fire that might add to their woes. I'm grasping at straws here and the sight of the nearby burning Sherman is ominous. It feels like I'm gazing into the near future. 

The Sherman's main gun fires HE first.

Up until now the Germans have had all the luck. Yet the British discover it hasn't deserted them completely. The Sherman scores a number of hits and that includes three 6s. Not only does that give the storm of steel bonus, but if I can roll another 6 with any one of those extra rolls, that will give a total of four 6s. Enough to destroy the gun outright. Well.....that's exactly what happens. 

The gun is destroyed and the surviving crew members abandon the wreckage. Well, I didn't expect that, and, from the look on Dave's face, neither did he. German force morale slumps two points and their front line is suddenly looking a lot less threatening.

The reason for the look on Dave's face soon becomes apparent. Other than a few short range panzerfausts, the Germans don't have another anti-tank weapon. Suddenly, the lone Sherman looks far more menacing.

In the German phase the panzer grenadiers begin to move back towards the cover of the village.

The British don't have a CoC die available and so the Sherman can't interrupt. The panzer grenadiers move swiftly behind one of the buildings and out of line of sight.

In the house, the section moves to the ground level. The Sherman is not yet aware the panzer grenadiers are there and so won't be able to fire on them in the next phase. It's apparent that without the Pak40 the Germans only remaining source of anti-tank weapons are panzerfausts. There is no point having their infantry sit in line of sight of the Sherman, unable to respond.

That then sets up an interesting situation. There's a possibility the British could actually recapture Le Valtru. That's far more than I ever expected from this counterattack, but I don't think it will come cheaply. Certainly, it can't be achieved without the support of the Sherman. 

If the Germans are canny, which I'm sure Dave would be, the panzer grenadiers would need to be hunted down in the close quarters of the village. In that environment the Sherman would lose most of its advantages, while making itself a prime target for panzerfausts. The British would have to send in infantry, to both protect the tank and seize the objective. 

That would mean confronting a full platoon of panzer grenadiers defending stone buildings. I can't see an outcome where I avoid taking infantry casualties, possibly quite heavy. To make the cost worthwhile, the British must win. Failure to do so, would mean we achieve no more than we have already, but with a bigger butcher's bill. 

Pressing on with the counterattack is something I might have considered had the men's opinion not been at -5. I need to keep in mind that my main objective here was to conduct a spoiling attack to delay the Germans. Ideally, that would be carried out without suffering the sort of casualties that would see the men's opinion drop further. At this point, both of those have been achieved. As much as I'd like to fight for the village, I decide to keep an eye on the bigger picture and withdraw while the going is good.

That brings us to the halfway mark in the campaign. With six turns remaining the Germans still need to capture four tables to win an outright victory. The British have The Skirl of the Pipes wild card yet to play, which will allow them to seize the initiative. That will delay the Germans for at least another turn. In short, the Germans have five campaign turns to capture four tables. If the British can hold on to three tables or more by campaign end, they will have earned themselves an outright victory. Two tables give them a narrow victory. That tilts the odds slightly in favour of the British, but not by much. There is still a lot to fight for.

The Scottish Corridor Scenario 5: Attack into Mouen

This is our fifth 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. 

So far, the British have delayed the German advance, but it has come at a cost. Casualties have been high and the men's opinion has dropped alarmingly. There's a real danger their force morale is going to suffer. 

It didn’t help that they were roughly handled in the previous game. Unfortunately, the prospects for this one are not promising. A lone platoon must try to hold the village of Mouen against a powerful thrust from the panzer grenadiers of Kampfgruppe Frey. They won't have much support, which makes this look like a tough proposition.

Having said that, this isn't the easiest table to attack. The Germans must cross a fair bit of open ground to reach the village. 

This is an Attack & Defend mission, using the new mechanics in Chain of Command v2. The British place the mission’s objective markers in two of the village buildings.

The patrol phase is short. The British push forward quickly, using only three patrol markers. The German jump-off-points are restricted to the rear of the table, leaving them no choice, but to cross the open ground. The British are positioned to cover the approaches to the village, while defending the two objectives and an orchard on their right flank. 

Unsurprisingly, given the men’s opinion is at -7, British force morale will start at eight. The Germans will be at ten. With only six support points, the British face a tough decision when it comes to supports. Do I look at maximising firepower and take a Vickers MMG team? That's certainly a good option. 

What if the Germans bring armour? The platoon's solitary PIAT team seems inadequate. There are just enough points to consider a Vickers and an additional PIAT team. Two PIATs might offer some hope against a Panzer IV, but what if the Germans have a Panther, like they did in the previous game?

I have a sneaking suspicion there will be armour. That being the case, a 6 Pounder AT gun may be a better option than the short range PIAT. At five support points it gives me little else, but I decide to take a gamble. The remaining point will be for an entrenchment.

 

The Germans start with one CoC point and the initiative. As in previous games, they've taken the support option of an additional command dice (a Red Dice). Things don't bode well when their opening command roll includes two 6s, heralding a double phase. Are the fortunes of war about to smile on them again?

The first section deploys into one of the fields on their left flank.

An oberscharführer (senior leader) joins them.

In the following phase, a second section deploys to their left.

They may be in open ground, but with the British jump-off-points some way back, they can be confident they won't be surprised just yet.

While I was expecting armour, I wasn't expecting what appears next. A Tiger I turns up in the road and the gunner is placed on overwatch. Well, the Germans certainly don't intend messing around. 

I have a sinking feeling the 6 pounder is totally inadequate. What I really need, is a Sherman Firefly.

I see no advantage to deploying this early and make no moves in the British phase. Meanwhile, both panzer grenadier sections continue moving across the field. 

Once again, the British watch and wait. In the next German phase, the oberscharführer has both sections move to the hedgerow.

That lines them up nicely to engage any British who deploy along the hedgerow opposite. Already, it has me wondering how I can possibly oppose them. Their combined firepower is intimidating and the hedgerow offers only light cover, something the HE from the Tiger can negate. While I can congratulate myself on guessing how the Germans might approach this, it doesn't help me resolve exactly how I might stop it. 

The British then roll a double phase. Aside from accumulating useful CoC points, I can't see a good reason to commit the platoon just yet. Well, actually, there is one good reason - in case your opponent rolls a double phase. Which, of course, is exactly what happens next. The Germans plan to take full advantage. The Tiger commander orders the driver to move flat out. 

However, the heavy tank proves to be a lumbering beast and only manages to cover a short distance.

The panzer grenadiers prove faster. The oberscharführer sends the section to his left over the hedge. 

That puts them in an exposed position and the oberscharführer puts the other section on overwatch to cover them. 

The following German command roll provides sufficient points for their second full CoC die. Meanwhile, the commander of the Tiger puts the gunner on overwatch. 

The section on the German left continues to move across the field. This is a worry. I was intending to make the panzer grenadiers fight a lot harder to make this sort of progress.

The moment is fast approaching when the British are going to have to commit themselves.

Dave then uses one of his full CoC dice to move a jump-off-point forward. 

It relocates near the panzer grenadiers behind the hedgerow.

A third section utilises the jump-off-point to join them.

The first thing they do, is lay suppressing fire along the hedgerow opposite. That will make any deployment from the British jump-off-point hesitant. For any units that do succeed, their fire will be less effective. The Germans are operating like a well-oiled machine and this is turning into something of a tactical masterclass.

A second oberscharführer joins the newly arrived section. It turns out he is the platoon's assigned leader, the other one has been called in as a support. That puts two panzer grenadier sections at the hedgerow, with two oberscharführer. With two senior leaders present, alongside the sections' scharführers, everything is in place for the German officers and NCOs to maximise the effectiveness of the MG42s by using maschinengewehr. Like I said.....a tactical masterclass.

The panzer grenadiers in the field are devoid of cover, which make for a very tempting target. However, the threat of return fire from so many well armed German sections (not to mention the Tiger), is enough to make me wonder if deployment in the orchard is even worth considering.

However, a decision to do nothing is not an option. Yet I need to be careful. More than anything, I don't want to end up in a firefight where I'm overwhelmed with German firepower. Originally, I'd envisaged holding the hedgerow at the orchard, but that is now fraught with danger. Keeping that in mind, I spot another opportunity. The first British section and the platoon sergeant deploy into the upper level of one of the village houses near the orchard. 

The sergeant puts both teams on overwatch. From here, they can see over the orchard and into a part of the open field. For now, the panzer grenadiers are out of line of sight, but should they come any closer, they’ll find themselves under fire while in the open.

It's a good position. Until they fire, or the Germans approach to within 18”, they can’t be targeted. Just as importantly, it avoids facing the panzer grenadiers' fire line at the hedgerow, yet still manages to threaten any move across the field.

In the German phase, one of the oberscharführers orders the recently arrived section to advance over the hedge.

The section to its left lays down more suppressing fire along the orchard hedgerow. 

Meanwhile, the Tiger moves flat out.

 

That brings it into a better position to support the assault.

The following British command roll is 32211. That offers a lot of options for deployment and I'm very tempted. There are two panzer grenadiers sections in open ground and at close range. 

There won't be many opportunities like this. The panzer grenadiers present a bunched up target, yet I still remain reluctant to commit. Two British sections could try to deploy into the orchard, but it's hazardous. First, both might not appear. The suppressing fire would entail checking to see if either were hesitant. If successful, they would then fire through suppressing fire. Admittedly, that is partly negated by the fact they have a bunched up target. However, the Germans have plenty of CoC points and would almost certainly hit the dirt. Yet, that is only one half of the equation. 

The British, who would themselves make for a bunched up target, will then have to face return fire. To start with, there is a section of panzer grenadiers on overwatch behind the hedgerow. A German phase would follow. That would leave two British sections as a bunched up target, facing three enemy sections. They could return considerably more fire than they received. Even if the British had inflicted casualties and shock, I very much doubt it would be enough to prevent all six MG42 teams returning fire. Possibly some, if not all, making use of maschinengewehr. That’s before considering what damage the Tiger might be able to inflict. The cons appear to far outweigh the pros. 

For the moment, my section in the village has given the Germans some food for thought. I decide to be prudent and it's just as well. German good fortune with the command dice continues when they roll 666441. A double phase and turn end. I feel relieved. I'd hate to think what a mess two phases of MG42 fire could have made of my units.

While I've no doubt they’ll use the double phase to press forward, they won't be wanting to move through open ground in sight of the enemy. The Tiger moves forward rapidly, a threat that could quickly transform the situation.

The support oberscharführer leads the section by the road over the hedgerow. 

That puts the entire panzer grenadier platoon in the open field. It's such an inviting target.

It appears Dave has decided there is nothing to be gained from moving into the British line of fire. The direction of advance shifts suddenly when the oberscharführer orders the section in the centre to move at the double. They move very fast, heading towards the road and reaching their destination in a single bound. 

The other section is ordered to follow and moves just as rapidly. That sees a swift change of emphasis to the German assault.

With that the turn ends. The British section in the village house is no longer on overwatch. The Germans also remove one of the objective markers. Dave selects the one in the village house, by the orchard. It's a surprising choice, as it's the closest one to his units. The other objective marker now becomes the target, which may go some way to explain the sudden shift in direction by the Germans.

 

In the following German phase, an oberscharführer rallies shock from the nearest section, before ordering one of its MG42 teams to move. 

They climb the hedge, coming close enough to the house to shut down the British jump-off-point. 

He orders the other section to lay suppressing fire along the hedgerow. 

The third panzer grenadier section moves at the double to catch up with the rest of the platoon. That leaves the British section in the village house isolated and in danger of being overhwelmed.

In the British phase, the section are unable to fire on the nearby MG42 team, but that doesn’t mean they can’t throw grenades out of the window. 

The platoon sergeant has the men toss out two grenades. 

Both land to deadly effect, killing two of the panzer grenadiers and inflicting a point of shock. 

That presents a good opportunity to wipe out that team and free up the jump-off-point. A second British section deploys in the orchard.

Just as they are about to open fire, the Germans hit the dirt. They don't take any further casualties, but they do suffer more shock. They are saved from pinning only by the close proximity of the oberscharführer.  

The section corporal uses his second order to have the men throw a grenade.

That does the job very effectively, wiping out the remainder of the team. That was fairly brutal. German morale drops to nine. 

In their next phase, the oberscharführer orders one of the sections to move along the hedge at the orchard. 

For now, the dense fruit trees prevent any line of sight between the panzer grenadiers and the British section (in this particular scenario these orchards are treated as woods for visibility purposes).

The third section is ordered to join them at the hedgerow. 

The Germans might have a lot of firepower, but for now they can't bring it to bear. Should they decide to clamber over the hedge and into the orchard, they’ll have to deal with fire from the British first.

The commander of the Tiger orders both the main gunner and the bow machine gunner onto overwatch.

In the following British phase, the sergeant places the two teams in the house on overwatch. 

They cover the closest part of the orchard, but a few remaining members of the rifle team also cover the other side of the house. 

The corporal in the orchard puts his section on overwatch. Will the Germans be bold enough to confront them? They face a hot reception if they do.

In the German phase, one of the panzer grenadier sections at the hedgerow is placed on overwatch. 

The section to their left then moves away from the hedge and in the direction of the road. It appears the Germans may not be inclined to come through the orchard after all. It makes sense, why take the difficult route to the objective? 

As an indication of German thinking, the Tiger turns off the road and also heads in the direction of the objective. 

As it does, it puts suppressing fire on the hedge near the barn with the British jump-off-point.

That confirms in my mind that the Germans are about to shift their main emphasis across the road.

The following British command roll is 65321 and it's a very useful set of command dice. I think the moment has come to tackle the Tiger, while it is separated from its infantry support. If the 6 pounder and PIAT teams deploy now, they can do so out of their line of sight, giving the crews a much greater chance of survival.

This is no easy task. The chance of taking out the tank with a single shot is extremely slim. I suspect my best chance may come from peppering it with shots, in the hope the crew suffer enough shock to bail out. That means targeting the well armoured tank with both my anti-tank weapons simultaneously. The 6 pounder deploys first, near the road junction.

 

The gun commander helps lay the gun. With a clear line of sight, they require only a 4 or more to hit. 

However, fate is cruel. I roll snake eyes and the AP round misses the tank completely. That's a very disappointing start and I don't suspect the gun will get too many more chances. However, for now at least, only the Tiger can return fire.

The PIAT team then deploy in the upper level of one of the houses. They are very close to the nearby panzer grenadiers, but out of reach for close combat and out of their line of sight. 

 

It fires with more accuracy than the 6 pounder, but fails to make any impact on the Tiger's heavy armour. I didn't have high expectations of what might be achieved, but I must confess, I was hoping for slightly better than this.

When the Tiger activates in the German phase, I use a CoC die to interrupt and have the 6 pounder fire again. While I roll better than the first attempt, a 3 is nowhere near enough. Another AT round flies off harmlessly into the French countryside. It looks like luck has deserted the British.

The Tiger sends a round of 88mm HE at the gun crew and they are fortunate to suffer only a single point of shock. For good measure, the tank's bow machine gunner puts suppressing fire on the gun crew.

For now the AT gun crew have survived, but their accuracy is going to have to improve dramatically if they are to inflict any damage. 

An oberscharführer orders one of the panzer grenadier sections to move at the double to the the road. He rallies off the shock when they arrive.

It's now clear the German effort is swinging toward the other flank.

In the British phase, the struggle to take on the Tiger continues. The PIAT team try their luck once more. 

This time it hits with surprisingly good effect, inflicting five AP strikes. Once more, the tank's heavy armour proves resistant. Nonetheless, it suffers one net hit, resulting in a point of shock. It's a start, but not nearly enough.

Next, the commander of the 6 pounder rallies the point of shock from the crew, before ordering them to fire. 

Despite the suppressing fire, this time they hit their target, inflicting three AP strikes. The Tiger suffers another one net hit, which adds a further point of shock. The British have come tantalisingly close to driving the crew from the tank. If their first shots had been more effective, this might have been enough.

With the Germans changing the direction of their attack and with the objective on that other flank, the section in the orchard can begin to fall back. 

They leave the orchard, but remain lining the other side of the hedge. They can guard this flank for as long as there are still Germans in the vicinity.

With the British section vacating the orchard, the oberscharführer sends one of the panzer grenadier sections back along the hedgerow.

That brings them close enough to shut down the jump-off-point. 

The full British platoon is yet to deploy and they want to ensure there are no nasty surprises emerging from the orchard.

The oberscharführer then leads one of the MG42 teams over the hedge and into the road. 

The other section follows.

It looks like time is fast running out for the 6 pounder and PIAT teams. Once the panzer grenadiers have them in their sights, they are unlikely to survive for long. 

The Tiger is about to fire, but before it does, the British use a CoC die to interrupt.

The 6 pounder will have another shot, perhaps its last. With the panzer grenadiers closing in, and HE rounds from the Tiger bound to come their way, they may not have many chances left.

The crew have found their aim and are on target once again. This time there is a 6 in the hit roll. They've hit a weak spot, giving them an extra AP dice. Finally, fortune smiles on the British. There are five AP strikes and, despite its heavy armour, the Tiger can save only one. It's knocked out!

It doesn't explode and the crew bail out, but it's enough to see German force morale drop to eight. 

More than that, I sense this is a pivotal moment in the game. The Tiger had the potential to dominate the battlefield and the loss of the 6 pounder would have given it free rein. German force morale may still be reasonably high, but I sense this loss will take the wind out of their sails. Hurrah for the 6 pounder and the penetrative power of AP Discarding Sabot.

Worth noting, that in the heat of the moment, we had forgotten about the new rules in CoC v2 for the way shock impacts AFV activations. While it didn't come into play in this instance, as it was interrupted before it could, we may well have forgotten to carry out the test to see if the crew positions actually activate. With two points of shock, there was a 50% chance they would not. Suffice to say, none of them will be activating again in this game. With that the phase passes to the British.

With the Tiger out of action and the panzer grenadiers bunched up in the road, I sense now is a good time to deploy the third section from the British platoon. They line the hedge in front of the barn, where the objective marker is located. 

From there, they have a clear line of sight across the field to the Germans on the road. They are just within close range and present a bunched up target. There is unlikely to be a better opportunity than this. 

The panzer grenadiers are in real danger. While the Germans have two full CoC die, they cannot interrupt a deployment, so their best option is to use points to have both units hit the dirt. 

The British fire rakes the road. Despite taking cover, the Germans lose three men and the support oberscharführer is wounded. That sees their morale drop to seven.

The platoon sergeant and the Bren team move to the upper level of the farmhouse. They face out toward the building with the objective. It’s an ideal position to interdict any movement in that direction.

From there he orders the section at the orchard hedge onto overwatch. He wants to ensure the Germans don't try an outflanking move.

In the German phase, the wounded oberscharführer and the section's scharführer combine to have both MG42 teams use maschinengewehr to return fire across the field. 

That's twenty fire dice with the benefit of storm of steel. The hail of fire blasts across the field and the British are fortunate to escape with only five points of shock. 

However, the Germans are not finished. The second oberscharführer has the third MG42 team also use maschinengewehr.

They target the same British section.

This time the fire is more deadly. The British lose a man from each team and suffer a further point of shock.  

The panzer grenadiers may well be able to return a lot of fire, yet they are vulnerable. They remain a bunched up target in open ground. 

That may give the British a slight advantage.

The Germans abandon any hope of out flanking the British through the orchard and the scharführer has the section move at the double toward the road.

That now sees all the action shift toward the other side of the road. 

In the British phase, the platoon lieutenant joins the section at the hedgerow. This has become a critical firefight and one that could easily go either way. He’s determined to keep the section fighting and uses all his orders to rally off shock. 

The section itself is about to activate when it is interrupted by the Germans using a full CoC die. The panzer grenadier section opens fire with both MG42 teams.

The British use CoC points to hit the dirt.

Despite the additional cover, the lieutenant is hit and stunned. That takes British morale down to six.

One of the Bren crew is killed, reducing the team to a single gunner and the section suffers more shock.  

As a result, when it comes to their turn to fire, it is much reduced. Nonetheless, it cuts down a number of panzer grenadiers. Three men are killed, but surprisingly, they suffer little shock. 

All three MG42 team are still operating, but only just. One is reduced to a single gunner, the other two are very close.

The Germans may have the firepower to win this firefight, but they are doing so at a terrible cost. 

The platoon sergeant in the farmhouse orders the 6 pounder to fire a round of HE into the bunched up panzer grenadiers. 

It kills the sole remaining gunner in the nearest MG42 team. Despite the loss, German morale holds steady. 

The HE round from the 6 pounder also hits the scharführer of the section behind. He is killed, and that is enough to drag German morale down two points to five. 

The sergeant then places the Bren team in the farmhouse on overwatch. 

The section that was covering the orchard now moves quickly toward the road junction.

If the Germans are going to try to assault in that direction, I want to have the full platoon ready to meet them.

As it transpires, the Germans have no such plans. Wisely, they decide it may be time to withdraw. However, they remain too far from any of their jump-off-points to do so safely. As a result, we play out the next German phase in case they fail to move far enough. The recent firefight has exhausted my CoC points and so I can't react to their movement, I must wait to see if any remain in sight for the next British phase. If that is the case, I plan to be merciless and cut down as many of them as I can. 

The oberscharführer leads the surviving panzer grenadiers from the road and into one of the farmyards. 

They move at the double. That takes them out of line of sight and close enough to a friendly jump-off-point.

In the field, the scharführer leads his section toward another jump-off-point, moving at the double.

That's far enough to ensure the British can't move to intercept them before their next phase arrives, at which point they would withdraw. 

Well, that was a British victory, as welcome, as it was unexpected. In the early stages of the game, while the Germans were making their way forward with such ruthless efficiency, I thought they would prove unstoppable. The presence of the Tiger seemed to confirm my worst fears.

I'm relieved I resisted the temptation to deploy when the Germans were in the open field. That could have ended in disaster. On a brighter note, I think it goes without saying, the highlight was taking out the Tiger. That was a pivotal moment and it changed the complexion of the game.

In terms of the overall campaign, the key result here for the British was not just a scenario victory, but one that came at such little cost in casualties. We ended with British force morale at six, while the Germans were at five. As a result, of the three British casualties, one is returned immediately, which means they suffer one permanent loss and one wounded. Very light casualties, which go some way to remedying the men's opinion, which rises from -7 to -5. That's far from ideal, but much better than had it gone in the other direction. The CO's opinion rises to 0.

The Germans suffered eleven casualties and lost a junior leader. That sees this platoon lose five men permanently and they must look to promote a man from the ranks to lead one of the sections. The defeat and subsequent casualties sees both their men's and CO's opinions drop to 0.

The scenario victory will allow the British to mount a local counterattack at either flank. Once again, it's more likely to be a spoiling attack, one that puts the Germans under greater time pressure. You can find out what happens next in this post.