Hope everyone had a good Easter/Passover or is having a good Ramadan. Reading Max Hasting's book on Normandy so have played several small scenarios set there including one with my brother who was nice enough to play while visiting.
My brother is the old guy on the left. : ) He doesn't like complexity but he didn't mind my mashup of rules. They do play rather fast. We only had 11 cards in each deck.
He set up far back which surprised me. I had to go in and find him.
We gave him a 50mm ATG gun on board and a Char bis that came rattling up the road. Not enough I am afraid.
So I down loaded "Where Eagles drop" from the battlefront website here: http://www.fireandfury.com/scenarios.shtml#NWEurope1 It looked to be a great scenario to play at the company level as the paratroopers are scattered but have somewhat organized and now have to clear an exit from Utah beach. It takes place during the day and both sides get armor reinforcements. What's not to like?
I don't have 3 companies of paratroopers so only used two. I also cut the Germans by almost a third.
The German garrision. All troops are baseline trained. They will start with 3 leaders, the LtCol CC who rolled avg, the company commander who rolled average and what was left of the other company that I skinnied down so really a large platoon. He also rolled average. This gives them good leadership despite mediocre troops and an initiative die of D10.
The Battlefield. Utah beach is off to the right. Brown is swamp with a single causeway connecting the beach with a small town in the center. There is a company in the town. 2 squads on patrol chatting with several 88mm Anti Aircraft guns north of the town and 2 squads manning a checkpoint at the end of the causeway.
The checkpoint.
Two companies of 101st paratroopers. These guys are experienced with 2 platoons of Lt Mehan's company upgraded to Veteran and 1 downgraded to trained. They have 4 leaders; LtCol Strayer who is above average, both company COs (Lt Mehan and Capt Gross avg) and I had to include Lt Winters who is avg. Winters will get one of the veteran platoons. To the US deck I added a brilliant leader card for Strayer and a tactical initiative card. It adds a +1 to a combat die roll for that turn to simulate better small unit tactics at the squad and platoon level. I also add a second close assault card to simulate the paratroopers tendency to close with the enemy. Their initiative die is D12.
Next we roll to see where the paratroopers end up and in what shape...
We only lose 2 squads and some 60mm MTRs. LtCol Strayer ends up on the left end of the board with about a platoon of infantry. Capt Gross ends up in the upper left with 2 squads. Lt Winters ends up in the swamp north of the causeway with his whole platoon. Lt Mehan ends up in the swamp south of the causeway.
This should help him rally the squads faster so he can get moving!
as the men get organized in the dawn's light.
These unfortunate para's are getting organized in a field as a visibility improves; unfortunately there is a german patrol 60 yards away and flak battery in the same field!
With a heroic event card in play, Sgt Reynolds quickly organizes a LMG and they take the german patrol under fire...
taking out a german squad!
Meanwhile LtCol Strayer's men become pinned down by german howitzers in the town.
The Germans are slow to react but react they do. The Garrison CO, hearing fire in the field north of town sends 2 squads to flank the paratroopers as the 88s open up.
Disaster strikes! LtCol Strayer is killed by a german shell! His men, demoralized, retreat into the nearby woods.
Back in the swamps Lt Mehan continues to consolidate his 2 squads helped by special dice! [ Visibility is only 2 in swamps] Lt Winters, unaware of other paras in the swamp, is prepared to carry out his mission.
Winters sends his men forward. The LMG team is pinned. [ small pebble]
but look what the next two cards are!! : )
While the LMG is pinned down by fire, the squad on the right uses the terrain to move into hand grenade range and then charges the shack with the german LMG!
It is no contest. The German garrison now has para's on their flank. Their morale is already low and this isn't going to help. The Lt shouts orders...
but as the men take several casualties their morale cracks and they head for town! [ No dogs were harmed in the staging of this battle.]
Mean while at the north end of town, the paras in the field are slowly being whittled away by the 88. Capt Gross, moving his small band towards the sound of guns decides he will flank the germans in the field and runs right into the german squads attempting to do the same thing.
Lt Mehan, also moving towards the sound of guns, arrives at the checkpoint to see a squad of paras sitting there. A NCO will be getting decorated later.
Unfortunately the germans are not idle. They move 2 LMGs up to rake the checkpoint. Lt Mehan sends a squad around south to try to enter the village. He orders Winters to consolidate his position. Just then some 81mm MTRs show up. They have been slogging through the marsh for the last 30 minutes. [ Just north of Winters position.]
On the north end of town... the paras in the field finally retreat. Capt Gross is laying down effective fire and the german flanking team is taking casualties.
The squad moving into the south end of town unknowing has entered a minefield. [ 30% chance each hex around the town is mined.] Mercifully they get through with but 1 casualty. But the germans are alerted.
A NCO reminds the paras that there is a war on as evidenced by all the shooting around town. With or without LtCol Strayer they still have a mission to do. The tiny group heads towards the causeway.
The US consolidates their positions east of town.
Lt Winters reports the causeway is secure. Where is the 4th ID?
Paras begin the assault on the town from the southeast...
It's all about which dice you use! The US are in.
Winter's platoon now rushes into the northeast section of town. They are shelled along the way.
One squad is pinned down but Winters makes it with another squad.
Now the german howitzers turn their attention to the southeast corner of the town. They destroy several buildings causing significant US casualties. Those not dead...
seek shelter back in the swamps.
The garrision CO takes a couple of shots at Winters before he retreats to the commercial section of town. He has radioed for reinforcements; where are they?
50 minutes into the battle. The US have a tiny toehold in the town at the northeast corner where Winters is. The causeway is in hand but under fire from german 88s. Lt Mehan hasn't heard from Capt Gross or Lt Col Strayer but there is gunfire north of town. Also, another platoons worth of men have shown up from the swamps as well as a HMG. Where is 4th ID? [ Both sides reinforcements begin to arrive on the 6th turn of the reinforcement card. As the US has a higher initiative die and are taking fewer losses which results in a more efficient deck, they might get theirs 1-2 turns earlier.]
It takes about 10 minutes but Winters finally gets his platoon up at the towns edge. He is waiting for the right moment [ and the close assault card] to close with the enemy.
What is this? The lead elements of the 4th ID!
Winter's men enter the town proper and go house to house, room to room. The final german squad after taking several casualties, surrenders.
Picture from a spotter plane about an hour into the battle. US forces pushing into town from the east. Remnants of US forces northwest of town behind hedgerows. KO'ed 88s north of town. [ 81 mm MTRs finally knocked out]. Greyhounds of 4th ID moving down causeway.
Paras push into the shattered south east corner of town.
Paras clearing out the last bits of resistance north of town. Here they will find the body of Capt Gross. After his loss cohesion fell apart north of town. [ Forgot to take a picture of it.]
The German garrison finds itself squeezed into the southwest corner of town. With the remnants of Strayer's men advancing out of the woods they find themselves surrounded.
A platoon of German PZ IIIs show up and trade shots with a bazooka team but the US fires into the commercial district disabling the howitzers and killing the garrision CO.
The company CO and 2 squads see the writing on the wall and surrender. For the moment at least the town and causway is in US hands thanks to the 101st screaming eagles!
Fantastic game! Though it ended as a crushing US victory it really felt nerve racking for the first 5 turns. Once Winters swept through the building it was clear the US would win. I don't have the US paratrooper data card from battlefront so I used the german one meaning they had to be only 1 hex away to really do any damage with their automatic weapons. Both sides had about equal forces and the US was dispersed. The US had better training/morale and had the initiative but lost two of their leaders early on. I still think on paper it is pretty even. Would be interesting to play it again to see what happens. I am really digging my hybrid Piquet/Battlefront. It keeps the suspense high and seamlessly includes morale as part of movement. My next battle with these guys will be the defense of Caretan.
Enjoy
Joe
Great game! I wrote that scenario about 20 years ago. Glad to see you are enjoying it recently. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteRob, thank you for writing it. It was great fun and I am sure I will play it again someday.
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