The tabletop...
The forces...
My forces were based around a Panzergrenadier platoon, with some (dubious) tanks in support, plus a couple of 'funnies' from the 21st Panzer vehicles. Its a good list to play at this point level as its lack of heavy hitting items isnt too much of a hinderance, especially so when facing US Airborne. We rolled randomly for scenario and got 'Recce Screen'... A scenario that really punishes those silly enough not to take any recce. Cyril was well equipped on this front with two M8 Greyhounds and a Para recce patrol on foot. As we rolled for 4 turns to be played with recce only, he was firmly in control... as I had only the one recce option - a single foot patrol. On a small table, this lack of recce troops could - and should - have been fatal, but a combination of Cyril's poor shooting and my jammy cover saves saw me through! Basically for the first four turns I hide in the ruined Church while Cyril threw all he could at me, and in the process managed to get his recce foot patrol shot to ribbons... Somehow, and Im still not sure how, I managed to hold on till turn 5.
The German recce patrol peer out of the Church...
Cyril of course went and rolled a six for his re-inforcements and the US Airborne streamed onto the table. I of course in my turn rolled a one... a lone Panzer III showed up to help out! To be fair to it, it did put one of the Greyhounds out of service! In the following turn Cyril again rolled high and from turn 6 onwards had his entire army on the table. I still couldnt roll high and my army slowly dragged itself on to the table piece by piece.
Due to this lack of impetus from my Germans I began to carve a defensive position out based around the Church and the surrounding fields. Cyril was having to move his men around the centre of the table as I had placed a Registered Target Point on the farm and he didnt want to risk the incoming mortar fire if he strayed too close. This extra distance gave me time to get men on the table and into position while my little Hotchkiss H38s did sterling work holding up the US advance, till I lost the Panzer III to a bazooka round in the flank and an H38 to a lucky mortar round that put it out of action. Even so, my right flank held firm thanks to a half-track mounted 20mm flak that proceeded to chew up anything that stuck its head out! This stalled the US attack on my right and they changed and headed to the centre, direct for the Church but by this time my sMG42 was set-up covering the road junction with its Loader Team frantically cracking open boxes of ammunition! Thus too was supported by an MG and rifle team from one of the grenadier sections and also the platoon HQ in the Church itself.
This made the centre too tough a nut to crack an dthe US paratroopers took some heavy losses and became pinned down. They tried a smaller attack against the German left flank with another squad of men supported by a couple of MGs, but this was broken up with mortar fire and the remaining H38 who bravely (stupidly?) stuck around to trade fire with the US paras as they advanced... By luck he managed to pin them down! As the game progressed the US losses mounted and the Germans seemed to take few casualties. With the loss of the US platoon HQ the US Airborne went over their break rating and the game ended with a hard fought German victory... Cyril had managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!
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