Introduction
Here we are again, after a long delay caused by life and all it's constituent parts, back on the attack with the 7th Scots Guards as they once again attempt to wrest control of the small town of Beuggerdorf from the desperate defenders of the Reich.
This game was a follow on from the previous battle report and you might want to refer to that to refresh your memories of who was fighting who and where. In a nutshell, 6 platoon, B Company, 7 SG, had been repulsed in their first attempt to seize their objectives in Beuggersdorf. Reinforced, resupplied and reinvigorated they were back in the fray later that day whilst the Volksgrenadiers under Kapitan Hans Schanke stood by to throw them back once more.
We fought over the same terrain (pretty much) using the same scenario from the Bolt Action rulebook; too whit Point Defence with the three objectives in the same spots on the table and had the same points limit, 1500 points. And to give a sense of continuity, Rich left the burning Comet and Staghound in situ (see previous batrep for details of their demise). This time Lt Timmy McSporran's platoon had been given more mobile support in the shape of a Sherman, a Wasp flamethrower carrier (gulp) and a section of engineers in an M3 halftrack in place of the medium mortar, medium machine gun team and Ram Kangaroo that he had had in the previous game.
Hauptmann Schanke's forces had also been slightly reorganised. Gone were Gefrieter Thoma and the remains of his Veteran squad, the Puma and the very effective Stummel. Instead Schanke had been promised some dedicated anti armour support in the shape of a Stug III and some extra anti personnel firepower in the shape of a Sdkfz 250/9.
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| Beuggerdorf later that same day. The British objectives remain in the same location; the pig pen, the cemetery and the junction. The British will deploy from the left while the German defensive line is along the right. In this scenario the defender (me) must set up at least half his forces in his set up zone (12" in from the edge of the table) and these units can be Hidden (I chose to leave off two squads of Regulars, the Panzerschreck team, the Stug III and the 250/9). Meanwhile the attacker(Richie)'s forces start off the table and he brings them on in the first turn. This first wave must contain at least half his units, the rest are left in reserve. In this case, Richie left his engineer squad in the M3 Halftrack in reserve and chose to outflank with them |
A Small Town In Germany
Leutnant Liebkind pulled a packet of Lucky Strike cigarettes from inside his camouflage smock, passed one to the soldier crouching by him, took one himself and shielding the flame from view and the biting, February wind, lit both cigarettes with a liberated Zippo lighter. "I tell you what it is, Rudi, we are in for more bother from those Tommies today. From what I have heard from company HQ we are facing a brigade of their famous Guards. We got lucky earlier on but I don't think our luck will hold." The feldwebel sitting opposite him in the ruined church took a long draw on his cigarette savouring the rich tobacco flavour. He exhaled then rummaging inside his gas mask container he drew out half a carton of Lucky Strike and, grinning foolishly, said "I feel like our luck will last a bit longer, Herr Leutnant." Liebkind let out a stifled laugh "You bloody idiot, Feldwebel Knobbersdorf, that's not what I meant and you know it!" The feldwebel grinned back at his platoon commander then straightening his face he said "The lads will do alright, sir. They're feeling a bit more confident after giving the Tommies a bloody nose, famous Guard regiment or not" he jerked a thumb at the burning British tank further up the road as if to underline his comment . "If they can do it once, they can do it again; besides they have a lot of faith in the hauptmann. The lads worship him...." Knobbersdorf broke off as the sounds of incoming artillery shells drowned out his voice "Get down!" he shouted to the already diving figure of Liebkind as the shells impacted nearby...
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| Their smoke break rudely curtailed, Leutnant Liebkind and Feldwebel Knobbersdorf head for the scene of the action. |
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| ..as does one of their inexperienced squads |
The Guardsmen moved from cover to cover as the Royal Artillery provided the Germans with a deadly distraction. 6 Platoon's commander, Lt Timmy McSporran gripped his Sten and got ready to move. Behind him he could hear the growling engine of the Sherman tank as it ground forward in support of his platoon. His men were raring to go, their blood was up after this morning's show and with the news that the platoon had a Wasp flamethrower in close support they were confident of clearing the Boche from this part of town before nightfall. As the Sherman rumbled past Timmy turned to the men of his platoon HQ "Let's go, Sgt Parker" to his platoon sergeant. Sgt Parker put a restraining hand on Lt McSporran's sleeve "Let the tank get past us first, sir, and up the street a bit. He's bound to draw fire and we don't want to be too close if he does; half a minute should do it." The Sherman advanced to the junction at the end of the street and halted. A hail of bullets struck it and the Sherman's machines guns roared in reply. "Do you see, sir?"exclaimed Sgt Parker "The Jerries are spooked; that's what frightened, inexperienced soldiers do, fire bullets at tanks." he shook his head as he said this. McSporran nodded, taking this fact on board. Sgt Parker was a regular and had served with the battalion before the war and had seen a lot of fighting; in battle and in the bars behind the line which had seen him busted then promoted again more than once. He was a bloody good soldier, combat seemed to his natural element and Timmy was grateful he had Parker as his platoon sergeant. "Okay, we can go now, sir" said Sgt Parker to the young platoon commander and Lt McSporran waved to the men and they got to their feet and trotted forward, keeping low as as they went while the Sherman continued to brass up the ruins where the inexperienced German troops were cowering...
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| The Sherman, from the Kilmacolm Yeomanry, moves forward to cover 6 platoon's advance to engage the Hun... |
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| The men of 6 platoon make for cover whilst the Germans are pulling themselves together after the Preliminary Barrage had struck.. |
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| Liebkind's platoon prepare to make the Tommies pay for invading the Fatherland |
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| Haupmann Schanke in the thick of the action yet again |
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| German reserves arrive on the table in the shape of the squad of Regular infantry.. |
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| ..the Stug III.. |
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| ..and the 250/9 which hugs cover as it prepares to give supporting fire |
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| Lt McSporran has a conflab with the FOO; "Any chance of a stonk on those Boche up ahead, old chap?" "Certainly, old bean, leave it to me; Hello Tango Two Two Charlie, this is Romeo One Sixer; fire mission, over.." |
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| With the Germans feeling the pressure, 6 platoon's advance gains some momentum.. |
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| getting closer to the enemy, 6 platoon show a bit more caution |
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| Keep at 'em, lads.... |
The inside of the Sherman turret stank. It smelled of cordite, oil, sweat, fear and other less pleasant things. The crew had grown used to it but they still hated it. It was just one more thing to endure in this bloody war. With the engine idling and the hatches open to let in some breathable air they sat awaiting orders. A voice broke in the silence on the tank's intercom "Do you remember that blond bird in Antwerp, Billy; at the NAAFI; the one with the nice legs and the Betty Grable smile?". There was a pause "Oh, the one with the big knockers; yeah, what about her?" replied Billy the Sherman's driver. "Yeah, that's her; she was a bit of alright" said the gunner, Micky Lane. "and she fancied me". Howls of laughter came over the intercom. "Fuck off, Micky" broke in the radio operator "What'd she want a short arse Cockney git like you for; with them tits and that figure she could have anyone". "Oi! Watch it!" retorted Lane "I'll give you a bunch of fives you.." "Danny's back" shouted Billy as a tall, lean figure clambered up onto the tank and into the turret. Putting his headset Sergeant Danny Dundas spoke in his quiet, Midland accent. "Right lads, there's a bloody Stug two streets away, by the Church which is just around the corner. Micky, we've got an armour piercing round up the spout, haven't we?" "Yes sarge" replied Trooper Lane. "Good; get the .30 cals loaded with a fresh box of ammo each; the place is heaving with Huns and we'll probably have to deal with them as well as the Stug; right, here's the plan..."
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| The stalk begins |
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| ...a cautious advance |
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| ...and a snap shot |
"Track left, Schmidt..left..left..forward...slowly.." The Stug moved along the ruined street at walking pace "...Halt!" As the Stug III lurched to a halt, Feldwebel Fritke poked his head just above the rim of the cupola and peered around. His blood shot eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep as he searched for the reported British tank. He would have to be quick and get in the first killer shot as his Stug was at a marked disadvantage in this urban environment. The Sherman with it's turret mounted gun could traverse quicker than Fritke's Stug could traverse on it's tracks and rotating a whole vehicle required space and rubble choked streets weren't known for their clear spaces so he had to spot the enemy first from a point were he had space for maneuver. Difficult enough amongst these ruins but made even more difficult with the smoke, noise and flying bullets. A series of huge explosions around him caught him off guard. As he ducked back down into the Stug's hull to avoid the artillery barrage he caught a glimpse of the Sherman and the bright flash from it's barrel the same instant the shell struck the Stug a glancing blow. Fritke's head struck the cupola and he slumped down into the fighting compartment. "Reverse! shouted the gunner to the driver as he tried to reach the unconscious form of his commander. The driver, needing no second bidding, threw the Stug into reverse and hit the accelerator....
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| ...and a hit! The result was Crew Stunned and in next turn they failed their order test and reversed out of line of sight. Richie chose not to press his luck in view of the lurking panzerfaust menace. However with the Stug III carrying pins and Down he could afford to ignore it for the moment and send his PIAT team to threaten it... |
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| ..got the bugger! |
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| ....out of the frying pan... |
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Hauptmann Schanke, urges his inexperienced troops forward in an attempt to gain maximum benefit from their automatic assault rifles rapid rate of fire |
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| Volksgrenadiers counter attack.. |
Lance Sergeant Steve "Paddy" McGilligan hated his job. As one of the few trained Wasp Carrier operators left in the battalion he had been sent back with four others to collect two Wasps from a forward ordnance depot and to do a quick refresher course on operating the Wasp. It had been a bit of a jolly being away from the battalion; the take over of the Wasps and the refresher training had given them a couple of days away from the battalion and CSM McDuff and the chance for a couple of beers each evening in a nearby bar. That had been a week ago and now they were all back with the battalion and despite missing the attack earlier that day, they had been tasked to work with 6 platoon in capturing this part of the town of Beuggerdorf. The thought of advancing into the thick of battle in a tin tub full of highly flammable fuel turned his knees to jelly. As commander/operator of the "tin tub" he shouted to his driver to advance slowly down the rubble strewn street. He cursed the war and the fact that he only had two eyes and one head as he had to keep watching where they were going and also keep a wary eye on the shattered houses on either side of the street and up ahead as any one of them could be hiding a panzerfaust or panzerschrek totting Squarehead ready to die for Fuehrer and Fatherland; the bloody idiots. Either side he could make out Scots Guardsmen advancing and firing on the enemy which was a comfort. One of the Scots Guardsmen ahead of them waved him down. "Lance Sergeant Hart, how are you this fine day?". Hart peered up at the soldier. Beneath the grime and dust that coated the soldier's face he recognised Lance Corporal O'Nions, 3 Section commander and a fellow Irishman "Grand, Michael, just grand: and how are you?" O'Nions grinned wearily "I'm fooked off with these here Germans, that's how I am, Steven. But I'm glad to see you and your wee tank here cause I have a job for you" McGilligan's stomach tightened as Lance Corporal O'Nions continued....
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| Lance Sergeant McGilligan's Wasp makes it's way forward through the wreckage of Beuggersdorf |
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| .as the German's mount an aggressive defence |
The Volksgrenadiers made their way forward hesitantly through the church grounds. As they did a deluge of small arms fire greeted them. As they ducked behind the church wall two of them cried out as the enemy bullets found their mark. The squad's commander, Gefrieter Schmuck, drew a stick grenade from his belt and shouted to his squad to move up the the wall. "When this goes off, Meindle, Toitze, Hertz, you three get up and pour fire into the building for two seconds; no more. Don't bother aiming, just fire. Schafer, Bauer, you two prepare a stick grenade each and stand by; understand" The soldiers nodded in acknowledgement. Schmuck didn't want them all caught with their weapons unloaded at the same time. He unscrewed the cap on the base of the stick grenade. braced himself, tugged on the pull cord, raised himself level with the top of the church wall and threw the grenade over the wall towards the ruin across the street as bullets struck the wall above him. Immediately after the grenade went off Meindle, Toitze and Hertz stood up and sprayed the ruin with bullets. "Down! Down!" shouted Schmuck though they were already crouching back down. Indeed Toitze was already swapping his assault rifle's magazine for a fresh one; good lad. Kapitan Schanke hadn't had much time to train the new men in the intricacies of modern warfare so he had focused on the basics; weapons training and obeying orders. The rest they needed to know they would learn on the job...or die learning. Schafer and Bauer were looking at him now. Shmuck held out his hand "Wait" he said as he mentally counted to 60. That should give the Tommies time enough to recover, hopefully these next two grenades would catch them off guard. The two soldiers watched him intently and then threw their stick grenades as he dropped his hand. At that same moment three hand grenades sailed over from the other side of the wall...
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| Schmuck's squad dash forward under fire |
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| Leutnant Leibkind tries to control his part of the defenses from the ruined church... |
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| ...and manages to get the Stug back into the battle to bolster his defensive line.... |
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| ..a defensive line that is stretching thinner as the Volksgrendiers casualties mount... |
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| The Humber armoured car from the Recce Regiment adds it's support... |
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| ..but it gets driven back by the fire from the 250/9 |
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| ...and Schanke commits his reserves to the battle |
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| 1 Section make use of the cover offered by the hull of wrecked Comet |
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| ..and the platoon's PIAT team move to engage the Stug if the chance presents itself |
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| 2 Section catch the inexperienced Germans in the open and mow them down... |
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| ..as the Humber crew regain their composure... |
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| 3 Section under L/Cpl O'Nions move forward to support L/Sgt McGilligan in his Wasp flame thrower carrier |
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| 1 Section makes it way forward through to cover of the ruined houses |
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| ...panzer grenadiers rush to hold the objective that the Volksgrenadiers had left when Hauptman Schanke had ordered them forward. |
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| With the Sherman offering a tempting target, the Stug advances once more only to take a PIAT round in the flank this time with deadly effect.... |
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..the Sherman adds it's not inconsiderable firepower to the infantry battle, wiping out a Volksgrenadier squad |
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| Not wishing to count his chickens before they all hatch, Lt Timmy McSporran is still feeling a bit more confident of a positive result this time... |
The engineers crouched in the back of the half track gripping their weapons and staring up at the surrounding ruins as the M3 growled along the ruined street. In the cupola the .50 cal gunner trained his weapon on the junction at the end of the street in expectation of trouble. Sergeant McGuinness of the Royal Engineers ordered the vehicle commander to stop. As the halftrack halted McGuiness slipped over the side and made his way past the ruins and staying low, peered around the corner. The pig pen, his objective, lay around the corner, thirty maybe forty yard beyond the junction. He could see German infantry moving into position there as a ding dong battle raged along the street. He watched as a Sherman tank, advancing down the street, sprayed a ruin with both it's machine guns. The street itself was littered with dead and dying Germans and the occasional British casualty. With the Germans in the pig pen occupied with the battle, McGuinness ran back to the halftrack and clambered aboard. "Right boys, the Jerries are taking a proper pasting and we're going in to our bit; Cpl Harris, we're going straight down the road and round to the left. The Jerries are in the pig pen on the right about 40 yards along. You keep their heads down with the .50 cal till we reach the pig pen wall then leave the rest to us Sappers"....
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| Sgt McGuinness's engineers clear the Germans off of the objective and conplete the victory for Lt McSporran's 6 platoon... |
And there the game ended. With the British in possession of one objective and contending another they easily outstripped the German in victory points. Schanke and what was left of his men were forced to pull back to the next defensive line of Beuggerdorf around the town square.
Another cracking game in this home brew campaign. Thanks again to Richie for hosting. Next up the Scots Guards attempt to keep the momentum going in Beuggersdorf..
Till then, pip pip,
GJ
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