My new US 28mm featured in their first outing 'Somewhere in Northern France' in a Bolt Action game.
Due to time constraints, I chose a straightforward meeting engagement with balanced sides fighting for possession of a small rural hamlet somewhere behind the Normandy Beachhead.
Bolt Action lends itself to solo play - hence that set as a choice for this game rather than Chain of Command
All in all a jolly decent game. The Americans very quickly reduced the Panzergrenadiers to a state of ineffectiveness reducing their numbers and lines of advance so that an Infantry assault became impractible.
Had the Sherman got lucky with his first (and only) shot, the game could have been much different.
Essentially the game petered out into a draw both sides having knocked the proverbial attacking stuffing out of each other.
The Germans had only a handful of infantry left, far too few to support the Panzer IV and the Americans, although still quite strong infantry wise, were dangerously exposed with no real anti-tank capacity with which to knock out the armoured threat.
Due to time constraints, I chose a straightforward meeting engagement with balanced sides fighting for possession of a small rural hamlet somewhere behind the Normandy Beachhead.
Bolt Action lends itself to solo play - hence that set as a choice for this game rather than Chain of Command
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| The hamlet. Calm prior to the forthcoming storm |
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| View from the US start line after Turn 1 |
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| View from the German lines after turn 1 |
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| Panzergrenadiers in support of the PzIV seek to probe the left flank |
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| A Bazooka team and Sherman lay in wait |
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| the medium mortar team is deployed to lay down suppressive fire on the US right flank |
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| US infantry probe the village in force |
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| The US force probes the right hand approach to the village in force |
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| A .30cal MMG trades fire with the Panzergrenadiers. Honours just about even. |
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| The US Infantry capture the cottage directly opposite the imposing Mairie's building |
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| The German rright flank is heavily engaged and casualties mount. The Mairie's building takes a pounding too. |
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| The Bazooka team stalks the PzIV, scoring a glancing shot but at the cost of losing his loader who gets pumped full of hull MG lead. This act of bravery distracts the tank allowing the Sherman to dash from cover to attack the PzIV.... |
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| Which misses! The Ronson is now dangerously exposed. |
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| Turn 4 and the German's pull out the first five action dice. The Ronson goes up in flames, the .30 cal in the farmhouse takes heavy fire from the supporting half track and the infantry in the Mairie |
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| The US infantry attempting to outflank the Panzergrenadiers meet a hail of withering fire |
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| US Forces edge toward the Mairie but a poor round of firing leaves them exposed |
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| with the Ronson 'dispatched' and the Bazzoka and .30 Cal team wasted, the US right flank is wide open. the US infantry now have only their grenades to stem off an armoured assault |
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| the Panzer IV breaks cover and heads for the US rear |
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| The Panzer IV brews up the halftrack |
Had the Sherman got lucky with his first (and only) shot, the game could have been much different.
Essentially the game petered out into a draw both sides having knocked the proverbial attacking stuffing out of each other.
The Germans had only a handful of infantry left, far too few to support the Panzer IV and the Americans, although still quite strong infantry wise, were dangerously exposed with no real anti-tank capacity with which to knock out the armoured threat.
