The Fall of France - Bolt Action AAR

Yesterday I popped over to Penrith to play in Matt's dungeon. Always a good day. We were planning to play early WW2 and my French were getting their 1st run out, never a good sign. Matt had planned a 3 battle linked campaign to reprent the fall of France in 1940.

The battlegrounds

1st Battle - German break though - capture the 2 hills and and road behind

2nd Battle - meeting engagement as the French advance towards the 1st battle to stop the Germans

3rd battle - French survivors must stop German assault on the town. All the battles on the same table and each will last 6 turns.

 1st Battle

French are dug on with light AT and MMG on one hill

MMG, 12 man infantry section and 75mm light howitzer on the other

Section and Boyes AT rifle in walled orchard

Panhard Ac and Souma tank at the end of the road with reserve section and mortar

The Germans open with a stuka bombardment that adds pins to most of my units but little else

 

Here come the Germans, tank and cavalry. My mortar hits the cav and kills one, not great but now they have to keep moving

Here come the rest

Not the best start, a German Pz38 takes on the Panhard in 1st go

The Germans advance

I'm picking them off but he has taken out a MMG and the other is only just crewed

I try to evacuate my 75 but the German commander in Pz1 tries to stop me, but Matt gets the timing wrong and I immobilize him. I've already immobilized his Pz38 and he is down to 1 tank support

He still comes on

The last German tankcharges through the wood and crashes into the retreating 75 destroying it. and then takes out my Souma tank. Matt now has 1 hill and the road and it's a minor victory to him

I did manage to rescue the AT and most of my infantry survived

Battle 2

German scout has been shot up and a German Recon force has been sent to rescue him. To counter the French have advanced in force with Senegalese Trialleur Platoon and 3 Char 1 Bis tanks

The French, I am holding the right back as there is too much open country and will advance on the left to take the houses and the scout

The Germans, a motorcycle section, couple of AC (i've killed 1) and some infantry. There is also an AT gun and a PzII

both sides advance to house

The Germans immobilise a Char 1 Bis, they don't really move anyway and I take out the AT. Matt now has nothing to hurt my tanks

The germans take the hill on my right

and occupy the orchard

Her I sit and shoot

her so does Matt. it will all be about the house

I've plastered the m/c squad and then the Senegalese charge, tough fighters and get 2 attacks each. I've killed him but lost a lot of men

The hand of doom. Matt counteracts and kicks the Senegalese out - only 1 of the attackers survived but its enough and a German victory

The final assault. I have 3 infantry sections, 2 Char Bis, 2 FT17, mortar and an AT gun

mainly in the houses

The front line

Matt has a heavy howitzer that can level a building if it his

The Germans advance, I have nothing tha can kill them from the front

My At gun opens fire but no damage

German Paras take out my AT and occupy the building, 2 moves from victory and it's only turn 2

I'm holding on and keep the paras pinned and stuck

The german howitzer randomly lands on a Char Bis and utterly destroys it

It gets worse, under a hail of fire the German flamethrower attacks, routs a Senegalese section and melts an FT17

That's it, the Germans are in

Fantastic day and a German victory but it went down to the wire in all 3 battles. Observations, French tanks are OK and French infantry pack a lot of fire power altougth the rifle grenade is usually pointless

Some Normandy Action

Today me, James, Dave and Ian fought a D-Day+1 SS counterattack against a dug in but understrength Canadian infantry company. Whilst not a truely istorical battle, James as always based it as close to an action as possible. I was in overall command

The battlefield - 12ftx6ft

I had the crossroads, 1 platoon in the buildings, 2x3inch mortars and 2x6lb AT

Ian had the right with a platoon in and around a walled farmhouse

Dave had the left, another inf platoon and couple of Vickers, Ian and I have 1 each

The germans arrive - platton of infantry in Hanomags approaches Dave

I have a platoon of Hanomags and 2 Panthers advancing towards me - wich is lucky as we have nothing at all that can even scratch the front paint of a Panther

But we will be fine as Ian has 3 more Panthers facing him

The germans debus and assaults Dave. It is a close run thing

But Dave kills them and the bug out

The germans inthe centre advance enter the edge of the cross roads. I drop smoke

One of the Panthers advances and I open fire with a 6lb in it's flank. Miss and it kills by 6lb. This is going very well

The german infantry swings to our right and debuses. We have artillery. Our 105s are stuck on the beach but we have contact with HMS Belfast and it's 6" guns. Well we would have if we could get our radio to work. Luckily we do and I clobber the germans in the woods

Which is good because the next wave of germans arrives - loads of PzIV

Just in time so do ours - 2x6lb AT - great

and 2 M10s, now these can kill Panthers but as they are made of chipboard they need to shoot 1st

The germans have advance towards Ian and his PIAT pops out, opens fire and does sod all

Still better than mine in the wrecked building who refuses to move

More reinforcements - some shermans and 2x17lb AT - now we are talking

James' infantry keeps trying to advance but this happens a lot

James' Panthers advance and take out one of M10s

However the 17lb ATs take out 2 of the Panthers and stop him dead onthe right

The PzIVs advance through the orchard and my 6lb reinforcements kill them with menaces

I have 2 more M10s and at the crossroads the PzIVs advance and I kill them

Even a PIAT hidden in the village pops up and takes out a PzIV

That we it, James had no on map infantry and only a handfullof tanks left.

We still held all the objectives and had only lost 25% of our infantry and a couple of tanks.

It was a fantastic game, James runs these really well and they are great fun. it was a tricky battle and could have easily gone tits up.