British Motor Infantry Attacking Fallschirmjaeger in No Retreat.
BRITISH MOTOR INFANTRY
3 Full Strength Motor Infantry Platoons
Scout Patrol
Humber III Armoured Car Patrol
8 gun RHA Battery
3x Churchill III
Crusader troop with 2 IIIs and 1 II
GERMAN FALLSCHIRMJAEGER
HQ + AT Rifle
2x Full Strength Combat Platoons w/ Knackers
HMG platoon
3x Panzer III Ls
Armored Cars
2x Pak 40s
Priority Stukas
The FJ attach one HMG to each combat platoon, and the AT Rifle to the pak 40s (in hindsight, I realize this is not possible since the AT guns are a support platoon, but it didn't have a huge effect)
Initial table layout and deployment.
The Germans elected to begin with both FJ platoons deployed, with the AT guns in ambush. One objective is deployed in the back of the town to the west, and the other in the woods in the North.
The British are lined up as follows (North to South): Motor Infantry w/ CiC, Churchills, Armored Cars, Motor Infantry w/ 2iC, Crusaders & Scout Patrol, Motor Infantry.
I elected to attack at night.
The Fallschirmjaeger deployed in the Southern woods. Sorry for the handful of blurry pics.
The view form the German lines.
Northern Fallschirmjaeger defending the close objective.
Let's give them a what have you lads!
Crusaders + Scout Patrol
The heavy hitters
The RHA provides covering fire
In the pre-dawn hours, the order to advance is given!
British firing is largely ineffective.
Panzer IIIs arrive from reserve immediately.
And move forward to the town
German mortars deployed on the rooftops rain down on the british, causing light casualties
The Churchills trundle forward and clear the MG nest out for the advancing infantry. One Churchill throws a track on the way in, and fails to unbog for the remainder of the game.
The Germans again drop a mortar barrage on the crusaders, but fail to do any damage in the darkness.
The Panzer IIIs drive forward and take long range shots at the Crusaders, but can't score a hit.
The British use the Armored cars to deny ambushes and spot the enemy infantry within the trees as the motor infantry prepares to assault.
In the center of the battlefield, the British mass up and prepare to attack into the woods
Backup Motor infantry prepare to assist the main thrust
get ready!
The RHA fires a murder on the mortars, knocking one out
Here we go!
The assault does not go well. The British only score 3 hits on the initial charge, and are shredded in the counter attack.
Suddenly the main attack is much less powerful.
The Panzer IIIs move cautiously forward, but the Crusaders have now moved out of sight.
"First platoon took a right bloody bashing, it's up to us now lads!"
The German armored cars arrive from reserve.
The panzers lock down the road
Just as dawn breaks, Stukas come tearing over the tree tops and hit a very juicy target!
Despite the torrent of cannon fire, casualties are surprisingly light.
The British quickly recover from the air strike, and get moving again.
One Churchill and the crusaders rush out to meet the panzers.
Meanwhile, the second wave prepares for the attack on the near objective.
One RHA Battery lays smoke on the panzers, one battery fires an HE barrage, and the Crusaders and churchill all open fire on the one visible panzer. Miraculously the panzer escapes mostly unscathed.
The Jerry crew is rattled, but unhurt.
The Universal Carriers attempt to make a run for the rear of the German lines.
German HMGs arrive from reserve and move towards a building.
The Panzer IIIs recover and prepare to engage the Crusaders.
The Pak 40s spring their ambush, though their shots plink off the Churchill's armor.
Predictably, the Crusaders melt under the Panzer IIIs' guns.
Planes again remind the British to stay spread out.
Fire from the RHA and churchills knock out 2 Panzer IIIs. The remaining tank continues fighting.
The embattled North objective.
The remaining Panzer III swings around picks off a universal carrier.
The second wave attempts an assault, but are driven off in defensive fire.
Bold FJ troops charge from their foxholes and completely annihilate the 3rd Motor Infantry patrol with minimal casualties.
The stand off for the near objective.
The Germans suffer whitening fire before the British try again to assault.
Who are again turned back in defensive fire.
German armored cars come racing forward, ready to contest the objective. The British are nearing half strength.
Finally, the assault happens with an assist from the RHA.
The Germans are finally pushed off the objective, which is now in British hands! A second churchill bogs.
Planes come screaming over the plateau, and knock out an armored car.
The armored cars are within range to contest the objective and keep the fight going.
MG fire from the armored cars run off the remaining Motor infantry and British company commander. The British are now at half strength.
Stukas continue nipping at the heels of the battered British, but fail to score any hits.
A lucky "murder" fired from the RHA knocks out the remaining Panzer III. Both companies are now at half strength.
And then, with lightning precision, Stukas come skimming over the desert and knock out a 2nd Universal Carrier. The carriers then fail their morale and quit the field.
The British are now below half with no company commander, and the Fallschirmjaeger hold the line.
The embattled objective which was very nearly in British hands.
4-3 win for Brian!
STEVEN'S CLOSING THOUGHTS
Wow. What a game. Fallschirmjaeger are so freaking good at defending. I don't think I did anything terribly wrong, but Brian played a very good game, doing exactly what he needed to do at all the right moments. He definitely earned a solid victory.
BRIAN'S CLOSING THOUGHTS
Oh how I hate the British, let me count the ways: night attack, 8 gun batteries with special rules, the lymie cousin of the mighty Tiger, (the Churchill), and the damn stiff upper lip that makes them tenaciuous in the counter assault. Night attack nullified my air attack for three rounds and the threat of artillery kept my FJs to the woods. I was pretty sure Steve would use his Churchills and some infantry to make a push for the closer objective on my left, so I decided to place my CC there. His brilliant yet aggravating use of recon limited my ability to deploy my AT guns in an advantageous position, however, they did help secure the objective after the first big assault. I would have liked to shore up the left more but there was a perfect little gap on the right side which would have made a nice end around to the back objective if I had not deployed my second platoon of FJ's there. Recon platoons on both sides made a huge contribution to the game. Had I not been able to keep to the woods and dug in, his artillery would have made things very bad for my FJs. My Stukas won the game for me in the end, but in multiple occasions not being able to range in on the first time when I only needed a +3 up, stunk, but hey that is the fun and frustrations of air support. I really enjoyed playing the FJs in MW and hope to keep on getting some more games in on Steve's awesome desert table.
