Brian and I fought a Fighting Withdrawal today as part of our Normandy campaign. I rolled to be the defender, and he the attacker (a small FJ counter attack trying to cut the main US lines moving up the draw in the flooded plains)
Because we were battling on flooded plains we decided the open ground would be Very Difficult going, the roads would be road, but the forests would be impassable to vehicles. The hills would be easy going.
This Battle (which is not clearly marked on the map) took place adjacent to Utah Beach in the top left, securing the Americans some additional ground.
Lots of pics after the break!
(VETERAN) US RIFLES
HQ (add 2x Bazooka)
3x Full Strength Combat Platoons
AT Platoon (just 3 57s)
Full Mortar Platoon
Full Strength Engineer Platoon
I&R Patrol
105 Battery
Priority Air Support
Fallschirmjaeger
HQ
3x Full Strength Combat Platoons
Full Fallschirmpioneer
Recoilless Gun platoon (with 2 guns)
HMG platoon (with 2 HMGs)
8.8 Battery (heer)
Panzerwerfer battery (3 w/ extra crew)
I deployed my forces on a broad front with a Rifle platoon in ambush (along with the attached bazookas).
The only vehicles on the board were his panzerwerfers! What an infantry slugfest.
The US Right. (US placed objective) on the hill. Engineers and 105s in support. I&R can be seen deployed very far forward.
The US center. (German placed objective) just outside the woods. US Rifles and 57mm hunker down.
The US Right. Mortars and Rifles hold this objective.
The German Right. 8.8s and Panzerwerfers.
The massive fallschirmjaeger center. 2 platoons + HMGs + Pioneers.
And the FJ Left with 1 platoon and recoilless guns.
The FJ move out, with the right flank moving into a small, flooded wood.
The center crawls forward. FJ Horde!
Panzerwerfers range in on the Engineers and knock out a stand!
US Mortars range in on the 8.8s, knocking one out.
105s range in on the panzerwerfers and bail one, plus knock out a stand of infantry.
On the German left, Lightnings swoop in with MGs blazing.
Panzerwerfers fire on the 105s knocking one gun out.
The US mortars range in on the 8.8s and finish the job.
The Fallschirmjaeger on the US Right take cover from the planes in a wood.
The FJ mass in the center. The I&R is visible in the bottom right, preparing to withdraw.
The US Rifles in ambush spring out in a near perfect position.
The I&R are just within range to call in mortar fire on the FJ in the woods.
Lightnings continue to harass the FJ.
The Rifle platoon that ambushed prepares to charge!
Killing 5 stands and forcing the fearless FJ back!
The Battlefield at the bottom of turn 2.
On the German turn, the FJ rally and counter attack the rifles, knocking 3 stands out and making them retreat from the woods.
But almost immediately the US platoon rallies and comes back for more!
The huge FJ blob in the center continues to suffer attrition from the Lightnings. The HMGs set up in the left side of the wood.
The US platoon charges forward, eliminating the FJ.
On German left, the FJ arrive with some strength and pin the Engineers with a barrage from the panzerwerfers!
But even pinned the Engineers can put out a boatload of fire, and just manage to push the FJ back. The recoilless gun on the left sights in the Engineers.
Another FJ platoon manages to assault the Engineers, but is quickly dispatched in a counter assault.
At this point, the Germans are down two FJ Platoons and the 8.8s
The Lightnings keep blasting away.
105s and mortars try to stop the FJ on the German left, but they hold on.
Meanwhile, the US platoon in the center charges forward with bazookas blazing, and wipes out the panzerwerfers who can't escape in the very difficult flood plains.
More fire is called in on the fallschirmpioneers. The 57mm AT guns in the woods have been pulled in withdrawal.
The FJ's last chance is to capture the American placed objective as there are no troops within range to capture the others.
This time the FJ make it into assault, killing some Engineers.
The assault goes back and forth a few times, but eventually the FJ are wiped out. The US Engineers are knocked below half, but the company commander is able to keep them focused.
At this point Brian is decimated, and we decide to call the game. 6-1 for the Americans.
STEVEN'S THOUGHTS: Wow, what can we say? The complete lack of vehicles, and the amazing air support really swung this in my favor. I think had it been the other way around with me attacking, it would've been the complete opposite. Brian came close on the left flank, but ultimately I had too much firepower with too little protection, and with no vehicles to push anywhere, Brian's footsloggers had to slow boat it up to the front.
