GEPANZERTE PANZERGRENADIERS
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Tyne & Tees British Rifles
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The mission is Breakout. This mission has a reputation as being very difficult on the defender right now on the Flames of War forums. If you haven't taken a look at it, I encourage you to head over to the downloads page and have a look. Because the mission is a defensive battle, Sean will be the defender as my mechanized panzergrenadiers are more mobile. Sean must use the mobile reserves rule, which states only 1 "mobile" platoon may be placed on the board. Sean elects to start with all 3 rifle platoons and his crocs. This leaves his M10s and Shermans ready to race on from the opposite corner and attempt to link up with his troops to grab the centralized objectives.
I, too, must place at least half of my force in reserves. Thankfully, my clever kamfgruppe gives me 8 platoons, 2 of which are teeny tiny. Despite Sean having air support, I elect to leave both AA platoons off the board. Likewise, knowing his crocs are impervious to both, I leave the Stugs and Marders in reserve. This leaves me with 2 panzergrenadier units, Pumas, and armored rockets to seize the objectives early and hang in there.
DEPLOYMENT
Sean's deployment is the upper left corner. I have two opposite deployment corners in the bottom left (Pumas and Panzergrenaders), and the top right (Panzergrenadiers and panzerwerfers). Sean's reserves will arrive in the bottom right. The two objectives are centrally located, both on the road. I decide to begin with everyone mounted up. I apologize for the crummy pictures, it was very dark in the war room this night.
Panzergrenadiers and Pumas.
A horde of limeys.
British deployment.
The other German deployment zone.
Pumas make a recon move.
TURN ONE
Panzergrenadiers race down the road.
Pumas prepare for Sean's reserves.
Self-defense AA MGs get wildly lucky and shoot down a lone Typhoon!
Crocs double time down the road.
British rifles move to the edge of the wood.
The British view after turn one.
//COMBAT CASUALTIES:
BRITISH NONE |
GERMANS NONE |
TURN TWO
Top of 2. No one got any reserves on turn 1.
Armored rockets slam into the British rifles, causing light casualties.
Panzergrenadiers deploy, but keep their transports close.
Typhoons swoop in but fail to range in!
Crocs press forward as British rifles take up positions in the farm house.
A second rifle platoon moves forward.
//COMBAT CASUALTIES:
BRITISH 3 Rifle Stands |
GERMANS NONE |
TURN THREE
Top of three. Again no reserves in the previous turn.
The first German reserves arrive. Marder IIIs take long range shots at one of the crocs showing it's side armor, and send it up in flames!
Halftrack machine guns and rockets wreak havoc on the British riflemen.
Stugs also arrive from reserve.
The other Panzergrenadier platoon pushes through the wood.
With 1 tank knocked out, and the British rifles just out of range to assist the crocs, the German panzergrenadier commander rallies his men and surges forward!
The end result is 2 more dead crocs and 3 knocked out panzergrenadier teams.
Stugs move forward, ready to combat the British reserves.
Halftrack MG fire is devastating to the British infantry in the open.
British reserves also arrive! M10s line up shots on the pumas, but completely fail to hit their target!
Shermans take long range shots on both the Stugs and the Panzerwerfers, but miss their mark.
Typhoons swoop in and knock out a transport and an MG team from the 2nd Panzergrenadier platoon!
Rifle fire from the British knocks out another Panzergrenadier team, putting them just below half! Even with the urging of the company commander, the platoon runs away taking him with them. Goodbye 5 halftracks worth of Machine gun fire!
//COMBAT CASUALTIES:
BRITISH Croc Platoon 8 Rifle Stands |
GERMANS Company Command Panzergrenadier Platoon 1 halftrack, 1 panzergrenadier stand |
TURN FOUR
Turn Four.
Rockets, Stugs, Marders, and Pumas eviscerate the M10s. The remaining tank hunter runs away!
Marders even score some long range hits!
Typhoons come screaming in and knock out a Marder.
Shermans race forward!
With no more half track MGs in their way, British rifles surge forward.
//COMBAT CASUALTIES:
BRITISH Croc Platoon M10c Platoon 8 Rifle Stands |
GERMANS Company Command Panzergrenadier Platoon 1 halftrack, 1 panzergrenadier stand 1 Armored Rocket Launcher 1 Marder III M |
TURN FOUR
A few of Sean's Shermans are cut out of the picture just to the right.
Marder IIIs redeploy to MG the British infantry.
The 2iC's kamfgruppe arrives from reserve, halftrack MG blazing!
Stugs, Pumas, and Panzerwerfers knock out Sean's Sherman platoon.
CLOSING
So, is this mission unbalanced for the defender? Having only played it a few times, I think that with balanced lists on a balanced board, it is just a bit difficult on the defender. Sean and I discussed what tweaks we think would make it more fair, and have two suggestions: EITHER let the defender choose to have the battle be a night fight… OR let the defender deploy one platoon so that they can begin the game holding the objectives. On the whole, however, we agree that we simply do not have enough experience with the mission to be authorities and agree that for now it's best to leave it as is until we truly have a better feel for it.
It had been a little while since Sean and I got in a game of Flames of War- it was good times!
