French Fusiliers (Colonial)
| German Czech Panzers
|
DEPLOYMENT AND TURN ONE
The board The bottom right is a marshy area with a development in the top left. Objectives are in the center to the left of the swamp and straddling the river/woods. A third objective was placed on the south-west hill, but was removed by me just before the game started.
I elected to start with my 75mm Battery on board, with my 105s "Across the Volga".
The "back" objective guarded by a gun.
I liked the idea of this battle- the Germans had broken through the front lines and only a brave artillery battery held these vital positions, frantically calling for reserves!
Can the cannons hold the line?
Brian also puts his 105s across the volga, and is allowed to place his recon on the board.
Their recon move sends them cautiously through the town.
Brian immediately gets his reserves! 38(t)s with all of his command elements come rolling in!
The 8-rads move up, ready to reinforce.
MG fire and cannons knock out a French 75!
SOMUAs immediately arrive from reserve and book it to the front line, brashly moving at the double!
The 75s combine their fire with the 105s behind the lines and drop a mammoth barrage on the panzers, but only bail one.
FRENCH 1 75mm Gun | GERMANS None |
TURN TWO
Brian pulls back to claim hull down form the oncoming SOMUAs. His shooting is ineffective.
French Fusiliers arrive from reserve!
Panhards also arrive from reserve. We also realize I forgot to deploy the HQ mortars so they and the 2iC also arrive from reserve at this point.
The SOMUAs leap frog- 2 move forward while 2 open fire. Them combined with a 105 barrage and 75mm direct fire open up 2 Panzers!
SOMUAs move to the hill, in defiance of the Panzers!
FRENCH 1 75mm Gun | GERMANS 2x 38(t)s |
TURN THREE
The Panzers, knowing full well how mean SOMUAs can be decide to quickly redeploy.
Panzer IIs arrive from reserve
8-rads move into the wheat.
One of the only succesful Stuka Strikes swoops in on the infantry! The French airforce again did a great job of keeping the German planes away.
The bombs hit causing light damage and pinning the Colonials.
The Panzer IIs line up shots on the 75s.
Panhards move up and claim hull down on the small rise.
SOMUAs attempt to redeploy to keep the Massing panzers at bay.
Fire from the 8-rads and Panzer IIs knocks out a gun!
FRENCH 2x 75mm Gun | GERMANS 2x 38(t)s |
TURN THREE
More German reinforcements arrive! The French are going to have a difficult time now.
Panzer IIs race forward guns blazing! The observer goes down, but the guns suffer no appreciable damage.
A succesful assault knocks out another gun!
French 47mm AT arrives from reserve just in time to keep 8-rads from pushing through the line.
SOMUAs take position in the tree line.
Panhards knock out 2 Panzer IIs.
FRENCH 3x 75mm Gun 1x Fusilier Stand | GERMANS 2x 38(t)s 2x PzIIs |
TURN FOUR
Both the French HQ mortars and the Germans 105s dropped smoke!
Panzer IIs move to the edge of the wheat, ready to engage the Panhards.
Freshly arrived 38(t)s form a shooty parking lot and engage the Panhards.
These Panhards are blessed, only one gets bailed.
More French reserves arrive.
Ditto.
SOMUAs engage the Panzer IIs..
But only bail two. Brian passes his motivation check and they keep fighting! The Fusiliers attempt to assault, but they are le tired.
FRENCH 3x 75mm Gun 2x Fusilier Stand | GERMANS 2x 38(t)s 2x PzIIs |
TURN FIVE
The Panzerschutzen quickly redeploys, striking the weak French flank!
The Schutzen deploy out of their halftracks.
Czech Panzers hook around and take out a SOMUA from the side.
French Fusiliers form a firing line in a small wood.
Panzerschutzen attempt to assault, but a strategically placed SOMUA forces a motivation check for "tank terror" which they fail!
More reserves keep racing to the front.
Finally the Fusiliers motivate and assault the Panzer IIs!
The French take acceptable losses, and knock out the Panzer IIs!
The Panzerschutzen take a bucketload of fire… but Brian passes a billion saves!
FRENCH 1x SOMUA 3x 75mm Gun 5x Fusilier Stand | GERMANS Panzer II platoon 2x 38(t)s |
TURN SIX
It should be noted that the French HQ mortars did a great job of keeping the 38(t)s in the wheat field in the north smoked.
The Panzerschutzen unpin and prepare for another assault!
38(t)s move up and claim another SOMUA's side armor!
8-rads and 38(t)s move up to MG the infantry while 2 38(t)s creep forward to engage Panhards.
halftracks move up and spray the 47mm AT gun platoon with fire- despite their gun shields the entire platoon is wiped out!
Simultaneously, combined fire from the 38s and 8-rads annhilates the remaining Fusiliers!
The french again fire a large bombardment, and again do very little damage to the schutzen!
Reserve Fusiliers move up to contest the objective. They go "hot" on turn 7!
FRENCH Fusilier Platoon 47mm AT Platoon 2x SOMUA 3x 75mm Gun 1x Fusilier Stand | GERMANS Panzer II platoon 2x 38(t)s 2x Panzerschutzen stands |
TURN SEVEN
The Panzerschutzen prepare to assault the last bastion of French holdout on the objective again.
The Panzerschutzen charge!
38(t)s move up to provide fire support for the schutzen
Here they come!
The 75 and the battery commander are knocked out! The staff team remains. The French Company Commander joins the SOMUAs in a brave counter attack, forcing the Schutzen back!
The staff team from the 75 battery, despite being fearless, quits the field!
At this point, we've been playing for a while. We are at the bottom of turn 7, and though the French have taken a beating- the Germans have as well. Both objectives are hot now so we're into sudden death. The SOMUAs are about to roll forward and crash into the Schutzen (with no AT rifle) backed up by a Fresh Fusilier Squad holding position in the line of trees.
The other objective is solidly protected by Panhards and Fusiliers on the french side, and 8-rads and 3 38(t)s on the German side of things.
So in the end- can 6 38(t)s, 2 8-rads, and a severely battered panzerschutzen take on 5 Panhards, 2 SOMUAs, and 2 full strength Fusilier platoons? Maybe. Thus, we decide to call it a draw. 3-1 in Brian's favor.
The other objective.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
I think this mission was a ton of fun. I was scared it would be unbalanced, but more games will be needed to pass any judgement on it.
