A week after our D-Day game and the Americans find themselves helmet high in the bocage of Normandy. Years ago I made about 30 feet of bocage for Flames of War. Its always fun to break it out since it just looks fantastic on the table top.
We had to be a bit abstract since my bocage was for 15mm gaming. We ruled that the bocage blocked line of sight, except to and from hills and troops in the second or third story of the manor.
We played Domination, which is a mission played at Cold Wars 2014. This mission can be found on the download page. The board was covered in heavy bocage and sections of fields. There was also a large stone manor in the middle of the board.
German Forces
1st Lieutenant and two men
Medic
3 x Grenadier Squads - 7 men, SMG, LMG
81mm Mortar
MG-42 MMG
Light Howitzer
2 x SS Squads - 7 men, SMG, LMG
1 Panzershreck
2 x Tank Hunter Squads - 3 men w/ panzerfausts, SMG
Puma
Tiger
SdKfz 251/1
Tank Hunter Squads: During the normandy campaign German troops armed with panzerfausts roamed the bocage hunting for Allied tanks. To represent this we gave the Germans small infantry squads armed with panzerfausts, even though they are not a unit from the book.
American Forces
2 x 1st Lietenant and two men
Medic with aid
6 x Infantry Squads - 8 men, SMG, BAR
81mm mortar
2 x .30 cal. MMG
2 x Bazooka Teams
Stuart w/ hedgerow cutter
Sherman w/ hedgerow cutters
Greyhound
FAO - Artillery
American troops scout out the bocage
The main American force moves on in force.
Germans take up positions.
German infantry move to take the manor.
Getting ready to go cat hunting.
There was a spotter in the third floor of the manor. Bolt Action happened and the German spotter caught a stray bullet through his binoculars after I rolled three sixes in a row.
The Americans use their MMGs and mortar to anchor their left flank while the rest of the force moves up the right.
The Stuart engages the Puma.
America... in force.
You cant tell from this photo but the Tiger is on the backside of the hill waiting to pounce.
Germans send a squad into the orchard to look for Yankees.
A German MMG covers the road.
Germans lock down the manor.
US support troops cover a squad advancing toward the manor.
This patrol moves toward the house from its blind spot.
The bazooka team trashes the Hanomag.
Before that the Stuart took out the Puma.
The Tiger moves up and bounces a shot from the Sherman, that was in Ambush. The Tiger then does what Tigers do best, eat Shermans.
At the end of turn three the US was seizing the initiative and aggressively attacking, while the Germans were setting up defensively. The Tiger did its job and was now a giant pill box, but the Americans didn't have a lot left to deal with it. Things are about to get intense and bloody so come back later for part two.
