For various reasons I've not been to a f2f game at Tapton for quite a while, so I was very pleased to be able to attend the latest outing in late August. Unusually for August, we were off to the Ardennes in December 1944!
Battlefield from the southwest. This is adapted from the Rapid Fire 'Twin Villages' scenario. Krinkelt and Rocherach are in the bottom left (and Elsenborn Ridge is off to the south).
From the north east. I can't recall the name of this village,, L-something. The previous day, infantry from the US 99th Division repelled an attack here by 277th Volksgrenadier Division and supported by elements of 12th SS Panzer Div.
Today the Germans are trying again as US reinforcements from the veteran US 2nd Division rush to the area.
This is played using Tims WW2 version of 'Funny Little Wars' with 54mm figures and (roughly) 1/48th scale vehicle. Matchstick firing cannon and nerf guns are used to resolve artillery and AT fire respectively.
I was cast as a steely eyed nazi fanatic, along with John A and Pete. Here we have the thick end of 12th SS Panzer Division. Two Panzergrenadier battalions, a mixed Panzer battalion with Pz IVs and Panthers, plus elements of the divisional panzerjaeger battalion.
And tons of support assets, three SP Flak platoons, two panzer engineer companies, an SP infantry gun battery and a battalion each of Wespes and Nebelwerfers.
Some of the US stuff. We were sent away to plan while the Americans set up.
There were some absolutely beautiful toys on show, like this stunning Grille.
And this lovely Bergepanzer IV (a commercial conversion of a Solido chassis). I think the Wirbelwind is Corgi.
The US had this lovely US cameraman figure to record the proceedings.
Tim gave us the the general briefings and sent us off to plan what we were doing.
Out general scheme of manouvre was to operate with one Kampfgruppe down each major road. Each would comprise one PGR battalion, plus various bits of the panzer battalion and regimental support assets. Pete had I Bn and the Pz IVs (right flank) while John had II Bn and the Panthers (left flank).
The reserve (under me) was the Jagdpanzers, one company of panzer engineers and a Flak platoon. I'd assigned artilleur observers to each KG, but until they were in a position to call observed fire, I'd shell geographic targets in Rocherath.
The US had quite a large outpost force at village L! The first job was to clear this lot away so we could deploy the full Regiment from our rather cramped entry area. This was Petes task, complicated by the bad ground and early morning mist which restricted visibility.
Various infantry and AT positions were scattered around further back, plus a few Shermans and M10s.
This barebacked 57mm gunner in the thick snow is obviously a hard case!
US HQ outside the church in Krinkelt, including a fabulous MP figure on a motorcycle.
Our deployment area was quite constrained (and is notionally in a dip so out of sight of the US troops). Pete put a dismounted PGR company and a company of Pz IVs out front to push west along the road to L. Everyone else was backed up along the road as they offroad going was so bad.
The US had the Sherman 76 (christened 'Fury') pointing down the road. Fairly soon the Pz IVs came into view, despite the mist. Each vehicle represents approximately 10 real ones, and a pair of figures is a rifle platoon, so companies generally have six figures.
The lead Pz IV took a hit (they can take two before being destroyed) but then spent the next few turns suppressed on the road unable to do anything and blocking the route for traffic behind. The US infantry are dug in behind the hedges and are busy lobbing bazooka shells at the tanks too.
Eventually the Germans manage to shake out into a more dispersed formation and their weight of numbers begins to tell.
The Grille moves up in support and clears away a lot of the US infantry with point blank 150mm shellfire. It is amazing how the snow camo lorries blend into the snowy basecloth.
World class pointing from Pete. Sadly the Grille succumbed to long range Sherman fire on a subsequent turn (as a platoon sized unit it could only take one hit).
With Petes KG off the road, John could now come on. The lead Panther company sped off southwards, looking rather grand.
Sadly traffic jams built up further back down the column, delaying everyone else. Each company activates in cards order, and if the order is wrong, the following units get stuck...
The US film team bravely filmed the goings on from the edge of the woods.
More US reinforcements were straggling in all the time, and the defences looked a bit thicker now. You can see the lead Panthers in the distance across the snow covered fields.
On the road to L, US resistance collapsed and Pete put marching columns down the centre road and the remaining mounted troops down the road on the right (including an engineer company to support the Panzers). By now US artillery fire had knocked out one of the Flak platoons, a Pz IV had succumbed to AT fire and one of the PGR companies was shot up clearing out the US infantry, but the KG was still quite strong.
Meanwhile I'd been busy shelling the town with map fire. The shells went all over the place but occasionally found a target. A direct hit on this jeep and radio op. I managed to hit the church several times but noone was inside it.
By now John was well on his way down the left hand road, but it was still a very long column. Petes boys had shaken out into a more dispersed formation, which was slow moving cross country. One his tanks had managed to finish off 'Fury' as it tried to retire. Poor old Brad Pitt.
The Panthers however seemed incapable of hitting anything.
Here they are banging away ineffectively at the Sherman in the distance. The ground scale is 1 foot = 500 yards, so it is a fair way away.
Still lots of Americans in Krinkelt.
This 57mm was in a great spot and managed to knock out an entire unit of Panthers (just visible in the distance) with back-back flank shots.
The only survivor from the L garrison was the artillery observer in his jeep, vaguely visible just beyond the burning 'Fury'.
The traffic jams built up again as the Panzer Battalion HQ came on.
But the rest of Johns KG are making good progress own the eastern road.
Petes boys are just about on the outskirts of Rocherath now.
But with four turns to go, we've run out of time to capture the road exit in the southwest corner (our objective) and there is little point trying to fight through the town in the remaining daylight. So we call it there, the US have won the day! The SS will have to try again tomorrow.
That was loads of fun, and given the amount of kit we had on the table, rattled along quickly and smoothly. This game system is pretty mature now and produces a good game both f2f and remotely. I just like the feel of it, a bit like playing with (very big) Airfix figures and vehicles.
Many thanks to Tim for organising it and the gentlemanly approach of the other players.
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