Post by Pete Melvin on Mar 7, 2012 15:50:05 GMT
Thought the guys from last nights game might enjoy an after action report, it’s certainly a game Ill remember for a while.
Any inaccuracies are caused purely by the fog of war and poor memory and are in no way meant to paste over the cracks in my tactics.
Bolt Action
After Action Report
SS and German Regulars vs. British Commandos and Polish Regulars.
Axis Mission: Take the Village
Allied Mission: Defend the village.
Axis Forces (Carl and Pete commanding): 5 squads of regular infantry (mixture of rifles, sub machine guns. StG44s and MG42s. 1 Squad equipped with a panzerfaust), 2 Fallschirmjager squads (off table for drop deployment), 2 SS Flammenwerfer teams, 1 SS Panzerschreck team, 1 SS Sniper team, 1 SS mortar, 2 SS squads, 1 SS medium machine gun team, 1 SS medical squad, 1 SS command squad, 1 Sdkfz 251/16 Flammpanzerwagen, 1 Tiger Ausf. E
Allied Forces:
Poles (Dave): 2 Polish lancer wings, 3 Polish regular squads, 1 polish medium machine gun team, 1 7TP tank (?)
British (James): 3 commando squads, 1 AT gun, 1 mortar team, 1 PIET team, 1 Tetrarch tank
Table layout: Woods and fields predominate. The village is on the Allied right flank (Axis left) with a church and 3 other building. A river flows through the village.
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Deployment:
The Axis force deployed on a wide front with the SS mainly on the left flank in the woods, supported by the sniper team and mortar team in the centre with the machine gun team off to the right. The regulars took position in a field next to a windmill on the right flank and centre.
The Flammpanzerwagen supported the SS on the right while the Tiger loomed ominously in the centre, taking up the rear.
The Allied force deployed with the Poles holding the village and the bulk of their force over the river. The lancers took the furthest right flank. The machine gun team and a squad of regulars held the middle overlooking the church.
The British commandos were spread over a wider front, holding the centre and Allied left flank.
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The game
After some banter regarding the ability (or lack thereof) of the Tetrarch to penetrate the Tiger’s frontal armour (Possible tactics discussed included allowing the Tetrarch to get crunched up in the Tiger’s tracks to immobilise it) the game got underway.
The Axis forces swooped forward in a grand, if suicidal, line towards the Allied defence. On the left, a squad of Polish Lancers made an early attack on an SS squad only to be wiped out to a man in close quarters. The Flammpanzerwagen roared forward and slewed sideways, attempting to burn out some Polish troops behind hard cover but was out of range.
Mortars on both sides fired and missed.
Most of the Allied squads hunkered down, waiting in ambush.
The SS sniper team lined up the British PIET team but were slightly out of range. The Tiger gingerly made its way forward and with good reason as the British AT gun opened fire and got a glancing hit with its first shot. Luckily the Tiger was merely pinned.
The German advance continued with the SS on the left slowing down to take advantage of the cover and take stock of their Polish adversaries. The German regulars swarmed forward to take cover in a field in the centre of the table.
The Sniper team took an opportunity in a small lull in the battle to move up and take a better position while on the right flank the SS machine gun team moved forward to support the German regulars.
The British AT gun opened up again, this time on the exposed side armour of the SS halftrack. The halftrack never stood a chance and was blown to pieces.
The tetrarch, obviously incensed by the jokes about it moved up to the edge of the centre field and fired its machine gun at a squad of German regulars, pinning them and causing one casualty.
On the left Allied flank, the two teams of Commandos got an unpleasant shock when two squads of elite Fallschirmjager dropped onto their position, causing two casualties to one squad.
At this point, although not many casualties had been caused, it seemed like the Germans had the advantage. They were halfway up the table, the SS were threatening the church on the left and on the right there were three squads of regulars almost in position to assist the Fallschirmjager rampaging behind enemy lines. Although the halftrack was out of action the Tiger was still a major threat.
The Poles started to move the bulk of their force across the river, moving squads round the church to plug the gap left by the lancers and hopefully stop the advancing SS.
The German line advanced, the regulars moving forward through the cover of the field and swarming round the left and right of it to get into better firing positions, supported by the SS machine gun team and a Flammenwerfer team. On the right, the soldier with the panzerfaust started eyeing up the Tetrarch. The Tetrarch, seeing the obvious threat, retreated and fired on the German regulars, pinning one squad.
In the centre near the field a German squad came under fire and took casualties from an ambushing Polish squad. The ambushing squad itself then came under fire from the SS sniper team, killing one man and pinning them.
Beside the church, one of the SS Flammenwerfer teams moved up to try and take out a Polish squad in heavy cover, only to come under ambushing fire from the Poles and being wiped out in the process.
The Tiger rumbled forward and fired at the British AT gun in a cannon duel but missed. The AT gun returned fire, scoring another hit but failing to penetrate. The AT gun was three shots for three so far.
On the Allied left, the British Commandos moved into firing positions and opened up on the Fallschirmjager badly mauling one squad and pinning another.
Again, both mortars fired and missed.
Things were getting heated as the German casualties were rapidly mounting but if they could win the initiative on the next turn they could still grab their objective.
It started well for the Germans as their Panzerschreck team grabbed the church and waited for their chance to engage the advancing Polish tank.
A fierce gunfight erupted between the Poles and SS on the left German flank, causing casualties on both sides but ending with a brave lone Polish soldier holding his own before being brutally gunned down.
SS squads consolidated by moving up to heavy cover beside the church.
The remaining Flammenwerfer team moved up, hoping to flush out the Poles in the centre but the British mortar opened up on them, scoring a direct hit and replacing the foolhardy Germans with a smoking crater.
The German regulars, hoping to assist their parachutist companions, moved up through the field, opening fire on the British commando positions but they caused minimal casualties. In return, the Commandos continued to attack the Fallschirmjager who were forced to keep their heads down.
The duel of cannons continued with the AT gun missing for the first time in the game. It was enough to put the German gunner off though as he also missed his target.
Famed German marksmanship was seriously lacking as the Sniper team, firing on the Polish machine gun team, also missed, as did the German mortar team.
With the front lines seriously entangled the precarious German advantage seemed to have given way to a definite disadvantage.
The German squads were starting to look thin on the ground but the Allied line still remained solid. It was looking unlikely that unless they could pull something out of the bag the Germans were going to be unable to gain the village.
A Panzerschreck round announced the beginning of the final turn but it flew wide of the Polish tank. The Polish crew, unabashed by the threat, gunned down the Panzerschreck crew without hesitation.
Spurred on by this victory the remaining Lancer wing leapt forward, only to follow their companions to their doom at the hands of the SS.
The German right flank had bogged down into stalemate. Although the Germans still had a small advantage in numbers, all but two squads had taken casualties and the Fallschirmjager were looking particular worse for wear.
It was getting late by this point and it was obvious to all that the German’s early advantage had been lost. There were simply too many Allies remaining and too few Germans and so the commanders shook hands and declared an Allied victory!
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The Conclusion
It was clear in hindsight that the Germans should have been bolder with their initial moves. Although the infantry swept forward, their armoured compatriots kept too far back to be of much use. A costly mistake when a Tiger is quarter of your points.
Had the Tiger rushed in, ignoring the threat of the AT (which realistically only had a slim chance of a kill given the heavy front armour of the Tiger) and set itself up as a combined machine gun/heavy AT emplacement, it could have run rampage through the Allied centre.
The infantry did their best but in the end took too many casualties to seriously threaten the Allied line.
From the Allies point of view they did almost everything right. They didn’t get caught up trying to advance and take out just a couple more Germans. They kept their heads, stayed in their positions and let the Germans march onto their guns. The exception being the Polish Lancers but that’s their job really. The fact that they got wiped out is what happens when you take a knife (or in this case, big stick) to an MG42 fight.
So extra kielbasa all round for the Allies, cessation of schnitzel rations for the Axis and the Tetrarch rolls unmolested into the setting sun.
Any inaccuracies are caused purely by the fog of war and poor memory and are in no way meant to paste over the cracks in my tactics.
Bolt Action
After Action Report
SS and German Regulars vs. British Commandos and Polish Regulars.
Axis Mission: Take the Village
Allied Mission: Defend the village.
Axis Forces (Carl and Pete commanding): 5 squads of regular infantry (mixture of rifles, sub machine guns. StG44s and MG42s. 1 Squad equipped with a panzerfaust), 2 Fallschirmjager squads (off table for drop deployment), 2 SS Flammenwerfer teams, 1 SS Panzerschreck team, 1 SS Sniper team, 1 SS mortar, 2 SS squads, 1 SS medium machine gun team, 1 SS medical squad, 1 SS command squad, 1 Sdkfz 251/16 Flammpanzerwagen, 1 Tiger Ausf. E
Allied Forces:
Poles (Dave): 2 Polish lancer wings, 3 Polish regular squads, 1 polish medium machine gun team, 1 7TP tank (?)
British (James): 3 commando squads, 1 AT gun, 1 mortar team, 1 PIET team, 1 Tetrarch tank
Table layout: Woods and fields predominate. The village is on the Allied right flank (Axis left) with a church and 3 other building. A river flows through the village.
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Deployment:
The Axis force deployed on a wide front with the SS mainly on the left flank in the woods, supported by the sniper team and mortar team in the centre with the machine gun team off to the right. The regulars took position in a field next to a windmill on the right flank and centre.
The Flammpanzerwagen supported the SS on the right while the Tiger loomed ominously in the centre, taking up the rear.
The Allied force deployed with the Poles holding the village and the bulk of their force over the river. The lancers took the furthest right flank. The machine gun team and a squad of regulars held the middle overlooking the church.
The British commandos were spread over a wider front, holding the centre and Allied left flank.
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The game
After some banter regarding the ability (or lack thereof) of the Tetrarch to penetrate the Tiger’s frontal armour (Possible tactics discussed included allowing the Tetrarch to get crunched up in the Tiger’s tracks to immobilise it) the game got underway.
The Axis forces swooped forward in a grand, if suicidal, line towards the Allied defence. On the left, a squad of Polish Lancers made an early attack on an SS squad only to be wiped out to a man in close quarters. The Flammpanzerwagen roared forward and slewed sideways, attempting to burn out some Polish troops behind hard cover but was out of range.
Mortars on both sides fired and missed.
Most of the Allied squads hunkered down, waiting in ambush.
The SS sniper team lined up the British PIET team but were slightly out of range. The Tiger gingerly made its way forward and with good reason as the British AT gun opened fire and got a glancing hit with its first shot. Luckily the Tiger was merely pinned.
The German advance continued with the SS on the left slowing down to take advantage of the cover and take stock of their Polish adversaries. The German regulars swarmed forward to take cover in a field in the centre of the table.
The Sniper team took an opportunity in a small lull in the battle to move up and take a better position while on the right flank the SS machine gun team moved forward to support the German regulars.
The British AT gun opened up again, this time on the exposed side armour of the SS halftrack. The halftrack never stood a chance and was blown to pieces.
The tetrarch, obviously incensed by the jokes about it moved up to the edge of the centre field and fired its machine gun at a squad of German regulars, pinning them and causing one casualty.
On the left Allied flank, the two teams of Commandos got an unpleasant shock when two squads of elite Fallschirmjager dropped onto their position, causing two casualties to one squad.
At this point, although not many casualties had been caused, it seemed like the Germans had the advantage. They were halfway up the table, the SS were threatening the church on the left and on the right there were three squads of regulars almost in position to assist the Fallschirmjager rampaging behind enemy lines. Although the halftrack was out of action the Tiger was still a major threat.
The Poles started to move the bulk of their force across the river, moving squads round the church to plug the gap left by the lancers and hopefully stop the advancing SS.
The German line advanced, the regulars moving forward through the cover of the field and swarming round the left and right of it to get into better firing positions, supported by the SS machine gun team and a Flammenwerfer team. On the right, the soldier with the panzerfaust started eyeing up the Tetrarch. The Tetrarch, seeing the obvious threat, retreated and fired on the German regulars, pinning one squad.
In the centre near the field a German squad came under fire and took casualties from an ambushing Polish squad. The ambushing squad itself then came under fire from the SS sniper team, killing one man and pinning them.
Beside the church, one of the SS Flammenwerfer teams moved up to try and take out a Polish squad in heavy cover, only to come under ambushing fire from the Poles and being wiped out in the process.
The Tiger rumbled forward and fired at the British AT gun in a cannon duel but missed. The AT gun returned fire, scoring another hit but failing to penetrate. The AT gun was three shots for three so far.
On the Allied left, the British Commandos moved into firing positions and opened up on the Fallschirmjager badly mauling one squad and pinning another.
Again, both mortars fired and missed.
Things were getting heated as the German casualties were rapidly mounting but if they could win the initiative on the next turn they could still grab their objective.
It started well for the Germans as their Panzerschreck team grabbed the church and waited for their chance to engage the advancing Polish tank.
A fierce gunfight erupted between the Poles and SS on the left German flank, causing casualties on both sides but ending with a brave lone Polish soldier holding his own before being brutally gunned down.
SS squads consolidated by moving up to heavy cover beside the church.
The remaining Flammenwerfer team moved up, hoping to flush out the Poles in the centre but the British mortar opened up on them, scoring a direct hit and replacing the foolhardy Germans with a smoking crater.
The German regulars, hoping to assist their parachutist companions, moved up through the field, opening fire on the British commando positions but they caused minimal casualties. In return, the Commandos continued to attack the Fallschirmjager who were forced to keep their heads down.
The duel of cannons continued with the AT gun missing for the first time in the game. It was enough to put the German gunner off though as he also missed his target.
Famed German marksmanship was seriously lacking as the Sniper team, firing on the Polish machine gun team, also missed, as did the German mortar team.
With the front lines seriously entangled the precarious German advantage seemed to have given way to a definite disadvantage.
The German squads were starting to look thin on the ground but the Allied line still remained solid. It was looking unlikely that unless they could pull something out of the bag the Germans were going to be unable to gain the village.
A Panzerschreck round announced the beginning of the final turn but it flew wide of the Polish tank. The Polish crew, unabashed by the threat, gunned down the Panzerschreck crew without hesitation.
Spurred on by this victory the remaining Lancer wing leapt forward, only to follow their companions to their doom at the hands of the SS.
The German right flank had bogged down into stalemate. Although the Germans still had a small advantage in numbers, all but two squads had taken casualties and the Fallschirmjager were looking particular worse for wear.
It was getting late by this point and it was obvious to all that the German’s early advantage had been lost. There were simply too many Allies remaining and too few Germans and so the commanders shook hands and declared an Allied victory!
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The Conclusion
It was clear in hindsight that the Germans should have been bolder with their initial moves. Although the infantry swept forward, their armoured compatriots kept too far back to be of much use. A costly mistake when a Tiger is quarter of your points.
Had the Tiger rushed in, ignoring the threat of the AT (which realistically only had a slim chance of a kill given the heavy front armour of the Tiger) and set itself up as a combined machine gun/heavy AT emplacement, it could have run rampage through the Allied centre.
The infantry did their best but in the end took too many casualties to seriously threaten the Allied line.
From the Allies point of view they did almost everything right. They didn’t get caught up trying to advance and take out just a couple more Germans. They kept their heads, stayed in their positions and let the Germans march onto their guns. The exception being the Polish Lancers but that’s their job really. The fact that they got wiped out is what happens when you take a knife (or in this case, big stick) to an MG42 fight.
So extra kielbasa all round for the Allies, cessation of schnitzel rations for the Axis and the Tetrarch rolls unmolested into the setting sun.