Introduction

The following report covers a four-player engagement between a French motorized platoon and a German Schützen platoon. It was fought with 28mm miniatures on a 6 by 8-foot table using the battlegroup rule system. As the rules were new to us all I chose the basic Attack/Counter-Attack scenario from the rule book for this game.

Battlefield & Objectives

To save some time I set up the battlefield the day before the lads turned up for the game. After the obligatory discussion about the scenario and terrain, it was decided that we should place all four objectives on the table before deployment was decided. The French placed one point in the North-west corner of the church and a second in the small ruined house on the North-eastern side of the village. The German objectives were placed in the alley behind the cafe and on the Northeastern corner of the cow pen (stone wall).

Army lists:

Germans: Rob (2 games), Me (2ish games)

• Forward HQ (senior officer)
• Schützen platoon (officer)
• IGL18 (75mm) infantry gun  with a truck
• PaK36 (37mm) anti-tank gun with a loader team & truck
• MG34 tripod men
• 1x Panzer IVD (75mmL24)
• 3x Panzer IIIF (37mmL46)
• 3x Panzer IIC (20mm L55 auto-cannon)
• 1x SdKfz222 armoured car (20mm L55 auto-cannon)
• 1x Kradschützen team

465 list points with a 38 point Battle rating

French: Micheal (0 games) Warski (1 game)

• Forward HQ
• Motorized infantry platoon (no transports)
• Medic
• 47mmL53 Anti-tank with loader team and truck
• Hotchkiss MMG team
• 2x 81mm Mortars (off-table artillery)
• Forward observer team
• A sniper with an observer
• 1x Panhard armoured car (25mmL47)
• 5x Somua S35 tanks (47mmL32)
• 3x H39 tanks (37mmL21)
• 1x Motorcycle recon team

471 list points with a 30-point Battle rating.

Deployment & opening moves:

Team France deployed their Panhard and sniper team near the rear of the old church (Blue 2). Their last remaining scout team (the sidecar) was placed in the open field east of the village (Blue 1). Winning the initiative, they moved the sniper team toward the bell tower (surprise, surprise) while the Panhard parked up on the road facing north (react fire order). Leaving their sidecar in the field the light machine gun team moved into the small ruined house on the north side of the village (blue 3). By the end of the turn, the French had captured one objective forcing the Germans to pull two chits (1 of which was for being out scouted).

Rob and I decided to place our SdKfz in the clear ground between the barn and the village (red 3). Its first move would be to make for the alleyway behind the cafe and take that objective. The Kradschützen team deployed dismounted (as I don’t have a German sidecar) on the edge of the village (red 2). They were tasked with securing the cafe. One chit was pulled by the French.

Turn one saw the French bring on all five of their S35 Somua tanks. Three were sent up the eastern side of the village (blue 1) while the remaining two made for the centre of town via the old church road (blue 2). Cancelling its reaction order the Panhard moved around the back of the church so it could limit the movement of the SdKfz. Reaching the top of the bell tower the sniper cracked off its one and only shot of the entire game. The shot was rushed and went wide. Satisfied with their effort the two-man team sat down and tucked into the church wine for the rest of the game. In the following couple of turns the bulk of the French infantry joined the tanks.

Initially, the German players decide not to deploy the bulk of their armour at the start of the battle. Choosing to concentrate on moving their infantry teams forward to strengthen their hold on the village. The Pak 36 was brought on and sent towards the high ground northeast of the village (red 5). However, the truck couldn’t find the dice to cross the hedge (after two turns of trying). So the gun was unlimbered in the cornfield. Using the react-move order the SdKfz drove into St Mary’s square chancing a side armour shot at the S35s on the eastern side of the village. Failing to spot the tanks through the buildings it reverses back into the safety of the alley.

Turn three/four: The French (sidecar) team stationed in the ruined building on the edge of the town comes under a heavy crossfire. Despite their cover, two men are cut down and the last man breaks and runs (one chit for the French). Panzermarsch is used by the Germans to bring the bulk of their armour onto the field. The Panzer IVD is directed toward the high ground (red 5) while the three Panzer IIIs and two Panzer IIs advance down the western side of the village (red 1).

The French react quickly to the gathering storm west of the village. Shots ring out from between the orchard and the churchyard as the Panhard and single Somua engage the advancing German armour. The initial rounds from both sides fail to find their mark, but in the following round a single hit forces the S35 crew to take a morale check. They rise to the occasion (beyond the call of duty test) fire back and brew up the lead Panzer III (pull a chit Germany). Two more Somua’s are directed down the main street toward the cafe (blue 5). However, the Germans place their newly drawn confusion chit on one of these tanks stalling its progress for the time being. More French infantry arrive in the Southeastern corner along with three H39s. Spotting from the second story of the large house east of the old church, the forward HQ called up their attached (off-table) mortar battery. Targeting the end of the cafe, the communication check and fire accuracy were both good, resulting in the SdKfz and a Panzer II being pinned (I messed these rules up a bit).

Mid-game somewhere: “Yes Rob, I know, I’m the worst person at tracking game turns”. Having pulled a chit (air attack) at the end of their previous turn the Germans successfully rallied all of their pinned units. The 75mm infantry gun is moved up and unlimbered beside the track running from the cornfield to the village. The Panzer IVD also finds a good firing position. Together with the Pak36, all three units target the Two Somua tanks stationed in the field east of the town. When to smoke clears the lead S35 has been hit and immobilized. On the opposite side of town, the Panzers pull back to avoid fire from the two S35s moving down the main road.

French replied with another accurate round of artillery fire (which I almost got the rules right for this time). This barrage pinned the 75mm infantry gun, its transport and the Pak36 gun crew. Shots from the two S35s in the field only managed to pin the Panzer IVD on the hill. The 47mmL53 anti-tank gun which I forgot to mention had by now made it to the main road. Moving at top speed towards town it swings left down church road before pulled up behind the Panhard. Deploying quickly the gun team joined the fight on the western side of the village.

In the top right-hand corner of the above picture, you can see a Panzer III on the northwestern edge of the orchard. Using the react-move order it raced across the main road at the end of the previous French turn. Swinging around in the German turn it fired a single round into a S35 on the road behind the cafe. Boom (pull a chit please Frenchmen). At the bottom of the picture the Panzer IV, Pak36 and 75mm infantry have all been unpinned (another chit for the Germans). They all open fire on the Somua’s near the village, both of which are pinned. Belatedly German infantry are pushed across the square ready to assault the pinned French tanks.

Sometime around now a lone Stuka turns up. It screams down towards the surprised French lines and drops a single large bomb. However, the pilot was either cross-eyed or on the same sauce as the sniper team and the bomb landed somewhere in the adjoining room.

The French struggled to achieve much in their turn. Fire from all available assets is directed against the Panzers in the field west of the village. Despite landing another accurate mortar barrage (I got the rules right at last) only a single Panzer III was pinned. More infantry were pushed up onto the road and a chit was pulled to unpin the two Somua’s on the opposite side of the village.

Okay, things get a little intense now. I’ve completely lost track of the turn number and I’m not even sure in what order the following events happen. So I’m just going to lump it all together here in one big climatic firefight.

The German infantry team hiding in the ruined house leaps out and assaults one of the S35 (East of the village). They manage to destroy the tank but are routed by fire from closing French infantry teams. Some French troops retake the house and objective (both sides pull chits).

At around the same time, the armour battles continue west of the village. The Panhard is the first to catch fire followed by a Panzer II and a French truck (Germany pulls a chit, France pulls two). After this exchange, the second Panzer II guns its engine and rolls out in front of the last S35 on the main road. Six shots from the auto-cannon at point-blank range, needing 4s to hit and 11s for a kill. Four hits were scored the second of which rolled double sixes for penetration (Frenchman pull a chit please).

If you are unfamiliar with the Battlegroup rule system each army starts the game with a battle rating (see above lists). When something bad happens to a player’s force a random chit must drawn from the chit bag. Generally, each chit contains a number between one and five which must then be removed from that player’s battle rating. Once an army drops to zero the game is over as force morale has collapsed. Although I have been highlighting our chit draws throughout the game. I haven’t been able to disclose the corresponding loss in army morale as this was done in secret. I mention this now because both sides are beginning to wonder (or hope) if the other side is close to breaking. The French are leading the chit-pulls and started the game with the lowest morale rating. While the Germans have also pulled a lot of chits however three of their chits have been specials which doesn’t reduce their battle rating.

The assault order for the infantry in the town (above photo) is never given as the death blow is struck by the Panzer III in the orchard near the old church. Here the Germans push their Panzer III forward with one action, hoping to score a side armour hit with their second action. However, they fail to spot the French tank through the apple trees and are unable to fire this turn. The French tank has no such problem, spotting, firing and hitting the Panzer two times. At this range, all the French need is a four-to-pin or five to destroy the Panzer on 2D6. They roll double ones (immobilised) followed by three…oh dear. The German gunner now spots his target and his return fire ends the game.

I think it’s safe to say we all enjoyed the day. The French had the upper hand for the first half of the battle but ran into trouble late in the day. I really liked the way these rules flowed and I will definitely be giving them another go. Not counting setup time, the game was concluded in under four hours which is pretty good considering we hadn’t played this system much beforehand.

One of our end-game-talking points was the Panzer II’s attack on the S35. Did it have the firepower to penetrate S35 frontal armour or is it overpowered in these rules? Personally, I believe the Germans just got lucky here. The dice result could have represented the French crew Panicking and bailing rather than their tank blowing up.

All in all a great day gaming.