Having finished our epic slog through Middle-earth General Ballroom and I fancied an altogether different sort of campaign a Too Fat Lardies Chain of Command Pint Sized Campaign - 29 Let's Go!, to be exact.
This campaign sees US forces pushing inland just after D-Day 1944 and encountering stiff resistance from the Germans.
Unlike other CoC campaigns the American forces get a fresh platoon each game and increasing resources as time goes by - the Germans however are forced to defend with much more limited resources. Victory for the Germans is to be had in delaying the Americans long enough to blow some bridgedes and delay the advance - the Americans win by getting to the bridges before their commander completely loses faith in them.
I will play the forces of Uncle Sam while General Ballzimmer returns in command of the Germans.
First scenario is a Probe game where the Americans win by exiting a squad or team off the far short table edge.
The peaceful hamlet of La Cambe stands ready
The American forces are making their way up the road.
This seems to be the same picture again...
The first American forces appear on the left, protected, hopefully by a hedge.
They are heartened by the rumbling and clanking sound of a Sherman tank!
More Americans deploy on the right covered by a house.
Germans start to appear in the hedgerow opposite and are placed on overwatch.
Just as the Americans plot their next move a fire breaks out in the house in front of them (lots of 6s rolled).
With the Sherman in view a dug in Pak 40 is revealed.
Their followed a short exchange of fire at the end of which the Sherman, it's machine gun out of action beat a hasty retreat behind the house
Taking advantage of the distraction the Americans broke cover at the hedge.
A chastening demonstration of the power of MG42s soon had them back in cover.
A second Sherman appeared and although it briefly lived a charmed life, and indeed inflicted quite some damage on the German gun crew, inevitably the luck ran out.
Another squad of Americans had arrived in front of the garage but soon found themselves under sustained fire.
With a tank ablaze behind them, things were already looking tough for the greenhorn Americans in their first real battle.
****INTERMISSION****
Because we are old and grey and because Chain of Command isn't the quickest of games, not helped by the fact we'd forgotten most of the rules, we called a halt at this point.
One of the advantages of being old and grey is having sufficient means and space to leave a game set up for a week and then picking up where you left off.
****INTERMISSION****
With the German defences all laid out the American's were struggling to see a way forward.
However with the remaining Sherman moving behind the houses to give support they finally began to damage some of the German troops on the left flank.
Meanwhile the squad behind the burning building pulled back.
And the squad in front of the garage broke cover and raced across the road to support the left.
With numbers in place a careful tactical advance began.
One that rapidly became a sprint as a succession of double phases allowed the US infantry to seize the initiative.
The Pak. fired HE, but mostly missed.
And the Americans raced to the hedges.
To throw grenades at the German defenders (with little effect).
They followed this up with a charge, Tommy Guns ablaze.
The fighting was brutal, but the Germans were caught by surprise.
And were driven back, leaving the Americans to vault the hedge. Victory was in sight!
Unfortunately a brutal German counter attack saw only the Platoon Sergeant, his cigar glowing brightly, alive, he fled over the hedges into open ground.
Desperately the German forces poured shot onto the doughty Serg.
It was to no avail, the officer left the field, his dignity, and uniform still intact.
Sadly a re-reading of the victory conditions made it clear that although he might be entitled to a medal this did not win the game for the Americans.
By this time US morale was running low and despite heavy shelling of the Germans stranded in the open eventually the US forces were driven from the field. The Germans hold La Cambe!
A great game with some really cinematic moments - the duel between Pak. 40 and Sherman, which could have gone either way, the epic race across open ground by the US squad, the brutal fight in the hedgerows and the final desperate attempts to shoot down the sergeant all made for a great game.
It feels like a tough one for the Americans to win - not helped by my barrage scattering off the table and then my FO being shot before I could call it up again.
Looking forward to a re-run (and I've ordered a third Sherman!)
That shot of the PaK staring down the Sherman is great!
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