Chain of Command Campaign Part 4 - The Other Side of the Hill

Platzer reported his success defending the edge of the village. Major Klinsmann looked carefully at him, and smiled (something of a first as fas as Platzer was concerned) "Well done. I expect the Tommies will be back. There's a squad of PanzerGrenadiers outside, take them back with you to help bolster your positions - that is all"

Platzer collected the men and headed back. He found the platoon sheltering in the rubble fifty yards behind the main position, refilling their ammunition and canteens. They had left a section with a MG holding the position. He split the PanzerGrenadiers up among his depleted squads, adding the extra MGs to help bolster squad firepower. He thought "We are as strong as ever"  Then he heard the distinctive burst of an MG42 coming from the front - "Come on men - theyre back!"

His men scrambled forward. Platzer realised with horror that the Tommies had infiltrated forward into the ruined houses on the outskirts. He rapidly ordered his squads to deploy, sending Waschenfelde and his squad to flank the left of the British position, and spreading the rest out across the front of the main defence line. Then the mortars hit.

Platzer was on the far left of the position, almost outside the beaten zone. From his position he could see brown clad figures moving around the houses opposite. He called on the section in the nearest house to take them under fire, but a combination of the mortar fire and careful enemy movement meant the fire was ineffective. Worse yet, casualties were mounting, particularly on his right where the enemy seemed to be concentrating their fire.

Then the fire from the house on the far right of Platzers line slackened. He tried to move in that direction to get a better idea of what was happening, but it was suicide to try and move while the mortars were firing.

There was a moment when the mortars seemed to pause, but it was a trick, and as his men started to rise from their shelters, the bombs came in again, this time with more fury. Platzer suddenly was confronted by a staggering figure, uniform torn and bloodied. It was Bub, commander of the right flank section. He collapsed next to Platzer "We couldnt stop them sir - most of the men were hit, we tried, but they just ......"Bub almost sobbed. "They're in the houses on our right sir".

Platzer made a quick assessment. Even if the left were to succeed, the collapse of the right made his position untenable. He quickly gave the orders to pull back, he would reform deeper in the village and fight again. So much for the Major's smile

So that's the two versions of events - next time, the game AAR and pics :-)