Sgt Taylor decided to reorganise the platoon to reflect the
casualties taken so far. He put all three Bren teams together under Corporal O’Malley,
with instructions to form a base of fire. He then took the two men manning the
PIAT and added them to the riflemen, then split the resulting dozen riflemen
into two assault sections, each with their own NCO. In support he had his own 2”
mortar team, plus a second he “borrowed”. He also had a word with the young
Subaltern from 9RTR who were providing support in the form of a Churchill tank.
The tank was going to be essential, as they would need the firepower to blast
any defenders out of the ruins.
Platzer had fewer problems, but his wounded NCO made sure he
would have to both command the platoon and direct the squad. He had an
attached Panzerknacker team, as he suspected the Tommies would bring tanks, and a quickly sown minefield covering part of his front. He also had a
Chain of Command dice granted by the scenario.
The terrain was the outskirts of Maltot village. The British
would be approaching through the corn, which would provide some cover, but the
Germans had the advantage of several buildings – ruins and walls, all providing
hard cover.
Things didn’t improve much when it came to Force morale.
Thompson rolled low, ending up with 8 FM points, but Platzer rolled high, and with
the added bonus of his troop confidence level this gave him a FM of 12, and
with it first action in both the patrol and combat phases.
The patrol phase was a disappointment for Sgt Thompson. He
had 3 extra patrol moves, but couldn’t get quite close enough to the buildings
that marked the outskirts of Maltot. Platzer had his hands full, but managed to
ensure the Tommies did not outflank him.
The British deployment dice were not great, but allowed
Thompson to get O’Malley and his Brens into position on the edge of the corn, one
of the assault squads and his two 2” mortars set up.
Platzer had learned from
his earlier frustrations, and immediately opened fire on the mortar teams. The
team on the British right immediately suffered a casualty and broke, the left
hand team also was hit and pinned. In return the Brens supressed the Germans in
the nearest house, and the Churchill MkIV entered down the road. Platzer tried
to relocate one squad across the main road, but they got caught crossing the
road and took some casualties.
And then it went downhill. Platzer used his Chain of Command
dice to deploy his Panzershrek into an ambush position. The rocket streaked out
and struck the Churchill squarely below the turret. The hatches popped open and
the crew abandoned the tank as it started to burn. There was a burst of fire
from a Bren that shocked the ‘Shrek team, but they were already moving out to
another position.
With his support gone, Thompson realised he had to do it the
hard way. Under covering fire from O’Malley and his Brens, and covered by
smoke, Corporal Peck launched his assault team at the nearest defended house.
Sadly
he misjudged the distance and moved too far - instead of arriving under the
cover of the building, his squad found themselves in a vicious brawl with the defenders,
being driven back with heavy losses.
Thompson threw his last assault squad in,
and this time Corporal Blair’s team broke into the defenders position in a
flurry of bayonets and rifle buts, and drove the defenders out with some
casualties. This was the high water mark of 12 Platoons advance. The incessant
MG42 fire was causing alarming casualties, and Blair’s squad was isolated, if
fairly safe. 12 Platoon was spent, and although Blair was holding out, he could
not be reinforced, and lacking of Brens, he could do little other than throw
grenades at the Germans in a neighbouring house.
The British were about to withdraw, but then Platzer, in an
unexpected twist, tried to push a squad forward, out of cover, but a burst of
Bren fire drove them back.
12 Platoon limped back to the start line, what was left of
them, bloody and bedraggled. The attack had been repulsed, apparently with
ease, and casualties were heavy. Six Tommies lay dead, a further three
seriously wounded, and two NCOs were also carrying injuries. On the other side
Platzer had lost three dead and two seriously wounded, plus a couple of others
injured.
12 Platoon will take no further part in the fighting this day. Looking on nervously, 16 Platoon are called forward....................
Another great game of Chain of Command, lots of fun but also a lot to think about. The turning point was when the first assault got too close. The plan had been to move up, and then use the next turn to reorganise, throw grenades and assault after another round of suppressive fire from the Brens. This should have worked, but getting too close meant the melee started before everything was ready and with the assault team disordered from the sprint across the open ground.
Mark (Geordie) is taking command of 16 Platoon for the next phase, so will his fresh platoon manage to break the German defences? Platzer is requesting his CO release some reserves to him, but will he succeed? Time will tell
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