Deployment followed what was now fairly predictable lines,
with the British massing most of their manpower on their right, with one squad
on the left to provide fire support.
The Germans were so thin on the ground they
had few options, one depleted squad held the rear of the woods in the hope of
preventing a flanking move, while the remaining two squads – in reality just
teams, occupied the Church itself and dug in behind the stone wall of the yard.
The British started as they meant to go on, laying down a
withering hail of Bren fire on the church tower, rapidly causing the occupiers
to start collecting shock, while the first section began to work forward on the
right through the ruins. Meanwhile, the Battalion Forward Observation Officer
started to range his mortars on the church.
German return fire was sporadic, then a burst of MG42 fire
smashed into the crowded building where the British were preparing to advance.
There was laughter from the infantry on the ground floor as “Chalky” White
showed the rest of the squad the graze in his helmet where the bullet had
deflected. Upstairs however there was silence, broken only by a voice calling over
the radio for fire control instructions that would go unanswered, as the
unlucky FOO was lying dead in his OP, the victim of Chalky’s “lucky” ricochet.
Pringle was a little shaken. He had clearly hoped he could
use the 3” mortars to blast the Krauts out of the church, or to kingdom come.
Instead he would have to do this the hard way. He ordered all three of his
Brens to hammer the MG42 firing from the church tower, but no matter how often
he seemed to see hits, the damned gun kept firing!
In the tower it was like a charnel house as bodies piled up
around the gun. As each man fell another bravely stepped up to keep the weapon
firing – everyone knew the MG42 was their only hope. A cry from the tower told
Platzer his Sergeant was injured, so he ran up the stairs and grabbed the gun
himself, having to step over several bodies to get to it.
Meanwhile in the
churchyard, the remaining MG team were fighting a losing battle, as casualties
continued to build up. Desperately the remaining members of the team tried to
withdraw to the church itself, but were caught in a hail of Bren fire. The last
man staggered against the wall, pinned down and bleeding from his wounds but
still clutching the precious MG42. He had no chance.
Then……
Platzer played his Chain of Command dice to interrupt the
British fusillade. He sprinted from the door and grabbed the wounded man, then oblivious
to the danger dragged him into the church for safety. At that point his men
would have followed him into the gates of Hell itself.
It was a momentary reprieve. Pringle pushed his assault
force forward in the lull caused by Platzer’s heroic rescue. However the
Germans were far from finished, and as his lead section advanced cautiously
along the edge of the orchard, a vicious burst of MG42 fire from the church
ripped through them. Three fell dead, and the remainder became pinned.
Possibly
encouraged by his opposite numbers brave example, Pringle ran forward to rally
the men and pulled them back into cover, being lightly wounded in the process.
He also ordered his last assault squad through the woods to flank the church.
This was the moment the German squad had been waiting for,
and they leapt up, intending to catch the British as they advanced. For once
however their firing let them down, and the British assaulted forward covered
by a burst of Bren fire, killing or overrunning all the Germans holding the
flank.
From that point it was clear to Platzer his position was
untenable. He could see Tommies moving through the woods towards his rear, and
also approaching the front of the church. He had very few men left, mostly
wounded. He decided the only option was to abandon the position and withdraw.
As he lowered himself out of the rear of the blasted ruin of the church where many
of his men gave their lives, he heard the sounds of grenades exploding at the
door as the Tommies assaulted.
So the campaign ended with an expensive British victory. It had been a close run thing.
As the smoke clears
................
As a result of his bravery and dash in leading his Platoon
in a difficult and dangerous assault on an enemy strongpoint Lt Pringle was
recommended for Mention in Despatches (rolled a 5), however on review the CO
decided an MM may be a good idea as it would help cheer the lads up (reroll was
a 6). Sadly the paper-pushers at Whitehall didn’t agree, so Pringle was
Mentioned in Dispatches (award roll was a three). On the plus side he now is
sporting a rather dashing moustache and has decided to move into the snack food
industry when the war ends. He spent quite a lot of time staring at an empty cardboard
tube used to carry 2” mortar ammo, and he thinks he has an idea!
Platzer's outstanding bravery in holding his position
against overwhelming odds, and his rescue of his wounded NCO were also noticed.
He was recommended for an Iron Cross (2nd Class - both rolls were a 3) but his
CO thought 1st Class would better reflect on the unit (rolled a 6). OKW were in
need of heroes so decided to make an example, so he was finally awarded a
German Cross (rolled a 6 followed by a 5) and had an interview with Signal.
Maybe we will see him again in the next campaign?
Thanks to both players for taking part, and for the readers
patience. Great fun seems to have been had, and the appetite for more Chain of
Command is clearly there, so more CoC will follow in due course.
