The Breville Gap – Game 3: Breville

After the German attacks on Amfreville and the Bois de Mont were repulsed, Allied High Command launches an attack on Breville in an attempt to eliminate the German salient once and for all.

My Commandos would be attacking this time in No Retreat against Colin’s Grenadiers, and I decided on a Night Attack. I brought:

Commando HQ, PIAT & Lovat
4 Commando Sections (Platoons)
Comando Mortars x 3
Commando MMGs x 2
Airlanding Platoon
Airlanding 6-pounders
Full 25-pounder Battery

(I forgot my aircraft at home so subbed in some of Colin’s AL 6-pounders, in retrospect a bad move.)

Colin’s lists confuse me at the best of times: he went with a 12 Platoon force, something along the lines of 3 x Grenadiers, MG Platoon, Mortars, Nebelwerfers, Black Pioneers & PSV, 4 Mader IIIMs, PaK 40s, 3-base scouts, 20mm FlaK, and a kamfgruppe formed from a few Grenadier teams and an MG....or something like that.

The table from my edge: Breville at the top where the Germans would be defending, orchards, hedges and scattered woods elsewhere.

Grenadiers w/attached HMG defend the German left.

Black Pioneers with two sections of wire hold the German right. PaK 40s, Nebelwerfers and Mortars on–table, 2 HMGs (?) in Ambush.

My deployment, consisting of (from left) Commandos, Airlanding, Commandos, 6-pounders , Mortars & MMGs and two more Commando Sections, 25-pounders to the rear. We are a little further forward thanks to the extra 8” deployment for Nigh Attack.

The British left, Troop commander and Lord Lovat & Bill Millin in the background.

The British right.

The German deployment: Black Pioneers (aka FJ) in foreground, Grenadiers above, PaK 40s behind Pioneers, Nebelwerfers and Mortars to the rear.

First turn, general advance across the British front.

Colin gets reserves first bound and brings on a Grenadier platoon. The Germans can see nothing in the darkness

The second bound continues the British advance, while the German get a further TWO platoons from reserve, bringing on Marders and Scouts. They still can see nothing, but so can the British observers.

Turn 3. The Airlanding move up the left through the woods intending to remove the wire while remaining hidden: a Commando Section trails intending to follow the same route. Another Section moves up through the centre orchard, while both sections on the left push forward.

Airlanding prepares to breach the wire...

...while a Commando Section trails.

In the German half of bound three, another two platoons of reserves arrive, more Grenadiers and two 20mm FlaK pieces, while night holds.

Colin also called fire on a few mm of an exposed Commando base on the right, hitting the platoon and pinning them. They would remain pinned for 4 turns as I cannot find anything above a ‘2’ on the dice....

Turn 4, daylight breaks. The Commando section in the centre orchard moves up to assault the pioneers. My 25-pounders fail to range-in on the pioneers, the mortars having fire smoke into the centre of the town. This would be the only range-in attempt the mortars pass the whole game. However a base from Airlanding platoon on the left has successfully removed the wire and they surge through to assault the pioneers. By keeping within the woods I only take 3 shots in defensive fire then kill two pioneer teams, including the obligatory flame-thrower.

Colin counters even though he will only fight with two bases, and scores one hit. I’m now in position to completely gut the counter-attacking pioneers, but fail to counter with a fearless roll, the fail the British Bulldog rolls as well.....

The pioneers consolidate back to their precious foxholes, forgetting the Commandos in the centre.

The Commandos move in...

They also assault and kill two pioneer teams, the Germans breaking-off afterwards while the Commandos consolidate in the orchard and into the house.

In the German half the final reserve platoon arrives (a KG of Grenadiers with an HMG I think?). The pioneers fail to un-pin, while other platoons move forward to behind the pioneer’s position. The PaK 40s reveal their positions by firing a few long-range shots. Scattered MG fire hits the Commandos in the house along with several rounds from the Marders, but does no damage apart from pinning.

Turn 5. The Airlanding and centre Commando section un-pins, the one on my right remains pinned still. The Airlanding surge forward out of the woods.

My artillery ranges-in a double-width template on the PaK 40s, pinning the Paks and pioneers but only killing a grenadier base to the rear. Commando SMGs in the house snipe a PaK 40 in the street.

The Airlanding platoons assault goes-in, destroying the PaK 40s and a few more pioneers, clearing the house as well. The pioneers fall back but pass motivation.


Up until now my basic plan was working. By pushing through the left wood the wire was removed, the pioneers flanked and combine with a Commando assault forced back, losing nearly half their number and the PaKs while I had lost only three teams thanks to the concealment of night. German reserves had almost all diverted to the centre to protect the rear-most objective and counter this threat. My real plan however was to now divert right with one Commando Section while the two others on the right (despite having been pinned for ages) would converge on the closest objective and eliminate the Grenadier platoon holding it.


So much for the plan. My dice now went cold.


In the German halt of Turn 5 the pioneers pulled back out of the line of fire. Nebelwerfer fire hit four Commando teams from the follow-up Section, and I rolled...

...for saves.

Colin then threw the 3-base scout platoon in against the Airlanding which had been pinned by mortar fire. With five shots I hit once in defensive fire, the scouts then missed two out of three assault rolls! I countered and then failed all four 3+ skill tests! WTF?

The scouts countered automatically, destroying three bases and the AL broke-off. (Insert long line of appropriate expletives here...)

Turn 6. I pull the AL platoon off, while other Commandos un-pin and get moving.

On the right, I intend to assault around and through the wire to push the forward Grenadier platoon of the objective (destroyed tank).

I then fail to range in with both 25-pounder troops and the mortars, rolling nothing above a ‘3’ in 10 range-in attempts...I then score 4 hits from SMG and Rifle fire, but cannot find the 5th and the Grenadiers remain un-pinned. The Commando section in the centre attempts a flank assault, moving out of the HMGs LoS in an attempt to pin the Grenadiers. However they draw in fire from the 20mm through Independent teams and take 5 hits....I then fail 4 saves, fail a fearless motivation check and the re-roll, again never rolling above a ‘2’.

With the Grenadiers still un-pinned I decide not to assault on the right. Feeling slightly sick, I and am now fairly screwed ;)

The German half of 6 sees the 2 HMGs deploy in the orchard from ambush. The lead Commando Section then takes 8 hits from the Grenadier platoon, and a further 8 from Marder and other MG fire. I fail ONE save (WTF???). The second Section behind takes 7 hits from the HMG ambush, and again I only fail one save. Ridiculous.

Turn 7. I un-pin, pin the HMG ambush and assault. I take 4 hits in defensive fire, then fail 3 saves...going well. The two remaining bases destroy the HMGs while the command team breaks-off and I consolidate into the orchard.

I finally get the other Grenadier platoon pinned as well and assault, but they score 5 hits with the help of the rear Grenadier platoon, and again I fail 4 saves...

Falling back with one team, I pass motivation.

With effectively only one platoon lost I could continue, but having lost so many infantry teams I call it quits, my sections consisting of 4 teams, 1 team and 2 teams. From looking great things all went to hell in a bound and a half and I won’t pretend I was anything other than disappointed with my dice.

Nonetheless, the Germans hold Breville and will attack out again in the next game after Colin decides which region to attack again.



....bloody dice...

CdlT

The Breville Gap – Game 2: The Bois de Mont

In game one of The Breville Gap AoA Campaign German forces were resoundingly rebuffed at Amfreville and forced to re-direct their offensive efforts toward the Bois de Mont region.

A road ran through the centre of the battle field. In the centre left of the table (from the British edge) was the Chateau St. Come, across the road was the Mayor’s bungalow. As I forgot to bring my hedgerows we had to find some older hedges to use to flank the road to the bungalow. The rest was again largely made-up. Objectives are the destroyed tank just above the woods on the British right and the (by now thoroughly ubiquitous) “Parachutist hanging from tree” on the British left.

Apologies for the few blurry pictures below: I binned most of the really bad ones. Click for larger versions.

The battlefield as seen from the Commando deployment edge. As I had an unchanged army I deployed the 25-pounders and two Commando Sections on-table, Airlanding 17-pounders in ambush again, the rest in reserve.

The German deployment. Colin dropped a Marder IIIM for a pair of 20mm FlaK weapons, boosted the Black Pioneers to 3 Squads and exchanged the HQ Mortars for a 1 Section Mortar Platoon.

The German right. Fallschirmjäger proxing as Black Pioneers with flame-thrower.

The German left. Grenadier with attached HMG and Panzer IV platoon.

Turn one the Germans advanced, 2 Grenadier platoons, the Pioneers, MG platoon and Marders on the German left. On the right the Pz IVs move onto the hill while the Grenadiers on that flank sought the covered approach of the wood.

My turn saw no reserves, no air support. Commandos stayed GtG while the 25-pounders successfully ranged-in with a double-width template on the mess above. I hit 5 Pioneer Teams, 2 Marders, 2 HMGs & command team and 2 Grenadier teams. Colin saved all, save one pioneer team...

Turn two saw all German platoons un-pinning and surging forward to take the Chateau. Sporadic MG fire had no effect and the Mortars and Nebelwerfers failed to spot the GtG Commandos.

On the German right the Pz IVs did nothing much while the Grenadiers moved deeper into the woods on the way to take the Mayor’s bungalow.

In my bound of 2, no reserves, two aircraft for air support: Commandos remained GtG. The 25-pounders KO’d a Marder and a Pioneer team and the HMGs, while hit, all saved again...

The RAF also showed up and hit several teams from the Grenadier Platoon in the woods on the German right, only destroying one.

Turn 3 saw the Pioneers fail to un-pin, while the two Grenadier platoons sought cover in the woods and outlying buildings of the Chateau. A Grenadier platoon in the centre was in position to assault, but German template weapons either failed to rang-in or failed to hit. Scattered MG fire is likewise ineffective and with insufficient cover fire, the assault is postponed.

The Panzer IVs then execute a risky assault in the centre on the Commando Section holding behind the hedgerows. Two leading tanks bog on the hedgerow, one KO’d by PIAT fire. The Commandos then failed to counter attack (a “1”...), and again failed as the CO tried to rally them to no avail (a “2”...). They fell back into the orchard while the two operational Pz IVs consolidate on the road between the hedgerows. The risk has almost paid off...

...but the consolidation move will do them in. In my bound I deploy the Airlanding 17-pounders from Ambush behind the orchard (we use 12” LOS for normal orchards, otherwise treat thicker orchards simply as woods).

No Air support but the Airlanding Platoon doubles on from reserve on my left. The Commandos section in the orchard un-pins and moves up for the inevitable assault on the survivors of the Pz IV platoon, the other Section stays GtG. Artillery fire in ineffective, but 17-pounder AP rounds scream through the hedgerows to KO the two visible Panzer IVs, the Commando Section finishing off the last bailed tank in assault.

Turn 4, Grenadiers and Marders move up to provide supporting fire, the former intending to assault. The Black Pioneers with German CO attached un-pin and also move up to assault positions (lower right in picture above), the flamethrower targeting the house. Fortunately (for me) Colin rolls a 1 and 2 for his skill tests, but Nebelwerfers succeed in pinning the Commandos.

The Pioneers lose a base to defensive fire, then go in and destroy two Commando teams...

... while the Commandos counter and destroy four pioneer. The Pioneers counter again and destroy the 25-pounder observer, but are them wiped-out by the Commando counter-assault.

The pioneers die...

...and I consolidate by pulling back out of assault range of the waiting Grenadiers and taking cover behind the hedge.

On the British right the Grenadier platoon in the woods finally emerges to line the hedge, a little too late to support the Panzer IVs.

In my bound, no air, no reserves, the Airlanding platoon moves up to support the Commando Section in front of them. The Commando section un-pins and, noticing the lone German Company commander in the lower left hand picture, puts him out of his misery. Artillery fire kills a base on the British right, but nothing else.

Turn 5, the Germans open fire on the Airlanding platoon, scoring eight hits. I respond by rolling FIVE “2s”...the remaining three are assaulted and destroyed, while Marder MG fire hits two Commando bases lining the hedge and I fail both saves there as well! From things looking secure they now look quite difficult as I only have one viable Commando Section on-table, the other left with just one base. The Germans consolidate back behind the hedge, contesting the objective.

My half of turn five I pull the Sole Survivor in to the woods hoping to keep him alive, move up a 25-pounder battery commander to contest the objective and move several bases from the viable Commando Section to within 6”. Artillery fire pins the Germans, but does no damage.

Turn 6 Colin pulls his grenadiers back into the houses or woods and kills the Sole Survivor from the battered Commando Section and the Battery commander contesting. Long-range Marder fire also KO’s a 25-pounder. The Grenadiers on my right still advance very cautiously through the Mayor’s Bungalow, occupying houses but advancing far too slowly.

No air, but two Commando Sections comes on from reserve, one through the woods on my right, the other badly-needed on my left. The on-table Section moves to contest the left-most objective. The 25-pounders split fire, half the battery pinning the Grenadiers in the Chateau, the other half firing at the Marders, knocking-out one and causing the third to flee. Down four platoons the Germans are near breaking point.

Turn 7 sees very little German activity. My shooting is ineffective and I can’t be bothered to risk an assault before I have another platoon on the objective.

Turn 8, a last ditch German assault sees a 17-pounder and observer killed, the command teams pulls back to preserve the platoon. My shooting destroys this last platoon, putting the German Company below half and with no CO, they flee the battle field.


Commandos hold the line at Bois de Mont!


With both attacks having failed, the next game will see British forces in the region moving to attack the town of Breville itself in an attempt to eliminate the German salient once and for all.

I made a few mistakes in this game, most notable not using the SMG swap-out in the Commando sections. When simply defending this is not too much of a handicap, but there were several instances where if I had the SMG teams I would have been assaulting German platoons, templates never being completely reliable. I also need to get my Airlanding 6-pounders painted as the 17-pounders are too one-dimensional to fit into my Commando force. Drop the Air Support, and fit in the Vickers MMG troops as well.

On to Breville!


CdlT