St. Hillare

We played our first game of Blitzkrieg Commander tonight. The scenario was an American river crossing assault on German held positions.

US forces were composed of a motorized infantry battalion, a company of M4 Shermans, a platoon of M10 TD and in support a battallion of 105mm SPA. The German forces were a battalion of infantry, a platoon of STGIII and Marders. In support was a battlaion of 10mm artillery. The German had to defend two river crossing and a town. The US objective was to take hold both bridges.

The game got off to terrible start for the American. The third turn scheduled artillery barrage only hurt a couple rabbits. The German never set anything up in the area of the planned barrage. Then a company ofg infantry was caought in the open still in their trucks. The concentration was about as close as you could be to hitting the bullseye. When the smoke cleared there were three trucks still left of the eleven the cmpany started with. A tank platoon got caught on the cross fire of the STGIII and the Marders. A couple missec command rolls and the American player was thing of tossing in the towel.

The missed command rolls were a hidden blessing. They created a gap in the line of trucks moving up to the battle. The gap of 12 inches (40cm) occurred at the rod junction. This happened just as the scheduled artillery barrage impacted at the very same place. A disaster was avoided.

We had a pretty good game exciting in places with both players rolling double ones and double twelves, missed command rolls etc.

It's the Push

We play tested of a game I am preparing to GM at several upcoming conventions. "It's the Push" (I've got to come up with a better name) is the final advance by elements of Patton's 3RD Army into Bastonge. After steady fighting for ten days the 3RD Army was pretty worn down, CCR, among others, was down to twenty tanks and a mix of armored infantry. This game recreates the last four kilometer push of CCR through German lines to relieve the US forces besieged in Bastonge.

The US player had two companies of armor, ten tanks in each and two companies of armored infantry, each with ten squads and supports. In addition to this, was access to a battalion of SP 105mm Priests. An initial artillery bombardment added another two battalions of Priests and two battalions of 155mm. No smoke was available.

The German had a Volksgrenadier Company in the town of Assenios with a 75mm IG. In the woods behind the town a company of Falshrimjegers and two platoons of anti-tanks guns. The ATG were made up of two 75mm PAK40 and two 88mm PAK43. All of the German units were dug in.

The victory conditions for the American, was to occupy Assenios and exit three units off the map within ten turns. The German player needed to prevent the American completing his objectives to win.

The American player was supposed to split the forces evenly with one infantry and one armor company attacking the town and the others pushing through the German lines to Bastonge. This was not to be.

The game began with scheduled bombardments of the town and the edges of the woods behind the town. The American set up a concentration on the center of the town he was rolling twenty-nine d6's on each German unit under the bombardment. The stone buildings provided good cover and the German lost only two units to the American artillery, about half of the others were suppressed, and a couple got off with being hit at all. The barrage on the woods line suppressed one ATG and one infantry unit. This was the 97th Artillery battalion's bombardment.

The American moved on to the board but only got one company of Armor the first turn, all the others failing their command roll. A company of infantry came on the second turn the rest on the third turn The Germans took a couple long range ATG attacks at the armored infantry (AI) without doing more than suppressing one halftrack. The third turn the US moved the rest of the command on to the table. His strategy was to go around both sides of the town with the armor and assault the town with the infantry. One of the tank companies missed its command roll several times while the other went around the left flank of the town. They setup on a hill overlooking the German positions behind Assenios. The FAO accompanied the tanks to this hill.

When the Sherman's crested the hill the German ATG's began shooting, taking out one and suppressing another. Meanwhile the US infantry moved on the town and dismounted for an assault on Assenios. They took out a German unit that had set up on the edge of town. The Germans tried to defend the town, but they were out numbered two to one. The American charged several times pushing the German units out of the buildings they were defending. It was grinding work for the American player going house to house. The Germans tried to charge a US held building but it was thrown back suppressed. The loss of a MG set up by the church allowed the American to hold the whole west side, German right flank, of Assenios. Now the Germans faced American infantry to the front and their right. The American began to squeeze the Germans into smaller and smaller area of the town.

The German player was having better luck against the Sherman tanks on its right. The American moved off the hill after destroying a PAK40 ATG. The move brought the Shermans within half range of the 88mm PAK43's. The 88's were able to take out three of the Shermans in one turn and suppress a fourth. A failed command roll by the German player's ATG sealed the ATG's fate. The American rolled a double one and took out both 88's in one turn. Without any significant ATG opposition the remaining six tanks moved towards the gap in the trees and Bastonge beyond.

The Germans dug in around the farms houses along the road to Bastonge were hit by both tank companies on turns seven and eight. The attacks coming from the left and the right destroyed several Falschrimjeger units and a couple MG supports. It was in Turn Eight the German player exceeded his Breakpoint and had to roll for withdrawal. He rolled a double 12 and the game was over for the German at this point. The American player still needed to exit three units off the road to win a decisive victory. He did so by passing one command roll in turn nine and then another two in Turn ten exiting three tanks off the board toward Bastonge.

The 97th FA Battalion had no effect on the battle. Either FAO failed his command roll, the attack rolls were miserable or the accuracy of the attack was off by 12 to 18 centimeters. After about the 7 turn it became amazing how bad the artillery was doing. After the first turn artillery had no impact on the game.

An after game discussion ensued and we came up with a few minor changes. Change the German ATG to four 88's, and possibly keep the PAK40's, the American player must split his forces historically. Give each ATG platoon their own HQ. Allow the American player a free move onto the table, without making a command roll. Once on the table the units must make a command roll.

Fall Recruits Lees Summit, MO September 16, 2006

I attended Fall Recruits Convention in Lees Summit MO on Sept. 16. We left at 5:00am from Papillion arriving at the convention site at 8:30 am. Recruits is sponsored by the History Club at Lees Summit High School. All student get into the convention for free everyone else is charged $3.00 for the day.

I hosted two games and played one game.

The morning game was "A Rude Awakening" the German dive bomber attack on the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. The British had four fighters as air cover over the fleet of the CV HMS Illustrious, BB HMS Malaya and three destroyers. The German - Italian attackers consisted of four torpedo armed Italian SM71 bombers, eighteen JU87 Stuka dive bombers, 2 Ju88 bombers. The SM71's were escorted by two MC200 fighters.

The Italians were first to attack. The SM71 and escorts engaged in a running battle with two Sea Hurricanes. Both nations' fighters were equally matched. T The bombers were damaged by the fighters by with the exception of one plane that could not climb or dive the bomber got through unscathed. The bombers worked their way into range but failed to hit the carrier in all four attacks.

The dive bombers came on behind the SM71's. The eighteen Stukas were in two groups both attacking from on the starboard bow side of the HMS Illustrious. The bombers began their dive at the Fairy Fulmars fighters came in. The Fulmars were ineffective in their attacks only getting minor hits and only downing three planes in the two groups. An error in judgment on where to start the dives caused six of the nine planes in the first group to either abort their dives dropping their bombs in the water or crashing into the sea when they were unable to pull out of their dives. The second group had many of the same problems with two missing the ship because of a too early start on their dives. The reaming six JU87's did minor damage. The JU88's were the last to make the attacks. These were a modified glide bombing run. The first plane missed the HMS Illustrious. The second plane hit the target with all his bombs. As the Remaining German attackers left the HMS Illustrious was seen rolling over on it side as it slipped beneath the blue surface of the Mediterranean. It was clearly an Axis victory.

The Second game I hosted was "It's the Push". It recreates the last push by the 3rd Army in it relief of Bastonge.

The Americans attacked with two task forces each made up of a company of armored infantry and a company of tanks. The Tanks companies were a mix of 75mm, 76mm and Jumbo Shermans. One American group was to attack the town of Assenios and the other push onto Bastonge with all haste. They had ten turns to accomplish their objectives of capturing the town and moving off the board towards Bastonge.

The German defenders consisted of a company of Volksgrenadiers in the town of Assenios and a company of Falshrimjagers behind the town in the woods. They were supported by four 88mm PAK43 and two 75mm PAK40 anti tank guns.

The game began with an artillery attack on the town and the woods behind. The artillery took out a couple German squads and suppressed many others. The American moved on to the table after the barrage. It is here where the US players got into trouble. The move on to the table was free but the players failed most of their command rolls and the attack stalled. On the second turn the artillery accounted for more German losses in the town and left half of the remaining squads suppressed. But again the Americans failed to follow up by failing their command rolls again.

When the Americans finally made several command rolls they made a very large tactical mistake by attempting to go around the right side of the town. A second tactical error was made with the US armor got to close to the town and the Germans were able to destroy three of ten tanks and several half tracks. The UIS players pushed down several streets into the town. Meanwhile the force that was to got Bastonge reversed it course end tried to go around the left side of the town. The tanks and half tracks went between a hill and the edge of Assenios. The ATG's began to chew up the halftracks and some of the tanks. The American player hesitated a turn trying to destroy the ATG's. This put the force further behind its timetable to the objective. Concentrated tank fire destroyed the PAK43 anti-tank guns and the US tanks began to roll on to the objective.

The delays and the reverse of direction took too much time and the American failed to reach their objectives of Bastonge. The fight for Assenios continued but that to would result in an American failure to take the town. The German player was pulling back into the town trading space for time. The German's carried the battle; the 101st Division was not relieved on 26 Dec 1944. History was changed.

Fast Play Grand Armee'

I played a Napoleonic game using Fast Play Grand Armee' There were six players, three on each side. I was the French Commander. The opposing Austrians were holding a crossroads which was the objective. The French needed to capture and hold the crossroads.

We won the first turn inititive and advanced eschalon right. This placed a hill and lake area as an anchor on the French left and a wooded area on our right. The move also placed our three French divisions against two Austrian divisions. The thrid Austrian divison faced could not fit al its forces into the area left between the center Austrian Division and the lake. This was the key to the game, were able to place more forces against the Austrians than they us. The batlles in the center and right seesawed back and forth with the Austrians getting the worse for it. The Austrian divisoins on the French left piece mealed itself into the fight, while the Austrian center and right divisions bore the brunt of the French attack. In the end the Austrians lost too many brigades and retired from the field. Our Light Cavalry failed to press it pursuit.

Chickamauga