Case White Flag - Chain of Command AAR

This past weekend was my last proper SJGA meeting before my big move out of the area. I ran a game of Chain of Command, using modified platoons to match the provided collections (my Germans and Sam W's Poles) that had originally been used in our Invasion of Poland campaign for Chain of Command. 

Sam and I had ran a test game a few weeks ago, which had been a straightforward "fight-until-someone's-morale-breaks" that had largely been a firefight between the two sides' MMG teams. 

I changed the scenario to Blitzkrieg from the 1940 handbook (with the Germans attacking). I also added a small building, field, and hedgerows in the middle of the table to break up the wide open area.

Sam B was commanding the Germans (with some tactical advice from me), while Sam W and Rob played as the Poles.  

The Poles deployed their MMG and light mortar in the woods opposite the field, commanded by their platoon leader. Their rifles squads were setup in and around the village, waiting for the Germans. 

The Germans set up a similar firebase with their MMG team and light mortar commanded by the platoon sergeant. Sam B also took a Panzer III (the earlier A-C version) and a 221 armored car (proxied by a 222) for his platoon support. 

The two platoons skirmished through the village, using the hedgerows to cover their movement. 

The Poles took a huge Force Morale hit when their MMG team broke and ran, dragging their wounded Lieutenant off the table. This dropped their morale from 8 to 3 in a single phase!

The the German advance bogging down in the village, Sam B brought up the armored car (which had taken a critical hit from the Poles' anti-tank rifle team and could only drive Flat Out when moving) and the Panzer III in support. 

Two infantry squads blazed away at each other from their respective hedgerows. 

And two other infantry squads laid waste to each other in the spaces between the village houses. 

To help save his infantry, Sam B drove his Panzer directly towards the Polish infantry. With no dedicated anti-tank weapons, the Poles were forced to pull back. 

Unfortunately, we had to end the game due to a lack of time and didn't come to a conclusion. The Poles were still a Force Morale of 3, but had accrued 9 pips on their Chain of Command dice. The Germans were sitting fine at a Force Morale of 8, but hadn't managed to get any units off the opposite table edge. Had we more time, I'm not sure which way the game might have gone.

Still, the players enjoyed the game, and I'm glad we got a chance to make use of Sam W's extensive Polish collection before I left. 

Painting Update - Napoleonics

Well! It's been few months since I talked about the Napoleonic project. While I had to take a slight detour to work on finishing two Strength & Honour armies for Chaeronea, I've delved back into the Napoleonic project with the Russians. 

The first unit I finished this year were Russian Dragoons, specifically the Finland Regiment. Likes all of the cavalry so far, these are from AB miniatures. 

They're the only regiment so far to carry a flag, which from what I've been able to find was relatively rare for cavalry units during the Napoleonic period. 

I also finished a unit of Hussars, the golden-boys of the battlefield. These striking uniforms belong to the Alexandria Regiment. 

To command the various cavalry units, I painted a trio of commanders for the Russians. These are from AB Figures, like the rest of the cavalry. 

Here's the first Russian infantry battalion, flying the Mourmansk muster colors. They're Hamilton figures from Viking Forge. Not overly detailed, but they're cheap and paint up quickly.

Let Me Be Flank - Chain of Command AAR

After a slight break, the group met at Ted's to continue the "29, Let's Go" campaign for Chain of Command. 

This was the third scenario of the campaign, "Flanking St Germain‐du‐Pert", which takes place on the flank of the prior scenarios. 

After losing a Sherman in the prior scenario, the Americans have realized that advancing any further with mobile anti-tank guns on their flank would be a disaster, so a platoon has been dispatched to capture the town of St Germain‐du‐Pert and drive off the German defenders. 

The Americans had 19 support points for the game, but 12 of them had to be spent on a pair of Sherman tanks. We opted to bring a medium machine gun and a light mortar. 

The Germans had a fresh platoon, but no support options outside of the pair of Marders that had fired on the American platoon in the previous scenario. 

With little terrain on the approach to the town, I had Steve push one JOP way up the table edge, which allowed him to deploy an infantry squad close to the church's stone walls. 

I deployed a second squad to cover the town in case any Germans showed up. 

Ted deployed an infantry squad in the Church and managed to score a few hits against the Americans. 

Despite the German fire, the Americans pushed towards the cover of the stone wall.  

With the support of a Sherman, the Germans were eventually forced to retreat from the church. 

The appearance of American armor warranted an escalation from the Germans, who brought on one of their two Marders to counter. 

The two vehicles were stuck in what any American trooper would recognize as a high-noon duel down the dusty road of a mining town. I wonder if there's a German equivalent? Two knights preparing to charge at one another? 

To secure the Church, Steve brought on a second infantry squad. 

Chip and Ted did try to ambush the Sherman with the German platoon's Panzerschreck, but the anti-tank weapon missed and the team was killed by American overwatch fire. 

Thanks to a double-phase, the Americans rolled up and knock out the first Marder. A second German vehicle (a StuG standing in for a Marder) appeared and tagged the Sherman with a hit, driving it back.  

Taking offense at the attempt to drive them off, the Americans pulled their Sherman back up and promptly knocked out the second Marder. 

By this point the Germans were reeling, but they did score a hit against the Americans by deploying a squad, firing the squad's panzerfaust, and destroying the Sherman that had carried most of the American attack. 

Unfortunately, that German squad was then targeted by the other half of the American platoon that had been waiting for a target. The resulting casualties were enough to force the Germans to retreat, landing a solid victory for the Americans who took limited losses. 

This was a tough scenario for the Germans. Losing the church early took away a good defensive spot, and losing both Marders to a single Sherman also hurt.  

We're going to take a quick break from the campaign and try out a game of Big Chain of Command, since Ted has enough in his collection to run two platoons each of Germans and Americans. That should be interesting!