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.
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