"Bolt Action AAR, Hold Until Relieved, June 44" Topic

"Hold Until Relieved"; Normandy, June 12th 1944

Zach drove down from Hampton to play his dad in a Bolt Action WWII skirmish game. Zach commanded his 82d AB OB and for the first time his M3A3 Stuart tank. I countered his force with Wehrmacht 91st Airlanding Div, Luftwaffe Flak Gun and a StuG III.

Battlefield, near the Douve River, Normandy France

82d OB: Veteran INF, Regular Tank (10 teams)
HQ, Medic, Sniper, PaK 75, 60mm Mtr, MMG, Bzk, 2ea Inf Squads w/LMG, M3A3 Stuart

91st Airlanding German OB: Veteran, Regular Flak, Inexperience Tank (8 teams)
HQ, FWD OBV's, MMG, 2ea Inf squads w/LMG & 1PzFaust, PzSchrek, 20mm Flak Gun, StuG III

One week after the Normandy landings units from the 82d Airborne Division are still clearing up pockest of resistance. On 12 June a platoon of airborne troopers aided by a M2A3 Stuart from the 3AD are sent to knock out a 20mm Flak gun defending a bridge near the Douve River.

Luftwaffe 20mm Flak bunker

The Germans were the defender and the 82d objective was to capture ad destroy the 20mm Flak gun protecting the bridge. The Germans started the battle with the 20mm Flak gun in a protective bunker and a MMG overlooking the bridged. The 1st reinforcements for the Germans were 1 INF Sqd and the 20mm Flak gun. The 82d set up with 1 Sqd going to the right and the 2nd to the left both using the woods as protection. The Stuart would move directly down the road protected by the 60mm mortar and Pak 75.

M3A3 Stuart tank

Turn 1: The Airborne move forward in the woods while the M3A3 bravely drives down the road using the high hedges for cover and fires upon the defenders MMG team killing one gunner. The MMG reacts by firing into the woods killing one of the paratroopers 75mm gunners. The Flak gun fires at the tank but misses with both dice! The 1st Germans reinforcement arrives with the Inf Sqd rushing towards the center along with the FWD OBV's who makes a dash for the house.

Paratroopers "hunker down" after being shot at

91st Airlanding Infantry on the move…

Turn 2: the Germans pull the 1st two chits and the "inexperienced" StuG III arrives and parks next to the flak Gun. (I had to roll twice for entry as I forgot the -1 for reserves roll) The INF Sqd moved to the far left t counter the paratroopers moving in the woods. The Paratroopers continue to move up and both sides take shots but the only casualties are another German MMG gunner and a paratroop artilleryman. Both veteran teams pass morale checks! The Germans FWD OBV's moves up to the wall for what he thinks is a good position?

"Inexperinced" StuG III from the 100th Tank BTN School arrives to defend the bridge

Paratrooper 60mm mortar takes a pin marker

Turn 3. After some arguments the two players decide the stone bridge blocs the line of sight (LoS) between the StuG and Stuart so they are unable to fire at each other. The Stuart pulls the 1st chit and kills off the MMG with MMG and cannon fire! The Germans are able to bring on the rest of the reserves who reinforce the defenders in the woods near the bridge. The PzSchrek fires at the Stuart but misses! The FWD OBV's thinks about calling a barrage but due to the heavy woods (house rule: LoS into woods is only 12" ) so he moves closer to the action. The Flack Gun and 91st HQ both go into ambush. Infantry on both sides maneuver and fire causing a few casualties. The biggest hit came from the Flak gun when it hit the paratroopers HQ team twice killing one NCO! Caught them making a mad dash between wood lines!

Damm stop sign!

Dead paratrooper on a country road….

Turn 4: With a possibility of only a 6 turn game the Germans are feeling good…especially after the pull the first chit and the PzSchrek hits and stuns the Stuart tank. Forcing it "down" a turn! The 1st German squad fires and kills 2 paratroopers in the woods. A small victory comes to the Americans when the 60mm mortar on its 3rd try drops smoke on the flak gun. The biggest hit came from the paratroopers in the far woods when they fire along with the HQ & medic team killing a few of the Wehrmacht and giving them 3 more pins for a total of 5 markers. The FWD OBV's again finds himself to far way to call in a strike and once again moves forward! Dang that no pre measure rule! The last chit drawn was German and I was able to rally the multi pinned squad!!!! With a laugh!

20mm Flak view of the fight

Turn 5: Again the PzFaust draws first and fires and this time kills the Stuart! The Americans are feeling worried? The next chit also went with the Germans so I ordered my StuG III to assault the nearest paratroopers. The "inexperienced StuG hits the 82d Inf Sqd with 2 pins markers but it is within 6" of the Plt HQ's and is able to use his morale bonus. They roll and beat morale allowing the tank to pass (lesson learned: Veteran Inf are very hard to beat in a tank assault!) As per the rules the tank moved forward and next hit the 60mm mortar team who also pass morale. The StuG is now out of the action! Seeing what just happened the 82d commander now orders an assault of the Flak gun bunker. And after two rounds of hand to hand they kill the crew and capture the gun. The Germans counter by ordering the 2nd Sqd to advance to help recapture the flak position…but they roll a FUBAR and run the opposite direction. They too are now out of the battle! Feeling the tides are turning the airborne commander ordered his 1st Sqd to assault the German Inf near the bridge (and helping defend the flak gun) thus hand to hand when 2 rounds before the Germans squad was defeated!

PzSchreck kills the Stuart

Turn 6: The Americans now hold the Objective. The Germans HQ moves up to within 3" and fires killing one paratrooper holding the Flak gun bunker. The FWD OBV looks to order a barrage but since the fight has moved drastically again can NOT see a target. The StuG III uses it full move to turn 90 degrees but cannot find a target. Since the Germans have the HQ tem within 3" the AB do not have a victory…but they Americans do roll to continue another turn.

Paratroopers capture Flak bunker…note all the KIA's in and around the bunker

Turn 7: The Paratroopers fire everything they have killing the Germans HQ. The StuG III turns another 90 degrees and fires cannon and MMG but only manages to pin the defenders twice in the Flak bunker. The German FWD OBV finally calls in a barrage…but the roll to continue the fight fails and the game ends in AMERICAN VICTORY!

The American paratroopers proved what a platoon of veteran infantry can do!

American Tank Commander says…"who keeps putting up these stop signs?"

Very cool. Looks like a good game.

fun game night! Need to work on getting terrain ready for Egypt!

Looks like a great game! Lots of fun, I would say. Also, good pictures and an entertaining write-up. Thanks!

But alas, the historian in me can hardly resist a bit of nit-picking. All meant in good friendly dialog .. not criticisms of a stirring AAR.

First, I expect the US 82d AB did not have a PaK 75. Please. PaK is the abbreviation for Panzerabwehrkanone (German for anti-tank gun, or ATG in English). I did not see anything in your story that actually indicated the US troopers had a German anti-tank gun.

I believe what you meant was Pack, not PaK. The M1 or M1A1 75mm Pack Howitzer was the standard regimental artillery piece for US AB Divisions. Pack, as in it could be taken down to pieces for packing (to be carried, preferably by pack mules, but by airborne soldiers if absolutely needed). In practice it was most often towed by a jeep.

US M1A1 75mm Pack Howitzer in service … I believe with troops of the 82d AB.

Second, the US tank you have in your photos is not an M3A3, but an M5A1. That is a good thing, btw, as the US 3d AD did not have any M3A3s, but had an ample supply of M5s and M5A1s. For your edification, the key visID feature of the M3A3 is that the hull sides are sloped. No other model of the Stuart series had sloped hull sides. The M5 has vertical hull sides and a raised rear deck, to provide maximum room for the twin Cadillac V8 car engines (the M3A3 continued to use an aircraft radial engine, as the M3 and most M3A1s did). The M5A1 was the same as an M5 but with a new turret with a bustle, rather than the cylindrical turret from the M3A1.

"Gunner, co-ax, trash cans in the open!" Mk 1 in the TC's hatch of an M5A1, terrorizing a quiet residential neighborhood near Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

The M5 began to replace the M3A1 in US service in 1942. Some of the units involved in French North Africa already had M5s. The M3A3 was accepted AFTER the M5, and offered no practical advantage to US forces. So the M3A3 was rare in US Army service. It was classified as "alternate standard" rather than "standard", meaning you could get some if the "standard" was not available … but M5s were never in short supply. The M5A1 took the turret from the M3A3 for the M5 hull. It began to appear in 1943. The M3A3 was mostly provided to lend-lease clients, including large numbers for the British and French. I don't believe any US Armored Division went into ETO with M3A3s, although I could be wrong on that (it is hard to prove what was NOT used without a LOT of research). Most US light tank companies in ETO operated a mix of M5s and M5A1s.

Or so I understand. Could be wrong. Been known to happen.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

Mark, Can safely say the PAK was a typo by my dad he loves his germans so much he must type in deutsch…however you may have taught the old man and I something with the M5! I believe the model was actually labeled as a stuart M3…that is why we were calling it that. Thank you again for the write up!

Mark you are correct on both…

My PaK was suppose to be Pack Howitzer. And the M3 Stuart is a suppose to be a M5.

Good catch…

SFC Retired

SFC Retired, superb looking game as always.

In fact this is the best game of BA I've seen. Most of the others have been seriously lacking in terms of aesthetics and as such haven't really been appealing.

Thomas, thanks for the kind words… We have really enjoyed the skirmish action that BA gives. Like all rules they are not perfect but are fun, unpredictable (pulling chits for activation) and fast play. Our club "Battle Barn gamers of Williamsburg" pride our selves on designing exciting terrain and battlefield scenarios.
The Battle Barn is running two BA games at Historion . A game based on Leningrad & Normandy para drop. We are all GM'ing a VN, ACW and WWII game based on Tarawa, 15mm and includes the WHOLE island. Hope to see and meet a few of you in July.

SFC Retired

Sounds pretty awesome. Shame we can't get that level of interest locally.

Great Stuff :-)

Looks like a really great game! I love your terrain!

Looking forward to seeing more reports :)