2300 hrs 5 June, 1944, a reinforced platoon from the 508th PIR drops near the Merderet River, Normandy France. The Airborne troopers have two objectives; 1st capture the road bridge over the stream and 2nd knock out the 20mm AA bunker. Airborne Drop rules used are the Battle Barn house rules while the Night rules are from the Bolt Action PDF. 8 game turns
82d: HQ, Medic, Sniper, 75 How, BZ, MMG and two Inf squads (All Veterans)
Germans: 2 Squads Osttruppen (Inexperienced) Souma tank (inexperienced) & HQ, Medic, 1squad Wehrmacht, MMG, FWD Obv, 120mm Mtr, Luftwaffe Flack (regulars)
The Germans rolled and the only defender starts on the board. It is the 20mm Flack gun (Possible starting troops max: one Flak and one squad) . All others are reinforcements and receive a +1 to their command roll during the night turns.
The 82d drops rolls for wind direction and after a slight change in flight path due to being hit by flak the paratroopers drop about 8 inches from the bridge and 15inches form the Flak bunker. The drop went well of the approximately 38 paratroopers there were 7 casualties. The medic was able to save two of the soldiers using his medical skills as per BA rules. The biggest casualty was the MMG team when the lead gunner was killed landing off board and destroying the gun; his crew ran for safety and were captured or killed.
Turn 1: 82d pulled the first 4 chits and spent the turn rallying the paratroopers due to scattering. Most were out of the 1" command range. Due to one Squad leaders death in air drop the next ranking NCO was the last man in the drop stick (Air drop rule) so all the squad had to rally on him.
The Germans rolled really badly and the only reinforcements to arrive were the FWD OBV and Medic. NOT a good start but probably historic?
Turn 2: Night (no possible to roll for day light) and again the 82d pulls the first 3 chits and move out towards their two objectives. The German flak guns opens up but due tonight LoS hits nothing but dies rec'd a muzzle flash counter allowing the Americans LT Mtr to see the gunners and try to drop a round in the bunker. The Lt Mtr misses. The Germans do bring on one Osttruppen Sqd and the 120mm Mtr.
Turn 3: Night remains.the American HQ team captures one end of the bridge and the 82d sniper takes a very long shot (and a good night vision roll) killing the Germans FWD OBV hiding in the Flak bunker! The 1st & 2nd chits are American but then the tides turn for the Germans and the next chits bring on all the reinforcements but the Souma tank from the Panzer school. This forces the 82d to send one INF Sqd into the woods to defend the bridge as all the Osttruppen enter form that side of the board. The 82d LT Mtr sends another round in the bunker but misses.
Turn 4: Day Light is rolled for! The Osttruppen who now can see rush into the woods and lay down devastating fire on the paratroopers killing 3 of them despite their inexperienced modifiers! OUCH! The Paratroopers answer and send in the HQ team and with fire of the SMGs take out one of the eastern soldiers! On the other woods flank the Bazooka team and medics crouching the tall field, fire on the 2nd Osttruppen squad killing 3 Germans and giving it two pins. The Souma tank next arrives behind the 2nd Osttruppen Sqd and to make matters worse the German HQ teams recaptures the bridge and kills the American bazooka team. Feeling pressure on all sides of the woods the paratroopers assault the nearby Osttruppen! The hand to hand went two rounds before the 82d Inf squad is defeated and destroyed! The Americans are feeling very down right now!
Turn 5. The Flak gun fires and kills the 2 remaining howitzer gunners who had set up just opposite the stream. The 82d sniper answers and kills one of the flak gunners. Next the Americans LT Mtr finally hits the bunker and the LT MTR commander rolls a whole bunch of "6s" in a row.giving them 2 pins but even better kills one the two remaining gunners!
Lucky for the Germans the gunner passes his morale roll! Seeing the Germans hit hard in the woods SGT Dan send his squad of paratroopers on the advance towards the bunker. Over in far woods the 82d HQ assaults the Osttruppen and this time kills 6 Germans for the loss of only on American! The Medic and his assistant in the field again kill two more Osttruppen. Some bad- ass medics! The Souma tank advance down and shoots at the squad rushing the bunker but inexperienced machine gunner misses! The German regulars advance towards the bridge to help defend it. The last action was the sniper killing the German Platoon leader hiding !
in
stream.
Turn 6: The Americans pull the first chit and assault the bunker easily taking out the lone flak gunner. The Wehrmacht regulars move from the bridge and hide in the dead zone under the hill below the bunker.
The American medics and HQ team moves & fires and killing three more Osttruppen and forces the 2nd Sqd to take and fail their morale check! Could the tides be turning for the Americans now?
The Souma fires but misses and then takes a hit from the LT Mtr giving it a pin marker. The German 120mm MTR changes it aim point for the 4th time and targets the sniper (MTR spotter finally could see it) but How do you say cow manure in German?
Turn 7: The Wehrmacht Regulars pull the first chit and assault the paratroopers. T
hey only take one hit from defensive fire and feel good as they have a 10 to 7 dice advantage until I rolled 7 1& 2s an 3and two 5s! and the American rolled a lot of 5's and 6's The German roll for KIA were no better and only 1 paratrooper was killed to 4 Germans! The Regulars break away and hide! The 82d answer this with a volley killing the 120mm crew and the sniper killing another of the Germans HQ team and making it break morale!
This left only the inexperienced Souma tank and German medic on the field of battle.
The German commander concedes the fight to the American and ordered his tank to return to the Panzer school and the medic to the garrison hospital.
American Victory!
A great game! The Americans Airborne now has taken victory twice from the chaws of defeat in two games and is 2 for 3 in this scenario. A BIG thanks goes out to the play testers. We have improved the Para drop rules and have changed a few of the scenario rules. One will be the 20mm AA now must make pass a Command roll to change from shooting at airplanes to ground targets during night turns. Once it passes it can continue shooting at ground targets. We talked and there were a lot of Allied planes in the sky in the early hours of 6 June.
We hope to see a few of you at Historicon. Our Bolt Action game is Saturday morning.
paints a machinegun emplacement, and realizes he needs more...
