Tonight we played a small 400 point game with the BEF facing off against a German Panzer Division list. I took the Germans and we decided to theme it as the very tip of the spear, racing for the coast. In keeping with this I took my FHQ, a platoon in 251s, six 38ts… and that was it! I decided on no artillery as my men were pushing so far forward we were out of support. Oh and I ran out of points… but as it fitted into the narrative, all was good! The BEF were a much better rounded force of tanks, an infantry platoon with support and a mortar battary in support.
So my forward advancing troops, pushing out from their division and racing for the coast are trying to seize the vital road network for the rest of the following division. Out of range of supporting fire, my troops must seize the initiative and strike an aggressive blow.
This we sure did, mainly thats to Gaz and his BEF having worse dice rolls than the real BEF. With speed, and the use of 'Panzermarsch' on the secind turn, I was able to push hard and fast. My force raced across the road junction heading for the railway station. The BEF arrived at a snails pace in ones and two. Most got taken out as they tried in vain to mount a defence. The brave 2 pounder crew made a short stand, before MG fire saw them run after a gunner was killed. The poor old A9 cruiser got a round off, only to see it miss by a country mile, and then get dispatched by two AP rounds in return.
An arriving A13 that tried to flank the German advance was peppered with 37mm rounds, stunned and dazed by hits, and eventually the crew abandoned the tank and ran for their lives. It seemed if there might be a brief respite as the German commander in his 38t command tank pulled off the road by the church and promptly drove over a mine, but it just took a track off!
By the time the BEF infantry did finally arrive the Germans were occupying the railway station and the poor old BEF, trapped in the corner, tried to attack, but were cut down badly. Soon the BEF battle rating broke and they high tailed it for Dunkirk!
Was a very fun game, for me… Garry suffered terrible dice, really bad. it all went against him and I just, quite literally, rolled over him…
Battlegroup Blitzkrieg is due for release at Salute in April and is available to pre-order now.