"Battlegroup Overlord, defend the line scenario" Topic

So at least once I year I come back to BsAs and organize some wargaming with my friends and usually try to get them to play some new rules.

This time it was Battlegroup Overlord, we have an extensive 1/72 collection so it was not difficult to field two 750 pts per side to play a "platoon level game" ( platoon level in name only, but it is fun to have them play 750 pts with good command points constraints ).

Here you have the initial set up, the brits are attacking so only recce elements plus 3 units come in.. You'll noticed that we used hidden deployment chits for the germans.. Since BG has observation rules there is no reason not to use that.. Very simple, fake chits are observed as vehicles and if you observe a fake chit you get an instant further observation action.. ( one detail, the table really only goes to where the hills start, the hills are technically outside the play area and use to put casualties and command chits, the white dots you can see there )

The chits are there while defenders don't do anything, if they want to get an order the defender need to put the units on the table.. ( the objective of this is only to get some initial uncertainty to the attacker, I gave the attacker extra 10 pts for this :) )

As soon as the brits come in the find a nasty surprised set up by the defending panzer division battlegroup.. An improvised roadblock ruining the road. ( I ruled that besides being an obstacle full road movement could not be used, else it seemed not a real obstacle )…

Despite the obstacle the staghound and a recon section on halftrack push forward…

A cromwell from the recon group suddenly finds a section of panzergrenadier in a foxhole behind some bocage

The unlucky cromwell finds out these guys are armed with panzerfaust, the recon section deploys to a house behind the defenders and an infantry section from the main force deploys to the farm to try to bring crossfire to the german infantry

( to be continued )

On the british right flank a main force infantry section deploys from their trucks into woods …

And they encounter another section of german defenders in foxholes, another nasty surprise is that they have two MG42 per squad )…

On the left the crossfire has worked and the german infantry is done, so the battlegroup commander moves forward in his sherman followed by a radio communications element

The germans on the right prove much tougher so the brits bring some firepower in.. unfortunately the sherma finds out that his supply officer only provided AP ammo.. so MGs will have to do , but the recon officer in his dingo calls in the off table mortars.. you can see that two cromwells from the main force have arrived and have crossed the roadblock by now..

[https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xft1/v/t1.0-9/11781781_10153553344079810_2608880467928994635_n.jpg?oh=db2a5b5ebf19aa77c08449f229dcb4f8&oe=565B5A51&__gda__=1448013987_9c4721cd5c3d4e25a15433e9ecba027e

yet infantry in reinforced cover and veteran infantry for that is not easy to push out..

( more coming )

The german commander worries about his guys..

behind the game master shows off his great Waterloo2015 fantastic t-shirt :)

The germans have another surprise.. a pack40 in a dug out position.. But the pack has to show itself ahead of time since the infantry was overrun so quickly that he needs to turn to face the attackers !! Earlier he had a great shot at the staghound but the preliminary bombardment had hit the pack and cancelled his ambush fire ( lucky brits)

While the pack is trying to turn the brits fully deploy around him and bring all the small arms fire they can find.. but the pack has a loader team and is in a dug out so this will not be easy..

To keep the pressure up a cromwell and the command sherman showthemselves for the pack, if there are many targets the pack has a tougher time choosing..

The pack chooses and kills the command sherman!

but the pressure pays off and the pack is finally out of action

( not over yet )

Meanwhile the infantry in the foxholes on the right prove very very tough.. under mortar fire and shermans the casualties start coming up but the defenders and with MG fire and pz faust they are stalling the british attack ( I think it is great that infantry in reinforced cover is actually tough and not an easy kill despite the armor and that the brit needs to bring up small arms to take them )

By now the brits have overrun the pack and have captured 2 of the three objectives, the only one still under german control is the one defended by the infantry section that remains on the table..

Now the german armor arrives, but luck is not on their side, the PZIV misses the staghound and the staghound kills the PZIV !!! ( lucky 12 on 2D6 !! )

Another arrival is a panther with a tank ace crew and as he comes in he takes care of a cromwell behind a bocage

and also takes care of the staghound, while the rest of the pzIV group arrives

Now things start to turn, the brits for many turns had victory at the grasp of their hand.. all they needed was for the infantry in the foxholes to give up and they would capture the last objective, but they didn't and now the german armor has recaptured one objective and pressure starts mounting up in the form of battle counters for the brits !!!

And then, the unexpected.. the brits take a battlecounter and is the air unit, rolls a D6 ( no FAC ) and gets a 5, rolls the aircraft type and who comes in ? A Typhoon armed with rockets !!! Could they be any luckier ? ( the Typhoon is proxied since we don't have the model :) excuse us :) )

And of course the typhoon goes for the panther, fires 8 rockets and gets 1 hit.. and they go through.. the panther is done..

The germman picks up two battlecounters ( unit plus air attack ) and gets over their 38 BR.. game over

The brits were 6 away from breaking !! Could it be a closer call ? ( kind of a Private Ryan moment with the Typhoon there :) )

Some other pictures

These guys never gave up!

you can find the german army here
link

brits
link
cheers
Francisco

Woof! Great looking game, and another nail biter. That's one of the reasons I like the rules---it's clear when the game is over. And I've never played in a game where one side has walked over the other. Although my friend had the Germans draw 2 consecutive air strikes and wallop the bejaysus out of the Russkies!

Mike

Outstanding AAR – thanks for posting!

well a couple of pictures got mixed up :) , and the writing is less than perfect, but hopefully you'll cut me some slack as I was doing this in between all the family obligations one gets during "vacation time :)

Good stuff all around. Thanks for sharing!