Kampfgruppe Von Luck #3 - Scenario 2: Probe Among the Hedgerows

 Time: early hours of June 6th, 1944

Location: British forward positions on the southern outskirts of Le Bas de Ranville

Having pulled back form the outer outposts, the British platoon stops to hold the enemy in the outskirts of La Bas Ranville. In Chain of Command terms this is a "Scenario 2 - Probe" game.

The British forces are the remnants of the decimated platoon that played Scenario 1. Bad dice rolls and none of the scattered platoon teams after the drop appeared. The British had 4 support points invested in an HMG.

For this scenario the German has a new fresh platoon plus 13 support points. These were invested in a second senior leader, a Forward Observer team and a Lorraine Schlepper self propelled 150 mm gun. 

To win the scenario, the Germans must reach the British starting line with at least one team.

The following illustration shows the jump-off points after the patrol phase and a opening moves of both players.

 

In these first phases the British decided to delay as long as possible deploying troops on the table, facing overwhelming odds and fire power. He only deployed a sniper team to make opportunistic pot shots on the German troops.

The German on the other hand brought on the table two sections and the artillery observer, placing successfully a barrage in the second activation. The first section deployed in the road and started moving towards the farm compound, while the second section followed the artillery walking barrage towards the British base line. 

The game looked at this stage a done deal when, as usual "friction" created an unexpected situation: the British ended the turn with a Chain of Command dice and therefore the barrage lifted catching half a German squad in the open, in the ploughed field.  

When the German FO failed to contact the battery to resume the mission, a doble British turn was used to deploy the HMG team a the edge of the ploughed field and two Bren teams behind the wall at the farm compound. 

 

Firing at close distance, the British made 4 KIAs and first pinned and then broke one of the German teams, fleeing towards the orchard below in the map. Considering the overwhelming fire power of the combined 6 LMG teams, the 150 gun and the off-board mortars, the British took a conservative stance, and pulled back in good order and with no casualties.

A second German victory in the campaign, he will need another 4 victories in a total of 6 remaining games to win the campaign. 

- Photo Report -

   

British Jump Off Points

German Jump Off Points

Schnell!

German Artillery Observer

British Sniper

  

Ups! German Team Caught Naked

British Airborne Vickers HMG

British Airborne Bren Teams

Lorraine Schlepper self propelled 150 mm gun

German Squad and Artillery Walking Barrage