Fire and Fury Games' Battlefront WWII Ride in the Reichswald

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
Setup	The initial set up positions. We had to sub "normal" German inf for the FJ, and used the poker chips as hidden movement markers with small stickers on the bottom for id - this backfired and our Friday night gaming session has been converted to a poker game for the last fortnight.
Turn 1	B Company, advancing either side of the ride, are ambushed. 1st platoon loses heavily in the first exchange. C Company advances unmolested through the woods, while the dummy A Company has the left flank.
Turn 2	C Company reach the road and prepare to cross. B Company assaulted the Fallschirmjägers, with mixed success. One squad succeed in taking their objective, but the other two are beaten back. However the FJ are shaken by the ferocity of the Jocks assault and fall back across the road.
Turn 3	C Company put a platoon across the road under cover of smoke from their 2" mortar.
Churchill attacks	The lead Churchill decides to try and capitalise on the FJ retiring by close assaulting them.
FJ defend successfully	The "Bloody Little Para Boys" as General Rennie described them live up to their name, suppressing the tank with Panzerfausts as it attempts to close and then killing it in the following close assault. German reserves arrive.
Turn 4	C Company rally. B Company gets another platoon across the road.
Turn 5	B Company assaults across the road - to be again be beaten back. The remaining Churchill squeezes past the burning hulk of its partner, and takes the crossroads. C Company start to flank the suspected German positions on the south side of the road. The FJ counter attack the Churchill, but are stopped close in by BESA fire.
Turn 6	B Company survivors are non too happy, but with traditional British start to dig in just inside the woods on their side of the road. The Churchill, now without infantry support, falls back with the cry "Sod this for a game of soldiers".
Turn 7	C Company assaults the German positions, but again the combined fire of MG42s and FG42s wreaks havoc. Although they get into the enemy positions and cause some casualties, C Company is in a grim situation. Meanwhile, in a display of superb spade work B Company has vanished underground.
Turn 8	Faced with the prospect of a German counter attack, C Company fall back and resort to their spades.
Fuel Shortage	True disaster strikes as Ken's beer glass runs dry.
Turn 9	As the last light fails the FJ go on the attack. They try to assault B Company in their fox holes. This time however the Jocks have all the advantages and it is the Paras turn to be cut down. On the other side of the road C Company are also assaulted, but again manage to hold on and cause casualties to their opponents.
Game End	The German's are now starting to get edgy. Losses are over 25% and having an effect, causing some to fall back. One more casualty could cause a break, but the Seaforths are in no position to take advantage. The Game ends with all of the three objectives disputed, but with both Seaforth companies and the tank troop at 50% losses it is a clear win to the Germans on points.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo

Description

The initial set up positions. We had to sub "normal" German inf for the FJ, and used the poker chips as hidden movement markers with small stickers on the bottom for id - this backfired and our Friday night gaming session has been converted to a poker game for the last fortnight.

Turn 1

B Company, advancing either side of the ride, are ambushed. 1st platoon loses heavily in the first exchange. C Company advances unmolested through the woods, while the dummy A Company has the left flank.

Turn 2

C Company reach the road and prepare to cross. B Company assaulted the Fallschirmjägers, with mixed success. One squad succeed in taking their objective, but the other two are beaten back. However the FJ are shaken by the ferocity of the Jocks assault and fall back across the road.

Turn 3

C Company put a platoon across the road under cover of smoke from their 2" mortar.

Churchill attacks

The lead Churchill decides to try and capitalise on the FJ retiring by close assaulting them.

FJ defend successfully

The "Bloody Little Para Boys" as General Rennie described them live up to their name, suppressing the tank with Panzerfausts as it attempts to close and then killing it in the following close assault. German reserves arrive.

Turn 4

C Company rally. B Company gets another platoon across the road.

Turn 5

B Company assaults across the road - to be again be beaten back. The remaining Churchill squeezes past the burning hulk of its partner, and takes the crossroads. C Company start to flank the suspected German positions on the south side of the road. The FJ counter attack the Churchill, but are stopped close in by BESA fire.

Turn 6

B Company survivors are non too happy, but with traditional British start to dig in just inside the woods on their side of the road. The Churchill, now without infantry support, falls back with the cry "Sod this for a game of soldiers".

Turn 7

C Company assaults the German positions, but again the combined fire of MG42s and FG42s wreaks havoc. Although they get into the enemy positions and cause some casualties, C Company is in a grim situation. Meanwhile, in a display of superb spade work B Company has vanished underground.

Turn 8

Faced with the prospect of a German counter attack, C Company fall back and resort to their spades.

Fuel Shortage

True disaster strikes as Ken's beer glass runs dry.

Turn 9

As the last light fails the FJ go on the attack. They try to assault B Company in their fox holes. This time however the Jocks have all the advantages and it is the Paras turn to be cut down. On the other side of the road C Company are also assaulted, but again manage to hold on and cause casualties to their opponents.

Game End

The German's are now starting to get edgy. Losses are over 25% and having an effect, causing some to fall back. One more casualty could cause a break, but the Seaforths are in no position to take advantage. The Game ends with all of the three objectives disputed, but with both Seaforth companies and the tank troop at 50% losses it is a clear win to the Germans on points.

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Ride In the Reichswald