This is just more thoughts on the game played with Vince Hughes. As he said this is a very long scenario, taking over a month, calendar time, to play even with Skype. Why? The need to balance an attack with defending some terrain as well. I generally like these meeting engagement style scenarios as they tend to be the most balanced for play and why I rated it a 4. The other point to make is that with each session the feeling that I had either a winning or losing strategy would change with the rolls of the dice. At the start, I believed that the British force would have enough troops to carry the battle but after the initial attacks, Vinces SS provided to be more than the my Irish Guards could handle. Falling back to the cover of their starting point it was up to Vinces SS to attack. Feeling that his troops would run by the British, I was fearing he could win, but a couple of defensive stands, made me believe that I could hold the SS off. At the last session, the SS had the dice rolls and were able to get off the board for the draw.

Key points to remember, Shermans cannot stand up to PzIVH's and need to seek cover and and fire. M3's provide a nice defensive fire, but once spotted they have to be moved. SS need to be killed and not just roll morale checks.

This was played in a head to head skype game against Alan Sawyer from the US. Having played this scenario, I strongly believe that it is only worthy for a two player game for its full potential to be realised. Why ? . Because of the 70 scenarios or so I have played so far, this one took the most time per turn despite not having the heaviest counter density I've ever seen. It truly was a brain-busting chess match like battle with both sides struggling to get one over on the other and therefore, cogitating their next move for some time. You just will not get that solo as you know what each side is planning to do.

Anyway, on with the battle report, and then my final thoughts

Outnumbered

1430 hours : Both the Irish advance and the German SS forces defending St Charles De Percy maneuvered cautiously in a chess like game of cat and mouse, both jostling for the position of advantage. The Irish guards outnumbered KG Frolich by 2:1 in men and had at their disposal 46 Shermans and Fireflys against just 8 StGIII’s. With this in mind, the Irishmen advanced in order to take some portions of the German held town. The StG’s had positioned themselves beyond the town but with a LOS to the front of it so as to provide AT support against the Shermans now advancing with the Guardsmen and numerous M3 halftracks. The first effective shots of the battle then rang out around 1515 hours. This was when the StG’s engaged the Shermans advancing toward St Charles De Percy. Six of the British tanks were taken out, but in return, two StG’s perished against the more numerous Sherman guns. Around 1530 hours, the other half of the SS forces from the 9th Hohenstaufen Division, Kampfgruppe Zollhofen arrived in the wooded area to the north of the town. More importantly, this force consisted of another 12 Panzer IV’s to help bolster the German numbers that could combat the plentiful enemy armour. British Shermans that had tried to use the woods as cover to fire at Frolich’s StG’s now found themselves being attacked by enemy reinforcement infantry in there and were taking losses. Added to that, the StG’s then hammered in some spiteful shots at the engaged Shermans and they were soon no more. By 1545, 12 Shermans had already been dispatched along with numerous M3 troop carriers for the loss of just 2 German Assault guns.

Town St.Charles De Percy Threatened

The Irish Guards infantry were by this time, very close in on St Charles De Percy and here the battle concentrated around the final assault on the German town. The British infantry were becoming tantalizingly close, but each time, German HMG and rifle fire from the town would inflict losses, or previously disrupted SS Grenadiers would rally and continue to fight to full effect. The British could simply not get in the town. By 1630 hours, the Irishmen had began to pull back having sustained about 150 losses and yet another 8 tanks. In this torrid firefight, the Germans too had suffered 4 PzIV losses as well as some 140 men. The Irish retirement was probably also encouraged by the reinforcements in the guise of KG Zollhofen’s men in the north who were by now picking their way through the woods and advancing on previously held British territory. The attacking Guards could not afford to be pincered and lose their previous holds and therefore had to pull back.

Take A Breather And New Options

Both sides now attempted to stabilize their forces. The Irish, by forming a new front and the Germans by allowing KG Frolich’s men a respite and recovery period. Whilst they did this, KG Zollhofen’s infantrymen and APC’s had reached the northern outskirts of Calvados. The Irish commander rushed troops to this area and soon had his men in position to combat this incursion. With shots and OBA being exchanged, Zollhofen believed he could see a gap through the area right on the edge of Calvados. If he could bypass this, it would allow his troops to push dangerously to rear areas of the British supply route. The Hanomags and grenadiers made their dash and initially, they did well making some good ground. But with more British armour and some usefully constructed combat teams of M3’s and HMG’s in well-placed positions, the British were able to cut down around 75 of the enemy foot troops and wiped out 60% of the APC’s with AT fire. Only 1 platoon of the German APC’s made it through, and those that had not been destroyed or killed were forced to retire and melt back into the wood for relative safety.

Panzer Husen And The Southern Flank

But Zollhofen’s probe and push had not been in vain. Whilst the British had been forced to fire-brigade this area and throw in some stop-gap defence, A hero StG platoon, commanded by Hauptmann Husen that had accounted for 5 steps of Shermans and many M3’s swept forward into Calvados forcing the British to respond. They could not afford to give up this part of the town. Also, Zollhofen’s PzIV’s, Frolich’s StG’s and some of his infantry had begun to sweep along the open southern ground at the other end of the contest. These were making a slow deliberate push forward as the Irish tanks grudgingly gave ground, always remaining at just over 1600 yards range to lessen greatly the German tanks chance of a hit on them. Yet, at the same time, preventing those German tanks from rolling forward. This situation lasted for 30-45 minutes and allowed British OBA to terrorise the advancing SS Grenadiers. However, the German tankers then decided to unleash a volley from long range. This accounted for 2 Shermans and soon had the rest scurrying away to a nearby woods edge and out of sight. Meanwhile, in Calvados, Hauptmann Husen, or ‘Panzer Husen’ as he became known, having caused rear-area mayhem, now pushed on and out of the town as enemy forces became too great there. As his StG’s made their way down the main road, an enemy tank platoon unseen on a hill to the north unleashed a burst of fire at them. Fire also zipped in from tanks located in a wheat field to the south. Two of his platoon’s tanks were lost and ‘Panzer Husen’, having kept his head at this moment rather than becoming disrupted, dashed to the woods ahead for a last surge towards the British rear. Nearby British infantry then piled into the wood after them and were soon attacking the troubled two remaining tanks. But the tanks, despite being fired at from PIAT’s, and despite being trapped in the wooded area survived the assault and then counted their blessings as friendly OBA rained down on the enemy infantry. It proved enough, disrupting and then demoralizing the enemy. After Panzer Husen efforts in the day, it seemed fitting then that his two tanks eventually escaped to fight another day.

The Battle 'Draws' To A Bloody End

As time rolled on to 1930 hours, the final exchanges were conducted to the south of Calvados. British efforts appeared desperate as their remaining tanks threw themselves at the exiting enemy, only to be destroyed themselves. In the end, the battle wound down as a draw. The Germans had pushed enough of their men and tanks past the British lines and held onto their own town in St Charles De Percy, but the British had also held the whole of Calvados and still completely held the east-west road through it.

Total losses : Germans 18 steps = 22 step equivalents – British 37 steps = 53 step equivalents

I rate this scenario a 3. It could have been a 4 for all the effort and excitement it produced, but for me, the Germans are asked too much to achieve a win and thus the VC's do not seem fair. That said, the playing of the game itself is full of excitement.

The British need just have one unit on the east-west road for a minor victory. Given they own half of it at the start and a lot of that is through town AND they more than out number the Germans adequately at the start, then they 'ain't gonna be moved off it. Well not with an able British commander they won't be - But you know what ? You write these things then somebody goes and does it.

Also, for a German minor victory, they need to hold ALL their town hexes which will no doubt suffer an attack AND yet, push forward across the board and exit a number steps as per the VC's ....... It ain't easy. For me this meant

1. Hold the Towns against the large initial Irish attack

2. Take out the mass of Allied armour without losing too many yourself

3. If you succeed in that, either push through a town with even numbers, or pick your way through open ground

4. Survive any late defensive fire from the enemy as you try to exit and leave enough at back to hold your towns.

For the German, be happy if you get a draw