After pontificating ( a bit ) about how to play US in BGO on the Guild, I had the opportunity to put my words into action. A no points game of an US recce troop with a platoon of Armoured infantry supported by a troop of Shermans, later an additional troop of Shermans. I didn't include any artillery/mortars to keep it quite simple, as the US commander was a friend who was filling in- for me. He hadn't been an active wargamer for a number of years, so wasn't familiar with Battlegroup.
The Germans were played by Mike, who was familiar with Battlegroup. He had a platoon of infantry with panzerfausts, supported by a PIV, 2 Marders, a deployed 88mm, a 222 armoured car, a single deployed 20mm and 2 halftrack AAA - a 37mm and a quad 20mm. Both forces had a Battlegroup command.
The Germans would deploy 12inches in, with the US coming on from the table edge, Recce troop first. This was a M20 utility as recce command, a M5 Stuart and 2 M8 armoured cars. The aim was for the recce to motor down the road and find the Germans, with the follow on forces able to deploy anywhere off the baseline.
The recce shot down the road, drawing the Germans out of ambush, losing the M5 which got caught at the edge of the orchard by the 88mm. An M8 was picked off by the Marder at the top of the road. Reinforcements came on with the troop of Shermans, but the lead Sherman then got picked off by a Marder. Moving off the road, the US tried to flank the orchard on the left of the road, using the recce troop to scout out ahead of the tanks. This was also to allow the armoured infantry in halftracks to come on.
The recce troop then ran into an ambush by the Germans, a section of infantry in the edge of the orchard. They fired off a panzerfaust and retired across the lane back to the edge of the orchard. As the US built up their attack on the left of the road, bringing up their halftracks, the German PIV came out of ambush and reamed a Sherman. The remaining Sherman took a morale test, failed and bugged out.
An additional troop of Shermans became available to the US, and moved onto the table. The US moved the armoured infantry up to the orchard, debussed and poured in heavy concentrated fire into the German infantry, at first suppressing and then eliminating the section. As the US pushed through 2 squads through the orchard, the 2nd Sherman troop was engaged by the PIV, losing a Sherman, and returning quite ineffective fire in return.
Whilst pulling back the PIV, and getting shot up by the 2 remaining Shermans, the main action was going on in the orchard, with the 2 AAA halftracks moving up to engage the US infantry. After a bit of a false start by the 37mm, the quad 20mm opened up. Truly awesome casualties resulting in the destruction of a US section - all 12 men, and pinning the other section. The Bazooka team from the HQ section got up to the wood, but was unable to shoot. It was unscathed by the fire.
The Marders began withdrawing back away from the orchard, away from the infantry and the bazooka. The 2 Shermans were moving up to mid table, with 2 sections of infantry available to support them. Time was called at this point. A solid German victory, even though they were in the process of moving back. The Germans would win the game by not losing, in this they were able to delay and blunt the US recce probe. Whilst the 20mm and 88mm didn't have a tractor/tow on table, they would have got away. The US would have stopped, pounded the positions and moved on, replacing the shattered infantry platoon and Shermans.
Thankyou's to Mike and Chris.
The Germans were played by Mike, who was familiar with Battlegroup. He had a platoon of infantry with panzerfausts, supported by a PIV, 2 Marders, a deployed 88mm, a 222 armoured car, a single deployed 20mm and 2 halftrack AAA - a 37mm and a quad 20mm. Both forces had a Battlegroup command.
The Germans would deploy 12inches in, with the US coming on from the table edge, Recce troop first. This was a M20 utility as recce command, a M5 Stuart and 2 M8 armoured cars. The aim was for the recce to motor down the road and find the Germans, with the follow on forces able to deploy anywhere off the baseline.
The recce shot down the road, drawing the Germans out of ambush, losing the M5 which got caught at the edge of the orchard by the 88mm. An M8 was picked off by the Marder at the top of the road. Reinforcements came on with the troop of Shermans, but the lead Sherman then got picked off by a Marder. Moving off the road, the US tried to flank the orchard on the left of the road, using the recce troop to scout out ahead of the tanks. This was also to allow the armoured infantry in halftracks to come on.
The recce troop then ran into an ambush by the Germans, a section of infantry in the edge of the orchard. They fired off a panzerfaust and retired across the lane back to the edge of the orchard. As the US built up their attack on the left of the road, bringing up their halftracks, the German PIV came out of ambush and reamed a Sherman. The remaining Sherman took a morale test, failed and bugged out.
An additional troop of Shermans became available to the US, and moved onto the table. The US moved the armoured infantry up to the orchard, debussed and poured in heavy concentrated fire into the German infantry, at first suppressing and then eliminating the section. As the US pushed through 2 squads through the orchard, the 2nd Sherman troop was engaged by the PIV, losing a Sherman, and returning quite ineffective fire in return.
The Marders began withdrawing back away from the orchard, away from the infantry and the bazooka. The 2 Shermans were moving up to mid table, with 2 sections of infantry available to support them. Time was called at this point. A solid German victory, even though they were in the process of moving back. The Germans would win the game by not losing, in this they were able to delay and blunt the US recce probe. Whilst the 20mm and 88mm didn't have a tractor/tow on table, they would have got away. The US would have stopped, pounded the positions and moved on, replacing the shattered infantry platoon and Shermans.
Thankyou's to Mike and Chris.
