Rückzug Battle 4: Flank Attack by the Manor House

We have reached the fourth battle in the Rückzug campaign. After last battles defeat, the Germans are hard pressed to slow down the British advance to avoid a total collapse of resistance. This battle will be fought around another crossroad, this time with an older farm complex north-west of the crossroad and a manor house with a semi-formal garden in front of it. The old farm is surrounded by high walls on three sides and a low wall towards the orchard to the west. To the north-east is a big cabbage field. The mission is Flank Attack, with one mission objective on the crossroad and second objective in the manor house.

Both Brits and Germans start the game with a FM of 9. The Brits start the game with 2 CoC pips.

Patrol Phase

In the patrol phase the Brits advance from the west along the main road and from the north through the field. The Brits place one JOP in the orchard on the western edge of the farm complex, a second JOP further back in the orchard and a third JOP along the table edge in the field, almost all the way down to the main road.

The Germans have one JOP in front of the manor house, one behind the hedges right by the crossroad and a third JOP just north of the farm complex wall, by the smaller road crossing the main road.

The Brits have the first Command Dice roll and gets 65331 and a Red Dice 5. They deploy a section on Overwatch along the low wall between the orchard and the farm yard. Behind them in the orchard a light mortar is deployed. Lastly an old favorite, the Cromwell CS, makes a reappearance! It is placed on Overwatch behind the orchard, ready to support the infantry's advance.

The Germans roll 54311. They get their first CoC pip and discover that there is a Pre-Game Bombardment in play, but choses to wait and se how the British attack unfolds…

Thats when the Brits roll 66631 and a red 5. This is the third game in the campaign where we get a tripple 6 early in the battle!! The Brits are about to lose the benefit of the Pre-Game Bombardment, but with at least another phase ahead of them they have the possibility to make a rush towards the crossroad objective and the closest German JOP. With a 1 the Cromwell CS advances through the orchard and a second section deploys inside the farm complex.

With that the first turn of the game is over and the British player removers the objective in the manor house. This is clearly going to be a fight about the crossroad!

Fortune favors the bold, so it's only logical that the next British roll is 665432. The Cromwell races forward outside the farm wall towards the German JOP, getting close but not close enough to shut it down just yet. The section inside the farm advances toward the gate facing the crossroad and the section along the low wall are again put on Overwatch.

The Brits roll their Command Dice for at third time in a row, this time it's 644321. The Cromwell CS advances 1 D6, almost reaching the hedge and capturing the German JOP. The tank commander puts the gun on Overwatch.

The section on Overwatch behind the low wall moves forward across the wall and enters the farm yard. The section already inside the farm complex takes up Tactical positions and the light mortar moves up to the low wall. A Senior Leader joins the section inside the farm. 

The Germans roll 66421. With the Pre-Game Bombardment gone, one German JOP captured and British forces quickly approaching the crossroad, this is probably the time for the Germans to act.

They deploy a 9-man regular squad with a JL, a 5-man green LMG team with a JL and their SL in the crossroad. 

Next German roll is 65221. The regular squad together with the SL runs 16” on 3 D6 down the main road towards the west, bypassing the most forward British section inside the farm complex. The green team moves 2 D6 along the farm wall towards the corner where the Cromwell is positioned. 

The Brits roll 653322. A universal carrier deploys from the main road and fires on the German squad running on the road. 1 man is killed and 1 point of shock inflicted. 

The loud chatter from the green Germans outside the farm has caught the attention of the most forward British section in the farm yard. They run forward towards the wall and throws 2 hand grenades over the wall, killing 3 germans and inflicting 3 points of shock. A third and slightly reduced British section deploys on the main road in front of the advancing Germans. They fire on the Germans who Hit The Dirt and only suffers 1 point of shock. 

Next German roll is 52211. The green squad returns the favor and throws two hand grenades back over the wall. One hits and kills a British rifleman and inflicts 1 point of shock. The squad on the road fires on the section in front of them, using Maschinengewehr with its LMG team. 2 Brits are killed and the section suffers 4 points of shock.

The Brits roll 644411. The SL removes the shock and regroups the forward section in the farmyard so that they are ready to face any Germans entering through the gate. Lastly, he orders the section to throw its last hand grenade over the wall att the pesky green Germans (who are not chattering so much anymore). This causes the Germans to break and flee out into the field, bringing them into the Cromwells field of fire. 

With a mighty roar the Cromwell unleashes its Overwatch fire, obliterating whats left of the green squad and its JL. German FM backs 2 points, from 9 to 7. 

A second British SL deploys in the orchard behind the farm. He removes shock from the section on the road and orders the rear section in the farm yard forward to support the section in front of the gate. The Germans on the road are too close for the light mortar to fire at them, but the section on the road opens up. They focus their fire on the LMG team that is in the open (the German rifle team is stil Tactical since Hitting The Dirt when they were first fired upon) but only score one kill.

The Germans roll 65432. The squad on the road Reposition 4” forward and throws three hand grenades at the British section before ”HANDGRANATEN” is commanded and the Germans charge in! The Brits React Fire and kills one German rifleman, but after two more grenades as the Germans charge in, all that remains of the Brits when the Germans reach them is the JL and the attached SL inside the orchard. Faced with an overwhelming number of German close combat dice, they flee 18” towards the west and the JL leaves the table to assist any survivors from his section. British FM is reduced by one, from 9 to 8.

Next British roll is 544321. The universal carrier backs away from the Germans on the road and fires its Bren at them, wiping out the last man of the LMG team and taking German FM from 7 to 6.

The forward section in the farm yard moves up to the gate, ready to storm out and capture the objective in the crossroad. The Cromwell CS backs away from the hedge, prepared to retreat back towards the orchard in case the German squad on the road decides to start rolling up British JOPs in the orchard… The rear section in the farm yard also turn 180 degrees and mover back towards the low wall and the orchard.

The Germans roll 65541. They try to deploy a team, but with their only SL deployed and no adjutant available this fails. The squad and SL on the main road turns around and rund 3 D6 back towards the crossroad, almost reaching the gate to the farm complex. 

The Brits roll 654321. The universal carrier follows and fires at the retreating German squad on the road. The SL is knocked unconscious, two riflemen are killed and the survivors take 2 points of shock.

The section by the gate backs upp and forms a firing line in the courtyard, at a safer distance from the gate and crossroad in case the Germans deploy more tropps in the crossroad and starts lobbing hand grenades into the farm… 

The Germans roll 54311. The squad on the road makes another Reposition, this time toward the crossroad. They then advance 2 D6, turning right at the crossroad and halting just behind de corner as they leave the main road. An LMG team with a JL manages to deploy in the small orchard opposite the gate to the farm yard, ready to cover the German retreat. 

The Brits roll 544211. With the threat of German units in their rear lines now gone, the Cromwell CS is back on the offensive and speeds 15” towards the hedge but this time further north, out of range from any Panzerfausts that might appear by the crossroad.

The universal carrier begins a flanking maneuver around the small orchard by the crossroad. The SL who survived the German charge on the road runs forward through the orchard and reaches the light mortar team who he orders to advance into the farm yard.

With the British core platoon reduced by more than 25% (i.e 7 men) and all German units now within 12” of a friendly JOP, the German commander orders a Voluntary Withdrawal. 

The British player was so focused on winning (and not losing) that he forgot about the 25% losses detail... This will not be repeated! :-)

After the Battle

The Germans suffer 5 men KIA and 3 men misses the next battle. The men’s opinion falls from -1 to -3, giving the Germans a -1 to next battles FM-roll. The German company commander stays droll.

The Brits COs opinion goes from 0 to -1, but the men’s opinion increases from -4 to -2. The British company commander continues to feel secure.

The Germans gain another Victory Point and now has 3 versus the Brits at 1 Victory Point. After this fourth battle we roll a D6 for the first time to see if the campaign ends on a 6. The roll is a 4, so the campaign continues. So far the Germans have fought a reasonably successful rearguard, but the retreat have taken a heavy toll on their forces and a British victory in the next battle could se them taking a lead in Victory Points and wold likely be devastating for the Germans if the campaign continues onto game six (which, on a roll of 5+, it is more likely than not to do). Next battle will be a Delaying Action, fought over farmland. Until next time!