Showing posts with label The Siegfried Line. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Siegfried Line. Show all posts

Saturday, 20 February 2016

51st Highland Division take on German

The Scottish push into another German frontier town. The German right has been fought over.

But the Scots have found street fighting to be tough going

The Germans begin to retake their town with house clearing and tank support. So far, the German heavy weapons have taken out the RA 25pdr and some of the recce elements which means the Scottish are now fighting blind. 

Saturday, 16 January 2016

German counter attack envelopment January, 1945


After the Royal Engineers finished their bridge, the Third Canadian Division took up positions in the town. The Germans began to advance to retake their town.

The Canadians begin to take casualties.

Canadian 9th Brigade HQ attempts to give orders to hold their line, amist the local Germans trying to get about their lives.

The North Nova Scotia Highlanders attack with their carrier platoon with the Highland Light Infantry in support.

The Germans push through.
Despite the Canadian tough fighting, the Germans were able to bring heavy fire down on them. The HQ elements were able to pull back after suffering very heavy casualties. 

Sunday, 6 September 2015

Advance into Germany May 1945

Later winter, 1945. Elements of 30 corps advance into the Rhineland 

Royal Artillery fire has destroyed parts of the town but the defenders hold the town.

 King's Royal Rifle Corps mounted in their M3 Half-tracks advance behind an armoured advance

German fire takes out the tanks but allows the infantry to swarm in. 

Wednesday, 22 April 2015

Saturday, 14 March 2015

Supplies dropped on the Siegfried Line March 1945

This scenario I lifted from the Osprey Publishing Duel Sherman Firefly vs Tiger with a sprinkling of Alternative Bolt Action Missions #1 NUTS from www.boltaction.net I had a group of 51st Highland Division with elements of the 7th Armored Brigade. The objective of the game was to capture and hold 4 objectives of supplies.

 The 7th Armored advance towards two objectives. A Scottish regiment with a 6pdr Anti-Tank gun give covering fire.

An SS division moves forward, having heard that the RAF mis-dropped supplies and they are now in No Man's Land. Nebelwefer, an armored car with 75mm gun, Panzer IV, and a Tiger. An SS Panzergrenadier battalion with a Hanamog 251 

 The Hanamog with a Panzer III in support move forward to catch up to the Recce.

The first casualty is the scout car, falling a foul of grenades!

Then a Tiger is taken out by a Firefly

Shermans then move out to engage the Panzers

A Panzer IV is then taken out by a 6pdr Anti-Tank gun, while a Jagtiger attempts to range in on other British tanks. The Nebelwefer then begins to lay in on the advancing British tanks.

SS Panzergrenadiers then make a charge into one of the objective markers to capture the supplies, while engaging the Scottish infantry. The Firefly is pinned by a Tiger.

 The Hanamog ignores the jeep, to engage the Scottish regiment to it's front.

 On the British left flank, another thrust towards an objective to capture the petrol. A Churchill keeps to the rear to see how the Panzers react.

Chaos erupts in the Scottish and German lines as both sides trade anti-tank fire. A British truck fall victim to a Panzerfaust, while an SS Panzergrenadier battalion rushes forward to capture an objective on their right flank.

 This then results in a prolonged firefight over control over the centre of the battlefield. Objectives are bitterly fought over.

A Panzer III falls victim to the Firefly, while it searches for another prey.

However, it is then taken out by the stalking Tiger.

An RAF observer plane flies over the battlefield to ascertain what the situation is. With many of the British AFVs taken out, there is much radio silence. 

The Germans perform a pincer movement to capture the objective in the centre.

The Germans also hit the Scottish right flank, but are finding the Highlanders tough to push off.

The Nebelwefer silences the 6pdr Anti-Tank gun, and also destroys the Universal Carrier as its tow, and also inflicting horrendous casualties on the Highlanders. 

The Panzers reach the petrol! Is Victory in sight for the Germans?

A sole British officer, seeing how desperate the situation is, calls in an artillery strike right on his own position, hoping to destroy the Panzers, or the fuel.

The resulting barrage does indeed take out a Tiger, a Jagpanzer but also results in the officer receiving a posthumous VC for his actions.

A final RAF flyover shows the fule depot in German hands, however, the Highlanders maintained control of 3 of the objective markers, meaning they win the Battle.
This was a fun action to play, and having read some Bolt Action rules on Anti-tank guns more closely, the guns did a better job than usual. 
I hope to equip my Anti-Tank batteries with Achilles and to get some additional Fireflys. The Germans, I will look into getting them some Panthers and some 88mm guns!

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Hold until relieved: Clearing the Reichswald February 1945

I had been itching to do another Bolt Action game with Ian again. Also, I wanted to see how an Armor only game would go. 
 Aerial recce shows the German advance on the Canadian positions. 4th Canadian Armored Division with elements of Canadian 3rd Division and 2nd Canadian Armored Brigade. The objective for the Germans is to advance any units where the German marker are. The Canadians are to try and deny this objective. The Canadian units were made up of 8th Canadian Brigade mounted in Universal carriers with 3rd Anti-Tank, Royal Canadian Artillery in support. The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa also had their machine-gun jeep.
The Germans are made up of a Panzer IV regiment, a Tiger regiment, a Panzer III company, a captured T-34/85 regiment of the 2nd SS. In support was a Nebelwefer, and a 75mm Infantry gun. Also, a battalion of Panzergrenadiers mounted in Hanamogs.

 Daddy vs Ian, My new RA beret  with RA cap badge. I need to find Ian a German army field cap.

 German tank commander's view of the battlefield.

 Canadian Recce Regiment holds the left of the line. 

One Sherman is toast! Eat Nebelwefer rockets!
See Daddy, they blew up!
And more rockets pound the Canadian positions.
German armor advances towards the town.
My Firefly just took out the Nebelwefer!
And my Shermans run forward. The 6pdr gun just took out a Panzer IV, and the Sherman hit a Tiger in the arse, but caused only a small fire, which the crew put out.
 Not only Canadian but German Panzer III get burnt up, as well as a few Hanamogs. All the German tanks turned to take out the Canadian Shermans. My Churchill had engaged the T-34/85 causing some minor damage. Before it could engage, the Churchill then withdrew to the rear of the village.

 The last Canadian armor goes up. The German HQ Hanamog knocks out the Dailmer Armored Car. The sharp eyed commander sees Canadian infantry fall back. Also, having gotten fired upon by the Firefly hiding in an alley, 

What the heck?! How did he do it again!? All my armor are now in that fireball! Unknown to me, Ian had sacrificed his Kubelwagen crew to recrew his Nebelwefer, which rained rockets into the rear of the village, taking out my armor!
 The last offensive act the Canadians did was to advance and throw grenades at the 75mm gun taking out all the crew.
It was a close game, Ian really enjoyed it, and he also liked out now fire and smoke, made from cotton balls dipped in Burnt Orange paint.