Year of the Spear!

     Every year I try and consolidate my hobby activities, focusing on one or two games or projects. I am not always so successful at this. However, with so little time and resources available to me these days to set aside for the hobby, I have little choice, really.

     This year I am delving into a subject that is just as dear to me - if not more so - as that of the Napoleonic Wars. I say this because it was quite literally the very first historical period I ever collected models for and attempted to play: the Greek and Persian Wars! That effectively makes this the 'Year of the Spear', in my mind.

     I owe much of my inspiration to the upcoming rules, Clash of Spears. These detailed skirmish rules look and sound very promising, and look to be exactly what I have been looking for in a set of small battle rules - small number of figures, condensed playing area, detailed combat and command mechanics, unit based, no gimmicky game mechanics, and lots of potential for expansion. These rules have given me an excuse to collect those fantastic Victrix models I have been drooling over for years now! These rules are due to be published late 2019. Check the rules out on The Wargame Spot blog.

     Of course, small battles/skirmishes are not the only direction I am taking this year. I have finally gotten around to reading one of my favorite sets of rules ever - DBMM! I say this having only ever played DBA and DBM. I have always found DBx rules to be some of the most realistic and fun games I have ever played - and the rules highlight many of the things I look for in any set of rules. There is something to be said for a set of rules that can be used with no alteration to represent a battle involving land, sea, and siege forces all at once. This is a big reason I love Phil Barker's designs. 

"DBMM version 2.1 offers an advanced rule system for the discerning wargamer seeking historical accuracy as well as a fast and exciting game." -- Phil Barker; DBMM.

     The navel side of the era also is something I am greatly interested in. So many fond memories from back in the day, playing trireme battles on my floor with home-made ships - made out of cardboard! Back then I used the rules and ideas from the book, Sea Battles in Miniature, by Paul Hague, to fight my battles. I later moved on to other well known rules such as Bireme & Galley, Naumachiae, and even the latest rules by Osprey, Poseidon's Warriors. I have even been tinkering around with my own set of rules which may one day be published - we shall see. Regardless, the navel side of this period has always been of great interest to me, and will play a role in this ancients revival of mine.

     So there it is, the 'Year of the Spear!' in a nutshell. I will be painting up reinforcements for my various 15mm armies, adding some 28mm Greeks for skirmish battles, and modeling ancient navel ships - all for my planned campaigns this year. I haven't been this excited since I first got into the hobby; great fun indeed! 

Some of my Polybian Romans for DBA.

     I have other games and projects going on as well this year: new boardgames, Pathfinder 2e, Kill Team/40k, my Napoleonics in 18mm, and plenty of WWII. More on these in the coming weeks and months. For now, let us sharpen our spears, polish our shields, and consult the great Oracle of Delphi... battle awaits!

     Questions on this project? What are your experiences with DBMM? What is your favorite era to collect and wargame? How about navel wargaming?

     Until next time,

~Fritz

The Battle of Mighty Armies! - BatRep

(Note: this is a re-post of one of the very first battles I did a report on - some seven years ago - when I was getting back into the hobby. Forgive the bad editing; it was only ever a first draft. I hope you enjoy.)

This is a short battle report I did. It features the following Feudal English armies of the mid 13th C. era. Note that I am using some red beads to indicate where the fighting losses are occuring. I even leave a tipped over stand to show this.

Also, I based the armies on a list I made for the Feudal English armies of the 13th C. If interested in this list, let me know. I plan on doing a large number of lists as well.

The Kings Army (Deployed on BOTTOM of board)

General: 1 x Vet. Hvy Cav, Cav Charge, General

Knights: 4 x Seasoned Hvy Cav, Cav Charge

Merc. Knights: 1 x Seasoned Hvy Cav, Disciplined, Cav Charge

Scouts: 2 x Com Lt Cav, Scout, Mobile

Flem. Spears: 3 x Com Hvy Inf., Disciplined

Welsh Long Bow: 3 x Com Lt. Inf., Shoot I, Long Range

The Rebels Army (Deployed on TOP of board)

General: 1 x Vet Hvy Cav, Disciplined, Cav Charge, General

Knights: 4 x Seasoned Hvy Cav, Cav Charge

Merc. Knights: 1 x Seasoned Hvy Cav, Disciplined, Cav Charge

Levy Spears: 8 x com Lt inf

Merc. X-Bows: 3 x Shoot II

The Battlefield

The layout was pretty simple as this was a play test game featuring the Feudal English army list I designed the previous night.

A small hill dominates the layout, with a small wood on the left flank of the Kings army.

A single building lies on the Kings right, but played no role in the battle to come.

The Armies Deploy!

Both sides rolled for deployment, and the Kings Army deployed first. As you can see from the pic above, his army consists of THREE groups: Left flank made up of a group of 3 Knights, and 3 Flem Spear, a pretty solid formation for sure!

The King's middle was made up of a single group of himself, the Merc. Knights, and the 4th unit of normal Knights.

The Kings Right was made up of the three units of Welsh Longbows!

The final group was the two Scout units, which would be deployed last after the rebels completed their deployment.

As for the Rebels, they deployed one group of six Levy spears, and one unit of Merc X-Bows on their right, three groups in their middle (a group of four Knights, a group the remaining two X-Bows, and the final group in the rear made up of the Rebel General, and the Merc. Knights). The Rebel left was made up of the final two units of Levy Spears.

Lastly, the Kings Scout units (2) deployed on the Rebels right, just out of sight of the Rebel right flank units (thinking they could get a good shot on the flanks of the enemy once they began marching forwards!).

The Battle Begins!

Turn 1

The Rebels started things off, and began the march forward towards the Kings line. On his right, he assigned the single unit of X-Bows to face off against the two oncoming enemy scout unity!

Soon, the Kings Army replied with a general advance of their own! A sneaky move was for the King's group to deploy a unit of Knights forwards to stall any charges by the enemy knights facing them in the middle. This was followed by some VERY effective Long Bow fire on the Rebel left flank spear group (they were slaughtered to the man from such fire!). The pic above depicts their loss with a tipped over stand, and a RED blood marker :)

Turn 2

Revenge was due the Rebel side to be sure! With grim determination, the Rebels again moved forwards, charging their knights in the middle against the lone enemy Knight unit, advancing their X-bows on top of the hill, and diverting a unit of Knights from the middle to help the X-Bows covering the Rebel right (upper left corner of pic above)!

The carnage was deadly! The Rebel Knights did in the lone enemy unit of Knights who did their job well it is imagined, as they slowed the enemy advance a turn. The Rebel X-Bows on the hill were extremely accurate, killing off all but one of the Kings Longbows! (The red blood markers showing these results in the above pic).

Ahhhh... but now the Kings army was poised to strike! And strike indeed they did...

The forces of the King did indeed strike, and strike hard! as his entire army left out battle cries and charged the Rebels on all fronts! The Scouts (upper left of pic) struck hard on the rebel X-Bows, destroying them! The Kings Left flank group of Flemish Spears and Knights charged home against the surprised Rebel Levies! Although the bloodshed was small, the levies decided they were done for the day, driven back into friendly knights supposedly protecting their rear!

The Kings group charged as well against the Rebel knights deployed ion front of them. Their plan of pinning the Rebels in front of them and following up with a deadly charge worked indeed! The Rebel knights stood little chance and were destroyed to the man! This, even after some desperate enemy attempts to slay the King himself with X-Bow fire from the hill!

The battle was WON! The rebels losses were so high, that they stood little chance of victory.

(Note: At this point the game was ended in a victory for the King!, having eliminated 11 enemy units - 9+ were needed to secure a win. However, we decided to play out one more rebel turn just for fun).

Final Turn (Rebels)

With their fate sealed, the Rebels did their best to consolidate their forces for at least an escape (or last stand perhaps)! Their middle was all but gone, so the remaining Rebels Knights gathered around the Generals banner behind the hill, with the Merc. X-Bows doing their best to slow down the enemy (they did manage to kill off the Kings Merc. Knights)!

Meanwhile, the Knights covering the Rebel right, seeing the fall of their X-Bows to the enemy Scouts, let loose their banners and charged home on the flank of these dawgs, killing every last man!

However, such was fate, that the battle was over... :)

My Thoughts on the Battle

What can I say, the game was very fast moving indeed! Turns went by very quickly, and this being my FIRST game, I was very happy with that.

The game can be very bloody, very quickly (as you can see). Ranged combat is a killer to be sure. Like DBA, shooting effects are either ALL or NOTHING really. Which is cool with me.

Melee was a bit more deadly I think due to some faulty moves on the part of the Rebel side. The melee between the Levy Spears and the charging Knights was actually close (the Levy only suffered one unit loss). It was their Drive Back that carried them into the friendly knights unit behind them that did them in.

The Kings tactic of sacrificing a unit of Knights from his group to slow up the enemy Knights so they couldn't charge him payed off. For the loss of but a single Knight unit, he was able to charge the Rebels next turn and destroy them! better then being charged himself.

All in all it was a very good game. Finished less then 30 mins (5 player turns I believe?), and it took a little longer due to having to double check rules as I played (being my first game). Also, I have to note that this game was played the day after I bought the rules and created the army list. So either I am an amazing example of an awesome wargamer... or these rules are that easy to get into and learn! ;)

I definitely plan on playing this game on a regular basis, and posting many army lists I will be working up.

Well... that's all for now.

~Fritz

Operation: Kill Team! - Part One

In the beginning...

… I was a huge fan of GW and their various games - 40k, Warhammer, Warhammer Quest, Necromunda, Epic 40k, etc. I would get together several times a month at my house with a handful of friends and play, play, and... PLAY! In fact, some of my fondest memories in wargaming are from those gatherings. However, those days have long slipped away, becoming distant memories. With everyone going their own separate ways, I myself drifted away from the GW hobby. However, as of a few years ago, things have changed.

The massive boxed set for Kill Team.

     Over the last few years I have been collecting the base starter sets for the last two editions of 40k - even pre-ordering the current one. I was never sure what I was going to do with these - I have so many other things going on. I did like the models, and the rules sounded great. I just couldn't imagine collecting armies for 40k all over again - I sold off all my previous stuff! However, with the release of a game called Kill Team, things changed. Here was 40k as a skirmish game! Less than 20 models a side, played on a 30" x 20" board! WOW! Is this for real?! This is exactly what I was waiting for - something allowing me to collect and paint 40k miniatures, without too much demand on my resources - the proverbial, 'arm and a leg'.

     Now... many months after buying Kill Team, I still have yet to get out some models, read the rules, roll some dice, or even put paint to plastic! With so much going on in my life, I just have not found the time; motivation has subsided.

What a Great Idea!

     My nephew was a big fan of 40k and the GW hobby back in the day. In fact, he was part of all my gaming back then. However, he drifted away from the hobby, as tends to happen when you get married, have a kid, and otherwise join humdrum humanity. However, he is still quite curious about the hobby. He often asks me about games, whether we can have a go when I visit, or mentions people he knows at work that are gamers. Occasionally, I bring a card game, or a boardgame, over and we have some fun. Nothing major; no painting involved. And this is when it hit me: Kill Team! A perfect game for the two of us to get into - together! Welcome back... MOTIVATION! A new project is thus born. Perhaps even getting my nephew back into the fold.

My good friend Sean, after a battle. Look at all those GW games!!! 

     So, this is how Operation Kill Team! came about. And I hope to use this blog to document this project all the way to the end - whatever that may be. Such nostalgia!

Getting Started

     With motivation in place, it's now time to set down and plan out what's next. 

• First off, I am going to dig in to that massive Kill Team box.* 
• After a quick look at all the goodies in that set I am going to pull out the core rulebook and have a good read - see what the landscape looks like, so to speak. The book contains not only all the rules, but also missions, and faction lists. The lists should give me an idea of just what I need to throw together from all those plastic models in my collection to form some teams. 



A look at what comes with the latest Warhammer 40k starter box.

• Grab some plastic sprues, put some models together, and get PAINTING!

* This includes my last two 49k starter boxes as well! Lots of goodies here.  

     One of the very cool things about Kill Team is that there are several ways to play and form your teams. One method, called 'Open Play', allows a player to create a team of 20 or less models based on what he has in his collection - or from a list of available models. This is perfect for friendly 'sit down and play' type games - no points are used. Exactly what I am looking for at this point.

My Nephew (center) and a couple of my friends having a blast with Warhammer 5e.

     I should mention that the box also includes some fantastic plastic ruins. I definitely want to put these together and paint them up. These will look good along side of my other terrain appropriate for this game.

The miniatures that come with Kill Team.

Final Thoughts

     So there you have it. My introduction to a very exciting project for me. What will be the end result? Hopefully a rekindling of fond memories of brutal battles se in a dark and perilous future - the 40k universe. In future parts of this series I hope to not only show my progress, but also share my observations on the game, the models, and share some battles with you all. Of course, this project is only one of several I am currently working on - more on those in separate posts. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this journey with me. Until next time...

~Fritz

Mein Got! Battle Report

A Battlegroup Overlord Battle Report

(Note: this battle report I did a few years back and never posted. I hope you enjoy.)

Introduction
This battle was the third battle of our five battle mini-campaign using the play-test campaign rules for Battlegroup Overlord. This was partially a two-player battle, but I ended up playing SOLO for most of it. Of course I used the Battlegroup (BG) rules for the battle. Because it was a campaign game, there are a few units that have some battle experience in this battle (such as my Panzer Grenadier squad which was Elite and had the Scout ability).

The battle is taking place somewhere in France after the Allied Breakout. It features a US Armored Battlegroup vs. my German Panzer Battlegroup. All lists were drawn from the BG: Overlord supplement.

The scenario was drawn from the BG rulebook: Flanking Attack!

I also did a video on my YouTube channel on this battle, so you may wanna check that out as well. Here is the link directly to the video: MEIN GOT!


The Battlefield
Since I am playing a "squad" level game (see the BG rules), I will be playing on a 4' x 4' table. The terrain was a bit open, featuring a central large hill with a woods. Several fields and trees are spaced in front of the large central hill.

Hedges are everywhere and are NOT Bocage. One small building lies next to a dirt road, and some blown out ruins on the opposite table edge.







The Forces
The Germans (my side of choice) were drawn from the Panzer Division list.

BR: 18
Officers: 1
Scout/Recon: 2/1*

• FHQ (3 men in 251/1; Reg)
• Inf.: 1st Squad PG (Elite & Scout) with one unit MG42 team (3 men), one Rifle team with MG42, one SMG, and panzerfaust.
• Inf.: 2nd Squad PG (Vet) with one unit MG42 team (3 men), one Rifle team with MG42, one SMG, and panzerfaust.
• Tank: One StuG III G (Reg)
• Tank: One PzIV H (Reg)
• Rec.: PG Foot Patrol (Vet) (4 men) with 250/1, one SMG, and panzerfaust
• Art.: Off-Board 80mm med Mortar Battery (2 tubes)

The Americans were drawn from the US Armoured Division list.

BR: 20
Officers: 2
Scout/Recon: 3*

• FHQ (3 men in M3; one SMG; Reg)
• Inf.: Arm. Inf. Squad (10 men with one SMG, Bazooka, and BAR; Elite. Also includes a separate unit of 30 cal. MMG of 3 men; Reg. All in M3)
• Tank: M4 Platoon (two 75mm, one 76mm; includes a Platoon Officer - in 75mm; all Reg. except the 76mm tank which is Vet.)
• Rec.: Jeep Patrol (one Jeep with 30 cal., and three men; one smg; Vet.)
• Rec.: M20 (30 cal.; Reg.)
• Rec.: M20 (30 cal.; Reg.)
• Art.: Off-board 81mm med. Mortar battery (2 tubes)

* Note: In this battle we treated the PG Squad #1 as a Recon unit since it had the Scout ability as a result of experience gained. The unit therefore deployed as any other Recon unit in the German army. Also, Recon Transport vehicles (such as the U.S. Jeep in the Recon Jeep Patrol, the Sdkfz 250/1 halftrack in the German PG Foot Patrol, and the Sdkfz 251/1 halftrack in the (now) Recon PG Squad #1 can be deployed with their infantry component (i.e. as Recon), although these vehicles are  not themselves actually Recon (have the Scout or Mortar Spotter abilities). In our case, both sides deployed their Recon transports along with their infantry  component.

Deployment
Germans chose to deploy on the closest left corner, forcing the Americans to deploy on the opposite corner. Germans also chose the closest right corner as their Recon Deployment zone; opposite corner being the American Recon zone.




The initial forces deployed. Objectives (four) are marked with
White chips at the moment.

The Germans deployed their StuG and 2nd. PG squad in their main deployment zone on the lower left. The squads MG42 team was mounted on the StuG. Their Recon forces were deployed to their right and included their PG Foot Patrol mounted in 250/1, and PG squad #1 also mounted in their transport 251/1.




German Main Deployment Zone forces.

US Main Deployment Zone Forces.

The Americans second in all cases for having been out-scouted by the Germans. Their M4 platoon and Infantry (incl. MG team and M3) all deployed in their main force deployment zone. Their M20 units and Jeep Patrol deployed to the upper left corner; the Jeep Patrol taking refuge in the blown out ruins near the fields in LOS of the German main force.

Turn One
Germans would be going first in all turns. Both sides rolled well for orders and only the US M20s took no orders this turn.

The German squad #2 exchanged ineffective fire with the US Jeep Recon unit in the ruins. The Jeep withdrew to a small hill where the M20s were hidden from view. The M4 Platoon commander rushed up ("Top Speed") to support the recon elements.



Turn 1: The StuG explodes after a well placed shot from the 76 Sherman.
The German MG42 team can be seen laying down fire on the
enemy below, and securing the smoldering central Objective
(an M10)!

The StuG with MG42 team advanced up the hill towards the central objective. However, as fate would have it, the StuG ground to a halt as it's engine started to spit and sputter, The StuG was helpless as it became immobilized on the hill, in site of the enemy! The MG team riding the StuG quickly disembarked into the woods to secure the central objective ahead on the top of the hill. They then laid down some effective fire on the US MG team ("pinning" it) positioned below next to another objective close to the US deployment zone. However, the MG team would rally shortly after at the end of the turn. The Americans quickly moved up their M3 and disembarked the Elite inf. squad who went on Ambush Reaction behind some hedges in the field. They had a nice LOS to the German MG team on the hill. As the inf. took up their positions, the veteran 76mm, eying the now immobilized StuG, moved up to draw a bead on the motionless beast. With a few well placed shots the StuG exploded and the crew ran for their lives! GONE!

Meanwhile to the far right, the German Scout and Recce units (the PG Elite squad #1 and the PG Foot Patrol, both in their halftracks) quickly moved to cover behind the woods next to the hill. The Recon 250/1 would be close enough to capture the objective to their right. Unfortunately for them, an M4 75 Sherman was advancing down the road to their right and was able to get (barely) a LOS on the 250/1 halftrack and blew it all to hell! destroying it AND the entire PG Foot Patrol riding inside of it!

Turn One Observations
It was just solid bad luck my StuG broke down here. Luck of the draw for the American side as it drew the "Break Down" BR counter. Losing my ENTIRE PG Recon Patrol (which were veterans no less) was another hit for the Germans. All in all though, I did manage to secure THREE of the FOUR objectives for them, as well as "pin" that pesky 30 cal. MG team. Both sides were even in BR gain at this point: 11/18 for the Germans, 11/20 for the US. Both sides rolled well for Orders as well (5 for the Germans, and 7 for the US). Pretty much every unit (except the US M20s and the "pinned" MG 30 cal. team) did something.

Turn Two
Both sides rolled rather low for Orders this turn (Germans 3, Americans 4), and no objectives were lost or gained by either side.

The German reinforcements arrived in their Main Deployment Zone in a field enclosed by hedges. This included the remaining forces of the Germans (one PzIV, the FHQ in 251/1, and the halftrack transport of the PQ squad #2). These units promptly moved out over the hedges (as far as they could over these obstacles), with the FHQ 251/1 disembarking the senior Officer in hopes of moving up the hill to get a LOS for some effective Mortar fire. The PzIV also moved up and took a HE Area Fire shot at the pesky M4 moving down the road far to the right. This of course was well off the mark and no damage was done. The M4 itself went into Ambush Reaction instead of wasting any shots through the dense terrain.



Turn 2: The German reinforcements arrive! Ahead at the
base of the hill can be seen the three men of the FHQ who are
now disembarked from their 251/1.

Toward the middle, the veteran M4 76 moved forward to get a shot at PG squad #2 position close to the ruins with some effective HE area fire. This resulted in not only the squad losing a man, but also being pinned. The three men in the Recon Jeep Patrol rushed out from the safety of the ruins to join in the fire on the (now) pinned German squad. Too far away to Close Assault this turn, they laid down some ineffective Aimed Fire.




Turn 2: The M4 76 can be seen putting down effective HE Area
Fire on the German PG squad 2 position along the hedge.

Meanwhile the American M4 Platoon commander moved up over the hedge he was hiding behind into the fields to a position behind a haystack, letting off some ineffective HE Area Fire on the German MG42 hunkered down on the hill at the center objective. So far this M442 team was holding out with all the incoming fire.




Turn 2: With the German squad pinned and down a man, the infantry
of the Jeep Recon Patrol rush out from the ruins to get to
grips with them.

Turn Two Observations

Pretty much an uneventful turn, except for my PG squad holding my left being pinned and losing a man. Seemed to me the Americans were making a much on this flank. I really didn't have much protecting that sector (pretty much just that PG squad). I was getting worried for the Germans here. Only getting off three orders for the turn was NOT good at this point. I was pretty impressed by the MG42 team holding out so well on the top of the hill at the center. Two turns of HE shells coming in on them and so far so good. As for the Americans, they had their inf. squad and the M4 on the road both on Ambush Reaction. Their FHQ arrived on the board, but never did anything, remaining on the edge and out of LOS.

Turn Three
The Germans rolled a solid 5 for Orders and the American's got an even more solid 8! MEIN GOTT!!!

The German halftracks coming on from reserve quickly moved up to cover behind the woods, along side the already hiding Elite PG squad #1 still in their 251/1. The PzIv continued it's slow rumble forward taking some partial cover behind the wreckage of the Recon 250/1. This was followed up by some Aimed Fire at that M4 still on the road. However, the M4 was already anticipating such a move by the PzIV and opened up with it's own barrage of AP shells at the German cat. However, as fate would have it, neither tank did any damage to the other! The M4 would continue down the road to get an even better shot at the Panzer, but these shots as well proved ineffective. It was a stand-off between both tanks!



Turn 3: The PzIV and M4 75mm duel! Neither one could damage
the other.

Meanwhile, back atop the hill, the German MG42 team opened up on the advancing Elite American Infantry squad below. Again, before any effective fire could be put out on this unit the infantry opened up it's own fire on the MG unit, which proved ineffective at the well covered German MG. The Germans however managed some effective fore and pinned the American squad. The supporting M3 halftrack lingering just behind it's squad opened up at this point and managed to pin the MG42 team at long last! The Germans hunkered down to hold the objective.



Turn 3: A look from the US Armoured Infantry squad position as
they make their way towards the hill Objective
(and the waiting MG42 team!).

Over on the German far left, the US Recon infantry made an attempt to Close Assault the German squad which was currently pinned at the hedge line in front of them. However, this was not to be! The American's decided to stay put and take cover (they failed their Experience test to Close Assault and were "pinned"; they were Veterans no less!).

Things were looking bleak for the Germans however, and the FHQ at the foot of the central hill tried to rally the pinned PG squad #2 being engaged by the enemy from the ruins. However, this was to be in vain, and the Tactical Coordination Order was failed (the squad failed their Experience Test), the unit remaining pinned in place at the hedge line.

The Americans were not done yet however. Sensing victory, the M4 Platoon commander made a move on the pinned PG German squad 2 at the hedge. getting as close as he could while opening up with another round of HE and MG fire (Aimed!), the entire squad was wiped out under a hail of bullets and shrapnel!



Turn 3: The M4 Platoon Commander makes his move on the hedge
defenders, mowing down the Germans in a hail of HE and MG fire!

This left the German left completely unprotected. However, the Germans still held on to the far left objective. This meant nothing to German high command and the order was given to withdraw from the position entirely! The battle was over.

Turn 3: Overall look at the battle at game end. Blue markers are
German Captured Objectives (3 in this case).

US BR: 14/20
German BR: 19/18












Turn Three Observations
Turn three was decisive! The Germans losing their left flank like that ended the battle for them. They ended up with a total of six BR counters and exceeded their forces BR by one point! (19 out of 18 BR max). Failing a Tactical Coordination was a huge set back at this point as well. The PzIV was a let down, too! The Germans made full use of cover approaching that pesky M4 along the road, but to no avail. they just couldn't hurt it at those ranges. The M4 on the other hand was just as unlucky. It put a lot of AP shells on the panzer and couldn't even touch him. Cover played a key role here for sure.


Overall Impressions of the Battle
For such a short game, this was a lot of fun. The table looked great, not to mention all the nice models. As far as the game goes, I am not sure what else I could have done to secure a victory for the Germans. Failing to get PG squad #2 to unpin in the last turn (as the result of a failed Tactical Coordination) really was the deciding moment of the battle. I needed to get that unit up and in a better position. I should note that that little 5-man squad had an MG42 as well as a single panzerfaust! I was ready for that M4 tank heading my way. I just couldn't get it un-pinned. Oh well.

On top of all this, I have to also say that the BR counters I was drawing were a little high. Just three counters totaled 13 points. Losing my StuG in the first turn due to a "Break Down" counter hurt. The Americans were even more lucky when in the same turn their 76mm rolled up and finished him off!

I do have to say my MG42 team up on the hill really proved it's worth. It managed to stay unpinned even after all those HE shells and fire from the American infantry squad. It wasn't pinned until that M3 laid down effective fire on it. I believe it was an "Open Fire" order by the M3 (that's two shots with a ROF of 5 each). Still, they did manage to pin a couple of the American units in the battle.

For the Americans, all I can say is they fought very well. They knew when to make a move when it was called for. They kept the pressure on the Germans the throughout the fight. Combined with the German's poor to average rolls on Orders each turn, they were able to keep them on the defensive the whole fight. Hats off to that M4 Sherman platoon commander who had the balls to rush the German position held by PG squad #2 (remember, they had a panzerfaust!).

Great fight and I hope to play out many more battles with Battlegroup in the future.

~Fritz