From somewhere in Germany 1945

The last of the games played over Easter. Nothing remotely historical about this one, and the British kit was basically whatever was available, owing to a lack of the right numbers of the right stuff - isn't it funny how this never seems to be the case when laying your hands on the German models needed? We decided on some loose scenario rules, an encounter game, no air support, only Germans move for the first two turns, HVAP ammunition rules in play, and got stuck in. Most of the German kit was Dave's, the British, mine.

Here are most of the German forces, one under-strength tank battalion (Morale Regular, the Tiger Company Veteran), one battalion of Panzergrenadiers (Veteran) and one battalion of Volksgrenadiers (Trained).

The British, one battalion of motorised infantry (Veteran), one of infantry (Experienced), and two mixed tank battalions (Experienced).

The map.

Early British moves. The Germans didn't have enough vehicles to move all of their troops, so their special rule of early movement was not an advantage across the whole board. The British were then able to move very quickly on this left side.

This is the armoured support for the British on the same left flank, two companies of Shermans. I think all of these vehicles are by HaT.

This is middle-left, about half way up the board. The railway bridge was only able to be crossed by light vehicles. There were a company of panzergrenadiers, dismounted and in cover, behind the second bridge, but were too far back to stop a company of British moving into the outskirts of the village in the top of the picture.

Dave realised a bit late that the British would fully outflank him if he didn't do something about their good advance down the left. He sent an under-strength company of Panthers and two companies of Volkgrenadiers to do this, but the tanks arrived a long time before the infantry, and were stranded for a couple of turns fending off British PIAT and flamethrower platoons, with reasonable success it has to be said.

This is from about turn 4. The British advance units are almost destroyed by a company of Tigers. Neither player anticipated that the other would advance here, so we ended up with Sherman fireflies and Cromwells engaging the superior Tigers at a board rang of about 500 meters; Dave, being a Tread Head, was very happy with this game so far.

The German success here was short. A company of Churchills distracted the Tigers, whilst another firefly strengthened unit dispatched them with HVAP, though the range was considerably longer this type of ammunition was still very effective.

Here are the Tigers. They too had arrived in good order, gaining good field position, but without infantry support couldn't stay put for long. The loss of this unit put a lot of strain on the units that arrived later, which were PIVs and not really gunned enough to deal with Churchills still lumbering their way towards this village. Dave's tanks, no idea who makes them.

This is the company of British infantry that crossed the railway bridge in turn 3. They began house to house fighting with the company of panzergrenadiers who had arrived too late to support the Tigers. The German armoured infantry had a higher rate of fire but the British suffered no casualties of note in the fighting around this area for a couple of turns.

This is the support company from another battalion that was attacking the other side of the village, this is on the British extreme right. The 6pdr kept the PIVs from poking their noses too far out of the built-up area until the Shermans and Churchills arrived to engage them proper.

This is back over on the left, about turn 6. Volksgrenadiers in borrowed carriers arrive to support the Panthers. However, they were not up to mixing it with the veteran British infantry, and struggled to maintain their positions here from the moment they arrived; again despite having a better rate of fire.

Still turn 6. Things went well here for the Germans, with the last of their panzer reserves successfully engaging Shermans at long range. More HaT vehicles I think, infantry are Caesar and HaT.

The afore mentioned panzer reserves. They took quite a few hits but held their morale and position to ensure that the German center remain steady until late in the game. Pretty sure this is from turn 7.

Same turn, and a really bad one for the British. The Panthers destroy the last of the Shermans on this flank, leaving a substantial force of infantry without armoured support.

Things swayed back the British way on the next turn, however. The Panthers and Volksgrenadiers were close-assaulted in reasonable numbers and were forced back 500 meters with broken morale. One weak company of Germans held out for another turn then likewise retreated out of contact, and of dubious further value.

Here are the survivors minus their infantry. Dave had to rush forward a few platoons that he could scrounge together here to stop the British infantry crossing this bridge, which would threaten the German center and rear.

This is from the center-right, quite late in the game turn 9 or 10. The Germans were still holding on but really stretched. The British had more or less secured the town in this area, and were beginning to move very large numbers of infantry and armour towards the last of the decent German field positions.

Here are the large numbers. There was still some minor skirmishing going on at this time, with the last of a panzergrenadier company still fighting it out in the top left of the town. The Sherman company began to fire HE at the Germans on the other side of the river as they were trying to dig in as a rearguard, and included a Pak 40.

This German 120mm mortar ran out of ammunition trying to keep the British infantry from mauling the broken Volksgrenadiers in the fighting still going on around the bridge that they had retreated across two turns ago. Trucks and figures by Pegasus, I think?

Turn 12, last turn. On the right, the British began their assault on the few Germans still able to offer any resistance, with a few Pak rounds bouncing off the Churchills. The German center had retreated as a result of the Volkgrenadiers finally being destroyed on the British left, otherwise they would have been flanked and also destroyed. The British had secured a good three quarters of the board and were poised for a final assault, but crucially had suffered far greater losses. We decided the game was a marginal German victory because in an encounter scenario the object is to gain best field position with least casualties, and Dave had managed to do one quite well, and the other one only just. So ended Easter, four days and four nights of solid gaming.