Pre-Sealion Game 1940

Pictures from the game I played last week with Mark. Set shortly after the Dunkirk evacuation, the Germans attack a small harbour town to test out some tactics for the coming invasion of England, and to grab some prisoners for intelligence. The Germans had x2 companies of paratroops which were landed behind the village, and x2 companies of mountain infantry, landed by boat. The British had x1 battalion of Home Guard and a small motorised regular component. I played the Germans, Mark the British

Mountain infantry attack the front harbour area from rafts. Another company stays on the launch to attack a different part of the waterfront

German para in the fields behind the village, in the top of this picture is the platoon that was eliminated instantly because it landed in the river. This forced the rest of the company to go pinned for three turns

British positions along the waterfront and the command HQ

One platoon of mountain infantry is eliminated by the Home Guard but the rest make it ashore unscathed and engage the British at close range

The only mobile German para start to flank the village, their superior firepower and morale meant they had no problems taking on opposition twice their number, figures are Airfix and Esci

Home Guard platoon stubbornly holding out around the lower dock area

Engineers knock out one of the British pillboxes 

About turn 3, just behind the harbour area, mountain troops look to link up with para attacking from the other side, but they have been held up by more determined resistance from the Home Guard

Still the core of the assault force is pinned

Mountain infantry continue working through the village, largely unopposed. Caesar figures, SHQ AALMG platoon in the background

Turn 4, the German para HQ finally moves

The dockside defenders forced into the only unoccupied part of the village, they are more or less surrounded and have suffered many casualties - still they continue to resist though

The British HQ area comes under heavy attack from the main force of para

Turn 5. The British play their Ace, an armoured car platoon and a company of regular infantry _ Zvezda figures with Airfix trucks

However, they rushed headlong into the rear of the village and were ambushed from two sides by para and mountain infantry

The regulars regrouped and returned fire with some success

Esci and Revell para, Home Guard figures are all Airfix and Matchbox conversions

The para didn't get it all their own way, this British command platoon eliminated one platoon and forced another to retreat

AALMG platoon firing at very close range with great results until close assaulted by a fresh group of para

Another pillbox is knocked out

Turn 6. The last fighting Home Guard platoon on the dock side of the village fails morale and surrenders. The regulars though remained firm and continued firing from around their burning trucks

More British morale failures

The HQ prepares for the final assault...

Which never came. The Germans now began to withdraw back through the village and docks, taking their prisoners with them

The damaged but still fighting regulars follow the retreating Germans... at a distance

Great game. Mark showed a good grasp of the rules and basic tactics but the German superiority in morale and firepower was never going to make it an easy introduction for him.