Another Day in Hell

Take 2: The Battle of Biville-La-Baignarde - a Chain of Command Game

This game was a repeat of the game John and I played last week (here) as we both felt we could've made better choices and wanted another go at it.  The scenario background is available at the link above so I won't repeat it here but will show the image with the building labels again as I've changed some during this game.

The French are defending the far, northern, end of the table as seen above and the objective of the German attack, coming from the near, southern, end, is the War Memorial.

This time with 16 points of support, the Germans opted for 2x Panzer IV with junior leader (5pt.s each); 1x upgrade of a PzIV leader to a senior leader (2pt.s); 1x Red Die (2pt.s); and, 1x Pre-game barrage (2pt.s).

My plan was to press down the main road (Rue Principale) with my infantry using the craters for cover, and the buildings along the road to cover my flank.  The tanks could offer support from the orchard and the more open terrain would allow units to support each other and concentrate their fire (the high walls prevented this inside the village in the previous game).  The Red Die and senior tank commander were chosen to minimise the chance of the tanks being paralysed by a lack of suitable command dice, and hopefully the pre-game bombardment would hinder any coordinated response by the French

The French wrote down their 10pt.s worth of support options, to be disclosed during the game; choosing: 1x Canon de 75mm M1897 with five crew and Junior Leader (4pt.s); 4x entrenchment for one team (1pt. each); and, 2x satchel charges (1pt. each), one each for sections No. 1 and No.2.

Preliminaries

First, we rolled for Force Morale and my Germans got really lucky with a starting Force Morale of 11[1], while the French only got to start on 9.  When it came to starting CoC points I also got lucky, getting 2 while John got 1.

In the Patrol Phase, I went with 4 instead of 3 patrol markers for the Germans, who, having the higher morale, went first.  The Germans also got a free patrol move; it could've been two but I rolled low.  The patrol markers ended up as shown below.

The fourth German patrol marker is out of sight, pressed up against the far end of the Long Barn.

The French jump off points (JOPs) are shown below (viewed from the west, with the French facing to the right (south).

The Germans had managed to get theirs much further forward this time as shown below (viewed from the west with the Germans attacking to the left (north).

John had no fortifications to deploy this time, so the last pre-game action was my declaration of the pre-game barrage - seen here landing around his JOPs.

The Game Begins

1GE(2,3,3,4,4,5)  The red command die score indicates the Red Die, so the '5' was useless[2], but otherwise a great start.

As this was the start of a turn, the scenario called for a group of refugees, in this case some nuns, to appear on the road fleeing the Germans.  Unfortunately for the sisters, I had decided to press hard and fast on my left to exploit the open ground and cover offered by the Large Orchard and Crater Field.  This meant my PzIV with the senior leader[3], deployed on and through them.

As a result the nuns were removed as dispersed[4].

Next nr.I section deployed  on overwatch by n^o3 Rue Principale and nr.II section, also on overwatch, deployed in the Large Orchard.

This seemed like enough to get started, so I passed over to the French.

2FR(2,2,2,5,6)  The French, as expected, kept their powder dry and did nothing.

3GE(1,4,5,5,6,6)  The Germans couldn't do much with this command roll other than advance the PzIV into the Large Orchard and deploy the 5cm mortar team.

R(2,2,2,4,6)4F  The French again, did nothing.

5GE(1,1,2,5,5,5)  Not great set of actionable command dice but it did give me my first CoC die.  A '2' and a '1' combined allowed the second PzIV to deploy, the other '1' remaining unused.

6FR(1,3,4,4,6)  And still the French sat tight. 

7GE(1,2,3,4,4,5)  The senior leader's PzIV, hereafter denoted as PzIV*, advanced slowly and the gunner was put on overwatch[5]; the other PzIV followed it into the Large Orchard.

Also visible in the above are: nr.II section doubling from the orchard into the Crater Field (the junior leader removing the shock from one team); and, nr.III section deploying in the road in front of the mortar team.  With all my troops on the table, it was time to get a bit more control so the platoon's 2iC, the Feldwebel, deployed with nr.I section the far side of n^o3 Rue Principale in the above.

8FR(1,3,3,5,6)  With the Germans now fully committed, and making progress down the table, the French finally stirred themselves into action.  No.1 section was ordered to deploy from the JOP in the churchyard, but failed their hesitant deployment roll.  No.2 section was ordered to take their place, and they succeeded in deploying into the lane, in front of the Épicerie.

9GE(1,1,2,2,4,6)  The junior leader of nr.II section removed the last shock from running in the previous turn and ordered them to advance further in the craters.  The Feldwebel went with nr.I section as they doubled from n^o3 to n^o2 Rue Principale, and removed their shock from doing so.  Finally, nr.III section advanced towards the orchard.  All of these moves can be seen below.

10FR(1,2,4,4,5)  The platoon sergeant successfully deployed directly into the Épicerie and ordered No.2 section to join him inside - the figures being shown on the floor-plan that we use for most buildings.

This was followed by No.3 section attempting to deploy into the Small Orchard, but failing their hesitant deployment die roll.

11GE(1,1,3,3,3,6) The PzIV* commander ordered his driver to advance slowly while the gunner suppressed the La Haye Barn, and the JOP near it, and used his final order over the radio, to bring up the other PzIV in support. 

Section nr.I then entered the n^o2 Rue Principale (aka Green Farm) ...

... while nr.II advanced slowly and suppressed the Small Orchard (the other suppressive fire marker being that from the PzIV*).

12FR(1,1,4,5,6)  In the Épicerie the platoon sergeant ordered the LMG team up to the first floor.

This was followed by the French V-B, rifle grenade, team failing an attempted deployment into the Small Orchard.

13GE(2,4,4,5,6,6)  The Feldwebel (senior leader) in n^o2 Rue Principale ordered his men to fire at the first floor of the Épicerie (the walls prevent lines of sight between the ground floors), killing 1 of the LMG team who also took 2 points of shock.

Then, finally, the platoon Leutnant made his appearance, deploying with section nr.III in the orchard, while nr.II section in front of them ...

... again suppressed the French orchard JOP.

14FR(3,3,4,4,6)  The sergeant in the Épicerie, removed 1 point of shock from the LMG team and got them to return fire against nr.I section, albeit with only 9 fire dice as opposed the German's 19.  Despite this, they managed to inflict 2 kills and 1 shock, one of the 'kills' wounding the section junior leader!

This triggered a Bad Things Happen (BTH) test and German force Morale fell from 11 to 10.

The French then tried to deploy their No.3 section in the churchyard but they also failed the hesitant deployment roll.

15GE(1,1,3,4,5,6)  Strangely, I continued my obsession with suppressing the two French JOPs with nr.II section and one of the PzIVs.  No doubt the Feldwebel with nr.I section was unimpressed with this as he again unleashed the devasting firepower of his two MG34s (and others) against the Épicerie.  But all this firepower only delivered 3 points of shock.  

Even more shocking were the fuzzy photos from this phase, which have been omitted so as not to strain the reader's eyes.

16FR(2,2,3,5,5)  This gives the French their first CoC die and they immediately spend it to End the Turn at the end of this phase.  In the Épicerie, the two leaders, between them, remove 3 points of shock before ordering the LMG team to fire at nr.I section again.  This time they get 2 kills (no shock) and one of the 'kills' is the Feldwebel, who is killed!

This causes German Force Morale to go into free-fall from 10 to 7!  

Note to self: stop throwing '1's when testing to see if a leader is a casualty.

17GE(4,5,5,6,6,6)  Our first double-phase, and John, who's been desperate to try out the scenario specific cards with this game chooses to draw one rather than take the extra CoC point.  The card allows him to immediately remove D3 shock from a unit - he uses it to remove the 1 point of shock from No.2 section in the Épicerie.

It's the start of another turn so, another group of refugees turns up (more nuns!).

Courtesy of the three '6's it's also an end of turn, which means another refugee group would appear behind the nuns in the next phase, but as their way forward was blocked by the German's 5cm mortar, we ignored them from now on.

The PzIV* commander realising he needs to be more aggressive to try and help the infantry who are getting roughed up, orders both tanks to advance flat out.

18GE(4,4,4,4,5,6)  I've only got two senior leaders left and I roll four '4's, not very helpful.  The PzIV* commander orders both tanks to fire h.e. at the Épicerie ...

... causing 1 kill and 3 points of shock.

Then the Leutnant orders nr.II section to advance, going with them so he will get close enough to give orders to the other sections.  They let him down by rolling a double '1' to only move forward 2"!

This leaves the scene looking like this.

19FR(2,3,3,4,6)  With the after effects of the barrage gone the French deploy their Canon de 75mm, the celebrated "Soixante Quinze" ...

... and open fire on the lead PzIV, and it's a flank shot!

But luckily for me, they only roll three on 2D6 and miss!  I spend a CoC die to interrupt and fire at them with the PzIV and inflict 2 points of shock (these can be seen in the first image of the gun).

The action then switches back to the Épicerie, where the sergeant and junior leader repeat their trick of removing 3 points of shock and firing at nr.I section.  This time they inflict 1 kill and 1 point of shock, and despite my earlier note to stop rolling '1's, I roll a third consecutive '1' for leader casualties on this group and the junior leader is killed!

With German Force Morale now dropping from 7 to 5, things are starting to look shaky.

And the French haven't finished, as they deploy their No.3 section in a couple entrenchments in the orchard and open fire on the German nr.II section, who spend 3 CoC points to hit the dirt among the craters.

But they still take 3 points of shock.

20GE(1,1,3,3,4,5)  I can't let this 75mm gun take out one of my tanks as my Force Morale is dangerously low so, I throw everything I can at the gun.  

First the 5cm mortar, it misses; then the PzIV*'s gunner also fails.  The PzIV does better inflicting 1 kill and 1 point of shock, but it's hull MG gunner completely fails against the newly deployed, and entrenched, No.3 section ahead of him who appear completely nonchalant about the whole thing.  

The last throw of the dice is nr.II section, who throw some exceptional dice to kill 2 and inflict 1 point of shock which succeeds in pinning the gun crew.  I heave a sigh of relief.

When we look up what being pinned means to gun crew it seems it has no effect other than to prevent them moving - John is seeking clarification on the CoC forum for this but that's how we played it.  So now it's over to the French to respond.

21FR(1,2,3,4,5)  First No.3 section fires at the German nr.II section, who had raised their heads to fire at the 75mm gun so, they spend another 3 CoC points to again eat dirt.  The points are well-spent as they only take 1 point of shock.

Then the French V-B, rifle grenade, team deploy entrenched alongside No.3 section ...

... to also target nr.II section causing another point of shock.

Meanwhile the sergeant in the Épicerie keeps up the pressure on nr.I section, ordering the LMG team on the first floor to fire on them, inflicting a point of shock (luckily there are no more leaders left alive for them to kill) ...

... while ordering the rifle section upstairs to help out.

Why, despite all the shock, the 75mm gun didn't try a last ditch shot is baffling, but very welcome.

22GE(2,3,5,6,6,6)  Another double-phase, a lifeline!  John draws another card but saves it for later and doesn't reveal what it is.  

Section nr.I start the ball rolling by firing back at the No.2 section in the Épicerie scoring 2 points of shock.

Then I get back to the task of finishing off the French 75mm gun.  The PzIV fires its 7.5cm gun at the French gun team and scores 1 kill and 1 point of shock which Routs them!  Unfortunately the two survivors don't go off table.

But, French Force Morale at last starts to drop, going from 9 to 8.

The PzIV's junior leader then uses his second order to fire the bow machine gun (MG) at No.3 section entrenched in the orchard, and this crack-shot gunner ...

... kills 2 of them; the French leaders continue to lead their charmed lives.

23GE(1,2,4,4,6,5)  Now the 75mm gun is out of the picture, both PzIVs target the Épicerie but only manage 1 point of shock!

The Épicerie is also fired at again by nr.I section, who make up for the tanks' poor showing by killing 1 and inflicting another 3 points of shock, they don't look so happy now.

Also in this phase the Leutnant rallied 2 points of shock from nr.II section and the 5cm mortar tried to drop a bomb on the French No.3 section in the orchard - they missed.

24FR(1,2,2,5,6)  The phase opened with the French No.3 section and the V-B team in the orchard targeting nr.II section in the craters ...

... who were still hitting the dirt, and so escaped lightly, suffering just 1 kill and 1 point of shock.

Over in the Épicerie, the sergeant had decided that wiping out the German nr.I section was not worth exposing his men to more h.e. from the panzers and called them all downstairs to safety.

25GE(1,3,4,4,6,6)  Another double-phase!  The Dice Gods have clearly decided to change their minds and back the Germans.  But first, John chose another card in place of the extra CoC point normally received when an opponent gets a double-phase.  This card was very helpful and played immediately on his No.3 section in the orchard.

This was quite timely for the French as the troops in the orchard were now the only available target for the massed German firepower.  

The German response opened slowly with the PzIV driver slowly advancing towards the orchard, while the PzIV* also advanced slowly while firing both the bow MG and the main gun at No.3 section in the orchard.

This only inflicted 1 kill, as can be seen in the previous photo (all photos were taken at the end of each phase).  And, while the tanks were engaging the orchard the junior leader of nr.II section rallied off 2 points of shock. 

26GE(1,2,3,4,4,6)  A pretty handy set of command dice!  Using the '1' and the '4' both PzIVs' bow MGs and the PzIV*'s main gun fired at No.3 section.  This was added to by nr.II section who raised their heads above the craters to join in.  All this fire inflicted a massive 7 points of shock but only 1 'kill'.  Unfortunately for the French, the 'kill' saw their junior leader wounded and French Force Morale dropped from 8 to 7.

Their troubles were not yet over, as the German nr.I section, now free of the disasterous firefight with the French No.2 section, moved to the other side of the house from where they could add to French misery in the orchard.

Firing at half effect, because they moved, they only added 1 point of shock, but it was enough to pin No.3 section!

27FR(1,1,2,3,4)  The French were now on the back foot and crippled by a lot of shock.  The sergeant with No.2 section started the recovery by removing 2 points of their shock.  Their junior leader then removed another point of shock and ordered team to leave the Épicerie, but with 3 points of shock remaining and rolling a double '1' for movement they refused to budge.

With the junior leader from the 75mm gun removing two points of shock from his gun team (now just ne gunner) ...

... this only left a '1' for the V-B team to engage nr.II section ...

... who yet again hit the dirt.

This was making me spend my CoC points as fast as I got them, but as dead men can't make use of CoC points, I figured it was the right thing to do.  They only took two points of shock so I was probably right.

This left the beleaguered French No.3 section in the orchard without a command die, but John spent a CoC die to reposition them.  They needed three or more on a D6 to get to deep enough into the orchard to be safe but rolled a '2' leaving them high and dry, and very exposed having left their entrenchments. 

The French were now surely doomed.

 

28GE(2,2,2,3,4,5)  The PzIV* commander seized the opportunity and ordered his bow MG gunner, main gunner, and the main gunner in the other tank to let rip at the repositioning No.3 section.  

The resulting 2 kills and 5 shock, included a 'stunning' of No.3 section's junior leader and French Force Morale slipped from 7 to 5.

Then nr.II section's leader removed a point of shock and directed his men to once again lift themselves from the dirt and fire at the departing No.3 section.  They inflicted a further 2 kills and 2 points of shock which routed them and they fled off table leaving their dead behind.

With two BTH tests for a routing unit and a leader routing off the table, French Force Morale went from 5 to 4 to 3.  This reduced the French to three command dice and invoked a 'J' result - one unit has to withdraw back to their nearest JOP.  The French used this opportunity to extract No.2 section from the Épicerie and get them back to the JOP in the churchyard.

The phase was rounded off by nr.I section shooting at the V-B team and inflicting 2 points of shock.

With the writing now on the wall in letters ten foot tall, I was surprised that John pressed on and rolled the remaining French command dice.

29FR(2,5,6)  Only one actionable command die, surely the futility of fighting on was now apparent?  All the French could manage was to redeploy No.2 section in the churchyard - they couldn't even remove any shock despite having a junior, and senior, leader with them.

30GE(1,2,2,5,6,6)  The Dice Gods clearly love a winner.  The PzIV* commander (using both '2's) got his tank to advance slowly while firing it's 7.5cm gun at the V-B section, and ordered his subordinate in the other PzIV to also fire at them.  They killed 1 and inflicted 1 point of shock, and when the 5cm mortar added another point of shock with its last bomb the V-B team was pinned.

31GE(1,1,2,2,5,6)  Both panzers used all the command dice to engage the V-B team with their bow MGs and main armament, but only inflicted 2 points of shock.  But, this was enough to rout the V-B team off the table with their junior leader and the two BTH tests dragged French Force Morale from 3 to 2 to 1.

With only 1 command die left, John acknowledged the inevitable and conceded, withdrawing his men from the field.

   

Post Mortem

Another one-sided outcome.  German firepower, with all those machine guns, is so heavy, and with most of my units able to concentrate their fire it was almost unstoppable.  My plan had made the most of this and, barring the firefight around the Épicerie, went as expected.  That said I was very lucky John's 75mm gun missed my PzIV, that could've knocked my morale down enough to lose me some command dice, and might've changed things.  But, once I'd got the upper hand I was, thanks to a series of double-phases, able press home the advantage for the win.

Could the French have done better?  Probably not enough to win as they are so lacking in heavy weaponry.  That said, I think I would've opted for the Hull-down Renault 35 from the support options (3pt.s) in exchange for one of the entrenchment and the two satchel charges.  They also could've made it harder for the Germans by deploying all their troops (they had a section that never deployed).  The sections that did deploy were unable to support each other and were overwhelmed by the concentration of mutually supporting German units at the Schwerpunkt.

Notes:

[1.] Little did I realise at the time just how important that maximum starting morale was going to prove!

[2.] 5's and '6's thrown on the Red Die do not count, i.e. they are ignored.

[3.] For future reference the PzIV with the senior leader is mounted on a base, the other PzIV, to arrive later, has no base.

[4.] The refugees are dispersed if any Germans come within 12".

[5.] Later in the game we questioned this, and decided that putting the gunner on overwatch wasn't allowed if the tank moved; John is to seek confirmation of this on the CoC Forum.