My battle report catching up is going to be somewhat random, this one being another I Ain't Been Shot Mum WW2 action set in 1944, again with the Welsh Guards (IIRC) in the breakout from Normandy. Phil umpired and hosted the game with Chris (who was visiting Turner Towers) taking command of an ad hoc German force and me yelling out "Pobol y Cwm" a lot as I led the Welsh to death or glory (a lot of death, as you will see...)
With the German army on the run, C Squadron, Welsh Guards, enjoying a sunny Normandy day, approach a deserted looking village, no doubt full of vin du plonk...
With one platoon of infantry accompanying the armour, a second advances parallel along one of the two roads leading into the village.
Unfortunately the road was mined and one half-track was lost, though the infantry were unscathed.
Meanwhile the Cromwells of 1 Troop C Squadron attempting to get to Paris by tiffin charged up the table...
The first getting rather too close to a Blind marker... (for some inexplicable reason I'd completely forgotten the spotting rules existed and triggered it by proximity!).
It turned out to be a Grenadier Zug with three panzerfausts! Doh!
Chris then revealed two more Blades... A Marder III...
And a Panther! (gulp!)
Unsurprisingly Chris took advantage of 1st Troop's reckless advance...
Two Cromwell's fell victim to panzerfausts...
Whilst the third brewed up after a 75mm round from the Panther slammed into its flank!
To compound the Welsh Guards cracking start, an SdKfz 250/8 appeared behind a hedge...
And took out a second half-track. This time the infantry inside were not too lucky... :-(
With the horizon on fire, the remainder of the Welsh Guards arrived, surveying a scene of death and destruction...
Not wanting to meet the same fate as the section from 3 platoon, the 2nd debussed and moved into the woods...
The survivors of 3 Platoon also dismounted and used their mortar to pop off some smoke to hide themselves from the Germans.
The surviving Firefly from 1 Troop lined up its 17 pounder on the SdKfz 250/8...
The Gods of War(gaming) clearly love a fool and I rolled eight successful strikes...
With an Armour value of just two, the SdKfz 250/8 disintegrated in an impressive explosion!
The 2nd and newly arrived 1st Platoon moved swiftly through the wood, engaging the enemy Zug to their front...
Forcing it to withdraw, leaving their dead behind.
The Panther waited for new prey...
As did the Marder...
But my brain had finally woken up and I deployed the infantry mortars...
To lay smoke in front of the Panther, effectively blinding it.
At this point a Photo Reconnaissance Spitfire took a picture of the battlefield for GHQ! :-)
Using the smoke as cover, 2 Troop pushed their Cromwells forward past the burning 1 Troop.
Worried that following the destruction of the SdKfz 250/8 his left flank was exposed, Chris moved his Marder around to protect it.
The Panther also pulling back to a new position in the town.
The German infantry attempted to grenade a Cromwell of 2 Troop but failed.
And the Cromwells continued their advance...
Only to be thwarted by the local vegetation!
The HQ Troop Cromwells pushed forward on the Welsh right flank, moving up alongside the Marder...
Which paid the price for not having a turret! Boom!
Whilst the tanks were adopting a Death or Glory approach in the time honoured tradition of tankies the world over, the infantry were more pragmatic and stoic, with 1st and 2nd Platoons adopting fire and move tactics...
Causing the German infantry big problems.
The Panther (somehow) spotted the beached Cromwell...
And an unerringly accurate shot took the unfortunate Welsh tank out!
Despite the loss of another Cromwell, the infantry continued to uphold Welsh honour and advanced onto the abandoned German infantry position.
The Cromwells might not be proving to be much use as tanks, but the knocked out ones did provide the infantry of 1 Platoon with cover...
As they pushed back the German infantry Zug to their front.
The HQ Troop then found itself surprised by a German Panzerknacker team, but were able to see them off.
However one of the retreating Zugs of German infantry moved into the adjacent garden...
And deployed one of its panzerfausts!
Fortunately for the Cromwell, the warhead struck a glancing blow and the tank only suffered 1 Shock,
Unfortunately a second Panzerfaust was more accurate and the HQ tank was hit and brewed up.
The infantry of 2nd Platoon cleared the enemy to their front and advanced with a Sherman Firefly in support...
Though the Company Sergeant Major was lost when his Universal Carrier hit a mine!
Chris then deployed his final German section...
Rushing their panzerfaust forward to stop a Cromwell which had a clear run to the bridge which would secure victory!
A last roll of the dice for Chris - and his luck held, the Cromwell was immobilised! Cachu! (as they apparently say in the Valleys).
The Welsh infantry continued their unspectacular, but effective, slow and steady advance with 2nd...
1st...
And 3rd Platoons all getting into the village.
However the bad day for the tanks of the Welsh Guards was not over as the Panther spotted a target heading towards the bridge...
And slammed a 75mm round into its rear!
At this point we had to call it a day as I had roadie duties to perform back in Bristol for son and heir.
Chris was very magnanimous and said he thought it was a British victory. It was true that the Welsh infantry had largely invested the town but six Cromwells lay burning on the battlefield, as well as one being immobilised and whilst they Guards still had two Cromwells and two Fireflys left to deal with the Panther, any claim of victory would definitely be pyrrhic. A draw was probably a fair result.
Another good game of I Ain't Been Shot Mum against a gracious opponent with a genial umpire (even if he thinks Panther tanks were fitted with x-ray equipment that can see through smoke in 1944!), I am starting to appreciate the rules a lot more (and might even remember to use tactics from the start) - who knows I might have to raise a small 15mm force of my own...
