In the build up to the Bristol Lardy Day Winter Wonderlard II last February, Phil and Jenny asked Andy and myself if we'd be guinea pigs to try the 15mm I Ain't Been Shot Mum scenario they planned to run - Relieving St Omer. Set during the Blitzkrieg in May 1940 the game was (if I recall correctly) based around efforts by the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment attempting to relieve the French defenders of St Omer who were under attack by the 1st Panzer Division. Phil and Jenny always put on a lovely table...
The main road had two groups of refugees on who were subject to random movement if the Germans got too close and were to prove more of an obstacle to the British than the Germans...
Taking charge of the Germans I pushed my light tanks forward towards the village, looking to blitz Jenny's French before Andy's British turned up to rescue them. The Panzer II's pushed up on the German right...
With the Panzer I's moving forward more centrally.
Reaching the main road the Panzer I's soon encountered the enemy...
A 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun opening fire...
Damaging the optics of the lead Panzer I and inflicting some Shock on the crew.
A second 25mm revealed itself further to the left of the town, but its shot at the advancing Panzer II's missed.
Return fire caused the gun to become obscured but also prevented it targeting the Panzer II's....
Who rapidly pushed forward towards the French gun whilst it couldn't shoot at them!
Meanwhile the Panzer I's tried to move into machine-gun range of the French gun to their front...
Only for one to take a 25mm shell through its front armour and explode!
With the recce elements engaged, the main German force moved up, a platoon of Panzer 38(t)'s and three platoons of lorry mounted infantry.
But as the main German force arrived so did the British, their reinforcements led by a platoon of Matilda I's...
Swiftly followed by some A13 Cruiser tanks.
Meanwhile the German Panzer II's had reached the anti-tank gun position and were pouring 20mm cannon fire into it, killing some of the crew members and inflicting Shock on the rest.
However, as they dispatched one problem another appeared, French infantry in the nearby wood...
More British armour then arrived, two A9's supported by an A10.
With the British armour rushing down the road, the Germans attempted to get their slow moving lorries across the road so to de-bus the infantry and attack the village...
And whilst the Panzer 38(t)'s moved forward to engage the British tanks...
The A9's managed to spot the German lorries and destroy them, inflicting minor casualties on the occupants.
The Matilda I's swept around the garage moving towards the enemy infantry now on foot in the open...
Pushing past the surviving Panzer I which had gone to ground!
The A10 pushed on alone towards the French in the village...
Whilst the German armour scattered the refugees and fired at the A10!
Three 37mm shells hammered into the British tank knocking out is 2 pounder main gun and inflicting Shock on the crew.
Return fire from the A9's hit the Panzer 38(t)'s inflicting some Shock on the platoon and immobilising the platoon commander's tank.
Boldly the British armour moved down the road...
Whilst some newly arrived Panzer I's decided discretion was the better part of valour when your tank only has two machine-guns and hid.
The German infantry had by now managed to get across the road and were looking to consolidate before moving on the village.
However this was becoming a tank battle and with the Panzer II's having destroyed the French anti-tank gun they brought their 20mm cannon to the party alongside the Panzer 38(t)'s...
The Panzer II's proved quite effective with one destroying and A13 which had rashly advanced too far and presented its flank to the panzer gunner.
The German armour pushed on...
First destroying one of the A9's...
And then immediately after the second.
With only two A13's remaining providing any anti-tank capacity and faced with several Panzers hunting them down, the British armour decided to withdraw and leave the French with no option to surrender...
An enjoyable game, as much as I Ain't Been Shot Mum is a company level infantry game, it is a lot of fun when you start playing tank battles with it!
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