Bolt Action Batrep - DAK vs US

US Medic "Whats with all this smoke?"

It was club night last night and I’d arranged a game with long time Bolt Action opponent Geraint and his US regulars. Both Geraint and I jumped in to Bolt Action at the very beginning and are still enjoying the game primarily because we maintain the historical approach rather than the points squeeze that others seem to doing.

Anyway we set our game after the Torch landings whilst the US were still finding their fee. The scenario was envelopment from the rule book with the setting being a Motorised DAK platoon trying to return to their company through a US defensive line after a successful raid.

Me - 1000pts DAK

Leutnant with adjutant (veteran, Kubelwagen with MMG)

Air observer with radio op (veteran, Kubelwagen with MMG)

10 x Veterans (LMG, SMG, rifles)

9 x Veterans (LMG, SMG, rifles, Truck)

9 x Veterans (LMG, SMG, rifles)

Light Mortar (Veteran)

AT Rifle (Veteran)

PAK 36 AT Gun (regular, Truck)

SdKfz 222 (regular)

Note: My DAK force is in a state of flux at the moment. We agreed 1000pts and at that size I need to take veterans to meet the total. However I am adding to the platoon (I have another Perry box to paint up) and will be downgrading the Veterans to Regular as I complete them. That’s why there are a mix of ratings (I’m not being beardy, honest!).

Geraint - 1000pts US

1st Lieutenant (regular)

Medic (regular)

Artillery Observer (regular)

10 x Regulars (SMG, BAR)

10 x Regulars (SMG, BAR)

10 x Regulars (SMG, BAR, M3A1)

Light Mortar (regular)

Bazooka Team (regular)

MMG team (Regular)

M10 Tank destroyer (regular)

Deployment

We diced off for board edge with Geraint choosing the more open table edge thus providing him very clear fields of fire (no sneaking for me). As the scenario is scored through victory points (defender = 2 VP’s for each enemy unit destroyed, Attacker = 1 VP per unit destroyed, 2 VP’s for each unit in the defenders deployment zone and 3 VP’s for each unit that leaves the defenders board edge) Geraint clearly saw the benefit of a nice killing field in the area I would gain the most VP’s (his deployment zone). He then promptly plonked half his force down (2 Infantry squads, HQ, Medic, Mortar and MMG) in a nice neat group around his HQ and waited for my preliminary bombardment.

“Anything but a one” I cry, and promptly roll a one.

So my bombardment doesn’t arrive, none of his units receive pins and I then place my force. I opt to put everything down at once, figuring that I can try and quickly punch though and get Geraint reacting to my movement rather than the other way round. So I place some infantry and mortart in the centre behind a hill, my truck, HQ Kubel and 222 on the right flank and the Pak36 Truck, Observer Kubel and AT Rifle on the left flank.

Turn 1

I get a load of dice and throw smoke at the village in the centre and advance everything 12”, except for the force on the left which runs 24” as it is currently unopposed. Geraint meanwhile moves almost all his stuff into the village, his MMG and both Infantry units into buildings. No shooting this round!

The US occupy the village

Looks like I'm making a move for the US left flank doesn't it?

Turn 2

Things get nasty with all Geraint’s reserves turning up (so much for me punching through). I lob more smoke, Geraint puts his infantry in the buildings into Ambush, causes pins on the truck mounted infantry with the MMG and fails to hit with the M10 main gun. However his pintle HMG caused pins on my truck. On my left the previously unopposed Pak 36, Observer and AT Rifle were now opposed. By a darned M3A1 mounted infantry squad and bazooka team. Bang! Kubelwagen is toast with my observer taking cover and my Truck takes pins and I fail my orders test and go down.

Turn 3

Geraint gets dice first, arghhhhh. Fires at the truck mounted infantry and fails to hit with his M10. Ha! I then fail to pass the order on my Truck with the driver huddling in the footwell. My Leutnant, incensed by this cowardice leaps from his Kubelwagen and runs over to remonstrate with the driver (and provide the much needed +1 morale to the infantry on board). I then pass my order test and jump my infantry out who sprint for Geraints deployment zone (as the truck took pins the passengers also take them, thus reducing their morale!).

Pins and failed orders a-go-go

I also fail my orders test for the 222, the crew deciding that they need to have some kind of team building exercise rather than shoot the big tank!. Geraint then moves one of his infantry squads out of a building to intercept my rush for the board edge.

Meanwhile my infantry in the centre decide to slide left in the cover of the hill and move round the village. On the right flank I drag my Pak 36 onto the hill, make a loud pinging noise on the side of the M3A1 with my AT rifle and advance my observer away from the now advancing GI’s onto the hill to then call in an air strike on the M10 (which arrives in subsequent turns after calling it in).

"Stay in the cover boys"

Turn 4

Geraint artillery barrage is delayed so he moves it forward to keep up with my advance on the right. I manage to mount up my other infantry unit in the truck, remount my HQ in the Kubel and lob more smoke. Geraint then assaults my AT Rifle, cruelly gunning down the two man team with his infantry squad that had recently dismounted from the M3A1. However this gets my Observer and assistant very angry and with surprising dice rolls they assault and destroy an 8 man squad. 

"Get that bloody AT gun out of the way, we're trying to shoot the half track"

Once again the M10 fails to achieve anything this turn, Geraints infantry also fail, however in fairness my shooting achieves very little too.

I dash my 222 forward to fire at the M10 but all it does is make a nice pinging noise on the armour.

Turn 5

Darned artillery comes in and piles a bunch of pins on my right flank advance, however Geraint ends up with a few too (M10, Infantry and Observer). Oh and it obliterates my 222. Then my bloody plane comes in, putting pins on everyone around the M10 but failing to damage the tank itself. Geraint gets dice first and moves his HQ to within range of his tank, passes the orders test and shoots at my truck but misses again (bad tank!!). This turn I manage to advance my truck into his deployment zone along with my HQ although I lose the HQ Kubel.

In the centre I lob more smoke and make a dash round the village with my other infantry unit, taking a couple of casualties from Geraints fire.

On the left the Pak 36 makes loud pinging noises on the M10, the M3A1 takes revenge on my observer who falls to the combined fire of .30 and .50 calibre guns.

Turn 6

Its getting quite close now, I get some early dice and fail my orders test to drive my truck off the board. However the rules don’t seem to stop me dismounting my infantry if the vehicle fails an order so I jump out and leg it off the board. Meanwhile my other infantry unit on the right is pinned to hell and back and stays put however my HQ’s sees an opportunity to strike a blow against the cursed Yankees and guns down the US artillery observer in their dash for the board edge, however they can’t quite leave the table. 

More pins a-go-go from the artillery and plane

On the left my remaining infantry unit take fire however not enough to stop them running into Geraint’s deployment zone. And we called the game there as we had run out of time although in the scenario rules you have to roll a 4+ to get a another turn anyway.

So what was the result. Well at the start of turn 6 it was 12/9 in Geraint’s favour however at the end of turn 6 I had managed to scrape together a further 4 points, ending up with a 12/13 win for me. I have since owned up to the fact that after reviewing my list I was actually 4pts over what we agreed and as such didn’t win after all (my Pak 36 was regular and not veteran as I had been playing it!).

So another good game, it swung back and forth with both of us using the full width of the board. Desert games are tough as you have to brave quite a lot of fire whilst trying to achieve your objectives. Geraint cleverly occupied the buildings the centre thereby creating a defensive stronghold that dictated my movement to some degree. He was terribly unlucky with his M10 however my order tests were appalling, both of us agreeing that the pin mechanic in Bolt Action replicates the problems of command and control extremely well. So we’ve another game lined up in a couple of weeks where I’ll hopefully be the defender without any transports (if I get my other Perry DAK sorted in time).