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| 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!
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| The US occupy the village |
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| 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!).
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| 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).
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| "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.
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| "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.
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| 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).
