Battle Barn Gamers

AFTER ACTION REPORTS

The After Action Report from Dan's Canvas Eagles game!! Loads of balloon bustng action!!

 Just click on the pic!!

Over Memorial Day weekend a few of the Battle Barn crew (Ron,  Joe, JD, Malcolm, Hugh) and some of the Maryland Gamers (Keith and Jeff) made the trek out to Gunny Phil's bunker near Front Royal for some grilling, eating and gaming (almost in that order).  Some sideline test firing of Phil's toys was also accomplished with a firm test result indicating ex-torpedomen (aka JD Squidward) should NOT be allowed near small arms. Large caliber guns he can handle but anything less than a 5-inch bore is too confusing!!

The weather was good, the AC was re-instated at the last minute, and the food was plentiful!!! We somehow overcame the urge for after-lunch naps and headed for the game tables in Phil's Fortresss of FOW (aka the basement). The tables were already set up with Joe's terrain and only the troops had to be put in place. Two games were planned. One was the Beach assault at Normandy

and the other was Death  from Above set in the hedgerows of Normandy

 Mission Scenario: Death from Above, Africa book
Phil and Ron took command of the American paratroopers while Keith fielded the Germans.

Deployment: 

German force of 1750 (2250) points/12 platoons deploys 6
platoons while 6 are held in scattered reserves. 

American Paras 1750points/5 platoons deploy via parachute drop rules.  30/35% loss of US forces during drop. (OUCH)

Turn 1: Germans unpin all platoons but 2.  One German reinforcement platoon enters board on top of US Rifle Platoon. Germans fire on all American platoons with the loss of a few stands of troops including the platoon commander of the 1st platoon.  One American Rifle platoon is now combat ineffective. 

             Americans: One stand of troops come on the board, Americans consolidate and fire on a few platoons, Germans suffer minimal loss.  Sniper pins gun platoon and takes out one German field gun.
 

Turn 2:  Two more German platoons enter the board.  One the same as the last platoon, the other on top of the combat ineffective Para platoon.  Americans suffer more losses including the loss of the sniper in the tower. 

              Americans: One more stand of misdrops come on the board.  2IC takes over platoon that lost its PC.  Para's call in 81 mortars on German infantry while the rifle teams take out a few stands of Germans.  Para sniper enters game.

Trn 3: Daylight and two more German platoons enter the board.  Germans take out a few more American stands and tighten the noose.  Americans are pretty much surrounded. 

            Americans:  Paras launch a last ditch effort with an all out assault toward an objective.  Germans counter-attack with two platoons making the last two American rifle platoons drop below 50%.  Both platoons pass morale.

Turn 4:  Game is called with the realization that there is no hope of the
Paras winning.  At this point it is discovered the Germans are using a
2250pt force vice a 1750 point force as directed by the scenario for DFA.
(Good OPSEC, Keith!!!!) German player acknowledged the misunderstanding of the scenario. Due to the  lopsided forces, the cows are awarded the victory and claim the field!!!

Beach Assault

Malcolm and JD led teh German defenders while Jeff and Hugh took command of the American assault forces.

Turn 1 began with Naval Fire support raining down on the German defenders but without much effect. The American Rangers attempted to come ashore but the rip tide held them off the coast. However teh engineers and an infantry platoon did manage to hit the beach  and move toward teh sea wall.

The Germans opened fire from their dug-in positions but failed to dislodge the American toe-hold on the beach. 

Turns 2 and 3 saw more of the same sort of action with the Americans getting landing craft to shore and back out to sea to load more troops while the German defenders blasted away with minimal effect. Naval gun fire continued to provide good support keeeping the Germans pinned down and was supported by an American unit of Priests firing from aboard their landing ship!! By the end of Turn 4 the Rangers had moved to the base of the cliff below the main German bunker and, while hit hard by German crossfire, were ready to launch an assault up the cliff.

Turn 4 saw the Rangers assault the German bunker, take it out, and move to take control of one of teh objectives. The Rangers were pretty well shot to pieces at that point so it was good that, to that point, no German reserves had come on table and no German forces were close enough to econtest the Rangers control. Exhausted, they dug in and prepared to hold.

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Turns 5 and 6 saw more US forces landing almost withouot oppostion as teh German defenders were being driven back from teh beach by US infantry and engineers. The German commander repeatedly called for reserves but none began arriving until Turn 6 by which time US forces were pretty firmly established atop the cliffs and set to move inland to seize the second objective.

In the next couple of turns the Germans began to get reserves forward but it was a case of too little, too late. They did fight a short assualt action on the edge of the village, contesting control of the last objective but the combination of US artillery fire and strong infantry forces on the ground drove the Germans back and ended any hope of stopping teh American move off the beaches and into Normandy. Turn 8 saw the end of the battle. Malcolm had been abandoned by his dice (How can ya NOT get at least one 6 when ya roll seven dice??!) while the American dice had been HOT (Could not not roll a 6!) Some would quip that that explains the light US casualties but we all know it was the inspired leadership of the American commanders!!! (That's the story and I'm sticking to it!)

All in all, a fun game storming beaches!!