3: A Withering Right Hook

Sit Rep: Sturmgruppe Beton

Vroenhoven, Belgium, 10 May 1940

A dangerous salient in the Belgian frontier defenses was centered on the city of Maastricht. Due to treatise and pre-war politics the Belgian army was unable to effectively garrison the approaches to the Belgian territory over the Albert Canal. The capture of the bridges over the canal at the towns of Vroenhoven, Veldwelezt and Kannes was critical to the success of Army Group B's invasion of the west. In a daring coup de main assault glider-borne paratroopers in the pre-dawn hours of the 10th May captured the bridges at  Vroenhoven and Veldwelezt. The bridge at Kannes was blown by defending Belgian forces prior to its capture. The Belgian High Command responded with repeated assaults, both ground based and by air, to recapture or destroy the captured bridges. The beleaguered German paratroopers resolutely defended in place awaiting relief by the main body of the German invasion. 

So once more the French deck was in use as the German offensive on Belgium continued. With James losing the last game he gained the opportunity to choose forces and swayed be the horror experienced in the Belgian fort he dismissed them in favour of the far smaller German defensive group. 

An important element of this campaign was the exit and entry point on the Axis board edge was restrict to two hexes in one corner (N10 and 010), representing the road to the bridge. Accordingly the Germans set up inn the fortified positions of the buildings surrounding the area.

As a result of the setup the plucky Belgians saw an opportunity of flanking the buildings and set up accordingly. 3 BAR, one elite team and Sgt Rochefort set up in the extreme opposite corner (A2 and B2) with the hope running across the map into the relative cover of the woods before the German light MG could redeploy. This manoeuvre was supported by the Belgian HMG in the building and the Medium mortar by the road (in the open due to its ability to outrange the german position.

The game began swimmingly for the Belgians who by the end of their second turn had succeeded in getting 2 move action on the BAR crossing the field with no response AND Breaking both units in the LMG hex. an 18FP fit from the mortar looked to have killed them both only for James to manage to save both without the use of initiative.

Very quickly indeed things looked like this!

What could go wrong thought our cheesy Belgian hero, now positioned in the woods behind German lines, safe in the knowledge that any reinforcements could only emerge from the other side of the buildings which would soon cover them as they hopped the fence and advanced into the orchard.

Well... Operation Grande Fromage it was not as a series of faltering attacks followed by (you guessed it) random events and ultimately dubious generalship conspired to ruin the Belgians sojourn towards the river. 

With yet more move cards in hand the Belgians hoped to jump into the houses in one move, however Rochefort and his troops were slowed by the woods they had entered along with the fence meaning a single move wouldn't see them safe. Instead an advance was chosen shuffling the troops along one in the hope that more impressive heavy fire would hamper german defences. The move was made but the fire attack the following turn failed with the mortar jamming and a quick advace from the leftmost German squad combined with a rallying LMG resulted in Roquefort questioning his safety and pulling back into the woods. 

The faltered advance was soon to suffer a further set back as two hidden troops appeared in the buildings for the Germans. First a HMG pops its head out from the support table and then the hero arrives to aid the leftmost Germans in the hope of stopping the assault in the buildings. All of a sudden the Germans don't look quite such a measly bunch!!!

Somewhat panicked by the growing german presence Rochefort pushes his men forward supported by smoke and makes it halfway to the buildings miraculously avoiding damage. Once again things are looking in the balance, if the Belgians can just get another move order.

A further turn passes with no damage and Belgian prayers are answered as another move order is found. The BAR push on and despite the first unit getting snagged in wire things are looking good. This success occurring despite the new German HMG rendering all supporting fire useless as the Belgian HMG and its commander are broken on the other side of the field. 

The Belgian attack then slows as cards dry up and no assault is found a number of turns pass as both sides try to cycle their decks. Things go from bad to worse for the Belgian HMG crew as their still broken commander is KIA with an event and then a time advance sees the German airdrop enter the game and a second HMG carried onto the field.

An advance card arrives just in time for Rochefort and they hop into the house ambushing the hero as they enter and winning the assault by 2 points after the Germans burnt the initiative card.

Unfortunately the racket they cause see some of the big guns turn around and the plucky sergeant is soon broken in the houses. 

As the Germans draw the Elan event increasing there surrender level to 6 things are looking tough as hopes of a big assault to win the game become more difficult. Then in the panic Rochefort make a fateful error. Having rallied and looking to pick his way through the houses he assaults the left most LMG para regiment only he (read I) forgets that his support is a mere Elite team and the BAR's are too far behind to help. The result is bloody and Rochefort dies a brave but foolish hero!

This occurrence is quickly followed by the cower event and with 2 of the 3 Belgian leaders now gone most of the troops become suppressed. It is now just a matter of time before the Belgians are destroyed. 

The HMG continue to hammer away. the most notable incident being a FP25 fire attack on an unbroken BAR unit coinciding with a sniper in the exact same hex. Presumably the HMG fire took out a floor of the building!!!

With the Belgians one unit short of their surrender limit sudden death is reached and the game ends. The Germans holding a dominant 25VP victory. 

(Ignore the German hero he should have been back in the counter bag)

Things had looked good for the Belgians early but once again the difficulty in discarding slowed their attack and when the mortar did hit regular use of concealment saved the german position from breaking. The final line up of Germans in the houses with 2HMG was frankly frightening!!

The Germans win and James gets his first victory of the war!!!

Part 2 - That is totally Belgium.

26 April, 1940. Scenario 79: Battering ram at Kvam – Kvam, Norway (Fall of the West, Map 56)

From the playbook: In an effort to shore up the crumbling defences in southern Norway the British reassigned the 15^th Infantry Division to lead the defence in the Gudbrandsdal Valley on 23 April. The 15^th consisted of regular troops originally destined for the BEF in France but transferred to Norway in great secrecy. The German advance up the Gudbrandsdal Valley was led by Colonel Landle’s 345^th Infantry Regiment of the 196^th Infantry Division. The First Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry established a blocking position at Kvam on 24 April and the Germans assaulted on the following day. The initial German assaults were repulsed with heavy British losses but not without the loss of several German AFVs as well. On 26 April the 345^th renewed their assault with infantry only and were able to penetrate between the defending companies, forcing a British withdrawal in the evening.

Dan took the defending Brits and James attacked with the Germans. The British deployed a high line at row 5 on the right, using the woods in front of the train station on the right, the houses around objective 5 in the middle and the hedges and fences on the left with a mortar team sat deep. Germany placed the infantry gun on the road leading to the foxhole in L7 and deployed the rest of the troops on the right amongst the brush, shielded by a wooded area.

Early on the German infantry gun along with Lt Lauerbach move into the foxhole at L7 along with the MG team already there and begin pounding the British forces in the building along the road. The Brits break and look to be facing early elimination when the IG jams and Sgt Casey’s men arrive at the treeline open fire on Lauerbach’s position, allowing the men in the house to recover.

Meanwhile Sge Pfeiffer on the German right move out of the brush and into the wooded area on rows K and L but five time advances in the space of one cycle through of the German deck puts the pressure to move firmly on. The Allies also see events that bring the British hero in to play and allows a secret objective to be drawn.

Back at the foxhole at L7 things take a turn for the worse for the Germans when the infantry gun is eliminated, Lauerbach attempts to get his men firing again but a sniper trigger breaks him for the second time and he is eliminated. Moments later another sniper event causes light wounds tp the rifle squad in the foxhole and within a single turn the left and central areas are brought under control by the defenders.

The allies then move their men up the hill and dig into a position ahead of Pfeiffer’s. The Germans tamely attempt an attack but the defences are too strong. Further time advances come around and the Germans, unable to find a way through, withdraw, bringing the game to a close for an allied VP victory and a third straight win for Dan.

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10 May, 1940. Scenario 75: Sturmgruppe Granit – Fort Eben Emael, Maastrict vicinity, Beligium.

From the playbook: Positioned directly in the path of Army Group B’s invasion route for Fall Gelb, Fort Eben Emael was considered one of the strongest fortresses in the world. The fort’s elimination was crucial to the success of the German operational plan. In a daring coup de main assault 77 German paratroopers, designated Sturmgruppe Granit, landed in gliders on top of the fort, subduing the defenders and neutralising the fort’s large guns within 30 minutes. The assault, coupled with the successful capture of nearby bridges over the Albert Canal, cleared the way for Army Group B’s advance into Belgium. The fall of the west had begun.

Dan took the attacking German’s and James, looking for his first win of the war, took the defending Belgians. German deployment is specified in the scenario. James placed his Belgians in bunker positions and hoped for some fire cards.

Germany took the first turn and immediately placed a 9 hindrance smoke grenade in between the Germans in L7 and the Belgian machine guns in the bunker at M6 and then began moving through the brush toward Cupola 120. It was not long before bunker at C6 was isolated by and the Germans moving in from I7. A brutal melee ensued wiping out the Belgians who had been broken when the bunker was destroyed and giving Germany control of objective 3. It was a rough start for the defenders.

Back at Cupola 120, the guns at M6 desperately fire on the parachute unit moving towards the high VP target and manage to break it. Smart use of the light wounds action kept the German unit unbroken and allowed for the capture of the objective the following turn, swinging the points towards the axis.

A brief moment of hope for the defenders as reinforcements arrive on the right of the map and the Belgian 75mm gun comes into play. German movement towards the left of the map draws the defending units out of the objective at M6 but a quick change of direction allows the Germans to easily subdue the bunker and capture the objective. With the casualties now racking up and the elimination of two bunkers meaning the eliminated units wont be coming back, the fort looked to be ready to fall. Germany pressed home their advantage after rolling on the support table and gaining 150mm artillery support. Bombardment began and the Belgian reinforcements were broken and then routed off the map.

With Belgium occupying objectives 1 and 4 and being pounded with artillery and squeezed from both sides (and worried about the flamethrower that another roll on the support table had brought into play for the Germans) and surrender imminent it was clear that there was no way back. The fort had fallen. Time advanced signalling a bloody German victory and Dan’s fourth straight victory.

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4 games in and Dan is unbeaten whilst the axis and allies are on 2 wins each.

Next time we stay on 10th May for scenario 75, Sturmgruppe Beton.

Thanks for reading,

D&J

And so it begins...

The aim is simple: to play all the Combat Commander Europe missions in chronological order. In practice this may be more difficult because of the volume of missions and because there are only two of us doing it. So, will we make it to the end? Who will win the most games? (James or Dan, Axis or Allies) Will we still like Combat Commander by the time we've finished?

Following are brief reports on each mission (in the future we will pop some pics up too). We will include the scenario background, VP scores, notable incidents, and a death count just in case it ends 66-all at the end and we we need some sort of goal difference for ties!

Here is a map displaying the situation after a number of German acts of aggression that began in 1936

We begin our scenarios in 1939, Germany has invaded Poland and the Second World War is now 14 days old.

Let the fun commence!

1) 15 Septemper 1939. Scenario 14: At the crossroads – Sochczew, Poland (Combat Commander: Mediterranean, map 14)

From the playbook: On 9 September, the Polish Poznan Army, encircled by the rapid German advance, attempted to force a crossing of the Bzura River to the southeast. This attack inadvertently allowed time for the Polish Pomorze Army – also trapped in the pocket – to regroup further east near the Kampinos Forest. Many attempts were made by elements of the Pozmorze Army to affect a withdrawal from the pocket east towards Warsaw; by the middle of the month, however, only two divisions had made the escape.

On September 15, one such skirmish saw a company of Polish regulars attempt a breakout along an infrequently used farm road.

Deployment sees the Germans placed first and the buildings and shrubbery are used to good effect in an attempt to maximize cover but numbers are limited. The Open objective for the map was double exit vps increasing the value for the Poles exit move. However, the Polish also drew double exit vps as a secret objective meaning few Poles needed to break for victory, gaining 8 points for every squad that broke through. 

The game begins with little polish movement and German success in pinning their opponents, though no casualties are inflicted. A quick succession of time advances bring German reinforcements into play allowing them to cover the right flank that appears most at threat from some Poles trying to sprint through corn fields. The time advances also pushed VPs to 8 for the Axis.  

However, removal of a German squad, leader and weapon at building in objective 5 hex (G3, adjacent to Polish setup position) achieved through firepower 13 fire group appears to turn the tide. This is followed by excellent consecutive use of Smoke Grenades action which, combined with bad draws for Germany, sees Poland exit several units for big points. The Germans have no time to respond as the time track is sped along and Sudden death reached on the first roll. Low casualities: 1 german rifle squad and 1 leader eliminated, no Poles. 4 objectives to Germans, 1 to Poles. 20 vp victory to Poland. 

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Beep B. B. Beep. B. B. B. (Later that year in freezing Finland)

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2) 12 December 1939. Scenario 20: A march in December – Tolvajarvi, Finland (Combat Commader: Mediterranean, map 20)

From the playbook: As two battalions of Belyayev’s 139^th Rifle Division skirted the north end of Lake Hirvasjari in an attempt to outflank the Finnish defenders of Tolvajari, one company was sent forward along a forest pathto the southwest. As discipline within the group slackened and they began singing patriotic marching songs –likely brought on by the extra vodka rations issued just that morning – nearby elements of the Task Force Pajari were alerted to their imminent arrival and set up an ambush for the unsuspecting soviet force.

Deployment for this scenario was a killer as the Russians had to deploy first along the road allowing the Finns to ambush and aim for weak spots, Group fire was limited to three hexes by the terrain but the woods from which the ambushers are situated give good cover and allow for sustained fire as the Russians failed to move off the road. 

The Finns split the Russians into 3 groups and appeared to have the battle sewn up but the attack slowed down, due to units being broken up and the the strung out units suffering from limited command ranges. Two Russian walking wounded events keep their numbers up despite the losses, including the return of the leader who is able to reorder the central group still in control of one of the HMGs. 

With the score 24VPs in favor of the Axis the Russians launch a desperate fight back with a string of melee attacks resulting in some success, even reducing the scores to VP parity for a short moment. However the valiant wounded Sergeant got himself killed in the final push, swinging the score back in favour of the Finns as time ran out. 

Casualties were high, Russia – 8 squads, 2 teams and one leader eliminated. Finns – 5 squads, 1 team and 1 leader eliminated. Russians retain all objectives but for a very limited VP gain. 10 VP victory for the sneaky Finnish.