Some weeks ago we fought Battle 6 - the last battle of our France 1940 Chain of Command campaign (or, hopefully, only the last battle of the first chapter of the France 1940 campaign).
In preparation for this battle I made quite a few paper buildings with the intention of filling up around half a 6'x'4' table (I probably got enough for a third of a table in the end, though still have a few unbuilt structures, like a large church to finish off). For this I used a BattleLands Normandy 1944 set from Microtactix available from Wargames Vault and printed out several copies of some of the smaller buildings. This set is really comprehensive and looks great, especially with the extra bits like the awnings on the shops and cafes.
Prelude
Major Roscoe Sloan lowered his binoculars and scowled at the column of grey trucks, cars, motorcycles and armoured vehicles - still distant but closing rapidly. The 12th Derwents were on the back foot, thanks largely to the disappointing performance of his own A Company. MAJ Sloan turned his scowl toward one of those disappointments: 2nd Lieutenant George Stephens, OC leading the composite 7/8 Platoon, standing beside him: "Here they come. Make sure your Platoon is ready, and tell the AT gunners to watch and shoot. Dismissed." The frail-looking young lieutenant saluted with a "yessir" and hurried off to his platoon, holding the buildings at the centre of the British line on the main road into Montmedy.
Next, MAJ Sloan turned to his other subordinate, Sergeant-Major (WOIII) Aiden Bannister, and simply nodded: Bannister knew what was needed. The short and stocky Australian leading 9 Platoon returned the nod, saluted and jogged off toward his platoon's fortified 'keep' at the left of the position, gripping his new Thompson submachinegun by its wooden stock. MAJ Sloan returned to scowling at the approaching Germans. There were three other companies in this battalion, but they were tied up holding off the Germans on the flanks. If the Germans broke through A Company now, the whole battalion would be withdrawn toward Sedan and the town left to the French to do their best.
Setting Up
The battle was a modified version of Big Chain of Command with three platoons a side. The Germans would have a few Panzergrenadier platoons in trucks from the Grossdeutschland Regiment, a five-tank Panzer III platoon, and an Sdkfz 222 armoured car and a motorcycle reconnaissance section (Folke-Baptiste and his riders to lead the assault and get more Iron Crosses!) in support. The British had two rifle platoons (7/8 Platoon composed of the remaining battle-ready men from 7 and 8 platoons, and the mostly intact 9 Platoon) and a supporting French reserve armour platoon of FT-17s.
The Germans Rush Ahead
Both sides rolled 11 for Force Morale and the Germans got the first phase. Folke-Baptiste's motorcyclists raced down the road toward the British left flank held by 9 Platoon, followed close behind by a Panzergrenadier section in trucks and their platoon commander in a field car. A 9 Platoon section under CPL Weston deployed to the three-level corner hotel (the Platoon's 'keep') and a French FT-17 from the Peloton Blindee Montmedy commanded by LT Felix Florian appeared at the end of the road. Both units opened up on Folke-Baptiste's men and the Germans took some hits.
A German light mortar opened fire on 9 Platoon's keep, inflicting a casualty, and more Panzergrenadier trucks appeared on the road to head toward the British positions. As the German motorcycle recon section tuned off the road toward cover, a the British opened up on them with a Vickers MMG from the top floor of the hotel. The 9 Platoon rifle section, now under the direct control of Sergeant-Major Bannister, joined in. The combined fire inflicted several casualties. Accompanied now by just a handful of survivors, Folke-Baptiste rushed into a house opposite the British and prepared to fire back with his MP38.
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| Grossdeutschland advances down the road, taking fire. The German motorcyclists have already rushed forward into cover. |
Exchanging Heavy Fire
Folke-Baptiste and his survivors (the MG38 team of his squad) exchanged heavy fire with a Vickers MMG in the upper levels of the keep and growing numbers of 9 Platoon troops, as the rest of the platoon's sections deployed and opened up from windows and doors across the street. Soon, only the German corporal was left standing - wounded, blasting away with his sub-machinegun, shouting defiantly and calling for someone to back him up.
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| The Vickers MMG switches fire between Folke-Baptiste's motorcycle troops and oncoming Grossdeutschland trucks on the road. |
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| Folke-Baptiste, alone, wounded, his section fallen around him, holding the fight almost single-handedly. |
The German motorcycle troops had been mostly dealt with or rendered combat ineffective by the fire of Bannister's 9 Platoon, LT Florian's FT-17, and especially LCPL Thomas O'Shaunessey's section. British attention was now drawn to peppering the Grossdeutschland trucks and cars racing down the road toward them, inflicting further casualties and even killing the Panzergrenadier platoon leader. In return, several British soldiers were hit, including O'Shaunessey himself, who was severely wounded.
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| The advancing Germans take heavy fire from 9 Platoon's strongly-held defensive line... |
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| ... It looked like there was no breaking through on this flank. |
The Germans try an armoured advance
In the German centre they deployed a Panzer III and then an Sdkfz 222 to push down the road. Within moments, they came under fire from an OQF 2-pounder anti-tank gun hidden in a small reserve on a roadside corner. Return fire from the Germans quickly killed the gun commander, Bombardier Millard Barrett.
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| LT Stephens (right lower corner) shouts target indications to the OQF 2-pounder (left lower corner, here represented by a yet-to-be-invented Sexton 25 pounder, because I forgot my models!) |
However, just as quickly, LT George Preston Stephens, leading the remnants of 7 and 8 Platoon, took control. Seeing the problem, he began shouting down target indications from the third floor of a hotel building. Despite continuing German fire, the 2-pounder under the command of Lance Bombardier Glenn Elmo was able to hit, damage and drive off the Panzer III. A second Panzer III turned up and was then also driven off by the 2-pounder with help from LT Stephens, though at the cost of another man, Private Darcy Osborne, KIA.
Aftermath
With the retreat of the Panzers and Grossdeutchsland and 90the Recon's advance bloodily stopped, the Germans quit the field. At last! A British victory! Finally a win for the 12th Derwents!
The British had lost two men killed (from the 2 pounder unit from the 1st Battery, 68th Brigade Anti-Tank Regiment), one many severely wounded (LCPL O'Shaunessey), and three other men slightly wounded. Major Sloan has recommended SGT Aiden Bannister for the Military Medal for handling the defence of the British keep and left-flank crossroads, and LT Stephens has somewhat redeemed himself.
An understrength 9 Platoon plus a single 2 pounder practically held the entire battle for the British, with 7/8 Platoon not really participating except as a force-in-being for the centre and right. The Germans were perhaps too reckless in driving down the road full-tilt in softskins and relying too much on the Panzers. Despite the lack of movement on the British side, it was a fun and challenging battle nevertheless.
As for Folke-Baptiste, he now has the Wound Badge, on top of the Iron Cross, and is trying to will himself through his recuperation to return to his unit at the front as soon as possible.
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| An overview of the battlefield during the game. |
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| A very approximate map of the table, showing British deployments and German advances throughout the battle. |
The Campaign Concludes - Overall German Victory
Montmedy was secure, at least for now. However, with five German victories and only one Allied win across the six battles of this campaign, it is clear that the British position here will very soon become untenable and the Derwents will have to withdraw or be outflanked.
Hopefully soon we will continue to follow the exploits of A Company of the 12th Derwent Light Infantry and their nemesis Folke-Baptiste of the 90. Aufklarungsregiment in a second campaign to follow this one. Chain of Command is a brilliant game, perfect for linked story campaigns, and the Platoon Forward and At the Sharp End supplements really add to the overall experience. The Too Fat Lardies have really done well with the whole Chain of Command game experience.
Next I would like to try a map-based campaign for Chain of Command, with a company or two a side, perhaps representing a fighting withdrawal by the 12th Derwents (and hopefully some French units) toward Sedan, pursued by fast-moving Grossdeutschland and 90. Auflkarungs units.
The overall situation for A Company, 12th Derwents is as follows. Of the 101 men of 7, 8 and 9 Platoon and the Company HQ who started the campaign, 70 are still fit to fight, 12 were severely wounded (not to return), and 19 were killed, including the Company 2IC. Most men have been wounded at least once. I put together records of the killed and seriously wounded from both the company and its attached supporting units:
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| The seriously wounded, including three wounded and captured. |
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| Wall of Remembrance - the KIA. |
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