Meeting Engagement in No Man’s Land
Elite British Rifles vs. German Stormtroopers
Amiens Sector, June 1918

Okay, now that I have my British and French armies built for Valor & Victory 1918 Edition, it’s time to give them a try against Imperial German Army and German storm troopers.

Situation – Somewhere near Villers-Brettoneaux, Amiens Sector, northern France – June, 1918

During the course of the German “St. Michael Offensive” (launched on 21 March, 1918), the British Fifth Army and much of the Third Army has been largely destroyed. The remnants were pushed back toward Amiens until a heroic stand finally stabilized the line near Villers-Brettoneaux. Savage fighting bought the British time to reinforce this sector – and further battles fought through the end of April and into early May saw the line finally stabilize. Now, as the heaviest offensives shift to other sectors of the front (the Georgette Offensive to the north in Flanders and the Blücher Offensive to the south at Chemin des Dames in the south), the Amiens front settles into a deathly, exhausted calm.

Still, the British and Germans divisions facing each other here jockey for position, probing each others’ positions for weaknesses. Between the trenches in one section of no-man’s land, a small French village and a thicket of shell-shattered woods offers an apparently advantageous position for observation or even a springboard for further trench assaults.

A veteran company of British rifles (Princess Charlotte of Wales’ Royal Berkshire Regiment – 53rd Brigade, 18th Division – III Corps – Fourth Army) is sent as a “reconnaissance in force” to this position, with orders to scout its feasibility as an advanced regiment position. If feasible, they are to take this position and fortify it against enemy counterattack, so they bring a weapons section of Vickers machine gus and Stokes mortars.

The trouble is, a kompanie of German “stosstruppen” has the same orders … and although slightly outnumbered, the Germans have reached the village first.

BRITISH FORCES: Company Commander Captain Lea (-2 rating, Elite). Three platoons of veteran “elite” rifles (4-5-4 *E). Each platoon as a -1 leader (Lieutenants Wheeler, McCabe, and Flynn), two and a half squads, and a further half-squad carrying a Lewis Gun. The company also has a weapons section under Lt. Goddard, with two Vickers HMG teams and a 3” Stokes mortar team.

5 officers, 84 men.

GERMAN FORCES: Kompaniechef Hauptmann Bothi (-2 rating, Elite). Three platoons of elite “stosstruppen” (6-4-5 *E). Each platoon has a -1 leader (Leutnants Steiner, Ritter, Werner), two squads, and a half-squad carrying an MG 08 15 LMG. The company also has a weapons section under Leutnant Neuman, with two MG 08 HMGs and a 7.58cm “Minenwerfer” mortar team

5 officers, 72 men.

VICTORY CONDITIONS – 4 points for every building hex occupied. 2 points for every fill squad left. 1 point for every half squad left.

The Germans enter the board and occupy four building hexes. Some of these can only be reached thorough “assault movement” step at the end of the turn.

The British come on second and occupy five building hexes. Already they are winning the game, the Germans will be forced to come to them. Germans get first crack at the British, though, though opportunity fire. But the British have approached from behind buildings, moving up through the buildings, so by the time the Germans see them, the British are getting benefit of buildings’ cover.

Those few platoons that are not, like Lt. McCabe ‘s platoon in the south, are carefully placed so the majority of the German stormtrooper squads cannot reach him.

Note the German squads get the higher antipersonnel firepower (APFP) of “6”, but the shorter range of “4”. This is because as stormtroopers, they are heavily armed with MP 18 SMGs and extra pistols, shorter versions of the Gewehr 98 “Karbiner” and such, i.e., heaver firepower at a shorter range. Meanwhile, the British are carrying the reliable Lee Enfield (APFP of 4, but range of 5).

As long as we’re discussing unit factors here, the British and Germans both have “veteran” forces here, so get the tougher “5” for casualty rating (last of the three large numbers).

German opportunity fire is a complete whiff here, with 2d6 rolls of 9, 11, and 11 (low numbers are better in this game) – so the British occupy these commanding positions with no problems whatsoever and no losses at all.

TURN 02

The Germans are in a bad position here, I realize I may have designed a poor scenario. With a smaller number of units on the table and with the British pretty much automatically going to get five initial building hexes thanks to the board layout, the “burden of the offensive” is on the Germans, they HAVE to assault. The British can afford to just sit back and defend, if they maintain the status quo, they win (more squads and half squads, more building hexes).

Still, these are stosstruppen, infantry units designed to assault. So let’s give it a go.

In the north, the order is given to Leutnant Werner. Leutnant Neuman’s mortar drops a smoke screen. Hauptmann Bothi coordinates MG fire from two MG 08 positions on Captain Lea’s position, but this has no effect. Leutnant Werner launches his assault, using the cover of woods and smoke screen to cover his assault. Lieutenant Flynn’s platoon must have been surprised by the audacity of this charge, because with an “11” his opportunity fire does nothing despite a -2 point blank modifier. The small Lewis Gun team to the northwest also has no effect. Lieutenant Goddard’s Vickers team has a little more luck, inflicting one casualty point along with the positions of Captain Lea (under the “Fire Lane” marker) and Lieutenant McCabe. So three casualty points overall are inflicted, which the Germans decide to “pay for” by knocking out a half-squad in their platoon.

The assault goes in. The Germans, sadly for them, roll a 9, and the assault is a bloody disaster for them. Lieutenant Flynn’s platoon repels the assault, inflicting the grisly total of nine casualty points (4 British units in the hex + 3 for the building + missed the required roll by 2 = 9). Eight points are removed (a full 5-point squad and another 3 point half squad), with the past half squad being pinned and then rallied by Leutnant Werner.

Lt. Flynn, for his part, is trying to keep losses down among his men. He’s required to pay four casualty points for repelling the failed assault (4 German units in that platoon). He knocks one his 5-point squads down to a 2-point half squad (thus paying 3), then has to pin one half-squad to pay the last point. He fails to rally this, however.

More to come tomorrow! 😀