Battle Report Part 03 – 36th Ulster Division at Courtrai (October 19 1918)

The firefight between “Johnston’s Company” 12th Royal Irish Rifles / 36th Ulster Division and “Bothi’s Kompanie” / 12th Bavarian Division in the streets of Courtrai, Belgium … continues.

When we left off, the Germans were doing very well in the west, where a powerful counterassault had actually eliminated McAuley’s platoon, and Lyons’ platoon on the far west was pinned down in the open having failed an assault against the German wing.  Somehow Lyons and his survivors weren’t killed in the next phase of German fire, and now he’s managed to call in a smoke mission from the company mortar section, MG fire from one of the Vickers sections, covering a withdraw back to safety in the ruins of bombed-out building.  German opportunity fire has missed, somehow Lyons has survived with enough of his platoon to  … in the turn or two … put it together with the company reserve to form a new platoon that will hold together the Irish right wing.

Meanwhile, things are going badly for the Irish on the left.  Flynn’s platoon has failed to suppress the German mortar crew behind the objective building, and when Captain Johnston tries to rush through said building and assault that mortar pit, he and his platoon are actually shot up so badly they are removed from play.  Captain Johnston is probably badly wounded, he and most of his men on the way back to an aid station, or worse.  No “bad moves” were made here, just poor nice (note the rolls, remember low rolls are better in this game).

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The German Turn 03 is modest, conservative, tactical, and cautious.  They’re on defense, after all.  They win just by surviving in that big municipal building at the south center of the board. They get some lucky rolls and take out the Vickers section that was trying to come up to support McCabe and Flynn, but other than that they’re just trying to keep the Irish at bay, make them pay for any advances, and run out the clock.  So far they’re doing very well, although Lyons continues to consolidate a new Irish right wing to the northwest.

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While Flynn’s platoon again tries to put down fire suppression on the mortar pit behind the German-held courthouse, McCabe’s platoon tries to rush through the same rooms Johnston tried a while ago, assaulting the same German mortar pit.  Again, it’s a bloodbath, but this time the attack does succeed.  Furthermore, the assault rolls snake eyes (best roll in the game), which means everyone who participated in that immediate assault gets to make a “Valor Check.”  Success means that unit becomes “Valorous,” getting all kinds of bonuses.

Sure enough, he may be the last man in his platoon, but Lt. McCabe has just earned his DSO!

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Meanwhile, in order to apply his -1 leadership bonus to the bulk of his new “battlegroup” Lyons has to be with them.  Therefore, he must run backwards from his original platoon, across the street, and then back into the rear of the building in which the bulk of his new force is forming up.  The Germans have one very nice moment of opportunity fire against this move, and “Lyons’ run” is very risky.  But he makes it.  Barely.  Now Lyons can see more of the German force, and can also see the mortar section behind him.  This means he can call in indirect fire from the mortar using our 1918 Edition “radio-less” indirect fire rules.

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Closeup of the “Snake Eyes Assault.”