Oriskany's Final Days of the Great War - Australians + British tanks vs. Germans at Hamel
Australians vs. Germans at Hamel, 1918 (Part 02)
Finishing this game today come hell or high water. If there was ever a day for it, the day is today.
I keep meaning to really cut loose on the Battle of Hamel game in Valor & Victory, pitting a company of General Sir John Monash’s Australian infantry + eight Mark Vs of the Royal Tank Corps up against an understrength “reserve kompanie” of Germans (4 July 1918).
Things keep coming up, but I have finished the first full turn. This is gonna be a big one, folks. We’ll see if the Australians and tankers can do as well here as they did historically!
North wing of the Australian assault. Firegroups based on German MG fire (assisted by direction of German officers) actually don't do very much damage up here. Australians are making the most of the craters where they can (+1 to APFP fire checks) and I'm counting tanks as a V&V "LOS Hindrance" if enemy fire has to pass THROUGH a hex occupied by a tank. 
In the center, the Germans score more successes, Their MG 08 and MG 08 15s do better, but what really scores are German 7.58cm "minenwerfer" mortars. Three strikes are called in, and two score amazingly well. A squad and a half are taken out right here (12 men rendered combat ineffective, say 6 casualties = 4 wounded, 2 killed outright). Note that Australian movement has taken place through no man's hand with +2 movement bonus for stacking with officers (where applicable), plus they are avoiding all minefields. They've advanced into barbed wire where possible, but used "Assualt Movement" phase to then advance THROUGH the wire. It just slows them down and gives the Germans potentially another fire phase.
Turn One is now complete. No German casualties so far. The Australians have lost three full squads (24 men = 12 actual casualties = 4 killed, 8 wounded). But Australian artillery is about to hit (Monash Fire Special Rule) and of course the tanks (both Mark V Male and Females) are close to the German Trench line, and ready to cut loose.
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