Games and Reports

With the anniversary of D-Day fast approaching it seemed appropriate that we commemorate the occasion with a game. My mate Paul decided he was going to run a scenario from the Normandy scenario book published to support the Rapid Fire rules. However we would be playing the game with the newer Rapid Fire Reloaded ruleset.

The scenario was the attack by the Kamfgruppe Luck (21^st Panzer Division) and the 6th Airlanding Brigade holding a series of villages blocking the way to the Orne Canal. I just need to say that I cannot claim any credit as Paul provided the terrain and figures. Being of a certain age “old gits” the majority of our WW2 collections are 20mm.

Initial deployment for the British were the 1^st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles in Longueval (bottom left), the 12^th Battalion The Devonshire Regiment in La Bas de Ranville (top left), 2^nd Battalion Ox and Bucks Light Infantry in Herouville and later in Escoville (top right) and the Brigade Hq holding Ranville itself (top centre).

The 21^st Panzer entered the field and advanced the Recce units up the road towards Escoville while the infantry and self propelled approached Longueval. Where some excellent artillery fire (I threw a 6) hit destroyed the approaching transport and killed several of the passengers.

The Recce unit did not come off any better as artillery supporting the Ox and Bucks destroyed one of there half tracks.

At Longueval a serious firefight was developing with artillery destroying more vehicles and both sides infantry taking casualties. The RUR were feeling particularly picked on as the amount of high explosive fire hitting the front buildings reducing them to rubble.

More and more German forces were being deployed against Longueval trying to dig out the RUR. After taking heavy casualties the defenders were forced to take a morale test which they passed and the fighting continued. However while the forces were concentrated in Longueval they were not focusing on their overall objective of capturing three of the villages and getting forces off the board.

Pushing past the destroyed building a Pzkw IV pocked its nose into the village but was destroyed by a PIAT (I threw another 6). The german infantry had also taken enough casualties by this time that they needed to take a morale test which they failed and quit the field leaving their armour a bit stranded.

On the German right flank and the centre the German advance was still progressing but a halftrack approached a hedge and got a 17pdr shot through the engine destroying the vehicle and wiping out most of its passengers.

After taking losses on the road on the German right flank the Recce decided to approach through the woods and fields to attack Ranville and La Bas de Ranville. The Airlanding Brigade HQ took heavy fire from the germans in the woods attacking Ranville but just managed to survive. The armoured car approaching Le Bas de Ranville received a hit from the 17pdr but got away with just a heavy damage.

The Germans started to move up the board at this stage but were concerned with the 17pdr covering the road.

While they left the artillery to hit the remnants of the RUR who passed another morale test and held ?. They were also busy trying to get more infantry support to the village to allow their armour to start to enter.

The Airlanding Brigade HQ decided that a quick “strategic withdraw” was in order to avoid getting any more HE fire in the face and evacuated the building they were holding falling back to the second building in Ranville.

By this time the British reserves had arrived a solitary M10 (hurrah) and took up position supporting the Devonshires.

Shortly after this the game was called with the British still holding five villages and the Germans not having time to capture them (or the infantry). So victory to the Brits and back to camp for tea and medals.

Another good game and an enjoyable set of rules and did I mention I kept rolling 6’s ?.

As a group we play several different sets of WW2 rules depending on the size of the game:

• Platoon level – Chain of Command
• Company level – Battlegroup
• Battalion level and above – Rapid Fire Reloaded

Despite the age of the rules the latest incarnation still delivers a good game.