Thursday 4 July 2013

Hitting Sword Beach

This was the other game played in the weekend, pitting 4 Commando against troops of 736 Regiment in a 'Hit the Beach' scenario. I wasn't involved in this little affray, just leaving my game to take photos now and then and talking about what was happening, so this report is a little light on detail I'm afraid.

The preliminary bombardment knocked out two teams and 3 landing craft arrived with one delayed. Almost immediately the German AT guns opened up on the Churchill tanks.

Aerial photo of the beach where the Commandos landed.
Storming ashore. Note some teams in 'night' camouflage...
The trenches and bunkers were well manned.
The British have a smoke-screen - made out of their burning tanks!This was  by the end of turn two! Things not going to plan for the Brits. The next wave of boats didn't arrive until turn three.
Getting pinned down on the beach. Didn't I see this in a movie somewhere?
The German defenders in their trenches.
A machine gun team dug in and contributing a tough day at the office for the Commandos.
Moving along a trench, German reinforcements begin to arrive.
The bane of the Allies in this game. German Anti-tank. These would not be dealt with until turn 6.
Now the Priests are under all sorts of pressure too.
Commandos pinned by the wire. they would get through in turn 6 and take out a Heer platoon with an assault.  By that time too many Allied platoons had been destroyed and German StuGs had arrived.
German forces cheers as the remnants of 4 Commando are evacuated from the beach!
German victory 4-3.

This was a murderous battle for the British forces. They just couldn't get off the beach, and most of it was due to the Churchills landing directly opposite the German's AT. Another wave of troops is about to land though, and that battle report will be up as soon as the game is finished (it has about two turns left to play out). Reports are that it is going much more in favour of the Allies.

Nate




2 comments:

  1. Good looking stuff Nate. I would have thought the wire would have slowed the commando, not stopped them, its just a skill test to cross it afterall?

    I like my Commando, just a little irked BF dont do a flamethrower model for the possible upgrade...

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    Replies
    1. Hi Scott. I think it is just the ambiguity in ho i worded it. They weren't pinned BY the wire, they were pinned BESIDE the wire. The machine guns were doing the pinning.
      Good thing about Commandos is they unpin pretty well!
      And I've just given John one of my Command Decision paras to lop the head off and turn into a commando. I'll dig around and see if I can find another one.

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