My List: US Armored Rifle Company
2 Platoons at full strength and 5 bazookas
1 platoon of 2 shermans
1 platoon of 3 shermans
Matt's List: British Motor Company
2 Lorried Motor Platoons w/ light mortar, 1 with PIAT, 1 with AT rifle
1 platoon of 2 Grants
1 platoon of 3 Grants
Limited Air Support
Firstly Matt and I split our tanks into 2 platoons 1 of 2, and 1 of 3. (just to give us more flexibility even though there's no such thing as a 2 tank platoon legally). So the terrain was laid out, and the major feature was a big hill on my left. This battle we decided I would be attacking and Matt would defend. So, even though I knew it would be tough, I wanted to devote a platoon to the attack on that hill. So 1st platoon was put on my left flank with orders to take the hill, but the rest of my force was on the right side to push for that objective. I also left the halftracks at the rear because I had to deploy behind the riverbed, and figured my men could run over it faster than having to navigate it.
TURN ONE
US- So turn one started off well, Matt couldn't move up to take the hill so no one was up there, and I decided I would doubletime 1st platoon towards the hill, staying in cover behind some jutting rocks.
On the right flank everything moved forward, and my shermans fired on his grants, getting lucky and knocking one out.
British- The British tanks return fire but don't do anything, while his troops on the right secure the objective. His troops on the left move forward towards the hill.
TURN TWO
US- one platoon of Shermans keeps up the fire on the grants, the other moves around the right flank, but can't draw line of sight to anything. Meanwhile 1st platoon advances on the hill, and 2nd platoon lays low in some shrubs, waiting to attack until the defending platoon is pinned down.
British- British troops move up the hill, and get ready to repel the US attack. The grants fire on the smaller sherman platoon and knock one out.
TURN THREE
US- 1st Platoon charges headlong up the hill, putting some fire into the brits, and causing light casualties. Meanwhile the shermans on the right flank move around and fire on the grants and manage to knock one out, finishing off the smaller grant platoon.
British- The british platoon on the hill fires on 1st platoon and causes some casualties, pinning them down. The grants fire on the smaller sherman platoon and knock the other one out, finishing off the platoon.
TURN FOUR
US- the turns get a little fuzzy here, things were going quickly. I tried to dig in 1st platoon just to keep busy, but they failed so are just sitting ducks. There is now no hope of taking the hill. The shermans on the other side, however, are having great success. They fire and knock out 2 more grants, and the 3rd fails a morale check to stay on the tabkle (his platoon was below half strength) and falls back. The tank battle has been won!
BRITISH- the defenders on the hill fire on 1st platoon who is totally exposed and having the CO screaming at them to dig. They take massive casualties, and despite the CO urging them to stand their ground they fall back. My left flank has now crumbled. Also, Matt gets 2 planes to come on this turn (he took 100 points of air support to even up the battle, but had been very unlucky.. in fact in 2 games this was the only time the RAF (rare as faeries) showed up. they targeted 2nd platoon and my shermans. My shermans used their anti aircraft machine guns, and were able to make the pilot thing twice, and he flew off without dropping his payload. The infantry just took cover, and took some hits, but held firm.
TURN FIVE
US- my shermans swung around behind his infantry and shot them up some, but didn't do a whole lot to the dug in troops. 2nd platoon launched mortars at the dug in infantry in an attempt to pin them, but couldn't manage.
British- the defending platoon stayed low, but the platoon defending the hill moved down to flank my 2nd platoon.
TURN SIX
US- My shermans decided something had to be done, so fired on the defending platoon, then assaulted. The Assault didn't go as planned. I lost 2 tanks, and had only one remaining. He passed his morale check to stay on the board.
BRITISH-
Matt's platoon that swung around off the hill fired on my 2nd platoon, pinning them down.
TURN SEVEN
US- The objective on my left, behind the hill, was now totally open, so I sent my one remaining sherman double timing through the desert to hold the objective. If i could survive this turn we'd win! I moved my 2nd platoon back, if I lost that platoon I would ahve to make a company morale check, but since my CO was attached to the platoon that fled the battle, I would auto-fail a company morale check since he was gone.
BRITISH- Matt's platoon who was dug in on the right charged out of their foxholes, and double timed it over to close to assault range of my sherman, and were now contesting the objective. This battle was getting down to the wire. His other platoon fired on my platoon, and just barely caused enough damage to force a morale check. If i failed the check I would've lost the battle. But I passed! They stayed on to fight it out.
TURN EIGHT
US- This was it. My 2nd platoon double timed it to behind some cover. My Sherman fired on Matt's infantry that double timed it, but troops who moved at the double are easier to hit, so I caused massive damage forcing a morale check. Matt passed thanks to a british special rule called "british bulldogs", so I decided this had to be it. I assaulted with my sherman, and managed to force his platoon to fail morale, and flee the table against impossible odds. 2nd platoon just had to survive.
BRITISH- Matt only had one option: to destroy 2nd platoon and make my company fail morale. He moved forward to fire, and got a few hits. The game was no down to a 50/50 die roll morale check for 2nd platoon. I passed, and his turn ended, and mine began with the control of an objective. I managed a 4 to 3 narrow victory.
