A bridge too ... feuer!

[fsn]

Few photos from my last game ... played over the bank holiday.

Scenario: August 1944, the Panzer Lehr are relocating. Their route lies between a stream known as the Jambe de Pantalon, and a local railway line. RAF Typhoons disabled a railway gun, and the British set out to destroy the gun before the Germans could repair the track and get  the big gun away. Glider troops of the South Staffs were landed to the South of the gun, and an armoured force sent to capture the gun from the North.  

View from the South, with the abandoned gliders in the foreground and the train in the midground - just in front of the trees.


The derailed train. Engineers working to get the train back on track, protected by a platoon of infantry, and a pair of AA tanks. The road down which Lehr are moving is behind the trees, and the Jambe de Pantalon beyond.


The British. In the South, a platoon of the South Staffs prepare to attack. In the North, a platoon of mechanised infantry supported by a troop of Churchills forms the main attack force. Two Churchill bridge layers are sent to set up a crossing on the Jambe de Pantalon, with a troop of Crocodiles to add to the fun.  Divisional artillery units are attached to give support.  




So far, so good.

This is where it all went wrong for the British. Each turn, I threw a single die to decide what was coming down the road.

• 1 something that would just be trouble - e.g. civillians, staff car, horse artillery (without ammo), ambulance, goulash cannon, empty truck
• 2,3 - minor use e.g. infantry section on foot, empty half track
• 4,5, - quite useful e.g. at gun, infantry section in half track, aa gun,
• 6 - really useful e.g. 4 x JgPzIV, 3 x PzIV, 2 x Panther, 1 x Tiger, 2 x StuG, 2 x Me109

The game was really lost by turn 3. The Germans manage collect a Tiger and a platoon of JgPzIVs. After that, I stopped throwing.



The British managed to not establish radio contact with their artillery, but pressed on regardless.  

Losing 2 Churchills in quick succession - the third withdrawing under a smoke screen.

... but more importantly losing both bridgelayers to the Tiger's gunnery. The Crocodiles also firing smoke to cover their withdrawal.  


With the remains of the British armoured force trapped on the wrong side of the Jambe de Pantalon, the glider troops were chased off by some light German armour.



Fun game. Could have gone completely different if the Lady of the Dice had been less capricious.    

[Westmarcher]

Nice layout. Impressive! 

p.s. pity about the dice rolls - but at least I learned what a goulash cannon was (had to look it up    ).

[Steve J]

Lovely looking game but the Die Gods spoilt the fun for the Brits.

[hammurabi70]

Perhaps a slight tweak to the rolls:

Roll a one - add one to the next die roll
Roll a six - subtract one from the next die roll

OR

Roll a one or six then roll an average die next time

Always remember the possibility of extremes and have correcting mechanisms; a pain  to see a good scenario go 'off the rails' because of unanticipated distortions.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Good report sir.

[Techno]

Nice one, Nobby ! 

Cheers - Phil

[sunjester]

 

[OldenBUA]

Interesting setup (but you forgot the amphibious landing and naval guns). 

It reminds me a bit of the 'No time for training' scenario in the Westfront computer game from Talonsoft. But they didn't have a railway gun. Slackers.

Other than that, a 2D6 bell curve is your friend here:

2: really useful
3-4: trouble
5-6: minor use
7: trouble
8-9: quite useful
10-11: trouble
12: really useful

Or any other distribution you can come up with. But you get the point, just make some things a lot less likely than others.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Good stuff

[Ithoriel]

Nice report, cheers!

One the random events thing, possibly limit how many of the really useful items can turn up? If you get the PzIVs then not only are there no more PzIVs but there are no Tigers either? Just a thought.

Also, Me109s in August '44? Haven't you heard? "If it shows up white it's American. If it shows up blue, it's British. If it doesn't show up at all it's the Luftwaffe!"

[hammurabi70]

Nice report, cheers!

One the random events thing, possibly limit how many of the really useful items can turn up? If you get the PzIVs then not only are there no more PzIVs but there are no Tigers either? Just a thought.

Also, Me109s in August '44? Haven't you heard? "If it shows up white it's American. If it shows up blue, it's British. If it doesn't show up at all it's the Luftwaffe!"

A good quote but lacking in detail.  I was criticised in running a Normandy campaign that there was a 4% chance of Luftwaffe having the advantage ... until I pointed out the records of one of the armoured divisions, which recorded two stuka attacks over the circa 60 days they were in Normandy.  Low odds but not quite zero.

[fsn]

Thank you for your kind words, Gentlemen.

I play the game as the dice fall. As a solo gamer, the random elements are key to a fun game. (Like the time when I had a US Marine platoon tramp all over a Pacific Island ... and there were no Japanese to fight.)

In some ways, I was quite happy with the way the game played out. It was only upon reflection that I noticed the Market-Garden similarities - armour trying to link with airborne, water obstacle, unexpected German resistance and the failure of British communications. I've stashed the scenario, and may play it again.  Perhaps the Germans will get the 1's and the British the 6's.

[Ithoriel]

A good quote but lacking in detail.  I was criticised in running a Normandy campaign that there was a 4% chance of Luftwaffe having the advantage ... until I pointed out the records of one of the armoured divisions, which recorded two stuka attacks over the circa 60 days they were in Normandy.  Low odds but not quite zero.

It's a quote I first heard in German, from the lips of a WW2 veteran German panzer officer, who, thirty years or more later, still hadn't forgiven "Fat Herman" and the Luftwaffe! I'm not sure he'd believe even your 4% but ... a one in 6?

There is, inevitably, the "whoever saw a dead cavalryman" effect with any arm of service operating outwith direct line of sight of front line troops.

Given the number of aircraft devoted to defence of the Reich, allocated to the Eastern front and Italy coupled with the numerical advantage the Allies had in both aircraft and supplies it's more surprising the Luftwaffe managed anything at all than that they rarely managed much more than tip and run raids.

[fsn]

I'm not sure he'd believe even your 4% but ... a one in 6?

Technically 1 in 36 - about 3%. Had to throw a 6 to get "really useful" then a second 6 for the air support. 

I threw a 6 and a 4 for the Tiger on move 1, and a 6 and a 1 for the JgPzIVs. About one chance in 1296.   

For fun, I just threw for some more possible games:

• Game 1: 2 x Stug III, 3 x PzIv (Perhaps the British were really doomed)
• Game 2: 1 x towed 20mm AA Gun, Paratroop MG
• Game 3: fleeing civilians, infantry section on foot
• Game 4: Infantry section in a truck, empty truck
• Game 5: Goulash cannon, 75mm at gun
• Game 6: 2 x StuG III, 75mm AT gun

In hindsight, perhaps I should have weighted more to the "not very useful" end.

[Sunray]

A good entertaining read and great eye candy.  Thanks Nobby


James