How to conduct a Platoon attack.

[Last Hussar]

https://youtu.be/QOSf6aN3H2Y

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Great source, thank you.

[Orcs]

This does of course become completely irrelevant if playing Sunjester and his magic dice! 

[Last Hussar]

Just sometimes it works against him.

One game of IABSM he put in a textbook attack on a strong point. Absolutely perfect.

I had no one in the bunker.

It was very good though.

[paulr]

Or if the Germans don't deploy a single MG, by a convenient landmark, without any supporting troops

Definitely an interesting watch

[paulr]

Just sometimes it works against him.

One game of IABSM he put in a textbook attack on a strong point. Absolutely perfect.

I had no one in the bunker.

It was very good though.

Sounds a bit like my last Spearhead game against Pierre the Shy, I spent a lot of effort and time suppressing his Russian infantry before committing my engineers to clear the minefield

Which didn't exist, he'd deployed all his mines against the other German axis of attack

[Steve J]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing .

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Good stuff - from the kit (gas masks) its 1940/41, also lack of thompson/sten. In action the officer would swap his pistol for an enfeild if he wanted tom survive.

[paulr]

Good stuff - from the kit (gas masks) its 1940/41, also lack of thompson/sten. In action the officer would swap his pistol for an enfeild if he wanted tom survive.

The Sergeants commanding the sections were carrying Thompsons with drums, at one point there usefulness at short range and in the assault was discussed. Still very likely to be late 1940/early 1941

[pierre the shy]

Very interesting thanks LH.

Did you note that the 2" mortar was used HE for ranging though it was noted whimsically that "HE can be lethal"?

Seems that the principle use for the 2" mortar was seen to be smoke rounds?

Unlike some training films however it did not shy away from showing freindly casualties.....the final message to Coy HQ lists 2 KIA and 3 WIA incurred to take out the enemy position.

Have to agree that the Platoon Commander should upgrade his firepower - a .38 Webley and 12 rounds of ammo is not likely to do much damage unless the PC gets into hand to hand combat.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

It is still primarily for smoke, I was involved in blowing up the last HE rounds in NWD at Leek in 73/4. We were going to fire them off but the 50m visibilty put paid to that. The drain pipe re,mains in service, they just changed the name from 2" to 51mm.

[Last Hussar]

Or if the Germans don't deploy a single MG, by a convenient landmark, without any supporting troops

Definitely an interesting watch

It was just to show the theory .  It turns out that the actual army is better at learning rules than wargamers - "This new set of rules, shall we try the starter scenario?" - "NO! Let's use aircraft and artillery and engineers!".
Also wargamers telling the soldiers they are doing it wrong!

That was an interesting insight into the 2 inch - why do they carry so few rounds of HE? It appears for ranging. That way you are not obscuring the wrong place, and the enemy aren't alerted too much about the fact you intend to lay smoke. Note the delay between the drop of the bomb and it actually firing.

The nightmare of co-ordination with no radios - after the very flare, 30 seconds of suppressing fire & Smoke, then 1 Section is pretty much by-standers.  The bloke who got shot first must have loved this exercise. " So sarge, what you are saying is I can just lay there for the rest of the exercise and do nothing? Well, I'll give it a go, for King and Country."

[holdfast]

My dad told me that in the Polish Para Bde they used the 2" mortar HE as a direct fire weapon in villages by putting the baseplate against a vertical wall and hurlng the round into the tub. But having no idea of cricket, they found the British grenade impossible to use and much preferred the stick grenade.

[Last Hussar]

There was a tank kill in Arnhem by British paras using a mortar like that. Not sure of size.

[steve_holmes_11]

My dad told me that in the Polish Para Bde they used the 2" mortar HE as a direct fire weapon in villages by putting the baseplate against a vertical wall and hurlng the round into the tub. But having no idea of cricket, they found the British grenade impossible to use and much preferred the stick grenade.

Quite a common problem by all accounts.
Much is made of the European war between Tea Drinkers and Coffee drinkers.

The more significant issue of cricketers (and pals who play baseball) against despicable foreign johnnies who probably don't know the LBW rule - is rarely discussed.

And I would contend that this is a significant matter.

Back in Burma there was a Japanese bunker every quarter mile, and each company couldn't rely on a handy Grant tank to post a '75 through the slot.
In most cases the job fell to a plucky Tommy, or brave Indian who'd honed his aim through years of fielding at point, square leg or extra cover.
Those lads could pop an egg through a letterbox form twenty yards, providing poor old Tojo a one way trip back to the pavilion.