Hell on Wheels, the Saga of My Dogfaces Trudging Across Europe and the Med

[fred.]

Another great looking game, Jack, I do like the market stalls, add a nice splash of colour!

I enjoyed the write up, as you note fighting withdrawals don't always work as games, but this one seemed to work very well. 

I had a look at the Five Core rules (and discovered I'd bought a copy previously). I must admit I'm struggling a bit to reconcile what I get from reading the rules, to what I see in your games. Not least as your games seem to be much larger than the recommended game size from the rules. I'm also not seeing you track activations (this may be happening, just not in the photos or narrative). And in general the rules don't grab my attention at all, yet your battles very much do!

[Steve J]

Another cracking game there Jack with lovely photos to boot! I agree with the MG being able to suppress in games terms: afterall there are plenty of circumstances of AFVs retreating when hit by MG's or just HE.

[pierre the shy]

Another tough fight there Jack....your table really looks like French North Africa!

Given you are using Lee Marvin's photo I'm prompted to ask if ex-Sgt Bruschi will become Major Reisman's first recruit for his "Dirty Dozen" squad after his in-game performance?

Sounds like the next chapter might be equally tough given the comment in the last sentence of your blog.   

[bigjackmac]

Lord Speedy - Thank you, Sir!

Paul - I appreciate it!  Yeah, popular opinion appears to be on my side in terms of MGs being able to pin/suppress armored vehicles; from my standpoint I believe it to be true, and particularly armored vehicles unescorted by friendly infantry.  Regarding the characters, still probably not enough 'color' in the characters as I'd like (once the dice start rolling I tend to forget about it sometimes), but I'm definitely making an effort and it certainly adds to the fun.

Fred - Thanks man!  Yeah, fighting withdrawal scenarios don't always work out well, but this one was lucky and a lot of fun.  I'll come back to your comments on 5CCCC in a minute, in a separate post, I might be able to help.

Steve - Thank you, and yes, I agree, plenty of accounts of (particularly unescorted) armor falling back when taken under MG/HE, and sometimes even small arms, fire.  Turns out most people don't enjoy being shot at, even from inside the 'comfy' confines of a big metal box

Pierre - I appreciate the kind words!  I'm happy with the tables, probably a bit too 'busy' and with too much green scrub, but it's the wargamer in me, I can't help but try to make it a bit prettier, I suppose   Now there's something I hadn't thought of, you're a genius!  All the guys that get busted for cowardice are sent to the brig and are awaiting execution or have life sentences, only to be sprung for one desperate mission   Oh, just wait for the next fight, it's my favorite!

Thanks again guys!

V/R,
Jack

[bigjackmac]

And yes, I'm going to take the quite goofy position of replying to my own post

Fred (and anyone else that has an interest in 5Core but is a bit confused by it) - I run into this quite frequently.  Mr. Sorensen, the author of the 5Core stable of rules (amongst others) is quite brilliant but, in my opinion, occasionally... how do you guys say it?  Over-eggs the pudding, or something like that?  He is very much a detail-guy and loves added 'chrome,' like "roll a D6 and if the unit hasn't taken casualties today and you roll a 5 they are in high spirits and get a one-time bonus move of 3" that doesn't draw reaction fire."  For my part, I tend to ignore all that type of stuff and just work with the bare bones of the gaming mechanisms, and play fast and loose, salt-and peppering to taste while I'm playing, rather than looking things up in the book and becoming frustrated when I can't remember all the special rules, circumstances, and exceptions.  I can afford to do this as I play almost all of these games solo

In any case, I think the rules have a great core but people get put off because 1) they are different to most other sets out there (the activation system itself takes a bit to get used to and rationalize, and I HATED it when I first began playing them), and 2) the way the rules are written can be a bit confusing with all the 'chrome' Ivan has added in there.  I think people start focusing on the detail and miss the bare bones; if I may, here I'll throw out a sort of 'get started with 5Core guide' that has helped some folks jump into the rules and enjoy them, and I hope it helps you, too.  As always, I'm happy to help and glad to answer any questions you may have, so let's get started!  The basics are this:

Pick a side and roll a D6.
  -If you roll a 1, everyone can move without drawing react fire, but then every enemy that saw it gets to move without drawing react fire too, and then it's the enemy's turn.  Roll a D6, rinse and repeat.
  -If you roll a 6, everybody that can shoot gets to shoot, then every enemy that can shoot gets to shoot, then it's the enemy's turn.
  -If you roll a 2-5, count the number of your units and divide by three, that's how many units you can activate to move and shoot/shoot and move.  Enemy units that can see you can react, but then they don't get to activate during their turn.  Now it's the enemy's turn, roll a D6 and carry out.  If they roll a 2-5, any of your units that didn't activate during your turn can react during the enemy's turn.

Shooting is simple: you have the two kinds of dice (Shock and Kill; I roll black dice for Shock and red dice for Kill), and you roll them at the same time, looking for 1s and 6s.
  -1 Shock: The unit is pinned, it cannot move but can fire or rally when activated, can't react, -1 in close combat
  -6 Shock: The unit is suppressed, it cannot move or shoot, only rally when activated, can't react, -2 in close combat.
  -1 Kill: The unit is taking casualties and panicking ("Men Down!"), cannot move, shoot, rally, or react (can only be rallied by another friendly unit moving into base contact with it), -3 in close combat.
  -6 Kill: The unit is knocked out of the fight.

Rallying requires you to roll a D6 to see what happened; 2-5 is successful, 1s and 6s are bad news, carry them out just as you would being shot at, with the exception being that suppressed units that roll another 6 actually fall back 6 inches and stay suppressed.

Close combat is a D6 vs D6 roll with modifiers for troop quality and morale state (described above).

The overall commander (on each side) in 5CCC gets a 'free' activation each turn, which is very useful for rallying troops, and provides a bonus to troops in close combat.  I've also used additional command stands similarly, as a sort of 'bonus,' in order to help model qualitative differences between opposing forces on the tabletop.

The vehicle rules are seamless because they use the exact same mechanisms as the infantry rules, they just move a bit farther, which keeps the game simple and quick. To keep it simple, play as above, but I can tell what I've added to make it more enjoyable for me: vehicles hit on a '1' on a Kill dice are immobilized, and I roll 1D6 to see if the crew stays or bales (usually I say they need a 1 or 6 to stay, 2-5 bale), and for tank on tank games, if you shoot at a tank and miss, the target gets a free return shot (doesn't count as an activation/reaction).

The biggest issue you're going to face is trying to decide how many Shock and Kill dice to roll when shooting, i.e., how to modify up and down based on the type of firing unit and the tactical situation, how to modify for different armor-piercing capability vs different levels of armor.  First, here's my overall view: don't get bogged down in silly details! 

You're a company commander, not a squad, vehicle, or gun team leader, either the firing unit has the capability to render the target combat ineffective or it doesn't (and thus warrants Kill Dice), and/or the firing unit has the capability to affect the target's combat capability (to pin it down or suppress it) or it doesn't (and thus warrants Shock Dice).  The book will tell you that rifle squads shoot with 1 Kill dice and 1 Shock dice at infantry targets in the open and with 1 Shock dice at infantry targets in cover.  But I mess with (adjust) that all the time, based on my own perceptions and biases.  They're at point-blank range? Add a Kill dice.  They're veterans?  Add a Shock dice.  They caught the enemy completely unaware, out in the open?  Add a Kill and a Shock dice.  There are three enemy squads all bunched up?  Add another Kill and two more Shock dice.  Same goes for MGs, mortars, field guns, tanks firing on infantry, etc...  If a tank firing on enemy infantry in cover doesn't have friendly infantry nearby, I typically mark the firing tank down in shooting dice as I figure they might have a hard time acquiring the enemy infantry.  Hell, sometimes I make units make a spotting test in order to engage! Roll 1D6, if it's a hard spot they need a 1 or 6, if it's an easy spot they need a 2-5 (hopefully you've picked up on everything in 5Core being about 1s and 6s).

For example, we could say that an M8 Armored Car firing its 37mm main gun at the frontal armor of a Tiger I at point-blank range cannot knock out the target, so warrants 0 Kill dice, but could adversely impact the Tiger's crew, so warrants 1 Shock dice, maybe even a second Shock dice if we're feeling charitable due to the shooting occurring at point-blank range, the quick-firing capability of the armored car, and let's say they've got a cool, veteran crew that knows it's survival rests on not panicking and delivering fast, accurate fire on the Tiger's vision blocks, for example.

Some folks look at this aspect as very limiting, and they spend countless hours poring through the rule book to determine what the author directs regarding the specific situation, and to each his own.  I, however, do feel similarly restrained, and part of what I love about the rules is that I can do whatever I want within the framework of these basic mechanisms, they're apparently impossible to break.

The only thing I'm not happy with in these rules is they don't work particularly well for pure armor vs armor fights; I have a solution for that as well, but that's a topic for another day.

Well, hopefully you find that helpful, even if it's only helpful enough to realize the rules aren't for you.  But I absolutely love them and they give me a great bit of fun, super dramatic.  They never let you do everything you want to do, but you can always do something, so every turn is a full of making (and living with) your numerous tactical decisions.  You really get the glory of winning and the agony of defeat, and you'll constantly be questioning yourself about what the 'right move' was in any of a half-dozen certain, important situations was each game.  It's funny, in the batreps, sometimes the characters have momentous ups and/or downs along the way, and some of it is due to me 'letting the character show through,' but some of it just my poor decision-making, or a bold plan that didn't quite work out the way I'd hoped, and the poor character just has to live with it

V/R,
Jack

[pierre the shy]

Pierre - I appreciate the kind words!  I'm happy with the tables, probably a bit too 'busy' and with too much green scrub, but it's the wargamer in me, I can't help but try to make it a bit prettier, I suppose   Now there's something I hadn't thought of, you're a genius!  All the guys that get busted for cowardice are sent to the brig and are awaiting execution or have life sentences, only to be sprung for one desperate mission   Oh, just wait for the next fight, it's my favorite!

Thanks again guys!

V/R,
Jack

I'll take that complement thanks Jack, been called a few things over the years, but genius is not in the top 10 very often! 

If your happy using 5 Core the way you do then don't change them! Your game reports using them have a real "joi de vie" and you're obviously in your happy place playing them your way.

Thanks for the run down of how you play them.

I'm still loving those simple WW2 air war rules you put me onto a few years ago. Looking at a slightly audacious project using them later in the year with some existing stuff that has been hiding in my lead pile for too long, but need to do some painting first rather than using card counters.

Those Phantoms, Sabres etc that I got off you could be a bit busy in due course too once we wrap up our For King & Parliament scenarioes, though not in quite the same spot as you were intending to use them.....   

 
     

[fred.]

Thanks Jack, that is a very good rules primer / intro. I'll have another look at the rules now I have this to refer to!

[Ithoriel]

Great post Jack. Not going to get me playing 5Core in the immediate future but gives me a much better picture of the mechanics behind your games. Love both your approach and your AARs.

I remember the aircraft AARs fondly too. I kept meaning to ask what  the rules were that you and Peter used but never did. So ..... what rules did you use?

[Raider4]

I remember the aircraft AARs fondly too. I kept meaning to ask what  the rules were that you and Peter used but never did. So ..... what rules did you use?

https://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,20946.msg328904.html#msg328904

[Ithoriel]

Thank you Raider4.

[bigjackmac]

Pierre - "Thanks for the run down of how you play them."
Not a problem. While it certainly dips into "my way," the overall point I was trying to make is that what I wrote is the guts of the game, just the transmission gets a little garbled when reading the rules, so hopefully this helps make the core mechanisms a bit clearer and easier to understand.

And I can't wait to see you back in action with those (modified) 'Battle of Britain' rules, was loving your campaign following the squadron of Zeros.  Can't wait to see where you're going with the Phantoms/Sabres/etc...

Fred - No problem, happy to help, let me know if I may be of further service!

Ithoriel - Thanks man, I appreciate it!  If you're trying to understand the mechanics and count my activations, I'll throw in that, so long as I believe the variables fit, I'll allow group moves, usually meaning a platoon with their leader can move everybody at once (but not shoot and can't move into close combat, though I'll even do that sometimes for super highly-trained/experienced/motivated troops if I feel like it makes sense given the tactical situation) for the cost of a single activation. 

And I guess that leads to another of my wargaming philosophies: nothing happens on my table because the rules allow it/nothing doesn't happen because the rules don't allow it, it happens because I believe it could happen in real life.  Of course you want to live within the framework of the rules, and if the dice say I only get to move four stands this turn then I only move four stands, but what I mean is something like "the rules make no provision for infantry to to pin/suppress a tank with small arms fire," but I'm convinced that the infantry could actually cause the tank some problems because they just startled the tank crew by materializing from an unexpected direction and/or much closer than the tankers thought any enemy infantry could be, then guess what, I'm letting those infantry fire with 1S (a 33% chance of a pin or suppression).

And those were the "Battle of Britain" rules, thanks to Raider for digging up that old thread!

V/R,
Jack

[Ithoriel]

And I guess that leads to another of my wargaming philosophies: nothing happens on my table because the rules allow it/nothing doesn't happen because the rules don't allow it, it happens because I believe it could happen in real life.  Of course you want to live within the framework of the rules, and if the dice say I only get to move four stands this turn then I only move four stands, but what I mean is something like "the rules make no provision for infantry to to pin/suppress a tank with small arms fire," but I'm convinced that the infantry could actually cause the tank some problems because they just startled the tank crew by materializing from an unexpected direction and/or much closer than the tankers thought any enemy infantry could be, then guess what, I'm letting those infantry fire with 1S (a 33% chance of a pin or suppression).
V/R,
Jack

When I said I liked your approach that was what I was referring to.

As I keep quoting - "rules are for the advice of wise men and the adherence of fools" :-)

Also, I've read several accounts of tankers of various nations deciding not to hang around to see if the guys with the rifles and machine guns also have satchel charges or panzerfausts!

[fred.]

I think the option you picked for infantry suppressing a tank feels right. 

And I think this is the challenge with most rules, is getting something that feels right to most players most of the time. On the infantry vs armour point I've played a set were it was far too easy for infantry to suppress armour at range (and this wasn't a 1:1 set) it just made the game weird. Was even advised by the author to fire my MGs and mortars at the tanks as it would be just as effective at suppressing them as firing against an AT gun and some soft skins (I think it was 50% chance per shot)

BKC (IIRC) offers a slim chance a 6 to hit followed by a 6 to suppress for small arms vs armour - this can be a bit annoying as players will take the roll each time they can, even with a very low chance to do anything. This is at a platoon level so may be OK, but does feel a bit low?

[bigjackmac]

Ithoriel - "When I said I liked your approach that was what I was referring to."
Ahh, gotcha!

"As I keep quoting - "rules are for the advice of wise men and the adherence of fools" :-)"
Indeed, just not sure where I fall on that spectrum

"Also, I've read several accounts of tankers of various nations deciding not to hang around to see if the guys with the rifles and machine guns also have satchel charges or panzerfausts!"
Yes, no doubt, and particularly unescorted tanks.  And I can't claim it as a mechanism, I think I first read it in Peter Pig's "Poor Bloody Infantry," which are a nifty little set of rules that don't get enough attention/acclaim, in my opinion.  Part of that is down to the fact it kinda begs for some different basing, and loads of casualty figures.

Fred, "And I think this is the challenge with most rules, is getting something that feels right to most players most of the time."
That's the beauty of it; I'm either playing solo, or with my sons, though I perfectly understand your point, just being a bit of a wise-ass

"On the infantry vs armour point I've played a set were it was far too easy for infantry to suppress armour at range (and this wasn't a 1:1 set) it just made the game weird. Was even advised by the author to fire my MGs and mortars at the tanks as it would be just as effective at suppressing them as firing against an AT gun and some soft skins (I think it was 50% chance per shot)"
That's interesting, I'm not sure I've ever seen a set of rules where it was too easy for MGs/mortars to have a pinning/suppressing-type effect on armor; usually the armor is treated as completely impervious, even to some relatively large bore (but low velocity) guns lobbing HE-fire in direct-fire mode.

"BKC (IIRC) offers a slim chance a 6 to hit followed by a 6 to suppress for small arms vs armour - this can be a bit annoying as players will take the roll each time they can, even with a very low chance to do anything. This is at a platoon level so may be OK, but does feel a bit low?"
It's funny, when you wrote the previous paragraph, the first set of rules that came to mind was BKC, but I wasn't sure as I'd never played the original, picked up in BKC II (which I still think are the best of the line).  Regarding a 6 followed by another 6, yeah, that's pretty damn rough, but having said that, maybe the logic is that one stand=one platoon and it's harder overall to pin/suppress a platoon, which generally I could agree with from the standpoint of MGs/mortars engaging a platoon of tanks.

But that goes to exactly what we were talking about in terms of 'feel.'  If the tanks were out in the open, taking long-range fire, relatively well trained and confident in what they were doing, I'd agree they probably shouldn't be bothered by some MG fire or ~81mm mortar fire, just button up and press on.  But if they're less well trained, less committed/confident, if the fire is coming from some nearby houses or woods that could hide some anti-tank weapons, well, for each one of those factors that is applicable I might add a Shock dice   And to your point about having to come to consensus with your gaming mates, I could see working through the issue in a collegial manner and ultimately coming to an agreement about what should be rolled, like "I'm firing with these MGs at close range, the tankers are caught completely unaware, they're not particularly well trained, and they're not particularly committed to what they're doing (they're physically isolated from friendly forces, or suffer from a lack of situational awareness due to not having radios, or they believe they're already losing the battle or that their task is impossible or useless, or the war's almost over), so I think my MG should fire with 4 Shock dice."  "I hear what you're saying, and things are bad, but let's not forget, they are in tanks, which can't actually be hurt by your pesky little machine guns, and they've while they might be caught off guard, these guys have been around, been fighting this war for three years now, and they know your guys don't have any ranged anti-tank capability available on this end of the line, so let's not get too carried away, so how 'bout we let them fire with 2 Shock dice?"  And if it comes down that we can't agree between 2S and 3S, then roll a D6 or flip a coin.  I know it slows the game down a bit, but I always thought those types of discussions were pretty fun and interesting.

V/R,
Jack

[bigjackmac]

 All,

1600 Local Time
8 November 1942
Near Port Lyautey, French Morocco

Despite the ass-chewing he'd just received from Major Reisman, Captain Henry, commander of the Task Force's Armored Reconnaissance Company, failed to perform the tasks given him, in a manner appropriate to the situation.  The French had a fortress ("the Kasbah") between the American forces and Port Lyautey, one that was proving severely problematic, but the Major believed a flanking movement to the south (right) could unhinge the defense, if executed quickly and violently.  Yes, the situation on the invasion beaches was chaotic, men and gear were intermixed, but the Task Force had just forced the French garrison out of the town of Mehdia and needed to act before the French had an opportunity to establish another line, particularly in that direction.  Major Reisman had picked out a small village with a bridge over a tributary of the Wadi Sebou as the correct target of this rapier-like armored thrust.  He just needed someone to get there.


Overview, north is up.  At center left, just east (right) of the crossroads, is a small oasis with a couple hovels.  Below and at top left are unnamed bluffs, while at left top is a knoll identified as Hill 23, soon to be known as "Purple Heart Hill," while at far right is Hill 55, soon to be known as "The Meatgrinder."  At top center right is Hill 34, while the village of Barhrein, soon to be known as "Murderville," sits on either side of the bridged Wadi Sebou tributary. 

The French have their 1st Rifle Platoon dug-into 'Murderville' (center top), accompanied by the overall French commander, with their Weapons Platoon (mortar and MG) dug-in right behind them, just across the Wadi Sebou (right top).  The French 2nd Rifle Platoon is dug-in on The Meatgrinder (far right), where it is accompanied by one of the 75mm guns.  The other 75mm gun is dug-in just behind Hill 34 (top right), and it is accompanied by the two armored vehicles (Laffly armored car and R35 tank), which are hidden between the buildings east of the Wadi Sebou (top right).  It should be noted that, save for the troops on The Meatgrinder, which are dug-in and begin the game concealed, the remainder of the French defenders are occupying what I would refer to as oblique, 'reverse-slope defense' type of positions, i.e., those that limit their lanes of observation and fire, but generally force the enemy into vulnerable and/or exposed positions in order to engage them.

For their part, the Americans can be seen coming in on their baseline, with advance elements of the force clustered around the crossroads (left bottom) and approaching Purple Heart Hill (left top), with the Armored Infantry and Engineer Platoons still mounted and off table.


The opposing forces, with Americans at left and French at right.  The Yanks have three tanks, two Scout Cars, a Tank Destroyer, a platoon of armored infantry, and a platoon of engineers, while the French have two rifle platoons, a weapons platoon (81mm mortar and MG team), two 75mm howitzers, an armored car, and a light tank.


Lt Richards (bottom center) staring into Murderville (top center).


"Well, I don't see anything out there, and the Major said we need to move quickly, so..."


The US mechanized force bravely (rashly?) dashes ahead!  The Armored Infantry Platoon, led by a Scout Car and two M3 Stuarts, pushes right, towards The Meatgrinder (just visible at far right), while the Engineer Platoon, led by a Scout Car, pushes left, towards Murderville, as the last M3 Stuart and the Tank Destroyer move up on Purple Heart Hill (left top).


And then all hell breaks loose!

This was my favorite fight of the entire campaign in Morocco!  To see what happened, please check the blog at:
https://hakunamatatawars.blogspot.com/2023/01/hell-on-wheels-operation-torch-fight-3.html

So, that was a helluva fight!  What's next?  The French, feeling saucy, have launched a counterattack on the invasion beaches, and Major Reisman himself is being forced to fend off!

V/R,
Jack

[paulr]

       

That was expensive for the Americans

One small point, the R35 has a one-man turret so the commander was talking to himself when he ordered
"gunner, enemy tank, 300 meters, load armor piercing shell, fire!"

[Steve J]

Another superb looking game there Jack. I thought it might be tough for the US Infantry when in your intro you mentioned Murderville etc: I was not wrong! You really are developing a great narrative there Jack which to my mind brings a lot more fun to a game. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

[fred.]

Another cracking game and write up Jack

Helping me pass an early morning train trip. Where the driver has just had to switch the train off and on again (no joke) to hopefully clear a fault.

[bigjackmac]

Paul - Yeah, it was a rough one, and you're just misunderstanding, that French tank commander was very officious, insisted on his driver coming up and squeezing in to fire the main gun in order to stand in the turret, looking regal   Yeah, when I was typing it up I wasn't thinking about it being a one-man turret...

Steve - Yeah, seeing a local village referred to as "Murderville" is a dead give away; no one ever said I'm clever!!!    It sure was a fun fight, though.

Fred - Thanks, and glad to be of service!  Hope everything got worked out.

V/R,
Jack

[bigjackmac]

All,

0230 Local Time
9 November 1942
Near Port Lyautey, French Morocco

The French forces, feeling their oats after stonewalling Task Force Reisman at 'Murderville'/'The Meatgrinder' and defeating several attacks by the 60th Infantry Regiment of the US 9th Infantry Division on 'The Kasbah,' and have decided to sally forth with armored forces to counterattack the US invasion beaches!

Chaos reigns on the US beachhead, in equal parts due to the inherent confusion in conducting an amphibious assault, horrible weather at sea, and seeing their first actual combat.  Dazed and confused young men are wandering to and fro while as other sit, listless, with units intermixed and scattered, with ammunition, supplies, and casualties haphazardly strewn about.  Major Reisman and his XO, Captain Thigpen, work tirelessly to untangle the mass of men, machines, and gear, sorting it out and directing traffic, looking to get his force organized for optimal combat efficiency.  The TF Reisman defensive line, such as it is, is not dug in, and consists of a smattering of inter-mixed infantry squads and weapons simply flung out in a line running roughly north-south on the eastern end of the town of Mehdia.


Overview, north is up.  The edge of Mehdia is just visible at bottom left, while the village of Jalaat is at top right and the village of Bilal is at bottom right.  Hill 41 is at left center, Hill 33 is at top center (with an unnamed hill just right of it), Hill 25 is at far right bottom, and here is a citrus orchard at center top.  A bend in the river, known as the 'Wadi Sebou,' is visible at top left.  The US forces are spread from top center to bottom center, while the French have a column in the northeast (top right) and southeast (bottom right).


The opposing forces, with US at left and French at right.

The US will start with the forces at top right (two platoons' worth of infantry, a .30-cal MG, 1 60mm mortar, and a 37mm anti-tank gun -ATG-, commanded by 2nd Lt Olsavsky of 3rd Platoon, Easy Company) on the table.

Then the US will receive two waves of reinforcements: first, Major Reisman will lead another .30-cal MG, another 37mm ATG, and an M7 Priest into the fight.  These will be followed by three M3 Grants under 2nd Lt Searcy.

The French have two rifle platoons, two MG teams, an 81mm mortar team, three Laffly armored cars, and three R35 light tanks, led by a Commanding Officer (CO), Executive Officer (XO), and a Weapons Platoon Leader, split in two columns.


The French (top right) push forward as American infantry on Hill 41 (bottom left) and in the orchard (left top) engage them with small arms and machine guns.


As well as their 60mm mortars.


But the French mercilessly pound Hill 41 with their own mortars...


While their infantry and armor press home the attack under withering fire!


A savior steps forward!  But will it be enough?

I suppose you'll have to check the blog to find out
https://hakunamatatawars.blogspot.com/2023/01/hell-on-wheels-operation-torch-fight-4.html

Next up we have Captain Henry leading the second assault on 'Murderville' and 'The Meatgrinder.'  Let's hope it goes better than the first...

V/R,
Jack