"All American": Turn Two, Probe Along the Road (no. 2)

 Turn Two, Probe Along the Road (no. 2)

The first German attempt to push up the road toward Cauquigny failed. The Germans make another attempt. 

Map

Support Choices

Germans: R35 light tank (4) and pre-game barrage (2)

US: 3-man team with LMG on bipod mount (3)

Platoon Leaders

US Airborne platoon commander is Lt Ollie Harvey, a farmer’s son from Nebraska. He earns the nickname “Foxhole Harvey”. 

German platoon commander is Feldwebel Emanuel Semmler. Raised by a middle class family from Cologne, his father was a decorated soldier in the first world war. Known as an aggressive attacker and Eastern Front veteran. 

Combat

The Germans tried to soften up their opponents with a barrage of mortar fire (pre-game barrage). 

The combat began with the Airborne deploying a 60mm mortar in the orchard. Platoon Sergeant Frank Rogers came alongside the mortar crew to direct their fire. 

The US 1st Squad deployed along the hedgerow perpendicular to the road, positioning to cover the road and the copse of trees opposite them. A bazooka team deployed alongside 1st Squad. 

Germans deployed their 1st Squad along the diagonal hedgerow and their 2nd Squad in the copse of trees. 

The US 2nd Squad and Lt. Harvey don't deploy because the heavy barrage of mortar fire kept them hunkering in cover. Some bad pre-game barrage rolling by Cam ! 

The German 1st Squad sent off a two-man scout team to rush along the diagonal hedgerow and toward the US table edge. 

The rest of the German 1st Squad attempted to cross the thick diagonal hedgerow but got stuck in the thick foliage (bad movement roll!) and didn't make it across. The troops eventually muscled their way through the thick hedge, but quickly returned to the other side of the hedge when fired on by the US 2nd Squad (which had now deployed in the orchard).  The German two-man scout team was also fired upon, and went tactical, the two men hugging the ground and not advancing for the rest of the game.

The German R35 appeared on the road. It moved up the road, killing a paratrooper with its MG but then bursting into flames after a well-aimed bazooka hit.

There was now two German squads in the copse of trees, along with Feldwebel Semmler personally directing MG-42 fire (using Machinegewehr ability). The US 1st Squad was taking heavy fire. Sergeant Jesse Logan was wounded, and his squad became pinned. 

Obergefreiter Niclas Kuhn then led six riflemen forward to assault the pinned US 1st Squad, preparing for a hail of grenades followed by close quarters assault. 

Obergefreiter Kuhn leads riflemen forward to assault the pinned US paras

With Lt. Harvey not on the field, Sergeant Logan wounded, 1st Squad pinned and about to be overrun, the entire Airborne platoon withdraws in a hurry toward Cauquigny. 

Results

US: 2 KIA, 2 POW, 1 wounded, 4 men dispersed

Germany. 2 KIA, 2 wounded.