Big Chain of Command: "Forces collide near Hell’s Highway"

I joined forces with Cam against our friends Skampy and Rob for some Big Chain of Command.

We came up with a scenario: 

Forces collide near Hell’s Highway 

German and Allied combat patrols meet during Market Garden. 

Allied combat mission: seek and secure a suitable outpost approximately 1 km east to protect the flank of Hell’s Highway.

German combat mission: kampfgruppe to undertake recon in force toward Highway 69. 

Use the scenario “The Patrol” from the main rule book. Each side has 6 support points in total. No additional tanks/assault guns/tank destroyers can be selected (except the Stuart Light Tank). 

Scenario notes:

• The map should have a mansion at the center. Troops may enter it via the doors and bottom story windows. 
• Intelligence found ! The first side to have troops reach the 2nd story of the mansion gains a free COCD.
• Neither side may select entrenchments, static defences or a pre-game barrage 
• Any AT guns can only be deployed on or after Turn 2. 
• Add to German support list 3: ‘Tank Hunter Team’, 4 men armed with 2 smoke grenades, 2 panzerfausts, 1 tellar mine, 2 SMGs and 2 rifles. [9.3.4]
• Add to US support list 1: ‘BAR’, 1 rifleman is replaced by a BAR gunner. No assistant gunner needed. May only be selected twice. 

The German infantry are regular panzergrenadiers (+3)

The German armoured platoon commander may field two StuG III Gs (-1) or two Panthers (+2). Note: the StuGs have smoke projectors (see Core Rules at 11.8.2). 

The Allied infantry are regular US Airborne (+4)

The Allied armoured platoon commander may field three Shermans (+1) or four Shermans (+4) or three M18 Hellcats (+3) 

Terrain notes:

• The planted field is broken ground. 
• The hedges around the mansion are thick but only around 3 or 4 feet high - a low obstacle and light cover. 
• The old ruined coach-house wall is hard cover and a medium obstacle. LOS is interrupted unless troops are using as firing position. AFVs do not have LOS interrupted. 
• The stone walls and fences are medium obstacles. 
• The pond is impassable.
• Full phase to switch floors in mansion. Can enter via large windows as well as doors. 
• Fully tracked vehicles can drive over stone walls and hedges, half-tracks need to dice to see if they get stuck, and wheel vehicles cannot. 

The game 

I played German armour with my two StuGs and Cam played the accompanying panzergrenadier platoon. 

Skampy played the US Airborne platoon and Rob played the three M18 Hellcats. 

Both sides managed to get JOPs right up against the hedge bordering the mansion. 

Cam deployed a squad of panzergrenadiers with the intent of capturing the mansion and getting the free COCD - we wanted to end the turn to bring on our Pak-40. We figured our Stugs would be at a disadvantage against three Hellcats … but we were wrong ! Those Hellcats have a mere 3 armour and so proved very fragile - especially compared to the Stug’s 7 armour and low profile. 

German 1st Squad & Senior Leader rush to mansion

"In through ze windows!"

I deployed my first Stug and placed it on overwatch. Rob brought on his senior leader Hellcat. The stug fired at the the Hellcat and it went up in flames. (Later we realised, we’d forgotten that the deploying unit can shoot first and the over-watching unit - if it survives - can fire back … oops!)

Skampy had deployed his two Airborne squads on overwatch and when Cam’s panzergrenadiers appeared at the bottom floor of the mansion they opened up. That first panzergrenadier squad didn’t achieve much and eventually after a couple of phases of taking heavy casualties the four surviving squad-members hastily withdrew. Our senior leader was with them and we didn’t want him to die in vain. We never did get to the second story and that COCD. 

"See any movement in the mansion - open fire!"

Rob brought on his other Hellcats and used the mansion to block line of sight from my two Stugs. At least the Hellcats are fast! He used the Hellcats’ top mounted HMGs to good effect against our troops, which were mainly fringed around the hedges bordering the mansion. 

One Hellcat did get a hit on one of my stugs (not the senior leader, fortunately) and the stug suffered a wounded commander. With only one CI to activate crew, this made the stug far less effective - because I couldn’t even move and shoot on the same phase. 

Rob got a bit too bold with one Hellcat - rushing it forward, and we destroyed it with our panzerschreck team. The panzerschreck team was then promptly killed on the Allies’ phase. 

Hellcat taken out by panzerschreck - while surviving members of German 1st Squad bugs out of mansion

Skampy brought on his support choice - an extra Airborne squad - and he moved to occupy the mansion with one squad while moving the other two around, hugging the hedgerow, to slowly flank our infantry. He used marching fire to keep up a steady stream of bullets on our infantry. The survivors of the German first squad became pinned and then broke. (Fortunately we’d detached our senior leader). 

We managed to roll enough 5s to end the turn and bring on our Pak-40. Now the lone Hellcat had to face two Stugs and a Pak-40! Eventually we destroyed it after several shots from the Pak and command stug. 

The Allies’ morale had begun on 8 and had taken a big hit with all these exploding Hellcats - but German morale was also critically low because we’d suffered a team lost, heavy infantry casualties and a wounded stug commander. Both sides were now only rolling 3 command dice. 

(We play with a shared Morale Pool but only dice ‘bad thing happens’ once for destroyed AFVs to avoid the game being too short). 

Our sniper killed an Airborne junior leader, and with that both sides’ morale dropped below 3, meaning a dishonourable draw and both forces withdrawing. 

Sniper gives the Germans a draw