Last Saturday Max and I met up for our monthly CoC game, this time at Roll the Dice, a tabletop shop with lots of tables to rent for games.
We chose "Attack on an Objective" as the scenario, Max wanted to attack another village defended by my Airborne with his Bersaglieri.
Thanks to my FR of +4 and that of his Bersaglieri of -4, he was already guaranteed 8 support points, plus the 8 additional points rolled, which gave me 4 support points.
The Bersaglieri were thus supported by a FOO with a mortar battery, an AB41 armoured car, a Brixia 45mm mortar and a 20mm anti-aircraft gun, while my Airborne could only count on the FOO and some of the mortars of their regiment.
We both started at 9 for Force Morale: Max rolled a 3, I rolled a 1 (with +2 because of Elite).
So my Airborne didn't seem to be particularly motivated today ...
All quiet on Sicily ... at least for now
Situation after patrols made contact and with the resulting JoPs established
FOO desployed in one of the houses and a lone 60mm mortar team ...
The Bersaglieri push forward, accompanied by the 20mm FlaK, the source of increasing pain for my airborne.
Isolated 45mm Brixia in the background, maybe he has lost the way? A few moments later after a salvo from my Airborne squad it is gone ... first blood!
But there is no respite as an armoured car advances against the positions of my Paras.
Unequal Firefight with mounting casualities on my Paras as the low hedges provides no cover against the HE from the 20mm.
So my FOO has to call in a barrage from the mortar battery.
In the meantime more Bersaglieri push on from further North and lay down Covering Fire against my Paras in the South.. But at least one of their squads had have enough after fired upon from the Paras and the battery and breaks. Unfortunately not the nasty FlaK ...
But somehow the contact to the battery got lost and the barrage ends abruptly after just a few salvos (Max used a CoC-Dice) and the Bersaglieri had all their 3 Squads deployed, pushing my Paras harder and harder.
Casualities mounting, my 2nd squad had lost his LMG team ... the situation is getting increasingly desperate for the Paras.
Second try for another barrage ... but much too far away to cause harm ...
The odds are getting higher and higher.
We had to stop at this point because the Roll the Dice was closing.
Both sides had suffered heavy losses, although the Bersaglieri were able to cope with them much more easily than my expensive Paras.
However, the force morale of the Bersaglieri had fallen to 4 too, while that of the Paras stood at 6 - but one of the Para squads would not be able to hold out for much longer.
We agreed on a draw, as the pendulum of fortune could easily swing in favour of either side.
