Saturday was our monthly CoC game, this time as an introductory game for Stefan, a CoC newcomer.
Max took over a Platoon Bersaglieri, Stefan led my US Parachute Infantry into battle and I took on the role of game master and was on hand to answer Stefan's questions about rules and tactics.
First of all: I didn't have to give many tips.
At dawn, the platoons of US paratroopers and the Italian Bersaglieri meet on the outskirts of a small Sicilian village.
Surrounded by vineyards, orchards and date palm fields, the terrain offers both cover and tactical advantages. Both sides are initially on patrol and try to outmanoeuvre each other.
The Bersaglieri advance skilfully and are thus able to secure the village and take cover in the buildings on the outskirts.
The paratroopers advance on their right flank and take up positions on the hills at the edge of the village. Two squads take cover in the vineyards and orchards, while two 60mm mortars take up positions behind the hills.
And here are pictures of the US Boys looking towards the village (these two pictures were shot by Stefan):
Supported by the two mortars and a bazooka team, which is soon eliminated by the Bersaglieri, the US soldiers concentrate their fire on one of the three Bersaglieri squads entrenched in one of the buildings on the edge of the village.
This concentrated fire puts the Italian troops in dire straits.
The first Bersaglieri squad quickly loses several men when grenades explode in the houses. The squad's sergeant is wounded several times and finally killed.
Shortly afterwards, the commander of the Bersaglieri platoon is also seriously injured as he attempts to take command of the battered squad and restore order.
After the loss of two commanders and the ever-increasing losses in their ranks, the survivors of the Bersaglieri squad lose their nerve, break and run away and shortly after the whole platoon has to beat retreat.
The US paratroopers were thus able to capture the village and secure a strategically important point on the edge of their beachhead, which could make a direct Axis attack on it more difficult or even impossible.
Conclusion:
The US paratroopers were able to decisively weaken the Bersaglieri through concentrated fire, even if they themselves also suffered considerable losses. However, these losses were distributed among their squads, which did not significantly weaken their fighting strength.
Max once again underestimated the unpredictability of CoC and, trusting that he could hold out for one more phase, did not take the battered squad out of the firing line ... Unfortunately, this was followed by a double phase for the US Boys.
Stefan played cleverly, focussed his fire to achieve maximum effect and also had the ‘Pabst in his pocket’ (i.e. some really incredible luck with the dice) like this burst with one of his LMGs 😎
But the most important thing was: he had fun and this was his first, but not his last game of CoC - a perfect day for us too!
