Sunday, June 9, 2024

"Hell on Wheels" - US 2nd Armored Division in 15mm: Half-Tracks M3A1, M16 MGMC and M15 CGMC

With these 3 vehicles now done, my Armoured Infantry and Parachute Infantry now have even more support options available.

All models, crews and passengers are from Battlefront Miniatures 15mm range.

I particularly like the passengers for the M3A1, which are superbly modelled and almost too good to be barely visible in the half-track itself.

Two of them are shown taking a little nap - with a few more of this I'll create a little diorama to use as a jump off point for Chain of Command.

M16 MGMC, M15 CGMC, M3A1

M3A1 and the passengers

Take a nap when ever you can ...

M15 CGMC

M16 MGMC

Chain of Command AAR: Operation Husky - Action at San Leo, Game 2: The Axis counterattacks

9:37:00 AM Utgaard No comments

As the exit from the valley was of strategic importance to the Axis, the decimated Bersaglieri received support from German Panzergrenadiers and a platoon of Panzer IV F2 tanks to recapture the village dominating the valley exit.

In the meantime, the Allies only managed to reinforce the Armoured Infantry with a platoon of Parachute Infantry and set up their defences as best they could - the left flank was protected by two minefields and the road leading out of the valley was closed by a roadblock.

The crucial question was: would this be enough to stop the advancing Axis forces?

The surviving Bersaglieri were reorganised this way: 2 rifle squads of 6 men each and a LMG squad with 3 Breda LMGs and their crews.

The battlefield with the Jump of Points in place.

The Sicilian woods are crowded with Krauts 😎

The first Panzer IV F2 appears.

While on teh other flank the Bersaglieri LMG squad advances on the village of San Leo.

The hedges surrunding San Leo are manned by 2 squads and the Italian Eneneers trying to cross the field and clear the minefields are quickly wiped out.

The Bazooka team was only able to shoot off one of the tank's tracks and is then at the mercy of the fire from its explosive grenades - with predictable consequences

The Panzergrenadiers have deployed at the edge of the forest and their merciless hail of bullets kill one squad of the Armoured Infantry after the other, forcing their Moral to go down in a with frightening speed.

A closer look at the Panzergrenadiers.

Finally my 57mm PaK was able to blow up the leading Panzer IV.

Barrages from both sides are incoming - now it's time to keep our heads down.

The Panzergrenadiers suffering the most, even losing their Platoon Commander!

A last squad of Armoured Infantry tries to drive the Bersaglieri out of the citrus plantation.

To no avail - the losses are too high, the morale of the platoon is broken and the surviving remnants are forced to retreat.

The paratroopers cover the escape of the armoured infantry and then retreat in an organised manner.

An exciting and hard-fought game right to the end, in which the pendulum swung sometimes to one side and then back to the other - just when you thought the game was lost, the cards were reshuffled one phase later because the senior leader of the Panzergrenadiers suddenly breathed his last breath and their force morale suddenly collapsed.

Typical for games of Chain of Command, no other rules system I know offers these multiple twists and turns.

Chain of Command AAR: Operation Husky - Action at San Leo, Game 1: Bersaglieri attack US Armoured

5:11:00 PM Utgaard No comments

Our CoC group decided it was time to try to connect our games in an easy way without to much book keeping, so we are trying some of the rules for a simple ladder campaign from "At the Sharp End".

First game should been a fight between two platoons using Scenario 3 "Attack & Defend".

The winner will then consolidate his position and start as the Defender in the next game (a Big CoC game) using Scenario 6 "Attack on an Objective", additionally he can chose static defences for 3 Support Points - but has to fight with just 2 platoons of infantry and as such both their players gets a full CoC Dice each.

The loser will start as the attacker in the follow-up game and he will get an additional platoon of tanks.

Both platoons will get adjusted the casualities according to the rules from "At the Sharp End"

So Max and me played game 1 Yesterday putting his Bersaglieri as attacker versus my US Armoured who had to defend.

He got 5 Supports (Bersaglieri Force Rating -4 vs. US Armoured +1) and rolled TWO 1s for the scenario support - this left me with 1(!) support 😅

The Bersaglieri were highly motivated it looked because they started with a Force Moral off 11 vs. my Force Moral of 9.

The battlefield - a small hamlet at the end of a valley surrounded by orchards, wheat fields and a small wood.

The first squad of Bersaglieri desployed on the hill behind a hedge, going directly on Overwatch.

The US Armoured responded with their 60mm mortar, their salvos ...

... directed by the Platoon Sergeant himself.

While the Bersaglieri installed a fire base that dominated the hights and the fields in front of the hamlet - a MMG behind an entrenchment.

The first error of the Italian command - their squads advanced without supporting each other and not simultaneously, so my LMG-Squad could concentrate his fire on this hapless squad.

Meantime in the orchards - 3 squads of Armoured Rifles suppress a lonely squad of Bersaglieri with their concentrated fire and advance on their strong position behind a stonewall.

My LMG is squad under Covering Fire from the LMG on the hill from the front ...

... while another squad of Bersaglieri throw smoke grenades to hamper the LMGs from this flank.

My small HQ squad storms the stonewall and a bitter fight of close combat results ...

... defeating the defenders and routing the few survivors. The brave Sergeant will be awarded a Medal of Honour after the battle.

With mounting casualities and the Force Moral going down more and more (dropping to 3) the Italians decided to withdraw from the battlefield to preserve the remaining troops for the upcoming attack.

The Italian Bersaglieri suffered 16 casualities and additionally lost 2 of their Junior Leader - according to "At the Sharp End" 8 of them are permanently lost, another 4 miss the next battle and 4 return to the ranks; to replace the lost NCO´s 2 men of the rank and file will be promoted.

Thanks to the unbroken Force Morale (difference of +6), all the losses of the US Armoured can fight in the upcoming battle.