All Day Games


				CHELTENHAM WARCHIEFS *All Day Games*



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This page contains accounts and battle reports of some of the CWC All Day Club EVents. Usually the club puts on a large game involving multiple players.

FOW All Day Game - Normandy - D Day

The Allied Team lead by British Brigadier Sir Andrew 'Big Balls' Culham

Sedge, Andy,Ken, John and Graham

The Wermacht Forces Lead by Major Oberstleutenant Richard 'Knockwhurst' Burdett

Luke,Rich,James,Mike and Scott

D-Day (a FOW WW2 Mass Battle)

November 11th 2007

How did it start?

Months ago when battlefront released the D-Day book a number of CWC FOW players were eager to play a mass invasion. After reading through the stats and scenarios so I thought that needs to be done big, so after much discussion with Andy, planning & building of terrain, getting the date book at the club for November 11^th the game was on (at this point nerves kick in, have I got it right? Will it work?)

The next phase was players; Andy Cullum and Richard Burdett agreed to be the commanders - Andy for the Allies along with John Harrison, Robert Sedgeman, Ken Collier and Graham Cook, as his Company Commanders. Richard was in charge of the Axis defence forces with Mike Pert, Scott Laird, Luke Rothwell and James Brown in support.

Quick word about some of the players in FOW Sedge, Ken & James have never played, Luke and Graham have just started while the rest are all old hands at FOW which helped make the game flow better everyone apart from Scott have started and stuck with the 3 main forces of US, UK and Germany Scott normally plays with his Soviets but has done a whole new army for this game and a few members haven’t even got armies with them so were suing a selection of models within the overall force. Graham acted as God for this battle taking notes and deciding on any rule queries if I have missed anything it was a Sunday (my day off) and the all Seeing Eye was turned off. Now that you know why and who let the invasion of Fortress Europe begin!

Setup

Both sides had 15 minutes at the table before play began to make their final plans. The allied objectives were

Create a Beach Head
Capture bridge over the canal on the left flank
Secure road junction at the rear of the Axis line

The Axis objective were

Defend beach, bridge and road junction

All axis troops began the game pinned and bailed out of vehicles due to sea bombardment and the Allies have the first turn

Allied Turn 1

The assault troops make the run in to the beach, of the 16 landing craft, 5 are delayed along with 2 Sherman DD’s and another DD was sunk and 4 were bogged down on the beach so couldn’t return for another journey for another turn. Undaunted John’s British Infantry and Sedges Commando’s storm ashore in force on the allied right flank opposite trench hill and in front of point du hoc’s cliff face on the left Graham’s American Armour and Ken’s British tanks move up the beach towards exits 1&2. Andy calls in air, artillery and navy support onto trench hill taking out an 88 dug into the hill top and 2 Hmg positions while offshore American priests targeted Scott’s grenadiers defending the bridge but only inflicting 1 casualty.

German Turn 1

The majority of German troops unpin and begin to organise themselves into defensive positions. The artillery bombardment starts with 105’s shooting the clumped together and undefended British infantry landings unfortunately no casualties were caused but they were pinned. The infantry opposite exit 3 suffer 4 stands killed 8 are also pinned all other small arms fire is ineffective or out of range or sight at the moment.

Allied turn 2

On the right the rest of the first wave arrive including 3 centaur tanks which make for exit 3 supported by more infantry. The commandos launch an assault up the cliffs of point du hoc. Over on the left flank Graham’s Sherman’s move in to open exit 1. Ken’s Sherman’s take out the bunker near exit 2 both receive extra armoured units landing in reserve while offshore batteries have no effect.

German turn 2

Richard orders more artillery fire on the beaches, Mikes Hummels & Luke’s 105’s pound the allied troops pinning them down. Scott fires off the first rocket battery destroying 2 Sherman’s. The assault on point du hoc is decisive as Luke’s defenders sweep the commando’s from the crest with HMG fire

Allied turn 3

More armour arrives on the left flank along with some Wasp’s for John who with Sedge unpin their infantry& commandos. Kens armour breach exit 2 Sedge who like a good fight assaults trench hill with more commandos, after a couple of rounds of fighting and motivation tests they take the trenches and the pillbox but with a bloody nose after. And artillery and air support result in a destroyed a PAK 40 at the rear of the German lines.

German turn 3

Scott’s grenadiers start to advance down the canal road towards the harbour and beach to support his infantry defending the bridge, which are being pressed by American armour. James advances the Stug platoon towards exit 2 destroying Kens lead Sherman the remaining fire from German positions causing minimal casualties on the allies

Allied turn 4

Time for Andy to get sneaky (or desperate) and sends graham with a platoon of Stuarts into the harbour itself the landing craft runs up the slipway and disgorges its cargo onto the harbour side surprising the Germans and killing the defending Hmg’s. Sedge not to be outdone sends more commandos to climb around the cliff face over the sea to assault the undefended side of point du hoc (skill & motivation tests aplenty). Meanwhile ken crosses the beach defences and fires on the rear of the German positions taking out yet another bunker John’s 25lbs fire on the Pak 40’s visible from his position on trench hill but fail to damage them but does manage to pin them down.

German turn 4

Richard stoically orders his troops to hold their ground and sends 5 Panzer IV’s to support Scott on the right flank who dug in with his infantry and faced off with the yank armour around exit 1. The Pak 40’s unpin and destroy 3 more of Ken’s Sherman’s. On the left flank more artillery lands amongst the British infantry on the beach but with minimal casualties but keeping them pinned down on the beach again.

Allied turn 5

This turn started with a BANG! With naval and off shore artillery batteries letting rip on German positions across the board and ended as a damp squib by missing everything in sight (much German laughter) Ken’s tanks manage to bail one Stug & destroy another. Then came the assaults by John & Sedge the Commando’s on the cliffs arrive & attack the enemy from the rear, clearing the gun pits and blowing the bunker wide open point du hoc as finally his. John meanwhile opens Exit 3 with his Churchill’s and infantry, the ensuing melee rolled back and forth with both sides passing motivation tests to attack and counter attack each other several times till numbers began to tell and the German troops fell back.

The beachhead was secure 1^st objective complete!

German turn 5

German reserves were held up by French resistance activity in the rear areas this turn (German positions still in good shape behind the beach) the PanzerIV’s moved up over the canal bridge and the infantry consolidated their position on the right. In the centre Scott’s mortars fail to range in but the Pak 40’s destroy 2 more Sherman’s. the 88’s get 2 hits on the Churchill’s but fail to damage them but more AT fore from other Pak40’s blow both away. The Hummel’s take out 3 more Sherman’s over by the harbour with indirect fire! The PanzerIV’s kill 1 of the Stuarts as they had moved that turn. James dug in artillery on the left flank failed to range in but the mortars landed squarely onto the British infantry and mortars killing 2 and pinning them again! Down on the beach.

Allied turn 6

Another distraction ploy from Andy in the shape of paratroops landings in the both rear corners of the German lines in the attempt to drain troops from the front line away. The Para drop was simulated by template sized cards. Richard as German C-in-C was told by myself that they represented reports by reserve elements of landings and gunfire to his rear. The 3^rd wave of allied landing craft arrive with Grahams armoured rifle platoon plus some M10’s and more, the whole allied front starts to move Past the beach front on the right John & sedges troops move down from trench hill to assault the Germans in the building across the road, as the commando’s move forward between trench hill and point du hoc they stumble into a minefield but suffer no casualties it turned out to be a dud minefield much to Richards disappointment

German turn 6

Now the reserves begin to arrive on the left another Panzer IV platoon arrived and on the right an aufklanrung platoon of armoured cars and troop carriers. Scott’s Harbour defence troops still held out against the yank armour wave with their well-placed panzerfausts and conducted fire. In the centre the AT guns ad tanks take their toll on the M10’s and Stuarts destroying them all. The massed artillery delivered their pay load onto the allied lines wiping out the mortars on the beach and inflicting light casualties on the British forces around trench hill and point du hoc.

Conclusion

At this point I had to end the game as we had run out of time so would it be VC’s or Iron crosses awarded, looking at the board the allies had secured their beach head objective and were building up troops in support but still had along way to go to reach objectives 2+3 against what was a quite formidable German 2^nd line of defence which was already growing stronger, the decision was a minor victory to the Germans SO well done to Richard for such a good defence plan and too Mike, Scott, Luke and James for carrying it out so well.

To Andy commiserations so close a call, the pincer attack nearly worked Graham, Ken, John and Sedge well done you never gave up despite some lousy dice rolls during the game

My thanks to you all for making the game play out the way I had hoped for when I started to plan it and for your comments on how good the table looked, a final word of thanks must got to Andy and Scott for compiling 2 CDs of 40’s music and war speeches for background ambience. To Rachel for the photography which can be seen elsewhere (website or myspace) and keeping the tea and biccies flowing. Lastly but by no means least, a massive thanks to Graham for running the game, creating all the fabulous scenary and board (which incidently took months to complete such was the detail!) Good work Fella!

So what now? Kursk? The Bulge? Operation Goodwood! Market Garden! Mmm 3 big bridges...... back to the drawing board.

Our superb normandy beach board made by Graham

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