Bolt Action - Road to Belgium

Back to Bolt Action in quite special way. Yesterday we had very nice game of BA with a Club mate. We've been planning this long and finally we got to have the actual game. The game was a hybrid of Tank War and regular BA game, since we both had a platoon of tanks along with normal l infantry units. We also did this on double size table, so in effect we had six by six foot table. 

The game was about US platoon backed with Shermans pushing through a small town to take vital crossroads (we always seem to fight over a crossroads). On the opposing side, there was a combined kampfgruppe of Fallschirmjägers and army to defend the town. US got double amount of infantry units to Germans since they were attacking. So it wasn't "fare" game, but war isn't. Starting positions were taken from the excellent Tank War book scenario "Bastogne". In it Germans got infantry and one other unit already in town. US troops had initial wave on board and rest units were coming from reserves.

Small advance troop of German motorized recon had slipped in a ruined building to set eyes on vital crossroad.They had MG team covering them house nearby. So positions supposed to be good, but it wasn't so. US started the push with full platoon of infantry supported by HMG team and AT team. The infantry advanced quickly in good cover and neither recon team nor MMG couldn't take a shot on them. They could only call in for support from Sturmgeshutz abteilung and two squads of Fallschirjägers who hurried to stop the American advance.

When German recon team was looking out from a ruined house they saw the US troops pouring along the street backed by some Shermans and before they could even take a shot they came under massive fire from US Garands and tank machine guns. And this actually went on throughout the fight until the poor recon team was annihilated without being able to fire a shot.

While US infantry was concentrating to fight with the Germans in town Stug abteilung rumbled in and just after them two squads of Fallschirmjägers. But at the same time US Shermans were fanning out to meet the anticipated German armor. One of the Shemans got in a good position and took accurate shot on column of advancing Stugs and knocked out one. Two other Stugs rolled in town to start a fight. Howitzer armed Stug 42 started punishing advancing US infantry and other was trying to find a place to shoot at Shermans. Later the Sherman that killed a Stug was knocked out by accurate Panzerscreck shot. There was lot of "movie moments" during the fight, like German sniper dropping US Bazooka team hunting Stug in a town. And later the very same sniper eliminated by other Shermans machine gun. Finally US overwhelmed German defenders who never managed to reach good defending positions in town, but they tried very hard and fell down trying. The fight ended few Germans surrendering and Yanks taking hold on vital point of approach deeper in Belgium.'

Here's some shot from the fight.

US troops advance in town covered by some Shermans.

German recon team in ruins waiting.

Stugs on the road to have a fight.

Sherman taking vantage point.

Stug htt by Sherman and bursting in flames.

Later the Sherman faced the same faith.

By this team.

Tanks meeting in the town.

Tank standoff.

German lieutenant one of the few survivors. 

Situation at the end of the fight.

Americans pouring in.

German transport wait.

Finally the town and objective was at US hands.

Absolutely great game and fight. Long and enjoyable strongly themed game with nice historical feeling and and lots of events and happening throughout the game. Bolt Action at it's best.