Clash at the Crossroads- A Battlegroup AAR

We had a great game of Battlegroup Overlord today, two players per side with me acting as partially impartial umpire- Can't help myself, I always barrack for the British ;-)

Denis & Daniel travelled over from Launceston and joined in with James & Ben. The British forces were jointly commanded by Denis & Ben using my figures etc., the Germans by James and Daniel using James' collection. The British used a 500 point list from the British Infantry Division list; the Germans a Panzer Division list - both taken from the Battlegroup Overlord book.
Denis & Daniel kindly brought over some extra terrain to help supplement my stuff - the extra roads were especially helpful.
I won't attempt to give a fully comprehensive report, but I did take quite a few pictures which should give you an idea along with their captions. In the end the British won, but it was a near run thing. We didn't get to play until the battle rating totals were reached due to time constraints. In the end I think the Germans lost 15 out of 27 BR and the British 10 out of 31. There was a desperate scramble for an all objectives held victory towards the end. It was unusual not to see more vehicles destroyed, in the end I think just one kubelwagen was written off or abandoned. A couple of infantry squads/sections were exterminated-  the Germans lost two squads and a recon team, the British lost a section plus a casualty here and there.

First up some pictures of the terrain/battlefield setup:



The cow represents an objective marker, & the lone telegraph pole another.



In the bottom left hand corner there is another cow objective marker outside the farmhouse.

Another objective marker is a small cart (not quite visible) next to the smaller
of the two outhouses at the back of the terraced cottages.

 

And so it begins.....the Recce phase

Humber IV tentatively heads for an objective

British sniper team in position.

2nd Sniper team in the shrubbery

German Armoured car thinks about racing down the open road, but doesn't.

Deployment of the main forces:

Germans concentrating for deployment

German armoured car shelters behind bocage.

The Humber IV by the farmhouse has just taken an objective.

The café owner keeps some pigs out the back.

Puma lurking

Carrier team on recce

Sniper and his spotter, hiding, but not well enough...

There's that Humber again.

German squads move out across the fields.

The Puma sees the spotter from the sniper team and blasts him to oblivion.

British on the move.

British platoon command squad in immediate foreground.

Humber goes on ambush fire, but in the end this achieved nothing.

I think that section is all AB Miniatures

The empty battlefield? Well, apart from the cow...

German recce team deployed upstairs in one cottage having already taken a
casualty in the far end house. A British sniper team sneakily deploys in the closest cottage.

German comms halftrack

An overview of things on the move.

British sections spreading out.

German squads sprint for the big bocage covered hill, get shot at by the Humber IV
on the way, but it does no damage.

The Germans deploy their Pak 40 with a nice view up the main road.

This British section is steadily making their way to the area around the farmhouse.

Churchills were pushed out two per flank.

Successful German mortaring pinned a number of British units - the PIAT team...

...and platoon HQ

Churchill, 2 inch mortar team and Forward HQ.

Pak 40 on Ambush fire.

The Tiger appears!

Churchill loiters by the garage - perhaps the crew wants to pick up the latest
Michelin Guide?

A game of cat & mouse. The Puma ducks behind the barn away from the Churchill.

German squads scramble through the dense bocage and down the embankment.

A better view of the objective by the small outhouse.

The Germans, just out of the bocage, get hit by a mortar stonk.

The kubelwagen is written off in a mortar stonk.

It took many attempts for the British to finally deal with the German recce team.
Here you see the last man standing.

British section pushes up to the hedges by the farmhouse, but they are doomed!

German squads and HQ halftrack.

British section thinks about getting into those houses, but in the end after taking
some casualties, moves away to the crossroads.

A German squad has occupied the end cottage- right of picture.

The German squad in the end cottage is about to be blasted by the British.

A German squad makes its way to the farmhouse.



Oh dear here's the Tiger! The Tiger attempted to blow away the Humber IV
but missed.

German recce team is finally wiped out.

German MG team gets behind the hedge.



A German squad has moved up to occupy the backyard of the café - move over porkers.
This squad blasted the British section down the lane by the farmhouse, causing casualties and
a pin.

Germans occupy the large farmhouse- who left the back door unlocked?
The British section, in top left corner with pinned marker, gets wiped out.

British section engage German squad, as does the Churchill. The German
squad is eventually wiped out, but they hung on to the last man.

A last ditch effort, a German command halftrack attempts to give the British a
hail of lead- to no avail.

Thanks to everyone who took part, heaps of fun.