British 6th Airborne Mini-Campaign Game #1

 All,

Ugh, please disregard the next couple paragraphs, it's just me whining, sort of a wargaming therapy diary entry to begin this batrep.

It seems like I'm always pissing and moaning about something, and today is no different ;)  I'm too much a wargaming butterfly, always after the 'ooh, shiny,' never content with what I've got, and there's always a melancholy period after I jump into something big and new (and expensive and time consuming) where I regret what I've done, most notably when I made the jump from 10mm to 15mm, and now when I jumped from 15mm to 28mm (without ever even playing a full game with my 15mm, no less)...  It's been quite a bit of fun playing these Bolt Action games in 28mm with my boys, BUT... there's stuff that aggravates me.  The table is really small, relative to the size of the figures, just not much room for maneuver, and even less if you cram if full of terrain.  Because the figures are so big, I don't really want to put too many on the table (and end up with the parking lot effect), so I'm sort of limited to 'reinforced platoon'-level games, which is really not my sweet spot for gaming, which is reinforced company- or battalion-level games, where one vehicle is one vehicle and one stand is a squad.  I'm very pleased with how cool my tables look, but man, it's cost me a tremendous amount of money, it's incredibly hard to store all my stuff (my wife is seriously pondering homicide as I've got toys spilling out of every nook and cranny), and it takes FOREVER to set the table up and take down.  I keep looking at all of my 15mm stuff and 28mm stuff and all I can think to myself is "one of these has to go," but I don't know how to do it (easily and efficiently, and in a way that will recoup a meaningful portion of the money I put out for it), and I know I'll regret it.

I often think back to when I first started with 10mm, when my little dudes were half-assedly painted, placed on green rectangles (no flock, later replaced with bathroom tiles that I did flock), my hills and fields were cut up bits of carpet, my barbed wire was picture-hanging wire that I wrapped around a pen, my walls and buildings were simply spray-painted khaki, my trees were plastic cake-toppers, my bushes were lichen, and I was happy to proxy troops and vehicles in order to play, 'close enough' really was good enough.  And yet, those were the days where I had the most fun, getting in boatloads of games, regularly playing out campaigns of over a dozen fights each.  

I'm not advocating going back to those old days, I've put in a tremendous amount of blood, sweat, and tears to improve all aspects of my wargaming habit, but still, I need to change something up.  I've been having a great time playing with my boys, BUT... it has its own aggravations.  First, we're not playing as much as I'd like.  There have been weekends where we've had opportunities to play but we didn't because... the boys would rather have played video games then play wargames, and I don't want to 'make' them come play wargames, so I set it up and try to encourage them to come and play.  The next issue is that we're playing Bolt Action, so it's the big stuff, long set up and take down, takes up 6' x 4' of space, so I put in a lot of work to get things set up, and if they don't play then I don't get to play because the types of games they're playing are not the types of games I like to play on my own and there's no room to play a game I want to play (I have an 8' x 6' table, but all space beyond the 6' x 4' I have carved out for the Bolt Action games is covered  in figures and terrain).  Lastly, while I love playing with the boys, I miss playing my own games, which are solo games that are very character focused and driven, following a group of men through the trials and travails of combat in long, drawn-out campaigns.

So I was in a bit of a pensive mood, reflecting on what was bothering me, perusing the web, seeing what my internet wargaming buddies (all of my 'wargaming friends' are on line, I don't have any 'real life' wargaming friends that come over to game) were up to and just looking at pictures of other folks' games (which I spend a tremendous amount of time doing, I love seeing pics of other gamer's troops, terrain, and fights), and I ran across this:

https://saskminigamer.blogspot.com/p/five-men-in-normandy-campaign-and.html

And this was instant inspiration.  I don't know how I'm going to pull it off long-term, but I had some time on my hands so I rolled up some characters, I stripped down the table, and set everything back up, a few troops on each side on a 3' x 3' battlefield.  So what am I doing?  Well, I'm shamelessly ripping that dude straight off, I'm going to follow a few guys from the British 6th Airborne Division through their exploits in Normandy beginning on D-Day at the Merville Battery and on through the push south, ending 27 August 1944.

Here's what I rolled up:

Platoon Leader - Lieutenant Tony Gilmore
Background: Upper Class                              Personality: Quiet
Secondary Skills: Bluffing                               Motivation: Survival
Length of Service: Inexperienced                   Skills:
Action: Training in North Africa                       Decorations:

Platoon Sergeant - Sergeant Randall Owens
Background: Long Term Soldier                     Personality: Stingy
Secondary Skills: Intimidation             Motivation: Brotherhood
Length of Service: Seen it All             Skills: Right Place, Accurate
Action: Norway, Tunisia                                  Decorations:

Section Leader - Corporal Bruce Patterson
Background: Farmer                                       Personality: Jovial
Secondary Skills: Well Educated                   Motivation: Brotherhood
Length of Service: Seen it All                         Skills: Sharpshooter, Covering Fire
Action: Fall of France, Sicily                           Decorations:

Section Leader - Corporal Rodney Holcomb
Background: Working Class                           Personality: Persistent
Secondary Skills: Weather Sense                  Motivation: Brotherhood
Length of Service: Seen it All                         Skills: Sharpshooter, Field Craft
Action: Western Desert, Tunisia                     Decorations:

Asst Section Leader - Lance Corporal Jeremiah Hawkins
Background: Drifter                                         Personality: Mature
Secondary Skills: Foreign Language              Motivation: Patriotism
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Quick
Action: Italy                                                     Decorations:

Asst Section Leader - Lance Corporal Reginald Davenport
Background: Working Class                           Personality: Sarcastic
Secondary Skills: Cooking                              Motivation: Patriotism
Length of Service: Seen it All                         Skills: Tough, Throwing
Action: Sicily, Italy                                           Decorations:

Asst Section Leader - Lance Corporal Lowell Manning
Background: Working Class                           Personality: Assertive
Secondary Skills: Writing                                Motivation: Patriotism
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Shoot and Scoot
Action: Sicily                                                   Decorations:

Machine Gunner - Lance Corporal Jon Floyd
Background: Farmer                                       Personality: Courteous
Secondary Skills: Radio Operation                Motivation: Patriotism
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Rapid Fire
Action: Tunisia                                                Decorations:

Machine Gunner - Lance Corporal Arthur Gill
Background: Academic                                   Personality: Mature
Secondary Skills: Well Educated                    Motivation: Political
Length of Service: Seen it All                         Skills: Tough, Guts
Action: Fall of France, Tunisia                        Decorations:

Machine Gunner - Lance Corporal Paul Gallagher
Background: Drifter                                         Personality: Truthful
Secondary Skills: Foraging                             Motivation: Revenge
Length of Service: Inexperienced                   Skills:
Action: Training in North Africa                     Decorations:

Asst Machine Gunner - Trooper Gilbert Lancaster
Background: Working Class                           Personality: Ambitious
Secondary Skills: Animal Handling                Motivation: Ambition
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Rallying Cry
Action: Tunisia                                                Decorations:

Asst Machine Gunner - Trooper Brendan Whitney
Background: Drifter                                         Personality: Devoted
Secondary Skills: Foreign Language              Motivation: Ambition
Length of Service: Fresh at the Front             Skills:
Action: Initial Training                                     Decorations:

Asst Machine Gunner - Trooper Bob Burns
Background: Upper Class                              Personality: Jovial
Secondary Skills: Construction                      Motivation: Patriotism
Length of Service: Fresh at the Front             Skills:
Action: Initial Training                                    Decorations:

Rifleman - Trooper Aidan Snow
Background: Academic                                   Personality: Dishonest
Secondary Skills: Bluffing                               Motivation: Glory
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Infiltrator
Action: Italy                                                     Decorations:

Rifleman - Trooper Leslie Ellis
Background: Upper Class                              Personality: Assertive
Secondary Skills: Carousing                          Motivation: Revenge
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Brave
Action: Western Desert                                  Decorations:

Rifleman - Trooper Eddie Burks
Background: Working Class                           Personality: Genuine
Secondary Skills: Mechanic                           Motivation: Adventure
Length of Service: Inexperienced                   Skills:
Action: Training in Italy                                  Decorations:

Rifleman - Trooper Homer Hodges
Background: Straight Out of School               Personality: Optimistic
Secondary Skills: Foraging                             Motivation: Patriotism
Length of Service: Fresh at the Front             Skills:
Action: Initial Training                                    Decorations:

Rifleman - Trooper Wyatt Humphrey
Background: Straight Out of School               Personality: Vulgar
Secondary Skills: Math                                   Motivation: Brotherhood
Length of Service: Fresh at the Front             Skills:                                                  
Action: Initial Training                                    Decorations:

Yeah, I know that's a lot, but I'm kind of a dork when it comes to this stuff, I love setting up units, rolling up all that stuff (Five Men in Normandy, or 5MIN, has tables for all those headings save name and decorations).  If you're not familiar, there will never be a time in which all those folks will be on the table at the same time, 5MIN typically has between 4 and 8 guys on the table (per side) at a time, but I need a lot of guys rolled up because of the various combinations of troop types that can end up on the table at once, and because I expect I'll take quite a few casualties between 6 June and 27 August.

So yeah, I don't have a fully fleshed out plan on how to do this, but I'm starting out to follow a group of Brit paras for two months in Normandy with Five Men In Normandy, we'll see how it goes.

A section of the Merville Battery, north is up (with the intended invasion beaches miles off camera to top center and top left.  My squad's objective is the casemate at top left, looking to knock out the artillery piece located within.  There's a command bunker nearby, with a trench running around the position, which is enclosed with barbed wire.  There's a few pieces of scatter terrain around (fuel and ammo, a kerosene tank, a cargo truck), and overall the area has been worked over pretty well by Allied aircraft, but otherwise it's pretty open terrain, with the attackers relying heavily on darkness and the sounds of far off gunfire to mask their approach.

The opposing forces, with seven Brits facing off against six Germans.  That's two Stens, a Bren, and four Lee-Enfields vs an MP-40, a G43, and four Mausers.  All troops are 28mm plastics from Warlord Games.

The British paratrooper force, from top left to bottom right:

Asst Section Leader - Lance Corporal Jeremiah Hawkins
Background: Drifter                                         Personality: Mature
Secondary Skills: Foreign Language              Motivation: Patriotism
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Quick
Action: Italy                                                     Decorations:

Asst Section Leader - Lance Corporal Lowell Manning
Background: Working Class                           Personality: Assertive
Secondary Skills: Writing                                Motivation: Patriotism
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Shoot and Scoot
Action: Sicily                                                   Decorations:

Machine Gunner - Lance Corporal Arthur Gill
Background: Academic                                   Personality: Mature
Secondary Skills: Well Educated                    Motivation: Political
Length of Service: Seen it All                         Skills: Tough, Guts
Action: Fall of France, Tunisia                        Decorations:

Asst Machine Gunner - Trooper Gilbert Lancaster
Background: Working Class                           Personality: Ambitious
Secondary Skills: Animal Handling                Motivation: Ambition
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Rallying Cry
Action: Tunisia                                                Decorations:

Rifleman - Trooper Aidan Snow
Background: Academic                                   Personality: Dishonest
Secondary Skills: Bluffing                               Motivation: Glory
Length of Service: Been in Battle                   Skills: Infiltrator
Action: Italy                                                     Decorations:

Rifleman - Trooper Homer Hodges
Background: Straight Out of School               Personality: Optimistic
Secondary Skills: Foraging                             Motivation: Patriotism
Length of Service: Fresh at the Front             Skills:
Action: Initial Training                                    Decorations:

Rifleman - Trooper Eddie Burks
Background: Working Class                           Personality: Genuine
Secondary Skills: Mechanic                           Motivation: Adventure
Length of Service: Inexperienced                   Skills:
Action: Training in Italy                                  Decorations:

And a closeup of the Jerries, with their Leutnant at top left (with MP-40), his second in command to his right (with G43), and four sentries with K98s.

Overview, now with troops.  The Germans have a couple guys in the casemate/trenches, the Brits are at far right/bottom right, and there are a couple sentries out in No-Man's Land.

The British start positions, with the Bren team concealed in some hedges (bottom right) while LCpl Hawkins leads the assault element through a gap in the wire.

Herr Leutnant has stepped out of the casemate to enjoy a cigarette while his 2IC remains inside, monitoring the radio.  There are static sentries in the trenches at top center left and bottom center, and mobile sentries at top left and far right bottom.

Hawkins: "Blimey, we sure got lucky with this one, the flyboys actually got something right, popped us a hole right here in the Jerries' wire!  Gill, you and Lancaster get the Bren into a good spot to cover us, Manning, Snow, Hodges, and Burkes, let's go!

Hawkins (center, with beret and Sten): "Nice and slow boys, keep it quiet."

But Snow, a bit of a rebel, dashes ahead.

Hawkins leads Hodges and Burkes up the center, with Manning bringing up the rear.  Hawkins tries to get Snow's attention, but he's heard something and is darting to the right (to the right of the munitions dump).

Checks are made and the German sentries are, so far, oblivious to the British paratroopers' presence.

A nearby German sentry (bottom left) lights a cigarette...

Snow pounces, dashing forward and firing...

The .303 round misses wide, the sentry fumbles for his karabiner and returns fire!

He (top left) also misses.  "Damn you, Snow," hisses Hawkins as he jumps into a nearby crater (bottom right, with Snow at top right) and rattles off a burst from his Sten.

Dropping the German sentry!

But the German south sentry (bottom right) is alerted and sights in on LCpl Hawkins (center left), firing...

Hawkins (top left) is fine, but Hodges and Burks (center, with Snow above them and Manning below them) hit the deck.

Manning dashes left (bottom right) and returns fire with his Sten, targeting the southern sentry (top left)...

The southern sentry dives in a nearby crater, suppressed!

Prompting the other German sentry in the trenches (bottom left, with southern sentry off camera to bottom right) to raise his K98 and fire on LCpl Manning (top right), causing him to go 'man down.'

The German south sentry tries to self rally but fails and falls back (crater at far left, from crater to its right)!  His buddy in the trench sees this; "verdammt, I'm going to have to leave the safety of my trench to go help this @#$%..."

He duly hops out of the fortification and goes to help his comrade, though he only gets him up to pinned.

Meanwhile, the Leutnant moves up the middle, towards the sound of gunfire, while his 2iC moves left, and the northern sentry (outside trench at top left)...

Moves east, where he comes nearly nose-to nose with Snow!

Trooper Snow immediately close with the northern sentry...

And dispatches him (far left), before moving up, near the HQ bunker (bottom center, with German 2iC visible at far right, though neither is aware of the other).

LCpl Hawkins jumps out of his crater and drops into the German trench (left, from bottom right, with German Leutnant at top center and 2iC at top right, none aware of the enemy).

LCpl Gill (the Bren Gunner) yells at Hodges and Burkes (right) to check on LCpl Manning (center, who's 'man down').  "Dammit, Lancaster, I can't see a sodding thing!  Let's get out of here and get into the fight!"  Gill and Lancaster moves left (left and far left, from bottom right).

Burkes dashes forward (top left) as Hodges moves to Manning to check on him...

He's still breathing, but he's out of the fight.  Hodges quickly works to stop the bleeding.

But spots movement to his right; Hodges raises his rifle (bottom center, with Burkes at left center) and fires on the German Leutnant (top left center).

The rounds go high and the German officer's submachine gun spews 9mm parabellums back in Hodges' direction...

Dropping him nearly on top of Manning!

As Gill gets the Bren going (bottom right) and Burkes (far right) joins him with his Lee-Enfield, targeting the Germans in the south (top left).

One German soldier falls and the other is suppressed.

The German Leutnant (far left) and 2iC (center top) return fire, suppressing Lancaster and Burkes (off camera to bottom left), which alerts Snow (far right) to the 2iC's presence.

But then the 2iC creeps forward (top center, from far left, with Leutnant at center)...

And Gill (bottom left) spots him (top right), cutting loose with the Bren, suppressing him!

The Leutnant moves up to rally the 2iC...

But Hawkins spots him and opens fire with his Sten, suppressing him, too!

With all the British attention focused on the Leutnant and 2iC (top right), the remaining German sentry in the south (bottom left) manages to rally.

But just then Hawkins slams a fresh magazine into his Sten and charges the suppressed German Leutnant and 2iC!

Both toss down their weapons and shout 'Kamerad!'

Seeing his boss give it up, the southern sentry decides it's past time to go...

While Snow re-emerges from the north end of the bunker.  Hawkins: "So where the hell 'ave you been?"  Snow: "Looks like you had it all under control, Corp'!"

The paras quickly unpack their demolitions and blow the breech block out of the German field piece, then consolidate to check their ammo and wounded.  It turns out that Manning is okay, just a flesh wound, but poor Hodges suffered a wound that will keep him out of action for the next eight days (returning 14 June 1944).  It was only another hour or so before Hawkins' group was able to link up with their unit; the Company Commander lauded the men for their tenacity and initiative, with Hawkins later being awarded the Military Medal.

Well, that was a simple fight, quick and lots of fun, makes me wonder why I haven't been doing a lot more of it!  It was quite refreshing to get Five Men in Normandy back out on the table, especially with my sexy new 28mm troops and terrain.  More to come.

V/R,
Jack