Chain of Command - Operation Martlet

The past couple of months saw us play 2 more scenarios of the Operation Martlet campaign.

Scenario 3 - German Counter Attack

After being forced out of Fontenay a Counter attack by the Germans using Panther tanks & Panzer Grenadiers mounted in Halftracks attempting to catch the British unprepared.

It was a race for the stone buildings. One of the Grenadier teams races ahead while covered by a Panther. A Grenadier team occupied the building missing the roof.

The British also made a rush to get to the building. However the Germans managed to slip in & a fierce battle ensued ending with some vicious hand to hand fighting. The British squad though suffering quite a few casualties did manage to wipe out the Germans.

 The British dropped a smoke barrage which blanketed the hedge edged field at the top of the next image. Their troops are moving through it.

Meanwhile one of the Panthers turned the corner & opened up on another British squad caught in the open.

A British Sherman emerged & got a rear shot at the Panther, but missed. All was not lost however as the PIAT team hidden within the building also got a rear shot & knocked the Panther out.

The other British squad that was rushing through the smoke assaulted the Grenadier team in the other stone building & after a vicious engagement, had won. This left the remnants of the Germans withdrawing, although they had inflicted quite a few casualties on the Tommies.

Scenario 4 - Striking at St Nicholas

With the fall of Fontenay, the British are now fighting in the more open countryside to the south.

The British deploy within the orchards (the orchards limited visibility to 6")

The Germans also arrived quite quickly & were deployed around the farm, using the stone walls for cover.

The British armour arrives. There ended up being quite a battle between the Churchill & the Panzer IV, where each hit the other quite a few times, but were unable knock each other out. The Churchill suffered the loss of its MG's, while the Pzr IV had its commander wounded (reduced his commands to 1)

The Sherman plunges into the orchard to attempt to force an impass. The Germans responded with a Panzerfaust. The British played an interrupt using command dice & after firing on the squad had inflicted 2 kills on the squad.

The Panzerfaust then fired & knocked the Sherman out.

Lady luck was then with the Germans who managed to roll double sixes for the next 4 rounds. This allowed one of the German squads to engage a British squad who were not on overwatch & decimated them, before pulling back.

At this point the British morale failed them & they withdrew from the field, thus ending Operation Martlet.

Thanks to Dave for hosting this campaign. It's certainly a tough fight for the British who for the most part are always attacking defenders in hard cover, but I would certainly play it again.