Kampfgruppe Normandy - a Short Review & Log

[big p from gmg]

The German attack was then painfully slow as more forces arrived and were fed into the line, all the time holding back until the entire army was on the table, and most importantly the FAO and HQ were in the right positions. All the time French artillery caused merry havoc but the Germans managed to survive, though with several key units suppressed.






However once the command units were in position, the German artillery batteries began to eliminate enemy command units and aupress the anti-tank defence. With some gloriusly lucky shelling, first one FAO then the second French FAO were killed by 105mm shells, follwowed by a well directed salvo of 170mm artillery fire that killed the entire French HQ outright.

[big p from gmg]

Things were going well for the Germans... Then the Char-Bs turned up. Six of them are a nasty sight to be met with. By chance one of the German infantry platoons had scrambled into the edge of the village, and they took the brunt of the Char-B fire. Although they were virtually wiped out over a long period, they succeeded stopping the Char-Bs from concentrating on the German armour and allowed the 88mm to pop a couple at long range (though on Char-B had two rounds in the same turn from the 88 bounce clean off... A double six got me two hits and each round glanced off the SIDE armour!). A few times the Char-Bs did engage the German tanks they proved reasonably successful, especially as when the German tanks had fired they were far easier to spot than the infantry hiding in the village.






French close range mortar fire only succeeded in scoring two direct hits on one of their own tanks (scatter plus Cyrils only decent dice roll!) and eventually the French morale cracked and the army withdrew. It was a win for the Germans - 20 to 35 in morale points.




But that only gives half the story. Of the 35 points suffered by the French, 20 came from five counters. The Germans took more counters but scored far less. An entire platoon of German infantry became casualties (over 50% of the troops involved) and though the French lost two Char-B tanks, all but one of the German tanks were destroyed. It was a very costly victory and had lady luck been a little kinda to the French they would have probably minced the Germans...

[Wulf]

Great thread! It seems like a very nice game and your AAR's are awesome! Beautiful miniatures and terrain and very good writing. Inspiring stuff! Keep them coming. I'll read them all.

[ted1138]

I just ordered a copy, WH are having a half price sale at the moment.

http://www.warhammer-historical.com/..._Normandy.html

[f2k]

Might just put down an order myself. It looks like an interesting game...

[big p from gmg]

Last nights game was a 500 point 'Hold the Line', with Skip and his germans defending an attack by Gary and my British forces. Was nice to see each player with their own kit on the table! In there first ever game, Gary's forces did not take a single casualty!





Our 500 point British force...




We attacked with a platoon on each flank supported by a troop of Churchills. It started well with accurate, but somewhat ineffectual mortar fire hitting the Germans. But a particuarly fierce 4.2" mortar stock ejected the German grenadiers from the Church and sent them running! That was followed by my Churchills losing two of their number to dug-in A/T guns and a lone marauding Panther!

[big p from gmg]

Luckily I followed this up with a healthy dose of Flame from my Crocodile and BBQ'ed the annoying Pak40 gunners...

Privates Bert & Ernie out hunting the lone Panther... Sadly it ran away from them... Next time...




My troops then took the church under heavy enemy shellfire, all the while Gary's men crept down the other flank unopposed! A German counter-attack led by StuGs and with Grenadiers in support failed to re-take the church and my platoon HQ 2" mortar dropped a lovely round on their supporting MG42 team killing the entire crew. The StuGs fell foul to a couple of 75mm rounds from the Croc as it slowly marched on the village. A particuarly violent mortar barrage on the village knocked-out the German 88 and Gary took one of the objectives, once again with no losses. In one turn Skip was forced to draw a total of 8 morale chits...

[big p from gmg]

In the final attack on the village German morale crumbled, and the remenants of the German force withdrew. My platoon had suffered quite heavy losses with nearly 55% of the men out of action and two of the supporting Churchills destroyed along with my supporting MMG team who took a direct hit from a 150mm shell. Gary on the other hand took no casualties.










Really enjoyed this game, and at the start it was very tense. On my side of the table it felt like a right slog through the Norman countryside, while a few hedgerows away, Gary and his men were having a spot of Tiffin...

[big p from gmg]

Blog updated with new British for KGN...

http://ww20mm.blogspot.com/2011/10/no-2-platoon.html

[6mmhero]

Great review. I am going to order it tonight as it is 50% off :-)

It sounds like it has most things I have been looking for. The artillery sounds very good.

I have mostly been playing Blitzkrieg commander with my 6mm stuff, may try and play with the ranges and see if it will work for 6mm. Other wise it will be painting a whole new scale lol.

Thanks again for the great review and pics.

[big p from gmg]

Panthers? Pah...






More on ze blog...

http://ww20mm.blogspot.com/

[big p from gmg]

Some KGN artillery support for my British finished and on the Blog...




http://ww20mm.blogspot.com/

[Venerable Player]

Looking great, P.!

[kasrkinsquad]

What are you using for your bases P?

[big p from gmg]

What are you using for your bases P?

Vehicles and guns are on plasticard and infantry are on coins.


So far for my British...




http://ww20mm.blogspot.com/

[big p from gmg]

Last nights game saw my freshly painted British take on Skip's Waffen-SS in a 500 point bash. As a change I built my force from the British Armoured list and Skip went with SS Panzers too. What was expected to be a bloodbath of the British, turned into something totally unexpected...








The game commenced with only Recce and HQ units on the table. Here the British had a big advantage as we possessed armoured recce in the form of three Cromwells. These raced forward, shot up an enemy Puma and then bolted for the middle objective taking it early. At the sametime the British BGHQ (another Cromwell) took another objective. At the end of the 1st turn, the Germans had already taken four morale chits...

[big p from gmg]

This all looked like it was to change when six Panthers rolled onto the table. While the British had elected to bring on infantry first, the German Panthers raced on and made a beeline for the three recce Cromwells hiding behind a hedge. Expecting the worst, the British commanders prepared several smoke markers... But somehow all the Panthers missed. This was to become something of a theme.









After that, it really all went wrong for the Germans! A hesistant German attack down the road lost them two Panthers, one to a Firefly and the other to a close range frontal shot from a very lucky Cromwell and the supporting Grenadiers who took cover in the farmhouse suffered a blaze of fire from an entire inafntry platoon, supporting tanks and direct fire from the two 25 Pounders set up to provide gun cover! The Germans were wiped out to a man. All the time the Germans seemed unable to hit a single target, though after nearly all their rounds had been expended, one of the recce Cromwells, and then another, finally got brewed up.

[big p from gmg]

By this time however, four of the six Panthers were burning, casualties were mounting in the German infantry ranks and their artillery kept failing to do anything of worth. The Germans decided to fall back on their village and hit the British as they advanced. Lady Luck then dealt the Germans a final kick in the teeth...








Out of the clouds, a rocket armed Typhoon dived in loosing off salvos of rockets into the parked German supply and radio trucks. This was all too much for the Germans, their morale broke and the army fled.








What was remarkable was the sheer kicking my British dealt out to Skip's Waffen-SS. We drew 9 morale points, while the Germans totalled 35! We lost two Cromwell and five infantrymen, the Germans lost four of their Panthers, most of their half-tracks and half their Grenadier platoon and all their recce troops!

It was a rather spiffing first outing for the 3rd Foot & Mouth, and even the newly painted 17 Pounder chalked up its first kill, popping a Panther at a full 47" away! Man of the Match though has to go to the Cromwell Recce Troop who for almost the entire game went toe-to-toe with Panthers and kept them at bay while the rest of the army got into position to administer the coup-de-grace.

[kasrkinsquad]

Big p where is the stoe you play at located. The closest store to me with a historical group won't play kgn since they can't sell it in store.

[big p from gmg]

We dont play in a store... We have our own clubhouse.