Would love to see more on this game and your battle reports
I will try my best.
Battle report operation “Sonnenblume”
I do have a painted British Army,but for the start of the desert campaign (operation Sonneblume a.k.a. Rommel Arrives in Afrika) I have a british opponent. So here is my beginning, unpainted German Army.
Scenario is sectors, both platoons have to destroy each other and gain as much ground as possible.
British Infantry Brigade platoon (Guy)
1st Lieutenant
1(free) artillery observer
3 Sections, LMG en AT grenades.
1 MMG
1 Med Mortar team
1 AT Rifle Team
1 Lt AT Gun
1 25 pdr Lt Howitzer
1 Matilda II Infantry tank
1 Marmon Herrington armoured car
DAK Panzer Division Platoon (Henny)
1PZII F Command tank
2 PZIIIE Lt tanks
1 StugIII self propelled Light Howitzer
1 Hauptman (captain)
2 Sections with LMG, SMG
2 Trucks
1 MMG
The scenario means that you set up on the opposite quarter sections of the battlefield. We both placed the tanks/armoured cars in reserve. Letting the infantry and (self propelled)artillery fence the first few turns for them selfes.
Initial bombardments before the battle meant that Guy’s free artillery observer (who had no assistant a.k.a. extra wound) died before he could cause any mayhem on my (german) side of the field.
First turn gave me the opportunity to wipe a section of Guy and Guy took the chance to wipe my MMG.
Second turn my reserves were not flanking and there for could drive onto the field, if I made my order tests, which I gloriously failed on all three tanks. My infantry troops went hiding and Guy waited for his reinforcements as well.
Turn three, my panzers arrive and they start supporting the Stug who is bravely trying to batter Guy’s forces on it’s own, Guy manages to get his Matilda on the field, but the Armoured Car is letting him down and stays in reserve. We play with the desert climate conditions and the arrival of the vehicles means that dust clouds (counts as smoke screen) are starting to form when cars drive over the field.
Turn four, both panzer III´s are advancing to take on the matilda who is returning fire, but all miss terribly. The british armoured car keeps up the good work and fails his order check again. With the arrival of all my armour, the Stug and PZII advance as well shooting on the move.
Turn five, First battle for all panzers III´s, they are nervous and miss just like the Matilda is missing as well. The panzerII and the Stug manage to do some damage on an infantry squad on the british right flank and on a MMG on the same flank. Eureka… Guy´s Armoured Car finally showed up and promptly started speeding across the field.
Turn six, the Matilda gets immobilised, my panzers, again, stay without a scratch on them, one of my trucks is shot to pieces by infantry. All troops available move into sectors that will give victory points to the player. In short a kill is a VP, unit in a neutral sector is a VP and a unit in the opponents sector is 3 VP.
End of turn, dice roll of a 3 (1, 2 ,3 end of game, 4, 5, 6 extra turn)
Guy 8 victory point and Henny 9 victory points.
conclusion 1, desert with to much terrain does not feel as desert.
conclusion 2, 3 bags of cottonwool makes you laugh silly, but when bag number two is almost empty at turn 5 it actually seems like the right amount for a dusty desert game.
conclusion 3, objectives are giving a complete different feeling of the game instead of just bashing the opponent you have to make a cunning plan.
Henerius out.
