Dik at Leighton Buzzard had asked for a game of BKC IV, in 10mm. He has an immacualtely painted and huge collection of WW2 centered around mid to late War Germams, , plus ALL the Tigger that were in Tunisia.
Thankfully, he did not need those, and only put out Panzer IVs and IIIs, with a bucketload of infantry with a decent amount of support weapons.
I took Antrobus and his boys of the 139th Light Heavy Borcester Infantry; this time upgraded to veterans (as we were now in 1943, not their usual 1941). The six Mk13s were retired for this game, and the new Valentines ame out for the first time. Yup, it's my desert terrain, again! I know Tunisia is meant to be greener, but it was my grab box.
Turn 1: All my forces failed to arrive, and one command even blundered! Antrobus had raided the motor pool, and found many captured German trucks, but two of the truck detachments crashed into each other on the Ciaro bypass, meaning that the infantry was walking, again!
Turn 2 and they and the armoured detachment didn't turn up, again. Only Antrobus actually appeared, but only with thenewest infantry paltoon (the only non-veteran infantry in my force) and the Bofurs pulled by the carrier platoons. Antrobus was keeping a very close a eye on the new guys, thats where spies, communists, trade unionists and fascists were bound to be hiding. The sort of people thatbyou would not let the umthird under butler associate with. After all, he's the sort of man who doesn't want to let the youngsetrs out of his sight, as they might have an independent thought This was meant to be the force reserve, but was now it was the only thing I had to fight six tanks, anti-tank guns and a battalion of infantry that Dik wasadvancing uncontested down table. At least Dik got to try out the movement rules before the firing started.
Dik, taking full advantage of his higher command rolls, had swung a Panzer IIIJ right behind Antrobus, and had immediately eliminated the Bofurs and the infantry platoon before they even got a shot off with HMG amd mortar fire. Thankfully, the British armour had decided to turn up, and immediately killed one Panzer IIIJ platoon and damaged another, without taking significant losses themselves. I did score a double six to dent Dik's right-hand panzer, but he rolled a double 6 to save!
The veteran infantry, on the left, dived into a patch of scrub for cover, trying to bring their accompanying 2lber into a firing solution to deal with the Panzers while being shelled by tanks, Paks and an HMG.
On the right, after killing an infantry stand, Antrobus's carrier platoons blunder and retire out of their wood, parking right in the way of one of the Valentine's sight line on Dik's right hand panzer IIIJ. The Crusaders, realising they had the range on the Panzers, swing left to aid the infantry.
The stand in the outcrop of Dik's would stay here until a blunder forced him forwards.
The Valentins deal a heavy blow to the Panzers, killing the other two Panzer IIIJ platoons. The carrier platoons repositioned to shoot at Dik's infantry in the open, the Crusaders head off left to try and help the infantry.
The Germans were causing heavy losses on my infantry. Thankfully, they were able to get a few kills themselves. The Crusaders, off to the right, were even putting hits onto the Panzer IV in the rough.
On the left, the German armour, supported by HMGs and mortars from the Fallschrmjager lay on the hits of the 139th, eliminating the HMGS and an infantry platoon, but removed a couple of German infantry stands that were in the open.The 139th are really taking a hammering, but the Crusaders speed into range and and the left hand Panzer IV platoon is renmoved, while sitting out of PAK36 range, but there is hardly any of the 139th left.
With no armour to fight mine, Dik was in trouble. However, I had hardly any anti-infantry capability to deal with the German infantry. I think I was slightly ahead on kills, having lost 7 infantry stands and the Bofurs. Dik had lost six panzers and a pile of infantry. A tight but fun game that we both enjoyed. Dik picked up the rules quickly, and hopefully will try it again (might need some Lend Lease to face that horde of Panzer he owns though)!
The British stalling on turn 1 and then getting chewed up by your mortars and HMGs is very BKC, preprogrammed artillery always feels like a coin flip. Having the PAK36s tucked on the rear hill as a surprise must have been satisfying when the armour finally pushed. Completely off-topic but a friend who collects WWII minis works in property and was browsing commercial hvac contractors for an office renovation, ended up here through a Google rabbit hole.
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