Hold The Line!

A game of Bolt Action in 15mm at Dueling Grounds, 23/10/2013. It was a 1000 points per player for the Point Defence Scenario, the Germans were defending several key points which the Americans had been tasked with taking.

The battle would be fought just outside what must have once been a sleepy Dutch hamlet, the Germans were dug in just south of the main clutch of the town's buildings and had concealed themselves in and around the objectives they'd been ordered to protect


Set Up & Preliminary Bombardment

All but a handful of German units were set up. Of these, all were hidden as per scenario rules, making them very hard to fire upon until they fire or move out of cover.

The Preliminary bombardment wasn't too devastating, of the 11 shells that fell (1:unit on the table) non caused anything more serious than the placing of some pin markers on German units.

The German Anti-Tank Gun and MMG crew, holed-up in a ruined
church just outside of town.

Huddled around the crates under their protection in a copse, the men
dig in as the Yank artillery barrage falls all about them.

The German howitzer sits brazenly on a rise, hungry for targets.

Turn 1:

With aroar the American forces came onto the board, concentrating their troops on the German left flank. The Germans split their concentration: some firing upon the advancing U.S. troops, others rallying in order to remove pins and so increase their chance of hitting the broadside of anything.

A proud Sherman Tank forms the centre around which the Americans
anchor their advance.

The Americans show only token interest in the hamlet proper, devoting a
few troops to their other flank, an MMG, Bazooka team,
Mortar crew and their Forward Observer.

The Germans take advantage of the largely-ignored village and move in
to pressure the American left.

A German Lieutenant takes up position inside a dwelling in town,
offering covering fire to his men as they move forward and fire on
the U.S. MMG.

Turn 2
The second turn saw both forces manoeuvring for better firing positions. The American forces on the German left moved forward to close the distance to an objective while the Sherman sat back and fired
on the Heer units.

In answer, the Germans pushed their left forward, hoping to establish a front line the stymie the advancing U.S. troops. The PaK 38, which couldn't see the Sherman from the church, and the MMG teams raced to the aid of their Kampfgefährten on the heavily-pressured German left. On the right, the Germans continued into the town, increasing threat of a flank attack on the American's left flank.

U.S. grunts advance from the woods into cover as they close the
distance towards the objective on the German's left flank.

Across, on the German side, the German Panzergrenadier squads mirror
the Yanks and move forward into cover.

Meanwhile in town, another squad of Germans moves up to the
abandoned Bierstube and continues to pick off the American
MMG team.

"Lauf!": the German PaK and MMG's book it from the church.

Turn 3

And...Action! This turn saw some serious action; every unit that could fire/attack pretty much did. The German's Howitzer pounded a squad of U.S. infantry men and the Germans in town rushed into mortal combat with the Bazooka team, making quick work of them.

The Americans gave as good as they got and called down an airstrike on the Germans, tearing a squad of infantry to ribbons. The tank continued to move forward, pressured by German mortar fire, it missed the German Howitzer but caused more than one group of Panzergrenadier to duck in the face of a hail of fire from it's mounted MMG's, which gave another squad of Americans a chance to forward.

Now you see 'em...

"Fire!"

...after a Howitzer, you don't.

A U.S. dive bomber lays waste to the Germans hunkered down behind a
stone wall.

When the smoke clears, there's German commander in the rows of wheat
sees that there's nothing left for him to give orders to.

"Ah, mêlée, the work face of battle.": the Germans rush and easily dispatch
the Bazooka team before regrouping...

...at the bar! Hey, hand-to-hand is thirsty work!

The last squad of Americans moves up and into a position to fire.

Turn 4

Both sides continued to pour lead at each other, but the Americans were starting to have the worst of it: as the pins-count on the U.S. infantry units rose their morale started to crack. The pressure clearly got to the Forward Observer as well, who called in his remaining air strike on his own tank.

The Germans continued apace. The fallen squad was replaced by fresh troops moving up from around the rear and the MMG's and PaK that had been running from the church finally made it into a position to open fire for the first time in the game.

The Sherman Tank survives friendly fire, but takes a couple of pins
in the process. A close call!

The Germans concentrate fire on the Americans in the crops, firing from
their centre...

...the MMG's from the right,...

...and of course the boyz fire off a few between pints on the patio.

Under increasing fire, the lone remaining American unit hits the dirt
and refuses to advance any further.

Post-Game

At the end of turn four, without a single objective within running distance and the dwindling hopes of any of their units making it much further, the American command decided that discretion was the better part of valour and beat a hasty retreat.

Many thanks to my opponent, ernieR for a very enjoyable game!

Iacta alea est!