Escadron de Combat v Czech Panzerkompanie
I decided to give my French tank company a run out today in an early war game against a German Czech tank company. We decided to play a free for all so all the troops would be on the table at the start of the game, I've managed to amass a French army of 1900pts (so far) so this is the points total we used. The armies were as follows;
FRENCH
- HQ Somua
- COMBAT PLATOON X 4 SomuaS-35
- COMBAT PLATOON X 4 SomuaS-35
- LIGHT PLATOON X 4 Hotchkiss H-39 (One long barrel)
- LIGHT PLATOON X 3 Hotchkiss H-39 (all Long Barrel)
- 25mm Anti tank guns X 3
- Fusiliers Portes Platoon (full strength)
- RECONNAISSANCE PLATOON X Panhard ADM-35
- 105mm C mle 1935 howitzer platoon x 4 guns
- FIGHTER INTERCEPTION AIR SUPPORT
- GERMANS
- HQ Panzer 38t B x 2
- COMBAT PLATOON X 4 Panzer 38t B
- COMBAT PLATOON X 3 Panzer 38t B X 2 Panzer I
- PANZER PLATOON X 5 Panzer II C early
- ANTI AIRCRAFT PLATOON X 2 88mm extra crew
- KRADSCHUTZEN MOTORCYCLE PLATOON
- PRIORITY AIR SUPPORT (STUKA SCHWERPUNKT)
- RECCE PLATOON X 2 8-Rad
I placed both the objectives in my opponents right flank and the objectives i would be defending were on both the left and right flank, the Germans started the game:
The first turn saw the 88mm targeting a platoon of Somuas scoring a direct hit and destroying one of them, this was the side of my army which would be making a push for the objectives.
The Panzer II c platoon pushes forwards supported by the motorcycle platoon who seek the cover of the hedges
My 105cm Battery (on the table edge out of camera shot) drops a smoke bombardment onto the 88mm stopping them from shooting as my attack advances, my Panhards manage to KO a 38 t B tank
The first of the Luftwaffe make an appearance easy getting past my fighter interception, however the bombs from the stuka don't penetrate the Somua armour this time! The 38 t b platoon return fire destroying a Panhard, the 88mm with no target try to dig in but fail.
My 105cm guns fail with there smoke bombardment so the 88mm have a clear line of sight to my advancing tanks, with this in mind one of my Somua platoons goes through the woods to try outflank the Germans guarding the two objectives and keep out of sight of the 88mm. The Panhards again shoot the 38 t B panzer's knocking another out, the rest of my left flank pushes into the town, one Somua bogs down on the hedge.
On my right flank my Hotchkiss platoon advances shooting with their MGs at the motorcycle platoon who disengage quickly retreating behind the hill out of range, in doing so they loose a stand. The25mm play cat and mouse with the 8-Rads in the woods failing to cause any damage on each other.
The Stukas show up with more success and destroy a Somua in the village after successfully ranging in and the 88mm and remaining 38 t b tanks destroy a further two Panhards, the remaining Panhard fails his morale and retreats from the table, however the 88mm failed to dig in again which will leave them vulnerable to MG fire if i can get my Somuas into line of sight.
Both my Hotchkiss platoons advance leaving the long gun to support fire but cause no damage to the Panzer II c platoon, the 25mm fail to dig in
The Stukas switch their field of attack and target my HQ which is guarding the objective, the bombs miss their target, however the 2IC 38t b and panzer II C platoon are more successful and KO three Hotchkiss tanks causing the remaining Long barrel Hotchkiss the flee, one of the other Hotchkiss platoon is bailed.
My Somua platoon breaks from cover and dashes towards the objective, a combination of 105cm bombardment and MG fire destroy the 88mm guns with their command stand running away, a 38t B tank is destroyed but crucially pass their morale, the infantry dismount and enter the town heading towards the objective.
The mixed German Panzer platoon of 38tB and Panzer I tanks and C-C move through the wood to open fire on the Somua platoon, they managed to destroy one and bail the other two, I managed to pass my motivation test to hold there ground all though i was no longer in control of the objective, the panzer's used their stormtroopers move to go back into the wood for cover and a Panzer I bogged down. In my turn i failed to remount one of the Somuas so this stopped me from moving so my infantry advanced onto the objective, the gun fire from the Somua finished off the remaining 38tB tank destroying the platoon. (my Somua platoon which had started the flanking move had managed to bog itself down and were finding it hard to get unstuck allowing the Germans to leave the other objective undefended for the moment to defend the objective under attack from my infantry and Somua platoon.
The motorcycle platoon dismounted behind the hedge and started to make a flanking move around my right flank and the Panzer II platoon failed to cause any damage onto my Hotchkisses who in return destroyed two Panzer's, In my firing phase i also killed a stand of infantry with my HQ.
The German tanks once again came out the cover of the wood to contest the objective and destroyed a Somua which lead to the remaining Somua abandoning his tank and fleeing! The infantry came under fire from the Panzer I's twin MG killing two stands.
After finally freeing them selves from the wood the Somua platoon headed towards the objective guarded by a 38tB and panzer I, all my shots missed and in return a Somua had been bailed, in the German next turn Stukas showed up destroying my command Somua tank which meant that the Somua platoon been leaderless would now not be able to move for the rest of the game.
The Germans now made a push for my objective the panzer II C platoon moving forward as did the infantry platoon, the only casualty caused from shooting was a bailed Hotchkiss.
The Hotchkiss managed to remount in my following turn and combined fire from the Hotchkiss platoon and my 25mm anti tank guns who had a target managed to destroy three panzer II C and the HQ killed another infantry stand. The remaing Panzer II C passed his motivation test.
With my attack on the German objectives petering out i dug the infantry in around the village and my remaing Somuas who cant move destroyed a 38tB panzer tank, the Hotchkiss platoon fell back to cover the objective with the HQ from the closing German infantry platoon. My 105mm battery failed to find a target for the 3rd move in a row and with that the game came to an end. I had come very close to capturing the objective with my Somua platoon and infantry but with my flanking force becoming bogged down in the woods it allowed the Germans to reinforce the objective, never mind a cracking game in which i really enjoyed using my French tank company especially now been able to move and fire with my tanks with a +1 to hit factor. Both sides retire from the field leaving behind many burning tanks across the battlefield.
Result No winner (STALEMATE)
