I got in a quick solo game of Trench Hammer last week, and it holds up nicely. I played the second training Scenario from Stout Hearts and Iron Troopers from Too Fat Lardies, involving a British attack on a German machine-gun bunker located in a trench system (provided by my 3D printed trenches)
The British mission is to eliminate a Hun machine gun bunker enfilading part of the line and pick up some prisoners if possible. This will be a daytime attack supported by a box barrage that will isolate the bunker and prevent the Germans from sending in reinforcements or a counter-attack. Lanes have already been cut in the German wire over the previous few nights by patrols.
For this mission Lt. Barnaby will lead his own platoon, consisting of:
- Rifle Section
- Bombing Section
- Lewis Gun Section
- Rifle Bombing Section
- And extra Section of bombers to act a "mopper uppers"
The German mission is to keep the machine gun bunker in action. Besides the Maxim Gun, the defenders available to Feldwebel Shutlz consist of 2 rifle squads.
The game opens with the British through the wire and picking their way through craters to the forward German trench when they are spotted. Click photos to enlarge.
Here is the first turn of British movement. I tried to follow the "book" tactical solution, using the Lewis and Rifle Bombing sections to cover the movement of the rest of the platoon as they break in to the trench and maneuver to take the bunker in the rear.
Here is the situation after a couple of turns. The British have managed to get into the trenches, but the rifle squad has been driven back by the Hun defenders in the front trench. The mopper uppers are stuck in a crater just short of the trench as well.
A turn or so later, the British have bombed their way along the trench, driving the defenders back. Meanwhile the Maxim gun brings the Lewis and Rifle Bombers under effective fire. Felwebel Shutlz knows that time is not on his side and personally leads his reserve squad over the the top from the communication trench in a desperate close assault... and it pays off! See the die rolls below, the British lead squad doesn't like Teutonic cold steel and is rendered combat ineffective, the survivors stumbling back.
The other British squad in the front trench is still regrouping from the damage it sustained previously and the Feldwebel knows the best defense is a good offense and launches another bayonet charge, this time against the crater sheltering the mopping up section right over the top. Once again, the Hun's audacity pays off, here are the die rolls...
While this is going on, a the Maxim gun cuts down several members of the British Rifle Bombing section off camera to the right, including the corporal. The rest of the section have had enough and start crawling back to the gaps in the wire.
At this point Lt. Barnaby decides the mission is compromised and blows his whistle signaling the platoon to fall back. He has lost 3 sections as combat ineffective and does not have enough strength to take out the bunker.
As usual Trench Hammer gave a nice, fast, cinematic game with a believable narrative. I hope to get it back on the table soon.
Meanwhile to all of my wargaming comrades the world over, Merry Christmas and with good fortune we will all be rolling dice face to face again in 2021.
