Trench Hammer German Assault

 I have not pulled Trench Hammer out in a while, and I had a brilliant idea for an alternative activation sequence, that did not pan out in actual use.  So, I played it again out of the box, but I am thinking about adding motivation rolls with a d6, from one of the Squad Hammer books.  Issue an order, roll > hits (I started calling it shock a la TFL) to execute an Engage or Redeploy.  If failed you can spend another order on the unit and try again.

Thinking of adding support rolls from Hammer of Democracy or something similar, as infantry can seem to prance around in front of a Vickers gun fairly easily...

Anyway, here is the short fight.  Spring 1918, a depleted British platoon holding a strongpoint based on 2 fortified ruined buildings with:

• Lewis Gun Section
• Rifle Grenade Section
• Vickers HMG
• Platoon Commander

The German assaulted with:

• 2 x Bombing squads
• 2 x MG08/15 squads
• Minenwerfer in direct support
• Platoon commander

Here is a brief summary of the fight...

Initial setup, one LMG squad at top to put down some covering fire.  At bottom, Platoon commander planning to lead bombing squads forward supported by LMG squad and minenwerfer.

One of the bombing squads was chewed up by the combined fore of the Vickers and Lewis Guns while hunkered down in a crater.

The Platoon Commander led the other bombing squads in a successful assault on the Vickers gun. The Vickers team scarpered down the trench while the bombers took a foothold in the ruins.  They were counterattacked by the rifle bombers and actually driven out.  A counter-counter attack drove the rifle bombers back to the communication trench.

The Lewis team was knocked out by a combination of minenwerfer shells and a volley of grenades from the bombers. A counter attack by the rallied rifle bombers failed and the British platoon commander decided enough was enough and the British continued retreating west...

A good game, even though the rules are simple, they feel like they give a good result.  I especially like the back and forth in assaults.

Next up, I am leavig the same table up and will try some WW1 Crossfire.  Take it up a notch scale wise, and will see a couple of German platoons with support against a British platoon.  Stay tuned!

(Trying out these rules posted to the Crossfire IO Group, you will not need to join to see them)

Quick What a Tanker with the wife

 Actually did not get much What a Tanker in over the Thabnksgiving holiday, we wound up doing a couple of escape rooms with our guests and playing board / card games.

I did get a quick game in with my wife, who usually comments when we play wargames that "you only give me spears against guns, I want guns."  So I gave her a Panther against a T-34/76 and it ended pretty quickly in my T-34 a flaming wreak.

We will do more, but I tore the set up down to fiddle with Trench hammer some more.  More on that later.