AAR: SP5 The Hornet of Cloville

Rob Burton

Germans: John Hyler
Americans: Rob Burton

John Hyler and myself faced off on this Schwerpunkt scenario last night for a quick game.

Scenario has John with his German 5 squads, a Pz IVJ and an OT PzJg III/IV defending a village against the good guys consisting of 9 American 1st Line squads and three Shermans. The Germans have PF and a PSK, MMG, LMG, an 8-0 and Cpl Hyler himself, in the star role as the 7-0. The good guys have a couple of MMGs, a Baz, a 9-1 armor leader, a 9-1 and an 8-1 leader.

I rolled into town from the west, using two of the Shermans as mobile guns to shoot the Jerries from the houses and using the bocage as cover for the advance, with a small group entering from the north with the third Sherman (with the 9-1 armor leader who never came into play at all). Long range gunfire between the tanks went on with little effect due to hull down behind bocage. I did score a Shock, which flipped to an UK on the Pz IV, but it came back next turn.

Despite this, the Americans swept into town with the Germans falling back. Two Shermas dies in flames due to poor tanker skill on my part, but the infantry did a sterling job. The Third Sherman killed the Pz IV, and the last remaining Germans were holed up in two hexes. The Americans advanced in, shotting up the Germans, and entered CC. The first stack was a great success, ambushing the Germans, and eliminating them in two turns for no American losses.

The second stack was a disaster. Four squads and two leaders surround the stack of two half squads (one broken), the previously HOB'd Cpl Hyler, now a Sgt Hyler 8-0, and the PzJg. Advancing fire on the 30 FP table HOB's the broken half squad into a fanatic and then all but one squad fail the PAATC. On the last turn, the lone squad and two leaders roll boxcars to fail to kill the PzJg. The game is lost since the vehicle is in the victory area with a working MA.

Other notables - lots of sniper action (two good squad breaks by the German sniper slow the Americans down considerably) and the PSK breaks on boxcars on the first shot. John rolled probably 6-7 boxcars on the game (plus a couple of HOBs abd snipers, so it balanced out).

A great game - down to the wire. Bocage rules seemed to work well. The only issue is rememebering to go WA when required otherwise limited LOS (bocage is like a wall, but different).