29LetsGo! Campaign Turn One

Setting the scenery:

The Blokenstein boys got me a fantastic terrain kit as a wedding present, and a pile of Dead Man's Hand stuff for the blushing bride. I set it up on a table to have a look, and thought "I need a game!"

The river is excellent, and look great close up and far away. My photography was not up to reducing the glare - trust me, it's awesome.

I was wondering what to play, and had a few on again, off again bookings. The man who finally came through was Nathan. Nathan is part of a little Facebook group of those in Canberra interested in 15mm Chain of Command games. We love the price of an army ($40 or less woohoo!) and we love the system. More games needed to be played. 

I had just downloaded the 29 Let's go! Campaign from Too Fat Lardies, and Nathan had a basic US Force, and I had a basic German Force, so that worked out well.

I purchased the campaign and read the whole book, so I essentially had to be the Germans as I know the surprises. Nathan was fine with that.

I printed a couple of copies, and cut one down in campaign notes for Nathan, with what he needed in a folder, and kept a folder for me.

The evening before, I decided to set the map, and realised that I needed a LOT of hedges. I've been looking at lots of terrain YouTube videos and guides, and I had really like the idea of tongue depressor bases with scenery on top, so I had already purchased a box of 100 of them. Below is a map where I try to set the table with all the tongue depressors where hedges will go.

You will also notice the change from using lots of craters for the ploughed fields, and instead using some yellow fabric. I didn't have brown fabric or felt available. I won them - I couldn't find them.

Scenery frenzy: 

About 26 full hedges, and eight half size ones. Clip 13 ice cream sticks in half, and glue them to a full one with one edge cut off. Glue to tongue depressor. Paint base with brown texture paint. Paint top with dark green paint/ pva glue mix, flock.

To the game:

Prelininary

Nathan rolled a six on the patrol phase, and with his quick advance, seized the Chateau, and used it's top floor as an excellent base of fire all game. Naturally, the 29th scrounged up extra BAR's. I deployed with German precision, and was able to pour all my fire all the time from phase two. Nathan cam out a bit more piecemeal, and was not as effective.

Turn One

The shot below was was the end of turn one. I deployed my anti tank gun and a rifle team in an entrenchment, a minefield on the road, and barbed wire across the front of the trenches.

Here I had bloodied a rifle team that tried to advance, punished the team out the front of the white house, and taught the chateau team to duck. My senior leader had been busy keeping the anti- tank gun motivated and in the game.

Turn Two

My leftmost section were in trouble. The cost of wiping Nathans rifle team was the loss of my rifle section and the MG team were retreating in disarray.  The centre section had their heads down, and my senior leader was just about to get across and gee them back up. The Team in the building were safe as a bug in a rug, and pouring it on. The pin markers on the team in the white building tell that tale. 

My disappointment of the game:  I invested a lot of support points into the anti tank guns. Nathan had three Shermans rolling at my boys. I trusted in this gun, the panzershreck team, the panzerfausts and the 'campaign surprise' to get a bit of the job done. My gun had 6 unimpeded shots at the Shermans, hit four times, and only dazed a gunner once. The tanks never came into range of the infantry based toys, and the 'campaign trick' never came into play.  

Turn Three

I could see the game was up. The anti tank gun had failed to do the job I had planned for it.. The 'campaign trick' was used, but failed to do anything. The white building team was whittled down to just it's junior leader, but the men in the chateau never looked like moving. My men were falling back in disarray, and the anti tank gun was going to be captured, as the crew had fled. It was time to leave the field to the invincible Shermans, and pull back to the next line.

Post Battle:

29 Lets Go!
After Game One
US Post battle:
Bouyed by the victory, Colonel Goode sends the men forward. However, he was shaken by an attack on his men by American ground attack planes. He disposition has moved to Troubled. With manpower to burn, Colonel Goode throws a fresh platoon at the next problem.
German post battle:
Ernst Blatt is commanding the Platoon. Having been injured and promoted on the Eastern front, he is a veteran at age 21. Command are too busy with their own problems to worry about Ernst. The men had heard the guns and know the invasion is on. They did not like the losses, but understand, he was one of them. Ernest's faith has not moved. He is only concerned.
CO opinion of the leader: (-1) Men (-3) Personal - Concerned.
The composition of the forces will be 'special' in the next engagement to cover the casualties.
Everyone escaped, no captures.
Two replacement NCO's. 1 Command Point, 3 inch command radius.
7 lost, 4 will return next scenario, 3 return straight battle.