Panzerschreks in Ambush

Scott was free last weekend for a game, which is a rare event indeed. So the two of us played I Ain't Been Shot Mum. The game was an attack by Canadian infantry and armour supported by Wasps on a village in Normandy held by Fallschirmjaeger and a platoon of STuGs.

Mainly because I wanted to put my new haystacks on the table. And the FJ hadn't been out of the box in a while.

Canadians attacked from the left and tried flanking move through field at top

Canadian view of entrance to town 

FJ panzerjaeger team springs ambush 

I deployed from the road,  with one troop on the road, the Sqdn HQ in a field left of the road and the second troop on it's left. The two infantry platoons were following in line on either side if the road. The Wasps trailed behind waiting for something to set on fire.

Scott revealed his trip wire, a section of FJ with two of his three  tank hunter teams who promptly brewed up the leading Sherman.

"Ambush right!"

A section of recoilless rifles were also revealed in front of the Sqdn HQ.

FJ support gun section revealed 

I got the 'Armoured Bonus Move' card so I decided to try and overrun the FJ. Of course, I quickly learned that this doesn't work so good against unpinned troops who aren't in foxholes. I did crush one gun, but everyone else evaded and even made a few antitank attacks. Sqdn HQ had one tank brewed up and the other two damaged. The right hand troop had three Shermans burning after their charge.

Burning Shermans 

The Wasps moved up to toast one panzerschrek team while the infantry rushed forward, clearing the hedge and then the first house at bayonet point. The surviving Shermans got busy shelling everything they could see. The FAC was also calling in Typhoons by this time. The infantry charge swept in before the smoke from the rockets could clear.

8 Plt takes the first house with bayonets

On my left, my remaining Shermans were thinking about crossing the road to flank the town. But Scott tried being cagey and moved a blind along some cover on my flank.  Thinking these were his STuGs I redeployed in cover to protect myself and dropped a Typhoon on the blind to find it a dummy.

Shermans move around the flank

Typhoons give support 

By this time he had revealed his second platoon in the big green house, so my Shermans shifted to put HE into the houses instead of maneuvering more aggressively.  This saved them from getting killed by his STuGs who were sitting patiently covering the field on the edge of town. The field I had been thinking of moving across!

FJ second line

STuGs waiting in ambush 

Surviving Canadian tanks being cautious 

It was now midnight and time to call the game.  His infantry and AT were pretty beaten up, but the STuGs were still a threat.  I had two good infantry platoons but I'd lost half my armour. So it would come down to keeping my remaining Shermans alive to fire HE, while the Wasps burned out the remaining FJ and supported the infantry attacks.

Not a good day for the Canadians. But I enjoyed setting up a bigger game for a change and I liked how the table looked.