Explore CrossFire

CrossFire Page
Reconnaissance
   before Pontecorvo
Valuable Assets
Scottish Corridor I
Scottish Corridor II
Green Hell (Revisited)
Higher Ground
Road Block on High-
   way 120 - sort of...
Exercise Resurgence
   '93

World CrossFire Day

WCFD 2009
WCFD Campaign
Summary
WCFD Game 1
WCFD Game 2
WCFD Game 9
WCFD Game 18

Magazines (& My Rankings)
Battlegames
WS&S
Dadi & Piombo
Wargames Illust'd
Wargames J'rnal*
Miniature Wargames
HMG
Warning Order*

* Free Online

Society Journals
Slingshot
The Hobilar
Arquebusier
Soldiers of the Queen
SOTCW Journal
MAFVA Tankette
AFV News (G. Bradford)
SFSFW Ragnarok

The Miniatures Page

Bartertown
Gaming Material For Sale

No I'm not associated with Litko and don't get any benefit from advertising them - I just think they have one of the best ranges of general purpose wargaming products around!

Wargaming.info endeavours to be W3C compliant and supports the following browsers:

Wargaming.info visitor statistics

WCFD: Game 1

Date Played: 04 April 2009 10.30am NZDT (03 April 9.30pm GMT); 0600 WCFD Game Time.

It is 1944 and the Germans are on the retreat. Allied forces are pressing forwards and hoping to encircle pockets of the enemy and force surrenders on a large scale. The Germans, though being forced back, are still resisting well, and have not collapsed. Every game of the WCFD campaign will have some knock-on consequence for later games. Both sides must conserve forces and resources, and yet both are pressed for time. The allies must advance quickly if they are to catch large numbers of Germans before they can retreat and regroup. The Germans must react to the changing situation rapidly to ensure that they are not encircled. Achieving objectives quickly can never hurt, and can make a great difference to either side’s chances of success in later games. Commanders will not be told in advance what the knock-on consequences of their game(s) will be. You will find out what good you did in after-action reports. - Overall Situation Briefing for WCFD Players.

View from behind the British lines looking towards the German start line! This is early in the game when the main German attack has formed up and advanced into no-mans land, and is preparing to assault the British positions.

British Defenders

Kieran's Briefing: Troops from another Battalion of your Brigade have taken your current position from the enemy in a surprise dawn attack yesterday. They suffered casualties in the action, and have missed a night’s sleep so have now been withdrawn and the men of your Rifle Company (3 Full Strength Platoons) have come forward to replace them and prepare for the inevitable German counter-attack. You have not had time to dig in and annoyingly, all the Divisional MG Battalion’s Vickers MMGs have been assigned to other areas, so your only significant MG support will come from an under-strength Section of the Carrier Platoon (2 Carriers; the first with the PC & a PIAT, the second a 2" Mortar). You will also be supported by a Section from the Battalion ATG Platoon (2 x 6pdrs with Lloyd Carriers), a Section from the Battalion Mortar Platoon (1 x 3" Mortar Stand in Carrier with FO), and one of the Battalion's Snipers. Its not known exactly what to expect from the Germans.

Further reinforcements may be available if required, but should only be requested unless absolutely necessary, at your discretion. These include, from your Battalion, the reserve Rifle Company (3 full-strength Platoons), another AT Section (2 x 6pdr), another Mortar Section (3" Mortar & FO), and the Battalion Assault Pioneer Section (1 Squad Pioneers). Also available are an attached Medium Tank Troop (2 x Shermans) and a Divisional Reconnaissance Detachment (1 x Daimler Mk.II A/car).

German Attackers

My Briefing: An Allied attack has thrown your Battalion out of its position and as with standard German doctrine the Battalion is launching an immediate counter attack to retake some of the lost ground. However recovering ground is not the main objective of the attack which is actually the recovery of an abandoned Tiger in front of the Allied positions. All available resources not involved in the prior fighting have been committed to this attack and it will be personally led by the highly competent, respected, and energetic Battalion Commander (BC +2). The available force includes 2 full strength Rifle Companies, 1 MG Platoon from the MG Company (2 HMGs & PC), and 1 Section from the Mortar Platoon of the Weapons Company (1 x 8cm Mortar Stand and FO). Further support is to be provided from the Divisional Panzerjäger Battalion in the form of a Platoon from the 1st (SPAT) Company (2 x 'Marder I' 7.5cm PaK40 GW Lorraine Schlepper), and a detachment from the 3rd (Bicycle) Panzerjäger Company (2 Infantry Tank Hunting Teams with 8.8cm Panzerschrecks).

Also accompanying the Battalion's attack will be a Bergepanzer Tiger E ARV and a replacement Tiger Crew with spare fuel in a truck (from the local Heavy Panzer Battalion). Tiger engines are very noisy, especially when starting up, and there is no chance that they will be able to get either the Bergepanzer Tiger E to the abandoned Tiger E, or have the crew attempt to fuel and start up the Tiger without all troops in the area being able to hear the engine noises. The Bergepanzer Tiger E will need to actually assist the Tiger up and out of the Depression (where it had become stuck and had to be abandoned during the previous British attack due to transmission problems), and then assist by towing it to the rear.

Once the Tiger has been recovered behind the original Start Line, then the BC is free to withdraw the remaining forces if desired. If the attack can inflict casualties on the enemy, this would be a bonus, but the primary mission of recovering the Tiger is not to be put in jeopardy by risky attempts to try and inflict casualties on the British or pursue the counter attack too deeply.

The Battle

The action started with a broad advance by the German forces, it being the German plan to advance across the full width of the front, while offsetting the weight of the attack to the right, so if the opportunity was suitable a deeper penetration could be made on that flank. On that basis Rifle Kompanie 1 advanced on the left and in the centre covering half the frontage of the attack with all 3 of it's Platoons up in the line, and with the Infantry Panzerjäger Detachment in support in case enemy armour was encountered. Next to Kp 1 on it's right would be the MG Platoon, tasked to deploy in the centre-right of the line and cover the disabled Tiger and all the surrounding terrain, accompanied by the Mortar FO. On the right Kompanie 2 would only need to cover one third of the attack frontage, so could advance with two Platoons up and one back, providing the reserve for the deeper penetration if all went well or for emergencies elsewhere if they did not! The Marder I SPAT's would advance in support of the centre, their primary objective to cover the recovery operation once the Infantry had eliminated any known enemy Anti-Tank Guns where possible. The BC planned to personally lead from the front and would advance in the centre immediately behind Kp 1's Platoon 3.

The German forces quickly advanced from their Start Lines to the main assault positions - they reached these with little interference by the British due to the closeness of the terrain. Once there the main attack began with Platoon 3 and the MG Platoon deploying along a central hedgerow, with the 3 Infantry Squads then proceeding to conduct Recon By Fire (RBF) to identify the British positions (none of which had yet disclosed themselves), periodically assisted by Platoons 4 & 5 (from Kp 2) on the right...

The centre of the German line early in the game, located in an abandoned supply dump in a Bocage Hedge lined field. In the foreground just visible is the MG Platoon, in the centre the 8cm Mortar FO, and to the upper right Platoon 3 (from Kompanie 1). To the rear can be seen the BC's forward command post. This is early in the advance before these troops moved into their assault positions along the bocage in front of them.

These RBF operations were hugely successful (rolling at least one 6 in the three dice on 5 of the first 8 attempts when RBF was conducted in the first two and one later initiative), disclosing the positions of two 6pdr ATGs as well as 3 Rifle Squads. With the bulk of the British Forward Defences now disclosed the MG Platoon went into action and proceeded to single-handedly decimate the entire British defence! Very quickly over the next 3 German initiatives both 6pdrs and the 3 Rifle Squads were eliminated (the dice were running so hot the 2 HMG Stands, despite only getting 3D, were getting at least 1 suppression between them virtually every time they fired). The British attempted to respond by dropping 3" Mortar HE on the MGs (and getting their full 4D to boot as a Bocage Hedge provides no cover from indirect fire) but they just could not get any significant result (i.e. mostly scoring only Pins or no effect), and when a Suppression was achieved the BC immediately moved up and helped the affected MG rally and continue firing... A surviving Rifle Squad attempted to assist with it's Platoon 2" Mortar (to little effect) and the first Universal Carrier broke cover and moved up to also try and help deal with the deadly MG Platoon.

The Carrier unsuccessfully attempted to add its fire to the Mortars against the German MGs and was actually suppressed by their return fire quickly ending its contribution for the moment. Meanwhile the two Marder's had moved up into covered positions, and were close at hand waiting to move out in support of the infantry.

Looking towards the British lines early in the game - the German MGs, FO, and Platoon 3 can be seen at the bottom right of picture, as can Platoons 4 & 5 (just) to the upper right in the wood & field at edge of picture (near the abandoned PaK40). The first British 6pdr has been discovered (middle left edge of picture) as have a couple of Rifle Squads, and the Carrier has just left it's position and moved up (upper-middle centre). The second 6pdr and more Squads are yet to be discovered by RBF in the wood and rough ground to the upper-right of centre.

With the Carrier neutralised the Germans continued to eliminate the identified British troops. Continued attempts by the British to silence the MG Platoon with Mortar fire failed and soon the second 6pdr was suppressed, once it's accompanying Rifle Squad had been eliminated first (the first 6pdr having been eliminated already along with two other Rifle Squads). Things were actually looking a little grim for the British, they had lost 33% of their Infantry, 100% of their ATGs, already fired off over 33% of their Mortar ammo, and as yet the Company Commander had shown no inclination to come forward to assess the situation to call on reinforcements or even to initiate any counter attack with his current forces... In fact he was a little mystified as to what the German Objective may be, and as a result was reluctant to risk crying wolf or disclosing his remaining positions too soon! However the British Sniper now also began sniping each initiative at the German MG Crews (our snipers play differently to those in the standard rules), but again along with the 3" mortar it could not seriously affect the German HMGs (the British Dice had been shocking for the first 8 or so initiatives, while the German Dice were running hot).

Next Page >>

Explore CrossFire

World CrossFire Day

More CrossFire Inspiration...

1/76th Figs & Models

1/72nd Figs & Models

Terrain Manufacturers

'Sister' Sites

WCFD: Game 1

British Defenders

German Attackers

The Battle