AAR: One Dark Night

Briefing

Today I present an AAR for a scenario which comes from the realm of fiction. The 2013 Christmas Special includes a very interesting mission where a U-boat landing party lands on the Southern Coast of England in order to pick up a German agent who has been captured by British militia in the area. The Agent, code name "Haddock," is the objective of the German landing party. Yet, the Germans are not quite sure where he is being held so they have to wait for Agent "Salmon," a British traitor, to come disclose the location where agent Haddock is being held.

The Germans start with 3 patrol markers, all at the Boat House, meanwhile the British get 4 at the Pointhouse, and 1 at Headland Point. Agent Salmon starts in the center of Traitors field and during each German phase gets activated automatically moving towards the German troops. What makes the scenario very interesting is that Germans can't move away from a defensive position near their jump off points until Salmon either reaches them, disclosing the location of the captured Agent Haddock, or if he dies (it is assumed they would be able to deduce where he is being held thereafter). The Germans win if they can rescue Haddock, but are pressed on time as nearby British regulars are making their way as reinforcements.

The German crew can be organised as the player desires, the following are available:
Kapitanleutnant Möller, Ranking Senior Leader (pistol)
Leutnant sur Zee Kollwitz, Senior Leader (MP38)
Oberbootsmann Wilmann, Junior Leader (MP38)
Bootsmanner Schiffer, Junior Leader (MP38)
Twenty‐four Matrosen (2 MG-34, 22 Rifles)

5 command dice are available to the Germans and they rolled a force moral of 9. They will use an adapted force moral chart, being relatively poor ground troops they will use chart B (from an adapted force moral loss of dice chart also present in the 2013 Christmas Special).

The British field the Homeguard "Witchford" platoon, with 5 command dice, and also rolled force moral also 9. Their composition is less flexible and is as follows:

Lieutenant Drummond, Senior Leader, pistol.
Sergeant Hannay, Senior Leader

LMG Team
Lewis Gun with three Crew (firepower 4 dice, reduced then to 3)

Section One – At Point House
Corporal Claridge, Junior Leader. Thompson SMG
Seven riflemen

Section Two
Corporal McCarthy, Junior Leader. Rifle
Seven riflemen, three of whom are at Headland Point on look‐out duty.

Section Three
Corporal Evans, Junior Leader. Thompson SMG
Seven Riflemen

Disclaimer: for the sake of this little scenario I have will simply be using my standard German and British troops, while I have looked into buying British Homeguard and a full landing party I think the time effort and cost is not worth it for such a small scenario.

AAR

The result after the patrol phase, the Germans are able to get in a nice position near Agent Salmon in the orchard on the Southern edge, meanwhile the British are able to deploy near the bunker which overlooks most of the table.

The Germans decide to split their crew into 2 main fireteams ahead of the fight

- Bootsmanner Shiffer leads an 8 man MG34 support section, made up of 2 MG-34 teams with 3 Crew and 1 rifleman each. 

- Oberbootsmann Wilmann leads the assault section, composed of 11 riflemen.

- Five men without any leader are left aside to make a small scout/reserve section.

-------------------> Battle Begins

The first german phase sees Wilmann's assault team deploy inside of the orchard in order to stay in cover from the British men in Point House, and on overwatch in case the British rush forward. meanwhile the traitorous agent Salmon begins to make his way towards the German troops. 

The British respond by deploying the Lewis gun team inside of Point House and fire down on salmon who is in the middle of the field, along with some support from the riflemen, Salmon meets his end in the rightly named "Traitor's field." Although the Germans are unsure where Agent Haddock is hidden, the British firing from Point House has given the position away. Oberbootssmanner Wilmann figures the gunshots are coming from the house at the intersection and assumes Haddock is held within.

On the next phase Leutnant sur Zee Kollwitz, joins the battle and makes the assault team run at the double towards closer to the house, threatening a British Jump-off point. He also orders two smoke grenades to be thrown to cover the advance (they suffer 1 shock by running, not displayed on picture below). The LMG support section deploys into the open and  Bootsmanner Shiffer orders both MG-34's to lay down some covering fire on the house.

Kollwitz joins the fray

At a critical juncture in the battle the British roll a triple 6, giving them a double phase and ending the turn. In the first phase they deploy Corporal Evans' section who orders them to Fire Five Rounds Rapid! As the turn ends, and the smoke clears, Sergeant Hannay jumps into the battle and orders the British to unleash some more lead into the Germans trapped behind the hedge. The Germans suffer 5 shock and 2 dead.

Sergeant Hannay directs some accurate fire onto the Germans

Nevertheless, the Germans are not quite done, Bootsmanner Shiffer orders both MG-34's to fire at the house. The deadly fire kills 3 riflemen, and knocks out Corporal Claridge, in addition to also causing 1 shock. Kapitanleutnant Möller, also joins the fight and runs off to help the assault section ordering them to throw 2 new smoke grenades. Leutnant sur Zee Kollwitz calms the troops down and removes 3 shock. Not pictured below is also the deployment of the small German reserve section who deploy on the flank.

Corporal Claridge is knocked out

British Lieutenant Drummond makes his way into the battle to take over command of Point House following Corporal Claridge's injury, and directs fire against the German's behind the hedge- Simultaneously, Corporal Evans orders his men to fire at the same target. Miraculously, and mostly due to the smoke, the Germans suffer no casualties or shock! Meanwhile, McCarthy's 4 man section is still being held back in reserve.

The German support team continues to fire at the British in the house causing 2 shock, killing 1 more rifleman along with Lieutenant Drummond who had just joined the battle. The British suffer a huge blow to their force moral (-2, now at 7), and are leaderless inside of Point House. Inspired by the success of the other sailors, the assault squad is firstly rallied by Moller (reducing their shock to 0), and then ordered to charge forward through the smoke and assault the British by Boostmanner Schiffer (No Handgranaten! was used as these are not trained infantry).

Boostmanner Schiffer leads the charge!

The close combat is deadly, the Brits role a whopping 25 dice! They kill 11, and cause 7 shock. The Germans roll 21 dice! They manage to kill 10 men and caused 1 shock, effectively wiping out the section and killing both the Senior and Junior leader. The British are forced to roll multiple Bad Things Happen, which see their force moral drop all the way down to 2 (-5). The Brits lose 3 command dice and 1 JoP (inside of Point House)

 The sole German survivor is a lone rifleman, who while having survived the bloody encounter breaks, with 8 shock to his name. Tragically, both Senior leaders, Moller and Kollwitz, along with Schiffer all perish in the deadly assault. The German  Bad Things Happen rolls drop the German force moral from 9 all the way down to 2 (-7). The Germans, using the modified force moral effects posted earlier, lose 3 command dice in addition to 1 of their JoP (not really relevant as all troops are deployed).

Battlefield empties... 

In the subsequent phase the British roll 2x 4's, and a 2. With no Senior leaders left they deploy their last section lead by Corporal McCarthy near Point House on overwatch. The Germans are only able to activate 1 team (rolling a 4 and 1), an choose to fire the MG-34 at the British inside of Point House causing one Shock on the Lewis gun team. 

The next British phase allows them to activate the rifle section and fire at the German support squad, causing no damage. On the other hand, the Germans roll a 3 and are finally able to unleash both Mg-34's against the house killing 1 man on the Lewis Gun team and causing some shock.

The Next British phase is of no use as a 4,4,5 are rolled. The Germans roll a 2 and try  to finish off the Lewis Gun team, hoping to break the British force moral. While they do no damage, they pile on 3 more stress on the lone gunner  which makes him break and lowers the British force moral down to 1.

The Lewis gunner runs off 

The British use the next phase to get the rifle team in the house down to the bottom floor and away from the deadly fire of the MG-34's(while I love the TT Combat Houses they sadly can't open multiple foors, so they are just placed near the windows). Meanwhile the Germans charge forwards, while still not in full view of the British. 

The British phase sees them activate the lone 3 men in the bunker (I must add that this is the first time they were activated all game), and fire at the Germans in the field causing 1 shock. Dice remain a limiting factor for the British. The Germans respond by pushing forwards once again and removing 1 shock. The British on overwatch fire but only  manage to inflict 2 shock. 

Wilmann's section gets close

The next phase proves to be another all or nothing by the Germans, with time nearly out as British reinforcements are dangerously close, Oberbootsmann Wilmann, takes off 1 shock and orders another Assault! The British roll 16 dice! Shockingly they only manage 2 kills and 1 shock. However, Wilmann is lightly wounded which brings the German moral down to 1!

On the other hand, the Germans roll 12 dice! Unlike the British they are more successful, managing to kill 5 and cause 2 shock. The team in the house is reduced to 2 men and pinned, while the other section suffers 2 dead and McCarthy is lightly wounded, the Bad Things Happen roll drops the force moral to 0. The British surrender, and Agent Haddock is retrieved by Wilmann and his squad, but at what cost...

Total casualty count:

-British: 16 riflemen, 1 Junior leader, 2 Senior leaders.

-German: 11 riflemen, 1 Junior leader, 2 Senior leaders.
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Concluding thoughts

I want to start by saying that this was really an awesome scenario! I think this is the most fun I have had playing Chain of Command so far. While it would have been amazing to be able to run this scenario with some real British homeguard figures and some U-boat landing crew, I think that its still a great scenario to run usomg proxies. I really recommend people try this one out, its a quick and creative little scenario.

In terms of the actual action it was definitely a mistake to charge the assault team, but as time was a factor I thought it could have crushed British force moral and opened the way for a quick victory. On the other hand it just made it longer and more bloody, forcing a desperate final assault. While the 3 riflemen in the bunker played essentially no active role, they did didn't allow the Germans to surround the house from multiple flanks which was quite crucial. 

AAR: Flank Attack

Well I've been wanting do to an AAR for a while so it's finally about time I got around to it, this battle has been part of a little mini-campaign which revolved capturing this little town somewhere in Normandy facing off a regular British platoon against a regular German platoon. It's been a way to keep it from being just a one off kind of battle, but also not a large commitment like a larger PSC may be.

Intelligence

Here is a aerial "reconnaissance" shot taken sometime before the battle:

The Germans had 6 support points available and chose to bring an Sdf Kfz 232, an 8 wheel reconnaissance vehicle with a 20mm autocannon, in addition to an adjutant. The vehicle will be used a mobile support platform to try force the British out of the buildings. Force moral: 11.

The British on the other hand had 4 support points at their disposal and opted to focus on funneling the German troops, taking 2 minefields and some barbed wire to try and prevent them from easily advancing towards the town. Force moral: 8.

AAR

German forces quickly deploy on overwatch on both the left and right flanks, trying to spread out the British defenders.

The British respond by deploying a squad of their own on the far right and fire down on the Germans in the field, concentrating the Bren fire on the LMG team, killing 1 crew man and inflicting 2 shock. The Germans on overwatch respond with deadly fire, killing 2 riflemen and wounding the Junior Leader.

A second section is deployed in a building on the right flank, along with a light mortar near the wall below. Their combined fire fails to do any damage to the Germans on the left, yet 1 rifleman perishes from the return overwatch fire.

A poor roll forces the German platoon sergeant to jump into the battle early, he removes the shock from the LMG team and directs the fire against the British in the house, 1 more rifleman dies and 2 shock is inflicted.

Poor roll on the British side forces both Senior Leaders to jump into the battle to unhinge things, some more concentrated fire kills one more LMG crew and inflicts 2 shock. Meanwhile on the left flank everything remains quite calm.

German double phase! Troops push up to the hedge to take advantage of the 2 smgs (JL + SL), Panzerschreck team is also deployed and ordered to fire at the house by the Senior Leader. The combined fire causes lots of British casualties, 3 dead riflemen. More importantly the Junior Leader perishes due to a second wound.

The German 232 also finally makes an appearance, taking position in the middle of the road on overwatch, covering both flanks.

The next two phases see both British and German platoons deploying an extra section on the right flank, the British manage to eliminate the LMG team from the first German section and cause 1 shock, the Germans respond by killing 1 more rifleman on the already heavily damaged British first section and pinning it (only the Senior leader and a 2 man Bren team are left). Things remain quiet on the left as the focus remains all on the right flank.

AMBUSH! The British use the Chain of Command dice they were saving up to try and take out the 232 with their PIAT team, while they manage to hit the armored car, the subsequent strike roll results in only 1 hit and the 232 rolls 1 save. The vehicle manages to make it out of the ambush unscathed.

On the right flank the Germans are finally able to kill off one more rifleman and force the British squad and the Senior leader to break. The 232 does some work on and manages to kill riflemen 3 men and inflict 2 shock on the other British section. Nevertheless, The British roll a double phase! The British fire back and finish off the Panzershreck team (the loader had previously died), and the German Senior Leader is lightly wounded. Minor skirmishing continues on the left flank with a few casualties exchanged.

The British double phase has completely flipped around the battle,the Platoon Lieutenant runs back and helps direct fire against the German squads. The weakened British squad heroically manages to knock down both of the Junior leaders. This is a disastrous result for the Germans, along with a lightly wounded Senior leader, and no CoC dice (it had been used for an interrupt early in the game), the Germans begin to grind to a halt on the right.

To make things even worse for the Germans the British Senior leader on the left flank combines the fire from the light mortar and the third section to continue to dent the German section, and even manages to knock out the 3rd Junior Leader. 

In the next phase the Germans try and manage some shock and fire back against the British causing very minor damage. Without any of their Junior Leaders, and a wounded Senior Leader, it has become impossible for any real organised action, and they are unable to push forward. 

On the other hand, the British continue their streak of good luck, and even though there are only 4 men and the SL left on the right flank, they manage to also knock out the German Senior Leader. The PIAT deploys and fires against the 232. This time the armored car gets hit hard, the commander gets wounded and 2 shock is inflicted. 

The last three phases were disastrous for the Germans and phenomenal for the British, they managed to knock out 4 leaders and also wound the commander in the 232. All of this caused the force moral to drop from 11 all the way to 3 in a matter of a couple phases. With their moral at 3, no CoC dice, and no leaders able to rally the troops, the scenario has been deemed unwinnable and the German forces pull out of of the outskirts of the town.

A narrow British victory!

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Concluding thoughts

This battle displayed just how quickly the odds can dramatically swing in Chain of Command, the Germans seemed to be in complete control, yet a devastating British double phase with some great rolls managed to somehow knock out 3 German Junior leaders in a couple rounds of shooting. The battle was ultimately heroically won by a the 4 man section that held the house on the right, fighting off 2 German sections with only 1 rifleman and a 2 man bren team and their Junior Leader. The British Platoon Lieutenant will get commended for his heroics during the battle, after initially retreating as his troops faced overwhelming odds, he ran back and managed to keep the right flank alive.

The Germans on the other hand might have made a mistake in picking the 232, although it was able to inflict some serious damage it also didn't allow any flank to be stacked with more German troops. They also remained too static on the left flank, and too many resources were wasted on the right flank. Yet, had those 4 pesky Brits been unhinged from the house on the right then the Germans would have been able to surround the remaining British. I mean what were the odds of the British being able to knock out 4 leaders?

In any case next week I'll run the same scenario, this time the Germans will get some more support options!


Thanks for reading!