As with our other games, this scenario involved a German reinforced platoon consisting of four 7-man fire teams (mixed Wehrmacht and SS with one Fallschirmjager team), a medium mortar team, a sniper team, and an MG42 team, all lead by a final unit consisting of an officer with an aid. A U.S. Airborne platoon consisted of almost identical assets with the exception of the fire teams consisting of 8-man teams. The mortar teams on both sides had the advantage of using an attached forward observer.
Unlike our last BA game, this scenario featured 3 tactical objectives (a bridge crossing, a high point in a shelled-out church, and a high point on a ridge). As expected, the fighting was centered around these three objectives fairly evenly. Early on a Kraut team was able to win the race to the ridge on the German left, but pulled back when it began to take fire from an AB Pathfinder unit. Later in the battle they also took fire from a .30 cal team and were eventually ambushed and neutralized in hand to hand fighting by said Pathfinders. This team would eventually go on to achieve heroic accolades by taking the last open objective late in the evening.
Bill made a good point in that most of our WW2 battles center around a structure or two in the center of the field that draw the heaviest fighting. I believe our next run at Bolt Action will feature an attack/defend scenario. My thoughts are something Brecourt Manorish with limited to no structures. I better get to work on my trenches and German towed artillery.
