Miniature Wargaming with Spudnick: AAR: Bolt Action: Main Street Stand Off.

The Resistance has a Sherman friend.

     In has been a while for both my wife and I to play any miniature games. Whether it has been work schedule related or just other events, we have been just busy! However, today was the first Sunday I have had off, since Siege of Augusta while working retail. The best thing to do on days off with terrible weather for relaxing is to fight it out on the table with Bolt Action. Besides, I have been making all sorts of terrain and have painted quite a few newer figures. I felt they needed to shine in an actual game.
     The scene was what is most common in WW2 Western Front themes, France's Bocage Country. We decided to duke it out in a small sleepy town in France. My wife would be running her American 82nd Airborne with some French Resistance, and I had my normal Germans. Everything has been played before with our troops with the exception of the newer French Resistance that I finished painting a couple of hours before. I am a night owl, so that is when I normally paint. So my wife, Kalissa was running a 1st Lt. with two riflemen, three 12-man squads of Airborne, a Medium Mortar with a spotter, two Bazooka teams, a medic, a Sherman Tank and two small squads of French Resistance with Simone Segouin leading one of the them. All of her troops were rated "Veteran" with exception of one of the resistance squads at "Regular." I was running my 1st Lt. with two assault riflemen, four 9-man squads, one medic, one Panzershreck team, one Sd. Kfz 222 armored car, and a Panzer IV H Tank. All of them are rated "Veteran."
    For a mission, we choose "Maximum Attrition." Though, it is not the most interesting mission, we had a lot of terrain in this game to make it interesting. We had no real plans other than KILL! I know! We have an interesting marriage. But that was both of our plans.
    For the simplistic rundown of the game, both forces met mainly through the center. Kalissa won the roll on the side to start on. She quickly in two turns took most of the main buildings in town occupying the Church, the café, and another row home. She also placed those in the buildings in ambush for a excellent field of fire as if my Germans would fall for that! However, one of her squads were quickly taking fire crossing a field from my armored car. The main push of the Germans was through the center fields. The Lt. and his men took the farm house while two other squads took positions in a hedgerow and a stone wall. From there, they fired multiple rounds peppering the various buildings around the square.
   It was the reserves that made things interesting. In normal games we have, the squads left off the board are usually left for flanking. Expecting this for both sides' tanks, we also have our AT assets also off the table. The Resistance also were off the table, since the one led by Simone has to be in reserve. I also held a squad of table for flanking purposes. It was when the Resistance forces appeared against my one squad on the road did my Panzer IV come into action on the road. As it appeared, a Sherman tank appeared and fired bouncing off the surprised Panzer. This was most disheartening to the Sherman's crew. The American's tried to use a medium mortar shell against the Panzer IV, but missed. We figured the spotter was having too much fun after taking position in a partially built tree fort.
    By turn three, the reserves came flanking in. After an Airborne unit took a small farm house, a German squad came to knock on the door. With household objects, knives, and guns, the Germans overtook the house and took aim at the currently occupied Church. The armored car used it's limited HE rounds on the Church pinned down the paratroopers with an occasional luck shot. On the other side of the battle, the tank fight is at a standstill. The Panzer IV cannot knock the Sherman tank out, and the Sherman crew keeps finding miracles to put out fires. However, the Resistance is doing their part. They end up tearing up the one German squad. In one fail morale boost, the German Fubar their way back down the road in panic with the Resistance fighters hot on their heels! The Airborne also try to take out the armored threat with two Bazookas. Both manage to hit, but are deflected. The Germans also try the same trick as the Bazooka teams. Somehow, they pasted each other in the field without noticing.
   The game came to a head on whether it was going to be a win or a draw for the Germans. The Panzer IV crew decides to dash for the center of town denying the Bazooka teams of being useful. The heavily pinned down is left for dead. The Resistance has their way with them! Through, this action, the Resistance did not noticed the Panzershrek team taking aim at the nearby Sherman Tank. The tank is toast after a penetrating round. The German command is unhappy with the resistance and personally goes and take a squad to dispatch the French fighters. More pins for everyone with German fire. In a finally push, a squad of Germans decides to clear out the Church with the American defenders. They were waiting and eliminates the German threat. The game ends in a Draw.
   My thoughts on the game were that it went pretty well. With all of the hard cover, it took a lot of shooting to kill. If this was a Chain of Command game, I imagine it would be even more difficult, since the lack of major fire lanes depending on the Patrol Phase. Normandy Firefight would have been very entertaining for sure. Either way, it was great to play a game again.