Nuts! campaign - scenario #9 Bad Manor

 

Bad Manor

Scenario: Assault on the Manoir La Fiere (photos below)

SSG Rockstar’s squad at the start

At Start	Rep	Wpn	Attributes	HG	GG	Other
SSG Rockstar	5	Carb	3/6 Nerves Steel: DB=CO; charge +1D6		1	XX
			4/3 Quick reflex: +1D6 “In Sight”
Sgt Kelley	5	SMG	4-4 Rage: +1d6 charge/mele
Sgt Baker	5	SMG	4-3 Quick Rflx: +1D6 In Sight
T4 Shivers	5	Carb	5-6 Steely eye: +1D6 in sight test
Cpl Bechtold	5	M1	6-2 Tank Killer: Rep +1 close assault
PFC Jones	5	SMG	3/3 Lucky: RR any result 1x game
Moates	6	SMG	1-3 Ball Player: Throws grenade 8”	2
Miller	5	M1	1/5 Brawler: +1D6 in melee			AT, X
Guidas	5	M1	3/1 Initiative: Rep +1 when alone	2		X
Skinner	4	M1	6/4 Unlucky: On D1-2, takes friend hit 3”	1		AT, X
Mumey	4	HMG	5-4 Slow React – 1D6 on In Sight
Simpson	5	Loadr	2-1 Coward: treat DB as HD

 

Sgt Baker and Cpl Bechtold have returned from the medic tent. Word is T5 Dymowske will also return, but isn’t quite ready yet. Rockstar has also been told he will be joined by the group below. (“Oh great, just what we needed. More Brass. I would rather have another .30 and maybe a bazooka,” thought Rockstar.)

 

American Reinforcements (arriving turn 2)

Cpt Rae	6	Pistol	3-5 Near Sight: Rep -1 shooting
TSG Carzoli	6	SMG	1-1 Agile: no fast move shoot penalty
Cpl Daly	4	M1	3-2 Knifeman: +1D6 if using in mele	2
T5 May	6	Carb	4-5 Resilient: treat 1st OOF as CO
Nocera	5	M1	6-5 Wussy: Only roll1D6 for recovery
Turner	4	M1	1-6 Clumsy: Trips on Fast Move fail w/ 2bl
Gibby	5	M1	None
Nelson	5	Carb	5-3 slow: only counts 1D6 for fast move	1

 

German Forces:

The Germans don’t start with any forces, just “Possible Enemy Forces” (PEF). They start with two, with a random chance of up to six (they rolled three). With the German Investment Level set at zero, there will be no further reinforcements.

Objective:  The American Paratroopers have to clear several buildings of the La Fiere Manoir so they can prepare to defend the nearby bridge over the Merderet River.

Turn 1: Initiative 4/2 Americans

SSG Rockstar sends Sgt Baker with Jones, Miller & Skinner off to the right (although they are still close enough to count as one group), while he takes the main group up the middle.

PEF #1 turns out to be nothing but rumors

Turn 2: Initiative 6/3 Americans.

With that Initiative roll. The Americans will do nothing this turn, although Captain Rae entered the game.

The German PEF move about.

Turn 3: Initiative 5/2 Germans (normally this might result in German reinforcements, but not for this scenario).

Rae moves his force, circling around to the left in an attempt to flank the Germans

Rockstar has T4 Shivers move up with the .30 cal. Shivers identifies PEF #2 & 3. Rockstar moves the rest of the group into the hedgerow, including Baker and his men.

PEF #2 (Starting Location: building #1)

Name	Rep	Wpn		Name	Rep	Wpn
OGF Reisen.	5	MG42		Bauer	4	Kar 98
Hollerbach	4	Loader

 

PEF #3 (Starting Location: building #5)

Name	Rep	Wpn		Name	Rep	Wpn
Cpl Kruger	4	MP40		Muller	5	Kar 98
Kranz	4	GL*		Leer	4	Kar 98
Westhus	5	Kar 98		Kropp	4	Kar 98

GL = Kar98 w/ grenade launcher

Kruger was ready for Rockstar and his men fired first. After two rounds of shooting, Sgt Kelly and Pvt Skinner were both killed (the latter taking a round that was meant for Sgt Baker) and most of the paratroopers dropped back into the cover of the hedgerow, where they are rallied by Rockstar.

Turn 4: Initiative 6/2 Germans

Germans are unable to move.

T4 Shivers picks up Sgt Kelly’s SMG, while Rockstar rallies his men, yet again.

Cpt Rae continues his flanking movement on the left

Sgt Baker takes his small group around the right

Turn 5: Initiative 3/2 Americans

Cpl Kruger again gets the jump on Rockstar, but nothing much happens casualty wise – just a lot of noise. Again Rockstar and his men fall back behind the safety of the hedgerow.

Cpt Rae continues to move around the left flank and finds with his height advantage, his men have a perfect enfilade of Cpl Kruger and his group. Cpl Kruger and Privare Kropp are killed, Pvt Westhuse is wounded and Pvts Muller and Kranz abandon the field.

Although PEF #3 has been eliminated, PEF #2 still occupies building #1.

Turn 6: Initiative 5/1 Germans

The MG 42 team of PEF#2 again takes position at the window of Building #1

Rockstar is finally able to get off the first shot. Although the .30 team misses (yet again), Rockstar and Shivers are able to wound both gunner and loader. Pvt Bauer has had enough and leaves the battlefield.

Turn 7: Initiative 4/2 Americans

Cpt Rae leads his men to take position to the east of the main house (B3), using the hedgerow for cover.

Sgt Baker leads his men forward at the double in order to get a glimpse at the stables (building #5).

Rockstar leads his men forward and takes the wounded survivors of PEF #2 prisoner.

 

Turn 8: Initiative 5/4 Germans

Cpt Rae moves his men into the hedgerow and Identifies PEF #4 as follows:

PEF #4 (Starting Location: Area #6)

Name	Rep	Wpn		Name	Rep	Wpn
Cpt Stransky	3	Pistol		OG Dorfmann	4	Kar 98
Cpl Rohleder	4	St 44		GF Katczinski	3	Kar 98
Sholten	5	MG42		Baumer	4	Kar 98
Mutz	4	Loader		Kemmerich	4	Kar 98

 

  Note: The building in question has three floors and an attached tower, also of three floors. Because of the hillside, the bottom floor of the tower attached to the 2^nd floor of the house. The bottom floor of the house is more or less a cellar.

Some rooms are smaller than others and not all of them have a view in all directions. I decided to split them up in a way that makes sense to me, more or less.

Tower Top floor: Katczinksi and Bauer

Tower 2^nd floor: Rohleder and the Mg42 team

House top floor: Dorfmann and Kemmerich

House Cellar: Stranski, because that seemed like the sort of thing he would do.

Based on the description, I decided the tower windows were too small to throw grenades through at a distance, so Rae attacked with just small arms.

Cpt Rae assigned targets to his men and advanced through the hedgerow. The initial volley of the paratroopers was devastating. When the smoke cleared, only Pvt Sholten (MG  gunner) was unwounded, he picked up his MG 42 and retreated into the main house.

On the other end of the battlefield, Sgt Baker discovered that PEF #5 was nothing but rumors.

In the center, Rockstar and his group continue to advance.

Turn 9: Initiative 5/3 Americans

Cpt Rae sends Cpl Daly with Pvts Gibby and Nelson to cover the front door of the main house while he and the others approach the main door to the tower.

At this point Cpt Stranski does what comes natural to him and surrenders.

 

Analysis:

It started out pretty tough, but with no possibility of German reinforcements, once I got through the first wave, it was pretty easy. When I play this next time, I think I will make it easier for the Germans to get reinforcements.

Photos

Generally speaking, I prefer to spend my hobby $$$ on figures rather than terrain, so most of it is pretty simple. Nonetheless, here are some photos of the action.

SSG Rockstar approaches the first building. Rockstar is in the middle; Shivers and the .30 are on the left, Sgt Baker on the right

An MG42 team "inside" the building and Cpl Kruger in a supporting position along a hedgerow

Cpt Rae uses his height advantage to pour flanking fire on Col Kruger while the MG42 is focused on th eaction to its front.

Cpt Rae using the cover of teh hedgerow to approach the tower  of the main building

Another view

Three men cover the entrance of teh main building, while Rae and the others approach the tower door

SSG Rockstar moves up

Sgt Baker finds... Nothing