Operation Martlet – Attack on the Hauptkampflinie

Another game from the TFL Operation Martlet supplement. This is scenario 3 in the campaign

At this point in the campaign both sides were low on troops with the British missing 9 and the Germans missing 10. With their support points the British had available another section, a Vickers team, 3" mortar support, a medic and an adjutant. The Germans with their limited resources took a rifle team, an adjutant and three entrenchments for a team.

The patrol phase was about even for both sides with the British managing to get jump off points quite far forward with the Germans not able to get into the Barn on the outskirts of the village. The British deployed first with two sections; one in front of the barn and the other next to the woods in the south. 

The Germans deployed their support MkIV and a full section just behind the barn. 

The Germans were able to get into the barn (just) whilst the British section moved up under the cover of smoke. 

Instead of close assaulting the Barn the British poured fire through the doors and windows into the hapless defenders. Luckily not many casualties were taken but the defenders thought better of staying and bugged out into the farmhouse.

The MkIV opened up on the Barn with H.E. and caused enough damage to make it unstable and thus ensuring the British would think better of using it as cover.

Meanwhile the section to the south had crept up into the building to the south of the Barn and were threatening the German deployment point. 

The British section at the Barn now threw smoke grenades to cover their crossing of the road.

 Unfortunately the Germans managed to end the turn (thus removing smoke) and now the British were left vulnerable in the middle of the road. 

The MkIV opened up with MGs as well as the two MGs in the farmhouse and another MG that deployed in the house to the south. This should have been very bad for the British but they were very fortunate only to lose the section Bren team.

The British section in the southern house then close assaulted the solitary MG team but things were going from bad to worse as this failed and the survivors broke and ran.

The British mortar spotter finally got his head out his funk hole and called in a very accurate barrage on the farmhouse. Things were looking very dicey for the few remaining survivors and thus they thought it would be better to find somewhere else to hide. Thus the Germans managed to retreat out of the village but there had been severe casualties on both sides and morale wasn't good.