Chain of Command 1940, "Going for a Bang"

The scenario is from the “Blitzkrieg 1940” book and is the “Going for a Bang”, demolition scenario. The British are withdrawing, destroying what-ever they can, to delay the German advance. The scenario in the book calls for a small culvert and a large culvert, but only a bridge was available, so it is a bridge that is the target of destruction / capture.

The aim of the game is for the Brits to demolish the bridge and the Germans to stop them. The Engineering Demolition 3 man team have to accumulate 24 “Task points”, to lay the charges. Each time the Engineering team is activated (via a Command Dice of a ’1’, or a senior leader command activation), then a D6 is rolled and that many points accumulated against the task total (24). Once the necessary 24 points have been accumulated, the team can be activated to initiate the charges.

The Germans have 7 support points and selected
Shabby Nazi Trick
Red Dice
le.18 7.5cm Infantry Gun with five crew and Junior Leader

The British have 7 support points and selected in addition to the demolition team
Adjudant
Vickers MMG

Germans start with 4 Patrol markers on the road on the Western table edge. The British start with 4 patrol markers on the bridge.

After the patrol phase the British had got into a good advanced position on their right with the Germans advancing in the centre.

 
The  Gemans deployed two sections, one into the woods in the centre and one to try and move into position into the woods in the south. To provide support the Feldwebel also deployed in the centre. His influence should hopefully get things moving.

Meanwhile the Brits deployed the demolition team next to the bridge and a senior leader into the woods in the south east. They also setup their Vickers in the farm hoping to prevent any German advance onto the bridge.

The Germans continued their advance into the southern woods. The section in the central woods wasn't having a good time as the Vickers was chewing them up, causing more kills than shock; very unusual. The Germans hoping to outflank the Vickers deployed another section.

The Brits deployed a section into the woods to help cover the demolition team, which they did by throwing a perfectly placed smoke grenade. The Vickers continued its decimation of the section in the woods.

The Germans continued their advance on the flanks and deployed the infantry gun to help out their mates in the centre as the dice up to this point had not been kind.

The Vicker continued to try and wipe out the German section in the centre and the section covering the bridge opened fire on the Germans in the southern woods, causing casualties and knocking the leader down.

Meanwhile they deployed another section behind the farm wall to prevent the German outflanking manoeuvre.

The Germans deployed their last section in the centre as there wasn't much left of the initial section and continued to pour fire into the farmhouse to try and silence the Vickers; but with little effect as the senior leader kept diving infront and taking the hits himself. However this was having a negative effect on morale as this was heading south fast.

As the smoke clearer the German leader in the southern woods recovered just in time to see the last of his section wiped out. Finally the Germans wiped out the Vickers and the infantry gun repositioned to fire on the demolition team as a last gasp chance at victory...

However it wasn't to be as the Brit 2" mortar put down smoke to cover the bridge and kaboom went the bridge just as the Germans advanced towards it.

Victory to the British, although two of their sections were going to get wet as the commander left them on the wrong side of the river. The dice gods were not with the Germans as they lost nearly two whole sections dead, with very little in the way of shock; most unusual.

First game of Chain of Command using Zoom and worked well with the leaders having coloured markers to make them easier to spot from above.