Comets in the Wald

This week our match reporter donned his thermals and reported for duty in Northern Germany, April 1945.  The British 3rd RTR are advancing along the foothills of the Teutoburger Wald to seize the small village of Tecklenburg.  Despite the seemingly inevitable Allied victory the Germans are still fighting doggedly, and in some cases fanatically and British losses continue to mount.

The British  entered with two Comets and two Cromwells. Phil and Rob swung north towards the Church whilst Malcolm and Chris advanced cautiously through the centre and south.  The Germans deployed with Greg’s low-slung Panzer IV tank destroyer lurking in ambush and Tony and Dave’s MkIV’s moving to engage.

Greg quickly realised the British were planning to work round and outflank him and, so decided to shift position.  Good dice rolls got him into another wood from where he could put a shot into Phil’s exposed Cromwell. “Boom”. One dead Cromwell. 

Further South the MkIVs found themselves out-numbered by Comets and Mal’s  Cromwell. 

A quite uneven battle. Dave traded shots with Malcolm and Tony took to hiding in cover. Unfortunately Rob’s “fast” Comet raced across the table to attack Tony’s rear. Tony’s MkIV took severe damage but miraculously survived. However he declared he was “abandoning” and his crew fled into the woods waving white flags.  Things were looking decidedly sticky for the Germans until Greg’s tank destroyer returned to the fray. He brewed up Rob’s shiny new Comet with a shot in the rear…ouch! 

Despite Chris inflicting heavy damage on Dave he too succumbed to the dead-eyed commander of the Jagdpanzer.  

In contrast to his colleagues from the other MkIV, Dave gamely played on trying to recover dice but to no avail. However Malcolm decided discretion was the better part of valour, and remembering he was from the Recce troop and outgunned by Greg, decided to leg it. 

However in the end even he succumbed to the mighty KwK42/ L70 .

So, an overwhelming defensive victory for the defenders of the Reich. Greg receives the Knights Cross 1st class.  Arminius/Hermann, gazing down from his statue high in the Teutoburger Wald would be proud of them…..well, Greg and Dave.

Next week this reporter takes a well earned rest leaving a member of our Spanish news bureau to venture to the Peninsula.  We will return on March 11th once again reporting from “Outremer” in the early 12th century”

Simon