Battlegroup Skirmish

Wandei Haziran 19, 2022

Battlegroup is usually my rules of choice for larger Company/Battalion level games but recently I’ve been more interested in a skirmish/squad gaming… for some reason I never really considered the rules for this size of game…until now

So when I had a four non war-gamer pals over the other night I decided to give it a try.
I was very pleased I did. Probably the best, most enjoyable game I’ve taken part in in a long time. Anyway I took some photos of the game.
2 players per side who were allocated units. I umpired so first moves were made with neither side knowing the strength or positions of each other (unless spotted or LoS) Due to these limitations lots of these photos were taken after the event (recreated the recreation)
The empty battle field (and the clever “area fire” rules meant that the players actually shot at buildings without definite knowledge of an enemy presence, which I thought was brilliant

The rules went down a treat with two of the guys wanting to immediately start into the hobby, poor blighters
Anyway terrifically enjoyable game and I’m pretty sure I’ll be using this system for my future skirmish battles from now on…

1st Squad of a US platoon scouting an occupied Normandy town.

2nd squad moves towards the Hotel

Engineers will need to clear the entrance to the town.

2nd squad move to the west of town

Waiting in town a Fallschirmjaeger platoon are holding up in the neighbouring buildings

Engineers move up to the anti-tank obstacles

1st squad move into the Hotel

2nd squad line up behind a hedgerow west of the town centre

Germans move into dug-in positions at the centre of town

German halftrack deploys 3rd squad

US 1st MG 1917 fire on the dug-in Germans below. The first shots of what turns out to be a long firefight at the town centre

2nd squad also fires towards the dug-in germans

Blasting the area below the Germans find themselves pinned down in a US crossfire

US Engineers blast the buildings with suppressive fire

This was a situation where the US didn’t actually know there were any enemy located there but opened up with area fire anyway (was actually successful in pinning a rifle team down
(in the window above the tricolor)

Bazooka team move up along the Hotel wall (again they don’t know what they’re up against)

Shooting continues on the streets with both sides exchanging fire. The US need to keep the German heads down if the engineers stand a chance of clearing the blockade

Meanwhile German 3rd squad move behind some terrace houses to get in sight of the engineers

German halftrack moves down the street into contact with the engineer MG

Bakooka team move out to knock out the halftrack…a dangerous move..

The halftrack’s in view

Bazooka shoots

A hit!!!

The team are now in a very vulnerable and exposed position

The deadly noise of a MG42 rings out in the square

The bazooka team are riddled with bullets

Heroic perhaps but it is their final action of the war

The destruction of the halftrack has given the Engineers the opportunity to move into contact with the tank Barricade. They’ll need a full turn to lay the demolition charges.

A hidden german Sniper on overwatch fires at the engineers

but luckily for them they have a narrow escape

Marder III is called up into the battle

It moves towards the center of town

It opens fire on top floor of the hotel where the US 1st squad have positioned themselves

The shot hits the building but without much effect on 1st squad

German 3rd squad have moved into the buildings adjacent to the engineers

US engineer rifle team (who have been on overwatch) open fire

Their fire fails to suppress the German position who return fire with vengence!
Engineer MG still pinned down

Meanwhile German mortars are attempting to range in on the US 2nd squad who are on the edge of the square

On the street the shooting continues

The German commander is constantly having to rally his troops just to keep their resistance up (this of course is decreasing their overall morale or Battle Rating)

The engineers are ready with their explosives:

The charges explode

Tank obstacle cleared…(this is an objective for the US so decreases the German BR)

3rd German MG team fire down on the engineers below

Another man down

Sherman moves into the town rolling across the cleared area

Engineer rifle team move into the hotel

1st squad move across the street to assault the German occupants.

A bloody fights erupts with the attackers launching grenades and blasting everything in sight with their thompsons…

Sherman opens fire on the Marder III

A Miss! The Sherman shoots just wide of the Marder…

A close thing for the Marder, whose crew scramble to return fire…

Meanwhile the dug-in German rifle team have routed leaving the MG to stand alone

The German BR Morale Counters are beginning to mount up…
These are received both if a unit is destroyed or when the commander decides to rally the troops

The Marder returns fire

Direct hit!!!

The Sherman’s knocked out

Mortar fire eventually hits the US west of town

The 2nd rifle team are completely routed after a direct hit

German sniper fires at the engineer MG that have been pinned down and unable to move…

Sniper takes out the second of the three man MG team. Last man standing

He’s had enough…

Now suddenly the US are feeling serious pressure; this could go either way with both sides hanging on by their fingernails
The 1st squad assault ends in victory after the German 3rd squad put up terrific resistance!

4 of 1st squad have been put out of the battle

Engineer team decide to put some fire down on the Marder …

The gunfire from the hotel forces the Marder into a retreat

Finally after failing its comms test for the entire battle the US FO gets through to his mortar team and with his first barrage scores a direct hit on the dug-in German MG team …how ironic that their first shot scores the winning blow of the entire battle!