AAR – US 8th Infantry vs 26th Panzer – Breakthrough

So Ben and myself decided to try out our Breakthrough Assault 3 lists, we rolled up breakthrough. Ben Was using the 8th Infantry out of the Citizen Soldiers PDF, they have the option to Night Attack and in fit of near insanity Ben elected to do so! (Not really too insane, he mostly just wanted to see how it would work before using it at BA3)

Having chosen table quarters Ben placed two objectives – and I deployed the Panthers in one quarter, the Panzer 4’s in the other – Ben deployed artillery at the rear recce at the edges, and left an infantry platoon in reserve.

US 8th Infantry Division

  • HQ + 2 Bazookas
  • Full Infantry Platoon
  • Full Infantry Platoon
  • 4 81mm Mortars
  • 4 HMG’s + 2 Bazookas (Ben forgot to deploy the Bazookas…)
  • Full Pioneers + Supply Cart
  • Cav Recon
  • Cav Recon
  • 4 M10’s
  • 4 155mm Artillery
  • 4 155mm Artillery
  • AOP
26th Panzer Division

  • 2 HQ Panzer IV’s
  • 4 Panzer IV’s
  • 3 Panzers
  • 2 Flakpanzer 38(t)
  • 4 StuG M43 105/25
  • 2 8-Rads
  • 2 Nebs

Objectives
Panthers in wait
Panzer IV’s – if you use one tank this year – use a Panzer IV!
How many 155’s!
Trained infantry everywhere
Recce number 1
Recce number 2

Turns One and Two

Ben’s spearheads and recce were limited by my deployment, he started advancing the infantry in the face of my panzer 4’s and in the woods near the panthers. His artillery failed to range in, but the TD’s popped and took out a panzer 4.

My semovente raced in from reserve – though failed to hit, the panzers and panthers returned fire on the TD’s bailing one, destroying another.

The TD’s opened up again, with the infantry advancing to the panzer 4’s, again they destroyed one, and bailed a second, however their nerve held. The artillery again went for the panthers and missed.

The Panzers and panthers again targeted the TD’s wiping them out, whilst the semovente destroyed one artillery piece and a couple of infantry stands in the open.

TD ambush gets a PZ4
and from the other side
Infantry advance
Semovente reinforcements
Taking more panzer 4 casualties
2IC shows that shooting is not his strong point
Panthers target TD’s
As do the remaining Panzer 4’s
Semovente see infantry
and target the arty park

Turn Three and Four

Ben’s TD’s dead, his infantry continued to advance, the pioneers opposite the panthers manage to bail one with a bazooka shot, having smoked the 2IC, and therefore unable to hit him, – they then fail their tank terror test. Meanwhile the artillery ranged in and killed a panther.

Daylight breaks, with Ben in the open! The Semovente destroy some artillery pieces, whilst the Panzers hit and pin the infantry but cause no casualties. Meanwhile the 8-rads enter and join the 2IC and the only operational Panther to damage the pioneers, but they pass a morale test!

Ben’s AOP arrives but still he can’t range in until the third attempt on the Semovente – their AAMG’s tgen destroy him! – the pioneers remain pinned, but the recce move up to fire on the 2IC and the Semovente – to no effect.

The panzer fours again fire at infantry causing only a single casualty but pin them. The Semovente again target the artillery, whilst the 2IC and panthers move to the objectives whilst the pioneers take more casualties.

Infantry get closer
and closer
Bens arty finally does damage
Semovente do more damage
MG’s always work
Another semovente hit

Turn Five and Six

Finally Ben’s reserves arrive advancing to the far objective, meanwhile the recce move to side shot the panthers again – and fail. The other recce teams try to outflank the Semovente but also miss, but a bazooka removes a panzer 4, but again the pass their morale test.

The 8 rads move up and destroy the recce near the panthers, who then flee, the Semovente destroy another 2 artillery pieces breaking another platoon, whilst the flakpanzers and another Semovente destroy the jeeps of the other recce platoon – but they hold. The 2 IC moves to contest the objective followed by the panthers. Pinning the infantry

Ben fails to unpin, but his bazookas nails the 2 IC and his arty bails a panther. His last recce platoon again try to bail a Semovente but fails.

My Semovente again target the arty, but roll snake eyes for the firepower (just after Ben says I really should roll a one!) the Panzers retreat through the wood shooting the infantry as they retreat. Sadly the last platoon panzer bogs on its storm trooper! Meanwhile the 8-rads move up to support the panthers

Ben’s reserves arrive
The number of times AT 7 kills a panther on the side – not today though
Recce on recce, normally you have to pay double for that action
Last bit of an arty platoon
Bazooka and arty bail
The noble 2IC finally explodes
The infantry capture the bogged Panzer 4, finally lost a platoon 🙁

Turn Seven and Eight

The infantry on the objective stay pinned buts bazooka kills the 2IC, artillery nails a panther and an 8-rad. Ben’s infantry with the IC advance and kill the last panzer.

The Semovente finally remove the last artillery pieces, whilst the flakpanzers go to attack the infantry that destroyed the panzer. The panthers move to both contest the objective

The artillery hold their last man test, Ben’s infantry move after the IC, but don’t make it.

The semovente a move to assault the mortars whilst the IC and flakpanzer destroy the infantry in the middle but they hold!

Infantry pinned on objective
More infantry on the other objective
less infantry
Semovente go mortar hunting
Where’s the arty?

Turn Nine and Ten

Ben try’s attempts to withdraw the last artillery platoon member, and the mortars, but fails both skill tests. The infantry on the objective decide that it’s all or nothing now, and move to assault the panthers. After a couple of rounds of combat the panthers withdraw without a casualty, but the infantry lose a couple of stands. The last remnants of the other infantry platoon on the other objective bazooka the 8-rad breaking the platoon, but fail their tank terror test.

The flakpanzers move in and shoot the infantry in revenge for the 8-rad and leave the IC alone. The IC moved around the rear of the big infantry platoon taking out a couple of stands. The Semovente try to hunt the remnants of the pioneers, assaulting them and breaking them. The panthers assault the infantry and they fail to motivate back, whilst the flakpanzers assault the IC killing him.

With that turn 10 roles around, with no IC, some HMG’s in a wood and a battered infantry platoon left Ben’s army breaks.

No arty left
loss of an 8-rad
Panthers beaten in combat
Objective secure
Pioneers gone
Objective surrounded
4-3 To Adam.

What an interesting game! Ben’s decision to night attack was very much not a traditional move – but forcing me to be the defender with mobile reserves made it tough. With so few hulls on the board vs hoards of infantry I really had to prioritise well! Ben’s artillery was very very poor which helped, but attacking with trained infantry is always tough!

Anyway as always hope you enjoyed and more AAR’s soon!

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