Game - Chain of Command - Old Hickory campaign

 This weekend my friend, Steffen, and I started our first Chain of Command Pint Size campaign. We decided to try Old Hickory which is Germans vs. Americans in Normandy in August 1944.

I was the Germans, who are conducting a counter-attack against the American positions commanded by Steffen. We are both rather inexperienced, but we were very much looking forward to try a campaign.

The Germans can attack in various directions/zones and the Americans have to divide their forces between those zones. The Americans only have one platoon + 2 infantry squads from campaign turn 2, a few fixed support choices, most of which are AT guns, and otherwise limited support options. The Germans have 3 platoons and a good  selection of support choices, but gets no reinforcements during the campaign.

We played 4 games over the weekend. Unfortunately I was often too caught up in the game to remember to take pictures, but here are those I did take.

First game I attacked in the red zone with 1st platoon. The wooded area was played as orchards so only 6" visibility through it. I got my jump-off points reasonably well up the table and spread out.

Steffen tried to make a forward defensive line at the hedge line, but that was to prove a minor mistake. His third jump-off point is in the right corner, out of sight in the following picture.

The Germans started their advance through the orchard, while setting up an infantry gun to cover the right flank if I decided to attack there later.

In the center of the American line a 0.3 MMG and a 57mm gun try to hold the Germans back, but are rather unsuccessful.

Now the battle turned tense and I forgot to take pictures. The Germans managed to destroy the 57mm gun and take the hedge line, but the Americans had set up a new firing line further back, and the Germans suffered heavy casualties. I tried to attack on my left flank instead, but Steffen deployed a 3" gun to effectively stop that.

Then the Americans tried a desperate counter-attack but was turned back and ended up retreating from the field.

So the Germans won the first game. They did take some casualties, but all in all I was satisfied with result as the Americans also lost some important support choices.

In the second game I decided to continue my attack in the red zone. This time the battlefield was much more open. Steffen ended up with a defensive line almost at his table edge.

The Germans tried to send some infantry teams forward on both flanks, but some clever deployment of minefields and barbed wire by Steffen meant they had to cross open land and was shot up quite badly. But it also meant that the Germans were able to deploy a lot of LMGs and an infantry gun to fire back. And since the Americans were few in numbers they eventually had to withdraw from the field.

So another German victory, but again with heavy casualties. But I had cleared the red zone which who ease any further attacks on the Americans.

In the third game I moved my attack to the orange zone. This was an even more open battlefield, and the battle evolved almost exactly like the previous one. I advanced with a couple of squads to draw out the Americans, and then put a lot fire into them. Another victory for the Germans.

In the final game of the weekend I decided to press the attack in the orange zone. This time the battlefield was divided in two as a raised causeway ran through the field. It also gave the Americans a natural defensive position at the crossroad.

The Germans move forward to hedgeline to establish a good supporting fire position.

Then I sent out a squad to advance towards the crossroad and draw out the Americans.

Despite some heavy fire the German squad manages to cross over the causeway and threaten the American right flank.

The Germans at the hedgeline fall back as they come under heavy fire from the Americans.

The Americans desperate attempts at stopping the German attack on their right flank ends in failure and after taking severe casualties they retreat from the field.

So once again the Germans were victorious, and for the first time even with very light casualties. It was some very tense and fun games, and at least the first 2-3 games could have gone the other way. It was tough for the Americans to hold their positions with their limited troops.

As noted in the beginning we are both somewhat inexperienced, so we were also learning the tactics as we played, which did not always go as planned. We are halfway through the campaign, and the Germans looks to be in a good position to win, but that will have to wait for another time.

(And apologies for lack of pictures. I will try to do better in the future.)