Graham and I had a game of Combat HQ last night, a bit off a catch up as we have not played for over 12 months. A German Panzer battalion supported by a motorised infantry battalion was trying to break through an area defended by a British infantry Battalion with attached A/T guns and a battalion of mixed Matilda I's and II’s in reserve. The game was played lengthways to allow the British to deploy in depth. The German advance had been so fast that the British had not had sufficient time to dig in and set up telephone communications.

The pre game phase was the German recon units coming onto the table to locate the British positions but nothing was spotted at this stage. For the first couple of phases of turn one the Germans concentrated on their reconnaissance, revealing a dummy base in the woods and locating and a British company deployed on the left when they opened up forcing the recon units to fall back. The Germans then deployed their main forces and moved their ‘blinds’ forward focusing their forces down the left hand side of the table. Meanwhile the British stayed low and focused on building up their staff orders in preparation for the attack.

In turn two the Germans attempted to call down a smoke screen on the left to cover their deployment but this was delayed until the next turn. A HE barrage on the British infantry arrived but strayed off point and did not hit the relieved British troops. In the first phase the German armoured company on the left deployed and moved forward, The British infantry moved forward to the wood hoping to delay the German advance, but were brought under fire from the German infantry gun battery forcing one platoon to fall back shaken. Two German blinds slowly entered the woods from the other side.

Worried by the concentration of German blinds on their right, the British sent their carrier platoon supported by their carrier mounted AA platoon and heavy mortars in a rush forward to threaten the German right, hoping to knock them off balance. This threat was quickly aborted as they were attacked by three flights of dive bombers and the Germans quickly deployed a tank company to cover their flank. The British lost the AA platoon and half the carrier platoon.

Next turn the British high command was active this move using staff orders to lay down a smoke screen to cover the carrier platoon, then tried to bring down a barrage on the hill where the German armour had deployed to attack the carrier platoon but the fire was delayed for a turn. He then used another three staff orders to call in his armoured reserves, Two troops arrived on the table edge but the third was delayed. The carrier platoon then quickly retired back to the woods.

When the German smoke screen arrived they attempted to move their HE barrage onto the next British infantry company but again the barrage was delayed. The Germans proceeded to deploy their Panzers supported by an infantry company behind the smokescreen. The Germans then deployed an infantry company in the wood who then moved forward taking casualties from the lone British infantry platoon. The German infantry then chased off the British platoon with heavy casualties and then wiped out a second British platoon that was caught out on the open. In the "bad things happen" due to casualties they roll and discover that the delayed reserve armoured squadron has been recalled. The supporting armoured company then deployed and moved up to support their infantry. The German infantry company deployed to oppose the carrier platoon advanced into the village. The German armour moved off the hill into the woods in the centre of the table to support the main attack. The British then withdrew their infantry threatened by the coming German barrage.

In the next move the British artillery fire came down and luckily the barrage hit the wood where the German armoured company had moved causing some damage and shaking one squadron and causing another to retire. They call down another barrage but this is delayed and try to recall the third troop of tanks but these are also delayed.

For the Germans this was the crunch move, They called down a barrage on the crossroads by the church but this was delayed, the second barrage came down but hits nothing. The two German armoured companies on the left, supported by their infantry, then use double moves in an attempt to break the British infantry before their armoured units can move up to support them. The Germans caused heavy casualties and shake a great many units, but the British managed to rally their units and as their armoured units move forward the Matilda I’s start inflicting casualties on the advancing German infantry and the Matilda II’ opened up on the German tanks causing heavy losses on one squadron. On the German right a German infantry company double moved to assault a British position only to find out it was a dummy base.

At this point the Game ended. The Germans have not penetrated the stout British defence but have inflicted significant losses to the British infantry battalion. But they are about to cope with the British armoured counter attack.