Background, Notes, and Setup Information:

For those who have not played Scenario 11 of Combat Commander: Europe or need a refresher on the backstory, it is set in France, in July of 1944. A few beleaguered American troops from the 743^rd Tank Battalion are supposed to hold a captured German hilltop position until help can arrive. They have the assistance of an immobilized M4 tank, but at dawn the reinforcements have not showed up and the Germans launch a counter attack.

The Americans set up with the “M4 tank” in I4, 4 hexes straight north of the I8 objective on the other side of the woods. Sgt. White and an Elite squad set up in I8 with a foxhole, while a Line squad with a panzerfaust takes the foxhole in J7 below them. The remaining Line squad and panzerfaust are one hex farther north, in the woods of J6.

The Germans place an SS squad with an LMG in O9 behind the hedge. Sgt. Ganz starts in O8 just behind the building with an SS squad and LMG. Lt. Lauerbach, a weapon crew with the HMG, and one SS squad take position in O6, and the remaining SS squad takes O5.

I decided before playing the scenario to narrate it through White’s perspective. The action is short and brutal, as a lot of Time triggers brought about the end of the game on the 10^th turn. The narrative is in the typeface you are currently reading,

while explanation in game terminology of foregoing or intermediate events will be shown in type like this, with foregoing events usually explained in past tense and intermediate ones in present tense.

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It had been a sleepless night and the men were tense—even McElroy had stopped telling jokes. What’s keeping the Jerries? I was expecting the attack to start any moment; if their commanders had any sense, they’d move right as the sun came up. With the sun at their backs and in our faces, they could make the most out of what promised to be a clear morning. They had sent up a flare just a few moments ago and we readied for action, but so far nothing more.

The Germans discarded four cards, hoping to get more movement cards. The Americans in turn discard all their cards and draw new.

Even as I was thinking this, we saw them begin to flit through and between the buildings, securing and retaking them. One of them tossed a smoke grenade out of a window, which only partially obscured the movements of the squad behind it. We gave them a few rounds of lead to chew on, then a second squad began to move up across the first hedgerow south of the buildings, and we turned our guns briefly on them. There was no visible effect from either burst, beyond a momentary pause in their advance.

A time trigger occurs, and the first of the American reinforcement squads enters from the West while the American squad in J6 plays a Dig in action. On the American turn, the reinforcements move up.

They came on again, one squad slightly ahead of the other. We gave those in front a heavy burst of fire, and this time I could see widespread disruption in their order as they threw up hasty defenses. Still not a single shot from them, however.

Sgt. Ganz and his SS squad were broken by American fire. Two more time triggers occurred with associated reinforcement entries, while the broken Germans were able to play a Dig in action.

They quickly reorganized and they began to play a tune on their devil’s piano, the bullets ripping into the squad below me. The men cowered in their foxholes, and I heard screams of fear and pain. From farther north I heard the boom of Buehler’s Sherman and saw the round impact behind the buildings that the Jerries had retaken, but it was impossible to tell what effect it had. I tried to shout an order to the squad below me, but one of the men down there had already quelled the panic and was getting the boys back into position, ordering return fire with the stolen panzerfaust. There was the now-familiar puff of smoke and report as the charge took off, followed by the concussive detonation. We quickly followed up with small arms fire, but it was not readily apparent whether either inflicted any casualties.

Sgt. Ganz and his SS squad had rallied and attacked the squad in J7, breaking them and causing the SS squad to become Veteran. But during the American’s turn a Hero was generated in the J7 hex, rallying the squad there. The targeting role for the stolen panzerfaust was a Sniper! Trigger, resulting in the SS squad with Ganz breaking. The subsequent fanzerfaust and fire attack did nothing except cause an SS squad in M9 to become veteran.

I could tell that the squad below me was in trouble as they now took fire from multiple German positions. They got completely fubar under the fresh storm of bullets, and I heard repeated calls for the medic. In the chaos, one of our boys lobbed a Willy Pete at the nearest Jerry position and Buehler’s guns silenced the enemy fire from behind the buildings, bringing an eerie silence to the battlefield.

Lauerbach’s men fired on the J7 hex, breaking the squad. The SS squad in M9 suppressed the Americans and broke the Hero, but a medic event rallied the squad. The Americans drew a White Phosphorus event, which broke Ganz. On the American turn they rallied the Hero, and Buehler’s main gun broke Lauerbach, his squad, and his weapon crew. Follow-up fire from the tank’s machine gun eliminated the weapon crew, causing the first casualty of the game.

The smoke and accompanying garlic smell (reminding me again of Frizzo’s back home) from the Willy Pete drifted across us during the brief lull in the action. Buehler fired again at the men behind the buildings, but his elevation was wrong and the shell landed far too short. Inexplicably, though, the leader of the Jerry squad nearest us dashed madly back toward the buildings, appearing to do so almost without purpose.

The Germans discarded four cards and redrew. The Americans attempted to route the Germans, resulting in Ganz retreating one hex (to L8) and the broken squad with Lauerbach becoming suppressed.

The respite was momentary. The Jerry squad that had been hanging back a bit from our position charged straight for us. I ordered my squad and the beleaguered one below me to concentrate their fire on the advancing Germans, and together we halted them at the foot of the hill.

All German units recovered. The charge on the hill resulted in the American squad in I8 becoming veteran. On the American turn they discard their remaining two cards (both Command Confusion) and draw new.

So far so good, but now Buehler was in trouble; an initial charge from the Jerries behind the buildings on his position was met with chatterbox fire from his tank and what sounded like a couple of grenades, but then they fell silent and a charge from a second group of Jerries went unchallenged. I strained my ears listening for any sign that Buehler was still giving them a fight, worried that he had been captured or killed.

The first charge on the crippled tank was stopped by Buehler’s Op fire, but the tank’s machine gun jammed. A Sniper! Trigger breaks the squad stacked with White.

My concern was a mistake. A strangled “Sir!” from someone—I think Derbin—made me snap forward as the Jerries nearest us rushed the hill and laid down a blanket of fire. A bullet passed so close to my shoulder that I felt a tug on my jacket, and I dived for the bottom of the foxhole like a buck private, where I cowered stupidly away from the onslaught, unable to issue orders to my men.

Sgt. Ganz charged up the hill with assault fire, breaking White. On the American turn they discard their single remaining card and draw a new hand.

Perhaps worse than the attack was the inexplicable pause. I was expecting to be overrun at any moment, and could not snap out of my terror enough to give any orders to my men.

Germans discarded four cards and drew new. Americans discarded entire hand and drew new.

“Is this it, Sir?” It was McElroy, a grim smile twisting his lip. “Do we cash in our chips now?” I opened my mouth, but didn’t get a chance to answer. As quickly as it had stopped the assault started again, and we were powerless before it. At least two grenades went off near us and I knew some of my men hadn’t made it through.

Germans launched a massive fire attack. They formed a fire group, used Sustained Fire and Hand Grenades, and even with a low roll ended up with a total firepower of 21. The squad would have broken again, but due to Light Wounds reduced to a broken team instead.

Funny what adrenaline does. I didn’t realize the extent of my own wounds until I couldn’t breathe, and my body sagged away from me. Through the noise and smoke and turmoil, Edwards crouched beside me, shouting into my ear: “Reinforcements spotted, Sir. Our boys are coming! They’re co—”White is eliminated. As the Germans finish their turn they have to draw the last card in their deck, setting off the 5^th Time! Trigger and spawning the last American reinforcement squad.  The Americans recover the team at the top of the hill, causing a 6^th Time! Trigger because they ran out of cards. The subsequent sudden death roll ends the game, with the Americans still in possession of the major objectives and having 10 victory points.

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