Mission 6 – Attack on Schöneseiffen

2^nd January 1945

Part 2 – Turns 1-4

The first few turns of an offensive mission in Fields of Fire tend to be characterized by the plans falling apart as enemy contact is made, minefields are stumbled into, artillery and mortar hit you and snipers pick off your HQs. That and a feeling of dismay as you realize too late that a well timed skill or smoke grenade could have saved you a lot of headache. The feeling of being overwhelmed and only gradually learning over a few missions how you might put pyrotechnics and skills to good use is all part of the experience. Let’s see how well we do.  

Turn 1 – Into the Forest

While we are in a hurry to capture the town, we opt to begin cautiously, by sending assault teams into the forest ahead to see what’s happening. Unfortunately, enemy mortar spotters, located in the upper stories of tall buildings in Schöneseiffen, have been waiting for us. Our teams are pinned down as the forest explodes around them. Just before they are hit a report reaches HQ that between us and the town there is almost nothing but open fields. So much for taking cover in farm houses.

A Mortar Concentration counter (same as a Registered Target counter but more period appropriate) is placed on the last place the enemy hit. This will enable them to hit this location more easily next time they try.

Turn 2 – Advance!

We need to get moving despite the danger. 1^st Platoon, being a veteran HQ, decides to take a risk and attempts to rescue the assault team and spot the enemy FO at the same time. With a successful Infiltration Attempt the HQ could then move to the relative safety of the road where 1/1 advance to. However, the draw fails, leaving everyone stuck in the forest. The assault team gets under cover, 1^st PLT HQ spot the enemy FO, but then take a direct hit from an incoming mortar. Complete wipe out. Even the radio is obliterated. Over on the right, 2^nd PLT HQ manage to successfully get everyone under cover and sends the remains of our scout team back to the Staging Area to be rallied into a more useful state. Unfortunately, they fail to spot the enemy FO.

Figuring the Deep Forest would be a fairly safe spot, 3^rd Plt HQ orders 3/3 to move ahead to check it out. They immediately find themselves pinned by Sniper fire. The enemy FO on the right was quiet this turn. Perhaps they are biding their time; they know that we have to go out in the open soon.

Turn 3 – It’s a long way, to Schöneseiffen…♪

On the left 1^st Sgt takes charge of matters. The Sniper is spotted and quickly retreats, and the units of 1^st platoon are ordered to keep moving forwards as per the plan. A second Sniper is covering the road and our units scatter. More mortar fire rains down on the forest in column 1, destroying the remains of our units there. Undeterred our Sherman tanks begin to move out up the road. Heavy snow means they’re not moving any faster than our infantry units, but the firepower will help.

Over on the right 3^rd PLT HQ cautiously moves forwards into the Deep Forest and the veteran 1/2 squad armed with Rifle Grenades and screened by WP smoke moves confidently into the Open Field. With a clear view of the upper stories of the buildings in Schöneseiffen they begin firing in the hopes of hitting the enemy Spotter before he does any more damage.

Turn 4 – Communication breakdown

The mission thus far has been characterized by a severe lack of Commands. CO HQ has been drawing a series of 1-point cards and finally here in Turn 4 we lose communication with Battalion HQ altogether. As CO HQ struggles to get communications back, the company are left to figure out what to do on their own initiative. The only thing of use that the CO manages to do is reconstitute 1st PLT HQ. It’s doubtful how much use a Green HQ with no radio might be though.

A combined effort to spot the Sniper on the left fails completely. The Sniper targets our Sherman tank (the results of which we’ll see next turn). Units of 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd continue their advance through the fields and our machine guns apply more pressure to the spotted enemy FO. Word has not yet reached our units that the enemy FO, having carried out his orders, has gone home already. The FO who we should be focused on notices a Sherman tank hanging out waiting for orders, so drops a barrage onto them.

Well, that was a pretty poor opening few turns. We failed to spot anyone, CO HQ kept drawing 1 for command points, before finally being made completely useless by a Comms Down event. We have actually secured half the map, which is pretty good but plenty of units are being left behind as our HQs struggle to keep control of the company. Things need to get better as we approach the town. You’ll often find your units firing in the wrong directions. Just one of many headaches in your role as company commander. Make use of pyrotechnics, keep units in communication, and when things start to go wrong, keep cool and get it all back together again.

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