Mission 6 – Attack on Schöneseiffen

2^nd January 1945

Part 3 – Turns 5-7

Returning to our efforts to walk across the beautiful open snowy fields while Germans drop artillery on us. We’re making progress. Half the map is secured, but there are hidden spotters and snipers out there that we need to deal with.

Turn 5 – Getting things under control

Another poor draw for commands, and there are no commands left over from the last turn when Battalion HQ left us to fend for ourselves. Still, we manage to Spot the Sniper, and pin him down in his building with a good blast of concentrated tank fire. We play 2^nd platoon’s Auto Spot skill to finally target the German spotter in the top right who is determined to destroy our tanks. Having spotted them in the upper story, our units open fire on them (over the enclosed field which does not block our LOS to the elevated spotter). Our Sherman tank in the forest also opens fire, utilizing its overhead fire capability. The veteran 1st Sgt and 1/1/LMG team don’t even flinch as the tank fires over their heads. It feels like things are turning around.

Turn 6 – Running into Schöneseiffen’s real defenses

On the right, 2/2 advances into the Enclosed field in preparation for the final attack on the secondary objective. 2^nd Platoon HQ has everyone cease fire so 2/2 are not hit in the back by friendly fire. 2/1/HMG, which is capable of overhead fire, adjusts its sights carefully and opens fire again, firing over 2/2 squad at the enemy spotter’s location in the upper story of its building.

Our tanks advance, one engaging the spotted Sniper team and the other continuing to take advantage of overhead fire to shoot at the enemy spotter. The Spotter still has one fire mission left, which we really don’t want him to use.

While everyone is distracted shooting at the enemy spotter, we suddenly find ourselves under heavy fire. A Flak38 20mm gun and a STuG III assault gun supported by rifle and machine gun armed squads in the surrounding buildings open fire on 3/3 and 2/2. 3/3 exposed in the open field takes some casualties. 2/2 manages to avoid the fire, taking cover behind the walls and hedges of the enclosed fields they are traveling through.

We mark the two enemy-occupied cards with unspotted counters (a helpful alternative to using the ? side of the Potential Contact markers).

Turn 7 – Blown to bits

Hearing reports of mounting casualties, CO HQ enters the forest to work out what’s going on. He grabs a casualty and fires a Green flare. This can be seen all across the battlefield (so I’ve just thrown it down here in the dead center of the map). This causes all of our units on the map to Cease Fire, reassess the situation and open fire again according to their priorities (generally, aim at the strongest enemy). This does a good job of getting everyone shooting at the heavy weapons that are currently cutting up our troops in the open fields.

The enemy spotter in the top right finally manages to call for another mortar strike. It hits our units in the open field pinning them down. As always, any result on our Sherman tank will be known in the next turn.

Well we’re taking casualties, and as expected have encountered stiff resistance in the town. With just three turns left, things are going to be tight. Pyrotechnics are often forgotten during a mission but they can come in useful. Again, having the foresight to know that a “Cease Fire” flare will actually result in units shifting away from weaker, less important targets and retargeting at the more important enemies due to the way your units act autonomously, is something that comes with experience.

As we enter the final few turns we’ll be trying to take out the StuG III assault guns with our bazookas in the AT Combat phase and hopefully getting a little more artillery down on the enemy before we close in to secure the objectives.

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Previous Articles:

Fields of Fire: The Bulge Campaign Mission #6 AAR (Part 1)

Fields of Fire: The Bulge Campaign Mission #6 AAR (Part 2)