Sunday 11 June 2017

The Battle for Maxton : Operation Sealion

It has been a couple of weeks since my last game, and it won't have gone without notice that the new Operation Sealion campaign book by Warlord has come out. I haven't rushed out (yet) and bought the new stuff but I am sure I will soon, I am especially keen on some of the New British support weapons. There is plenty to go at in the book for anybody interested in Sealion and needs a bit more detailed investigation. Anyway it is also includes a number of new scenarios so we took the opportunity for our next Sealion Battle to play one. The Roadblock.......
Continuing the fight for Dover the British success at Hougham was ultimately short lived, but the lads from the Royal West Kent have regrouped around the Pillbox on the A20 located to cover the road as it enters the outskirts of Dover it is an ideal place to build a Roadblock to hold the invaders back whilst fresh reserves are brought forward from the garrison. The pillbox is marked on the map below with a blue dot.
 
The german Mountain troops from the 143rd are supported by the 141st Mountain regiment who have captured the high ground and bluffs overlooking the A20, the first german armour is just managing to get through to the front and with the delays at Hougham high command are throwing everything to break into Dover from the West, at this stage it is not clear if the Paratroopers dropped to the north and east have made it into the town !
The quickly constructed roadblock using everything the troops could find at hand. The objective for both sides is to control this feature, the British have managed to bring up a 2lbr but it has a fairly limited field of view and unless the Germans come straight down the road they may not have much to shoot at !
German troops on the high ground of the Western Heights, this is an old military area, fenced off, with block houses and occasional pillboxes but as this is unmanned it is of little significance in taking the objective, the German Artillery has been dragged forward and starts to pound anything it can see.
Whilst the bulk of the troops are from the Royal West Kent Regiment they are supported by Home Guard troops form the West Dover and Tower Hamlets Home Guard, knowing the Area well they have taken up defensive positions in the gardens bordering the A20, they await the expected attack but are hoping for relief to arrive from the main Dover garrison.
The scene form the Western Heights, little activity on the main road, although a lone german machine gun has taken over the house on the left and started firing directly into the British lines.
The Tower Hamlets Home Guard keep their heads down, the British have set up their only machine gun in the pillbox, something akin to a forlorn hope as they are some way in front of the main defensive line
With only limited armour a wary of a frontal assault the german command choose to attempt to flank the road block On both sides
To the north Gerbesjager units look to use cover and mortar support to protect their advance, Much to the relief of the Home Guard support has arrived in the form of a Bren Gun Carrier, but despite their encouragement to "go and give it to them" it parks up appanrently under orders to hold this position.
Having briefly checked out the block house the german flanking movement to the south is gathering pace
German artillery continues to fire into the town but is General fairly ineffective
Hit repeatedly by mortar fire the Home guard heroically or foolishly pushed to the front are taking losses and gradually getting pinned down they won't take much more !
At the roadblock all is fairly quiet, but then mortars located to the north of the A20 start to find their mark and become increasingly damaging
The elite veteran Gebirgsjager have now pushed to within striking distance of an assault the Home guard are surely doomed, with a high morale and leadership the single pin the Germans have picked up isn't going to worry them..........
Unbelieavable ! The shop keepers and butchers of Dover shout and jeer as the elite Germans turn and run
But to the south the Panzer II having knocked out a second Bren Gun carrier out of shot has broken though the fences clearing a path for the remaining infantry to potentially charge through to the roadblock !
The second Home guard unit terrified by the tank lose their nerve and are keeping their heads
Powerless to stop them the Germans charge through behind the tank making for the roadblock, where accurate mortar fire has left the antitank gun and crew isolated and undefended, they won't survive a charge.
But what is this, from the gardens behind the final unit of British infantry, having spent the battle cleaning their weapons runs forward
The Germans can see the undefended roadblock tantalising close
But cometh the hour cometh the men, the West Kent lads are able to assault the advancing unit in the rear and after a tight fight where they lose a couple of their own men they are able to finish them off, the Home guard look on and cheer with relief. At this point the German commander high tailed it back up the road, pulling his remaining units back to regroup.

A thoroughly enjoyable game, the scenario was slightly tough for the Germans but they did make it hard for themselves by choosing very long flanking moves😀

27 comments:

  1. Fantastic stuff Matt. My copy is on it's way to me now, really looking forward to it too!

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    1. Thanks it is a pretty good book....and I need to spend a bit more time going through it lots of little options for different units 🙂

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  2. Besides being thoroughly enjoyable for your play, your setup is thoroughly enjoyable to gaze upon. Looks terrific!

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    1. Thanks Jonathan you are very kind...my sense was the german commander didn't find it so enjoyable when the double 6 appeared 😀

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  3. Great looking battlefield! Fantastic!

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  4. Tremendous battle Matt and I have to say that I am finding myself more and more drawn to this.

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    1. Thanks Michael..........many gaming opportunities at every scale 😀

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  5. A great game, right down to the wire.

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    1. Thanks AJ I think the Germans were probably against it a bit form the start.....but needed to be more aggressive 😡

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  6. Great AAR and a lovely looking game:)

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    1. Thanks Steve glad you enjoyed it 😀

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  7. I picked the book up, too...not quite sure why seeing as I have no WWII figs (for now, anyway, but the new Warlord Mosely and BUF are lovely)!

    Anyway, another great battle in your wonderful campaign!

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    1. Thanks Gordon....I may well have to get some black shirts😀 Should be easy to paint anyway

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    1. Who said the Gebirgsjager were elite ! It's e shopkeepers

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    2. again. Get you hands off my gobstoppers

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  9. Lovely looking game, I can only hope you weren't playing the Germans again.
    Best Iain

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    1. Modesty prevents me from revealing such details 😀

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  10. Cool looking game as usual! Do you have a second shed to store all your terrain 😊?
    Great pictures and narrative, an enjoyable AAR.
    Looking forward to your next session...

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    1. Thanks.....storage is the bane of my life. Actually if I did have another she'd I would probabaly have a lot more terrain. As it is I have terrain stored all over the dungeon.

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  11. Most impressive terrain and figures once again, your reports are always full of splendid details Matt, I love this!

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    1. Thank you Phil you are very kind.......I have a few plans to widen the scope and bring in some more variation 😀

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  12. Looks great, like the way you have implemented the campaign rules. The Bolt Action Sealion campaign rules leave out a lot of the equipment and troops the Germans might have, while allowing the home guard to have weapons they wouldn't have in 1940; Whether the BUF would have been completely fictional will never be known - Mosley said he would have told his followers to fight the Germans, but then he would say that, wouldn't he?

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    1. Thanks you'll have seen this battle is just part of a larger campaign I have running....very open ended and no end in sight. I'll check out the Facebook page 😀

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  13. www.facebook.com/sealion1940 - will add a link to your page when I resolve current troubles with posting

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