The Battle for Elham : Operation Sealion

A return to Operation Sealion this weekend and the next stage of the German breakout on S-day plus 1. One of the key directions of advance remains North towards Canterbury and the German command is probing in several directions. One of these is along the Elham Valley along the B2065. Not surprisingly the British command in the area have identified the village of Elham as a potential holding point for the advance and pushed forces in that direction. 

We were looking for a fairly large game so both sides would come to the Battle in three waves. The first wave is a small recon force looking to secure objectives in the village, the second wave which would arrive once the fighting started (first casualties) would see significant armoured support arrive from both sides, the third and final wave only allowed to arrive once the first tank, on either side, was destroyed consists of infantry with associated support.

The village of Elham looking south back down the valley. Our victory conditions involve controlling the village. The British do have two units, one Home guard squad and a unit of Kent Police randomly hidden in the village. They can be revealed at any point by the British commander. Both sides have air support 🙂

The Main Street in Elham still quiet at the moment

The German Recon force arrives down the main road

First into the village are German Kradschutzen although they start to come under fire immediately

The British recon force has been cobbled together with a mix of lightly armed vehicles although one has managed to tow a Smith gun into an advanced position

…and an armadillo towing a track mounted Oerlikon gun, so the British do have some fire power 

All is quiet to the East where the railway runs down the valley

But it turns out the police were hiding in the Church and they leap out and have initial success in forcing the German motorcycle to pull back

Germans reach the church and begin to fan out

Initially deployed further back they now pull their Pak 34 forward to cover the main road

Unfortunately for the crew the Smith gun takes a direct hit and is blown up

With the first phase of fighting now in full swing the armoured second wave now advances into the village. The British powerful cruiser tanks move into the village

German armour moving down the road

…and spreading across the fields to outflank the defenders

With the tanks comes air support and the wail of German bombers in the sky, the armadillo is targeted and takes a direct hit ! Leaving a crater in the road

German bomber in the sky !

The British also have some lightly armed Vickers tanks but the German Panzerjager is powerful to knock it out at long range

The British do have a heavily armoured Matilda which moves to block the road

The Royal Tank Regiment spread out to hold the village

German armour is now pushing into the village

A lone British spitfire chases the Stuka but can get a direct hit

With the tanks now fighting in the village the third wave of infantry arrives to secure the village

Fierce tank duel, with the British blowing up the German transport

German infantry arrives from the south East 

German pioneers who had been first into the village rush out from one of the buildings to blow up the Mark 3 Cruiser

The Mark 2 has also taken a direct hit and is on fire

With the British tanks being heavily assaulted the German infantry rush forward to capture more buildings

But the British are going to contest every building, the home guard are currently dug in in the Postoffice

Germans advancing across the fields

A random event gives the British Home guard a rush of blood and the charge out of the post office to assault the Remains of the pioneer squad surely a mistake but some how they catch the pioneers with their surprise assault and wipe them out

German aircraft continues to look for targets on the ground

German artillery is now firing into the village

The German armour Pz II and Pz III have pushed around the village and are supporting the infantry to advance from the East

But they come under heavy defensive fire and are pinned in the open fields

British defenders in the Main Street

The British armour has been hit really hard on the right and the final cruiser now faces a pincer attack 

German Stug brought upto the edge of the village to support the final assault

At this point we had to bring the battle to a close, the Germans had captured about a third of the village and pretty much wiped out the British armour. The British only having the Matilda and Mark IV Cruiser still fighting. However the Germans haven’t reached their main objective of half of the village, so we gave it to the British. They are in a precarious position though and with a couple more turns the British infantry would be at the mercy of the strong German armour. The British then must pull back and the German advance continues.

 Short trip out this weekend again and a visit to Pendragon Castle, initially a Norman Castle in the 12th Century to control the North and linked to castles at Appleby and Brough. Not much left but a spectacular location in Mallerstang valley in the Yorkshire Dales. Legend would have it the castle was founded by Uther Pendragon, King Arthur’s father but this is generally considered nonsense…it was the Normans who built here first.

Pendragon Castle

Beautiful views up the valley

Lots of painting at the moment so more to come soon, thanks for visiting 👍

Matt