Saturday 4 July 2020

FOW2 Save 'Our Lady' of Monte Burrito!

"Italy 1943, the Allies are ashore & pushing back the Hun.  The 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion Green Howards have been tasked with capturing the small village of Monte Burrito. However the Mayor of Monte Burrito has met the British Company C.O. & pleaded that the Allies save the shrine devoted to 'Our Lady of Monte Burrito'.  The pre-planned Artillery barrage is cut short & the 1st Platoon are tasked with taking the shrine intact.

Panic ensues when word reaches the Mayor that the dastardly Germans are going to blow up the shrine! 

A 33 point free for all, one German Platoon is already deployed on the table at 'Farmer Fabrizio's' in the centre of the board.   The Brits must send the 'Hun packing' & capture the Shrine intact.  The Germans must stop the Brits & set a demolition charge on the Shrine (one turn touching the shrine).

Spav took Ze Germans & yours truly the Brits.  We kept our forces secret from each other, some arriving in the 2nd Turn.  The lists are at the end of the report so it won't spoil the surprise...

The Shrine to 'Our Lady of Monte Burrito'


Monte Burrito, ahem flattened by an Allied Artillery barrage

Jerry dug in at Farmer Fabrizio's.

The German Company Commander & Mortar section.

The British counterpart.

British Forward Observer

FORWARD the Green Howards!

Bren Carrier Section flank the village.

On the other side of the battlefield.
The Recce Platoon set off. 
Lots of cover in the village.

End of turn one.

TURN TWO
The Brits cross over the bridge

3rd Platoon arrive to assist in the capture of  Fabrizio's Farm

3rd Platoon
Five Bren & Rifle sections, one PIAT section & one 2" Mortar section.

The Armoured Cars take up a nice position

The Wasp section engages...

Two German Casualties....

& one more from small arms fire.

German turn
The half-tracks motor onto the board.

Another PzG Platoon, this one tasked with blowing up the shrine...

WOOOOOOOAAAAA!!!
SPAV brings a tank to an Infantry scrap.
A 'hidden' Panzer IV emerges from Farmer Fabrizio's barn...

The newly arrived Panzer Grenadiers take up a good position.

Good shooting!

Two of the Wasp's are 'Bailed Out' through half-track fire.

BOOOMM!!
One of the Daimler's is hit by the Panzer IV. 

German fire from the farmhouse is also good....

NOOO!!!
The attack across the bridge is checked...

End of turn two (looking south)
German firepower begins to tell...

The Wasp crew fail their morale check & blow up their vehicles...

sniggger snigger snigger..
My insurance policy, I bring a Fighter Bomber to a infantry scrap..

One of the Bren Carriers fails it's cross check & gets stuck in the rubble...

kkksssshh... CHARLIE FOXTROT TANGO
ENEMY IN SIGHT, TALLY HO!!!!

DISAPPOINTED.....!!!!!
The bomb run was pants, the tank was missed & the Infantry went on to pass it's save.

It's a good job I can drop a smoke barrage from the 3" mortar section.

The remaining Daimler backs up.

3rd Platoon lays on the fire...

German turn & the Panzer IV fails it's cross check & is hung up in the rubble. 

Oh NO!
The dastardly Hun is planting charges on the shrine of  'Our Lady of  Monte Burrito!'

The German half-tracks are holding the bridge

One Brit section hides in the damaged house.


Next Turn
CHAAAARGE!!!
UP the Green Howards!
CROSS THE BRIDGE!

The Hun is in sight!

FORWARD!
BRING UP THE PIAT!!!

kkksssshh... CHARLIE FOXTROT TANGO
ENGAGING...

AVE IT!!!

Only a BAIL OUT on this side though...

kkksssshh... CHARLIE FOXTROT TANGO.
BAGGED THE HUN, RETURNING TO BASE FOR TIFFIN...

GURN FACTOR TEN...

Hitting the Hun where it hurts....

German turn
One of the PzG platoons fails it's morale...

One Half-track is back in the game...

But none manage any hits...

Three German PzG sections versus that lot...

The German Officers can't decide in which direction to retreat.
SPAV throws in the towel... 

The Shrine to 'Our Lady of Monte Burrito' is saved...

Good Italian folk dancing in the streets of Monte Burrito after liberation....

1st Battalion "Green Howards" - 3rd Company (33 Points)
HQ Section  2pts
1st Rifle Platoon 8pts
3rd Rifle Platoon 6pts
3" Mortar Platoon 5pts
Bren Carrier Section 2pts
Wasp Section 3pts

Armoured Car Troop 3 pts
Forward Observer 1pt
Hurricane Fighter Bomber 3pts


200th PanzerGrenadier Regiment - 1st Company (33 Points)
HQ Section 2pts
1st PzG Platoon 10pts
2nd PzG Platoon 9pts
Mortar Platoon 3pts

Recce Platoon 3pts
Panzer IV Tank 6pts


A good laugh that one, with the small points total the game doesn't last that long.  A close game, one anti-tank gun for the Germans could have changed everything.

I've changed my mind again & we're building 10mm forces for the Western Desert now instead of 6mm, though we have agreed just to focus on the early to mid war.  Any 6mm WW2 stuff will be used for an Eastern Front Campaign, when we get round to it!

Next up a 'Mega Team Yankee' scrap.. West German vs Soviets.