11th Armoured vs Fallschirmjagers - Breakthrough

With the new Market Garden Books out me and Winner Dave decided to have a game using the new books. I dug out my 15th/19th Hussars and Dave was using his Fallschirmjagers. We were playing 1675pts as thats all I had. We rolled up Breakthrough as the mission, so I would be the attacker. Please Note:- Dave would like to apologize for the terrain, he is in the middle of making more of it and a few bits weren't finished. For Example the bits that look like walls are in fact hedge rows. Also half way through the game my camera's batteries died so the second half of the games pictures were taken with Dave photo, these pictures came out a little darker. Also most of the turn 3 pictures didn't come out very well as I lost some important pictures, sorry about that. I'm still learning how to write AAR's, hopefully the next one will be a lot better!

15th/19th Royal Hussars 2 HQ Cromwells 3 Cromwells + Challenger 3 Cromwells + Challenger 3 Cromwells + Challenger 3 Universal Carriers US Para Platoon 4 Heavy Mortars

Fallschirmjager Von der Heydte + 4 Trap Teams HQ with 2 Panzerfausts and 3 Mortars Fallschirmjager Platoon with Panzerfaust Fallschirmjager Platoon with Panzerfaust 4 Pak 40's 3 StuHs 4 Heavy Mortars

Deployment

 Dave choose his table quarters and deployed both his infantry platoons to ran towards the objectives on the first turn. I deployed quite aggressively to try and rush Dave, I put the US Paras as my flanking force. The idea of trying to dig out FJ's with trained troops didn't seem like a good idea to me, so I planned on trying to win by breaking Dave's company. 

Deployment

My left side flanking force

My Right side flanking force

Winner Dave's StuH's lay in wait

Dave's Pak Front

Turn 1

I advanced towards Dave, my right flank hide behind some terrain, my left flank moved as far forward as possible to try and take out the Pak40's. Dave moved his infantry towards the objectives but otherwise stayed put.

Turn 1 - My Right flank advances to hide from Winner's Pak 40's.

Turn 1 - The rest of the Comwells rush forward

Turn 1 - I smoked Winner's Pak 40's

Turn 1 - The FJ Heavy Mortars fire at the right hand Cromwell platoon but fail to do any damage.

Turn 1 - Dave tries to bombard the Carriers with his Light Mortars, but again fails to do any damage.

Turn 1 - The Pak40's poke their heads out of the smoke and take a few shots at the Cromwells destroying one and
bailing another.

Turn 1 - The other Pak40's take out a Carrier.

Turn 2

I move up to attack Dave's flanks. Dave's FJ's move up and take the objectives.

Turn 2 - The right hand Pak 40's get smoked

Turn 2 -  One of my Cromwell platoons breaks off to attack the light mortars, killing one team.

Turn 2 - The other left flank platoon tries to get into cover and take out the left side Pak 40's again taking out one.

Turn 2 - The right flank platoon advances towards the StuH's.

Turn 2 - I assault the Mortar's completely miss and lose a Cromwell to the 2IC's Panzerfaust.

Turn 3

Unseen by photos - This turn I assault and wipe out the Light Mortars on my left and surrprise Dave with the speed of my Cromwells engaging the StuHs and killing one. The US Paras turn up but quickly wish they hadn't. Dave's Pak 40's keep on causing me trouble.

Turn 3 - The US Paras arrive killing 2 FJ stands.....

Turn 3 - ..... but they get horribly mauled in the return fire. 

Turn 3 - Winners Pak 40 takes out more Cromwells on the left, it's starting to become a blood bath other there.

Turn 4

I shot up the Pak 40's forcing them to rout (no pictures I'm afraid), otherwise I kept on with m plan of destroying 4 platoons (2 down 2 to go). Dave routs my US Paras (again no pictures I'm afraid) and then counter charges my tanks.

Turn 4 - The Challenger takes out another StuH

Turn 4 - Having just wiped out the Pak 40's the 1IC and Panzerschreck  teams look for revenge.

Turn 4 - A tank assaults the Heavy Mortars....

Turn 4 - ...killing the platoon commander and a Heavy Mortar.

Turn 4 - The Company HQ charges the bailed out Challenger routing the platoon.

Turn 5

Dave's counter attack routs a second Cromwell platoon, but I take out the last StuH. We are both reduced to half strength.

Turn 5 - My Mortars try to stop the counter charge, but they unpin in Dave's turn

Turn 5 - Boom! AT 15 to the rescue, last StuH taken out one more platoon to company checks.

Turn 5 - Dave routs another platoon of Cromwells, down to one!

Turn 5 - The Panzerscheck pops a Cromwell.

Turn 6

I'm unable to get to the last weak platoon for the 4th Platoon kill. Dave charges out at my last Cromwell platoon and takes them out.

Turn 6 - Unable to get to Dave's Heavy Mortars the Cromwells are caught in a trap and are charged 

Turn 6 - It's all over! The last Cromwell platoon is routed and with my Company Commander  bailed out I fail my
company moral check. Game Over.

The Game ended 4-3 to Winner Dave. I do feel the game could have gone either way, but I got fixated on killing the Pak 40's before I moved on and in the end I lost to much of forces before I could finally finish them off. I do feel my plan of trying to beat Dave by making him take company moral checks was the right way to go and I was one platoon way from doing thing. If I had survived the Fallschirmjagers charge on my right flank I could have sweeped around and killed the Heavy Mortars putting Dave on the moral checks. The US Paras as the flanking force were a waste. Coming on when they did just meant Dave was able to have 2 platoons in position to shoot them and the Heavy Mortars were in range to bombard them. Not sure a tank platoon would have done much better though. Food for thought. Still Great game and I think Dave played well. Also trained armoured is hard to use! I really missed being Veteran, but I want to keep playing with Trained forces in the hope it'll make me a better player.  Until next time thanks for reading  Ben

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