Normandy Mini-Campaign (Operation Martlet Part 4): Chain of Command

Down by his prise panzer (alas "Panzer Pete was no more) the German Commander knew he had to pull something out of the bag. He had but one trick left in the bag his 81mm mortar battery. He needed it to come in quickly and so rather than chancing losing the initiative he brought his barrage without a spotting round. There was a deafening roar of cannon fire and a whoosh of splintering hard rain ... somewhere far, far off table. As per the "wants of the game" his command dice meant hat he kept going and got a flip-flop so could have another go. To the despair of the British Commander (me) and the utter delight of the German Commander (Mr K.) the got it picture perfect. I had concentrated too much into too little a space and hung aroung too long. A cardinal sin against a veteran player (see below, Mr.K is seen rushing in with his tape measure in ungentlemanly haste):

Innocuously looking but it is covering my whole platoon (see below):

Not so innocuous now as the "shock" and "kill" markers mounts up (see below):

There was nothing to do but pull back. I had not enough Chain of Command points to influence the turn and the German Commander (Mr K.) had accumulated more 5's so could counter any end of turn gambit I could play. All I could do was hope for an absurd triple or quadruple roll of 6's to hit the 'strange but true' event table. That wasn't going to happen. In retrospect I endured two rounds (I should have bugged out after one in hindsight) as I took a massive thirteen casualties, four the first turn and a massive nine the next. Too much, even if I get some converted to wounded to return to action later in the campaign (see below):

My Nemesis (see above and try and spot him), was a German Artillery FOO with Martian style telescope, hidden in the "White Barn's" roof. My tank on table was the only thing that could fire on him but needed infantry and an NCO nearby to point out hidden enemy infantry targets. Hence I had to "bug".

Despite this drubbing I am eagerly awaiting the next crack at the "Martlet Campaign" to be continued over teh sam egroung (with the new addition of a wrecked German tank as extra German cover..tune in next time for "Go again Sir?" or more sinisterly "Anymore casualties like that Sir and we will have to 'frag you' mate!"