Bolt Action report - Australians VS Germans (1000 points)

Last week was a bit busy and we could only manage a small demo game for a couple of new recruits at the club. Nevertheless, our newest member Filip really wanted his Australians to finally see some action and Zrudi was kind enough to oblige him with his Germans.

“Scenario 9: Point Defence” was picked at random and both players decided for the Germans to be the defenders. Three objectives were selected within their deployment zone:

1. A wrecked Hanomag – our favourite objective marker – in the north-west;
2. Barrels of fuel in the centre;
3. Hundreds of metres of industrial cables coiled up in the north-east;

The Armies

Australians:
1. Regular 1St Lieutenant with adjutant
2. Veteran Medic with soldier
3. Veteran Jungle Division Infantry Section (10 men)
4. Veteran Papuan Infantry Battalion Section (10 men)
5. Inexperienced Militia Infantry Section (10 men)
6. Regular Sniper Team
7. Regular MMG Team
8. Inexperienced Medium Mortar Team with Spotter
9. Veteran Flamethrower Team
10. Veteran PIAT team
11. Veteran Light Howitzer with Spotter
12. Regular Matilda Frog

Germans:
1. Regular 2nd Lieutenant with adjutant
2. Veteran Waffen-SS Squad (8 men)
3. Veteran Waffen-SS Squad (8 men)
4. Regular Heer Grenadier Squad (10 men)
5. Inexperienced Volks Grenadier Squad (8 men)
6. Inexperienced Hitler Youth Squad (10 kids)
7. Regular MMG Team
8. Regular MMG Team (as per some of the late war theatre selectors, Zrudi used two MMG teams in one platoon)
9. Regular Panzerschreck Team
10. Regular Light Howitzer
11. Veteran Motorcycle with machine-gun sidecar

Zrudi daringly deployed his entire army, not afraid of a possible preparatory bombardment. The western objective (Hanomag) was defended by an MG42 set up in an office building next to the wrecked half-track, one of the SS squads and the motorcycle.

The fuel supplies were surrounded by the Lieutenant, the Volks Grenadiers, the Hitler Youth, the second SS squad and the Panzerschreck, while the cables were guarded by the second MG42 and the Heer Grenadiers, with the light howitzer not too far away.

Afterwards Filip deployed his spotters and the sniper. The spotter for the Australian light howitzer found a nice vantage point in the ruined factory to the west. The mortar’s spotter also took up position on the western side of the battlefield, on the roof of the power plant in front of the Germans’ MG-nest in the office building. The sniper team was the only unit, that was deployed on the eastern side on the second floor of a bombed out house, overlooking the area around the central objective.

And finally, the Papuan squad was also deployed in ambush on the roof of the previously mentioned power plant to the west.

The battlefield (the left being north and the right being south)

Defender's view - the north-western objective

Defender's view - the central objective in the north

Defender's view - the north-eastern objective

And so, the battle could start!

Turn 1

The Australians unleashed a punishing artillery strike on the German positions before sending in their forces. The result was 9 out of 11 German units receiving an average of two pins and the Volks Grenadiers losing a member (they didn't get upgraded to Regular). Only the Panzerschreck team and the SS squad to the west emerged unscathed.

This gave the Australians the perfect cover to start bringing in their troops. Their light howitzer was moved on to a hill in the south-east by its crew, followed by the Jungle Division squad. To the west of them - going for the central objective - the Militia squad entered the battlefield, together with their Lieutenant, the medic, the flamethrower team, the PIAT team, the MMG team and the Matilda chugging along behind this blob at full speed. The only unit coming in from the south-west was the mortar team.

The first shots were fired by the Papuans, trying to thin down the advancing SS squad in front of them. Unfortunately their aim was off and they only managed to pin their target. The SS squad then fired back, pinning the Papuans and killing one of them. The MMG team in the office building wasted no time aiming their gun at the Papuans to support their SS comrades. The Papuans were further pinned and lost a couple more soldiers.

Also in the north-west, the motorcycle moved in close to the ruined factory, discovering the Australian spotter lurking within and firing at him. The spotter was pinned, but remained alive.

The defenders in the middle were mainly just repositioning. The central SS squad and the Hitler Youth ran towards the houses still intact in the centre of the map, followed by the Panzerschreck. The German Lieutenant was discussing tactics with his adjutant Hans, when a shot rang out and Hans simply collapsed into an ever-expanding pool of his own blood, while the Aussie sniper simply reloaded his rifle (once again, we committed a blunder and convinced ourselves, that even German HQ units have the “Initiative Training” ability,… which they don’t. So that Lieutenant was supposed to die in the first turn thanks to Filip’s accurate sniper). In reply, the Volks Grenadiers were sent to investigate the ruins from where the shot came.

The light howitzer tried to fire at the Australian Militia, now that they were visible, but the crew was still in shock from the bombardment (two pins can sometimes mean a lot of trouble).

The MG42 and the SS squad try to deal with the Papuans

The motorcycle investigates the ruined factory

Enter the main Aussies

Hans' death

Volks sent in to investigate

Turn 2

The western SS squad tried to put more pressure on the Papuans, but being fired upon previously was too much for them (failed order test with 1 pin). The Papuans therefore chose a different target and shot at the Hitler Youth this time, who were caught out in the open. Apart from pinning them, they also managed to kill one of them. But the Hitlerjugend, instead of freaking out, became only more determined in their efforts to win victory (Zrudi rolled a “5” on the squad’s Green ability and the kids were upgraded to Regular, but not to Fanatics).

The MMG team in the office building continued to pour lead on the enemy occupying the power plant and the motorcycle came to the conclusion that the spotter in the ruined factory wasn’t a major threat so it drove around the factory and joined in on shooting at the Papuans.

In the centre, the second SS squad moved through the narrow path between the central house and the shrubbery and opened fire at the Australian Militia. They would have killed three soldiers if not for the expertise of the Aussie medic, who managed to save two wounded.

The Volks Grenadiers in the east assaulted the sniper team hiding in the bombed out house and managed to eliminate them, although the sniper and his assistant did take three grenadiers with them.

The Jungle Division squad moved towards the centre, taking cover behind the building, where their sniper was killed moments earlier. They were soon joined by the flamethrower team and the Matilda, which was still focusing on trying to move at full speed, instead of providing fie support. The Militia squad and the PIAT moved on towards the central house, firing at the enemy on their way, but not hitting anything. The MMG team ran past them and set up their gun to cover the central and eastern German positions, ready to fire next turn.

The Australian mortar and howitzer both tried their luck at indirect fire, but neither of them hit anything. As for the Germans’ howitzer, the crew was still sitting on the ground around the cannon, holding their knees, rocking back and forth (order test failed again).

Hitlerjugend being shot at from the power plant roof

Central SS squad taking aim at the Militia

Volks Grenadiers reposition after dealing with the Aussie sniper

Turn 3

The turn started with the four remaining Volks Grenadiers moving out from behind cover and surprising the Australian MMG team. The Aussies simply couldn’t deal with the firepower unleashed at them at such close range and were all killed. This of course left the Volks Grenadiers themselves in the open.

The Militia wasted no time and opened fire at the Volks Grenadiers, killing two. The remaining two members died in close combat as the Jungle Division squad assaulted them through the bombed out house.

The Hitler Youth entered the central building and shot at the Militia squad and finally managed to kill a couple of them, due to the fact that their medic has moved on to support the Jungle Division squad. This however proved to be a fatal mistake as the Australian light howitzer was aimed at the central houses. A moment later a high explosive round burst through the wall and killed three of the Hitlerjugend hiding in the building. The SS squad next to the house kept their cool and continued firing at the Militia squad.

The Matilda finally joined the battle in earnest as it advanced around the bombed out building and fired its coaxial MMG at the Grenadiers hiding in the north-eastern ruin with the MG42 team. Unfortunately, the result was only one dead Grenadier.

In the west, the situation was more positive for the Germans. The combined firepower of the motorcycle and the SS squad finished off the last of the Papuans occupying the power plant. The MG42 in the office building moved to the roof, so it could support the centre and possibly the east.

Finally, seeing that the Matilda was now engaged in combat, the Panzerschreck team set up an ambush, staying close to the central house, but with a clear view of the section where they expected the Matilda to appear next.

Volks Grenadiers leap from cover and shoot the MG team dead

The Jungle Division squad finishes off the Volks Grenadiers

Aussie artillery taking aim at the Hitlerjugend in the central house

Turn 4

The Matilda advanced further, but remained behind cover, so as not to give the Panzerschreck team a chance. With the Grenadiers now in range, the Matilda used its flamethrower to clear the ruins around the eastern objective. The Grenadiers could not take the punishment and were obliterated. The Jungle Division squad was truly motivated by their tank’s success and decided to advance towards the ruins and the MG42 hiding within. Although they managed to pin it, the German machinegun responded with brutal precision. Furthermore, the German howitzer’s crew finally got their act together and fired at the Jungle Division unit in the open. A direct hit resulted in enough casualties for the whole squad to fail their morale check and flee the battlefield.

Tired of the ongoing firefight, the SS squad in the centre opted to assault the Australian Militia squad. The Militia had no chance and were all massacred. Unfortunately for the SS, they were left in the open and the Aussie light howitzer once again hit its mark. The SS suffered too many casualties and fled the battlefield.

In the west, the SS squad assaulted the lone spotter occupying the roof of the power plant with obvious results. The motorcycle moved towards the Australian mortar team and fired at them, but managed hit no one.

At this point, the club was about to close, so the battle had to end. Both parties agreed, that the cables in the east would have fallen into Aussie hands after another shot from the Matilda. There were no troops around the fuel barrels, but they would have required much sacrifice from the Australians. And finally, the Hanomag in the west was firmly under German control, guarded by the MG42 on the office building roof. And so the conflict ended in a draw.



Conclusion

All three of us agreed that the unit of the match was the Aussie light howitzer. It simply did magnificent carnage. The Australians seem to be a fun army to play, with the Papuans in my opinion being a particularly exotic unit. I’m looking forward to seeing them on the battlefield more often :)

Once again I hope you enjoyed the read!

Greger