Taking the Gembloux Gap: Blitz on Villeroux (Table 3, Turn 4)

 Leaving their wheeled vehicles behind them at the destroyed culverts, 3 Panzer pushes their tanks forward to assist the shützen regiments in the attempted breakthrough. Feldwebel Hintz's weakened platoon receives an attached platoon of light Panzer Is, and their attack is to opened with an airborne artillery barrage in the form of Stukas. Once again, they also take advantage of the potential sabotage and subterfuge behind the French lines. Having sustained fairly heavy damage, they reorganize into two squads: one six man machine gun squad with 3 MG34s, and one seven man rifle squad. With Obergefreiter Hermann dead, only Fw. Hintz and Obergefreiters Ritter and Fischer remain. Leading the defense of this position is Lieutenant Garnier and his second platoon. He's supported by two 25mm antitank cannons and and an artillery bombardment of the German marshalling area.

The potential breakthrough position

The German axis of advance

The stukas scream down and pound this potential breakthrough position. Once the bombardment is ended, most buildings still stand, but the L-shaped barn is burning. Fw. Hintz sends his combat patrols forward to probe the defenses, though they quickly come under fire. One patrol is able to find a route forward covered by the southern copse of woods. They gage that the French have set up positions in the two forwardmost houses as well as behind the burning barn.

Lt. Garnier's defensive positions

Fw. Hintz's jump off points

The French barrage causes some confusion as Fw. Hintze seeks to organize their advance, but he maintains fairly effective order and starts marshalling for the assault. Using the low walls and hedges as cover, the Panzer Is begin their advance along the southern flank. They keep their eyes and MGs trained toward potential gun positions.

On rumble the panzers

The platoon leader pushes his vehicles forward

As the tanks press forward, Fw. Hintz leads Ritter and Fischer's squads up to the woods. The three MG34s on overwatch, the rifleman advance tactically behind them. They secure the woods for a hard thrust on this flank.

Hintz leads his weakened platoon forward

Lt. Garnier begins organizing his defense and getting his troops established in their positions after the Stuka bombardment. He rallies his men into a firm defensive position, deploying his VBs back behind the barn (which has stopped burning), and his 25mm AT gun to the crossroad. Sgt. Rousseau deploys his squad into the small café on the south side of the crossroad, while Monet deploys his just outside of it. Altogether, they form a stiff defense.

Caporal Toussaint and VB riflemen

A 25mm at the crossroad

What once seemed a reasonable breakthrough position is now a gauntlet through a French gunline. Hintz decides to shift weight and press north, using the hedges as cover. He confers with the panzer platoon leader, deciding to engage the light AT gun with his infantry while the tanks cross the road into the hedges to skirt the French position.

The panzers advance

Preparing for the road crossing

With the panzer platoon aligned for the road crossing, the riflemen break out of the woods and open fire on the light AT gun. The scattered rifle shots has no effect, as does the 25mm's return fire. The shützen lay down smoke and the panzers begin to cross. The first one makes for the hedges across the road, hoping to breach the way for the two behind. As his tracks begin to tear through the hedge, the Panzer I's engine bogs down, still half in the road.

The troop leader maneuvers east of the hedges, number two right on his heels, while the first panzer desperately tries to free himself.

The first panzer stuck in the hedges

The remaining two go around the blockage and press north

The corporal in charge of the 25mm gun wastes no time in directing fire against the trapped panzer. Despite the incoming rifle fire and smoke, the gun places a well aimed shot into the side of the Panzer I. The round must've caught the ammo stores as the light tank quickly brews up. None of the crew makes it out.

Brewed up panzer

The remaining two press hard to the north. With their infantry well behind them, they rely on swift movement and the assumption that they've successfully recced the French antitank defenses. They quickly secure the French position near the north woods house and begin to press through the woods toward the road.

The French 25mm rotates and the crew begins wheeling their gun down the road to cut off the panzers' advance. Hintze directs his infantry across the road, past the burning panzer in the hedge, and along the hedge-line to suppress any threat to the advancing panzers. His twin MGs put down covering fire on the gun, but the crew is still able to wheel past the smoldering barn towards the panzers.

Ritter and Fischer direct their fire to suppress the gun

The gun prepares unperturbed to catch panzers in their crossing

Sgt. Lareau deploys his squad to the hedges outside the southern house and puts fire down on the German positions. The Germans maintain their covering fire, forcing the AT crew to keep their heads down. The panzers take the opportunity and press across the road, the 25mm too suppressed to get a shot off. The panzers are home free to outflank the French position.

Unfortunately for the Germans, the French had hid a second 25mm in the northern woods. The crew bided their time as the panzers passed by them. As soon as the twin Panzer Is gunned it across the road, the 25mm crew hastily rotated their gun and fired at the rear of the troop leader. The shot is spot on. It penetrates the rear armor and knocks out the engine. The crew bail, inevitably to be captured. A second shot. The next panzer grinds to a halt, its engine too shot out.

The panzer leader KO'd...

...followed swiftly by another

Fw. Hintze, his platoon at the sharp end for now its fourth engagement, decides this'll be their last. He sees an opportunity to skirt the infantry, follow the panzers, clear the AT guns, and outmaneuver the position. Using covering fire and smoke, he leads Fischer and Ritter's squads toward the northern woods. They take a few casualties crossing the fairly open ground, but make it to the woods.

Watching this unfold, Rousseau leads his squad out of their house and down the road to intercept the advancing shützen. They catch up to the previously suppressed 25mm and struggle to get around them in the tight street.

Lareau's squad watches the open ground Fw. Hintze is determined to cross

Reaching the woods, Fw. Hintze prepares to clear out the AT gun that ambushed the two panzers. Before he can organize the assault, the crew leaves their gun and charges to slow the advancing Germans. The hail of bullets puts a quick end to this valiant attempt, and they route to the west.

The second AT gun forms a blocking position in the road while making room for Rousseau's squad, who set their machinegun up to catch the Germans as they leave the woods.

The first gun cleared, they prepare for the final assault

Fw. Hintze decides to use the gun crew as cover from Rousseau's infantry and he orders his men in the woods to skirt north. The area too tight, he amends the plan to be a grenade assault on the gun, thereby making room to break out. With a cry of "handgrenaten!" they assault the second gun. They route the second gun, but find themselves exposed in the open to Rousseau's infantry. 

The combined machinegun and rifle fire cuts down the shützen in the open, and the final assault falters. Fw. Hintze loses control of his platoon as they route back, leaving behind their multitude of dead and wounded.

In total, the Germans lost an additional six men killed or missing, with another four needing medical treatment. What's worse, Obergefreiter Ritter was captured in the route. Their CO no longer holds this platoon in high esteem, nor do the men. Fw. Hintze has progressed from short-tempered to unadulterated sadness. His platoon is spent. Lt. Garnier, however, is feeling secure. His CO and his men no longer think too negatively of him having succeeded in their mission relatively unscathed.

This game illustrated the need for infantry in support of armor in these tactical level engagements. The time limit imposed on this scenario made both scouting the enemy positions and outmaneuvering them time-consuming, which led me to commit my armor to the hope of a "quick win." Obviously that wasn't the case, and the hoped for breakthrough never materialized. -A- did an incredible job of managing her AT assets and blocking every attempt made to outflank her. We had an awesome time and are looking forward to our next go at Villeroux!

Caleb