Home Forums WWII KG Klink, France, Game 12

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  • #120374
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    All,

    Ambush at Abbeville, #5
    0815 28 May 1940

    Following the fighting in and around Flavion, KG Klink was briefly pulled out of the line to rest, refit, perform maintenance on their weapons, machines, and equipment, and bring in a few replacements.  They were actually parked outside the Dunkirk perimeter when they were called back to action; further south, German forces had forced a crossing on the Somme.  At 0600 27 on May, the Allies counterattacked the German bridgehead, striking the German 57th Infantry Division southwest of Abbeville, in an attempt to reach the encircled Allied troops at Dunkirk.

    Unbeknownst to the Germans, the French French 4e DCr (or 4th Division Cuirassee, 4th Armored Division) arrived in the battle area that evening.  The French force, heavily armed with Char B1, Somua S-35, and Hotchkiss light tanks, immediately set about reorganizing, preparing to attack on the morning of 28 May.

    But KG Klink moved all through the night in order to reach the battle area. arriving at approximately  0500 on 28 May.  The plan was for KG Klink to counterattack down the Blangy-Abbeville Road, hoping to flank the French 2e DLC (2nd Cavalry Division), maybe even cut all the way across and in behind the British 51st Highland Division, cutting off the British 1st Armored Division.  With that, KG Klink set off, passing through the German 217th Infantry Regiment, launching its attack down the Blangy-Abbeville Road.  KG Klink passed through Villers sur Mareuil, then Huppy, and were moving towards St Maxent en Vimeu, when they encountered trouble near the three (fictional) villages, Dujour, Deture, and Toujour, on the River Bleu.

    The first fight saw Colonel Klink lead the 1st Grenadier Platoon, supported by Stugs, in the attack on Dujours.  Repulsed, they were reinforced by the 4th Grenadier Platoon and drove the French force back onto Hill 54.

    The second fight saw 1st Lt Tausch, lead his 3rd Grenadier Platoon into the assault on Hill 34.  The attack stalled in several locations, but the Lieutenant’s skillful leadership maneuvered his troops until they were able to unhinge the enemy’s defensive line.

    The third fight saw the Reconnaissance Company Commander, 1Lt Wehner, seize the bridge at Deture after some very heavy street fighting.
    The fourth fight saw Colonel Klink go down in a blaze of glory atop Hill 54, the remainder of his Stugs and 1st Grenadier Platoon chewed to pieces, though still able to force the French off the hilltop.


    The overall area of operations, and that stupid north-seeking arrow at top right is incorrect, north is to far left…  The three villages are, from left to right: Dujour, Deture, and Toujour, and the hills are, from left to right: Hill 34, Hill 44, and Hill 54.  The River Bleu runs east-west down the center of the table.

    The fifth fight sees Major Schultz, the Kampgruppe Executive Officer (and now Acting CO, he just doesn’t know it yet) leading a pincer attack on objective, the French village of Toujour, with the 4th Grenadier Platoon on the left and the 1st Panzer Platoon on the right.


    A bigger fight in store this go round.  The opposing forces, with Germans on left and French on right.  The French are completely made of Minifigs UK troops, while the German infantry is Minifigs, but the tanks and command stand are Pendraken.


    The German attack kicks off, with infantry on the left (top left) and armor on the right (center).  While still mutually supporting, they were supposed to be attacking in tandem as a one-two punch, but the French mortars still dropping on Deture forced the German infantry to move their jump-off point further east (top).


    Out on the French far right flank, a lone squad of riflemen stands resolute against the invaders.


    The German tanks push forward, nearing the edge of town, but having to slow down as their infantry support (top left), held up by machine gun fire from the town and mortar fire from Hill 44 (bottom right), has barely gotten off its start line.


    Which allows the French ATGs to get more shots in on the lightly armored Panzer Is and IIs.  The Panzers put up a helluva fight in the center…


    But take a helluva beating.


    The German infantry, though hard pressed, take advantage of the sacrifice of the Panzer bretheren by forcing their way into the town.

    To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
    https://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2019/08/kg-klink-france-game-12.html

    Next up, French tanks!

    V/R,
    Jack

    #120382
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Wowzer great fight!!! French Tanks at long last!!!

    #120423
    Avatar photoDeleted User
    Member

    You lost an entire platoon!!! And loose ground? Someone assemble the firing squad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    #120431
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Thanks guys, and yeah, these fights have been pretty rough, but super fun nonetheless.

    These aren’t US Marines, so I don’t mind losing. As if such a thing were possible 😉

    But honestly, I’ve got no problem with the way things have shaped up.  My opinion is that the French are too often/too much given short shrift, that they’re failures were not at the tactical level, but at the strategic and operational levels, where the German spearheads got inside their OODA loop and ran circles around them. But in those spaces where the Germans actually had to go toe-to-toe with them, the French generally gave a good account of themselves.

    V/R,

    Jack

    #120434
    Avatar photovtsaogames
    Participant

    Holy moley, what a brawl! Where are those surrendering figures from? Great AAR, great pics!

     

    Yeah, the French screw-ups were at the highest level. They assumed it was the Schlieffen plan again, and they didn’t keep a strategic reserve of any serious size. Aside from that…

    It's never too late to have a happy childhood

    #120435
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Thank you Sir, I appreciate it!  I agree, knock down drag out fight, and I keep trying to make heroes out of the German COs but they’re dropping like flies!

    The casualty and surrendering figures are Pendraken, everything in beautiful 10mm 😉

    The only thing I’d add to your comments was that French Commanders seemed to expect a more leisurely, WWI-style pace to operations, and so their communications and command staff capabilities weren’t up to the task, ordering local reserves to reinforce positions that turned out to have been overrun or by-passed hours ago!

    With regards to the French armored ‘counterattack’ here, it’s actually a counterattack, it’s really the French taking too long to get into their actual, pre-planned attack up the Blangy-Abbeville Road.  The French took so long to jump off it turned KG Klink’s movement south into a spoiling attack!

    V/R,

    Jack

    #120454
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    I just hope all the French tanks don’t brew up on turn one!!!

    #120455
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Now what would make you think that that could even be a possibility?

    I’m typing up the last batrep (#14) right now, but sticking to schedule (next Sunday and Wednesday).

    Getting tables set up for some WWII Air Combat (Coral Sea) and some Vietnam platoon-level gaming this weekend, we’ll see how far I get.

    V/R,
    Jack

    #120457
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Just think about how the French have faired so far… Coral Sea sounds good.

    #120659
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    The French seem to be doing alright to me…

    Played the first two Coral Sea dogfights, it’s ugly.  I changed some rules around and I’ve apparently overpowered the Japanese (both the pilots and the Zero-sen).

    V/R,

    Jack

    #120663
    Avatar photoWhirlwind
    Participant

    Very good.  More of that late game luck going for the Germans to rescue the position that their bad initial luck got them into!  Some very gutsy platoons on both sides in this series, in my games things tend to become a bit more like desultory exchanges at range after suffering some losses..

    #120666
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    John,

    Thanks for commenting, hope all is well!  I certainly push the pace, and even more so than normal with this mini-campaign, partly because I wanted to show the Germans becoming a bit overconfident, and partly because I’m just in such a damn hurry to get finished with France and on to the Eastern Front.  Plus all the other projects I’ve got going on.

    V/R,

    Jack

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