As you might be aware I'm taking my US Paras to Corrivalry in a week or so and I thought it would be good to get some practice with them! Mark kindly volunteered to give me a game with his 3rd Armoured Recon company from Overlord. Please excuse the odd unpainted model as Mark hasn't been playing very long, and hasn't quite got round to finishing his company yet!
Mark had:
3rd Armoured Recon Company (Overlord) 1420pts
HQ - Company Command and 2iC M8s
2 x Recon Platoons (2 M8, Recon jeep and Mortar jeep in each)
2 x Short Armoured Rifle Platoons (Command, M2 60mm Light Mortar, 2 M1919A4 .30 cal LMGs, 4 Bazookas and 3 Rifle Teams)
Armoured Platoon with 5 M1A1 Sherman
Corps Tank Destroyer Platoon with 4 M18 Hellcats + Security Section
Limited P-47 Thunderbolt air support
Meanwhile I ran my Corrivalry A list:
82nd Airborne Parachute Company (Overlord) 1420pts
HQ - Company Command and 2iC Carbine Teams, and 3 Bazooka Teams (attached 1 to the big Parachute platoon and 2 to the Small Parachute Platoon)
Parachute Platoon (Command, M2 60mm Light Mortar, 1 Bazooka and 9 Rifle/MG Teams)
Parachute Platoon (Command, M2 60mm Light Mortar, 1 Bazooka and 6 Rifle/MG Teams)
Parachute Mortar Platoon (Command and 4 M1 81mm Light Mortar)
Parachute Recon Platoon with 4 50. cal Recon Jeeps
899th Veteran Tank Destroyer platoon with 4 M10 + Security Section (2 M20 and 1 .50 cal Recon Jeep)
Glider Anti-Tank Gun Platoon (Command, 3 M1 57mm gun, and 2 Bazooka teams)
Corrivalry allows an A and B list with 450pts of variation between the two. My B list merely swaps the Anti-tank guns for 4 .50 cal AA guns. This is aimed at trackless infantry lists where No HE would be a big impediment and also often feature Air for tank busting/artillery spotting.
The mission rolled was Hold the Line, Mark was the attacker. As we were both US, this was obviously a training exercise being carried out prior to combat (True in both senses!).
Not a great table for Mark in this scenario with the river, still at least there are three bridges!
After deployment
The US armour rev their engines
While the Paras hunker down around the town, covering the bridges.
The Armoured Cavalry go for a 'trident assault', with the main attack going for the centre bridge.
The tank destroyer security section advances on the left.
As does an Armoured Rifle platoon on the right.
The US advance is largely untroubled by the Paras who mostly prefer to keep their heads down! The only casualty is a mortar jeep to a lucky 60mm one tube bombardment! Leading the way, the Shermans power across the swing bridge.....
...while US Infantry storm over the railway bridge.
Fire from the Sherman's 75mm guns destroys the church steeple, prevent the 2iC spotting for the mortars, or doing anything else again really!
In response, the Glider Anti-Tank platoon springs their ambush, sadly only knocking out one Sherman and bailing two more
In response, the Shermans storm over the bridge, shooting then assaulting the anti-tank guns and Paras. Despite the hail of bazooka and gun fire they make it in, miraculously smashing into the buildings without problems. Unfortunately, the next two rounds of close combat destroys the platoon for the lose of a glider bazooka team and a 57mm gun. The Glider Anti-Tank platoon, and both Para platoons then gut the Armoured Rifle Platoon on the bridge in their turn. The remaining infantry teams of the Armoured Rifles are pinned down by the burning wreckage of there vehicles.
Meanwhile the second Armoured Rifle platoon continues advancing against next to no opposition.
To support the attack the Hellcat's deploy into the treeline, guided by their security section. Unfortunately their fire has little effect, other than drawing attention to them. The top two Tank Destroyers are soon knocked out by the 57mm guns at maximum range.
Meanwhile both Recon Patrols pile on the suppressing fire to pin the Para platoon in the town.
The aim is to allow the Armoured Rifle platoon to assault, unfortunately the Paras manage to pin it down with some excellent shooting. This platoon is then neutralised the turn after when the Parachute Recon Jeeps turn up and destroy the rear platoons with .50 cal fire, causing the platoon to withdraw. With his last Armoured Rifle Platoon one team away from a morale check, and the tank destroyers still to arrive from reserve, Mark concedes the game, 6-1 to the US Paras. Hopefully this streak will continue!
We had a chat after the game and decided that the tank assault was reckless and they would have been better providing supporting fire for the infantry. Loosing them allowed me to decimate the infantry in my next turn, if the tanks had been there. I would have had some difficult targeting decisions and likely would have been overwhelmed when they assaulted, especially as my first reserve waited until turn 5 to appear. Meanwhile I deployed my mortars in a poor positions, where they couldn't keep up the suppressing fire, without giving the platoon away, I need to hide them away more! Lessons learnt all round I think!
