Market Gardening

I have a little remiss in my updates of late - so a little later than planned...

Lenin popped over again recently and we played a couple of tabletop games including a slightly impromptu game of Chain of Command.  We played Scenario Six: Attack on an Objective from the rulebook and set it around Operation Market Garden.

A British Airborne platoon supported by a section and Sherman from XXX Corps are trying to capture a crossroads held by the Germans.  Lenin took the British and I prepped my defensive position (and a little surprise for them).

The Paras advance on the left...

... and the right of the road

Moving through the crops

Rushing across the open field

The Paras advanced rapidly across the whole width of the table and, whilst my troops were in hard cover, they were also lower quality and unable to concentrate their fire.

An overview showing the crossroads

I moved more men up into the upper storeys of the buildings to gain a greater arc of fire and so be able to concentrate it better.  Unfortunately Lenin then deployed his Sherman and took out the upper storey of one of the buildings entirely!

My surprise - a Tiger!

Whilst my Tiger came as an unpleasant surprise the Paras kept the initiative long enough to inflict a large quantity of casualties before I could get the Tiger into position.  When I did it shook of a couple of hits from the Sherman and a PIAT and then took out the Sherman.  But it was really too little too late as more casualties broke my force's morale and we withdrew.

Another enjoyable game of Chain of Command which presented to really interesting challenges.