Saturday, April 15, 2023

1914 German vs France Battle of the Frontiers

This is a repost of a after game battle report from 2014, that I thought might be fun to read for those new to my blog. Rick


                                                                Prep for Battle

In the early days of the Great War, two platoons meet in deadly earnest in the Battles of the Frontiers Campaign.

The Imperial German force- Command Squad-Lt., Sgt., 3 Pvts., two sections of infantry, 1st- Sgt. 7 Pvts, 2nd- Sgt. 6 Pvts, one section of Jagers-Sgt. 7 Jagers, then a Sgt. and 4 Grenadiers, a Maxim section with 1 Sgt., 1 Cpl., 3 Pvts., and last, a Sniper team of a Cpl. and Pvt.   All the Germans have grenades

  
French Regulars, Command section-Lt, Sgt., 3 Pvts., 2 sections of infantry each with Sgt., Cpl., 7 Pvts., a section of infantry with a Sgt., Cpl., 8 Pvts., a Chasseurs a Pied section with a Sgt., Cpl., 8 Pvts., and finally a HMG section-Sgt., Cpl., 3 Pvts. The French have six more men but no grenades or sniper team.

8mm  French Hotchkiss HMG.

The deadly Maxim HMG, the German Platoons big hitter.

The forest of "protection" where three sections of Germans (infantry, Jagers and grenadiers) hide for most of the battle.

Command section, Maxim and Jager sniper team take cover in the ruined house while the 2nd infantry section  takes position to the left.
The lucky 2nd section.

French arrive on the board. Infantry take to the ruins and forest on the right.  The Hotchkiss sets up on the small hill near the middle.  While the Chasseurs take to the forest on the left (this turned out to be a big mistake).  The battle is ready to commence.  


First Blood


The French HMG and 1st section drop two privates but miss the sniper...bad news.
The Chassuers drop another invader of France.
The grenadiers rush a ruin to get closer to the French while a section and the Jagers cower in the protection of the wood (a lot more successfully than the French).
On the French right 4th section loses three men in the forest and one in the ruins.  German marksmanship is very good and about to get much better!
"SNIPER"-the last world Lt. Valois hears before the fatal shot takes down the leader of the platoon. the command section loses its sgt and a pvt as well.
Things are worse on the left where a cpl, chasseur and two more privates fall for France.  French marksmanship seems on target but hits are few...is something wrong with the ammunition?

Who Will Win?
The Chasseurs have lost half their section including their sgt.

At least one German section is taking some casualties, but not the sniper.  Hit after hit lands but none wound this lucky and deadly shooter (He personally drops the French Lt., 3 sgts., 1 cpl. and a pvt.).


French casualties mount and still their "hits"fail to wound more than half the time. The one French success is the elemination of the German Maxim section, right before the Germans wipe out the French HMG team.

The dreaded "10" another failed French to wound after a hit...15 times ugh!
 
Last of the Chasseurs
 
Soul survivor on the left...

Soul survivor on the right...

The last bastion of the French platoon.  Brave to the end, not a single French soldier routed from the field as they fell defending France to the last man.
 
The end is here, the Germans finally advance from the cover of the forest the last French troops, now outnumbered 5 to 1 resist to the last...oh but for the luck of the gods....

All the men are metal pieces from Renegade Miniatures that I painted in 2010





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