Operation Overlord Battle Report

Somehow, I managed to claw back a victory for the allies against Olly's treacherous Soviets.

The Soviet Steamroller gears up

This was the first time I'd played counterattack, and the stream across the centre of the board made the set up very interesting. Because of the Mobile reserves rule, I could keep whatever I wanted on the table and decided to keep one platoon in reserve to block off the far bridge crossing.

I tried to set up a mortar proof defence in depth, and this was almost my undoing as Olly's Spetsnaz managed to infiltrate his massive SMG horde towards my massively outnumbered platoon. They ended up within assault distance at the start of his first turn and I immediately thought that the game was over. With my units so strung out, there was no way I could repulse the assault and protect my support units. Luckily this was when Olly made his first mistake and didn't assault, giving me at least one turn to hit them with my artillery.

Unfortunately for Olly, his looping flank attack with his T34's to avoid my 17pdrs not only left them in the line of fire after doubling, the RAF really came through for once and the combination of fire left 4 tanks burning and another two bailed out.

Tally Ho!

Things weren't over for Olly yet, however and he sent the SMG blob with an OORAH! into be barely prepared paras. Although I'd moved up some reserves to help counter the inevitable bumrush, quality of quantity meant I couldn't pin them and I lost two teams. Somehow I managed to ignore my instincts to instantly counter attack and broke off to reform my line. Olly also continued his armoured thrust, trying to avoid the platoon that turned up from reserves the turn before.

My next turn was when Olly's lady luck really abandoned Olly. The RAF turned up to polish off the straggling T34 platoon, but more importantly, my artillery really went to town on his SMG blob killing everyone under the template, including the Commissar and the Commander, leaving the entire platoon hanging out in a field unable to move.

With the remaining T34 platoon backed into a corner while my ambushing 6pdrs deployed towards the unguarded objective and the platoon from reserve manoeuvred for the attack, Olly made the wise decision to reverse his commander in an attempt to rejoin the SMG blob, take it under command and resume the attack. Unfortunately the RAF, in a fit of never before seen, dazzling competence, dropped from the clouds to finish him off.

Coffin. Nail. Final.