Operation Jupiter - Battle for Maltot

With a little help getting started, I played out solo Andy Parkes' new Battlefront WWII scenario, Battle for Maltot. It was played in 20mm on a 6' X 8' table. The scenario is based on Operation Jupiter, the British 49th Infantry Division's attempt to capture Hill 112 outside of Caen on July 10th, 1944. Maltot was on the left flank of Hill 112, and was the objective of the third battalion, 7th Hampshires. In support were Churchills of the 9th RTR and an Achilles troop from 233 Battery 59th Anti Tank Regiment. The Dorsets supported the 7th Hamps right flank.
The village was thought to be undefended, but in actuality was held by 15. Pionier Kp. 10th SS, supported by Panzer IV's of the 12th SS, with reinforcements en route. Enfilading fire from distant Tigers on Hill 112 further complicated the British attack.

The Battlefield

The battlefield, showing the attack routes of the 7th Hampshires and their supporting armour. A Company was tasked with taking the small orchard at "A", D with the crossroads at "D", B Company the woods north of Maltot at "B" and C Company a forward position at "C". A Company of the 5th Dorsets, supporting the right flank, have drifted over and become engaged in the battle for Maltot.

The British approach Maltot
With A Company of the 5th Dorsets (foreground) supporting their right flank, 3rd Battalion, 7th Hampshires move through the cornfields on the high ground west of Maltot (upper left). The village, seen upper right, is thought undefended.


Armour screens the right flank
A Squadron of the 9th RTR screens the right flank as the tank destroyers advance toward the village. Mid foreground towed 6 pdrs. move to take up positions in the corn fields to engage the Tigers (off board, right) which have opened fire from Hill 112 on the Churchills' flank as the British tanks moved down the paved highway towards Maltot.

A and D Companies advance through cover west of Maltot.

Lt. Col. DWG Ray dismounts from his carrier to survey the objective behind A and D Companies.

Nebelwefers!

The German FOO, dug in at the edge of what becomes known as "The Orchard" west of Maltot, calls in random shelling along a hedgerow north of the paved road. The advance is momentarily stalled but casualties are light.

Mortars!

German mortars zero in on the tank destroyers as they approach Maltot, suppressing the lead vehicle.

But the advance continues …

B and C Companies, spared the artillery attacks, make good progress towards the north end of Maltot.

 Churchills move to engage machinegun nests

With the 7th Hamps coming under small arms fire from The Orchard on the edge of Maltot, the tanks move in to drive them back.

SS Obersturmfuhrer Willi Kandler repositions his tank

Seeing the armour focussing its attack down the paved road and into the orchard from the south flank, the Pz. IV dug in on the north end of Maltot repositions in the village to face this new threat.

Meanwhile south of Maltot …

A second Pz. IV, dug in next to a smaller orchard south of Maltot, engages the armour venturing down the paved road.

First KO

He knocks out the lead Churchill, commander of A Squadron.

Achilles take up position

The British armour splits, with some, including the tank destroyers, engaging the Pz. IV on the south flank while others support the infantry attack on The Orchard west of Maltot.

Battalion 6 pdrs. emplace

The battalion 6 pdrs. emplace on the right flank, firing at the Tiger on Hill 112, hoping to pin him down and free up the armour to continue to support taking the objectives.

Second kill for Pz. IV

Although the Tiger's long distance fire proves ineffective, the Pz. IV south of Maltot chalks up its second kill, one of the Achilles.

Dorsets move through a large orchard on the 7th Hamps' right flank.

Infantry advance on The Orchard

With the edge of The Orchard cleared of the enemy, who fall back in face of the Churchills, the British infantry move forward to support the tanks in clearing it. 

B and C Company advance around the left flank

In conjunction with A and D's attack on The Orchard, B and C Companies move into and around the north end of Maltot towards their objectives.

A devastating mortar strike knocks out two of the three 6 pdrs. The remaining gun soon loses nerve as well, and abandons its position.

More nebelwerfers light up A and D Companies as they approach Maltot, but to little effect and for the last time as the German FOO is driven form his position. 

Battling it out in The Orchard

With the Churchills in support, the 7th Hamps move into The Orchard. A vicious fight breaks out with the two German platoons dug in here. One of the tanks is KO'd by panzerfaust fire and another disordered, but the British infantry begin to drive the Germans back towards Maltot. 

Overview of The Orchard and north end of Maltot

At top A and D Companies can be seen pouring into The Orchard, while in the foreground B and C Companies move through the north end of Maltot, which is mostly undefended. A Panzershrek team is cleared from one of the buildings, allowing the infantry to move in and close assault the waiting Pz. IV. This is attempted twice and both attempts are driven off.

Germans attempt to pull back to Maltot

The German light machine guns and FOO are caught in the open as they try to withdraw to the village, and are knocked out by enfilade fire from the north.

Achilles sprints down the road

Meanwhile things heat up on the British right flank. The remaining Achilles sprints down the highway to get away from the fire of the enfilading Tigers. It reaches the cover of buildings south of Maltot but …

Bad timing!

It is just in time to meet head on one of the two Tigers that now enter from the east along the paved road. The Achilles is knocked out at close range.

C Company, unchallenged, moves around the north end of Maltot towards its objective as the second Tiger purrs up through the woods east of the village.

3rd KO for Pz. IV

The Pz. IV dug in south of Maltot proves hard to dislodge as it brews up its third target, a Churchill in panicked retreat.

Dorsets pinned in open

As A Company of the 5th Dorsets move down from the right flank towards the small orchard south of Maltot, a German heavy machinegun opens up from a nearby cornfield, pinning one of the platoons in the open.

South flank overview

In the foreground Dorsets come under machinegun fire as they move towards the small orchard and its defending Panzer IV. Two Churchills and a tank destroyer go up in flames south of Maltot as British armour casualties mount unanswered. A Tiger enters the fray.

Churchills retreat

A bad manoeuvre roll sends most of the 9th RTR into retreat, including its close support tank. Things are not looking good for the British armour.

Tiger moves to bolster defence south of Maltot

With the British armour in disarray, one of the Tigers move to support the south flank against the infiltrating Dorsets. The Pz. IV pulls back from its revetment as the position becomes in danger of being enfiladed and falling to close assault from infantry in the nearby orchard and buildings. The German HMG post and mortar pit can be seen in the field in the foreground.

Command Tiger KO'd

Just as things were looking dark for the British, the second Tiger is KO'd by a lucky shot from one of the Churchills on the north end of Maltot. The Tiger was moving to take the pressure off the second Pz. IV in the village proper which in turn was coming under increasing pressure as the 7th Hamps pushed into the town.

Major RJ McPhillips directs his C Company around the north side of Maltot

An attached Vickers section from B Company, 8 Middlesex dismounts from its carrier and takes up an overwatch position in the houses at the north end of Maltot along with B Company's commander.  The Pz. IV commander begins to feel the heat as the British infiltrate in behind his position.

Also on the north flank, 2" mortars, a Churchill and the FOO, currently operating with the battalion mortars, add their support for the final assault on Maltot.

The Orchard is cleared

With The Orchard cleared, A and D Companies form up for the assault across the road into Maltot. Machinegun fire from the houses and Pz. IV brass up the hedgerow on the edge of The Orchard.

Panzer IV withdraws

With Maltot all but fallen and having driven off two close assaults by B Company, the Pz. IV positioned on the main street in Maltot gives up his position and reverses into the woods below the town. He takes some ineffectual fire from a British PIAT but the knocked out hulk of the Tiger I blocks his retreat, as he slowly tries to make his way around.

Too late!

The blocking Tiger wreck slows the Pz. IV down long enough for elements of the 7th Hamps to close on it from both sides. It finally falls in this third close combat attempt.

Churchills rally

With the destruction of the Pz. IV the tide of the tank battle turns. The Churchills rally to return to the fight, moving into Maltot in support of the infantry.

FOO moves into position

The British FOO moves into position in a Maltot building that gives it command of the south flank and paved road by which any German reinforcements will likely arrive. The big 5.5" guns, previously employed elsewhere, now come available as general support for the 7th Hampshire's attack.

Maltot falls

The last resistance in the village is mopped up, and A and D Companies move towards the south and east of the village to secure their objectives.

Big guns arrive

The German positions south of Maltot are lit up by a 5.5" concentration, but the well dug in troops survive this first barrage.

Germans appear at rear

With the British having secured Maltot and moved on, German pioneer units (upper right), unknowingly by-passed, begin to appear behind the British line and harrass B Company.

German mortar fire zeroes in on C Company as they move over the stream to their objective. It causes no casualties and is the only enemy fire this lucky company has to endure.

German reinforcements arrive

A motorized company of the III/22 Panzergrenadier Regiment arrive by truck along the paved road, entering form the east. They spot a Churchill with its gun pointed down the road and try to run their vehicles out of sight into the woods and dismount. Three of the four vehicles get off the road but the fourth bogs down on the shoulder.

Ouch!

The bogged down truck provides a target for the British FOO in Maltot, and the 5.5" guns again come alive, this time to great effect. Two of the German trucks are set ablaze and a third of their infantry knocked out.

South flank overview

With Maltot taken all the action switches over to the open ground south of the village. In the foreground, with the enemy tanks removed or otherwise engaged, the Dorsets venture out from their cover to assault the German MG and mortar positions. To the right, the panzergrenadiers receive a fiery welcome to the fight while the Tiger, after a bad manoeuvre roll, withdraws to cower behind a nearby building.
The remaining Panzer IV moves up closer to Maltot to take on the Churchills that are now gathering, but is disordered  by enemy tank fire as it pulls into its new position.

Taking it to the enemy

With the Pz. IV disordered British infantry swarm out of Maltot in support of the Dorsets, who are attacking from the other flank.

Meanwhile, back in Maltot…

Having reached their objective, the woods north and northeast of Maltot, B Company's commander orders his troops back to clear out the enemy that has appeared from behind and is now falling back into The Orchard. An assault pioneer platoon attached from C Company joins them to bolster the attack.

C Company takes objective

C Company consolidates on its objective, a patch of woods 200 metres east of Maltot, where it stays for the rest of the battle.

Second Pz. IV falls

Meanwhile on the south front the battle still rages. The second Pz. IV falls to close combat and the German machinegun and mortar are cleared from their positions through the combined efforts of the 5th Dorsets and the 7th Hamps.

And yet another artillery strike

A second concentration of the 5.5" guns knocks out more of the German reinforcing infantry as well as their commander. The counter attack is nullified before it even gets off the ground.

Overview of end game

The last German infantry resistance south of Maltot is snuffed out by D Company, who clear the woods along the paved road. The remaining Churchills move in on the solo Tiger, hoping to score a kill through enfilade.

Tough kitty

Despite a third artillery strike on the Tiger, it manages to knock out one of the Churchills and disorder and drive off the rest.

Final resistance in The Orchard mopped up

B Company clears out the last of the German pioneers that had retreated to The Orchard in a bitter firefight, but not without losing the Churchill Close Support Tank, KO'd by panzerfaust.

Big cat at bay but still growling

The game ends with all of the German infantry destroyed and the British firmly on all of their objectives. The remaining Tiger, however, has driven off or destroyed the enemy armour but is in no position to resume the battle. The Allies earn a major but not total victory.

Quick and Cheap Terrain - Trees

I'm too cheap to buy the commercially made gaming trees, and find them a bit too coifed and static for my liking anyway. So whenever I'm out and about in natural surroundings I'm constantly on the look out for likely bits of flotsam that I might be able to turn to my advantage. One of the tougher things to find are small bits of foliage that can serve as armatures for trees, and often I've resorted to the Woodland Scenics armatures. 
But once in a while you get lucky, and when I was in the Azores this summer I came across a small dead bush, an evergreen, I think, that had these intricate little branches. 
I snapped off a few and brought them home and then left them sitting around, looking for inspiration. I bought a couple of cheap bags of moss at the dollar store and tried draping that in the branches but it was looking clunky. So I went rummaging in my bag of flocking materials and came across some Woodland Scenics Coarse Turf Yellow Grass I had bought years and years ago and never found a good use for. That, I thought, might have some potential.

So here is a small forest of poplars, probably late fall, or maybe even early winter still with leaves. Good for some Russian Front scenarios or even Europe, and something different from what I have now as far as trees go. All of these took about 2 to 3 hours to pull together.

1. Armatures

I carve out irregularly shaped bases from black foam core, bevel the edges, cut cross-shaped holes in them, and then put a dab of white glue on my twigs and push them in. Allow to dry.
As I mention above I got lucky in finding these twigs this summer, but there are things out there in the wilds that will do just as well. Often the roots of bushes and trees, dried out, can work well, as the roots often mirror the above ground part in miniature. Cedar roots especially, as a first class model maker friend of mine once pointed out, are convincing. The trick is to find something with enough twiggy stuff going on to create a useful armature.

2. Flocking

I dump a small bag of Woodland Scenics Coarse Turf Yellow Grass (thinking at the time that I could probably get the same effect by taking a piece of foam and putting it in the food processor!) into a tray. I then sprayed the upper parts of my tree stand with Elmer's Spray Adhesive and quickly dump it in the tray, piling on the flocking and making sure the branches are well covered. I shake off the excess and set it aside. There's no reason one couldn't use a different colour of flocking for spring trees, or mid-summer. The key is to get the right coarseness.

3. Flocked Trees

Here they are flocked. You will notice that I glued some larger bits of twig as fallen trunks onto some of the bases, but mostly I like to space these trees so that a stand or two of infantry can fit between the trees, (vehicles not so important, they shouldn't be roaming around in the woods!!) so I keep the bases pretty uncluttered.

4. Flocking Bases

I then take a big old paint brush and brush white glue over the base. I place the stand of trees in a tray with my ground flocking and cover up the base, again dumping the excess. For these I'm using dried green tea leaves, crushed up - again, too cheap to buy much of the commercial stuff and I like the texture and tone of green tea for a forest floor. (I drink a lot of green tea!)

5. Finished Trees

Here are the finished trees. As I say, this group took two to three hours to pull together - maybe even less, as I did it in bits and pieces over a couple of days.

6. Trees in Situ

Here are some of the trees incorporated into a scenario set up.

Quick and Cheap Terrain - Hedgerows

I've been revamping my hedgerows lately, starting with some taller treeline-like hedges and then moving on to low hedgerows. Both these are distinct terrain types in the Battlefront WWII ruleset, and a must have for anyone who is gaming Normandy scenarios.

I thought I would document my process so I could share with others, as in a short amount of time and little cash outlay you can create some fairly authentic home made hedgerows. My previous hedgerows tended to be uni-foliage in design and I was looking for something a little more varied, having admired some of the terrain I've seen elsewhere on these forums. I'm making these for 20mm WWII gaming but they could be used for other scales as well, and other perioods of gaming of course.

These hedgerows take about five minutes each to make.

1. Adhesive velcro strips

I've been using these for a long time now for various bits of terrain. I purchase mine in packages of 30" strips at our local dollar store, but they are also available at fabric stores. The key is they are super adhesive one side, once the protective paper strip is removed.

I take out the "loop" strip of the velcro and set aside the "hook" strip for other uses (see road verges in a future post). I like the hook strips for use as hedgerows because they have a bit of tooth on their down side that allows them to be placed on fairly steep terrain without sliding away.
I cut these strips into manageable lengths, usually about 5" long, but some shorter to give me flexibility in laying them out on the board. I then trim the corners (so they merge better with the foliage) and remove the paper backing exposing the sticky side of the strip. I also cut strips of black foam core (white would work as well, but you would then have to paint it so it disappears in the foliage) 1/4" high, and about 1/2" shorter than the velcro strip.

Velcro strip, sticky side up with foam core strip in centre. Clockwise: clump foliage (two colours), stiff lichen picked up on travels, model railroad lichen, sprig of dried foliage from craft store.

2. Attach foam core
I then attach the foam core strip to the adhesive side of the velcro strip, centering it. Be sure that the foam core has the paper to the sides and the foam showing at top.

Foam core strip centred on velcro strip.

3. Apply glue one side
Apply white glue one side and then begin attaching bits of foliage to that side. The glue keeps the foliage attached to the foam core while the adhesive quality of the strip anchors it. I use a variety of foliage to create the varied effect I'm looking for, mostly railroad scenery "clump  foliage" (two colours of green) interspersed with bits of lichen. I'm also using some bristly lichen that I picked up on my travels (center top).

4. Apply glue to reverse side and top
Do the same for the reverse side and top, building up the sides first and then covering the top of the foam core.

5. Finished hedgerow

Here is the finished hedgerow. I have also addded a bit of vertical foliage, in this case a piece of dried foliage material I picked up at a craft store, to break things up a bit.

6. Hedgerows in situ

Here are some of these hedgerows incorporated into a scenario set up.

7. Tall hedgerows

I used the same technique to create some tall hedgerows, using a taller piece of foam core for my base. In this case I textured the foam core and painted it a dark green as more of it might end up showing through. I used a bit of florist's wire to keep the lichen upright, representing trees.