Bolt action AAR British Para attack on “Pegasus” Bridge

Well, sort of! Recently I was lucky enough to be sent a pre-release 15mm Pegasus Bridge set from Warbases.co.uk This set is FANTASTIC. I love it. I’ve got a full write up about it coming (very) soon, but in the mean time you’ll just have to drool over the pictures of it in this post!
The Bridge is a 15mm bridge, but it’s in true scale, so the thing is absolutely huge, Martin (of Warbases) has done an amazing job on this kit. I got the kit for our display game for the Dumfries show (Albinach), and as we were playing, a few people commented that it wouldn’t look out of place on a 28mm table. There is a simple question: can Levitra be bought over the counter or I need a prescription to order vardenafil online? That got me thinking, and not long after I got home I placed some 28mm troops next to it and it looked great.
Obviously, a true scale 28mm version is going to be a lot bigger, but as bridges come in all shapes and sizes, why not use it for 28mm? there are plenty of other bridges that get used in both scales, so why not this one?
Even with a Tank on the bridge the size looked good. We tend to not use anything more than Cromwell/Panzer IV type tank, so don’t know what it looks like next to a panther or an M26 Pershing, but for our purposes, this bridge looks awesome on a 28mm table.

The scenario:

A force of British paratroopers has been tasked to take a bridge codenamed “Pegasus”. The Bridge is currently being protected by a Platoon of Regular German Heer who are believed to have some armoured support. British objective is to take the bridge. German objective to hold the bridge.
British reinforcements can be called at in after turn 3. the game should last 10 turns.

British reserves: Reserves can be called on with a moral test (-1) when an order is assigned to them at any time a British die is pulled out of the bag on or after turn 3. Reserves come on at a random location. 1-4 Para board edge, German side right hand table edge, 6 German side left hand table edge.

German Forces:

British Forces:

House rules:

Normal WCG’s house rules: The “Dice of doom!” two extra orders dice are put in the bag, the first one to be pulled out is the “warning” that the turn could end. The second dice of doom ends the turn at that point. This could mean that some units on the table do not get an order this turn.

Indirect fire weapons. We use a typical scatter dice (D6, with 4 arrows and two hits) and a “missfire” die (D6 with faces “misfire, 2,4,6,8,10) to determine if an indirect fire weapon hits. The template is moved from the aiming point to whereever the scatter dice indicates. the shot is always resolved. It could land on nothing, it could land on your own men! (which can be a lesson in why “danger close” got it’s name!)

Moral: when a unit is reduced to one man, he flees the table. He’s not considered an effective fighting unit and takes no further part in the game.

Turn 1:

paras advance onto the ridge
Paras advance onto the ridge
Germans shoot kill 1
German hmg shoots kills 1
Dice of doom
Dice of doom end of turn

Bolt Action AAR – The board set up

Bolt Action AAR – British Deployment

Bolt Action AAR – Germans Taking Casualties

Bolt Action AAR -German MMG taking fire

Bolt Action AAR – Halkftrack on the Bridge

Bolt Action AAR – Paras advancing

Bolt Action AAR – The Bridge

Turn 2:

Paras: move across the hill towards Germans on the bridge, shoot, kills 3
Germans: return fire, one pin 2 kills
Paras: pinned paras advance to the Germans on bridge, one pin 2 kills.
Germans: half track at the back of the bridge moves round to cover the bridge.
Germans: mortar aims at the paras advancing. Direct hit, 2 kills, 1 pin.
Paras: command group advances onto the ridge.
Paras: mmg shoots the German mmg in hard cover, hits and kills one crew member.
Germans: returns fire. One pin no kills
German: Marder 3 runs forward.
Germans: men in the churchyard go on ambush
Germans: panzer iv goes onto ambush
Paras: pinned paras move backwards to hide behind the ridge
Paras: medic runs to support the centre paras.
Paras: mortar on ambush
Dice of doom
Germans: squad advances
Germans: HQ on ambush
Dice of Doom – End turn

Bolt Action AAR – Germans in the Churchyard

Bolt Action AAR – Marder III firing over the river

Bolt Action AAR – 17pdr arrives from reserves

Bolt Action AAR – Cromwell arrives

Bolt Action AAR – Cromwell arrives

Bolt Action AAR – halftrack on the bridge

Turn 3

Paras: mortar fires at the mmg. Hits. 2 pins but also 2 kills which takes out the unit!
Paras: advancing squad moves into the ditch, fires and kills 2 Germans on the bridge.
Paras: paras in front of the bridge fire. Another 2 kills. Forces moral test, passes.
Germans: advance the marder 3, which engages the troops on the far side of the river, 1 hit which causes no damage
Dice of doom
Germans:mortar aims at the squad in the ditch, misses and hits the piat. Kills one, fails his moral.
Paras: 17pdr comes on from reserve, random roll for board edge and comes on the far side on the road. Germans in church ambush fire and kill one Jeep.
Paras: Cromwell comes on, randomly rolls and comes on opposite the 17pdr
Dice of Doom – End turn

Bolt Action AAR – Germans flanking the 17pdr

Bolt Action AAR – Paras taking the bridge

Bolt Action AAR – Volksgrenadiers in the barn

Bolt Action AAR – 17pdr

Bolt Action AAR – Paras advance

Bolt Action AAR – Paras advance

Turn 4:

Germans: panzer 4 fires at the Cromwell. Realises his gun isn’t strong enough to penetrate. Causes a pin.
Paras: Cromwell unpins and returns fire. Misses.
Paras: 17pdr unlimbers (from its destroyed Jeep)
Germans: Marder reverses, fires at the Cromwell. Hits. Ping! Rolls a 1 to penetrate. Unlucky.
Germans fire mortar at the squad in the ditch. 2 pins. 2 killed paras!
Germans: squad on the bridge opens fire (with 2 pins) misses the advancing paras.
Paras: try to range in on the squad in the ditch on the far side. Misses.
Germans. Those Germans in the ditch move along it to fire into the flank of the 17 pdr. Hits. But no kills!
Germans: advance the half track onto the bridge. Opens fire, kills 2 guy. 1 left so he’s taken off (ineffective fighting unit)
Paras: paras in the centre charge, the Germans have already fired so no defensive fire. They get chinned.
Germans: panzerfaust team runs to building to support the volksgrenadiers.
Paras: mmg opens fire on the Germans pins and kills 1.
Germans: volksgrenadiers open fire from the building and kill 2 of the paras on the bridge. Medic saves 1!
Paras: foo arrives. Ends up next to the Cromwell. Not really where he should be.
Paras: mortar advances onto the ridge near the destroyed house.
Paras: squad runs up the road near the mmg
Para – spare
Para – spare
Dice of doom
German: HQ on ambush
Dice of doom – End turn

Bolt Action AAR – Bridge

Bolt Action AAR – Cromwell pinned

Bolt Action AAR – PAnzer IV pinned

Bolt Action AAR – Paras on the bridge

Bolt Action AAR -Halftrack on the bridge

Bolt Action AAR -Halftrack dies horribly

Turn 5:

Paras: Cromwell opens up on the marder. Hits! On fire. (Rolled a 2′ open topped). Fails moral. Abandoned.
Paras: 17pdr opens up on the panzer iv. Hits. Rolls 1 on damage table. Panzer gets 2 pins and goes down.
Paras: paras on the bridge charge the half track(nutters) it fires and causes no kills. The paras get in and hit the half track. Destroy it!
Paras: mmg opens fire on the troops in the ditch. Misses.
Germans: Germans in the ditch recover from their pin and advance up the flank of the 17pdr. Open fire and kill 1 man.
Paras: mortar opens fire on the squad the just advanced on the 17pdr. Hits them and kills 1. Causing 2 pins.
Dice of doom
Germans: German squad in the church ground advances and opens fire on the slightly lost FOO. Now he’s a dead FOO. as are his mates. Oh dear.
Germans: panzerfaust in the building fires at the Cromwell. Boom. 5. Knocked out.
Paras run up to the bridge
Paras: medic runs up the bridge.
Dice of doom – End turn

Bolt Action AAR – those bloody flankers!

Bolt Action AAR – assualting the bridge

Bolt Action AAR – assualting the bridge

Bolt Action AAR -cromwell

Bolt Action AAR – dead cromwell

Bolt Action AAR – paras

Turn 6:

Para: 17pdr passes its pinning test, fires at the panzer iv. Pinsd again! Now has 4pins on it.
Germans: volksgrenadiers open up on the paras on the bridge. 2 kills. Medic just stands and watches.
Paras: paras on the bridge pass their order test, charge the bridge bunker. The German hqfires out but gets no kills. As it’s a defensive position, its simultaneous. Germans take 2 casualties. So do paras. One each left. Second round. Paras strike. No hits. German commander kills the last para! That’s why he’s the boss!
Para: mmg fires on the troops on the far side. Kills 1. Now 3 pins.
Germans. The pinned germans try to assault the 17pdr. Fail test. Down.
Paras: mortar fires on the Germans near the 17pdr. Misses.
Germans from the church advance toward the pinned panzer iv
Paras: squad on the bridge advance.
Dice of doom
Dice of doom – End turn.

Bolt Action AAR

Bolt Action AAR – advancing

Bolt Action AAR – bridge captured

Bolt Action AAR – 17pdr taken

Bolt Action AAR – mortar

Bolt Action AAR – volksgrenadiers

Turn 7:

Germans: volksgrenadiers fire at paras on the bridge. Pin. No kills.
Paras: paras on the bridge assault the captain. He dies, but takes one with him.
Paras: mmg at the far bank squad. No hits.
Germans: those germans try to assault. Pass their test. Get into combat against the 17lber. Kills 4. Destroyed.
Paras. Fire mortar at the volksgrenadiers, 2 pins. 1 kill. Green: rolls a 6. Now treated as regular.
Dice of doom
Para: medic advances on the bridge
Germans: squad (from church yard originally) opens fire on the paras in the command post of the bridge. One pin. No kills.
Paras – spare
Germans: mortar team runs to occupy the Tobruk pit.
End of turn.

Bolt Action AAR – advancing germans

Bolt Action AAR – river

Bolt Action AAR – end of game

End of game. (Ran out of time)

At the end of the game, the British Paratroopers had taken the bridge, with mortar cover and MMG cover, but little else remaining. The German forces on the bridge, including the commander had been wiped out. Still 2 units and a panzer IV left but all heavily pinned. A draw was declared, even though the British had claimed their objective, if played out to the end this would probably have been a very bloody, and not very productive conclusion for either side.

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Chris