Operation Pegasus

Berlin has fallen to the Soviets, obviously just a lull actually as I will be back there again at some point having spent the GDP of a small country on the terrain. I finished James Holland's book on Sicily a few months ago and was taken aback by the disasters which befell the airborne part of the invasion, having also completed my own airborne platoon I wanted to try an air landing of my own.

The target of my scenario was to be a factory producing something important for the Axis war machine, I could not come up with exactly what but as it was top secret all the Paras needed to know was what to blow up. I also wanted it to be a challenge just like a real airborne attack, so first up I gave the British player an order of battle with five squads to plan his attack, not knowing of course that only four would turn up, he also got a map and some recon photos. The landing zones for each squad were marked on a map and a roll determined where exactly they turned up and to add injury to insult a further roll determined how many casualties or missing men each squad had suffered in the drop. The factory itself was guarded by a pillbox at the main gate manned 24 hours, a squad of soldiers were also on duty but resided in the nearby Cafe Normandie during the night, a larger garrison was in a town off to the northwest, two roads led to this. The first turns were to be nightime, when the sun came up was dependant on a die roll as per the Bolt Action rules.

Just before dawn the Paras arrived, without 3 Section which had been given explosives and whose job was to attack the pillbox and breach the main gate. Two of the four squads landed on target,the others did not. Luckiest among the Paras were 2 Section who landed right next to the Cafe Normandie, although the Jerries were no doubt sleeping off several of those expensive European beers there was a slight chance someone would have been moving around, but no, Alles in Ordnung as the Germans say. With no 3 Section and radio communications established and dawn approaching 5 section decided to rush the pillbox in the half light, 2 Section quietly made the factory fence and began to cut a way through. A PIAT round flew past the surprised pillbox crew while the gate sentries went down in a hail of lead, return fire had no effect on the Paras, the noise of course alerted the Germans in the Cafe Normandie but it took time for them to dress and form up, they did however manage to get a message off to the local garrison. A second shot by the PIAT hit the pillbox and although no real damage was caused the green machine gun crew inside decided to run and abandoned their post, 5 section went back to their original position. The Germans from the Cafe headed for the sound of the shooting, not realising two Para squads were lining the road ahead.

2 Section had now made it into the first building and 1 Section were now through the southern edge of the wire and making for another of the objectives. The German reinforcements had decided to enter on the road nearest the paratroops set up in ambush waiting for them, the first truck came to a halt and burst into flames while the infantry quickly dismounted and jumped over a nearby hedge. The following vehicles made a quick turn into the Cafe road and debussed while the first squad took casualties from 5 Section in the walled field, the original German squad from the Cafe now took 5 Section under fire and the Paras took their first shooting casualty. Meanwhile in building 3 2 Section entered and got their explosives ready, 1 Section arrived at their objective and prepared to enter. 4 Section now advanced on the factory leaving 5 to hold up any reinforcements, the Germans were now beginning to build up forces near the factory road junction and in order to stall this danger 4 Section decided to make an assault on the nearest enemy, this was a great success and the survivors of the vicious attack fled, the Paras had gained some time. As more enemy trucks could now be seen arriving the British began to pull back in preparation for a full retiral, things were going well in the factory and explosives had been rigged on two of the objectives and the one German squad inside the factory grounds was easily being held back. Outside however more Germans were turning up and at last numbers and firepower began to tell on 4 Section holding the road junction, although 5 had decided to retire with the arrival of an enemy armoured car the brave PIAT team stayed behind to try and take it out, one shot stunned the crew but the second missed completely.

With 4 section now out of the fight and the Germans beginning to advance 2 Section decided to blow their objective to give them some cover, the trigger was fired and ..... nothing, something was wrong and the building still stood, the British CO now ordered an evacuation, 2 Section gave covering fire and eventually fled through the southern breach, now that his men were clear the British commander triggered the bombs in building 1, again nothing happened and there was no time to return and check. The Paras retreated as fast as they could.

What a game, it just goes to prove nothing is certain in wargaming, as the first German reinforcements were shot up and there seemed to be no opposition to the Paras I thought despite the rough landings I had got it wrong and the game leaned heavily in favour of the British. I continued to think this when 4 Section wiped out some Germans in close combat and seemed to stabilise the situation in the centre, but then as more Germans turned up they began to take a toll on the paratroop squads, the armoured car helping in this. A few times both sides failed morale but this hurt the Jerries more than the Paras, but of course the real bad luck was me throwing a one for both explosive charges, who would have bet on that. So what looked like an easy victory for the British had turned into a disaster of major proportions, the British had lost about 50% of their men and there is still a PIAT team somewhere in the countryside eluding the Jerries, the game took eleven turns to play and kept me occupied for a few days. I will probably try it again to see what happens, if anyone has any ideas on how to improve it feel free to drop in a comment.

Duncan popped in this morning and he showed me an armoured car he is trying to buy, a German Sdkfz 222, he showed me photographs and it really looked nice. I asked how film company's handled such well loved and restored vehicles when they are shot up or blown up, not very well was the answer, they don't really care. He is really not pleased with Brad Pitt who in a scene shot up some German troops in a halftrack, Duncan's halftrack, and insisted on tons of gore, they hired people with missing limbs and then set off a 'blood bomb' in the back of the halftrack before Brad was satisfied leaving Duncan with a large clean up job. He has several projects lined up for next year, one in Morocco which deals with the LRDG and for which he would like the 222 along with two Kubelwagens and two trucks, although he is loathe to rent them the Opel Blitz.

I have taken the opportunity with my birthday and Christmas coming up to avail myself of some kits which I would have left on my wishlist for much longer. A KV1 with a view to moving my Eastern Front time period to take in 1943, a Panzer II Luchs simply because it is there and the Char B1 flamethrower as these were at Arnhem and I believe Normandy and the Eastern Front but I have no real info on the latter two. I also have a small rocket launcher tank ordered which I had no idea existed until I got my "Panzers in Berlin" book, a crazy piece of machinery but a must for Berlin battles. And finally I have got a full Hitler Youth squad coming from Offensive Miniatures, these are shown in the black uniform on the site but I notice in those last pictures of Hitler and the young boys in the Reich Chancellory garden some of the lads are wearing field grey but with HJ shoulder tabs so I may go for a mix.

What after that lot, I have no idea, I still have SYW troops to paint but the latest Covid shenanigans have left me a tad disgruntled to say the least. If things go true to form I am just waiting for the Vaccine roll out to join the myriad other expensive government cock ups of 2020.

Does anyone know how to put a comment on photographs with this Blogger?