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Turn 4 Canadians Mike still had two bogged down tanks, he managed to un-bog one at the start of Turn 4, but one remained hung up on the bocage. The Defrocked Priest also failed to back out of the gateway. Both the 2nd and 3rd Rifle Platoons recovered from pinned down. To get better firing solutions on the Panzergrenadiers the 6pdr guns of the Anti-tank Platoon manhandled forward toward the edge of the road.

On the flank of the village the two Carriers moved through a gate into the orchard on the German right, on the opposite side of the road from the church. The victorious 2nd Rifle Platoon moved from the road into the field containing the destroyed StuGs. The remains of the 3rd Rifle Platoon, eager to escape the next 15cm bombardment, moved away from the gate down the road towards the positions of the nearest German observer. To support the rifle platoons the Armoured Platoon attempted to move across the bocage again with its two operational tanks (Sherman V and Firefly VC), unfortunately for Mike both tanks failed their skill tests to cross and became bogged down. The 6pdrs, from new positions, fired on the Panzergrenadiers and knocked out one half-track. The carriers added machine-guns to the fire with no additional effect. The 2nd Rifle Platoon, which were positioned in the same field as one of the German observers, fired on the enemy team with little effect.

Finally the heavy mortars attempted to range in on the Panzergrenadiers again. A scattering of rounds impacted around the German positions, but none were able to range in on a target. At this point Mike questioned the mortar commander’s manhood and spent some time muttering under his breath. The 2nd Rifle Platoon assaulted the observer; they figured if they can’t knock them out with shooting they would do it with cold steel. A short sharp engagement then ensued. The Canadians were ultimately victorious, but only after the German observer Rifle team had taken a team with them. After the Assault they became pinned down.

The 3rd Rifle Platoon decided to mimic their comrades and assaulted the other German observer. In this case the Germans managed to knock out one of the Canadian teams with defensive fire. The Canadian assault was ultimately successful, but the loss of the one team tipped the 3rd Rifle Platoon under half-strength. At the end of the Assault step the Canadians failed their Motivation test and retired from the field.

Germans The bogged StuG of the 3rd Platoon backed out of the gate. During its movement the same StuG attempted to move through the gate again and became bogged down again. The rest of the platoon moved towards the bocage boarding the field containing the Canadian 2nd Rifle Platoon. The Panzergrenadiers moved towards the positions of the 6pdrs along the road. The 1st StuG Platoon and the command StuG followed up to give support from the churchyard. The armoured artillery repeated their bombardment for a third time on the gateway and finally destroyed the bogged down Defrocked Priest.

We had to get a ruling from Phil on this, and it turns out the crew could of abandoned the vehicle when the rest of the vehicles of the platoon were removed from play after dismounting their passengers. Oh well, I’ll call this a moral victory. The 1st StuG Platoon fired at the carriers creeping through the orchard. One carrier was destroyed and the seconded was bailed out. A Panzergrenadier half-track also fired its machine-gun at the last carrier, it was hit and it failed its save. It then had to take a Motivation test for being double bailed, which it made. One half-track fired on the Pioneers down the side of a house and were able to knock out a pioneer team. One half-track and the Panzergrenadiers fired on the Canadian Anti-tank Platoon, their combined fire knocked out one 6pdr gun.

During the Assault step the Panzergrenadiers attacked the 6pdrs. The assault drew in defensive fire form the adjacent 1st Rifle Platoon. The withering fire easily stopped the Panzergrenadiers. The loss of teams pushed them under half-strength, forcing a Motivation test at the end of the Assault step. The platoon failed the initial test and, after the Company commander had joined them, the second test! The Panzergrenadier Platoon and the Company Command StuG are both removed from the table. Oh bugger!

Turn 5 Canadians Of the three bogged down tanks only two managed to recover at the start of Turn 5. Remarkably the sole surviving Carrier remounted to keep fighting. The 2nd Rifle Platoon failed to unpin. Mike pretty much wasted some good dice rolls on the tanks unbogging them as he immediately bogged them again in the Movement step trying to once again cross the bocage. The Carrier was a little wiser and nipped back through the gate and into the village out of the way of the hostile fire. The Mortars and their legally blind observer team failed again to range in on their targets, this time the 1st StuG Platoon.  The 6pdrs were also dismal and failed to hit any of the StuGs.

Germans The bogged StuG of the 3rd Platoon unbogged again. It bogged down again during the Movement step attempting to move through the gate again to catch up with its platoon. The rest of the platoon moved up to the bocage so it could fire on the Canadian 2nd Rifle Platoon. The 1st StuG Platoon retreated back towards the objective and away from the danger or the 6pdr guns. With the loss of its observers the armoured artillery were forced to move forward to take a more direct role in the battle. One of the Lorraine Schleppers made it as far as the bocage and could see the Canadian armour.

The one Lorraine Schlepper then fired at the nearest bogged down Sherman V, and despite firing on the move, was able to score a hit on the tank. The heavy gun’s HEAT round went straight through the armour and destroyed the Sherman. With two destroyed and two bogged down tanks the Canadian Armoured Platoon were forced to take a Motivation test. Mike passed this with ease and the tanks fought on.

The 3rd StuG Platoon fired its AA MGs at the Canadian 2nd Rifle Platoon with no effect. In the Assault step the 3rd StuG Platoon’s two running tanks Stormtrooper moved back from bocage to prevent the riflemen firing a PIAT at them. The 1st Platoon continued their move back to the objective. The artillery was a bit out of practice and failed to make their Stormtrooper move skill test. Turn 6 Canadians The Command Sherman V and Firefly VC, the surviving tanks of the Armoured Platoon, managed to unbog. Again the 2nd Rifle Platoon failed to unpin.

Where the Carriers failed the Pioneers believed they could succeed. The pioneers moved up the flank of the village and reached the road. The 1st Rifle Platoon and Anti-tank Platoon left the safety of the village and moved up to the road. The last carrier trailed behind the 6pdrs. Finally the heavy mortars were able to range in on the 1st StuG Platoon. The bombardment caught all three StuGs, but Wayne made all the armour saves. Germans The StuG at the gate unbogged again, but would it make it through the gate? This time it did. It joined the rest of the platoon as they moved up to take shots at the Canadian 2nd Rifle Platoon.

The 1st StuG Platoon moved a little further down the bocage toward the objective. The Lorraine Schlepper against the bocage sited the Canadian 2iC team on the road heading towards 2nd Rifle Platoon. A bombardment was called down on the team. A hit was scored by the command team easily made its infantry save. During the Assault step the 1st StuG Platoon made a Stormtrooper move closer to the objective. Turn 7 Canadians The 2nd Rifle Platoon finally unpinned and the platoon moved up to the bocage so they could fire on the German 3rd StuG Platoon.

The forces in the village finally broke from its confines and the Anti-tank Platoon manhandled across the road and lined up along the bocage facing the 1st StuG Platoon. The 1st Rifle Platoon pushed out of the house and moved next to the 6pdrs. The Armoured Platoon retired to the back of the field to avoid the direct fire of the German artillery. The 2nd Rifle Platoon’s PIAT team lined up a StuG from the 3rd StuG Platoon, but the round missed. The mortars fired on the 1st StuG Platoon again and, to the amazement of Mike, ranged in again. The bombardment scored one hit, but the StuG hit was able to make an armour save.

German The artillery moved toward the road and the bocage on the left of the field. One Lorraine Schlepper moved through the gate and up to the next gate across the road. The 1st StuG Platoon spread out to avoid coming under too much heavy mortar fire, while still covering the objective. During the Shooting step the 3rd StuG Platoon fired on the 2nd Rifle Platoon and hit four teams with its AA MGs. The riflemen made their saves. The 1st StuG Platoon fired its main guns at the 6pdrs lining the bocage along the road, despite the long range and the concealed targets two guns were hit. One 6pdr gun failed the gun save and the StuGs made the Firepower test and knocked it out. One Lorraine Schlepper fired at the Armoured Platoon at the back of the field and another two fired at the 2nd Rifle Platoon. All the shots missed.

The 3rd StuG Platoon utilised a Stormtrooper Move to move back from the bocage to avoid the fate of the 2nd StuG Platoon.

Turn 8 Canadians The 2nd Rifle Platoon moved towards the objected guarded by the 1st StuG Platoon. The last 6pdr gun of the Anti-tank Platoon manhandled forward to the bocage so it could also fire on the 1st StuG Platoon. The Armoured Platoon remained at the back of the field guarding the objective from possible capture by the German armoured artillery. The 6pdr guns fired on the StuGs to its front and missed. The mortars also attempted to range in on the same target, but they too missed.

The 2nd Rifle Platoon fired its PIAT and Light Mortar teams. The PIAT missed, but the Light Mortar team dropped a smoke round on the StuG nearest the gate. Both the Sherman V and Firefly VC fired at the Lorraine Schlepper on the road and easily hit and destroy it.

Germans The Canadian Rifle Platoon was rapidly approaching the objective, so one of the 1st StuG Platoon vehicles was forced to move to the corner of the field so it could fire on the infantrymen. The 3rd StuG Platoon moved up to the bocage to fire at the same target. The armoured artillery pushed forward with some moving to fire at the Canadian armour and others to fire at the 2nd Rifle Platoon. During this one Lorraine Schlepper got bogged down crossing the bocage on to the road.

The 1st StuG Platoon continued to fire two of its StuGs at the Canadian Anti-tank Platoon. The fire destroyed one more 6pdr, leaving the Canadian Platoon with just one gun. The remaining 1st Platoon StuG and the 3rd StuG Platoon fired on the 2nd Rifle Platoon. The Canadians were pinned and lost one team. Additional shooting form the armoured artillery knocked out one more team. This pushed the platoon under half-strength. The artillery’s other shooting at the Armoured Platoon was unsuccessful.

At the end of the Shooting step Mike was forced to take a Motivation test for the 2nd Rifle Platoon. He failed this and another of his platoons quit the field. However, he was luckier with the Anti-tank Platoon who passed Motivation and kept fighting.

Turn 9 Canadians The 1st Rifle Platoon moved into the field in front of the 1st StuG Platoon and through the trees. They moved toward the objective in doing so. The last Carrier doubled down the road toward the German left flank. The Pioneer Platoon finally moved out of the village, across the road, and up to the church. The last 6pdr gun failed to hit any of the 1st Platoon StuGs. The Mortars did manage to range in, but they missed the two StuGs under the bombardment.

The Armoured Platoon shot at the Lorraine Schlepper on the road, but missed. Germans The bogged down Lorraine Schlepper attempted to back out of the bocage, but it rolled a “1” on its skill test to unbog. As a unreliable vehicle such a result means the vehicle has broken down and counts as destroyed. One Lorraine Schlepper moved right through the gate at the back of the field, but failed to make its bog test and got stuck on the gateway.

Two others move to face the road, but dare not cross the bocage. The last vehicle remained stationary to fire at the Canadian armour. The 3rd StuG Platoon moved forward to cover the centre of the table. One got into a position where it could fire on the carrier, while a second could sight the Canadian 2iC team. The 1st StuG Platoon fired its AA MGs at the 1st Rifle Platoon to their front. The shooting destroyed two teams, but only scored four hits and didn’t pin them. A StuG from the 3rd Platoon hit and destroyed the Canadian 2iC Command team and another StuG fired at the speeding carrier and missed. The Lorraine Schlepper on the road fired at the Canadian Armoured Platoon and again missed.

End Game At this point the men with the concrete cutter arrived to chop a hole in the floor of the Battlefront gaming/photography area. We had to pack up and get all the photography gear away. But at this point we’d both decided that neither of our forces had much left to attack with and keep an objective covered. Mutual annihilation looked like the most likely result. So like gentlemen we shook hands and called it quits. As for a points telly Mike destroyed two platoons (Panzergrenadier and 2nd StuG Platoon) and I destroyed two platoons (2nd and 3rd Rifle Platoons). However both the Canadian Carrier Patrol and Anti-tank Platoon were teetering on the edge, but Mike’s 1st Rifle Platoon was getting dangerously close to the objective. The end result a 3-3 draw. Wayne Mike has the last word In the early turns, the Canadians rushed forward to take advantage of the fully-tracked Kangaroos to bust through the mess of bocage. The troops on the left managed to move into the village and secure the buildings while the 6pdrs rolled up to meet Wayne’s incoming Panzergrenadiers in their funny half-tracks. On the right, the Kangaroos stalled in the only opening in the bocage and immediately were punished for their sins with a Schlepper bombardment. Oh, well. The tanks performed several mild feats of retardation as they attempted to cross bocage, which was made of what I can only assume was concrete or steel. I realised that taking that objective was going to be impossible with the terrible combination of 15cm artillery and invincible bushes against me! Back on the other flank, the infantry managed to stall the Panzergrenadier attack, but there was altogether too many mini-StuGs to deal with at the moment, so I had the Canadians stay put for the time being. In the centre, 2nd Rifle Platoon surprised everyone by seeing off a StuG assault. I thought I’d push them forward to take advantage of their success, but only disappointment awaited the poor lads. They endured a lot of fire while trying to muster up the courage to take on another StuG platoon, but instead decided to take a hike back to HQ. Oh well, they did good. With the right and centre stalled, my shoddy plan fell apart. So, I sent 1st Rifle Platoon after the left objective, supported by the brilliant 6pdrs. Quickly, however, the Anti-tank gunners proved they couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with their nine-shot barrages! Additionally, the 1st Rifle Platoon got no love from the heavy mortars either. The four tubes had trouble ranging in, so the riflemen were on their own. After enduring another turn of fire, the 1st Rifle Platoon’s strength was sapped and I quickly realized all there was left to do was retire, as I simply didn’t have enough of anything to press either objective. It was a long, but enjoyable game and there was a lot of action. I’d have to say the Canadians proved that they’re just as good as assault troops as the other Allied infantry, and the Kangaroo gives them considerable mobility on the field. Mike