When the clock froze at the end of Turn 31, Captain Hood was in deep trouble. Alone, short of ammo, and battling – at close range – a remarkably feisty/deadly two-man platoon HQ, his chances of surviving Turn 32 seemed slim. Read on to find out if Robin perishes among the pine needles, or is saved by a frantic pincer attack mounted by Sergeant Venison and Corporal Moorehead.
Sergeant Venison is the kind of Tommy sergeant I encountered frequently in my youth. Under various names, he’d regularly storm pillboxes, steel cowards, and remedy SNAFUs caused by inept COs in the pages of my childhood comics and comicbooks. Asked to pull Hood’s chestnuts out of the fire in Bounce the Bogen, he doesn’t disappoint. Supported by Moorehead and his beleaguered boss, he charges into the midst of the German HQ and, using his rifle as a club, does what needs to be done.
By T+60, the troublesome enemy HQ has become a one-man tactical irrelevance.
The PBI pushing towards the castle approach road from the north, also do sterling work this sixty.
Of the two enemy squads forced to flee by Marian’s timely advance, only one manages to gallop across the open ground NW of the village without being completely wiped out.
Mars considers playing a cruel trick on the Comment Commanders late in the turn, but ultimately decides a curt warning will suffice. At T+55 the three survivors of Spencer’s halftrack are pelted and perturbed by soil and stones dislodged by the detonation of a wayward 25-pounder round.
The situation at the start of Turn 33:
The station seems to be deserted except for a cowering flak gun crew.
If there are enemies lurking in the 15,1,5 and 14,3,5 foxholes then they are keeping their heads down and their powder dry.
Fletcher now has Oaks (PIAT team) and Olander (US half-squad) as passengers. All of the foes within range or LoS of Shanley, Carlson, and Costner appear to be relatively harmless remnants.
Turn 33 orders here, please. Commenters are cordially invited to suggest moves for the following seven unit groups. First come, first served. Order execution is usually Monday morning at 0700 GMT.
(See screenshots for unit locations)
– Captain Hood’s party (Hood’s HQ (1 man), Sergeant Venison’s rifle squad (2 men, low ammo), Forester’s squad (1 man), Sergeant Greenwood’s squad (6 men, split) + Corporal Fletcher’s M5A1 halftrack)
– Lieutenant Marian’s men (Marian’s HQ (4 men) + Sergeant Sherwood’s rifle squad (10 men) + PIAT team (embarked) + 3 inch mortar team)
– Sergeant Bowman’s Archer TD
– Sergeant Johns’ Churchill VIII
– Sergeant Pyle’s Sherman
– Lieutenant Costner’s platoon (Costner (2) Olander (12), Carlson (4), + bazooka man(1))
– Captain Dale’s party (Six POWs armed with pilfered rifles and pistols) + Corporal Whitehand’s team (Two POWs armed with a pilfered Panzerschreck)
Please start all order comments with ‘ORDER’ and any later revision comments with ‘REVISED ORDER’. This will help me distinguish firm instructions from suggestions and advice.