Operation Mjölnir: 1st Battle

Operation Mjölnir: 1st Battle

We kicked off the campaign with the "Hasty Attack" scenario. In this scenario 1300 points of Americans would be attacking 867 points of Germans, trying to take control of a strategically important forest.

The German defenders (807 points)

The German force was 60 points short of the maximum allowed by the scenario, due to a calculation error during force selection.

• From the Grenadier Battalion (399 points)
• 1st Company (3 Rifle Platoons, Panzerschreck Team) - 151 points
• 2nd Company (3 Rifle Platoons, Panzerschreck Team) - 151 points
• Elements of 3rd Company (Panzerschreck Team) - 28 points
• Battalion assets (12cm Mortar Platoon, Heavy MG Platoon) - 69 points
• From the Panzer Battalion (357 points)
• 1st Company (3 Pz IVH) - 357 points
• From the Panzergrenadier battalion (21 points)
• Elements of 1st Company (Sd.Kfz 251/17) - 21 points
• Artillery support (30 points)
• 105mm Self propelled support group - 15 points
• 105mm Self propelled support group - 15 points

The American attackers (1299 points)

• From the Infantry Battalion (495 points)
• 1st Company (3 Rifle Platoons, Weapons Platoon) - 138 points
• 2nd Company (3 Rifle Platoons, Weapons Platoon) - 138 points
• 3rd Company (3 Rifle Platoons, Weapons Platoon) - 138 points
• Battalion assets (2 MG Platoons, 81mm Mortar Plaoon) - 81 points
• From the Parachute Battalion (115 points)
• 1st Company (3 Rifle Platoons) - 81
• Battalion assets (81mm Mortar Platoon, MG Team) - 34
• From the Tank Battalion (633 points)
• 1st Company (2 Sherman Platoons, Sherman(76) Platoon) - 275 points
• 2nd Company (2 Sherman Platoons, Sherman(76) Platoon) - 275 points
• Battalion assets (Recon Jeep, Sherman(105), Mortar Carrier) - 83
• Artillery support (56 points)
• 105mm Towed support group (12 points)
• 105mm Towed support group (12 points)
• 155mm Towed support group (32 points)

The Battlefield

We played on a 6x4 table, with light forests, fields and bocage scattered evenly across the table and two small villages. Sadly my phone died the day after the battle and we lost most of the pictures taken of the battle.

The German forces set up inside and around the small forest that was the objective. If they could hold this forest, they would gain one victory point and by destroying at least half the US platoons they could gain a second victory point. The Americans could gain one victory point by taking the forest and a second victory point if they could do so within the first 9 turns.

The setup as seen from the German side

The Battle

Foolishly the Americans decided to advance across the open ground right in front of the forest and despite advancing behind a smoke screen, the advancing Americans took heavy losses to enemy artillery. 

Getting ready for the assault on the forest, the US forces arranged their infantry in a line, with tank support following close behind.

Americans getting ready for the assault on the forest

As the smoke screen lifted, the advancing infantry was suppressed by German artillery and machine gun fire and a brief but bloody firefight broke out between the Shermans and the Panzers. During the firefight a single Sherman unit was destroyed outright, while another three were taken out of the fight due to failed Quality Checks. On the German side just a single Panzer platoon was lost due to a failed Quality Check.

It was clear that pushing on with the suppressed infantry had no chance of success and would only result in a major defeat. The US commander decided to retreat, accepting a minor defeat.

Aftermath

Resolving the post battle steps the campaign effect of the battle was:

• Americans
• Losses (313 points)
• 1 Infantry Rifle Platoon
• 1 Infantry Weapons Platoon
• 1 MG Platoon
• 1 Parachute Rifle Platoon
• 2 Sherman Platoons
• Remaining strength 86%
• 5 Exhaustion points
• No Command Points were spent
• Germans
• Losses (41 points)
• 1 Grenadier Rifle Platoon
• Remaining strength 97%
• 3 Exhaustion points
• 2 km advanced
• Initiative seized by the Germans
• 1 Command Point spent to affect scenario selection

While rated as a minor defeat, the US inflicted almost no casualties on the Germans and this was in reality a crushing defeat. Time will show if the Americans can recover.

The next battle will be a "Deliberate Attack" by the Germans.

Operation Mjölnir: German Panzergrenadier Battalion

German Panzergrenadier Battalion

The final part of the German campaign force is a reduced Panzergrenadier Battalion. When wargamers think of Panzergrenadiers, they often think of the iconic Sd.Kfz 251 series of halftrack and that is exactly what this battalion is all about: a fully mechanized battalion riding armored halftracks into battle. In practice mechanized troops were extremely rare and even in the Panzer Divisions only a single of the four panzergrenadier battalions was typically mechanized (gepanzert). The most common transportation being trucks. For Operation Mjölnir however, the German commander has been lucky enough to have a (reduced) mechanized battalion at his disposal:

• Base
• 1x 12cm Mortar Platoon with Sd.Kfz 251/1 transports
• 2 Panzergrenadier Companies each with
• 3x Panzergrenadier Platoons with Sd.Kfz 251/1 transports
• 1x MG Platoon (rides in the Sd.Kfz 251/17)
• 1x Sd.Kfz 251/17 Anti Aircraft Platoon
• 1x Sd.Kfz 251/10 Anti Tank Platoon
• 1x Sd.Kfz 251/9 Infantry Gun Platoon

At full strength the battalion would have a third company, identical to the other two.

The Battalion while mounted

The Battalion dismounted

Like the regular Grenadier Battalion, the Panzergrenadiers employ the highly effective 12cm Mortar carried in the excellent 251/1 transport. The 12cm Mortar has excellent range and with the 6'x4' tables we use for our battles, does not really need its 251/1 transports. I imagine they will quickly be reallocated to one of the PzGren companies when they start losing transports.

Looking at the individual companies, you see a highly mobile force with a lot of anti infantry firepower. This reflects the very high number of machine guns assigned to panzergrenadier platoons. Where the PzGren company comes up short however is in the anti tank department, where it has to rely on the short range panzerfausts and the obsolete PaK 35/36 mounted on 251/10 halftracks. Panzerschrecks are uncharacteristically completely absent in this otherwise extremely well equipped formation. I have not been able to find any TOE which lists the panzergrenadiers as having panzerschrecks, but I am seriously considering adding them myself. It just seems uncharacteristic that favored units such as panzergrenadiers be left without this essential piece of equipment. If readers can shed some light on this "anomaly" please write in the comment section.

Finally the Panzergrenadier company comes with organic AA capability in the form of the 251/17 as well as fire support from the infantry guns of the 251/9 Section.

Stats

Stats are repeated for convenience.

PzGren Battalion (Average Quality 5+; Cohesion: 4”)
Unit	Move	ROF	Rng	AI	Notes				Points
PzGren Platoon	4	3 / 4	4	+1	AT-Rifle grenade/Panzerfaust				27
MG platoon	4	(2 / 3)	6	+1	Improvised/Panzerfaust				24
Unit/Equipment	Move	Armor	Pen	ROF	Rng	AI	AV	Notes	Points
12cm Mortar Platoon	2x	s	-	-	-	-	-	Indirect/60	18
251/1 (Transport)	7ht	0A0	-	1	6	-1	-	Cap 1	7
251/17 (AA)	7ht	0A0	1	2@	16@	-1	+0	Cap 1	21
251/9 Section (IG)	7ht	0A0	4	1	6	-1	+0		12
251/10 (AT)	7ht	0A0	2	3	8	-2	+0		20
Improvised	-	-	2he	1	C	-	+0		-
AT-Rifle grenade	-	-	4h	1	C	-	+0		-
Panzerfaust	-	-	8h	1	C	-	+0		-

Operation Mjölnir: German Grenadier Battalion

German Grenadier Battalion

When people think about the Wehrmacht of World War 2, they often think of blitzkrieg, tanks and mechanized infantry. The truth however is that the Wehrmacht was never fully motorized and the vast majority of German soldiers were foot infantry, who walked to get around.

The second battalion of the German campaign force is a regular Grenadier Battalion and looks like this:

• Base
• 1x 8cm Mortar Platoon
• 1x 12cm Mortar Platoon
• 1x Heavy MG Platoon
• 3 Grenadier Companies each with
• 3x Rifle Platoons
• 1x Panzerschreck team

12 Platoons and 3 Panzerschreck teams of the Grenadier Battalion

Comparing this to the US Infantry Battalion, two big differences jump out: firstly the Germans have a lot more mortar firepower, with the impressive 12cm Mortar Platoon. Secondly the anti-tank capability has been concentrated in anti tank teams rather than spread out among the rifle platoons. How this difference work out in real life I do not know, but in game terms I find the German setup to be superior. To make the quality even more pronounced, the Grenadier Battalion has been given "Excellent" quality for this campaign, meaning Quality Checks at 3+ a +1 modifier to to-hit and a +1 ROF. Having been on the receiving end of these units before, I can say that they are extremely tough.

Stats

Stats have been repeated for convenience and as always quality bonus has been added to the stats

Grenadier Battalion (Excellent Quality: 3+; Cohension: 6”)
Unit	Move	ROF	Rng	AI	Notes				Points
Rifle platoon	4	3 / 5	4	+2	AT-Rifle grenade/Panzerfaust				41
Heavy MG Platoon	4	(4 / 5)	6	+2	Improvised/Panzerfaust				41
Panzershreck Team	4	1 / 3	4	+1	Improvised Panzerschreck				28
Unit/Equipment	Move	Armor	Pen	ROF	Rng	AI	AV	Notes	Points
8cm Mortar Platoon	2x	s	-	-	-	-	-	Indirect/24	10
12cm Mortar Platoon	2x	s	-	-	-	-	-	Indirect/60	28
Improvised	-	-	2he	2	C	-	+1		-
AT-Rifle grenade	-	-	4h	2	C	-	+1		-
Panzerfaust	-	-	8h	2	C	-	+1		-
Panzerschreck	-	-	8h	4	2	-	+1		-

Operation Mjölnir: German Medium Panzer Battalion

German Medium Panzer Battalion

Now that I'm done with the US force for the campaign, I will give the Germans the same treatment, starting with their armor.

The Medium Panzer Battalion in FFT3 gives the player a lot of choice in that the mandatory part is just 6 panzer platoons split among three companies and then there is a lot of options for customization with optional units. My opponent Johnny opted for the following:

• Base
• 1x Recon Pz. IVH
• 2 Medium Panzer Companies each with
• 3x Pz IVH
• 1 Medium Panzer Company with
• 2x Pz. IVH

The Pz. IVH  is a great little tank, which is on par with the Sherman(76) and superior to the regular Sherman. This alone should give the German Panzers a significant equipment advantage over their American counterparts since the 2/3rds of the American tanks are the weaker Sherman variant. Add to this the fact that this battalion is "Good" quality and the US Armor is only "Average" and it becomes clear that the Americans will be severely handicapped on the armor front. Hopefully they can supplement their forces with airpower and Tank Destroyers from time to time.

9 Pz. IVH platoons

Stats

As always the stats here have been repeated for convenience and the to-hit bonus includes the modifier from Quality.

Medium Panzer Battalion (Good Quality 4+; Cohesion: 6”)
Unit	Move	Armor	Pen	ROF	Rng	AI	AV	Notes	Points
Pz. IVH	6t	5A3	7	3	10	0	+1	Smoke	119

Operation Mjölnir: US Parachute Infantry Battalion

US Parachute Infantry Battalion

This is the final part of the US core force for Operation Mjölnir. The paratroopers don't carry any of the heavy equipment of the regular Infantry Battalion, lacking the ATG platoon and even skipped the AT-grenades that the regular infantrymen have. The companies are smaller and the battalion assets have been cut to the bare essentials with the MG support being two teams, rather than the usual full MG platoons. The difference is subtle but important, with the MG team having only a range of 4" rather than the usual 6" of the MG platoon.

• Base
• 2x Parachute MG Teams
• 1x 81mm Mortar Platoon
• 3 Parachute Infantry Companies each with
• 3x Parachute Infantry Platoons

The 10 Platoons and 2 Teams of the Parachute Infantry Battalion

I chose this battalion to round out my force. I don't expect much from these guys since they are an extremely light formation with nothing fancy going on in terms of equipment or stats and I went for "Average" quality, meaning these guys have only a 33% chance of staying in the fight when making quality rolls. It's pretty ahistorical to bring "Average" paratroopers to the table, but the low cost meant these guys rounded out my force perfectly in terms of points. I expect to use these guys mostly in a defensive role due to their brittle nature.

Stats

Again, FFT3 stats repeated here for convenience.

Parachute Infantry Battalion (Average Quality: 5+; Cohesion: 4”)
Unit	Move	ROF	Rng	AI	Notes				Points
Rifle platoon	4	2 / 4	4	+1	Improvised/Bazooka				27
MG team	4	2 / 4	4	+1	Improvised/Bazooka				27
Unit/Equipment	Move	Armor	Pen	ROF	Rng	AI	AV	Notes	Points
81mm Mortar platoon	2x	s	-	-	-	-	-	Indirect/30	7
Improvised	-	-	2he	1	C	-	+0		-
Bazooka	-	-	6h	1	2	-	+0		-

Operation Mjölnir: US Infantry Battalion

US Infantry Battalion

For Operation Mjölnir, this US infantry battalion constitutes the majority of the US infantry strength. Since I expect these guys to do most of the heavy lifting I decided that they needed to be "Good" quality, since the jump from 5+ quality checks to 4+ quality checks is a very big deal.

The battalion is organized as follows:

• Base
• 1x M1 57mm ATG Platoon
• 1x Truck Platoon for ATG
• 2x Infantry MG Platoons
• 1x 81mm Mortar Platoon
• 3 Infantry Companies each with
• 3x Infantry Rifle Platoons
• 1x Infantry Weapons Platoon

17 Stands of the US Infantry Battalion

Compared to the German infantry battalion, this is a rather large formation with a total of 14 assorted infantry platoons and with excellent organic anti-tank capabilities in form of the 57mm ATG platoon and the bazookas that are scattered out among the battalion's platoons. The only area where I find the US infantry battalion lacking, is the battalion mortar assets which are a single 81mm Mortar Platoon. This rarely has much of an effect on battles and I must admit that I suffer from mortar envy when looking at the German or Russian 120mm Mortars. Hopefully this will not be a huge issue since I have plenty of artillery assigned to my task force.

These guys will be charged with taking and holding forests and towns, since they are the only formation I have that can sustain heavy casualties and still be effective. 

It is also worth taking into account that infantry casualties in the campaign are generally easier to recover from than vehicle casualties, which is another argument for letting these guys do most of the lifting. 

Stats

The following are stats for the Fistful of TOWs 3 rules, repeated here for convenience. Note the AI and AV (Anti Infantry and Anti Vehicle) modifiers are updated to include the bonus from "Good" quality. 

Infantry Battalion (Good Quality: 4+; Cohension: 6”)
Unit	Move	ROF	Rng	AI	Notes				Points
Rifle platoon	4	2 / 4	4	+2	AT-Rifle grenade/Bazooka				34
Weapons platoon	4	(3 / 4)	4	+2	AT-Rifle grenade/Bazooka				36
MG platoon	4	(2 / 4)	6	+2	AT-Rifle grenade/Bazooka				36
Unit/Equipment	Move	Armor	Pen	ROF	Rng	AI	AV	Notes	Points
81mm Mortar platoon	2x	s	-	-	-	-	-	Indirect/30	9
M1 57mm ATG	0x	s	7	3	8	-1	+1	Forward firing	31
Light truck	8w	s	-	-	-	-	-	Cap 1	3
AT-Rifle grenade	-	-	4h	1	C	-	+1		-
Bazooka	-	-	6h	1	2	-	+1		-

Operation Mjölnir: US Independent Tank Battalion

It's been a while since my last blog post, but real life happened and I have not been able to spend any time with my hobbies. I do plan on starting the blog back up however and I have the first battle of Operation Mjölnir lined up for next week. In preparation for this battle, I want to talk a bit about (drumroll).....

The US Independent Tank Battalion

As the name implies, the independent tank battalions of the US Army were an independent formation and not a permanent part of an armored division like the regular tank battalions. Instead the idea was to attach independent tank battalions to infantry divisions according to needs. 

An example of such a formation can be seen in the 741st Tank Battalion which was attached to the 1st Infantry Division for the D-day landings and was then later attached to the 2nd Infantry Division.

For operation Mjölnir the US force will have an Independent Tank Battalion consisting of the following:

• Base
• 1x Recon Jeep w/LMG platoon
• 1x Sherman(105) platoon
• 1x Mortar Halftrack platoon
• 3 Medium tank companies each with
• 2x M4A3 Sherman platoons
• 1x M4A3(76) Sherman platoon
• Light Tank Company
• 3x M5 Stuart

This organization was found in the the Fistful of TOWs 3 rulebook, but is consistent with what I have seen elsewhere and should be suitable for other rules also. 

The fifteen platoons of the independent tank battalion

Stats

The following are stats for the Fistful of TOWs 3 rules, repeated here for convenience.

Independent Tank Battalion (Average Quality: 5+; Cohesion: 4”)
Unit	Move	Armor	Pen	ROF	Rng	AI	AV	Notes	Points
M4A3 Sherman	8t	5-3	6	3	10	-1	0	Smoke	90
M4A3(76) Sherman	7t	5-4	7	3	10	-1	0	Smoke	95
M4A3(105) Sherman	7t	5-4	5he	3	6	-1	0	Indirect/112	67
			6h	3	6	-1	0
M5 Stuart	9t	4-3	5	3	8	-2	0		64
Jeep w/LMG	9w	s	-	1	6	-1	0	Cap ½	1
M21 MMC	8ht	1-0	0	1	6	-1	0	Indirect/30	15