On the last day of February, I finally got in a game of Bolt Action (Third Edition) with Orion. My copy has not yet arrived, so I had read NONE of he rules and only had the faintest idea of how it was played - based on having played the first edition a decade ago and having reviewed the quick reference sheet (available free for downloading from Warlord Games!)
Given the forces we have available, I figured Operation Torch might be a fun place to start... mind you, the forces used were largely fictional. Orion has modeled her Americans as members of the 92nd US Infantry Division - one of the segregated infantry divisions of African-Americans, which, in reality, was only activated on 15 October 1942 (less than a month before the Torch landings) and did not arrive overseas until 22 September 1944, seeing action in Northern Italy. We're going to say they were raised somewhat earlier and were brought over for Torch!
Likewise the Vichy French in Morocco were mostly Morroccan, Algerian and Senegalese Tirailleurs and some French Foreign Legionaires - as well as some Moroccan Spahi (still horse mounted) and the Chasseurs d'Afrique. I did not think they actually had any tanks... but apparently the Chasseurs d'Afrique started mechanization in 1933 and may have had some Hotchkiss H35 and H39 light tanks (the Chasseurs d'Afrique in Syria had some Renault R-35!).
10 November 1942
Having just landed at Safi, Morocco, the men of the 92nd US Infantry Division pushed out of the town to mop up resistance in the area. As they advance, a Stuart tank reconoitering ahead of he force spotted a mixed force of Moroccan Tirailleurs supported by a tank of the Chasseurs d'Afrique and guns of the Colonial Artillery Regiment of Morocco in the distance, advancing towards them. It was unclear if they were marching into town to surrender their arms and join the allied cause or moving to make a counter attack against the port. When the tank was fired on, it became clear that the latter option was the case.
American Stuart tank, reconnoitring ahead of the force.
POW! The Stuart comes under fire from a Renault R-35 of the Chasseurs d'Afrique! Firing on the move, the shot went wide!
An American M-10 Tank Destroyer moves up and returns fire, also missing!
Moroccan Tirailleurs advance towards the Americans and a venerable Soixante-Quinze of the Colonial Artillery Regiment of Morocco was pushed up to give direct support for the engagement!
Mortars and Machine-guns of the Tirailleurs deploy to give support to the advancing infantry while an American Sherman tank rolls onto the scene.
American infantry taking cover behind a ruin while a sniper team and Forward Air Observers take up a position on the ridge beyond.
BOOM!! Fire from the Sherman's 75mm gun obliterated the Soixante-Quinze and it's crew!
The Tirailleurs begin exchanging fire with the American infantry opposite!
An squad of Tirailleurs on a ridge brought fire down on the other American infantry squad, which was trying to shelter behind the tanks!
The artillery spotter from the Colonial Artillery Regiment of Morocco tried to call in fire from his battery in the rear.
Two squads of Tirailleurs taking cover behind dunes continue to exchange fire with the American infantry.
The American Forward Air Controller successfully called in an airstrike on the Tirailleurs. While it severely pinned them down (for THREE TURNS), it caused no casualties!
The Sherman's gun blasted the Heavy Weapons teamd with high explosive rounds, killing their platoon commander and wounding a few of the crew!
Riflemen exchanging fire from cover... mostly just pinning each other down!
The Sherman moved up and started machine-gunning the Heavy Weapon teams - AND THE MEDIC- not very sporting! First game and our Americans are already committing war crimes!
First artillery barrage finally came in! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
I don't think the first one caused any casualties.. but wow did it ever deal out a lot of pin markers!
The next turn another barrage came in and, again, not so many casualties, but it did render a number of units ineffective for turns - beause they all went DOWN - to save themselves from having to take casualties and then would have to spend a later turn RALLYING to clear away all those pin markers!
The Stuart just kept saturating the ridge with machine-run fire and whittled away at the squad of Tirailleurs - and eventually took out the Forward Observer and his signaller.
In the end, the French Colonial Forces managed to take out both of the American Infantry squads...
The Americans took out the Howitzer, the Heavy Weapons Platoon Commander, and the Forward Observation team!
So, Orion won the game 3-2 as points were simply scored for taking out units.
Facing a Sherman, a Stuart and an M10 Tank Destroyer with a 3-inch gun (which counts as a HEAVY AT gun!) I legit did NOT expect that the little Renault would survive beyond the first turn!? It did get four shots off at the Stuart... I think only one hit and did not penetrate the armour - but DID give it ONE pin marker?!
The M10 just kept missing?! One time it did hit, but did not penetrate the armour... another time it scored a glancing blow and gave a BUNCH of of Pin markers... and finally in the last turn, it did score a penetrating hit... but only caused two fires, which the crew was somehow able to put out!? So... it was STILL on the field of battle at the end of the game...
Tanks are considerably tougher than I thought they might be - even the dinky little tonks... at the same time, they are a little less deadly than I thought they might be...? I guess the tanks (well, THE SHERMAN!) are what KILLED two of the three units that were destroyed in the battle..
I had a lot of fun playing this. I'm really looking forward to playing more!
I have to admit, I was pretty apprehensive about playing Bolt Action...
It has been a decade since I last played (the FIRST EDITON!). I don't remember much, but my general feelings from having played it was that it wasn't awesome and I didn't have a lot of fun. Perhaps the new rules cleared up some of the issues I may have had? I think maybe I was just souring on World War Two in general at the time. Likely from having played far too much Flames of War - and SO MANY other WW2 games!? Blitzkrieg Commander, Tactical Commander, WRG rules 1925-1950, I Ain't Been Shot Mum, Disposable Heroes, Savage Worlds, etc, etc, etc... Maybe it was just the people I was playing with...? I don't know... I had a LOT of fun playing this and think it has a lot of potential!
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