The Iron Riders' Road East: Part 2 – Raid at the listening post

Welcome back. I have been working on actually creating characters and personalities for the leaders in this platoon. And creating a platoon. Since I am using ASW I am slightly adapting it for my needs. 

A US infantry platoon consists of:
4 individual leaders, and one adjutant.
4 Rifle teams of 5 men
3 BAR teams of 4 men
I can have a bazooka. 

I am organising it as such: Each rifle and BAR team share a squad leader (x3).
This leaves me with one extra rifle team and one leader - this will then be the platoon HQ squad. I am toying with including a 5th officer as a platoon sergeant, but wonder if he can be a more vague concept. I like the idea of him providing a generic boost once in a while. 

There are three platoon campaign stats that I will follow:
1. Platoon morale. This number increases and decreases with success/failure. It allows a bonus on any breaking point tests made. 

2. Replacement points. Starting with 6 per battle, I can spend them to replace soldiers and teams. 

3. Reputation points. I earn these with successes. I then spend them on extra support resources, even ones that are not allowed on that mission. 

Meet the Platoon:
2nd Lt. Jacob "Jake" Rourke - interested in working his way through the ranks to best provide for his family back home. Bold but inexperienced. 

Staff Sgt. Michael "Micky" Delaney - Fond of a tipple, he has seen a lot. Aged 29 he is the old man of the platoon, the backbone, and trusted by all.

Squad leader - 1st Squad: Roger "Red" Kingsley - One of the few pre-Normandy men left he is a steady hand, a family man who wants to get through this and get home to his dearest. 

Squad leader - 2nd Squad: Cpl. Walter "Walt" Hennings - An aggressive patriot, will stop at nothing to fight for the cause of freedom. Admired and feared. 

Squad leader - 3rd Squad: Cpl. Sgt. Frank Malloy  - promoted after the death of Sgt. Bandowicz. Inept and in it for himself, this man is unpopular. 

These are the leaders of 1st Platoon, Baker Company, 327th Infantry Battalion ("The Iron Riders"). This line infantry battalion was raised from a mix of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana National Guard cadres and trained in Camp Wheeler, Georgia. After final workups in England in Spring 1944, the battalion crossed into France in the throes of Operation Cobra, spending much of August and September catching up with the front lines. Now, in late September 1944 they are being thrown into the fight on the Westwall, where they are probing and preparing to fight their way through the Hürtgen Forest and over the Rhine.

Current Situation:
The platoon was sent to clear a wooded hilltop that overlooked a key supply route. During this battle there were some casualties but the mission was a success. 

Now recon forces have identified a German listening post tracking US movement along the edge of the forest, located just on the other side of the hill. Major Brill has ordered its destruction to blind local defences before renewed attacks. Baker 1st Platoon — blooded in the recent clearing of Hill 73 — has been assigned the raid. Lt. Rourke decided to take 1^st and 2^nd squads take care of this, as 3^rd squad was still reeling from the loss of Sgt. Bandowicz while taking that damned hill.

The plan would involve having 1st squad's rifle team held in reserve, just in case. Somehow Major Brill had scrounged up some support from an M5. A little mobile MG bunker would be useful.

On the left flank the M5 and 1st squad's BAR team would advance across the field. In the centre Lt. Rourke would provide covering fire from the edge of the wooded hill, along with an attached .30 cal MMG team. On the right flank Walt Hennings and 2nd squad would rain fire down from the hilltop and advance when possible. German forces would be hiding in spots to protect the listening post.

Upon entering the woods Walt Hennings and 2nd squad come under fire from a couple of German rifle squads. They hit the dirt and find other cover. 

An MG42 team in the farm complex spots Red Kingsley and his BAR team in the field. They open fire...

...and pin them down! Kingsley, in his attempts to grab his men and move them forward gets hit and crumples to the ground! 

Lt. Rourke and his squad charge into the flank of one of the German squads in the woods, pouring fire into them! 

The yellow dice are hits, you roll 1D6 per person, plus extras for certain things. For every hit you roll for casualties: the red 1s and 2s. The Germans, taking more hits and casualties lose and will suffer a -3 modifier to the following morale test, which makes it essentially unpassable. Because they took over 50% casualties, and failed the morale test, the squad is wiped out. 

Just across the way, Walt Hennings and his squad engage in a firefight. This time, the German leader manages to rally what remains of the squad and they make a withdrawl. The plan is to retreat as fast as possible to the listening post and hook up with anyone there. 

Kingsley's BAR team moves up to the hedgerow. The .30 cal team and the M5 launch a hail of fire at the MG42 team at the farm. This heavily suppresses them, and with no leader around, they will have to try and unsuppress themselves. 

They succeed! They manage to pop their heads up long enough to send a stream of tracers up the hill to pin down the .30 cal team! Out of shot, the remnants of the German squad from the woods continues retreating down the hill and across the field.

The M5 and BAR team in the field continue firing into the farm, attempting to knock out the MG42 team! 

One of the crew is killed, and the remaining team drop to the ground, heavily suppressed. 

Lt. Rourke and Hennings' men advance to the edge of the woods and begin pouring fire into the listening post. 

A squad of Germans at the listening post take some fire, but it is ineffective. The survivors from the woods keep retreating. The MG42 team continues to remain suppressed. 

The .30 cal team takes fire from the squad at the listening post. But again, it is not enough to cause a problem. 

Hennings and his men keep pouring fire into the listening post. 

They are pinned down and the squad leader is killed trying to rally them!

With the MG42 team suppressed, the BAR team and the M5 break out of cover and advance towards the farm.

Lt. Rourke and his men leave the cover of the woods to begin charging down the hill at the listening post. They take a scattering of fire, but it is wild and inaccurate.

The MG42 team manages to gather themselves together enough to send off some bursts at the BAR team - caught in the open they break and run!

The M5 and Lt. Rourke's team pour enough fire into the farm to finally break the MG42 team! They leave the gun and run!

Henning's team, who have been covering the open area and trying to keep German heads down, keep firing. This suppression is meant to help Lt. Rourke advance!

It works! The survivors from the woods take heavy fire and their squad leader goes down trying to drag them to the listening post!

Lt. Rourke and his men charge down the hill! Bayonets fixed!

They charge through ineffective, weak resistance!

The M5 advances behind the listening post. With Lt. Rourke and his men closing in, and heavy suppressive fire coming from the .30 cal team and Hennings' 2nd squad, the remaining Germans call it a day. With nowhere to go, they throw down their weapons and accept that for them the war is now over. 

With a successful raid, Major Brill is happy. The breaking of 1st squad was not great, but they were caught before going too far. Shaken, they will be back in the fight after a little rest just off the line. Red Kingsley, while wounded, was not dead. In fact, he was barely wounded. When going down he ended up hitting his head and was knocked out more than riddled with bullets. He would be patched up and ready to go for their next assignment, albeit with a squad who were shaken up a bit. 

The success of Cpl. Henning and his leadership of his squad has helped build his reputation for competance. In game terms I will allow him one free reroll of a failed Lead from the Front action each game from now on. 1st Platoon has also begun developing a reputation as a platoon that gets the job done. 

Platoon Morale: 1
Replacement Points: 6

Reputation: 1

Platoon HQ squad: 1XP (at 3xp they become hardened and can have a free reroll of a morale test)

2nd Squad: 1XP

Next battle planned.