The Iron Riders' Road East: Part 4 - Prisoner snatch!

On December 30th 2025 my mother in law bought my children the game Minecraft. They played that day and loved it. That evening I started playing it and was instantly hooked. That is quite literally the sole reason I haven't been actively engaging in my other hobbies! I might make a post showcasing my humble creations. Last night I just put together a quick game and fought it out. I had largely ignored my campaign info and have no printer ink - so couldn't really prepare anything anyway. I enjoyed the fight and intend to have a few more battles over Easter.

After a few days off the line, the acquisition of replacements, and a good rest, the men were going to be sent back into positions. However, the Brass wanted more intelligence. It had been noticed that 1st Platoon had been rested and Jake Rourke seemed to know how to successfully lead men in this awful territory. As such an intelligence officer was attached to the platoon and they were going to be sent to infiltrate a forward defensive position, grab a couple of poor sods, maybe even a leutnant, and find out what they know. 

The entire platoon would be going in, supported by a Browning .30cal team and a Sherman for some HE. 

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.

Assistant Squad leader - 1st Squad: Cpl. Matty O'Doul - More laid back than Kingsley, but no less able. 

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. Frank Malloy  - promoted after the death of Sgt. Bandowicz. Inept and in it for himself, this man is unpopular. 

The German forward defensive line is clearly anchored on the thick-walled 18th century barn, overlooked by the copse on the high ground. Any attack would have to be quick and dirty across open ground. Suddenly Lt. Rourke didn't feel so pleased to have been noticed by the Brass. 

1st Squad would head up the centre with the Sherman. Lt. Rourke and his team would stay close, in order to support O'Doul in his first combat leadership mission. On the right would be 2nd Squad led by Hennings. They would make a dash up the slope, supported by covering fire from the centre. Malloy's job was to advance over the fields and lay fire into the barn from behind the hedge. 

 

O'Doul and 1st squad advanced to the low hedge, ready to set up some covering fire. The Sherman and CP held back.

Malley had his men rush across the field, trying to spend as little time in the open as possible.

Hennings' squad began taking fire as they charged up the slope. 

Ignoring the plan, O'Doul decided to rush the farmhouse. An MG42 team was in the yard and opend fire. Caught in the open the BAR team took fire and was and pinned down! 

Rallying from their pin, O'Doul's entire squad and the Sherman began firing on the MG team, heavily pinning it down. 

Pausing to open fire, Hennings' squad poured lead into the tree line, killing one of the Germans and pinning the team down.

Lt. Rourke and O'Doul's squads opened fire on another German team! They laid down a withering hail of fire, but with twigs snapping, bullets zipping past their heads, and little dirt clouds thrown up by bullets hitting around them the krauts stayed in place. The heroics of their NCO had them keep their calm and return fire. 

Even though pinned down, the German MG team gunner held fast to the trigger, throwing bullets over to O'Doul's BAR team, pinning them down with one GI becoming a casualty! O'Doul, in a questionable move took his rifle team to aid with clearing the woods. Rourke took over command of the BAR team left behind.

Hennings' squad kept up the fire at the tree line, causing the squad of Krauts to break and run! Their squad leader was powerless to rally them!

Fire was exchanged! The forest edge and MG team in the farmyard were firing. The Sherman and central squads of 1st platoon were firing back. It was a big mess. No-one was moving at the moment.

In an attempt to break the deadlock Malloy took his squads to the hedgerow to create a crossfire onto the farmyard. Unfortunately an MG team hidden in the field made itself known and tore strips into the exposed squad. At the same time a kraut rifle team took up positions in the barn and took Malloy's squad under fire. Pinned down and suffering a casualty they hugged the hedgerow even tighter.

 

The Sherman switched target and tried to blow the barn apart with HE, to dislodge the rifle team inside. O'Doul's BAR team, along with Rourke's team and Malloy's BAR team managed to pour enough fire onto the MG team in the farm to break their will to fight. This would help the centre out. 

With the Krauts in the woods in disarray, Hennings' squad, the .30 Cal team, O'Doul and his rifle team all charged up the hill, bayonets attached.

O'Doul and his riflemen charged the remaining Germans in the woods, and in furious close quarters fighting drove them out of the woods, inflicting heavy casualties. 

Meanwhile the MG42 team in the fields continued to pour fire into Malloy's team. While attempting to rally them Malloy took a stray round, crumpling and going silent.

Still caught in the open O'Doul's BAR team finally broke under pressure from the Krauts in the barn. They retreated back into the field, and the limited protection of the low hedges on its edge.

A Puma armoured car and another rifle team approached up the road in an attempt to support the beleaguered team in the barn. 

The remains of Malloy's squad put hands on him and dragged him out of the field and, while the Sherman kept pouring rounds ineffectively at the barn, they opened fire at the Kraut MG along with Rourke's team. They managed to dislodge it, killing the crew. 

On the right Hennings' and O'Doul's teams took up positions on the wooded edge, setting up a deadly crossfire. 

The Puma, aware of the Sherman firing on the barn took a shot at it. 

It missed. The Sherman returned fire...

...It didn't miss. Up brewed the Puma with a large pillar of oily black smoke. 

Surrounded on three sides and with little hope for relief the team in the barn surrendered. The intelligence officer was happy and took them away for interrogation. Before the platoon could even settle down to set up some defensive positions, they were ordered 500m down the road to hold a vulnerable section from what looked like suspicious German movements. The casualties taken by the platoon were insignificant, walking wounded. They would be handed an M1 each and bundled into a foxhole anyway. Malloy, while wounded, was just winged. It was shock more than anything that had knocked him down. His wound would develop into a cool scar in the future, but right now it was bandaged and he was going to be back on the line. 

O'Doul would still be replacing Kingsley who was on the mend and wanting to get back into the fight. 

They would be accompanied by 1st Lt. Arthur Cavanaugh, a logistics officer who had been assigned to judge whether this road could still maintain a secure supply route further into the forest. 

The Plan for 2026

My favourite hobby photo of the year:

Hi all, I haven't been that active over the Christmas break and January. Usually the plan over Christmas is to watch old war films and paint/organise miniatures or play some wargames. I have always dreamt of playing Battle of the Bulge games on the appropriate dates, but by the time I can it feels too late. I am currently reading Ardennes 1944 by Anthony Beevor and am thoroughly enjoying it. In fact, the section talking about Hürtgen Forest was what inspired me to set my current campaign there. Anyhow, over the break I found myself watching not a single old war film, but instead starting up Foyle's War. I watched that back as a late teen and remember enjoying it immensely. I am enjoying seeing almost any british actor who has ever acted make an early career appearance as a small character. 

I haven't done any painting/terrain building/wargaming over the entire of January. The truth is...I discovered Minecraft. We bought a Nintendo Switch for the kids - a family console to play Mariokart and Lego Jurassic Park. They also got Minecraft and have been enjoying building crazy stuff on there. I decided I would start a survival world to get the full experience. Since December 30th I have spent most evenings watching Foyle's War or The Office in the background while working out how to play that game. I have watched a lot of guides and tutorials and have discovered that the world I spawned in has a terrible spawn. I am on a forested island quite a long way away from anything good. However, I have used it to learn how to build houses, how to mine for diamonds, how to go caving, and how to survive the game. It is fascinatingly simple, yet complex all at once. 

The Plan for 2026

I intend to carry on my Iron Riders campaign over the coming months. I just want to get past January - it is a busy, long month at work. 

I would like to paint my US Paratroopers platoon and my Waffen SS platoon. I would also then like to purchase some British paratroopers. I would like to play some Arnhem games. 

At some point I will carry on the Another Day in the FiveCore campaign. The same goes for the Five Parsecs from Home campaign - although I might develop that into a second campaign with a new crew (some characters we already know). 

I am also going to start saving money to treat myself to a 3d printer, if not at the end of 2026 then in 2027. 

I hope 2026 treats you well.

The Iron Riders' Road East: Part 3 - Screening the Engineers

The platoon had just enough time to grab some replacements from the depot before being sent back out into the fight. A detachment of engineers were going to be clearing mines from a key supply route as the division was preparing to jump into a full scale incursion into the Hurtgen Forest. 1st Platoon, Baker was tasked with the job - at worst there might be a small German patrol to fend off. It must be obvious by now to the Germans that a large attack is on the way, and they were probably digging in and preparing defenses. 

With Red Kingsley wounded, and his squad shaken and full of replacements now, Lt. Rourke thought he should just take 2nd and 3rd squads out. Hennings and 2nd squad were hard, seasoned. Cpl. Frank Malloy and 3rd squad could perhaps be blooded and get some experience against some Jerries. 

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 - 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. Frank Malloy  - promoted after the death of Sgt. Bandowicz. Inept and in it for himself, this man is unpopular. 

The platoon would split in two. Part would advance into the fields and sit tight. They would engage any patrols who they found. The other half would advance quickly up the hill and occupy the wooded area at the top. This would provide cover and great fields of fire at any German patrols. 

Advancing up the hill would be Hennings and 2nd squad. They had an attached .30 cal team to help pack a punch. 

Malloy and 3rd squad would take the less dangerous task of sitting in the field and detering any advancing patrols. Lt. Rourke would head up the hill, but keep an eye out on Malloy in the field. 

As Rourke and Hennings charged up the hill, they noticed movement. There was a patrol up in the hills! And they were closer than the Americans would have liked. 

Malloy had his BAR team sit tight in the field further forward, and his rifles in another. They would sit at the edge and respond to orders as needed. 

The true extent of the German patrol became clear! A rag-tag group. A cobbled together platoon with a couple of rifle squads and a ton of machine guns! Where they had found two MG42s was a mystery, but they were holding onto them. They had even managed to comandeer an Sdkfz 222! 

One rifle team and an MG42 targetted Henning's rifle team with a devastating hail of fire! 

One man went down in a bloody mist, the rest hit the ground! Cpl. Hennings, hunched but mobile, grabbed them by the scruffs of their necks, kicked, shouted, pointed, and got them back into the fight!

The entire of 2nd squad laid down enough fire onto the German rifle team that they hit the dirt and kept their heads down, heavily suppressed!

Rourke and his squad charged another MG42 team, forcing them out of position! No casualties!

Henning's squad took more fire from an MG42 team, taking another casualty! Again Hennings dragged them off their bellies and back into the firefight! This man is a true american hero!

The German platoon leader and his rifle team charged down the .30 cal team, forcing them to head back out of the woods!

Rourke's team took fire from the rest of the Germans in the woods, but nothing stuck. Too many trees in the way. This was absolutely desperate fighting at short ranges. 

The Sdkfz 222 trundled around the hilltop, looking to flank the platoon.

 It spotted Malloy's squad and opened fire, killing a man and pinning the BAR team. 

Rourke kept the desperate close range firefight going in the woods, killing a German but no-one was ready to retreat yet. His radio-operator got on the radio to find out about the progress of the Engineers. They were almost done! He just had to hold on for a little while!

Hennings had his rifle team follow him around the back of the woods in an attempt to secure them from another angle. His BAR team exchanged fire with the Germans and unfortunately took a casualty!

The radio crackled - the minefield was cleared. It was time to begin a fighting retreat! 1st platoon had taken a bit of a mauling but had succeeded.

Frank Malloy and 3rd squad held the field and laid down covering fire as Rourke and Hennings led their men down the hill and back to US lines. The brass would be pleased that the mine-clearing was a success. 1st platoon might even get a couple of days' rest before the division jumped off! 

In game mechanic terms, Hennings was insane! 2nd squad took a lot of hits from the MG42 and rifle team. They failed seven morale tests across two turns. Hennings led from the front seven times and every time they rallied and passed the morale test. Any time I rolled a 1 he would be dead - but he didn't die!

This wasn't the best fight for the platoon. Luckily Staff Sgt. MIckey Delaney managed to whisper to the correct people and the whole platoon managed to get pulled back from the front line for 4 days. This enabled them to settle in a full complement of replacements, and attempt to get them in any way combat ready. No squads would be shaken or have any negative effects from the previous battles. In fact, Lt. Rourke, on the back of a few successful missions is feeling confident. His morale is increasing! I will allow him to reroll a morale test, or have a bonus on any breaking point tests next battle.  

In other news an NPC will be tagging along next mission. 

Platoon Morale: 1
Replacement Points: 7

Reputation: 1

Platoon HQ squad: 2XP (at 3xp they become hardened and can have a free reroll of a morale test)

2nd Squad: 2XP

3rd Squad: 1XP - Nice to see Malloy not screw the pooch.

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.