Race For The Rhine: Part 6 - The End

Round 4; the home stretch started with Jerry some way behind those hightailing allies on their way to the Rhine.  That 17 point lead was soon sliced and diced in the first clutch of games with the Great German Hope; Dennis and his panzer kompanie, defeating his rival James to move to the top.  The American tank destroyers were rendered impotent by the cunning German use of massed recon troops (you’d almost have thought he’d planned it from the start), and a single platoon of Yankees was left to try and fend off the wave of Panzer IV’s.  They almost did until that most unlikely of heroes; a bergepanzer, stepped in and a 6-1 victory started an Aryan party.  It would only get louder with the announcement that Pete Derrick, on the verge of being declared a traitor to the fatherland due to his poor results, had defeated Paul’s British armour.  His dug in infantry proved impossible to shift, and had just enough firepower to bloody the Brits noses before they withdrew in disgust – 6-1 again.  The third game of the clutch saw another Panzer kompanie, this time David’s, take on Luke’s paras, and from an excellent position contrived to rescue defeat from victory.  In truth it was more about the para’s foxhole norman status, and another infantry army that couldn’t be shifted.  David still caused enough injury for it to finish as a 4-3 result, and with that the Germans had pulled the gap back to 8 points.

The next batch of games brought reality back to the overly optimistic Germans, as Blue Team Dave’s SS Panzergrenadiers fell foul of their own inexperience and Red’s Cromwell’s.  The British tanks swamped them, and ran out easy victors at 6-1, with the winner kindly writing a battle report which is at the bottom.  This brought a renewed belief to the Allied cause, and combined with a moment of madness for Ian and his Panzers as he took on Aidan’s British infantry.  The Brits supporting Cromwell’s being able to wander forward and capture the undefended objective on turn 3, bringing a swift end to the game, and to the possibility of the Germans making an unlikely comeback in the campaign as it moved out of their reach mathematically.  Some points were still to be scored however, and that started with a grudge match between my woefully depleted panzergrenadiers against Phil’s British infantry.  Phil failed to pick up on my lack of ranged firepower, and was very cautious throughout which meant he ran out of time to claim an objective, and could only pick up a draw, abet 3-2 in his favour.

Two games remained for the Germans to pick up some pride, or for the allies to rub it in.  Firstly Andy’s para’s took on Adam Bates Sturmkompanie in the battle to escape the foot of the table, and ran out the winners in a pincer scenario where Adam’s sturmkompanie attacked, and come second to rocket Andy up the table to the heady heights of 8^th.  Adam was almost as pleased as his 2 points (in a 5-2 defeat) moved him above Paul.  Finally there was Ben’s SS Panzergrenadiers, who took on Martins 7^th Armoured looking to finish as the second placed German, while Martin was aiming to destroy all German hopes by taking the top spot off Dennis with the last roll of the dice.  It looked to be a close game right up to the point where it began, and then promptly ended on turn 2 with an Allied victory and no casualties anywhere!  The 6-1 victory gave Martin the title of top allied player, and overall campaign winner.

Phil's Shermans; on their way to be ambushed by my pioneers.

Dennis' Panzer IV's bringing doom to James' infantry.

Red thoroughly defeating Dave.

The Final Tables

Player	Company	Round 4	Average % Loss	Points Total
Martin	7th Armoured Division	6	3.2	21
Dennis	Panzer Kompanie	6	9.2	20
Phil	Canadian Assault Infantry	3	10.6	16
James Underwood	US Tank Destroyer Company	1	14.5	16
Red Pendrigh	Guards Armoured Recce Company	6	27.7	16
Aidan Holman	British Rifle Company	6	7.1	14
Luke	US Parachute Rifle Company	4	15.4	13
Andy Canham	US Parachute Rifle Company	5	2.5	11
Ben	SS Panzergrenadier Kompanie	1	5.3	11
Rick Andrews	Panzergrenadier Kompanie	2	21.3	11
David Astbury	Panzer Kompanie	3	25.8	11
Pete Derrick	SS Panzergrenadier Kompanie	6	14	9
Blue Team Dave	SS Panzergrenadierkampfgruppe	1	20.3	9
Adam Bate	Sturn Kompanie	2	49.2	8
Ian Shaw	Panzer Kompanie	1	57	8
Paul	Guards Armoured Squadron	1	28.7	7
Position	Company	Round 4	Average % Loss	Points Total
Martin	7th Armoured Division	6	2.5	21
Phil	Canadian Assault Infantry	3	10.6	16
James Underwood	US Tank Destroyer Company	1	14.5	16
Red Pendrigh	Guards Armoured Recce Company	6	27.7	16
Aidan	British Rifle Company	6	7.1	14
Luke	US Parachute Rifle Company	4	15.4	13
Andy Canham	US Parachute Rifle Company	5	9.7	11
Paul	Guards Armoured Squadron	1	28.7	7
Position	Company	Round 4	Average % Loss	Points Total
Dennis	Panzer Kompanie	6	9.2	20
Ben	SS Panzergrenadier Kompanie	1	5.3	11
Rick Andrews	Panzergrenadier Kompanie	2	21.3	11
David Astbury	Panzer Kompanie	3	25.8	11
Pete Derrick	SS Panzergrenadier Kompanie	6	14	9
Blue Team Dave	SS Panzergrenadierkampfgruppe	1	20.3	9
Adam Bate	Sturm Kompanie	2	49.2	8
Ian Shaw	Panzer Kompanie	1	57	8

The Campaign Awards

Such occasions call for awards for a group who very kindly played every game in the campaign, with only one player having to drop out and being replaced by Adam.  Joining the awards for overall winner, best German, and top Allied player, are general awards for all the players who took part.

The ‘Julius Caesar’ Award For

‘Overall Campaign Victor’ 

In the ‘Race To The Rhine’ FOW Campaign goes too:

____________Martin_______________

You are a shining example of a tactical genius; capable of breathtaking manoeuvres, holder of the keys to bloodless conquering, and the master of the smug ‘victory is mine’ look. 

The ‘Heer Otto Flick’ Award For

‘The Greatest German’ 

In the ‘Race To The Rhine’ FOW campaign goes too:

_____________Dennis_______________

The Fuhrer sends his congratulations to you; the greatest German outside of the Fuhrer bunker, and offers you a place of honour at his side defending Berlin to the last.  He knows you will be delighted to accept.

The ‘René François Artois Award For

‘The Top Ranking Allied Player’ 

In the ‘Race To The Rhine’ FOW campaign goes too:

_______________Martin___________

Resistance hero René Artois bestows this award upon you for ridding his café of Germans, ending the war early, and in the expectation you will pay your bar tab.*    *Tab attached to reverse.

The Award For

‘Defeating The Germans And Not Giving A Damn About Afterwards’

In the ‘Race To The Rhine’ FOW campaign goes too:

__________The Yanks_________

Congratulations its hamburger time!  We’ll be in Berlin by next week, shake hands with our good buddy’s, the Russians, there, then off back home for a slice of mom’s apple pie and a slap on the back from Uncle Sam.

The Award For

‘Defeating The Germans And Handing Half Of Europe To Russia’

In the ‘Race To The Rhine’ FOW campaign goes too:

___________The British Players___________

You complete ass.  Now we’ve got to put up with years of Cold War, nuclear peril, and seeing commies on every corner.  Next time slow down and give the Jerries a chance to whack Stalin for six before you join in.  Apart from that, jolly good show old chap!

The Award For

‘Successfully Helping The Yanks And British Reach Berlin Before Breakfast’

In the ‘Race To The Rhine’ FOW campaign goes too:

_____________The German Players____________

To congratulate you for your sterling efforts in ensuring the Allies made it over the Rhine in double quick time, thus preventing the Fuhrer from contemplating surrender to the subhuman’s of the East. We will join with the Allies and together we will fight the red beast and achieve final victory!

The Campaign In Numbers:

21 – the number of points Martin needed to claim top spot.

27 – the difference in points between the Germans and the allies final results!

2.5% - the lowest loss total, unsurprisingly claimed by Martin.

57% - the highest loss total; Ian beating off stiff competition from Adam to ‘win’.

7 – the number of wins the Germans managed between them (Dennis with 3 of these).

17 – the number of wins the Allies managed!

7 – the number of Germans in the bottom 8 of the table.

Battle Reports of Round 4:

Andy on a battle which saw both him, and opponent Adam, avoid the feared bottom spot:

A shock win for the Allies.  The scenario was Pincer, Adam rolled highest so was attacker with his German Grenadier Company of two infantry platoons supported by Stugs, PAK 40s, 120mm mortars, nebelwerfers and 105mm howitzers.  My two platoons of US paras, with 81mm mortars, MG platoon, 75mm pack howitzer battery and 57mm AT battery, supported by a Sherman platoon, held off Adams assault infantry for 8 turns, eventually destroying both infantry platoons and the Stug support platoon, for the loss of one para rifle platoon, leaving no German troops in the Allied half of the table.  So, an allied victory with three platoon losses for Fritz and one platoon for the paras.

Red’s take on his Cromwell’s defeating Blue Team Dave’s SS Panzergrenadiers:

So the 4th battle for the Welsh Guards. After the disaster against Dennis' panzers I'd lost my Achillies tank destroyers so decided to go back to the Sextons that had performed so well earlier in the campaign. I was also disappointed by the performance of the Typhoons so knowing I'd be up against panzer grenadiers ditched them for 40mm Bofors.
DBT turned up and rolled a Breakthrough mission which put him in defense and immediately cost him his half-tracks with their AT guns. This left him with little option but to dig-in and hope.
I had to place 1 platoon in delayed reserve which was one of the tank platoons, whilst DBT had his marders and AA guns in reserve.
As such the only units of note facing me at the start were a unit of PaK-40s and a small unit of Wespes, both deployed in woodland. This proved a disaster as it allowed my Cromwells a free turn to close the gap on the PaK-40s whilst the Bofors proved to be out of range of anything for the whole game (they would have preferred the Germans to have some attacking role in the game) and the spotter for the artillery proved woefully inept, failing to spot a unit of infantry on the other side of the road for several turns. Meanwhile the second spotter tank moved forward with the intention of lining up the Wespes for a counter-bombardment. A quick skirmish with the PaK-40s cost the Welsh an ARV whilst the Germans found themselves minus one of their main AT units and their front line now looking dangerously porous. 
At this p[oint the Marders showed up on the flank which seems to have become a running theme of the Welsh venture into the Rhineland, this cost a Challenger, whilst the remaining tanks swept round the hedge to destroy 2 Marders, bail a 3rd and the sent the platoon running, leaving just the Wespes as the only unit offering any significant resistance.
At this point an artillery observer hiding in a house forced the observer sherman sheltering there to retreat. This robbed the Sextons of the opportunity to bombard the Wespes so the artillery packed up and began to advance en-masse on the observers houses. The heroic German observer who had embarrassed the Sherman earlier became the first victim as German AA guns arrived on the flank but strugled to identify a useful role as the tide of Welsh armour swept past.
The Wespes stated their defiance by knocking out the Welsh 2iC but were silenced in turn by the Cromwells.
It was now just a case of digging out the German infantry from the objectives.
The Welsh reserves turned up at this point to begin the assault on the lighter held of the objectives, causing a couple of casualties and though the first assault was a little indecisive the writing was on the wall. 
DBT surrendered for a 6:1 win to the Allies.

We now hand over (with some trepidation) to Phil and his North Africa campaign. Thank you all, and good night.