Bolt Action, 1940 Hollywood Germans invade France!

by Dennis ‘Matt Varnish’ Campbell

So you know what I really needed?  Another game system to get into. Because apparently Italians, Germans, and British in Flames of War, Syrians and US National Guard in Team Yankee, French in Black Powder Napoleonics in 28mm, Prussians in 18mm, Romans in 28mm for Ancients, and 18mm Persians just wasn’t enough. 

I’ve been feeling some peer pressure from the likes of Scott Roach and the gang to get into Bolt Action in 28mm, and I took the plunge recently, with Blitzkrieg Germans.   

Why Blitzkrieg germans?  Rob Kelly has purchased some bicycle troops to defend the Danish frontier for a few hours before capitulating in 1940 so I figured I’d paint something, not from North Africa. This left the grey germans. And we can recreate this scene from the movie April 9th: 

I just need some sidecars!

Besides, in every show and movie up until the last few decades, every german soldier was wearing the stahlhelm with the three-colour national shield sticker on it as if it was still 1940. Since Bolt Action is the tabletop version of Commando Comics, I might as well go with the generic bad guys, the jackboot-wearing germans.

Way back, prior to Covid, I played a demo game at Scott ‘Obsidian23’ Roach’s back in 2019 which can be viewed here: . Lately, we’ve played mainly 1000 pts Late War lists (with my grey germans being Op. Zitadel 1943 Selector from Armies of Germany) to get the hang of the rules, but this time I am trying Early War Selecter for the first time Battle of France 1940, as my army is finally painted.

This game was a custom objective mission playing from the short edges of the board, Scott had to prevent me from taking two river crossings (stone bridge and wood bridge) and a deeper Barn objective. Prevent the French from getting more horse meat??

Scott’s list:  2nd Lt with 1 NCO aide, French Foreign legion Sniper team, 7-man Portee squad with LMG, 8-man Senegalese with LMG and VB Grenade launcher, Veteran 6-man squad with LMG, 9-man squad with LMG, Mortar team, Hotchkiss MMG team, Panhard 178, and a Char B

My list: Regular 1st Lt with 2-SMG NCOs, three units of ten regular Heer, each with half-track, and an MG34 team, an inexperienced. Mortar team with observer (Which at the time I thought they could use, but they cannot), 7.5cm Light Infantry Gun, Panzerbuchse AT Rifle, 8-Rad, and finally a Pzr 38(t)  

Turn 1

We both managed to Run order stuff from the short table edges, Scott making his Order test to get the Char B on the table (One Man Turret, must pass a check to do anything even if no Pins). The French Foreign legion escorted the Char B.

 

Scott had his sniper on the top floor of a house overlooking the space in between both crossings.

 

Turn 2

I moved up my infantry in their halftracks to the river. Scott’s sniper must have hunkered down since he failed his test to fire with them.   

 

The Char B makes its test to move up and shoot, and needing a 6 to hit, hits and explodes a half-track by the farm shack. 

 

My infantry managed their test and advance into cover. 

My two other infantry sections advance on either flank to the large buildings overlooking each crossing. 

The 7.5cm gun tried to put an HE round into the building with the sniper, failing to hit.

Scott used Snap To to get three units (Vets, HQ, and Senegalese) right up to the Pharmacy building,

The Portee squad moved up to the Epicerie (Groceries) building.

And the Panhard advanced up the road to block the french side of the bridge, but the extreme curvature of the bridge also meant he was out of LOS to my 38(t) and my 8-Rad.  Recce moves fast up a roadway. 

 

Char B as mentioned took out one of my halftracks. His FFL squad advanced in cover along the extreme flank to cover the wooden bridge.

 

His Hotchkiss MMG team advanced to the non-objective barn, it has a top floor opening with decent fields of fire. The mortar will stay behind the barn.

 

Turn 3 

My HQ ran out of the building to get just under the Sniper’s building. Firing SMGs (and presumably throwing potato masher grenades through the windows), they killed the Sniper team. 

 

However, they were in the open. The French regulars behind the Epicerie advance around the building and fire. Fortunately, the sandbag wall between us protects my HQ section, so they take one Pin. 

 

Now that his men were out in the open, my Heer squad in the farm shack advance out. They fire at his regulars, killing one and adding a pin. Then the Char B sees my Heer, passes the test, shoots both guns at them with HE, but misses with both shots. 

Scott’s FFL moved up to take shots at my HQ, causing another pin. Then my Heer in the far building advance out of cover to shoot at the FFL… causing only a pin. My 8-Rad moved up onto the stone bridge to shoot at the Panhard, causing only a pin. The rest simply advanced into the town, with one squad getting to the rooftop of the Cafe, and my MG34 took out the Mortar Spotter.

 

Turn 4 

The French regulars advanced up to the sandbag wall and were then able to decimate the unit near the farm shack. Only three troopers remained.  I tried to activate my HQ, failed, and had to go Down. Over by the wooden bridge, I attempted to advance my Heer to catch the FFL in the open, FAILED, and went down. His FFL casually walked up to a fence and opened up on them, killing two more. 

 

My 8-Rad advanced into French Territory to shoot into the side of the Panhard but he Recce’ed back down the road all the way to the Barn Objective. The 38(t) moved up onto the stone bridge to fire at the Panhard at long range and missed.

 

The Char B passed its test yet again, shot at, and missed my 8-Rad thanks to a hedge making me behind cover.

 

Scott’s Portee and Senegalese poured fire into my Cafe Rooftop heer and forced them down, killing three.

 

Turn 5

In a shocking turn of events (sarcasm), my HQ still failed to pass its order test and had to go Down again.   

The Farmshack Heer managed to pass and got back into the Farmshack for safety.  I rolled up a half-track down the road to contest the Barn objective, my 8-Rad circling the barn with the Panhard.   

The downed squad near the wooden bridge was wiped out by the FFL. I have the 38(t) on the stone bridge but out of LOS of the Char B.  The Char B fails its order test and cannot move to take a shot at the 38(t). He holds the wood bridge Objective, and I have the Stone bridge and barn. Can I hang on?

Turn 6

I pull the first die and use it on the 8-Rad to try and manouver for a rear armour shot on the Panhard. But the Panhard Recced away.   The Char B passes its test and drops a Howitzer HE shell into the open-topped Halftrack, not killing it but inflicting five pins and Immobilizing it. The Char B’s main gun fired at my 8-Rad and also Immobilized it. 

 

Both vehicles crucially are still holding the Barn Objective. My HQ, you’ll be surprised to learn, failed its order test yet again and went down. The 38(t) remained on the Stone Bridge and out of LOS of the Char and Crew Stunned the Panhard. His FFL are now in the building near my HQ… hoping for another easy kill!  My force is barely hanging on to two objectives, but we roll a die and there will be a Turn 7.

Turn 7

Big Brain play, I drop a smoke mission between my immobilized vehicles near the Horse barn objective and his Char B, meaning to shoot he would have to pass a test to move around it (which he did, but was only able to blow up the half-track because of the -1 movement penalty).  His FFL and Portee advanced into German territory and wipe out my HQ and the Farmshack squad was hit by the Regulars, and they broke.

I stupidly did a Fire order and not an Advance Order with my 38(t) which meant only my half-track was claiming the stone bridge objective. And the Senegalese assaulted and blew up the half-track, claiming that objective for him.   

 

So he has both bridges, and while I claim the horse barn with an immobilized 8-Rad, they will be forced to surrender behind enemy lines.

It was a great game, and a great way to see off Scotty for another few months as he ships off overseas. Regarding my list, I now know that the Inexperienced mortars can’t use an observer, and the 7.5cm can’t BUY one. Positionally, my AT rifle team spent more time climbing stairwells than shooting, but with the +2 to pen was good at reliably killing infantry. If only just the Pharmacy building wasn’t blocking LOS to his Panhard, which was my only real vehicle target for the Panzerbuchse.