I figured this would warrant another thread as it's a separate battle, so here we go! The mission this time was High Ground. Some small alterations were made to the board after my game against the British armoured division, mainly to make room for my fortifications. You can clearly see the trench below.
This scenario called for half my force to be held in reserve, and after tallying up my units I found myself with a pretty hefty number of starting defenders on account of the higher points limit (we normally play 600). One of my 88s was deployed in a gun pit on some high ground near my board edge.
The other 88 was deployed in a gun pit connecting with my trench line. I had a number of Grenadiers flanking either side to provide covering fire.
The Americans started the game with a handful of tanks and infantry patrols all along the line at different points.
The game started with a mad dash down the road into my right flank. A cabin overlooked this street, containing a full Grenadier squad which was supported by a StuG III.
This Sherman drove in to support the M3 halftrack, but was pinned by artillery fire from a 105mm battery.
In the subsequent turn, the US commander tactically coordinated this tank and moved him down the road into the crosshairs of my StuG III. The assault gun managed to knock out the Sherman, but the Allies responded in kind with an expertly aimed bazooka shot from the rifle squad now disembarking.
I managed to pin a couple of units, but it wasn't enough.
I knew I was in trouble when the second squad disembarked.
As turn 4 came, all of the US reinforcements arrived. Some incredibly fortunate shelling from my howitzer battery led to the destruction of a forward observer's jeep and the team itself. In addition, a halftrack was also destroyed, stranding one of the American rifle squads in their mobilization zone.
As my own troops started to filter in, I decided to try and plug the gap in my line and reinforce the isolated Grenadier squad still hiding in the cabin. I sent in two of my assault guns and a Fusilier Patrol to bolster the position.
The Americans didn't like this one bit, and dedicated an increasing amount of troops to this critical juncture in the field.
The game was sadly ended shortly after the above photo was taken. The Americans were sitting on a very tall stack of chits by this point as a result of constant harassing fire from my off-table howitzers as well as my 88s. They had already drawn over 30 in chits against a BR of 41, while I ended the game with just 12. All in all, a fun little match and I was happy to use my 88s.
