We will fight them on the beaches.

It's been a while, but a busy March which saw travel to Rome with work has delayed the write up of the next few scenarios. With my German force storming the beaches of Kent in the previous game, it was time for Terry to try and win the shores of Britain.

To stop him, I bought a solid force of 4 squads of BEF, a few artillery pieces and support teams,  a squad of the Navy finest men backed up with those Home Guard veterans. A nice 1000 point force. I spread my troops over the table, hoping that they will be enough to stop the German forces. I decided against any reinforcements and went all in.

Don't Panic.

The game started with Terry launching a bombardment from the Naval ships just off the coast and he did a lot of damage. Lots of squads received 2 pin markers and worse 6 of the Navy squad were wiped out.

Turn 1:
Turn 1 began with Terry receiving the first dice of the game and bringing on the first of his small boats. My Home Guard squad seeing this arrival, passed thier moral check and missed the boat. The officer could be heard muttering about missing a barn door. Despite this hail of fire, Terry received another dice and jumped a squad out of the boat, who returned fire on the Home Guard squad, killing one of there number.

Dead before it could do anything. 

Nestled in some undergrowth the British Sniper shot at the squad and gave them a pin marker. Meanwhile, more enemey reinforcements were arriving, as a German Tank was seen swimming it's way through the tide only to become some stuck on an underground reef or sandbank. This was good for the morale of the British.

However, a second Panzer, a Swimpanzer no less quickly came on and wipped out the Smith Gun, without it being able to let off a shot. The Mortor, dispirited by seeing their freinds wipped out, failed to hit the squad on the beach front.

As the Navy squad rallied, from their pregame mauling Terry was able to bring on more boats woth squads jumping out and running up the beach. Terry's Pioneer Squad ran forward and shot the Home Guard, killing another one of their number.

At this point, Terry had a sucession of dice, and soon the beaches of Kent were littered with German boats and the sounds of Germans taking up postions. One of their squads, charging up the German right flank suddenly found themselves in ambush from a British squad and lost one of their number to the gunfire. In return, they targeted the hidden sniper and gave him a pin.

As the turn came to a conclusion, the Germans had gained a foot hold, and cemeted this with the invasion barge came crashing into the beach head.

Turn 2:

Terry tried to advance his squad on the right forward, but losing a man in the previous turn had spooked them and they decided to hunker down where they were instead. I managed to land a mortor shell on the boat, but no damage was done, but it did receive a pin which was spread to all of the squads within.

My squad on the German left flank advance forward and opened fire on the dastardly German flamethrower. Somehow, despite the hail of bullets, the Germans survived and then in return wiped out the squad.

Fill the gap.

The Swimpanzer continued it's march forward and let rip at the second right hand squad of British, who decided to go down and suffered no casulties. Terry's other Panzer still remained stuck in the mud.

The rest of the turn was spent repostioning squads for the British, as the hole in the right flank caused by the sudden incineration of the British Squad was opened up by a charging squad out of the Invasion Barge. The only casulty was Terry's squad on the right hand flank took another casulty.

Turn 3:

This turn opened with Terry charging a squad into combat with the sniper, who, predictably, disappered under a hail of combat. Terry used his Swimpanzer to shoot at my officer, who somehow managed to survive under the hail of bullets.

Meanwhile, boyed with landing on British soil, Terry's squad that had apepared out of the boat moved forward and wipped out the oppoising NCO and LMG of the nearby squad. The squad tried to charge them, but failing thier morale check, decided to stay where they were. My nearby MMG opened fire on the Germans and killed 2.

Terry's Pioneers advanced on the mauled Navy squad and killed one more of thier number. In response, and with a blood curdling scream, they responded by charging into combat and wipping out the Pioneer squad.

Terry bought on his officer, to join the men on the beaches, and was suprised to find that one of his tanks was still stuck on the sand bank. Ignoring this, the German forces were ordered to move forward, and were soon making thier way across and into the English country side.

Things were looking bad for the British, most of the squads had pin markers on, as well as losing several men.

Where did that come from.....

Turn 4:
Turn 4 did not start of with Terry's mortor landing a shell on one of my squads, which killed 4, and sent them fleeing. As Terry, now seeing a big hole in the British flank, began moving his forces forward at a run, I charged into Terry's other pioneer squad and wipe them out.

Only to loose the squad to the flamethrower that appeared from nowhere to me. At this point, I knew Terry had the upper hand especially, as his previously beached Tank, sprang forward. The only consilation that this turn had for me was, that I was able to wipe out one of Terry's squad with the Machine Gun, but as the game came to a close, I knew that I had lost the game.

Turn 5:
This turn starts of well, and my mortor lands a shell on Terry's tank, exploding it. The cheer from the badly mauled British side was short lived as their officer was enveloped in a hail of flame. His adjuandt died, but the officer step clear with nothing more than some singes on his trousers. The evil flamethrower had to die, and a squad were sent to to deal with this and it was soon wiped out.

Meanwhile, the rest of the turn saw Terry move his forces forward and get closer to the edge of the table. Knowing there was nothing that I could do to stop them we moved on to turn 6, which might be the last of the game.

Turn 6:

2" letting rip.

Terry's 2" artilery peice aimed at my squad and killed 7 of them in one explosive blast. This turn had not started out great for me, and it would continue to get worse as Terry was able to get squads of the edge of the board, gaining him campaign points in the process.

Meanwhile, the only thing of note from my perspective was that my mortor failed misserabley to hit the tank, let alone damaging it. And my last surviving squad deciding that cowardace was the best option and going down instead of charging into combat.

There was only one thing left to do, and that was to role the dice to see if another turn would be played. I hoped for an end, but the dice came up and said one more turn.

Turn 7:

Right, next stop London.

With the dice saying we had to play one more turn, and the writing, at this point being fairly on the wall, but being British, we would not go down without a fight. I targeted Terry's mortor with my last squad and was able to wipe it out. However, in response they became the target of Terry's 2" artillery and wipe out the squad.

Despite giving it all they could, Terry's tank was not able to get off the table denying him some more victory points. Instead, they targeted my mortor, and killed one of them. I in response, aimed the mortor at his 2" and killed it.

At this point the game was over, and it was time to count up victory points.

David 10 Terry 28.

Terry had well and truely deserved this game. I think I selected my forces poorly, it was done in a rush, and didn't really go with the scenario. I also think, with hindsight, that I should have taken an Anti Tank Gun, and maybe deploy some force in support, to have as reinforcements.

Terry, was able to exploit my weakness perfectly, and break through the thin British line, perfectly. Gaining him 13 campaign points to my 0.

After 4 games, and 2 sceanrios, the campaign points are like this.

Terry 19 David 13

And also Axis 23, Allies 9.

Terry,'s taken quite a lead, and lets hope I can claw it back in the next few sceariors.