Battle of Hemel Hempstead
9/12/37
This scenario is predicated on the alternative history sometimes referred to as a "Very British Civil War" which assumes a civil war arises out of the King Edward VIII's abdication crisis in 1937. However it is my interpretation of the war rather than the "official version" This a very much a chance to get some obscure pre-WW2 kit on the table and to fight a battle around my home town
Royalist (Fascist) Forces have outflanked London and are moving into the Republican heartland, advancing up the A5. The thrust has been stopped by Republican (Communist) forces between St Albans and Dunstable. To maintain momentum the Royalists have prematurely committed their reserve, the 1st Provisional Mechanised Brigade to an out-flanking manoeuvre to the west. The Republicans only have a thin screen of local militias guarding their flank so when aerial recce discovers the Royalist push they hurriedly rush Attlee Force to intercept. Neither side is much practiced at combined arms so when the spearheads meet east of Hemel Hempstead a messy escalating battle ensues.
Map and Order of Battle
Allocating Players to Commands
The game is optimised for four players. Co-ordination on both sides was atrocious so players are not allowed to talk to each other or otherwise communicate. The winner is the PLAYER with the most points at the end of the game.
Player 1: Apsley Mills Workers Militia, 5th Republican Artillery Regiment & Force HQ Company. Republican Fighters
Player 2: 2nd Northamptonshire Regiment, 3rd RTR, FHQ. Republican Attack
Player 3: 12th Lancers, HQ, A & B Sqn 13/18th Battalion Royal Hussars, Colonna Mobile di Volontariato della Legione Britannica, Royalist Fighters
Player 4: C Sqn 13/18th Battalion Royal Hussars, 1st Battalion Queens Own Royal West Kent Regt, 11th Regiment RHA, FHQ, Royalist Attack
Royalist players take it in turns to operate Adolf, player 4 starts
Republican Deployment
The Apsley Mills Workers’ Militia starts on table. Two companies are deployed in the dashed area around Apsley Mills, one company is deployed within 6" of Leverstock Green. The other stands can be deployed in either zone. The command infantry and infantry stands (but not the other stands, including the Zampolit) must be deployed touching a road. There are up to 6 roadblocks available to the Militia which may be deployed in either deployment area.
P Company 2nd Northamptonshire Regiment enters along roads B or C in turn 2. the rest of the battalion arrives turn 3.
The 5th Republican Artillery Regiment & Force HQ Company arrives turn turn 4 along roads B or C
The 3rd RTR arrives turn 6 along roads B or C or turn 7 down roads J or I
FHQ arrives turn 7 down road B or C
(Turn 7 the 5th RAR can call "normal" IDF - see below)
Royalist Deployment
The 12th Lancers start on the table in the SE corner behind the pink dotted line
The 13/18th Battalion Royal Hussars arrives turn 2 down roads G or F
The 1st Battalion Queens Own Royal West Kent Regt arrives turn 3 down road E
The Colonna Mobile di Volontariato della Legione Britannica arrives turn 6 down road E
The 11th Regiment RHA arrives turn 6 down roads G or F
Brig HQ and Adolf Hitler arrives turn 7 down roads G or F
(Turn 8 A battery 11th RHA can call "normal" IDF - see below)
Terrain
The board is 8ft x 5ft if playing at 1" = 50m. North is towards the top of the page
The terrain is farmland. It generally slopes up to the east from the Grand Union Canal. The crest xx represents the high point. (This is a significant hill but due to (unmarked) hedges and scattered trees does not provide particular LOS advantages)
The blue line is the Grand Union Canal. It is impassable to all vehicles and man-handled guns. Personnel may cross using a full BMA to do so. (There are unmarked locks and foot bridges down the length of the canal, or they can appropriate a barge)
The sandy dashed lines are ridge lines. They don't provide cover for spotting or concealment. AFVs touching get hull down against fire that crosses the ridgelines
The green dotted lines are thick hedges and tree lines. They give light (+1) cover. They break LOS except if a stand is adjacent. LOS only extends 45deg away from a line perpendicular to the hedge (i.e. you cant spot down the length of the hedge)
The red lines are tarmac roads. All roads are flanked by tree lines or hedges. A stand on the road is considered adjacent to both hedges. Max visibility down a road is 12"
The black dashed lines are railways. Unless otherwise marked they are on steep wooded embankments. The embankments can be treated as tree lines with the exception than they cost a BMA to cross for infantry and are impassable to vehicles and man-handled guns. Units on the tracks are considered adjacent to both tree lines Where the line is flanked by brown dots it is in a wide cutting. Stands inside the cutting can only fire at stands without if they are adjacent and visa versa. Wheeled vehicles and man-handled guns take a BMA to enter or leave the cutting. Other stands can enter and leave without hindrance.
The green areas are small woods. The trees are closely planted but undergrowth is minimal. For the most part there is no hindrance in movement of personal stands. Manhandled guns and vehicles may not enter the depth of the wood. The edges of the woods count light woods, to a 3" depth, which means guns and vehicles may enter. However movement is only allowed perpendicular to the edge (i.e. in and out) not parallel to the edge (i.e. no sneaking around the edges of the wood in cover)
The grey and brown squares are built up areas (BUA) they came in four types. For all types the simple town fighting rules are in effect.
Brown squares are heavy industrial buildings (paper mills) which give -4 cover
The pain grey squares are brick buildings which give -3 cover
The grey squares with red lines are brick terraced buildings which give -3 cover. Units moving parallel to the red lines are unimpeded. Vehicles and manhandled guns may not move perpendicular to the red lines; other units pay quadruple costs. Movement other than parallel is treated as if perpendicular - i.e. only parallel movement is free all other is penalised.
The small squares are small farms. They allow a single personnel within with -3 cover. No towed guns
Air Support
Both sides made a maximum air effort
Each side roll d10 for fighters and a d10 for attack. On a 7+ a fighter arrives on a 10 two fighters arrive. On a 8+ the side will get a light attack. Fighters are: I-15, I-16, Hawker Fury (royalist) Gladiator (royalist) or CR-42. Light attack are Hs-123, I-15 or I-16
In a small exception to the standard simplified air rules fighters may strafe as long as that fighter is in excess of the number of enemy aircraft. Republican planes are placed first. If the plane is deviated the player owning the stands closest to the planes aim point gets to move the plane.
Special Rules
The game lasts 11 or 12 turns (dice for 12th turn at end of turn 11, 6+ on a d10)
The Apsley Mills Militia counts as green for firing and may not disengage. they count veteran for taking hits
A Battery 11th RHA and A-C Batteries 5th RAR may only fire self spotted IDF and H&I immediately after entry on to the table. They need to tune radios and/or lay wire before that can be called "normally". The turn they can start firing normally is recorded on the unit reinforcement schedule above and on the OB
The Adolf Hitler stand has NO firing ability. It acts as a command to the LSSAH stand and the other German units only. Adolf is here to observe the "glorious" German war machine in action. He may only quit the table without penalty once the 20mm or 88mm has destroyed an enemy vehicle stand or shot down an enemy aircraft where Adolf is within LOS of the firing gun and the destroyed target. If he quits the table the LSSAH stand is removed from the battle
The 3RTR has particular communications problems, but do feel invulnerable in their shiny new Matildas. The following rules apply:
None of them may receive an order from another stand
Morale results worse than pinned only result in a pin
Most morale modifiers do not apply, only that for being pinned.
Roadblocks prevent the use a road bonus past them. They provide medium cover (+2) vs fire that crosses the road block against personnel and towed guns strands touching it. To remove a roadblock a stand must be given a hasty advance order. However the stand remains adjacent to the block all turn. If the removing stand is not shot at the block is removed after the end of the general fire phase
Units in one battalion/regiment may not take command of those in another. If the Brigade or Force HQ orders another player's stand that player may veto the order.
Players many not shoot at stands on the their side - this rule does not effect aircraft deviation.
Weather
At the start of each turn look out the gaming room window to determine the weather.
As a guideline to max vis: Sunny 60", overcast 40", light rain 30", heavy rain 20", Mist 10", Fog 5" However players may come to other conclusions based on their observations
Nightfall is also determined the same way. On a clear night LOS will be 8" and darker night 4". All night fighting rules will be in effect except 1st paragraph of 39.1.2; 39.1.3 and 39.1.5.
If visibility is 10" or less all spotting distance are halved
No planes may fly if visibility is 20" or less
Victory Conditions
Victory points are totalled up by player, the player with the highest amount wins.
Player 1 gets a bonus point for each enemy AFV destroyed by his stands - max 5 points
Player 2 gets a point for each of his own stands during the game that reaches within 12" of Leverstock Green - max 5 points. Each stand can only score once
Player 3 gets a point for each friendly stand wholly within triangle IAC (ie over the railway) at the end of the game - Max 5 points.
Player 4 gets five points minus one for each enemy stand touching road CE at the end of the game
All players earn a point for each enemy stand knocked out
All road junctions are worth a point to the owner of the stand closest to the centre of the junction and touching the road at the end of the game
The bridges over the Grand Union Canal are worth a point each to the Royalist side if they have the closest stand to the middle of the bridge, which is within 6", at the end of the game
If a Republican stand destroys Adolf it gets its owner 3 points
Only stands in good morale count - i.e. not shaken and not demoralised. This isn't applicable when counting casualties
Unarmed transports never count for victory point purposes
References
I pretty much made up the scenario but used British Armies in WW2 and Organisational History: Orders of Battle 1939 to 1941 to get realistic unit names. The 40's map came from http://www.npemap.org.uk/tiles/map.html#507,205,1