Game 2 - 2nd Checkpoint

The table design did not change much for the second phase of the game. The bunker was taken away and was replaced by Grubers 'little tank' (an Sdkfz 222). I also decided to swap the German speaking driver of the Opel Blitz for the Officer in the staff car thinking that the officer would be 'spoken to' at the checkpoint.

The aproach went OK and my convoy stopped at the checkpoint although poor dice rolls meant the sentries were suspicious and were entitled to question three of my figures. For some reason Craig and Jo decided to speak to the French leader, 'Stella' in the Kubelwagen and the the Officer in the staff car. Don't you love it when a plan comes together! Unfortunately Craig also decided that he would speak to the driver of the Opel Blitz as well. The moment his first simple greeting was met with a dumb vacant expression he turned and shouted 'Alaaaaarrrrmmm !' whilst firing off distress flares as per standing orders. One unfortunate sentry was far less alert than the others and found himself standing in the middle of the road smoking a cigarette. Oooops !

With the alarm raised the resistance had no choice but to try to force their way through the checkpoint. The Kubelwagen  smashed through the barrier with ease, forcing the sentries either side to jump out of the way. However three of the tyres blew as it ran over a 'stinger' anti vehicle device and the Kubelwagen slewed to a stop.

The Opel Blitz had even less luck and became trapped in the debris of the checkpoint with the driver stalling the truck in panic right in front of Grubers armoured car. The staff car tried to follow as did the Camion. The latter 'collected' the sentry  in the road who miraculously escaped severe injury and was thrown onto the roof of the Camion.

Quick thinking on the part of Leutnant Gruber resulted in a series of 20mm cannon shells disabling the Opel, setting the engine on fire. This also meant the battery was jolted  in the rear of the truck and all figures in close proximity had to take panic tests. The resistance passed their tests and bailed out onto the passenger side of the vehicle taking the battery with them. However the German guards nearby all failed and started wandering around aimlessly. There is clearly more to this battery than we have been told!

At the same time the LMG team leapt out of the back doors of the Camion hoping to set up in the fields nearby and were cut down by alert sentries. Injured in the stomach and leg they crawled to the side of the road only to fall into a concealed pit. The partizans in the staff car bailed out at the same moment as one of Jo's sentries threw a potato masher grenade, stunning them both.  In his haste to evacuate the car, the driver had left it in gear causing it to shoot foward into the rear of the stricken Opel as the other passengers dived out of the opposite doors.

Additional shooting at the Kubelwagen was responsible for the immediate deaths of Stella and the other rear seated passenger whilst German motorcycle troops who had been stationed either side of the checkpoint put paid to more of the resistance. By the end of the first few turns  of real action I had been forced onto the backfoot and lost the initiative. Not only that but almost. Third of my strength was either dead or wounded.