NUTS- All Come Free - Game 3

“Hiya Sergeant – Reagan isn’t it”, “Ryan Sir” I replied” “Yes of course”    It's the Captain again he’s getting closer with my name, now 2 weeks and 2 days another week maybe – if I survive his mad missions.

“Well we have a little problem, the Germans have infiltrated our lines and there are hostile patrols in our rear, the 60th have a couple of squads out looking in their back yard and I said we would do the same. I would like you to take your squad to this map ref and search and destroy anything you find”.

“You are up to strength” he kindly enquired. “No Sir we lost Perrin and a couple of the men were hit yesterday, not hospitalised, but maybe could do with a couple of days rest”. “Humm – yes Sergeant we all could do with some rest, see Lt Prior, we have a fresh draft of men, ask him for a replacement and go and find me the enemy”.


Great!!!!

So here we are, Lt Prior gave me a new man Peter Haining fresh out of training and wet behind the ears Rep 3. The map shows the grid reference I was given. We were advancing through the forest when our left flank men Dokes and the new man Haining both shouted over that there was enemy movement off to our left. A full squad and 2 panzerchecks, they both opened fire and hit 1 man, turned out later is was their squad commander which explains why most of them ran to the small woods to their left for cover and those too far away dropped to the ground.

As they ran into the woods they resolved a PEF which opened fire on them, but it quickly transpired that for them it was friendly fire from another full squad of Germans already in the woods, the 1st squad realizing they were friends didn’t return fire which from my point of view was a bit of a shame, nothing like seeing your enemy shoot each other.

I pushed Cpl Bolton forward with some of the men on my right with instructions to swing round and take the Bad Guys in the flank, while I set up a firing line in front of the woods to keep their heads down. Odds of 2 to 1 against us and another PEF on the board unresolved. Maybe I should be thinking of pulling back.

All was confusion in the woods, the Germans were inactive for 3 moves which gave me time to get the BAR into position but as soon as he was set the guys who were prone in the field decided they needed to get into the woods with their buddies.
Their plan was for a guy with a panzercheck to stand and fire it at us and then all run like buggery, simple plans often are the best. Well simple or not this wasn't going to work against McKlusky with the BAR, as soon as the Panzercheck man raised his head, McKlusky shot him, 2 of the remaining guys ran for cover and he shot them, the last guy decided the ground was his friend and hugged it.

Cpl Bolton and his men ran into the other PEF which turned out to be some trigger happy GI’s, who opened up on him, they were fortunately bad shots, Bolton kept his calm and didn’t return fire. He tried to get them to join up with him in his flank attack but their leader Cpl Jobbsworthy refused, it wasn’t in his orders.

Bolton moved to the edge of the tree line preparing to charge into the German position but by this time they had sorted themselves out and a general fire fight ensued all along the line.

We had been knocking them down slowly up to this point but as they were all now lining the edge of the wood I thought it would be a good idea to drop a grenade on them. This put the fear of God into them, - that’s our God, not theirs.

McKlusky took one in the shoulder about now and his loader Smith picked up the BAR and carried on firing, albeit at a slower rate. Dokes was down and then the new man Hainning was hit, so there's just me and Smith on our left flank who were still firing.
Over on the far side of the woods the German casualties had been horrendous, Bolton had only lost 1 man and so he roused the rest of them to charge, but they decided it was a dumb thing to do and failed the test, so carried on shooting. The last couple of Germans decided that they would high tail it out of Dodge which meant that Bolton was firing into the flank of the men facing me. This was too much for them and they surrendered.

We captured 5 men, killed 9 and wounded 10.

We should get mentioned in despatches for this - medals galore and 5 weeks in Paris, but as the Captain still hasn’t got my name right, this probably won’t happen.

Haining had a bad wound and will not re-join us until mission 5, he also drops Rep 3 to 2.
Dokes is OK and back with us.
McKlusky is also back, must be the whiskey - helps reduce swellings and infections as my old Grandma used to say.
Samson was also badly hit and will not return until mission 6 and he drops from Rep 4 to 3.
Ernest Mears the youngster lost his nerve a bit and was drifting back out of the line, but Wilson seems to have taken him under his wing and so instead of dropping in Rep he has advanced from 2 to 3.
Raymond Cornwall is holding his shit together well and increased from Rep 3 to Rep 4.

This is the chart at the before Rep changes.

I’ve just re-read this report and find it a bit confusing knowing who was where – I expect you did too – call it the fog of war. - Sorry

If you are still here - thanks for reading and I greatly appreciate any thoughts and comments you make.
Cheers