Late June, 1944. British SOE has identified one SS-Oberführer Ebbe Deitrich as an individual possessing vital intelligence needed for the continuation of the war effort in France. Local French resistance groups have reported seeing Oberführer Deitrich and his entourage taking shelter in a small bombed out hamlet, some distance behind the allied lines. Members of No. 10 Commando, who had been inserted behind enemy lines before the invasion, are tasked with infiltrating the ad-hoc SS command post and, if possible, capturing Oberführer Deitrich alive for interrogation.
The Men
The four-man Commando team selected for this mission comprises of Captain Macy (Welrod silenced pistol), Sergeant Barlow (De Lisle silenced carbine), and Corporals Dunnegan and Feron (Silenced Sten).
The Mission
The Commandos begin their infiltration from the east. Their basic plan is to split their forces into two and approach the house where Oberführer Deitrich is believed to be from two different directions. If they can reach the house undetected, they stand the best chance at capturing Deitrich alive by attacking from two directions at once. The men have observed some sentry activity but will not know the exact extent of the opposition they face.
Ed. note: because I am playing this scenario solo, from only one side, I wanted to add as much fog of war as I could. Before starting, I designated several areas enemy sentries could possibly be, marked with question marks on the map. Once line of sight was established with one of these “blanks,” I rolled on a table to determine who the enemy was, what direction he was facing, and if he was moving or stationary.
Captain Macy moves up along the north, peeking around a corner and gaining LOS to a sentry. As the sentry is not facing him, Captain Macy signals for Corporal Dunnegan to move forward. Macy attempts to neutralize the sentry with his silenced Welrod pistol, but misses the shot.
Ed. note: I goofed on the rules at this point. After Captain Macy fired he should have received a noise marker, which would have caused the SS sentry to investigate. I was able to ret-con this mistake in later, however, with one of the special “infiltrator” abilities which you will see showcased later on in the mission.
Sergeant Barlow and Corporal Feron move in to the south. During the patrol phase, several SS sentries begin to roam…
The next infiltration phase, the action stays with Barlow and Feron. Barlow moves in silently through one of the bombed out farm buildings, while Feron dashes along the outside wall. This causes a noise marker to be placed on Feron, which draws a sentry toward the noise, and directly into the sights of Barlow’s De Lisle carbine. Barlow lines up the shot, and drops the sentry with a single tringle pull. One SS scumbag down.
A noise marker is placed on Barlow which would have drawn the attention of the other sentry, but Captain Macy is able to use the “Deception” infiltration ability so that the sentry is prohibited from moving during the patrol phase. With that taken care of, Corporals Dunnegan and Feron move forward, and make LOS to another potential sentry “blank.” Corporal Feron rolls on the sentry table, and the original sentry marker is removed and instead replaced with two potential enemies.
During the next patrol phase, one of the possible enemy contacts roves to the outside of the building and reveals himself. Corporal Feron attempts to take him out with his Sten gun but misses. Sergeant Barlow drops him instead with another well aimed shot from the De Lisle. Again this causes noise, and with Captain Macy having already moved, draws enemy attention. The SS sentry begins investigating, and ends the patrol phase directly behind Barlow, with only a wall separating the two!
During the next infiltration phase, the rest of the team moves into position surrounding the target house. Sergeant Barlow, with a sentry being so close to him, must make a decisive action. He decides to round the corner of the wall, firing his De Lisle point blank at the sentry… and misses.
Alarm!
Things begin happening rather quickly. The sentry facing Barlow dives at the commando, attempting to take him down in hand-to-hand combat. The surprise of the encounter must have shaken him however, as the brawl end in a draw and Barlow retreats further into the farmhouse. An SS sentry steps out of the target building and fires at Corporal Dunnegan causing him to retreat to safety. Corporal Feron responds with a long burst from his Sten, and the sentry bails off table!
Before Oberführer Deitrich has the chance to fully respond, Captain Macy rushes inside the house and engages in hand-to-hand combat, attempting to wrestle SS leader to the ground. An unarmed SS radio operator joins the melee but is beaten back. Oberführer Deitrich is captured! SS reinforcements are beginning to arrive, however, so it is time to boogie.
Macy and Dunnegan begin withdrawing back to allied side of the table. An SS sentry attempts to rush Sergeant Barlow again, but this time is cut down by the De Lisle. Feron lets loose another burst from his Sten and sends an SS scumbag scurrying back.
The following turn, arriving SS reinforcements are able to get a flanking position on Feron, who does not survive the resulting fire. Barlow responds with the De Lisle, which once again drops its enemy.
The rest of the team is able to withdraw safely. Mission accomplished, but with the loss of a good man.
Enemy casualties: 1 captured, 4 KIA
Friendly casualties: 1 KIA (Corporal Feron). His sacrifice will not be in vain, as intelligence gathered from Oberführer Deitrich should further the Allied war effort and save Allied lives.
The game played is FiveCore from Nordic Weasel Games.
The VTT used is Owlbear Rodeo.
The map is by 2-Minute Tabletop.
The tokens are by Historical Battlefields.
Dice were rolled by me, John Mayes.