Zero Hour at Legionary

As promised here are some photos from the Zero Hour participation game. I’ve added a few notes to some to help make sense of the action, but really I think the pictures speak for themselves! The basic premise of the game is that the French are attacking a section of the line with the aim of capturing the second line of trenches (including a command post) and the nearby ruined village. The French have superior numbers and armour, but the Germans have a Storm Trooper company held off table ready to mount a counter attack if the forward trench line is breached.

The French mass in and around the blasted wood on a low hill.

And the Germans are waiting in their trenches!

On the French left the Senegalese are supported by tanks and big guns.

Scarab’s WW1 Rommel figure keeps an eye on things from a ruined building (a Charlie Foxtrot kit).

The whistles blow and the attack begins!

German artillery begins to hammer the advancing French as they scramble through mud filled craters and along rickety duck boarding.

The French guns respond in a similar fashion forcing the Germans in to their dug outs.

Artillery from both sides pound the lines causing terrible casualties but the morale of both sides holds steady… just!

The French, now slightly depleted, close on the trench line… are they going to be enough or will the Germans have the numbers to hold? A lucky artillery strike has cleared a section of wire and the French pour through the gap.

Vicious hand to hand fighting erupts as the French seek to take the trenches.

The Germans have been well pounded by French artillery and despite the advantage of the trench, the fighting is finely balanced.

Further along the line the French break through the wire and take out a machine gun nest with grenades. Must be a “gong” awarded there somewhere?

The advance of the tanks was initially slowed by direct German artillery fire. However, they rumble through the wire and, as the French  artillery ceases, begin hosing the Germans with machine guns.

Breakthrough!

Large numbers of troops now race to exploit the gap! Further back though, the Germans begin to feed their exalted Storm Troopers through the rear trenches. Also, with the trench line broken, they can open up with artillery again.

The Germans also have some armour of their own to support the Storm Troopers.

However… a lucky shot, over open sights, from a French 75mm field gun scores a direct (and critical!) hit on the A7V.

Boom! … and the behemoth grinds to a halt in a cloud of smoke and flame.

Here are a few pics from eye level where hopefully you’ll agree that the table looks superb! Well done to Tobruk Models and Terrain!

A great day all round! Many thanks to our players for an excellent game.