Clash of Steel: The Battle of Arracourt 1944

To mark the 80th anniversary of momentous events in Europe the Wollongong Wargamers played two WW2 games last night: Arnhem using Bolt Action and the tank clash at Arracourt, Lorraine, using Clash of Steel. A tank only ruleset, it is ideal for this sweeping and dynamic battle.

Even at this late stage of the war, the US 3rd Army favoured the retention of 75mm armed Shermans...

but the best they can do to a head on Panther is fire smoke! 

But Daniel, playing the US, also had a large platoon of 76mm M4s, as well as two platoons of 76mm armed M18 Hellcats.

Technically the Panthers were the most superior AFVs on table, but with untrained crews, required a skill test and morale on 5D6!

We rolled for scenario and role - Daniel with the US was the attacker, and we both had to put 40% of our forces into reserve. 

It turned out there would be two objectives - one in the town of Juvelize and one opposite the copse at the other side of the table.

Given our recent experience of the sudden lethality of Clash of Steel, we both advanced cautiously, both splitting our forces to attempt to close both objectives.

As the attacker Daniel got the first move and reached the objectives first. He was in an aggressive mood...

Perhaps too aggressive? 

For my part on my left I couldn't close on the objective at Juvelize without crossing open terrain within close range of scads of M18s. And my hold on the near objective was looking tenuous...

Daniels' reinforcements - the large 76mm M4 platoon - headed for his centre, so I was unclear which objective he was concentrating on...

But it was all too clear which objective my reinforcements were going to have to shore up!

Giving up on Juvelize, I tried to extricate my left flank, and got some nice rear shots on the way back across the table!

But the nippy M18s were also zipping all around the field lining up rear shots!

By this stage action was general and I was under pressure from Shermans everywhere!

The scenario timed out at Turn 7, by which time I'd only spent one turn on one objective, whilst Daniel had been reaping points from Juvelize the whole time. 

Lets just say he lead the 4th Armored Div. to a convincing win!

I consoled myself that it was a historical outcome that reflected the achievements of Lt-Col Creighton Abrams and his 37th Tank Battalion that day. (Yes, that Abrams the tank is named after!) 

Once again I felt that Clash of Steel had served as a great vehicle for a historical scenario involving just tanks.