Fallshirmjäger parachute attack in the North African theater.

My friend Tobias wanted to try out his Fallshirmjägers using one of the missions from the Flames of war, Burning Empire book. 

I just got a 1000pts British midwar list that I could use to battle him with.

The mission had a lot on special rules, he had 25% more points, an extra airstrike before game, I had only half of my platoons on the board but also rules like chances of his troops getting casualties by landing wrong and scattering with their parachutes and so on. 

One of the most important rules had to be that almost all his weapons was dropped in containers along his troops but these were scattered on the battlefield, leaving him with pistols until he could get them.
Some interesting rules all in all.

During the desert war the commander of the Fallshirmjägers had an bright idea to drop his troops behind enemy lines in an village to quickly capture it and deny it from the allies. 

 

It just so happen that a British Heavy Armoured squadron was resting, resupplying and drinking tea in the village at the moment.

When the armored platoon and the infantry platoon had taken up their spotting position around the village it was time open up all the hatches, taking of your helmet and brew some tea (all my troops started bailed out or pinned down).

The objectives in the village were a flipped over German truck containing signed copies of Lilli Marlene’s latest hits and a small quire of nuns or monks that could be of some use next Christmas celebration.

Then from nowhere the Tante Ju formations started to appear on the sky. And the Fallshirmjägers dropped right on top of the village. The strong wind meant that two of his platoons scattered of the table and had to be brought in as reserves later on, some of his troops got injured by the fall or by landing on the wrong place. And all they got was pistols until they could find their riffles…
It was time to load the riffles and bag me some Hun…

The British infantry instantly realized what was going on and was ready for action as did two out of my four Grant tanks. The German Machine gun team was gunned down as they hit the ground and the machine guns of the Grants started to blast the Fallshirmjäger infantry. 

A low flying Stuka managed to knock out my Second in Command tank with a strafing run.

Meanwhile the Germans was running to get their weapon containers and the British was in hot persuit blasting them with Grants and rifle/mg teams.

A French bicycle onion-seller was on holiday in North Africa at this time and was checking in the water and the camels. He is placed in almost all our games somewhere as a decoration and has been to more places than can be mentioned by now. (miniature from Peter Pig I think)

The British reserves have heard of the action and the arrival of a new platoon of Grant heavy tanks and a platoon of Universal Carriers filled with extra machineguns to the limit was bad news for the German commander indeed. 

The German commander realizes his hopeless situation. Men falling before they even could get their weapon to fight back was not a happy sight for him. 
With no more reserves and a whole lot of wounded men he did the only right humanitarian thing he could and spared the life of his soldiers instead of waste them in a futile attempt to capture a now alerted British held village. 
Good for you Jerry.

-Here comes the Gentlemen.

A nice game but turned a little bad for the Germans after some bad parachute jumps and strong winds. 
I liked the mission and think I will play it more, but then maybe using a infantry company for the defender which I think could be more fun.