Monday, December 15, 2014

Hold the Line Mid-war US infantry vs. German Grenadiers

Mark and I got together for a mid war game his Grenadiers form Eastern front against my US Torch Infantry(1710 points) . Since we were both infantry we rolled off and determined Mark was the attacker.   I was using a list similar to my late war US infantry but with a couple wrinkles the most significant of which were two recon units (I&R Platoon and an Armored Cavalry platoon) and because the points worked a sniper.
My front line US infantry strung in and L shape across the board a bit back of the center line. An HMG is in the house on the right and another HMG is hidden in the woods.  An LMG covers the objective and another is in the house on the left to anchor that flank.
Mark has Neb artillery and the big 15cm infantry guns for fire support
Fallschirmjagers and Grenadiers with a  tiger platoon advance on the left more grenadiers are just to the right of this picture.  in the bottom of turn 1 my IR platoon occupied the 3 story building so ti now bristles with 1 .5 Cal HMG and 3 LMGS They got several hits on Marks FJ
Mark brings the fire power....
Then launches an assault with is FJs... I get two more on the way in with Defensive fire but when it gets to knife work my men are overwhelmed
I fire on the men in the building with my artillery (the observer is in the gray two story building)  We get another FJ (dropping them below half) and take out a Tiger! (that was lucky!)
Mark has become annoyed with my HMG and observer teams in the buildings he calls in fire pinning me...
then he sends in the Tiger saddly he doesn't bog but he also fails to kill my HMG and Observer who run out the back as the Tiger comes crashing into the front (smoke for dramatic effects only)
Mark has a pretty good push going on my left flank... I have my Sherman's working around on the right and my sniper earned his points by hitting a neble rock reducing them to a two gun battery...
Hear comes the cavalry! Armored cavalry race up and open fire on the advancing Grenadines getting a couple of kills and forcing them to hit the dirt.
Mean while my armor has assaulted Mark's infantry guns Killing one and HQ, the other escapes (it was not engaged) an manages to take on of my Sherman tanks before falling to fire from the tanks...
David vs Goliath but my boys don't have sling stone and my cavalry recon is killed or driven away but they bought me a turn by pinning all of Mark's infantry (Mark had trouble getting troops unpinned all day)
Mark attempted to assault my infantry with his grenadiers but they were beaten back I ambushed my AT guns getting six shots at the flank of the Tiger only one hit and it bounced.
The tiger is coming forward all alone!
Mark assaults my second infantry platoon.  After several round of combat... my engaged men are killed.
the platoon hangs on though... at reduced strenght.
Artillery tries to take out the Tiger...but can't get a kill shot
Mean while 4 of my 5 Sheman's tanks are still alive and assault the Grenadiers form the rear driving them off.  Mark tries to counter with his FJs but the last of them die trying to storm the tanks.  Mark is literally down to his 2ic  his tiger and the commander of the Neble battery (who keeps making his sole survivor roll)
Mark launches an assault to take my objective.. I get several hits but his for the Father land trait keeps him fighting and he drives me off . My men move off Makr back up so I can't sneek up on him... I move my men back up to contest the objective... will one tiger revers the tide of this battle all on its own... it seems possible.
My Sherman tanks swarm, I have 6 side shots I land 3 hits and get a single bail... getting desperate...
I call for artillery on the Tiger and two of my own tanks is caught under the template... One of my tanks is bailed out but we also kill the tiger!  To win this battle I literally had to kill almost all of Mark's army.  His survivors consist of his 2iC two observer teams and the command stand from his rocket battery.  Along the way Mark killed two recon platoons and beat up both my infantry platoons (almost breaking one).  Mark uses the word Epic to describe a lot of games but this one was Epic a lone taker almost tuned the entire game around.

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