Gedbirgsjagers Hold the Line

 My friend Gerry Lane is prepping for a national tournament I have in the past used my Early war Panzer company form Hell Fire and Back to help him tuneup his lists. Gerry is running a Combat Cars company I decided I would run a Gedbirgsjager company.  Sadly I had only 3 platoons I could start with on board so I used one infantry platoon, my Artillery (which I belated realized was consider Allied) and my Regimental AT platoon of Pak 38s.

 Gerry advanced with a formidable corps of armor. I am very thinly streched.

 Gerry got a quick hit with his artillery pinning my artilery... and I was unable to unpin them for several turns

 Gerry then made is only real tactical mistake of the game, his Dragoons (infantry in trucks) moved at the double.  My Observer acted as a sniper hitting two trucks and killing 3 stands of infantry!

 I AT guns did good work on of them got 5 hits on an empty truck but the other only got one hit... but it was enough to take out most of the platoon

 Gerry did manage to get one man out of the trucks and make his sole survivor check...

 Tanks move down the flank away from my AT guns

 Gerry used his CO to appoint the last stand a platoon leader letting it make an assault that got one of my AT guns though my 2iC killed him the following turn.

 Things were starting to get ugly for me as my artillery is still pinned but I have 4 shots over open sights at the 3 H35s and I manage to take two of them out... and this time Gerry is not able to make his platoon moral check.

 Gerry is still shooting at my Artillery and this time he take out my gun... I am moving troop over to defend the objective int he woods.

 Gerry had very good luck shooting at my troops in the woods.. he also did well with his initial assault movement.. it was the consolidation move...

 That got him in trouble.

 My artillery finally unpins and is able to rage in on the Laffys (proxies) we get three hits and three bails... my dice are not being nice to me. I try to get my men to assault the bailed out tanks (Gerry had 2 still operational so the odds looked good) but my men failed to motivate despite to tries.

 Gerry had another good turn of Artillery getting one of my guns...

His tanks then did very well with MG Fire and the assault was equally good for him.  Tactically I played a good game I even took out two German platoons but I lost 4 to 3. My luck was a bad as it has been a in a game for a long time. Gerry played a good game only making one real mistake but had his own bad luck with dice that could have cost him badly if only I had passed one of my tank terror tests.

New Lists for some new toys(WIP)

So I got some new toys for Flames of war and while they still works in progress (though quite fare along).  For a long time I resisted Panthers because frankly every one seems to run them.  Sill the new plastic box set let me get both Panthers and Jagdpanthers in one bite as I used a method similar to the fellows  at Breakthrough Assault So I have three new lists not tournament world beaters but they should be fun.

This one is From Panzers to the Muses I really like these lists for their mix of infantry and armor in the primary platoons. I get Panthers, MG/Panzerfaust infantry and Panzer IVs in one lists... that's pretty cool.  On to of that its always attack.  I will have to get some Pumas (but those are on order).

This is a list I have always wanted to play there is just some thing cool about having both Big Cats in one list. I don't think its going to win a lot of games but with two Warriors and lots of Big Cats will make a fun list to loose with, or so I think. 

This is probably the best list of the set good solid infantry, two templates (though the 75mm battery is mostly for smoke) and some solid AT assets. This is probably the best tournament list of the sort.

Fighting Withdrawal Mission 2nd Gebirgsjagers Vs. British armor

I met up with my friends at the Whiz and squared off against Rob who has been looking for a game for some time.  I am sorry to say I didn't get a picture of the table as a whole so I hope that this AAR will not be too hard to follow.

My center an left were a road and village that made an excellent Defensive position... one objective was placed there.  The permanent objective was placed were the left right road met one going across the table.  Woods flanked this road and made up the center right of my positions another objective was nestled in the woods. You can see my new recon unit above (they didn't last long).

Rob massed is tank platoons on the left and right on the right he had infantry in support while another infantry platoon massed in the center to to the left of this picture. On the left his armor was backed up with AA guns and Artillery.

The advance was undeterred by my attempts to bombard (which were terrible all day) and my air support never arrived... though it did intercept Rob twice (not bad for sporadic air)

Rob played it slow... holding off his advance hopping I would open up at long range and pop my PaK40 Ambush too soon...

Slow advance with the armor threatening the AA and observer on the hill to the extreme right.

Robs air gets one of my 120mm Mortars.

Then his artillery and air combine to hit my artilery taking out one gun and pining the rest.

Rob takes out my 15 cm infantry guns but my infantry is unharmed on the left... rob is still holding back hoping I will spring my ambush early.

Machine guns open up on the advancing infantry and do a good deal of damage. With my Mortars and AA with drawn I expect Rob to whip around my right but he shift to the center...

Work for me!  I finally spring the ambush and 3 Pak40s open up form concealed position in the woods.

I score 3 kills and a bail... and further chew up the infantry in the vineyard. Time is ticking away... if I cna survive the turn I can win.

Rob launches an assault with his right flank platoon they bore in and kill my guns my infantry and the gun platoon commander counter attack... in 2 rounds of combat men die like flies as always happens in Vet on Vet assaults. but I win, just barely though my AT platoon is gone. I pass a company moral check allowing me to hang on.

Rob however has lost two platoons now and the remaining infantry platoon is pulling back under cover of the vineyard.

Robs other armor platoon is unscathed but with infantry dug in in numbers on the remaining objective and only one tank in range to assault Rob cannot drive me off.  I hold out the required 8 turns but only by the narrowest  margin.

German Recon Infantry

I did these guys up to act as an infantry recon unit with a number lists where a infantry scouts are the only option that is available.

 This shot is to show off the bases a mix of elements from the Army Painter tundra set, tufts from army painters bad lands set and leaves from Secret Weapon.

 Commander and a Panzer Faust armed soldier. The Leaves are a little out of scale especially when you get this close to the model but standing back a foot or two away (like in the over head shot) they look right.

 I like that the Faust is not too evident so I can include it or not in the list.

 The figures are from the Gebirgsjager set I painted the smocks up in sort of a pea dot camouflage.

 Yes you did see dogs.  Probably not strictly actuate but troops that are sniffing out trouble could use dogs.  I love that the NCO looks like he is holding (or has just lost his hold on) a leash and the big dog is eager to get at the enemy(or maybe get at the enemy's rations).

 I kept the number of men to a base down to 3 so I will know right away who is a recon stand and who isn't.

The camouflage  look I was looking for is based off one I saw at a reenactment.  Colors are a little different but you get the idea.

Testing my Fortified list at the Whiz

I made my way to the Whiz hopping for a game and was almost disappointed but Rob was also looking for a game. So he got to try his new Soviet list and I got to try out my Strum fortified list.

I deployed my fortifications on either side of the small factory town. The mission is no retreat.

Rob sent tanks down both flanks and sent infantry and assault guns down the center. He also had Katyuska rocket trucks in the back as support  Rob was running a Soviet "hero" list from Desperate Measures and it was his first crack at this list. 

My observers report soviets but not in the strength we have come to expect, these can move an shoot better than some we have faced but... 

Long Range fire from my two 8.8 gets two early hits Rob makes his platoon moral check bu this is turn 1 and I don't ever remember provoking such a check on the Soviets this early on in a game.

I also got a bailed out from one of my Pak40s against the other T-34/85 platoon

Rob did manage to nail my the Pak40 attached to this platoon....

And his infantry are closing in... this is the moment of greatest danger but... a skillful combination of fire form Mortars, HMGs and infantry fire wipes out his infantery (they broke moral and ran.

Rob Got my other Pak40 but one of my 8.8s took out another assault gun and the platoon broke and ran leaving Rob with only two platoons.  One of his platoons was the Katyuskas who I had kept neutralized by smoking their observer.  Rob might have launched a desperate assault on the objective at the top but he considered it futile so we called the game. 

Rob played a good game but had terrible luck with the dice and was unfamiliar with his list.  I'm not impressed by my first encounter with a Soviet "Hero" force.  It seams too small at 1500 points Rob did take only T34/85 and took air (which got one infantry gun and a heavy mortar that played little roll in the game) so he has some points to play with.  I personally have always found fearless lists less effective than confident lists though I can fully understand wanting to get rid of Hen-and-Chicks but Quantity is the Soviet game in Flames of war and this list seemed to lake the vital Quality of Quantity.

Memorial Day weekend at the Whiz (2)

On Monday I met up with my friend Mark at the Whiz we more or less had the place to ourselves and set up this table for a "Pincer" mission battle. I "won" the roll and became the attacker on the near side of the table I had a Sturm Company with two infantry platoons, a heavy Sturm platoon with mortars, a Sturm AT platoon, infantry guns, a pair of Tiger Is a Sturm AA platoonand a battery of 3 10.5cm guns.

Mark was running 2nd ID with a specialy 2iC for his company! Inform Red Scull we have spotted Captain Rodgers. 

My plan was to use the Tigers and  AA Platoon to fix his on Board infantry platoon and try to sweep his flank with one or both of my infantry platoons. I had the AT guns following the Tigers to protect them as Mark's Shermans were hiding  someplace.

Mark's 155 Battery makes its presence felt killing one of my Tigers.

Nest turn Mark sprung his Tank ambush hitting my remaining Tiger but he did not kill it.

My little Infantry guns pin the mighty US Long Toms!

While my air support kills two Shermans and bails a third. The platoon breaks! on Mark's turn my AT guns make both saves against a repeat US Artillery bombardment.

My 1st infantry platoon sweeps through the woods and assaults the flank.

We win though but do not break the platoon and Captain Rogers makes two warrior saves to escape death, poor Bucky.

The objective is in our grasp but...

Here come marks Reserves. His infantry try to assault my AA guns but are driven back with defensive fire. My MGs and AA guns do a lot of killing.

I get hit my self but my men are holding well and with some lucky shots I kill some of his 155s (I killed 3 over the course of them game with MG fire a true statistical oddity)

My Tiger launches its first assault as my infantry consecrate on the fare objective(rather than face two HMGs). I kill several men but am driven back hear and in may tack on the US artillery.

The next turn I try again but lose my Tiger. This was probably reckless of m

Over the next few turns I bleed Mark's Artillery but it will not break, I do break on Infantry platoon but cannot finish the other.  The Chaffies make an appearance and stale mate my move on the back objective.  Marks other infantry is down to 3 Stands the Platoon leader, the bazooka and on HMG and the Captain is there too. They kill my AT guns and my AA guns With mark pushing forward I sneak infantry to the close objective a sneaky move Mark applauds.  I am trying to break his second infantry platoon but they just will not take another casualty no mater how much I shoot at them some times the hardest thing to do in Flames of War is kill one infantry stand.

its Turn 9 or 10 I hold the objective but Mark has Chaffies, I can threaten both objective its still any ones game but its now approaching 4 hours and we decide to end the madness calling this battle a draw.  This was a great way to spend the holiday Mark is one of the most enthusiastic and enjoyable opponents I know and we are always a good match for each other.  This was a truly epic game almost "stressful" at times in its intensity.  It was Great fun and a game I think both of us will on remember.