Sunday, August 21, 2011

Getting a weekend FOW Fix

Saturday afternoon: Rich’s Russian Infantry Coy v. Jim’s Panzergrenadiers.


1750 points midwar on 8x6 table – Free For All mission.

The Russians deployed a Strelk on each objective, Gods in rear, Shtraf, Scouts & T34s on the left.

The Germans deployed P/grens on both objectives and in the cornfield on their right, 105’s were tucked behind hills on the left, werfers in cornfields in the centre. armoured cars left centre, armoured mortars right rear & Marders fronting the cornfield on their right flank. The armoured P/grens on each flank had their armoured half tracks behind in support.

The battle opened with a one-sided duel between the Marders & the T34’s. The Germans got first fire & T34’s died quickly without even scratching paint. The Germans advanced on their left with the P/grens using the hill & wood to cover their advance supported by the armoured cars. The Russians also advanced on their left. The German artillery whittled away at the Gods, but more importantly kept them pinned for some vital turns.

The German attack went well at first - the half tracks & armoured cars pinned the isolated Strelk platoon on the objective, but when the infantry charged the end of the Strelk line the Russians got 5 hits & 3 kills from 6 dice and stopped them. They then refused to unpin until the game was over. But that was the only bit of luck the Russians got. On the other flank, their attacks ran into a deadly reception committee of MG armed infantry supported by MGs on half tracks & Marders (not to mention 6 tube rocket barrages). The Ivans were mown down and when the mortar half tracks machine gunned the Russian commander they failed army morale.

It turned into a one sided affair. The Germans had a pretty good anti-strelk force & once the Marders trumped the T34s, the Russians were always in trouble.  Pics taken from behind Russian right. Pic 1 at start, pic 2 after German's attack repulsed.




Sunday: Byron’s Aufklarungsschwadron v. Jim’s 7th Armoured


2000 pts late war, Roadblock mission

Byron chose a Cromwell platoon as the ambush target. Jim put the Cromwells in the village near the centre and his two infantry platoons (1 trucked & 1 in HT’s) near the objectives on each side. Racing to the rescue, the Brit’s had 2 more Cromwell platoons, Stuarts, Sextons & a 5.5” battery.

Byron put his Pumas in ambush on his left, Stugs in the centre & Panthers on the right, with 2 P/grens and more armoured cars in reserve.

The ambush took out a Cromwell platoon commander, a Firefly and half the motorised infantry. The surviving motorised dug in on the RH objective, the rifles dug in on the other. The British brought on HQ , Sextons & Cromwells on the right and 5.5” artillery, Stuarts & Cromwells on the left. The German reserves were brought on their right as the Pumas worked on pinning down the Brit right.

The objective being attacked by the Germans was initially defended by a rifle platoon. They were supported by Stuarts & Cromwells from reserve plus the artillery before the Germans attack started. They had to hang on while the Brits cleaned up the other flank and got more reinforcements across.

The German attack was gradually whittled down by artillery (aided by a spotted plane) and tank fire. The rifles held off the first P/grens in the wood and then the Cromwells mopped up by rushing the Panthers the 5.5’s missed.

Pic 1 from behind Brit right as reserves are gathered.  Pic 2 is the Brit left hanging on.

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