This is the first full game of FOW I've hosted at my place, though I've played every day since Sunday! On sunday Joe and I had a 1000 pt skirmish to show him the ropes. Both Monday and Tuesday my good friends Jaime, Sean, and Dallas came by to learn the game. I think they are all thoroughly enjoying it, and I'm doing my best to get them hooked!
Anyhow, this was my first ever outing with (borrowed) soviets. I can't wait to paint up a soviet army of my own!
GERMANS
HQ (2x Panzer 38(t))
4x Panzer 38(t)
4x Panzer 38(t)
5x Panzer 38(t)
3x Panzer IV F2
3x Marder II
Nebelwerfer Battery
SOVIETS
HQ (HQ, Battalion Kom, 4x ATRs)
Full Strelk Company + Kom + HMG
Full Strelk Company + Kom + HMG
10x emchas
4x Su-85
2x Flame Throwers
The mission was Hasty Attack. In Hasty attack 3 objectives are placed in the defender's half of the board (one is removed after deployment), and one objective is placed on the attacker's side of the board.
View of the board from the soviet side. All 4 objectives are visible. After deployment, the central objective was removed.
The Soviet right.
The soviets elect to deploy one Strelkovy, while putting the emchas in immediate ambush.
Even the attacker gets to begin this mission in prepared positions. Tom chooses to put his Panzer IVs, Marders, and Nebelwerfers on the board, while holding all of the 38(t)s in reserve.
The Panzer IVs and Marders
The Marders begin in the woods
The emchas spring their immediate ambush aggressively far forward.
The emchas double time towards the nebelwerfers
German reserves arrive, and the rest of the army shifts towards the emchas
Nebelwerfers fire on the massed soviet tanks.
The Soviet tanks rumble forward, MGs blazing and assault the nebelwerfers.
Conscripts suck. 2 guns are knocked out.
More German reserves arrive. 38(t)s rush to the emchas' flanks, while Panzer IVs and marders snipe from a distance.
The Soviets MG the remaining nebelwerfers, running the platoon.
emcha casualties begin mounting.
So much German armor!
The second strelkovy company arrives from reserves and double times up the left flank! Honestly, this was a terrible idea. To be honest I only put them there because I didn't want to get all the stands mixed up. I have to get used to units with 30+ stands if I want to play soviets!
The SU-85s arrive from reserve as well.
For the motherland!
The emchas pull back, and inflict heavy casualties on careless 38(t)s.
The German guns line up to blast away at the SU-85s.
German armor continues pouring in from reserve.
The emchas pull back to regroup.
one panzer IV falls to the SU-85s
The SU-85s took a beating
Panzers marsch!
The Shermans move up, poised to strike!
The 38(t)s begin moving forward and taking pot shots at the strelkovy.
The horde marches on.
The Panzers sit and blast away
Casualties begin mounting
The Shermans strike, knocking out one Marder and bailing another.
The Germans redeploy.
Onward brave soldiers of the motherland!
The soviet high water mark
The Soviets final push!
They knock out the Panzer 38(t) and the Marder II. At this point the new platoon leader of the Marder IIs becomes the bailed out guy, but I remembered later that for mission tactics to work you have to be in command range. Oh well- moot point, just figured I'd mention it here so we can all learn!
The shermans fail motivation and run away after the panzer IVs crash into the woods and blaze away. Pity!
The 38(t)s line up and blaze away.
Though the Germans are pretty much guaranteed victory at this point, they decide to charge for fun!
Several soviet stands and one 38(t) fall.
Despite still having 50 or so stands of infantry, we decide to call the game at this point.
Tom is left with something like 11 38(t)s, a marder, and 2 Panzer IVs. He's in no danger of being pushed off my side of the board (I can't possibly get through that defensive fire), and really has no reason to assault unless he's feeling chivalrous. So we call it a 4-3. Not too bad for my first outing with Soviets!
I think I need to learn how to use the infantry and SU-85s right. I think I used the Shermans very well though. All in all I like soviets so far!
