This AAR is for a reset/refight of a previous Fate of the Nation game published here on WWPD where my Israeli AMX-13 based tank company won 6-1 against my friend Charles' Jordanian Tank Company. Charles felt like he needed his infantry deployed at the game start to form a screen so that my AMX-13 would not be able to get to the flanks and rear of his tanks so quickly. So we backed up the miniatures, redeployed and started all over again.
We kept the board set up exactly the same and Charles chose to defend the same side. We did not even bother to reposition the objectives.
No change to my force.
My force.
No change to Charles' OOB
The Jordanian Tank Force
DEPLOYMENT
Charles deployed similarly to our previous game. His Centurions made use of cover on the outskirts of the town with M-48 platoon slightly behind the town and his recoilless rile jeeps again were placed in ambush. But now, he had an infantry platoon tying it together through difficult going on his right and stretching right to the board edge on his left. He was determined not to let the AMX-13s run amidst his formation like they did in our previous game.
I altered my deployment a bit form our last game also. This time I placed the Sho'ts in a hull down position on my right with my 1st AMX-13 platoon and Infantry in the center and my 2nd AMX-13 platoon on my left. Mortar and AAA Halftracks would support from the rear.
TURN 1
For my fist move I advanced my infantry through the palms while both AMX-13 platoons converged in the center tying to get some protection from the center hill.
My shooting phase started off poorly. My mortars who laid smoke screens successfully in every turn in our previous game came up short this time.
My Sho'ts made up for the mortars though achieve five hits on Charles' best unit, his Centurion tanks.
Those five hits KO'd two Centurions and bailed the survivor. The platoon fails the ensuring morale check and I earn my first VP. It now occurs to me that this is the first time since I started playing "Fate of a Nation" that I ever got off a "full" salvo from my Sho'ts with all four tanks getting their long range shooting re-rolls. Victory Point #1. I think I like this!
In the center, my AMX-13s have no effect and they try to "stormtrooper" behind the central hill...but there's just not enough room!
In Charles' Turn 1, he moves up his M-48s. He chooses to keep his recoilless rifle jeeps in ambush.
On the move, his M-48s only manged to KO one AMX-13.
TURN 2
In my second turn I shifted my main effort to my right, bringing my Sho't off of their over-watch position to join my AMX-13s while my infantry pushe across the top of the central hill. My mortars managed to lay in smoke this time so it would be a while before Charles could get is M-48s in line of sight of my tanks..but he took no losses this turn.
In Charles' phase he pops his recoilless rifle jeeps on his left and targets my Sho'ts as he did in our previous game. Though, like in our last game, he gets two hits on the Sho'ts...neither causes any damage.
TURN 3
In Turn 3, I hold my Infantry on the hill while I adavance all my tanks in to the open area on my right (and away from Charles M-48s) . My mortars lay in a smoke screen again which will keep the Jordanian M-48s from being able to shoot my tanks unless the leave the relative cover of the town.
My AMX-13s destroy all but one of the Jordanian AT Jeeps while my Sho'ts get three hits the Jordanian CO M-48 who ends up "triple" bailed and fails its required morale check and is thus destroyed.
In Charles' Turn 3 he fails to roll up any reserves and his M48's move up to the town edge just close enough to engage my 2nd AMX-13 platoon through the smoke screen, but because they need a "6' to hit the M-48s only achieve a single "Bailed Out" result.
The sole reaming Jordanian elects not to flee, despite the fact that it's lucky to still be in the game. Instead, it definitely retaliates against my Sho'ts knocking one out of the game.
Things are starting to look bleak again for the Jordanians as a wall of Israeli armor approaches.
TURN 4
In Turn 4, my 2nd AMX Platoon and Infantry advance on my left toward the town.
On my right my first platoon of AMX-13s moves up to shoot the sole remaining Jordanian AT jeep, but where it is also close enough to assault the end of Charles' infantry platoon. The remaining three Sho'ts creep up through a sand area and shoot at Charles' M-48 platoon.
The Sho'ts get three hits and knock out a full platoon of M-48s in one volley! Victory Point #2. Meanwhile on my right, My 1st AMX-13 platoon takes out the remaining Jordanian AT Jeep. Victory Point #3!
In the center, my mortars switch over from smoke to HE and they pin the Jordanian Infantry screen.
In the assault phase, I lead off with my second AMX-13 platoon on my left. After three rounds of melee they lose a tank, but drove off the Jordanians on my left with some heavy losses.
On my right, the first AMX-13 platoon assaults in. One AMX is bailed out by defensive fire from the Jordanian Bazooka there, but the rest, along with my 2IC, close in.
The melee ends with the destruction of the last Jordanian infantry team on my right. This causes a platoon morale check which the Jordanians fail. They now have lost all four starting platoons. So with just the 2IC M-48 tank Charles takes a company motivation check and fails. The game is over with a 6-1 win for the Israelis who follow five losses in a row with two wins in a row.
But in the end Charles and I had a nice couple of afternoon games of "Fate of a Nation." Though the Jordanians lost both, Charles learned a lot and I expect that next time I'll not be nearly as lucky.
Tom has been playing wargames since the late 70’s, and Flames of War since 2007. He maintains a gaming website www.battlevault.com for the BattleVault Gamers of Kentuckiana and posts and moderates WWPD as Iron-Tom.
