When Sean said "hey lets get together and play an Italy battle", I thought "great I all ready have a list!"
I happily dusted off my mid-war Panzer-Grenadier army. The problem was, when Sean said Italy he meant Late War Italy... Doh!!
So, I took my mid-war list and made it a late war. The only real changes were the Nebs got heavier and PzIIIs became PzIVs.
My list was two Panzer-Grenadier platoons in trucks and a Aufklarungs platoon in halftracks, 4 PzIVs, a Pak 40 platoon, HMGs, Nebs 21cm, and a Tiger. Sean had a assault platoon, infantry platoon, 6 Hellcats, 6 Sherman 105s, two 57mm platoons, and recon.
We randomly rolled the mission Hasty Attack. We rolled again and Sean was the defender. With seven platoons Sean put one infantry on, the Sherman 105s and the assault platoon in immediate ambush.
One objective was in the town which could be problem so I decided to go for the one behind the hill
Aufklarungs and a PzGren platoon
Sean all happy before the battle starts.
One of the objectives is under this house... I want nothing to do with it.
Americans are dug in tight.
Sherman 105s in the center covering the other objective by fire.
Gone to ground... waiting.
Tiger skill is "Clever hand Job" ..crap.
Start position.
First turn move.
The assault platoon guarding the objective.
Dug in tight.
Shermans waiting.
Tiger has to get close since the Shermans are Vets. He gets smoke rounds for his trouble.
Tiger moves out of the smoke and gets a hit!...and a bail.
The German PzIVs are some terrible tankers they keep bogging.
My Nebs pound these guys hard, AT3 3FP ...ouch.
Sean bombards the crap out these guys with his 105 shermans.
Vet 6 gun batteries hurt.
Oh no still pinned even with CO re roll.
The German attack has stalled with one platoon gutted pretty good but they do pass their morale check.
And then....this happens. Three bogged tanks and one hanging in the breeze.
Tiger gets another hit and......another bail!
At least he does not bail back in this time.
US stays pinned but does get reserves.
The Hellcats come in ...its about to get real.
They are long range this turn so their shots go wide. But the 105s bombard the PzIVs and bail a tank.
The terrible tankers!
My skill test to un-bog and then un-bail. The most terrible tankers!
Well with the M10s on board I have to go for it and I launch the assault.
Positioned to get all the firepower I can if they are not pinned.
We get the pin.
The assault works but I now have two platoons beat up.
US pass the morale check sitting on the objective.
US reserves arrive two platoons of 57mm.
Sean killed one PzIV -- he now moves in to finish off the terrible tankers.. does not look good.
Sean holds the objective barely and is about to crush my center.
All he needs is one hit of any kind and I am making morale tests for these bozos ...total whiff.
The terrible tanker suddenly come alive and all bail back in and unbog.
Blam! they also remember how to shoot.
Three kills and a bail..
Leaves only two operational out of six morale test time.
They fail this game has suddenly changed.
The ATGs are just close enough to make an assault questionable.
Nebs start pounding ATGs and killing them.
Useless Tiger shoots and does nothing .
Time to assault the last bit of US infantry.
The US troops are cleared out and the Nebs finished off a ATG platoon.
US needs to contest the objective.
The Sherman 105 comes in close to contest the objective and the breakthrough guns are blasting the German Infantry.
My last platoon gets pretty beat up and needs to pull back away from the Shermans with the deadly 105s.
Tiger moves to kill the Sherman shoots and....BAIL! OK RANT TIME! This is the second game where my Tiger scores hits and does nothing but bail, in fact this is the sixth consecutive hit I have scored with a Tiger and its BAIL! What the hell is going on here?? Slave labor in the shell factory?
The Nebs are working great though and finish off the second ATG platoon.
With two ATG platoons killed, One Infantry platoon killed, one Hellcat platoon killed its company morale check time for the US Infantry company. Sean's luck fails him and the company breaks. It was a close game that all hinged on the terrible tankers suddenly not being so terrible. It was a trap!.. not really... it was just dice but it did make for some epic goofing. If the Hellcats had not gone away the game would have probably gone to the US.
