Part 2 of Tom's Road to Team Yankee Nationals 2017 at Historicon in Virginia
In Part 1 (insert link here please) I showed my army list, and some of the reasons behind what I put into the list.
I had a chance to play a few games with Alex Perry up at
Kirwan's Game Store. We ran a full Soviet MBT list against my Leo 1 horde. But we also tried out one of the scenarios in the Leopard Book. It was a riveting game that would come down to the wire.
We had the terrain to set it up pretty perfectly to the picture they provided.
The Lists - I held the Leo2s in ambush, and Alex needed to borrow some of my surplus infantry and hulls to proxy for all the BMP2s he needed. We had all painted models on the table, but some were my West Germans turning traitor. If the propaganda in the new Red Storm book is to be believed, this all makes sense anyhow.
On my left flank, I deployed the PAH flight, Gepards, a Platoon of Grenadiers, and the CO. I left space right in the middle for some Ambushing Leo2s, my marders stayed back, worried about BMP missiles and AT 10 guns (which are nasty)
Facing off against them were the huge Motor Company and the BMP2 scouts, all infantry started dismounted, which is probably for the best, since they can move pretty quick on their own.
On the Right Flank, I placed a Grenadier Platoon and the 3 Jaguar 2s (I have the Jag 1 models, so We just agreed they were the Jag 2s.
Roughly in the middle of the table, coming down the road, were all of the T72s in their glory, and the Hinds, which would stay out of range of the gepards for 2 turns, before finding themselves in their sites.
In the first turn, Alex moved all his troops up, took a few ineffective pot shots, and braced for the inevitable deluge of fire from the West German Army.
And it would prove devastating.
Nearly an entire T72 Company vanished. leaving 1 tank, who would proceed to pass 7 last stand checks. His devotion to the Motherland would warrant a medal by the end of the game.
On the left flank, my fire was far less effective. Pulling into position, the BMPs suffer many bails but few kills at the hands of panzerfausts and Milans.
The Hinds get chased near the town by marders, and the Gepards which pass their cross checks to come out of the woods into range. But it isn't enough to bring them down this turn, as Alex proves a master of 4+ Helicopter saves.
The Leo 2s shoot and scoot after their ambush, but don't get far enough back to avoid all the incoming fire. in the following turn, they would fail their blitz move and wind up exposed with more limited firepower to throw at the oncoming horde. An assault by the Company of Soviets is repelled with losses.
Too many soviet shots doom the Leo 2s to a quick end. I probably should have saved them for later on. Still I had taken a toll on the MBTs closing in on the objectives, and delayed Alex long enough for the initial timed objectives in the middle of the table to be pulled. Now, with 5 turns remaining until the end, I needed to stage a fighting withdrawl, and hold the rear two objectives. With plenty of equipment left it looked possible.
The Hinds pop a PAH Helicopter, and his friend will leave the field after a failed last stand check.
But the Leos are gone, and so are the Jaguar 2s. My MBT killing assets have disappeared. and like that, the tide has turned.
May day! May day!
The Hinds are shot down by a combination of fire from the Marders and the Gepards. The Hind crashlands on one of the main objectives, so we just subbed it out and had the Hind be a rescue mission. It seemed to thematically fit.
The Situation by around turn 5. My troops fall back into their transports and hightail it to the other side of town, intending to dig into the buildings and hold the crossroads. On the left, infantry flee through the woods with Gepards leading the way. The CO, still alive makes it to the woods and the relative safety of the trees.
Lets wait till this is over folks...wait. the tanks are gone? we're all that's left? we just need to hang on for 3 turns.
Not running fast enough across the field, the infantry try to dig in. and FAIL! so they go to ground and avoid shooting, hoping it can save their lives before they fight the motor company hand to hand.
The Lead tank, the Hero of the Soviet Union, passes his 5th last stand check, and saunters into town. My Milans fail their Blitz move and are left looking longingly out the window as the tank passes inside their minimum range.
Their transports get into the fight, moving into position to take the fight to the Soviets should the infantry fail to hold them off.
Soviet Armor pours through the Gap and down the road, can the Germans hang on?
In a bloody assault, the West Germans force the assaulting Soviets to fall back, but they are down to their last stand. and flee the following turn. There is now nothing between them and the objective save a lone Command team and some marders.
In town, the Milans take out several BMPS but its not enough, and the tanks surround their hideout.
The Soviets unpin, and charge into the woods, it is the bottom of turn 7.
The Marders charge out, and try to savage the infantry with MGs, but to no avail, Alex passes his saves. and BMPS and T72s make short work of them.
The tanks rev their engines, and
Charge the House!
Killing two of the 5 teams, they are forced to fall back, failing 4 cross checks in the process. one retreats. While they get their bearings, a lone BMP 2 prevents them from annihilation by being within 4"
On the eighth and final turn, the T72s have been pushed back...... but on the right, the remaining 5 Soviet teams of an original 12 charge through the woods at the lone Command team.....
3 shots ring out...
and he is no more.
Massacred to nearly the last man, the West German holding action has failed, and the soviets are victorious. On the last die roll....of the last turn. Alex Perry pulls it out.
The game was exciting from start to finish, and we had a ton of fun. Coming up next, My Practice game with my West German List against Alex's Soviet Horde of T72s
Tom Mullane (Captainecho on the forums) is a Social Studies teacher in Brewster NY, who lives in Danbury CT. He plays with the Ordo-Ineptus Gaming Club based at Hobbytown USA in New Milford CT. Come by and get a game sometime!
Ever since Mitch, Sean, and Erik announced that there would be a team yankee nationals this year, I was excited. After spending around 5 months painting my West Germans (covered in this 3 part series from a few weeks ago) I was ready to get some games in. I read the rules over the night before to see if I could find things I may have missed. Knowing who was showing up, and knowing that over 40 players were expected to attend meant I had no expectations of winning anything. Battlefront partnered with WWPD for some prize support, tables, and other logistical concerns. This would winf up being the largest tournament at Historicon this year,
