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Monday, June 14, 2010

MW Spanish Blue Division vs British Motor Infantry in Night Assault

Brian and I tried another new mission yesterday- Night Assault(V2) which will be played at the US Nationals next month.

We decided to do Mid-War as Brian wanted to try his Spanish Blue Division. I don't have any Russians so we fudged history a bit and had them fighting in North Africa.



Read on to see what happened!


Night Fight is an interesting mission. There's 5 objectives total. 2 n each player's deployment zone, and 1 in the dead center of the board. The mission is played long-ways with all your forces, which is also a change of pace. As the name implies the battle starts at night, and night lifts per the night fighting rules. It's a mobile battle, and a fair fight. Victory conditions start getting checked on turn 4. Brian and I both knew there would be an epic, bloody battle around the central objective.


Steven's British Motor Infantry
HQ
3x Full Strength Motor infantry Platoons (North Africa)
Scout Patrol
Humber III Armored cars
Kingforce Churchill III troop
Crusader Troop (2x Crusader III, 2x Crusader II)
8 Gun RHA Battery

Brian's Spanish Blue Division
HQ
3x Full Strength "Spanishjaeger*" Grenadier Platoons
HMG Platoon
Armored Panzerwerfers w/ crew upgrade
4x Marder III H
Scout Patrol (5 stands w/ SMGs)
Heavy Mortar Battery

*We called them "Spanishjaeger" since they were Brian's Fallschirmjaeger troops. We know that isn't what they're called.



British Deployment. From top to bottom: 2x Motor Infantry Platoons, churchills, Humbers, Motor Infantry, Scouts + Crusaders. The RHA is spread across the entire line.



The Spanish. From top to bottom: Spanishjaegers and heavy mortars. HMGs, Spanishjaegers, Scouts + Marders, Spanishjaegers. In the back are panzerwerfers. Note the southern most objective (just south of the Marders). We'll call this the "prime" objective- it's important later.



The board



British recon moves. Can only go 8" due to the night rules.



The British get the first turn and roll out under cover of night.


The Armored cars move up to contest the objective.



Crusaders and Motor infantry push forward. Note the Scouts on the right sneakily moving up the extreme flank.



The Spanish roll out. Marders move to cover the impending flanking move by scouts and Crusaders.



HMGs deploy in the building. The first Spanishjaeger platoon moves forward, while the Scouts advance in the olive grove.


Spanish Troops move up to the small town.


British turn two sees the entire front marching forward.


View from the British lines.


The Scouts keep sneaking up the flank.


The Spanish move forward. Mortars fire on the British armored cars, but in the concealment of night they fail to do any damage.


The Spanish are poised to grab the objective.


Here they come!


The first battle on the objective kicks off with a British assault. The british infantry maims the scouts, and slightly wounds the Spanishjaeger, but are completely decimated in the counterattack.


The Humbers decide to strike while the iron's hot, and do some damage to the remaining spanishjaeger.


On the other flank, the Scouts capitalize on the redeployment of the Marders and come in MGs blazing, then assault.



The assault in the center is decidedly lost by the british. Though both the spanish scouts and jaeger are gutted, both pass motivation and continue on. The Humbers sit burning.


The aftermath.


The Spanish fall back from the scouts.


Panzerwerfers knock out a Crusader and bail another.


Concentrated fire from the British knock out the jaeger platoon. The Scouts hunker in hastily dug foxholes.


The RHA drops a "stonk" on the jaeger in the town.


The remnants of the jaeger assault the churchills.


One churchill burns, but the other two break off. The jaeger consolidate forward.


The Marders swing out in an attempt to finish off the Crusaders. The RHA drops a "murder" on them, knocking 3 out.


The Spanish are fairly well mauled now. The British hold the central objective, though the Spanish are still contesting it with a Marder and a jaeger team.


The last Marder is dispatched by the Crusaders. The remaining jaeger platoon is now stretched between the central objective held by British infantry, and the "Prime" objective in the Spanish deployment zone which is being threatened by the Universal Carriers.


The Sneaky Scouts push into enemy territory to contest his prime objective.


In the town, British rifles move out. The RHA tries to smoke the Spanish HMGs from both batteries, and both fail to range in.


The results are predictably catastrophic, though the remaining 2 teams of the Brith Motor Infantry are able to pull back and pass motivation.


The Spanish attempt to assault the Scouts and do knock one out, but the scouts press on and the Spanish fall back leaving the objective in British hands.

4-3 for the Brits (having lost the armored cars, and one motor infantry platoon).


CLOSING THOUGHTS:
STEVEN-
I am really really liking these 2 new missions. They will definitely be added to the rotation at my house. I am also really liking this particular motor infantry list. As usual, playing with Brian is a pleasure. Plus he brought my wife and I donuts- a gentleman AND a scholar!

BRIAN-
On the mission: Great mission. The addition of the night fighting and the center objective push you into close combat and keep one side from just digging in on their half of the table. Night help keep artillery at bay so infantry can work up the board. The addition of the two rear objective on each side keeps you honest.

On the Spaniards: Not a bad MW list. I tried to play them with the bravado they so deserve. In that respect they did not let me down, and only failed to counter attack once. Lack of armor support was troublesome. I had debated taking two StuGs and that could have helped. Also pioneers would have been nice since as a whole my AT was a bit lacking.

One the game: As always it was a blast. I am now tied 1-1 in MW vs Steve. LW he owns me big time. There were a few instances when I should have held my ground and not have pushed forward; but would the Spaniards have done that? I think not.



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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

US Armored Rifles vs German Panzers in Clean Sweep

Tom and I tried a new mission last night: "Clean Sweep" (not to be confused with the "old" clean sweep). It's a pretty cool mission, and well balanced. The mission has been available for testing via the Nationals e-mail list, so I think releasing details for it is okay.



Read on for the AAR!

The mission is divided up into 4 quarters. The players start with half their forces in opposing quarters (just like breakthrough). Only 2 total objectives are placed, and they are in the quarters that aren't deployment zones, far in the corner. Thus, no one starts holding any objectives.

To give infantry a fair shake, this mission uses a new rule "Heavy Rains". The entire board is treated as difficult ground (save roads which are treated as difficult but do not require a bog check). On the start of turn 3 you roll a die to see if the ground dries out, and continue adding a die on each player's turn (per night fight). The battle lasts a minimum of 6 turns.


STEVEN'S STUG BATTERY
HQ
4x Stug G
4x Stug G
4x Panzer IV H
Panzerwerfer battery
2x Flakpanzer 38(t)
3x Puma

TOM'S ARMORED RIFLES (2nd AD)
HQ
Full AR Platoon
Full AR Platoon
Full AR Platoon
Mortars (2 tubes)
4x Shermans
5x Stuarts



The board. The objectives are visible in the top left and bottom right. The die marks the center.


Tom's dogfaces get ready to move out. He begins the game with 2 ARs and the mortars on board.


Uncle Tom's quarter.


Stugs and Pumas line up on the bottom right of Steven's quarter.


In the other part of my quarter, Stugs line up ready to race for the objective.


Armored Rifles move into the trees. The Stugs decide to stay put rather than risk bogging. The pumas do risk it and manage to get on the road.


Scouting the way.


The first of Steven's reserves arrive.


Tom's ARs race for the trees


The scenario presented by iPad.


Tom's first reserves arrive. Stuarts do a pretty good job of keeping from getting bogged.


Tom's ARs are in a good position to go plop down on the objective from within the trees.


Steven's Stugs nab the northern objective and get ready to defend it.


More reserves arrive for Tom. 2nd AR back up the first. 2 AR platoons up against 4 stugs!


The last of Tom's reserves arrive. Shermans and Stuarts stay cautiously out of site until the ground dries up. Tom's crotch does not stay out of sight.


Steven's reserves arrive. Panzer IVs and Stugs readjust, and 2 tanks bog in the muck.


The Stugs prepare for the coming storm.


US Tankers get stuck in the mud.


Armored Rifles grab the other objective.


The heavy rains make the battle slow to develop.


Achtung!! Amerikeners!


The medium tanks surge forward, MGs blazing!


The ARs are punished.


The ARs take light casualties, but keep moving.


The gun line continues to open up on the ARs who have now dug in.


ARs continue to take a beating, but push forward.


Pumas sneak into the trees. The American tanks gear up to strike.


Stugs, flakpanzers, and panzerwerfers all move towards the objective. The Germans throw everything but the kitchen sink at it.


The flakpanzers integrate with the Stugs to bolster defensive fire.


The American tanks move forward but still do not strike.


The Shermans and Stuarts rush forward in a gun line to shoot at the Panzer IVs.


Tom feeds one team forward to contest the objective.


and then decides to charge forward bazookas blazing!


Casualties from the US tanks are light- one Panzer IV burns.


Bazooka fire knocks out one flakpanzer, and bails the other. The remaining flakpanzers races off the battlefield! The first platoon lost is German.


The Germans retaliate with a withering barrage from the panzerwerfers, and MG fire from the stugs.


one of the panzerwerfers fires at near point blank.


The final tank battle is gearing up. Stuarts race to the German flanks, and the 2 Shermans that survived return fire are left leaderless and so pump rounds into the German mediums. The Armored Rifles charge out of the woods with bazookas at the ready. One stug is knocked out.


The Americans unpin and race forward. Bazooka fire knocks out 1 stug!


The Germans return fire. 3 Stuarts are destroyed, 2 are bailed. Both Shermans are bailed, and some light damage is done to the Armored Rifles.


The Americans do not pass their motivation check to assault, and the return fire is light but enough to force morale checks.


The Pumas push their way out of the trees and knock out the commander of the mortars.


Tom has to make 4 motivation checks: Stuarts, Shermans, the Armored Rifles near the bottom objective, and the armored rifles who tried to take on the 4 stugs. He fails all 5 motivation checks (4 plus a re-roll for the Stuarts with the company commander).

This leaves him with 2 mortar halftracks, and a ragtag group of Armored Rifles with no platoon leader. Having no company commander, the game is called.

5-2 for the Germans.
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