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Monday, June 21, 2010

Mid War Night Assault- Bersaglieri vs Motor Infantry

My first outing with my Bersaglieri! Sean and I hadn't played FOW together in a long time, and I knew he was still rusty so I felt pretty good about this game. I was also excited to get my Bersaglieri out for the first time since my Italian armor had so far been undefeated.

We rolled for the mission and got "Night Assault". I was feeling less confident- My Bersaglieri list is really suited to defense with a strong counter punch, not an all out brawl for a central objective!





BRITISH MOTOR INFANTRY
HQ
3x Full Motor Inf Platoons
Scout Patrol
8 GUn RHA Battery
2x Grant Troops
Humber III Patrol

BERSAGLIERI
HQ
2x Bersaglieri Groups (full sans Solothurns)
75mm Cannon platone
5x M14/41s
Semovente 75s
lancia Heavy AAA



The Italians line up. Both Italian objectives are visible (Burnt Crusader, supply depot).


Semoventes, Lancias, Bersaglieri.


Cannons. Also my wife looking creepy at the edge of the camera flash while checking out my Italians.


and in this corner- the British!


Grants weight the center. The RHA deploys across the front.


So many Englanders! Oh wait, I'm not German. Inglese?


The board. The objective in the dead center also happens to be atop a craggy structure! This Night Assault just became a King of the Hill.


The Inglese make their recon move. Going is slow at night.


The Italians get the first turn and send their Bersaglieri forth! Avanti Savoia!


Semoventes provide some backbone, with Lancias lining up shots.


The Carri attempt to sneak around some terrain.


Semovente and Bersaglieri hold the center.


The British move out!


The Grants- what I wouldn't do for some bi-planes right now!


British Infantry, Artillery, and Armored cars.


The Italians start moving up the cliffside.


Semovente cautiously move forward.


The Carri platone sneak right up on an RHA observer


The British move up the other side! The fight for the hill is on!


The British move up hoping to assault, but their fire fails to knock out the two HMGs directly in front of them, much less pin the Bersaglieri.


Grants move into the scrub


The RHA observer calls fire down directly on himself! The murder knocks out one M14, and bails another. The RHA observer's carrier is also bailed. The Observer was later awarded a VC for valour.


Scouts charge forward MGs blazing just as the morning sun crests the horizon!


But the Italian rebuttal is swift. In one quick round, the English lose a Motor Infantry and their scouts. The Elefintino guns of the Bersaglieri prove viscious against thin armor.


The M14s make their way past the terrain and MG the Motor Infantry. At this point Capitano MacLauchlantini is feeling pretty confident.


Semoventes and Grants begin exchanging fire.


The RHA calls in a stonk on the Italians causing light casualties.


The Semoventes and Grants duke it out.


And the Semovente come out on the losing side. I got cocky with them due to their past excellent performance. I also rolled them as trained, which makes a *huge* difference.


Long range fire from the Grants knock out another M14 and bails another putting them below half.


Further fire from the RHA continues to hammer the Bersaglieri


The Italians rally and move up the hill. Cannon fire is called in on the Grants, while a bogged Grant that got left behind is sniped in the flank by a Lancia.


The other Bersaglieri move out.


The Grants now prove to be nearly impervious to anything the Italians can throw at them (except for the one burning Grant thanks to the lancias)


The English kill the Bersaglieri platoon commander, who valiantly arises from the sand as the Unknown Hero!


The battle for the hill is bloody. Both sides pull back to regroup.


The English move up, solidly holding their ground.


Grants move out to engage the remaining M14s.


Another M14 and Semovente fall to the concentrated fire from the Grants.


Another Stonk decimates the Bersaglieri!


The Semoventes are wiped out.


The Carri are wiped out.


Having nothing but gun teams remaining, and no units anywhere near the center objective, the Italians give their famous salute and throw in the towel.

Congrats to Sean on a well played victory. I thought the Italians had it in the bag from the get go, and after losing two platoons early I think so did he. But this yet again proves that persiverence is an absolute necessity in flames of war.

I think this will be an ongoing grudge match since these lists are well balanced against each other.
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Pictures from a Hasty Assault Doubles game

Jon and I squared off against Luke and Brian yesterday for an epic 2v2. We each ran around 1000 points. We rolled up "Hasty Assault". Jon and I were attacking. The battle drug on for a while and didn't really reach a conclusion, though I think Jon and I have to relent and give it to Luke and Brian who had an excellent defense. Yet again, Armored Rifles prove to be absolute beasts.


JON AND STEVEN
STUG BATTERIE
-----------------
HQ + 2iC Stug Gs
2x Zugs of 4ea Stug G

GRENADIERKOMPANIE
-----------------
HQ + 2ic, add fausts and panzerschreck team
2x Full grenadier platoons w/ fausts
HMG Platoon
Pioneer platoon
Panzerwerfers (3 w/ extra crew)
Captured M4 Sherman


LUKE & BRIAN
Armored Rifles
-------------------
HQ
2x Platoons (1 understrength)
2 mortar tubes
4 Stuarts

Armored Rifles
-------------------
HQ
2x Platoons (1 understrength)
2 mortar tubes
4 Shermans


Jon and I weighted our attack on the right flank which was weakly held by Luke's ARs. My game was marred with abysmal luck at all the wrong times, though all in all I think the Germans held their own. In the end we lost 3 Stugs to a wreckless assault, and a handful of infantry stands, though no full platoons fled. The Americans lost their Shermans and Stuarts, with 2 more AR platoons reduced to a single stand at the end of the game. Though in all, the Germans were kept from the objectives. I think if we had one more turn we could drive it home and win it, but the game must be called at some point.



The right flank, silhouetted by a full moon.


The one objective on the German side of the board


Armored rifles deployed in defense


ARs on the right flank


The center of the board


Stuarts are in immediate ambush and spring forth


ARs reposition


Stugs reposition to threaten the Stuarts


Pioneers and stugs move forward


Achtung Stug!


The captured sherman arrives from reserve and takes a pot shot at the Stuarts


Stuarts threaten the objective, and run off the German 2iC


Americans take some losses as the ARs reposition


The German assault is prepared


Grenadiers arriving from reserve with a tank hunter, the captured sherman, and redirected stugs knock out the Stuarts


The pioneers move up to assault, fire off two flame throwers and... miss every single shot? We decide not to assault in the face of the unpinned Americans.


fail.


Stugs try to get sneaky


The captured sherman MGs armored rifles


Finally the assault goes through.


Stugs whiff horribly.


And pay for it with 3 burning tanks.


The Germans push the objective, but more Americans arrive from reserve!


More Americans fall, but there are just too many amerikeners!


The left flank is solidly in German hands


The Germans try to force Brian's company to make a motivation check as time runs out


The Americans are battered, but ultimately hold the objective.

Not sure what to call this one. We didn't have a time limit going into the game, and both sides can certainly be blamed for stalling. I'm happy to give this one to the Americans, though I think one more turn would see the game a decided 6-1 for the Germans.

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