Tonight's game saw a British Infantry Company trying to hold a strategic ridge outside Hannover against an approaching Soviet Tank Company, using Nick Overland's brilliant SabreSquadron rules..
All British infantry are by Pendraken, the British Chieftains and all Soviets are from Timecast.
A Google Earth shot of the battlefield, suggested by Barrie at Timecast, where he had been involved in an exercise in the 80s. This was only a small slice of the operational area, but looking at the terrain it was going to be fun. The Benthe Berg to the East is a densely wooded ridge, which overlooks a flat plain with the village nestling against it. The village itself had proved too tight for British armour at the time.
My attempt to recreate it with my own terrain, the moral of this story is... buy more 10mm Houses!
Nick, the rules author, survaying his lines of attack.
The view from the British lines. Majority of buildings and all trees from Timecast.
A British Platoon deployed to the East of Benthe.
50% of the British forces were deployed concealed. Here Jarkko, our resident Finnish god of war records his deployment for the British..
The British set up two platoons of infantry and company command on the Eastern edge of Benthe.
The Company anti-tank section with Milans was spread out along the treeline behind Benthe on the Berg.
The southern British flank, two Carl Gustaf launchers, a light mortar and a rifle squad.
The Soviets deployed. They were given an open choice of where to attack, but their whole flank was in effectively open terrain and they had to pick a point of attack.
It looked like the Soviets were going to punch through from the South.
The Soviet view of what they were facing
T-64s advance on the village.
The British deploy their hidden reserves, 3 platoon holding the small hamlet of Sieben Trappen, and two Chieftains (the rest had broken down on the way) and two Scorpion tanks in reserve.
The Soviets look awfully close!
The British 2nd Platoon unexpectedly leaves it's foxholes and swings right!
Looks like the infantry are going hunting!
First blood to the British as a Milan missile from the ridge punches through a BMP-1.
Very shortly joined by a T-64
Further missiles streak across the German fields, knocking out another BMP-1, and half the infantry riding inside.
The Chieftain's main guns also open up on the BMP-1s, and the result is somewhat predicatable. The Soviet recon platoon is being mauled
The last remaining recon BMP-1 bravely launches a missile at the Chieftains, and scores a kill.
Suddenly it is looking less one-sided, those BMPs have teeth!
And the 120mm guns on the T-64s bark too, taking out the other Chieftain (typical, I only finished painting them on Tuesday)!!
The Soviet tanks also successfully tracked where the lethal Milans had come from, and, with three lucky hits, killed two Milan posts and the section commander! Suddenly, the British looked in real trouble, especially as the ATGM crews decided to bug out at full speed into the woods of the Benthe Berg!
A shot down the lines, as the fickle hand of fate picks a new target!
You don't want to roll that! The Soviet artillery was also aimed at the Milans, but suddenly found itself devoid of targets.
The Recon platoon was finished off by accurate fire from the Scorpion light tanks.
RANDOM POINT!
Bravely the Soviets tried to press on towards the village.
But the fire from Charlie-Gs was enough to make them think again! This section did not last long under two platoons worth of direct fire 120mm shells!
But is sold itself dearly.
The Soviet Motor Infantry platoon was suffering under sustained fire from British anti-tank MAW and LAW hits, plus a battery of off-table Abbots adding their support.
British Infantry attempt to flank the Soviet advance, Jarkko's save dice finally went his way, and he was able to sneak exrta Charlie-Gs onto the Soviet flank..
Soviets tanks had cleared the way into the village, but their infantry was too suppressed to even contemplate an attack.
It's getting closer! Soviet tanks take a pasting, if the Milans had stayed on station, they would have been in massive trouble now.
While Soviet forces were starting to look very thin on the ground, the British still retained the bulk of their infantry, which were now feeling aggressive enough to want to finish off a tank company.
Could the Soviets pull together any meaningful attack now?
The Soviet tanks turn to face the infantry, in a vain hope of destroying them. However, the infantry platoon and the recon had both legged it, it was going to be a bad day to be a tanker!
But the British line held firm!
It's ours, come and get it!
Soviets 4, British 9. The Soviets had failed to break the British line.
At one point it looked like it was going to be a very one sided affair, but the Soviet heavy tank guns had damaged the main British anti-tank assets, leaving the PBI to do the real work, again!
Post match, we decided more of a challenge will be more tanks for the Brits, and less infantry. The Soviet artillery was largely ineffective too, whereas one well timed strike by the British mortars had finally broken the back of the Soviet infantry. If the British had had their Strikers instead of tanks, life may have been even more brutal for the Soviets!
A good game, Jarkko and Nick looked like they were enjoying themselves (I didn't play as I had driven back from Mid-Wales that afternoon, so was a bit frazzled).
I need more Soviets! I need more buildings! I want more British kit!
All British infantry are by Pendraken, the British Chieftains and all Soviets are from Timecast.
A Google Earth shot of the battlefield, suggested by Barrie at Timecast, where he had been involved in an exercise in the 80s. This was only a small slice of the operational area, but looking at the terrain it was going to be fun. The Benthe Berg to the East is a densely wooded ridge, which overlooks a flat plain with the village nestling against it. The village itself had proved too tight for British armour at the time.
My attempt to recreate it with my own terrain, the moral of this story is... buy more 10mm Houses!
Nick, the rules author, survaying his lines of attack.
The view from the British lines. Majority of buildings and all trees from Timecast.
A British Platoon deployed to the East of Benthe.
50% of the British forces were deployed concealed. Here Jarkko, our resident Finnish god of war records his deployment for the British..
The British set up two platoons of infantry and company command on the Eastern edge of Benthe.
The Company anti-tank section with Milans was spread out along the treeline behind Benthe on the Berg.
The southern British flank, two Carl Gustaf launchers, a light mortar and a rifle squad.
The Soviets deployed. They were given an open choice of where to attack, but their whole flank was in effectively open terrain and they had to pick a point of attack.
It looked like the Soviets were going to punch through from the South.
The Soviet view of what they were facing
T-64s advance on the village.
The British deploy their hidden reserves, 3 platoon holding the small hamlet of Sieben Trappen, and two Chieftains (the rest had broken down on the way) and two Scorpion tanks in reserve.
The Soviets look awfully close!
The British 2nd Platoon unexpectedly leaves it's foxholes and swings right!
Looks like the infantry are going hunting!
First blood to the British as a Milan missile from the ridge punches through a BMP-1.
Very shortly joined by a T-64
Further missiles streak across the German fields, knocking out another BMP-1, and half the infantry riding inside.
The Chieftain's main guns also open up on the BMP-1s, and the result is somewhat predicatable. The Soviet recon platoon is being mauled
The last remaining recon BMP-1 bravely launches a missile at the Chieftains, and scores a kill.
Suddenly it is looking less one-sided, those BMPs have teeth!
And the 120mm guns on the T-64s bark too, taking out the other Chieftain (typical, I only finished painting them on Tuesday)!!
The Soviet tanks also successfully tracked where the lethal Milans had come from, and, with three lucky hits, killed two Milan posts and the section commander! Suddenly, the British looked in real trouble, especially as the ATGM crews decided to bug out at full speed into the woods of the Benthe Berg!
A shot down the lines, as the fickle hand of fate picks a new target!
You don't want to roll that! The Soviet artillery was also aimed at the Milans, but suddenly found itself devoid of targets.
RANDOM POINT!
Bravely the Soviets tried to press on towards the village.
But the fire from Charlie-Gs was enough to make them think again! This section did not last long under two platoons worth of direct fire 120mm shells!
But is sold itself dearly.
The Soviet Motor Infantry platoon was suffering under sustained fire from British anti-tank MAW and LAW hits, plus a battery of off-table Abbots adding their support.
British Infantry attempt to flank the Soviet advance, Jarkko's save dice finally went his way, and he was able to sneak exrta Charlie-Gs onto the Soviet flank..
Soviets tanks had cleared the way into the village, but their infantry was too suppressed to even contemplate an attack.
It's getting closer! Soviet tanks take a pasting, if the Milans had stayed on station, they would have been in massive trouble now.
While Soviet forces were starting to look very thin on the ground, the British still retained the bulk of their infantry, which were now feeling aggressive enough to want to finish off a tank company.
Could the Soviets pull together any meaningful attack now?
The Soviet tanks turn to face the infantry, in a vain hope of destroying them. However, the infantry platoon and the recon had both legged it, it was going to be a bad day to be a tanker!
But the British line held firm!
It's ours, come and get it!
At one point it looked like it was going to be a very one sided affair, but the Soviet heavy tank guns had damaged the main British anti-tank assets, leaving the PBI to do the real work, again!
Post match, we decided more of a challenge will be more tanks for the Brits, and less infantry. The Soviet artillery was largely ineffective too, whereas one well timed strike by the British mortars had finally broken the back of the Soviet infantry. If the British had had their Strikers instead of tanks, life may have been even more brutal for the Soviets!
A good game, Jarkko and Nick looked like they were enjoying themselves (I didn't play as I had driven back from Mid-Wales that afternoon, so was a bit frazzled).
I need more Soviets! I need more buildings! I want more British kit!
Enjoyed, thanks - a very interesting replay. Those 10mm tanks (from both companies) look very nice.
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