Mark suggested we jump to the final scenario of an all in attack for both sides, allowing airpower and artillery. Winner is the player who kills the most, simples.
Eeep!
So, I looked at the lists, added proper artillery and added an on call Bristol Blenheim squadron to the British (which Mark & Dave took), and upped the points of the Germans to match, but with no special abilities, just a lot more kit (including long-barrelled Panzer IIIJs, but still not everything I own). Terrain was spartan to say the least, the Brits had three pre-programmed artillery (two HE, one smoke), and a live battery of off-table 25lbers. I had as much armour as I could manage, veteran DAK infantry and a desire to get in the Brit's faces. Would it work?
We decided this time to try the 'hits stay on, but HQs can rally off' rules variant.
The British lost the deployment roll, and spread their forces across table, whispering pre-planned bombardment ideas to each other. I simply massed my forces left, as this was the flank with least armour (3 x Crusader IIs rather than the 6 x A13s) and went for it! Mark and Dave's forces were somewhat reluctant to come forwards on turn 1, allowing my troops the chance to grab the two pieces of brush on the left via the use of hannomag half-tracks and trucks under the CinC...
Which is pretty much where I stayed all game! Dave tried sending his truck with a mortar and HMG team forwards, only to be cut down by fire. His first Crusader also went up in smoke and a 2lber Portee of Mark's did not last long either. Unfortunately, first time on table, and a Panzer IIIJ is picked off at range. (Dave's box and rules just stayed out the fight all night).
In what woud be the theme of the night, the in-need-of-a-repaint-and-new-base Bristol Blenheim would attack the scrub, Twice my HQs AA fire thankfully managed to force it away.
Followed by Mark's OP dropping artillery fire with some accuracy on my troops. Time to space them out a bit more. Various Panzers take hits (and the second IIIJ is aflame). My stuff in the lower scrub did get a turn of respite thanks to a smoke barrage right in front of them. It's not just for the users, everyone gets a breather!
Mark helpfully points out where his artillery was landing from his second pre-programmed fire mission; on the side of the table where no-body was (apart from his AOP hiding at the back behind trees)!
Airstrikes are not always 100% accurate, as Dave's Humber and a second Crusader II and their Humber armoured car find out.
Mark starts to work his way through my Panzer IVDs, and the Blenheim launches attack after attack on the cover the German infantry is hiding in. Meanwhile, Dave's last Crusader II is left in ruins.
Artillery commander was occasionally inaccurate! 12cm that-a-way!
My tanks take a heavy pounding from Mark & Dave's firepower, mobility is the key here and I did not use it (but hindsight is always 20/20). I did have 2 x Pak36s to the lower half of the picture, but they got shot away by Mark's scrub-based MMG, as they should not have broken cover, but were out of range otherwise.
Mark brings his tanks forwards to gain extra MG/Anti-personnel shots on my infantry in the scrub, as my tanks have been finished off and we are heading into turn 7 of 8. This, however, unleashes my infantry in a series of assault on the Cruiser tanks, which destroys them! Mark's artillery and Dave's airpower takes its toll on the infantry though, and shortly only a few remain.
With the end of turn 8, the game was over, and the count up of losses began.
Brits = 15, DAK = 16. A tiny win for the Brits, but in this scenario the winner takes all.
Great game, huge laughs. Certain frustrations when tanks can't kill infantry, and infantry can't kill tanks, but that's Early War for you, especially for the British who had specialist tanks for certain jobs. Tank on tank fights are brutal, and the infantry just tries not to get noticed. Both sides now AA assests and the DAK also have artillery observers on order.
Learning points from both sides:
Eeep!
So, I looked at the lists, added proper artillery and added an on call Bristol Blenheim squadron to the British (which Mark & Dave took), and upped the points of the Germans to match, but with no special abilities, just a lot more kit (including long-barrelled Panzer IIIJs, but still not everything I own). Terrain was spartan to say the least, the Brits had three pre-programmed artillery (two HE, one smoke), and a live battery of off-table 25lbers. I had as much armour as I could manage, veteran DAK infantry and a desire to get in the Brit's faces. Would it work?
We decided this time to try the 'hits stay on, but HQs can rally off' rules variant.
The British lost the deployment roll, and spread their forces across table, whispering pre-planned bombardment ideas to each other. I simply massed my forces left, as this was the flank with least armour (3 x Crusader IIs rather than the 6 x A13s) and went for it! Mark and Dave's forces were somewhat reluctant to come forwards on turn 1, allowing my troops the chance to grab the two pieces of brush on the left via the use of hannomag half-tracks and trucks under the CinC...
Which is pretty much where I stayed all game! Dave tried sending his truck with a mortar and HMG team forwards, only to be cut down by fire. His first Crusader also went up in smoke and a 2lber Portee of Mark's did not last long either. Unfortunately, first time on table, and a Panzer IIIJ is picked off at range. (Dave's box and rules just stayed out the fight all night).
In what woud be the theme of the night, the in-need-of-a-repaint-and-new-base Bristol Blenheim would attack the scrub, Twice my HQs AA fire thankfully managed to force it away.
Followed by Mark's OP dropping artillery fire with some accuracy on my troops. Time to space them out a bit more. Various Panzers take hits (and the second IIIJ is aflame). My stuff in the lower scrub did get a turn of respite thanks to a smoke barrage right in front of them. It's not just for the users, everyone gets a breather!
Mark helpfully points out where his artillery was landing from his second pre-programmed fire mission; on the side of the table where no-body was (apart from his AOP hiding at the back behind trees)!
Airstrikes are not always 100% accurate, as Dave's Humber and a second Crusader II and their Humber armoured car find out.
Mark starts to work his way through my Panzer IVDs, and the Blenheim launches attack after attack on the cover the German infantry is hiding in. Meanwhile, Dave's last Crusader II is left in ruins.
Artillery commander was occasionally inaccurate! 12cm that-a-way!
My tanks take a heavy pounding from Mark & Dave's firepower, mobility is the key here and I did not use it (but hindsight is always 20/20). I did have 2 x Pak36s to the lower half of the picture, but they got shot away by Mark's scrub-based MMG, as they should not have broken cover, but were out of range otherwise.
Mark brings his tanks forwards to gain extra MG/Anti-personnel shots on my infantry in the scrub, as my tanks have been finished off and we are heading into turn 7 of 8. This, however, unleashes my infantry in a series of assault on the Cruiser tanks, which destroys them! Mark's artillery and Dave's airpower takes its toll on the infantry though, and shortly only a few remain.
With the end of turn 8, the game was over, and the count up of losses began.
Brits = 15, DAK = 16. A tiny win for the Brits, but in this scenario the winner takes all.
Great game, huge laughs. Certain frustrations when tanks can't kill infantry, and infantry can't kill tanks, but that's Early War for you, especially for the British who had specialist tanks for certain jobs. Tank on tank fights are brutal, and the infantry just tries not to get noticed. Both sides now AA assests and the DAK also have artillery observers on order.
Learning points from both sides:
- Don't bunch up when your opponent has template weapons.
- I need to repaint and rebase a Bleinheim.
- More cover is needed for other theatres, we were very sparse today.
- A well sited mortar covers a multitude of sins.
- Don't send a truck into MG range.
- Know how far your shots will deviate before you park recee too close.
- Preprogrammed fire/smoke only benifits you if you have enemy under it.
- Sometimes you need to keep moving rather than get bogged down in a firefight.
- I need more AA!
Comments
Post a Comment