WARNING: Bit of a long Report
Euro Tournament 2011 - LateWar FOW - Philip Powell with Hell's HighWay 2nd Household Cavalry British Armoured Car Company
So set off at 6am on Saturday Morning having plugged in Postcode in SatNav, after 3hrs finally found the place as the postcode given was for the conference centre at the other end of the University Campus!!!!
Luckily I was not the only one to have trouble finding the building.
Then we wait in a queue to sign in, seems they forgot to record the attendees - so table allocation was random - so people had a lot of 'Blue' on 'Blue'.
Lovely tables though, plenty of scenery, sometime sparse and some very themed; including a Stalingrad table, Arnhem Bridge and a Bocage table.
So first of all, what did I take?
HQ – Command (2) Staghound armoured cars with
AA MGs
Combat – Recce Platoon 2 x Daimlers + 1 x Dingo
Combat – Recce Platoon 2 x Daimlers + 1 x Dingo
Combat – Recce Platoon 2 x Daimlers + 1 x Dingo
Support – Sherman Platoon 3 x Sherman’s + 1 x Firefly
Support – Sherman Platoon 3 x Sherman’s + 1 x Firefly
Support – Royal Artillery SP 4 x Sexton’s and Sherman Observer
Support – Priority Air Typhoons
So after the Health & Safety and other announcements, down to gaming…
Game 1 - Breakthrough
My first draw was against a Stug Batterie from Stalins Onslaught commanded by Magnus Fallmer.
It included:
HQ –Command Stug with Begleit team
Combat – Stug Platoon (3) with Begleit teams
Combat – Stug Platoon (3) with Begleit teams
Combat – Stug Platoon (3) with Begleit teams
Support – Nebelwerfer Battery (3 Guns)
Support – Tank Hunter Platoon – 2 x Hornisse
Support – Sporadic Hs129B
So I was defending with just a Recce Platoon and Independents on the table. He placed a Stug Platoon and the Begleit teams formed into a Platoon in outflank reserve.
Started well, table had lots of Bocage for me to hide behind, I fell back and ranged in the Air Support, destroyed 2 Stugs and bailed 3rd in another Platoon. Had another lucky shot on side armour and bailed another Stug – so 2 Morale tests which he passed with
HQ re-roll.
Started getting reserves moving my Sherman’s on, but in one turn of bad dice rolls everything missed, even the Air failed to range in with a roll of 3 one’s.
His turn he successfully brought in his Hs129B with a flight of 3 planes and gunned down one of my Sherman platoons killing all three, on the other flank he destroyed 2 and bailed 1 Sherman making the last one run.
So I thought let’s move and contest the objectives – but on his next turn both reserves turn up and sit on the objectives.
Daimlers are no match for Stug’s and we went one more turn resulting in a 6-1 win to Magnus, really enjoyable game – all hinged on the middle turn.
Game 2 – Hasty Assault
Another German force this time Panzerpoineerkompanie commanded by Richard Orsler.
It included:
HQ – Command Teams in Half-tracks
Combat – pioneer platoon (2 squads) in Stuka Half-tracks
Combat – pioneer platoon (2 squads)
Combat – pioneer platoon (2 squads)
Support – Nebelwerfers Battery (6 Guns) with Trucks
Support – Stug Platoon (4 tanks)
Richard was the attacker and deployed his Stuka half-tracks and his Nebelwerfer Battery
I deployed my Sexton Artillery and 2 Recce Platoons, what was good for me was that there was a road on my side of the table leading to over a straight bisecting road across the table.
So I recce’d 16” up the road then moved first another 16” up and along the road, a brought in a flight of 3 Typhoons and dropped Artillery on his nebelwerfers.
Pinned and killed half the Nebelwerfers and the Recce killed over half of the Stuka Pioneers and made them run off the field.
His turn 1 fails to get any reserves and fails to un-pin his Nebelwerfers (his CinC was deployed far away behind a hill).
With my 2nd turn I concentrate everything on the last of the Nebelwerfers while moving up to claim the objective. As expected the Nebelwerfers are decimated and on his 2nd turn he rolls for Company Morale and fails – end of game a Win 6-1 to me.
We talked afterwards (as the game had only lasted 20 minutes) and agreed he should have deployed a Pioneer platoon dug-in and gone to ground – that would have been a bit harder for me to dislodge.
He really didn’t know how fast my recce could move...
Game 3 – Fighting Withdrawal
Found that my table was the Stalingrad themed table which was three quarters covered in buildings and ruins making it all very difficult ground for my army – so I was hoping to be facing a Tank Army as well so I could defend.
My opponent Ian Crossby arrives with a box full of US Infantry Company – my worst nightmare, absolutely tons of infantry teams, artillery, anti-tank guns, bazookas and air support!!!!!
His list was:
HQ – Command + 2 Bazookas
Combat – Rifle Platoon (3 squads)
Combat – Rifle Platoon (3 squads)
Weapon – Machine Gun Platoon (1 Squad) + Bazooka
Weapon – Mortar Platoon (2 Sections) + Bazooka
Weapon – Anti-Tank Platoon (2 Guns) _ Bazookas
Weapon – Pioneer Platoon (2 Squads) + Bazookas
Support – Recon Platoon (2 squads)
Support – Cannon Platoon (2 Gun Sections)
Support – Engineer Combat Platoon (1 Squad) + Bazooka
So as I was a Mechanised Infantry list verses an Infantry list, Ian got to choose table side and deploy first; guess what, he took the side with all the Buildings and ruins – his whole army stretched across the 6 ft of table to about 8” deep; whichever part of the battle line I looked at I could not see a vulnerable part – I knew I was going to lose, so I might as well see how many of his platoons I could take with me.
It started bad as my Artillery failed to range in, my Aircraft were intercepted and I managed to kill 1 Infantry stand with my cannons….
His turn concentrated return fire saw a Recce Squadron in flames (I failed to recce away!!), a Sherman Platoon up in flames from Artillery and Aircraft attack.
Turn 2 fared a little better, I managed to kill 2 Infantry stands; in return the Americans destroyed yet another Sherman Platoon and a Recce Squadron.
My 3rd turn and I needed to take a Company Morale test, even with Re-roll managed to roll two lots of ‘1’ and off I went.
Lost 1-6
So drowned my sorrows with a couple of Magner’s and talked sad war stories with other gamers.
Seems I was not the only one suffering lots of losses.
Next day woke up refreshed, ready for two more games.
Game 4 – Cauldron
Another ‘Defensive Battle’ that I was dreading, got drawn against a Soviet player Hugo Ximez with a Peredovoye-Otryad Batalon, something I’ve used in the past, luckily as I was defender he could not use his recon move with the Spetsnaz.
His force comprised:
HQ – T-34/85 + Kommissar in Jeep
Combat – Medium Tankovy – 5 x T-34/85, 4 x T-34/76 + Tank Riders
Combat – Medium Tankovy – 5 x T-34/85, 4 x T-34/76
Support – Motostrelkovy (2 Platoons) 1 unit with SMG + Kommissar
Support – Spetsnaz Platoon (1 Squad) in Half-tracks
I placed the objectives and then deployed my Sextons behind some Hedge and a Sherman Platoon next to the Objective within a Cornfield, keeping a Sherman Platoon in immediate reserve.
He choose to deploy both Tankovy Platoons and rolled a ‘6’ for both, enabling him to place them whichever quarter he wanted. It’s at this point when he had placed the units just at 16” from my Sherman’s that I reminded him that I would get first turn (he had thought as the Attacker that he would go first), so suddenly the T-34 moved back quite some distance.
What he forgot was that my tanks work better at range (even if AT10 against his front 7+1 armour).
Turn 1 – I concentrate all my efforts on one platoon, my aircraft range in as do my Sextons followed by a very good amount of the Sherman fire even on 5+ to hit.
End result 5 destroyed T-34 and 2 more bailed, a roll on Morale sees the Tanks flee the table (he could have used his
HQ but did not want to?)
His Turn 1 no reserves, his T-34’s have to bunch up between two hills to maximise shooting – which results in the Sherman’s in the Cornfield all having 2 bailed (including the Firefly).
Turn 2 sees me, hit this platoon with all my forces and bringing the Platoon down to 5 active T-34’s.
(Had to do some very clever movement to get the Aircraft (flight of 3) to not be ‘called off’ for being within 16”.
His Turn 2 – remaining T-34’s stand still with no reserves and obliterate the Sherman’s in the cornfield.
Turn 3 – I again get a flight of 3 Typhoons and hit the T-34’s with everything (including Artillery which was ranged in and he had not moved)
3 more burning tanks and a failed morale test meant he needed to pass a Company Morale test which he promptly rolls a ‘1’.
Another Win 5-2 to me, my defence worked perfectly, did not even get to fire any Daimlers in that battle.
Game 5 – Free For All
So final game of the tournament, ‘Free for All’ a game that can end in a Draw more often than not.
Got drawn against another Russian force this time a Strelkovy Batalon commanded by Pierre Nielson
It consisted of:
HQ – Command + Kommissar
+ Sappers (5 teams) + Supply Wagon+ Flamethrowers (4 sections) + 2x45mm Guns
Combat – Strelkovy Company (3 Platoons)
Combat – Strelkovy Company (1 Platoon)
Combat – Mortar Company ( 2 Platoons)
Weapon – Scout Platoon (1 squad)
Weapon – Anti Tank Platoon (4 x 45mm guns)
Support – Guards Heavy Tank Company (4 x IS-2 tanks)
Now Pierre deployed his Big Strelkovy with attached Flamethrowers and Sappers on one of his objectives, while the Anti-Tank guns and the small Strelkovy sat on the other. In the middle roamed the IS-2 tanks.
I deployed my forces evenly across the table nice and balanced, but in my Recce move, transferred all my Armoured Cars over towards the Big Strelkovy force.
Pierre got first turn and seeing my move, dug his Strelkovy in. The IS-2 had to lumber forward to get in range of my Sherman’s and failed to hit.
My turn, I move all my Recce and a Sherman Platoon (minus a Firefly who spent 4 turns trading fire with the IS-2’s) over to just 16” from the Strelkovy and spend the rest of the game firing on them while they are dug-in, concealed and Gone to Ground.
On the other side my other Sherman’s chase after the Scouts, while the stationary Firefly kills an IS-2 but then dies the next turn to return fire.
I manage to bring in my aircraft nearly every turn (even when rolling 1 dice) but his defensive
AA fire always dropped me down to 1 aircraft failed to damage them till I final range in a flight of 3 Typhoons; they manage to kill one tank and bail another – Pierre rolls his morale and off does the survivor.
Now Pierre decides that he can’t attack and plays for the Draw. We play another 10 turns which sees me ranging in my Artillery on his Company Command Team but never actually managing to kill him (just every other team nearby), got him down to 8 teams and decided to go for the objective which was held by 2 stands, I manage to kill one with my Daimler but not the other one, Pierre succeeds in retreating and still passing his Morale test (has passed about 8 tests without using his Kommissar to shoot someone!!!).
Two of the remaining stands are Flamethrowers, so Pierre takes a gamble and rushes towards me Recce, flames engulf them but fail to destroy them unfortunately his other teams are more than 6” away so can’t even do ‘shooting too successful’.
I take a Morale test and lose a Recce Platoon (even with re-roll!!!)
At this point Pierre concedes the game as his remaining 6 teams are in the open facing 2 platoons of Recce, a Sherman Platoon and the Artillery – he was happy with a 5-2 result.
So that gave me a 3rd Win.
So 3-0-2 for the weekend, no where never the top tables or a Steve Charlton level (who was just beaten down to coming 2nd Overall); but a very good showing from me.
Just the third game being the attacker in such very difficult terrain doing Fighting Withdrawal on the Stalingrad was my only unpleasant experience.
Overall a good tournament, but they do need to sort out a couple of things.
1) Map/directions to the event location
2) Assign games by Swiss method than random selection
3) Arrange more games Axis vs Allies to reduce Blue-on-Blue
4) Look at the balance of the scenarios as Defensive battles favour and Infantry Army (which it looked like 60+% of players took).
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