Well last nights game was a bit of Blue on Blue action - The Brits landing their Airborne troops on Soviet Soil - We must repel the invaders, for Stalin...

Andy took his British Airlanding force, while I was venturing out for the first time with my Soviet forces; had planned on doing a Motostrelkovy Force but underestimated the time required to paint two companies of soviet infantry. So a slieght re-jig of the force (and quick basing of 22 stands) and we have a Tankovy force.





NOTE: I took Churchill III Squadron than an IS-2 Squadron, felt the cost of Churchills at 220pts allowed me much more armour than IS-2 at 470pts. If facing Germans with Tigers or Panthers - it will be hard work but then swarming them and getting flank shots would be the order of the day.

As to this night, we rolled up 'Fighting Withdrawal', so Andy would be defending. He took the side of the table with the corn fields and large wood, while I got the ruining Kholkz and the Marsh.


Andy lines up his infantry platoons to hold each objective, with 25pdrs at the rear for artillery bombardment and the 17pdrs in ambush.

I placed the bulk of my army on the right flank with T-34 to the front followed by the Infantry, I placed the T-34/85 on the left flank with the Rocket Mortars, and finally the Churchills in the center to move where needed most.








My plan was to push up along both flanks, on the right slow my advance when within 16" to pound the Brits line especially targeting any Anti-Tank guns. On the left flank move up behind the forest and hit the 25pdrs on the flank and if need be take Andy's Objective. Churchills slow advance pounding away at any targets.


Andy's secret weapon Air Support appeared and immediately targeted the large formation of T-34's


After the Artillery bombardment and rockets, I had 2 destroyed tanks and 1 bailed - not too bad for me.


On the left flank I threaten to overrun the Artillery Observer

Who runs away after I fail to hit in assault.

The Air Support is quickly called in to neutralise the threat but after rolling 3 hits, Andy rolled 3 misses do to single aircraft attack...bad luck.

Mid game - after the 17pdrs appeared from Ambush and managed to bail just 1 T-34 and failed FP on a SU-122, my return fire results in all the 17pdrs and 6pdrs disappearing to a mass of Machine Gun fire passing FP6+ against bullet proof cover (Note: all my Cannons with 3+ or even 2+ FP failed!!!)


Observer Team is surrounded and gunned down by mass MG fire


Andy considers assaulting the Russian lines but thinks better of it


More Air Support that only succeeds in killing 1 infantry stand (even when he could have hit 3 tanks and 4 infantry - a rash of poor ranging in reducing his to-hit to 5+ re-rolling)


An Airlanding platoon moves to defend the left flank objective from the nearby T34/85s


Time to launch my assault, with the infantry going in after the Tanks have softened the Brits up.
Plus I Launch a secondary assault on the left flank with the Churchills to pull Andy's Platoon off the objective.
My assault only kills an Observer, whereas Andy rolls 5 hits with Gammon Bombs, which I successfully save (Churchills Top Armour 2) and then run down 2 more airborne - Andy pulls back to cover the objective while I move deeper into the forest (got to love Wide-tracks).


Meanwhile on the Right Flank, I pin down the Airlanding Platoon with Tank fire, the Infantry assault kills 3 Para's, they counter attack with 3 stands and the C-in-C, killing 3 Soviets. Finally the Soviets counter-attack and kill 3 more Para's leaving the C-in-C on his own to fall back off the objective.


At this point , Andy concedes the game as with only 1 platoon available to cover 2 objectives (and the mission requiring him to remove another platoon Turn 5), he can't see how he can stop my wall of tanks taking either objective.

Great Game - Win to the Soviets

Afterwards we discussed the use of Artillery and concluded that the 25pdrs would have been better used in Ambush (which it seems the Airlanding can do whereas other Brit Infantry can't). I think my T-34s would have been in a worse state of service after 16 shots at AT10 at under 16"!!!!

Look forward to using the force against the Germans - now just need to paint up another 22 stands of infantry