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FoW Corrivalry 2012 - How did the Guards Heavy Tanks do?

6.45pm Monday - Downley community centre, School close, Downley HP13 5TR

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FoW Corrivalry 2012 - How did the Guards Heavy Tanks do?

Postby DaBoss » Mon Feb 13, 2012 5:04 pm

So the day after the event - Corrivalry 2012 in Northamptonshire.
72 Players attended with a good mix of the Axis and Allies - some interesting armies, good mix of Tank/Mechanised/Infantry lists.

I was taking my Soviet Guards Heavy Tank Regiment which contained 17 KV-1e's (great armour, rubbish gun) and not very fast. We could take 2 lists and had to decide before the game started which one to take as some of the tables were specialised (Trench Fight, City Fight, River crossing and Fortifications - so people could tailor their force for these missions).
As it turned out, the decision on which list to used depended on if they were Tank or Infantry opponents.
For Tanks out came the Priority Shturmoviks and Sappers, whereas for Infantry it was Strelkovy and Devastating Bombardment Katyushas.

So Game 1 - faced the 17th SS Panzergrenadierkompanie with Flak36 guns (88) and Stug supports defening against me in 'Witches Cauldron' from Early War Hellfire book (now in v3 as a standard mission).
My random force deployment placed my KV-1e tanks facing the 88's as far away as they could get, meanwhile my Strelkovy was on the opposite side and the Katyushas in the back field.

I decided to ignore the Flak36 guns with the help of a nice blocking Orchard and all my reserves flowed on the opposite side to face Pak40 guns. The Strelkovy broke over his Panzergrenadiers but got cutdown by defensive fire (even with them being pinned due to devastating bombardment!!!).
So I followed up with my KV platoons killing the dugin Pak40's fire MG fire and was sitting on the objective by turn 5 with nothing other than a CinC with Panzerfaust that could attack me.

Win 5-2
002.JPG

NOTE: 88's were on the otherside of the Church, so my attack came from otherside.

Game 2 - German PanzerSpah in Roadblock
So as I was Tank vs Mechanised, the Germans were Ambuscading my advance which he choose a KV platoon and doing the ambush was 3 Jagdpanthers in a Wood!!! Glad I took my 'B' List
He killed 2 KV tanks and the retreated to a nearby Wood, meanwhile my CinC and a Platoon moved on from the road and got a sneaky side shot at extreme range on his Tanks, I roll a 6 he fails his armour and bang does a Big Cat. Next turn he tries to exist the wood to come get me (as my positioning meant that my previous attack could only see 1 of his), as he comes out 1 Jagdpanther bogs, the other tries to free him but fails.
My next turn a 3 strong Sthurmovik flight comes in and rockets the Jadgpanthers destroying 1 and bailing the bogged one - he did have AA Halftracks but with the re-roll due to Flying Tanks failed his FP rolls.
Now this leaves him 2 platoons of Pumas and a platoon of 4 Stugs to take on the might of 15 KV tanks.
I loose 2 more tanks for the loss of his Stugs, turn 5 there is no Germans within 16" of an objective - game over.
Win 5-2 (i lost the Sapper platoon to Bogworts following the Stugs, they were nasty in v2, luckily corrected in v3)
006.JPG


Game 3 - GrenadierKompanie in No Retreat
So out comes 'A' list with the Katyushas, I should have plenty of Infantry to bombard and then rollup with my KV's.
But then things go wrong, the table is really busy with terrain - it's a special made board representing a Normandy Port. One side has hedges and a river, while the otherside has a railway embankment crossing over the river, which puts my deployment line right through Very Difficult terrain (given that my troops are Trained and going to have to take 4+ tests with each tank as they move).
Then it's time for him to deploy his army and out comes Pioneers with 2 Flamethrowers and a Minefield which goes over the only road access to his deployment zone, then backing up this route is 3 Nashorn Tank Hunters AT16 guns but Front Armour 1 and then to top it all off a King Tiger!!!
Wish I'd taken 'B' List and gone Tiger hunting...
388.JPG

So start moving off and manage to fail half my rolls, leaving 6 tanks stranded on the embankment. This continues to happen even when I get off the rails and towards the wood, I still fail my tests.
The Nashorns and the King Tiger start taking a toll on my tanks.
I finally assault his lines but manage to roll 3 '1' in a row to bog my tanks right in front of his Pioneers who then destroy them. Game gets no better as I end up feeding my troops in piecemeal, had to try and at least kill one of his platoons but fail.
Loss 6-1

Thats the End of Day 1 - so 2 wins and 1 big loss, not too bad.
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Re: FoW Corrivalry 2012 - How did the Guards Heavy Tanks do?

Postby DaBoss » Mon Feb 13, 2012 5:34 pm

So Day 2 brings

Game 4 - 12th Auflarungsschwaddron in Encounter
So in come the Aircraft as I expect some armour and am not disappointed as 2 Tigers have joined the Recce force.
On a snow covered table
007.JPG

My opponent got the first turn and raced a recce platoon in halftracks up one flank behind a wood from my KV tanks, bold move especially as I have aircraft.
My first turn in come the Shturmoviks a flight of 3, they head for the Halftracks needing a 4+ to rnage in, I roll a 3 then a 3 then a 3 - epic fail as the planes fly away.
The Germans pushed forward supported by the Tigers and reach the objective by turn 3 facing off against my KV's and Sappers - it would be really good to get some reserves right now - not going to happen.
So turn 4 I lose a KV tank to the Tigers and pin the Infantry from charging the sappers.
Reserves!! No none this turn
Turn 5 - grinds down my KVs to just the CinC and a few Sappers but I'm still contesting
Turn 6 - fails to kill the CinC or all the Sappers - come on reserves 3 dice and .... nothing
Turn 7 - my luck runs out as all my troops are massacred.
Lose 6-1 he still had the Platoon Leader from the Infantry that I shot up (I forgot to make him roll for last man standing!)
008.JPG


So final game comes round
Game 5 - Finnish Panssarikomppania in Breakout Mission
Facing Tanks again so out comes the Aircraft list
009.JPG

He covers my zone with PaK40's on a Hill and T-34/85 platoon and KV-1 platoon behind a Wood.
He moves forward firing at my tanks who are 'Gone To Ground' so needs 3+ +1 for concealment +1 for GoneToGround +1 for long range - so '6' needed which he fails to get.
My turn in comes a flight of 3 Shturmoviks, I target his T-34/85's hit all 3 and destroy all 3.
My next turn the Shturmoviks arrive again but this time go after the Pak40's and kills 1 while a reserve unit of KV's has moved on and takes long range shots at '6' and gets 2, he fails his cover saves and the rest of the PaK40's are dead and a roll of '1' for morale sees them flee.
The rest of the game is me amassing my KV tanks (I had to actually double time them down a road to get into the battle, losing 3 on the way due to Unreliable).
He manages to bring up his T-28 tank platoon and MG down my Sapper platoon on the objective.
In response the KV tanks all open up and blast them to pieces along with his Stug Ally Platoon.
Win 5-2

So my Corrivalry Tournaments ends with me getting 3 wins and 2 losses, amassing 50vp
That puts me in 37th place out of 72.
Not brilliant but better than last years 57th place so progress, thats going to be the last time under 2nd Edition rules so now to see what I can do under 3rd Edition.

Couple of things that would have helped me if using 3rd Edition.
1) If you roll 3 dice of reserves and fail, you now get 1 reserve automatically (that would have saved my bacon in Game 4).
2) Aircraft automatically range in against teams in the open (again Game 4, those Halftracks would have been murdered with re-rolling rockets)
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