So this last weekend I attended the Reading Warfare FoW MidWar 1750pt Tournament taking with my my modified Soviet Mixed Tankovy Battalon

It consisted of:
Combat - 7 x KV-1e (one became my CinC)
Combat - 10 x T-34
Combat - 8 x T-26s
Support - Rocket Battery (8 Katyushas with extra crew)

Not many platoons but lots of armour


Game 1 - Encounter vs German Panzergrenadiers
Consisted of:
HQ with Warrior Otto-Ernst Remer
Combat - Panzergrenadier Platoon (3 Squads)
Combat - Panzergrenadier Platoon (3 Squads)
Support - 2 x Tiger Ie
Support - Flak36 Anti Aircraft Guns (2 Sections with extra crew)
Support - 2 x Halftrak AA Guns

My opponent kampfgrouped the 2inC with a squad of panzergrenadiers and deployed the partial strength panzergrenadiers, Tigers and Flak36 guns
The Tigers covering 1 objective and the Flak36 guns the other objective.
I deployed the T-34's and the KV-1's covering my objectives.
The game started off very slow as we manuevered to not give each other easy shots, my T-34s moved into a wood to stop them being annihilated by the Tigers, while the KV's hid behind a large village.

Turn 4 I got my Rocket Mortars and the following turn dropped my 12x12 template over the panzergrenadiers hiding in a building (ranged even when needing 6's)
The only casualty was his CinC attached to the platoon!!!
Next turn his large panzergrenadier platoon and the halftraks arrived from opposite corners, moving forward as best they could.

I then got my T-26s on the flank opposite the Halftraks and left loose all my guns destroying the halftraks, would now leave the T-26s at the mercy of the Tigers which predictably smashed them to pieces.
I had some more sucess with the KV's MGs rolling 4 '6' for firepower against his panzergrenadiers in the buildings and wiping them out.

Game went on for another 4 turns with no more casualties, but being sneaky, I moved my KV's away from the objective and lured him into rushing for the objective but unfortunately for him he failed his stormtrooper move and was stranded in the open - my KV's trundled over to 16" range and opened up with their MGs killing all but 1 stand - my opponent passed his test and on the next turn retreated him off the table as sole survivor.

Now with his force down 3 platoons out of 6 and no CinC, i just needed 1 more platoon - so either the Tigers or the Flak36 guns, I decided to roll the KV's through the village at full speed at the Flak36 guns - amazingly I only lost 2 KV's to their fire along with the Tigers shooting.
Blew them up and ran over Remer and broke his army

Win 5-2 to me


Game 2 - No Retreat vs Soviet Strelkovy Battalon
Consisted of:
HQ with Sappers
Combat - Strelkovy Company (2 Platoons)
Combat - Strelkovy Company (1 Platoon)
Weapon - Anti-Tank Rifle Platoon (12 stands)
Support - Strelkovy Artillery Battalon (8 x Zis3, 4 x 122mm guns)
Support - Infantry Gun Platoon (4 x 76mm guns)
Support - Flamethrower Platoon (2 Teams)
Support - KV-8 Flametanks (3)
Support - Sporadic Air I-153

Something to note, the table had 4 large mountain areas that were at least 16" by 10" and placed in such a way that I had 3 x 4" avenues through them otherwise I could drive over the mountains taking Very Dificult Terrain tests - now lets see at least 4 turns of Bogging on a 1-4 on a d6!!!
Not likely.
So he placed his masses of infantry all over the terrain, placed a Mine field across one of the gaps!!! and placed his Artillery Battalon in ambush.

So I decided to roll forward and fire everything I could at him, killed 2 infantry stands...
This turn the Artillery deployed and let loose - surprisingly I lost 1 T-34 but 7 T-26s.
So the grind continued turn after turn as I pounded away at his line - he lost 2/3rds of his Artillery and his Strelkovy Company was under half strength but I could not take the objective the objective as it was in the middle of a mountain (the other was safely hidden behind the mine field.

As the 3hrs of gaming time was running out, I had to go for it and sent the KV-1's up the mountain into assault to clear the objective but after 5 rounds of fighting I had 4 bogged KV's but had the objective.
His response was to drive the FlameTanks up and lit me up killing 2 KV's while the Infantry rushed up and finished off the bogged/bailed tanks.

That left me my T-34 tanks who decided to go through the mountains towards the other objective - guess what happened?
Yep 5 bogged tanks later and an easy target for his infantry to clear up.

Loss 6-1 against me - I just can't do No Retreat with Mixed Tankovy.


Game 3 - New Mission 'Pig in the Middle' vs German Grenadiers
Consisted of:
HQ
Combat - Grenadier Platoon (3 Squads)
Combat - Grenadier Platoon (3 Squads)
Weapon - HMG Platoon (2 sections)
Weapon - Mortar Platoon (2 sections)
Support - Anti-Tank 3 x PaK97/38 guns
Support - Nebelwerfer Battery 3 guns
Support - Marder III H Platoon (4 tanks)
Support - Panzer Platoon (4 Panzer III N)

My opponent made a daring raid with his Panzer tanks and killed off 3 Katyushas before retreating in the face of 7 KV-1's
Meanwhile I slowly moved forward firing at some Observers that had moved near the center objective.
After 8 turns of being smoked by nebelwerfers and Mortars, I finally destroyed a Mortar platoon but my opponent had also destroyed the T-26s with sniping shots from the Marders that kept rolling up a hill then stormtroopering down again.
With only 20 minutes left - we agreed that we only had time for one turn each, with me on two objectives that would give me the win.
So my opponent moved all his guns forward into range to target me remaining 7 T-34's hoping to break them, while moving a Grenadier Platoon to assault range and claiming range of the center objective.
His shooting managed to get 4 hits on my T-34's but then all his firepower tests came up 1's so bailing me.
He then assaulted my remaining tanks but with 12 dice of MGs I rolled 9 hits and pinned him down 5" away from the objective.
So my 9th and final turn, we agreed that I had won (I was exhausted - he was not the most friendly of opponents, arguing over what was concealed or in range, even complaining that the mission was unfair to an Infantry Army...)

Win 5-2 to me


So we come to the final game
Game 4 - Free For All vs Soviet Cossack Battalon
HQ Command
Combat - Mounted Cossacks (8 Rifle, 4 SMG, SMG Leader)
Combat - Dismounted Cossacks (6 Rifle, 4 SMG, SMG Leader)
Support - Cossack Recon (2 teams plus Leader)
Support - Tankovy Company (10 Shermans)
Support - Rocket Mortar Battalon (8 Katyushas with extra crew)

In deployment, we had the T-34s facing off against the Shermans; seems that Trained vs Conscript as well as the extra 1 on AT for the Shermans really makes a difference as my T-34s go up in a blaze on the 2nd turn after 20 shells head my way.
This is followed up by a mass charge of Cossacks at my Katyushas.
So suddenly I'm down 2 platoons verses his 1 - I had managed to wip out the Cossack Recon with the KV's

Now I'm on the defensive - I move the KV's over to be in range of MG against the Cossacks and manage to break them in 1 turn.
Now my opponent is worried, he has Shermans with AT10 facing my KV's front armour of 9 - he starts to play for a draw.

So I move my T-26's and KV's towards an objective, but on the way I see that I can get into MG range of his CinC, so I fire the KV's at him, he attaches to the Sherman platoon so only getting 1 MG hit on him - but he fails his save - now if I can just kill 1 more platoon I can break him.

The T-26's and KV's fire everything at the dismounted cossacks killing all but one stand which manages to hold and pass his sole survivor test and leaves the table.
I still need to kill 1 platoon!!!!
So I turn my firepower on the Shermans and manage to destroy 4 and bail one - no morale test, but before I can have another go
he destroys all my T-26s and I'm forced to take a Company Morale test, first roll is a '1', so reroll due to CinC dice comes up....'1'
Game Over

Loss 5-2 against me

So managed to get 2 wins, a close loss and a big loss - same as I did at Newbury.
Just can't do the No Retreat mission with this Mixed Tankovy Army.
Still Good fun had and great to play different players.