Safe European Home III - Brit Revenge AAR May 21st 2016
May 21, 2016 22:47:56 GMT -5
Post by captainecho on May 21, 2016 22:47:56 GMT -5
So first off, a big thanks to Greg and company for hosting and setting up some great boards down in Sommersville. We had 10 players in our 1420 LW tourney despite a few drop outs. And a second thanks to Kevin, David, and George for making the long drive down with me. Its always more fun to go to these events with you guys and I appreciated the company.
On to the games:
My List -
51st Highland Division (Reluctant-Veteran)
1ic + 2ic bagpiper
1-Full Rifle
2-Full Rifle
3-UC's X3
4- 4 6pdrs
5- 4 3" mortars
Con-Trained Supporting Armor (all Engineering equipment that can't assault)
6-Crocs
7-Full Breaching Group (3 Shermans + 4 AVRES)
7-Full Breaching Group (3 Shermans + 4 AVRES)
Game 1 - Blind Domination vs. Greg Mcnally's Kampfgruppe Berlin
Greg't List (what I can remember)
3 platoons of Hitler Youth
1 platoon of Rel-Conscript Meatbags and old men
2 Waffentragers
4X bedbugs
2 infantry guns
2 88s w extra crew
4 AA guns
2 Rel-Trained 88's w crew
9 platoons all mixed ratings
The Board - Berlin...by my request.
The Reichstag (home to 3 pts and 1 pt respectively)
So I would wind up deploying on the side with the beautiful gardens.
Since this was Blind domination, recon arrived first, and I pushed up on my left flank to keep some of his stuff tied down
On the Right, I made the main push. Since if I could capture all the points on that side, I would win on turn 6. I deployed crocs, and a breaching group as the vanguard, and more poured in on turn 3.
Greg;s list most mostly immobile or hard to move guns that didn't get to start on the table, leaving his Hitler youth and Volkstrum as his only mobile options, MG's and Mortars would whittle them down quickly.
Greg needed to be reminded to stormtrooper
using cover, the Volkstrum would tie down 2 objectives for a total of 4 points. My Shermans would blow up the Waffentragers supporting them, and mortars would fly across the open square in front of the riechstag
While on the right flank, a tidal wave of British Armor moved like a horrifying wave against a flank held only by 2 88 guns, both of which were clouded in smoke for large portions of the game, and then gradually whittled down until destroyed by direct AT fire.
The Right Flank
The mortars would lay covering fire for infantry advancing in the open, and gave the shermans a chance to get into position to MG the Hitler youth charging into the square.
After a lot of cat and mouse, the bed bugs will be annihilated by 6pdr fire while their prey, the wiley UC's slipped away to machine gun some children.
A final push into the square with crocs and infantry eliminated 2 Hitler youth platoons. Direct Fire killed off some 88's on the side.
This left Greg down: 2 infantry platoons, Wafentragers, bedbugs, and an 88 platoons. He then rolled a 2 for morale. Having only managed to blow up one AVRE, (and then having his command AVRE run behind a building like a coward) Greg did not manage to take a platoon.
7-1 to me.
Greg's list was not build for movement. and this mission was not a good one for him.
Game 2 - vs. "Karl who plays Italians"
Karl brought a fortified list....I brought 2 breaching groups...we both saw where this was going. But it took me a while to get there.
The board.
My deployment
My plan was to move a platoon ofcrab flails up the left flank to eliminate an MG nest, force an ambush to pop and harass his artillery while my main force pummelled its way up the right flank.
The right flank push worked great. But I learned too late on the left flank that the mine flails are NOT good at clearing away mines...go figure. 2 blew up and the other fled.
on the right, the AVREs cleaned house and destroyed 5 obstacles in 2 turns, clearing a path for everything else.
Artillery took out 2 crocs, but the other made it in to Flaming range, and after a failed assault by some of the Italians that brought them out of their foxholes, every tank in my army MG'd poor Karl halfway across the board.
While there was some back and forth, and a 6pdr ambush tht cost me an AVRE platoon, several dustbin shots later, his tanks were no more, and I had seized the game on objectives.
Having lost 2 platoons of 12, I ended up winning only 6-2 instead of 7-1 (stupid mine flail tanks.)
Game 3 - For the Win...Vs. Policemen Dan
Dan had a list I dreaded....Even more than I dreaded Kevin's list. Because against Kevin's I can feast on all that juicy support and flame out his meatbags...but with Dan? there are only tanks and infantry...
Dan's list
Carius
2ic Jagdtiger
1 - Jagdtiger platoon
2 - Jagdtiger platoon
3 - Ostwinds x 2
4 - Full Panzer Gren Afrikalungs (half tracks and panzerfaust MG teams.
We played cauldron
The Board...
Thanks to random deployment, I wound up with 1 breaching group on the left flank, one on the right, crocs in the center, and an infantry on the right as well. Dan's being forced to angle his JT's to meet each threat left him open to multiple side shots from crocs and shermans...and Dan's dice....were very bad. I killed Carius and a Jagdtiger platoon. leaving the 2ic and a Jagdtiger as his main tanks. But he did manage to take out both Breaching groups and the Crocs by turn 7.
below, crocs up the middle and Shermans smoke and move.
on the right flank, the tanks manage to escape death by Carius thanks to Dan's terrible to hit and firepower rolls
Dan brings on his ostwinds to feast on the mortars, just moved in and not gone to ground. his shots don't kill enough, and the infantry comes in the next turn. Sherman fire bails one anddestroyed the other. Then Reluctant infantry do what they do best, and police up the scraps. 2 platoons down.
another Jagdtiger comes on from reserves and plays cat and mouse with a breaching group, dodging assaults by the infantry through clever placement and movement.
by the objective, 6 pdrs and UC's pound away at the infantry in the houses trying to force a reluctant check.
infantry give chase, but the Jagdtiger is through, and will kill several guns on my left flank before the game is out.
on the right, a failed assault leaves my infantry exposed and MG'd, the Jagdtiger takes out several more on their way to fleeing with the 1ic in tow.
In what became the final turn, my infantry turned to assault what was left of his infantry, and the 6pdrs survivors blew away 1 more stand forcing a check. He failed and was now down 3 platoons out of 4. his back broken, he then failed a company morale. Which I was likely one turn away from taking. He rolled a 4 and lost the game.
What was a 4-3 became a 5-2 thanks to Carius being killed, and then a 6-2 under tourney rules.
But it wasn;t enough, as Kevin having only lost 1 platoon of nebs, managed to edge me out by a point.
This was a strong list, and I would put it up against anything. All my opponents were gracious, kind and fun. I am happy with a 2nd 2nd place for the month of may, and hope to continue refining my use of this nasty list in other 1420 tourneys. I finally found a brit list that can hold its own with the rest.
Thanks for reading!
and Congrats to Kevin!
On to the games:
My List -
51st Highland Division (Reluctant-Veteran)
1ic + 2ic bagpiper
1-Full Rifle
2-Full Rifle
3-UC's X3
4- 4 6pdrs
5- 4 3" mortars
Con-Trained Supporting Armor (all Engineering equipment that can't assault)
6-Crocs
7-Full Breaching Group (3 Shermans + 4 AVRES)
7-Full Breaching Group (3 Shermans + 4 AVRES)
Game 1 - Blind Domination vs. Greg Mcnally's Kampfgruppe Berlin
Greg't List (what I can remember)
3 platoons of Hitler Youth
1 platoon of Rel-Conscript Meatbags and old men
2 Waffentragers
4X bedbugs
2 infantry guns
2 88s w extra crew
4 AA guns
2 Rel-Trained 88's w crew
9 platoons all mixed ratings
The Board - Berlin...by my request.
The Reichstag (home to 3 pts and 1 pt respectively)
So I would wind up deploying on the side with the beautiful gardens.
Since this was Blind domination, recon arrived first, and I pushed up on my left flank to keep some of his stuff tied down
On the Right, I made the main push. Since if I could capture all the points on that side, I would win on turn 6. I deployed crocs, and a breaching group as the vanguard, and more poured in on turn 3.
Greg;s list most mostly immobile or hard to move guns that didn't get to start on the table, leaving his Hitler youth and Volkstrum as his only mobile options, MG's and Mortars would whittle them down quickly.
Greg needed to be reminded to stormtrooper
using cover, the Volkstrum would tie down 2 objectives for a total of 4 points. My Shermans would blow up the Waffentragers supporting them, and mortars would fly across the open square in front of the riechstag
While on the right flank, a tidal wave of British Armor moved like a horrifying wave against a flank held only by 2 88 guns, both of which were clouded in smoke for large portions of the game, and then gradually whittled down until destroyed by direct AT fire.
The Right Flank
The mortars would lay covering fire for infantry advancing in the open, and gave the shermans a chance to get into position to MG the Hitler youth charging into the square.
After a lot of cat and mouse, the bed bugs will be annihilated by 6pdr fire while their prey, the wiley UC's slipped away to machine gun some children.
A final push into the square with crocs and infantry eliminated 2 Hitler youth platoons. Direct Fire killed off some 88's on the side.
This left Greg down: 2 infantry platoons, Wafentragers, bedbugs, and an 88 platoons. He then rolled a 2 for morale. Having only managed to blow up one AVRE, (and then having his command AVRE run behind a building like a coward) Greg did not manage to take a platoon.
7-1 to me.
Greg's list was not build for movement. and this mission was not a good one for him.
Game 2 - vs. "Karl who plays Italians"
Karl brought a fortified list....I brought 2 breaching groups...we both saw where this was going. But it took me a while to get there.
The board.
My deployment
My plan was to move a platoon ofcrab flails up the left flank to eliminate an MG nest, force an ambush to pop and harass his artillery while my main force pummelled its way up the right flank.
The right flank push worked great. But I learned too late on the left flank that the mine flails are NOT good at clearing away mines...go figure. 2 blew up and the other fled.
on the right, the AVREs cleaned house and destroyed 5 obstacles in 2 turns, clearing a path for everything else.
Artillery took out 2 crocs, but the other made it in to Flaming range, and after a failed assault by some of the Italians that brought them out of their foxholes, every tank in my army MG'd poor Karl halfway across the board.
While there was some back and forth, and a 6pdr ambush tht cost me an AVRE platoon, several dustbin shots later, his tanks were no more, and I had seized the game on objectives.
Having lost 2 platoons of 12, I ended up winning only 6-2 instead of 7-1 (stupid mine flail tanks.)
Game 3 - For the Win...Vs. Policemen Dan
Dan had a list I dreaded....Even more than I dreaded Kevin's list. Because against Kevin's I can feast on all that juicy support and flame out his meatbags...but with Dan? there are only tanks and infantry...
Dan's list
Carius
2ic Jagdtiger
1 - Jagdtiger platoon
2 - Jagdtiger platoon
3 - Ostwinds x 2
4 - Full Panzer Gren Afrikalungs (half tracks and panzerfaust MG teams.
We played cauldron
The Board...
Thanks to random deployment, I wound up with 1 breaching group on the left flank, one on the right, crocs in the center, and an infantry on the right as well. Dan's being forced to angle his JT's to meet each threat left him open to multiple side shots from crocs and shermans...and Dan's dice....were very bad. I killed Carius and a Jagdtiger platoon. leaving the 2ic and a Jagdtiger as his main tanks. But he did manage to take out both Breaching groups and the Crocs by turn 7.
below, crocs up the middle and Shermans smoke and move.
on the right flank, the tanks manage to escape death by Carius thanks to Dan's terrible to hit and firepower rolls
Dan brings on his ostwinds to feast on the mortars, just moved in and not gone to ground. his shots don't kill enough, and the infantry comes in the next turn. Sherman fire bails one anddestroyed the other. Then Reluctant infantry do what they do best, and police up the scraps. 2 platoons down.
another Jagdtiger comes on from reserves and plays cat and mouse with a breaching group, dodging assaults by the infantry through clever placement and movement.
by the objective, 6 pdrs and UC's pound away at the infantry in the houses trying to force a reluctant check.
infantry give chase, but the Jagdtiger is through, and will kill several guns on my left flank before the game is out.
on the right, a failed assault leaves my infantry exposed and MG'd, the Jagdtiger takes out several more on their way to fleeing with the 1ic in tow.
In what became the final turn, my infantry turned to assault what was left of his infantry, and the 6pdrs survivors blew away 1 more stand forcing a check. He failed and was now down 3 platoons out of 4. his back broken, he then failed a company morale. Which I was likely one turn away from taking. He rolled a 4 and lost the game.
What was a 4-3 became a 5-2 thanks to Carius being killed, and then a 6-2 under tourney rules.
But it wasn;t enough, as Kevin having only lost 1 platoon of nebs, managed to edge me out by a point.
This was a strong list, and I would put it up against anything. All my opponents were gracious, kind and fun. I am happy with a 2nd 2nd place for the month of may, and hope to continue refining my use of this nasty list in other 1420 tourneys. I finally found a brit list that can hold its own with the rest.
Thanks for reading!
and Congrats to Kevin!