Saturday, March 27, 2010

Nick's Garage 26/3/10

A good night at Nick's garage with 9 gamers present.

John's Russian Tankovy v. Jim's Sperrverband.
1750 pts Late War Cauldron on a winter battlefield.
The Germans being infantry defended, putting 2 Sperr Platoons, 2 88's & 4 Pak 40's in the wood containing one objective. The other objective was in a frozen swamp defended only by the covering fire of 2 88's & 2 HMGs. In reserve they had 155's, Hetzers, Stugs & Pioneers.

The Russians had several monster SP guns and a Cossack Coy on the table (all in one corner) with 4 guns, scouts & pioneers in reserve.

At first things went well for the Germans. The Pak's popped 3 monsters & their reserves came on steadily. Then they found out about well handled Cossacks - they swept across the gap to assault the wood and in two turns destroyed a Sperr Platoon, the Paks & the 88's.

The German reserves came on promptly, but their progress to the front line was painfully slow through the snow, with no doubling, tanks slowed to 20cm with bogging rolls. The Hetzers being overloaded bogged on 2+ & the whole platoon bogged the turn they came on & their subsequent progress was pitifully slow. At least the 155's didn't have to move up and they quickly popped a monster and two guns from the table edge, but they then ran out of targets as the Cossacks had killed the observers and the entire Russian force was behind the wood.

The Russians regrouped, brought up the surviving armour and went for the objective at the other end of the wood. They destroyed the 2nd Sperr Platoon & HQ to take it, but the Pioneers arrived just in time to take it back with fire support from the Stugs. The Pioneers hunkered down on the objective while the Stugs went round the wood on a monster hunt. The Russians refused to be distracted and continued the assault into the wood leaving the 75mm guns to duel with the Stugs (without success).

Now it was Germans turn to get lucky. The Russian tanks all got bogged in the woods during the assaults & the Hetzers finally got close enough to help out - their mg fire stopped the Russian infantry's assault on the surviving Pioneers. The Russians were now reduced to 2 guns, 2 Cossacks & a few scouts & conceded. After spending most of the battle bogged in the snow, the Hetzer's ended up arriving at the right place at the right time to win the battle (I could say that it was all planned - skillful use of reserves and all that - but no one would believe me).


Munt's Irish Guards v. Joe's 78th Sturm (provided by Steve)
1750 pts Encounter Mission

The battle ended as a timed out draw with both sides in firm possession of their enemy's objectives but without the means to attack and take their own. The Germans' superior artillery would have won out in the end, but not in the time available.


Field of Glory - Wars of the Roses
Rolf & Nick v. Carl & Leigh

Apart from noticing how beautiful it all was your reporter was too preoccupied on the eastern front to report much about the battle beyond the fact that Carl & Leigh's Lancastrians won.

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