Flames of war - Late war - Breakthrought

Forces - 1500 pts

German Gepanzere panzergren. (CV), Fortress Italy book

HQ +schrek

2x Full grenadier platoons in halftracks

1x Armoured mortar section

3x Panzer IV/70

2x Puma

4x 10,5 cm howitzers

Soviet infantry battalion (FT), Berlin book

HQ

Strelkovy, 2 plut (FV)

Strelkovy, 2 plut

4x 57 mm AT gun (FV)

4x 120 mm heavy mortars

2x SU-100

4xT-43 w/ tankriders

The Germans attack and take first turn but has to put one platoon in delayed reserve, arriving at the objective table quarter. The Soviets must hold one of the armored platoons in reserve as the scenario has mobile reserves.

Turn 1
The German infantry move forward under cover from the small forest to get into position for an coming assault. One puma reveals a team and the other one destroy one of the veteran at-guns. The panzer 4/70 hit all three shots at the su-100 but they save all the hits! The Artillery fail to range in.

No reserves arrive. The su-100 misses the panzer 4/70 but the at guns destroy one and bail one from afar. The mortars fail to range in.

Turn 2
The infantry disembark and prepare for an assault through the woods. The mortars bombard smoke at the AT-guns. The bailed panzer 4/70 remount and the platoon hit both of the su-100, bailing one and destroying the other. The infantry attempts an assault against 8 die in defensive fire - the assault is sadly stopped and kills 4 infantry team.

No reserves arrive. The AT-guns miss the panzer 4/70 but bail both pumas. The su-100 remount but miss the panzers. The mortars fail to range in.

Turn 3
Combined fire from arty and inf only manage to kill the 2iC who make a warrior save and replace a close by team. The su-100 saves the incoming fire from the panzers.

The reserve tanks now automatically arrive and instantly head for the objective. The AT-guns kill another panzer 4/70 and the last one flees the battle. The heavy mortars hit the armored mortars, killing the command half track, but the command team pass its passenger save.

Turn 4
The reserve infantry arrive and move into the woods preparing to seize the objective. The artillery hits the su-100 but it save the attack. The armored mortars direct fire at the AT guns, witch are hit and fails its save, but the FP-test is missed!

The t-34 moves closer to the objective. The AT-guns destroys the pumas with a well placed volley fire. The heavy mortars look for a target but fail to range in.

Turn 5The artillery fires at the tanks hitting one t-34 and a su-100. The t-34 save the attack but the su-100 is destroyed. The reinforcing platoon dig in. The armored mortars hits a veteran AT-gun again with direct fire, and once again the FP-test is failed!

The t-34 move to contest the objective, preventing a German victory by at the start of turn 6. The Heavy mortars still cant find a target in the field.

Turn 6
A last attempt to assault the dug in soviets are made. The artillery puts blinding smoke over the AT guns, but they still hit 2 half tracks, breaking the German assault and finally their fighting spirit.

Soviet 5-2 victory.

Sadly, a little bit one-sided battle, mostly due to bad rolling, many failed German FP test and lucky defensive fire. But it was also some time ago I posted on the blog, so this report will make a point. Still a very cinematic battle.

Flames of war - Late war mini tournament

After a series of battles capturing the Romanian spring offensive of 1944, both sides had reached a stalemate. The German and the Soviet forces both lost numbers though while the soviets had some success in taking territory, the Germans stubbornly held the line. Read more here and here.

To give the summer of battles a decisive result, we decided to throw down a mini-tournament over a day, with 8 players and 3 battles each. Points are 1350 and forces are limited to early 1944 technology.

Axis

Grenadiers (A)

Grenadiers (M)

SS-Panzergrenadierkampfgruppe 

Panzerspah 

Soviet

Heavy assault guns (ISUs)

Gavardyskiy Thazhelyy Tankovy 

Stelkovy

Rota Razvedki

First round

The first round of battles is a random meeting engagement scenario.

SS-Panzergrenadierkampfgruppe - Rota Razvedki

The Red army sends their forward detachment to prone the enemy lines. The resistance seems fierce and many soviet tanks are destroyed in the open field. A German victory.

Heavy assault gun - Grenadiers (A)
The Heavy ISU assault guns are slowly lumbering forward towards the German positions. The German grenadiers fails to penetrate their thick armor, resulting in only a couple of destroyed ISU:s. A solid soviet victory.

Panzerspah - Gavardyskiy Thazhelyy Tankovy 

The Soviets heavy tanks are cached with their pants down as the fast pumas swarms the objectives. The battle ends quickly in a German victory. 

Stelkovy - Grenadiers (M)
The soviets dig in to the forest while their close air support devastates the German lines, unit by unit. A brave attempt to end the game quick is made by my Panzer IV:s but their weak Armour and the raging aircraft ends their attempt quickly.

Result: Soviet (2) Axis (2)

Second round

The second round in the tournament is a random defensive battle.

Grenadiers (M) - Gavardyskiy Thazhelyy Tankovy 

My Grenadiers fair better in the defensive setup, where they defend against the Heavy IS-2 tanks. But the game is a close call, after 5 round of intense firefight with Nashorns and Flak 8.8 only 2 IS-2 are destroyed. While the Panzer IV:s are watching their rounds bounce of the heavy tanks armour, a brave infantry assault finally breaks the Heavy tanks for a German victory.

Rota Razvedki - Grenadiers (A)

The Soviet forward detachment fares better against the German grenadiers, where they quickly rush forward towards the objective. Stalin will be proud of this Soviet victory.

Heavy assault gun - SS-Panzergrenadierkampfgruppe 

The SS dig in to protect their objectives while their Panthers are massacring the ISU assault guns in a crossfire with the heavy Pak43:s. But the Assault guns sees an opportunity to seize a unprotected objective and miraculously scores a Soviet victory.

Panzerspah - Stelkovy

The Puma Aufklärung company continue their success with some aid of their HS-129 air support. The Strelkovy are blown apart, piece by piece, into a solid German victory.

Result: Soviet (4) Axis (4)

Third round

The last round of battles is played as a random mobile battle.

Grenadiers (M) - Heavy assault gun

My grenadiers once again face the Heavy armor of the red army. This time, with no ambushes and random reserves the ISU:s are free to line up and obliterate the grenadier positions. The Panzer IVs attempts a flanking maneuver but lose half their tanks in a failed attempt. It looks terribly bad for the Germans, but somehow, the soviet assault to push the infantry off the objective fails and the ISU:s ends up leaderless. A minor German victor

Gavardyskiy Thazhelyy Tankovy - Grenadiers (A)

The Heavy IS-2 tanks prove how hard it can be to penetrate their thick armor. After a close skirmish with the German grenadiers, the IS-2 tanks bring the Red army another victory.

Panzerspah - Rota Razvedki 

Two fast armies clash down the streets of a Romanian village. The better training of the Pumas and their ability to use the terrain for protection give the German side yet another victory.

Stelkovy - SS-Panzergrenadierkampfgruppe 

The SS grenadiers are facing off against the dug in soviet Strelkovy. With soviet reserves being able to flank the panthers while avoiding the immobile Pak43 guns return fire, the battle ends in a Soviet victory.

Result: Soviet (6) Axis (6)

So the final result of the tournament is a stunning draw with 6 victories on each side. But as this tournament was an extension of the campaign it was ruled out that in case of a draw the previous efforts of the Soviet side would give a Soviet victory. Still it was an even tournament, with only the Panzerspah remaining undefeated in all games.

Warhammer 30k - Tide of carnage

Mechanicum Taghmata vs Legion Iron warriors

Forces 1200 pts
Legion Iron warriors
-Lord w terminator armour
-5x terminators
-Contemptor
-10x Veteran legionarie  (with snipe)
-10x Veteran legionarie (with snipe)

Mechanicum Taghmata
-Magos
-2x Castellax autonomica
-2x Castellax autonomica
-2x Vorax autonomica
-1 Domitar autonomica

Objectives
-Take control over the battlefield. Your own deployment zone is worth 3 Vp, the zone in the middle is worth 5 VP and the opponents deployment zone is worth 7 VP
-Slay the warlord. Killing the enemy warlord is worth 1 VP.
-Last man standing. The player with most surviving units gains 1 extra VP.
The battle last for 5 turns.

We decide to size down the battlefield to 120x120 cm as were are playing 1200 pts. The roll-off to decide whom starts is won by the Mechanicum.

Turn 1
The Iron warriors start strong by siezeing the initiative! The Legion marines push forward and the Contemptor takes a wound of a Vorax autonoma with  its autocannon. In return the Castellans moves forward on all flanks and inflict a hullpoint on the Contemptor.

Iron warriors Contemptor

Castellax

Iron Warriors

Turn 2
The Contemptor and the marine squad takes out one of the sneaky Vorax in shooting followed by an assault from the Contemptor. The second Vorax is killed in the melee and the Contemptor consolidate slightly backwards.

Vorax and Contemptor

The Castellans on the right side hit the lord with a well placed multimelta shot, and the lord rolls a "1" for "look out sir" -  instantly being slain by the shot.

Melee battle

Contemptor victorious

The captain is shot dead

Turn 3

With the skill "snipe" the Iron warrior legionaries on the right side manage to take down the huge Domitar, as it fails a handful of saves. Its better to charge than be charged and the Contemptor rush forward in an attempt to crush the Magos with its chainfist. It inflicts two wounds, but the Magos pass its 3+ inv save.

Closing in for the kill

The Castellans move forward and after shooting, all terminators but the lightning claw armed is killed. In the following assault the terminator inflict two wounds in melee on the charging Castellans - but they roll 2! 6:s for their 6+ inv save. The last terminator is then slain. The Contemptor scores another two wounds on the Magos but he once again pass his 3+ inv save. In return, the Contemptor loses a hullpoint.

Last man standing

Turn 4

The Marines on the right side use snipe to take down one of the Castellans. In melee, the Contemptor scores another two wounds on the Magos, which saves both hits. In return the Magos hits the Contemptor with a rending attack, scoring a penetrating hit that destroys the dreadnought.

Open fire!

The now free-from-melee Magos and Castellans on the left side move forward and kill all but the sergeant marine. The last Castellan on the right flank is now within 12" of the enemy and must chose to engage battle protocols. They move towards the veterans and open fire, killing 3 marines. It successfully makes a charge, but defensive fire wounds the Castellan, witch is then killed in the assault.

Bring down the beast

Ridiculous firepower

Turn 5

The lone surviving legion sergeant run to hide behind the factory. The veteran legionaries on the right side attempt to reach the enemy deployment, but they roll a 2" for running and stay in the contested mid zone.

The right flank

The last surviving sergeant from the left squad is "out of sight" but we agree to give the Castellans a chance to hit hit through the openings in the ruin to put the game to test. He is wounded four times, but fails his 2+ save.

Last to die.

With both players having a unit in the mid zone, and the Mechanicum gaining an extra two victory points for the secondary objectives, its a victory for the Martians this time. But sleep with one eye open, the warriors of Olympia never rest.

Conclusions

Snipe is ridiculous powerful. But the Mechanicum have a ridiculous amount of firepower that "standard" marines cannot save against, so in this match up, I was a bit surprised that the victory could easily have gone to the Iron warriors - had the Magos failed one of six 3+ saves, or if the last sergeant was still alive. 

Heresy era is amazing thought, as all the best "fluff" of Warhammer is put on the tabletop, using the heroic models of our childhood books.