Challenge 2016, 18th & 19th June 2016

[leopard]

The next outing for Haans and Bolokov in a tournament setting, 1,750 Mid War singles event not too far from here in Oxford.

Lists have been revised a bit, not yet submitted but thinking the following, comments very welcomed both on the lists and proposed tactics.

Soviet

HQ: Strelkovy HQ, 9x Pioneers, 2x 45mm Anti Tank Guns (1937), 1x Sniper
18x Rifle/MG, 9x SMG, 1x HMG, Commissar
18x Rifle/MG, 9x SMG, 1x HMG, Commissar
6x 120mm mortar, observer
3x Su-85 Tank Destroyers

To this we have the following two units, which will always combat attach to the Strelkovy companies:

4x Flame Throwers
12x PTRD anti tank rifles.

The list has dropped the infiltrating always attacks options to adopt the capability to be a bit more defensive in outlook when suited, when facing armour we will deploy to look defensive but still attack in a highly aggressive way, either Strelkovy unit is more than able to take down German armour.

If required to attack enemy infantry, e.g. a fair fight mission or drawing an attacking role generally they are more able to move against dug in veterans who hide in their rat holes with the higher rate of fire from the SMG teams providing a much more capable way to pin an enemy than just the flame throwers.

On the defensive they can afford to spread out a bit more and use the attached ATG and HMG as a firebase, the SMG teams as a counter attack force and the Rifle/MG to have the shots to bounce enemy assaults.

Hopefully this addresses weaknesses identified in trying to dig out stubborn infantry.

The Su-85 are here to be positioned out of sight on one flank, the goal being that any enemy unit that fires upon them is at close range to my infantry (assault range close) and thus forced to expose flank armour to the ATG, PTRD and perhaps mask hull MG from assaults, otherwise its letting the SU-85 get a free shot the following turn, but they will be hiding to avoid being an easy VP.

The sniper is there to be irritating generally and specifically to target enemy gun teams like Flak 36 or other small platoons that could be a reasonably easy VP

The concept is to take what Bolokov can and has done before and build on it into areas of weaknesses exposed.

German
German armour is a challenge, have yet to find a balance that works, this event will be a further evolution to take advantage of previous lessons to get to:

CiC: Pz-IV-G
2iC: PZ-III-G
3x Pz-IV-F2
5x Pz-III-G
1x Tiger 1e
2x 8-rad
2x armoured flak 37mm half tracks

The CiC can hide among the panzer fours, the same gun so cannot be picked out via gun tanking, and has improved armour so always the last to be hit. 2iC runs with the other panzer threes to obtain a group of six of them, with low anti tank ability but a high rate of fire.

The first platoon is thus a tank hunter unit, sniping from cover and using (or trying to) the move-shot-move ability the Germans have to pick off enemy armour, slowly but safely.

The second is to provide cover for the first, they have the rate of fire to threaten light enemy armour (T-26, T-70, Ba-64 etc) even when on the move and to do some serious harm when stationary. They can also provide a sizeable anti infantry ability to dig out the dug in and then potentially assault weakened units.

Tigger is here to work with the 1st platoon, acting as a road block to try to shape the enemies movement as they try to avoid him, ideally firing on him will expose flanks to the others.

Scouts are here mostly to lift GtG from enemy troops and guns to aid the light panzers, i.e. a true recce unit not mobile MG platforms, but also to counter enemy recce during deployment. Flak half tracks are here as flak units and secondary anti infantry/anti light armour.

Only five platoons, can run to six by splitting the lighter panzers into two groups of three if thats useful, or even breaking a panzer four out to make a crossfire of AT:11 if needed (probably against US armour only really)

Hopefully covers weaknesses in previous lists, but I doubt its optimal, doesn’t need any new models though.

[Baldie]

Can't say I can do any better

My Sovs would look like

HQ with full ATR and pioneer attachments also 3AA
Strelkovy with 2 platoons one with SMG and a kommissar
Strelkovy with 2 platoons one with SMG and a kommissar
ATR company of three platoons
6 x 120mm mortars
2 x 85mm AA guns
Limited aircraft

AA guns to keep big stuff honest, attach the AA trucks if you can not sure how it works but if you can it keeps enemy air off them and can also be used to blend snipers. I lost an 88 to one and now have a bit more respect for them
If I need equal platoons attach all the ATR
Kobra may get to hit something, or make em get closer to the strelkovy to avoid air

Would like to add the FT teams you use but I ain't that skilled with them, maybe I should try using FT

List is def less mobile without the SU-85 other than the aircraft though

[leopard]

Looks good to win, problem is not to win 6:1, the flak guns have essentially two options, stay out of sight, or die and give up the VP, have found with Strelk you rapidly decide not to care about enemy aircraft...

Essentially because they are so flipping hard to avoid, you never get enough flak to cover everywhere anyway, then the flak dies and gives up valuable points after it fails to kill the flipping plane anyway.

The SU-85 are a weak spot, but as long as they stay near buildings or woods at least ranging in isn't automatic.

Have stopped using Air with my Russians, only took it with the Tigers as they are so damn slow, find otherwise I play aggressively enough the plane ends up on air defence work or with the only viable target being a lone gun somewhere which I don't really care about anyway.

Do have some flak guns on order though if they ever send them to Colin.

As for flame throwers.. my list here is F-C rated, went F-T early war but mid war I'm fine with conscripts, they do whiff the skill roles but they have four shots and generally only need one hit to pin, if I need more than one hit - say hitting armour to kill DF I just use both of them, have found armour is terrified of flame throwers and spends half the game backing off, in which case they could have no fuel in them and they still work

The PTRD attach, the 45mm guns attach, the flame throwers attach, the pioneers attach, its all about having units that are seriously hard to get to breaking point, never mind actually break - they hit the table at 30 before attachments, the largest is at 44 teams with them, the other 43, very hard to take points from, found with stuff like the six gun mortars they are just slightly too large to easily kill in a turn so get ignored, six or fewer anti tank or flak guns, especially conscripts, just go down too fast to be useful, and any player who knows they can;t hit the strelk tends to go for platoon kills to minimise the defeat then try to enjoy themselves shooting fish in a barrel..


Amazing how the game changes when you go from Win/Loss to the 6:1 system.


As for mobility, have found that even with 100% on foot its generally still me the one chasing the other side around, with their fancy jeep movement stuff doubling, and typically I still get the better position, the blobs are so large its hard to see exactly where they are going until they get very close so all too easy to have the defensive stuff just slightly out of place by the time it dare not break cover.

[Baldie]

One of best games I have played so far was my EW soviets vs another bunch of em.
My big blob and his big blob went at each other, lots of kommissar re rolls and I think I lost 19 stands to his 17 in one assault action before he failed his motivation. We should probably have both backed off but you know how it is.

Conscript on conscript action is great.

The bugger also used three T34's against me the dirty so called comrade, mind you I thought he would so took a few Zis-2's

By Eck I like flames

[leopard]

Runners and Riders up for this now, of eight players only three have a single list, the rest both Axis and Allies.

Up against:
Grenadier Company, have faced this one before, it has a lot to deal with tanks but is vicious when dug in
Armoured Pioneer Company, no idea what will be in this
2x Panther Companies, Bolokov loves panther lists
Finnish Jaakari, elite infantry who I have faced before with mixed results

Cossacks!
2x Tankovy
Mixed Tankovy
New Zealand Rifles, who look more like an artillery company with minimum infantry attached

Confident Bolokov should do well against all of these, we are loaded for hunting cats and have the rifle/MG, HMG etc to hurt infantry as well, plus retaining the assault ability, indeed augmenting it over the last outing.

Haans will have a fight on his hands, hoping to face to Cossacks, just because that will be a first, the T-34 heavy lists are more of a challenge but will be fun, that blasted New Zealand list is a pain, so much depends on the mission and terrain for that one.

Still ,should be a good weekend, piccies and write ups planned for Saturday and Sunday evenings, also a venue where sunlight washing out the pics should be less of a problem.

[Baldie]

Good luck Sir

[leopard]

Late entry, there is also a US parachute rifle force, which I strongly suspect is the one who wiped the floor with my tigers last outing.. This panzers list should be able to do a bit better.

Unusually also have the missions posted ahead of the event, probably because the adjudicator is playing so easier than doing it on the day.

1. Fighting Withdrawal
2. Free for All
3. Cauldron
4. Dust Up
5. Surrounded

A draw I'm most pleased with, three that suit a large dug in infantry force as defender very nicely, and Cauldron will seriously mess up the artillery company pretending to be New Zealand Rifles as it has a lot of immobile guns which will have to go down without much support..

Better draw for the Soviets and Germans, but then until I get a handle on using the medium panzers thats always going to be true.

Still everything is packed, including sweeties to keep me going, phone is charged..

Report back tomorrow night, unlikely to be updates during the day as reception sucks at this venue.

[Baldie]

Went the day well?

Me and Chris had a good MW scrap today, my Eastern front lads fought some chaps from the North African front for control of Sicily. War can be a strange thing. Unfortunately I counted as the Germans and won so another on the board for the axis.

I think if they can't be bothered to turn up they shouldn't capture the territory.

[leopard]

Challenge 2016
Day One

Learnt a lesson from last year, used a sat nav so I actually found the place, forgot on the way back so it took ages as I got lost..

Eight players, the missions pre-drawn but the rounds drawn as the day progressed.

Game one
Bolokov defends against some panthers in Fighting Withdrawal

Somewhat unusual this, lacking my usual ‘Always Attacks, Infiltrating’ force I was actually defending, and defending against a panther player who has faced infantry before and has brought some escorting infantry. The swine.

Still he deployed:


Something of a dense cluster, 2x3 panthers plus another as CiC, a pair of flak half tracks, thankfully not the armoured ones and a platoon of truck mounted panzer grenadiers, who decided to start on foot, in a wood, utterly out of sight. they also had limited Ju-87 air support

Germans had first turn so the dense formation wasn’t a risk.

Bolokov deployed first however, needing two pictures to capture all of them.

Right hand deployment, facing the Enemy


Strelkovy GREEN plus some heavy mortars, the Su-85 in ambush

To the left:


Strelkovy RED, with a minefield intended to prevent outflanking, which as you can see worked in that no panthers were anywhere near it..

Let the madness commence.

Turn one
Germans advanced and spread out a bit


The Luftwaffe arrived, and decided to pick on my mortars, essentially as they could hurt the tanks and my infantry, at range at least, couldn’t



German shooting managed the square root of not really very much and they ended the turn thus:



My turn saw no movement, I elected to keep the fragile Su-85 off the table for now, hoping to drop behind advancing Germans to get flank or rear shots, not really able to do much other than get themselves killed from the front.

My mortars got somewhat optimistic.



But managed nothing, the flak halftracks evaporated to volley fire from the anti tank rifles though so a platoon kill on my first turn, and the troublesome 20mm guns removed.

Turn two
Germans shuffled about a bit, and brought the infantry up to make sure any bright ideas about assaulting were firmly canned, he had seen all the pioneers and flame throwers just waiting for him.



The swine then proceeded to fire at the mortars directly with the cannons..



Hmmm. not a good day for the artillery, though they didn’t run, they were now #1 on the list to be withdrawn when the time came. Well they had that honour anyway but this made flipping sure.

Bit of stormtrooper movement ended the German turn thus:



Infantry nicely interlaced, but mistakenly left where I could see them..

My turn continued the theme of not daring to move, we did however open fire with anything that could on his grenadiers, resulting in them being somewhat reduced:



Yes, will settle for that, though sadly they didn’t run.

Turn Three
German infantry pulled back, tanks staying put for the enhanced rate of fire.



Thankfully they failed to remove any more mortars.

So my movement was reasonably simple, nothing withdrew this turn, but one would on the next, so the mortars huddled behind the hill as they packed their lunch boxes.



Turn Four
The turn ended thus, my mortars having pulled back, sadly failing the motivation test so they counted as a kill. Grr.



A handful of other teams having being killed, but nothing important, this sort of set the tone for the rest of the game, I saw no point bringing the Su-85 ambush on, they would just get killed and harm my score, it was by this time obvious the Germans could not or would not advance further, and I had no need to risk casualties trying to assault them.

Turns five, six and seven

Essentially the same as the above, not bothering with pictures as that last one illustrates it all very nicely.

Turn eight
Last ditch assault by the Germans, sending in their CiC, as if killed this cost them no scoring points.



That went well then..

Result

5:2 victory, the mortars counting as destroyed the only weakness.

Ended in 4th place.

[leopard]

Game Two

Hans taking on the New Zealanders of Mike Parker, slightly different to the configuration that has plastered me several times before in Free for All.

Forgot to take pictures of this one as I was fighting for my life..

Wooded terrain with a village, this at least meant I could screen out his four heavy flak guns and one of his 25pdr batteries, also his three Matilda II could be ignored initially. I decided to focus on the other 25pdr battery and three 40mm flak guns, deployed fully inside a wood so limited to 6" line of sight.

I could advance there without drawing fire from the rest of Mike's forces.. So thats where the 8-rad, panzer III and tigger went, the Panzer IV and flak guns towards the other side aiming to pick off anything that tried its luck.

It so nearly worked, got one 25pdr battery down to one gun, but they didn't break, munched some infantry but couldn't get the guns in the wood, lost four of the five Pz-IIIG and the 2iC plus tigger trying (he got bailed in an assault then a failed motivation saw the end of him, and my attack).

6:1 defeat in the end as the other objective fell, the Pz-IVF2 unable to hold it from a combined infantry and tank attack due to very limited places to sit while avoiding all the heavy flak guns..

Ahh well, same result as last time, but a much closer game, slightly luckier on one turn and would have been a 6:1 the other way.


Game Three
Cauldron, a mission I love and others hate.

Bolokov attacking Finns, again no pictures of this one, for the same reason.

Put both Strelk forces down to start with, facing two infantry, with a character that makes a unit able to re-roll all skill checks, so hitting my lot on a 2, with a re-roll.. the sod attached a HMG to it as well.

In the end the assault failed, he had a pair of KV-2 I had no real answer to, my first assault went in, but he just pulled back so we didn't get many, the second assault was bounced. Following turn saw the flame throwers fire, bail a KV-2, block the other firing, but a 2+ with re-roll meant generating ten hits to bounce the assault was easy still.. rest of the flame thrower teams, 12 shots between them, doing nothing.

Ended as a further 6:! defeat as my main assault force broke and ran! (first time ever), the second lost its command so was helpless.

First defeat to Finns Mid War as well, very tricky list, need to think about that one, a 50 point character who can do that is amazing.