Please bear in mind that our high command didn't provide much in the way of training or equipment for combat reporters.
Based mine round the 139th Rifle Division which was wiped out three times during WW2 so if I lost I was only being historical.
We played 1 x 600 points doubles game then a 1000 points singles game and finally a 600 points singles. In every game the Germans auto defended.
Game 1 a 600 points doubles
Me and Steve both with Soviets vs FJ and Heer.
We were chosen to play on the Essen section which basically has lots of open farm land.
Well by open I mean open farmland to cross defended by trench systems etc.
As Soviets we felt a certain pressure to charge in a mad rush across the field and this we did with much aplomb.
Opponents outplayed us and as we had to capture territories we couldn't afford to sit around which led to scores of Soviet mothers receiving sad letters from former comrades.
Soviets attacking from left to right
Loss, as a group allies were not doing well. American double team won and a British Finn, who were fighting for the Germans at this time, also managed a win.
Game 2 a 1K singles
I was playing against a last levy force which consisted of Volks Grenadiers, Volks Sturm and Hitler Youth backed up by a Tiger.
I swamped the table as the Tiger was about a third of the total points and went for all three objectives.
Howitzer took out his field gun, air observer called in a ground attack aircraft that got through armour of Tiger twice and destroyed it. It didn't burn for long as it was also low on fuel, hence it was cheaper than a normal one.
Managed to kill all the infantry and pinned the last SS squad to death, final pins coming from my inexperienced infantry squads.
As a Soviet player I was pleased to kill the Tiger and a Panzerfaust toting orphan girl who had been part of the Hitler Youth in the same turn.
Game 2 and my guys squeezing the life out of the old me, boys and young girls sent to stop us.
I managed to get all three objectives for the win, allies did well this round so it was all on.
Game 3 a 600 points singles I was fighting for Nuremberg
Opponent was a Heer force with a quad auto cannon half track, I had to capture the objective in the middle of the table to win.
Very cagey game with his mortar getting chased around by my armoured car and my howitzer and ATR waiting for the quad AA to arrive.
My SMG team decided to do some damage to a unit of Heer that approached them, horrendous rolling left my guys exposed to two turns of quad AA a unit of Heer and the German commander.
My howitzer then took out the quad AA and the remaining five, that's right I only lost five, SMG managed to roll a 4 for leadership and charged into the German commander and took him out then moved out of the way.
Turn six I had lost half the SMG, half a squad of rifles and a sniper. My inexperienced squad, an ATR and my HQ all made contact with the house but I certainly didn't feel like going inside to face the ambushing SS squad.
We rolled and game continued for turn seven
My guys playing house, to be honest I should have tried to assault as a draw or loss didn't really matter but a win may have done.
We both contested at end of turn seven but I couldn't win without clearing it
All came down to the battle of Berlin board, our commander chose a really good Finn player to try to capture it but it wasn't to be.
As final scores came in the allies had failed to capture Germany and the war will go on for another year and I have to report the failure back to old Joe.
Absolutely great time with a more relaxed attitude than a straight up tourney. 1L 1W 1D not bad for me.
Our map, or a very bad eighties game released by MB games
My guys
Some of the other armies, needless to say my pics dont do em justice
Berlin in the distance, as it was to remain
Rich H's amazing scratch built rail gun, he also has the train to pull it that he is going to use with the rules for a Russian river patrol boat
Russians grinding across Germany the flack to the right is what tried to do over my brave SMG squad
