Preparatory strike

[Baldie]

Ok the British Empire strikes

As the IA EW campaign has died the war begins again, the earliest I can do are the Brits, they may have shorts rather than standard battle dress but they are keen.

Come on then Colin let's see what your FJ can do against the 8th Army

1750 points EW

[leopard]

Oooooo fighting talk, there is an Afrika Korps force ready and waiting for when the airborne bods get lost...

1,750 EW is mahoosive but fun, do a desert board as well...

Even if not playing would be up to watch, should have at least one EW event next year so up for practice

Haans has a half decent record in the sand, sun must have got to him

[Baldie]

The 8th are doing so so.
James DAK has done me over a few times then in revenge took out someone else's armoured company in short order.
French and BEF have taken big chunks out of me.

Soviets still have a better time of it less due to tactics and more to do with the massive amount of figs I own.
The EW Germans I am still getting used to and are highly mobile but not that tough, got rolled by the BUF a few weeks ago. Lost three PIII in a a crazy assault I just couldn't resist launching, if I was in charge of a real company they would lining up to frag suicide Storey before I sent em out to die in a glorious charge.

Will be interesting to see how the Brits cope with the FJ

[leopard]

Soviets, especially in horde formation, need a list built to handle them, most of the western powers have no chance, Germans can more or less cope given the 8 HMG they can have, but its a close run thing even then.. Doesn't help when the Soviets bring armour of course...

German elites v British infantry should be a good game

[Baldie]

Game 1 and it was Poland

My Strelk vs Reese's armoured DAK, we did a 4x4 table so lowered points to 900, which is probably a few too many for such a table.

Needless to say we rolled a mission we had to play length ways, as we did in the second game as well despite no one being on the 6x4, so adjusted some measurements accordingly.

Strelk defended



Should have read the rules, it said I had to hold half my platoons in delayed reserve and could have two of the ones on table in ambush. Thought it said immediate ambush so only put on one blob with the second in ambush, thought it too dirty to put 8 T26 in ambush against an armoured opponent but after nearly loosing I am not so sure I will be nice again. Actually says ambush so once the recce and platoon of tanks roared across the bridge there was considerably less space I could deploy.

Platoon of PIII, disguised as IV's advanced but actually managed to take one out with an ATR, think it is first time I have done that



That kid is dangerous as he nearly wiped my T26 in one turn of shooting and killed many stands in assault, fortunately the 2 45mm ATG swung the game and ended with the strelk chasing off the last 222 and blasting it.

Poland was in Russian hands


Next game was against Colins FJ, never seen such a despondent look on a para as he saw the might of two strelk companies. Soon changed to excited glee as he slaughtered one of them though

Again a lengthwise deployment with two of Colin's platoons dug in as mine advanced





MMG and heavy mortars faced off against two strelk companies, eight T26's and two 45mm ATG, hoped to get there before the FJ platoons arrived

Assault force one captures the objective just in time to get assaulted by the reserve FJ



Second blob of death gets caught in a crossfire, was hoping one or the other would return as a wave but neither did. Heavy mortars took out both ATG but luckily for me the commander survived and went to hid at the back of the board to avoid a platoon kill



My dead pile which had Colin calling for the press corps to capture the moment



All that survived of the company was the 2IC and the company command team



Battalion commander hiding behind a house orders the T26's to attack and they ended up using MG fire to kill off the FJ and win the game by capturing the objective as the Heavy Mortars could not kill em off quickly enough. Colin had right idea to try to get the MMG's into my side armour but the tanks kept moving and don't think they ever used the main guns



Belgium now in Russian hands as well without even going into Germany, this crazy war hey. Even Jobbers rolling my armour saves couldn't put off the reds

[Baldie]

Next couple of games in the war were played out on Saturday.

Both were 900 point games

Game 1 was my Russians vs Jimmys 8th army who were this time playing the axis forces, cunning devils to attack Russia vis Turkey dressed as the British.

Attack obviously occured at night hence the poor images

British/Germans advance on the Russians, those AC's were surprisingly hard to hit as they were veterans and when I did hit they mainly just bailed out.



With 45mm AT guns and some T26 I should have been game on but Jimmy out played me and ended up in a strong position, so strong in fact that rather than me dig in and wait for the shop to close and a draw I proposed we roll for it. As my wave attacks and fearless conscripts were going to be around for a while but had little chance of making it across the table D6 roll 1-2 Axis win 3-6 a draw. A draw it was so Turkey remains neutral.




Game 2 Jimmy as British British this time and Von Graham as the baddies, fighting for Tunisia.

British dug in and waited for the DAK to come on, Tunisia like Turkey looked very like the Russian forests.



With some amazing moments this one was also called a draw as it was nearly tea time and everyone had to go home, given time the Axis would have been able to sit back and blast the rats out of their holes sooner or later but wars are run to strict time table round here.

Best moments, from an allied point of view, were two tanks brewing up on turn one from two of the 8th ATR teams and an AC taking several bailing hits from the entire DAK force and making them all. Last shot of the second round of shooting and this VC nominee finally fell but he had done enough to hold off the assault and gain a draw. Jimmy Moto force with mobile AC and six ATR is a very strong force when so many EW tanks have FA1-3.

The AC on its side closest to the 8 rads was the hero





Filthy Germans turned up with Pumas and PIV's as can be seen