NorCal Circuit 2013 March Tournament

On March 16 we had our second circuit event of the season at Game Kastle in Santa Clara.  Fourteen players came out for a four-round Mid-War escalation tournament with battles fought at 1000, 1200, 1400, and 1600 points.  There were a lot of great armies this month, as usual, with lots of different nations represented.  Germans, Italians, Hungarians and Romanians on the Axis side and Americans, Brits, New Zealanders and Soviets on the Allied.  I brought my old Afrika Germans, Aufklärungs.  I barely squeeked by with first place with Matt McCarthy taking second.  Best Presentation went to William Lee's US 1st Armored.

Round One I played Nick Lundback who was playing a US Rifle company and doubling as TO for the day.  The first round was 1000 points and only an hour and fifteen minutes long.We played Dust Up.  This is probably my favorite of the new V3 missions.  I started with an Aufklärungs deplyed in the village and my recon patrol across the river.  Nick started with both Rifle platoons (with attached HMGs) sitting on his objective and mine.  Early on my Recon patrol died a fiery death as a moving bazooka shot and an ace P-40 pilot killed two outright with the third running away. 

Nick's Rifles moving out to take the bridge.  We both had to move quickly with the short round.

My Panzer IV F1s arrived Round Two and threatened the back corner objective.  Keeping close to the trees though with that killer P-40 lurking.

Round Three saw my Armored Aufklärungs arrive as well, but Nick's P-40 was persistant.  He killed a SdKfz 250 and both of its passengers (all kills from 5+ FP MGs).

By Turn Four Nick's poor Rifles still could not dig in and took fire from everything I had in each turn.  I made my assault with the panzers and had the infantry in position for a follow up if needed.  

Nick's reserve Stuarts finally decided to show up to the party on his turn but couldn't do enough damage.  5-2 for me!

Round Two was No Retreat vs. Damon Di Denti's US Armored company, 1200 points and one and one-half hours.  The orchards with the walls were played as forest templates.  I defended the end with the tower and objectives were placed in the left intersection and behind the large building on the right side.  My Aufklärungs depolyed in the buildings around both.  I had some Marder IIIs in ambush and Panzer IVs, Mortars and Recon in reserve.  Damon had HQ Stuarts, more Stuarts, Shermans, Armored Mortars and Recon infantry.  Coming into this round, we were the only two players who had victories in the first.  The short first round was hard on infantry lists and there were many draws.

Damon's Shermans and 1iC Stuart sneaking up the main road. (there were supposed to be roads, honest)

Damon's Recon infantry move through the orchard in the center.  They would be removing GtG all game.

Stuarts were aggressive on my right flank and forced the Marder ambush out early.  Platoon stayed on the board, too.

Panzer IVs arrived on Turn Two to assist the right objective, freeing the Marders to re-deploy to the left.  Remaining Stuarts and Panzers would spend the rest of the game chasing each other.

Left objective now threatened by Shermans, but the infantry holding the building were hanging in tough.

Marders were able to work their way around to assist the left flank and time was called shortly after.  6-1 for me, but the short round definately was an enemy that Damon had to fight as well as my army.

Round Three was 1400 points and two hours long vs. Russ Moore's dreaded Commandos.  The very same Commandos who ripped me apart last month...  This time I would be attacking in a Hasty Attack.  Armored Aufklärungs, Panzer IVs, and Recon on the board with Nebelwerfers, Aufklärungs, and Marders in reserve.  Russ had two Commandos (attatched Piats), and two 25 pounder batteries on the board with two more Commando platoons, HMGs, and Recee in reserve.  Here we are about Round Three, Panzers leading with Recon lifting GtG and Armored infatry ready to move.  

Turn Four saw Russ' Commandos on the far right get antsy and make a move towards my objective, but my reserves start to arrive and the Marders engaged them with MGs.

By Turn Seven or Eight we started to run out of time.  All of Russ' random reserve Commandos arrived to assist in the defense of this objective ( I chose the wrong one to attack, apparently) but I charged in anyways.  My infantry totally got pinned in defensive fire but the two remaining Panzers charged across the river ford and did enough damage to cause two platoons to go under strength and both (Fearless) platoons broke and ran.  Russ still held out though, 3-4.

Round Four was a 1600 point two-and-a-half hour Free For All vs. Matt McCarthy's Romanians back on the city board with the orchards.  (pictures by Dave) This was the most amazing Free For All I have played in years, with tanks double timing all over the board and trucks towing guns and hauling infantry!  Matt had TEN platoons of Romanians, most of them Veteran.  Since he easily outnumbered me he made an aggressive move with two of his infantry platoons and a platoon of  Panzer III Ns towards my objective next to the tower.  Several assaults later and an epic gun duel between the panzers and my Marders left the objective still barely under my control.  Observer and one Marder left standing...

My attack towards Matt's side of the board had stalled.  His Veteran Panzer IV F2s supported by infantry, mortars, and Pak 38s held my halftracks and panzers at bay.

After about six turns of shoot-outs and assaults we both had to get creative.  My last two panzers had already been back and forth, supporting attacks on both of Matt's objectives and defending both of mine!  Desperately defending the left objective, now without any of my teams anywhere near it, against a daring strike by Matt's Panzer IVs.   My Armored infantry tried to assault Matt's objective but rifle fire drove back my mounted assault.  The infantry was quickly mopped up by Matt on his turn.  All said, we played about fourteen turns before my company was under half strength and I failed the morale test.  Matt's ten platoons now numbered five, but one of those was making sole survivor checks.  3-4 to Matt, who defnately earned my Favorite Opponent vote.  At the end of the tournament I had a total of 17 victory points, Matt had 16.  The early lead I put up was able to just carry me through the final rounds.