Sunday, February 8, 2015

Let's Play Two!

Played a pair of games with Jon down in El Paso, more practice for Wolfkrieg at the end of the month.  Jon had a pair of 1750 point lists from 26. Panzerdivision, a Panzergrenadier list and a Panzer list.  He asked me to play some more US lists, I took Armored Rifles in the first match and Rifles in the second.  The AR list had two Armored Rifle platoons, two Recon patrols, Chaffees, a mixed M4A3/Easy Eight platoon, and 105s.  Jon had two platoons of Panzergrens with full panzerfausts, two platoons of three PaK40s, 15cm nebelwerfers, armored quad 2cm flak, an armored car patrol, and a pair of Elefants.  We rolled for Surrounded, with Jon defending.
Jon deployed his Panzergrenadiers on the objectives with the PaK 40s spreadout behind them covering both sides of the board.  His flak and armored cars hid in the crops behind the church ruins and his nebs were placed in the center along the edge of the table.  His Elefants ambushed on the far woods.  I deployed my AR platoons on both sides, with recon anda tank platoon for each of them.  My 105s are in the far left corner.  
I quickly push the ARs on the left side forwards through some patches of wood, assaulting a PaK 40 that was by itself, and moving in for the nebelwerfers on turn two.  
The ARs and Chaffees pushed in from the other side, securing the farmhouse and putting fire into the Panzergrenadiers in the field.
By turn three I was able to assault both the nebelwerfer with the left ARs and the Panzergrenadiers with the right ARs.  Chaffees give supporting fire.  
My Shermans and recon were fighting it out with the german armored cars and flak guns while hiding from the Elefants.
A smoke barrage gives my ARs the cover they need to push the remaining Panzergrenadiers off of the objective and secure it on turn four, giving the US forces a 6-1 victory.
I've been given a new appreciation for US Armored Rifles, though I promise I won't be signing up for the good guys any time soon.  Their large, mobile platoons are very deadly.

The second match saw me at the helm of a 3rd ID Rifle list with two Rifle platoons, 105s, a weapons platoon, recon, self-propelled AA, Chaffees, and M18 Hellcats.  Jon had a panzer list with 10 Panzer IV Hs, armored cars, quad 2cm flak, 15cm nebelwerfers, Nashorns, and an armored aufklärungs platoon.
I made a major mistake and deployed my gun platoons on the wrong corner, guess I thought I had more platoons, I dunno. Jon quickly took advantage, making short work of the 105 platoon.  My Rifle platoons moved towards the objectives.
The artillery battery cannot withstand firepower of this magnitude, and is quickly destroyed.  
The Chaffees arrive from reserve and engage the Nashorns, missing all of their shots.
The Nashorns kill one, and bail another, but the other two dash forward, killing one and bailing another.
My SP AA arrive from behind the panzers, firing on the armored cars, killing two and bailing another, causing them to flee.  Jon exacts revenge the next turn though.
The flank attack arrives, killing what was left of my weapons platoon and my 2iC while the panzers puch my rifle platoon off of the objective.  The Hellcats spring their 'ambush' killing three Panzer IVs, but Jon assaults the other end of their position on his turn, causing them to run.  3-4 loss to the Panzers.
Jon was very aggressive with his Panzer IVs, assaulting all over the place but their schurzen protected them from every bazooka shot I could muster.  The Hellcats were able to rebuff the flank attack but by then half of my army was gone, the Chaffees to Nashorn and Panzer IV fire, the gun platoons lost to poor deployment and lack of support.  Jon put the panzers right where they should've been, knocking out my weak platoons one by one.  Well played.