Time for a battle report for a game of Flames of War I played last week. 1650 points, Late-War.
This battle would be fought over a railway station in one of the more rural parts of eastern Europe, 1944.
The scenario was Dust Up.
My list contained the following:
Hero Motorstrelkovy (Guards) - Fearless Trained
HQ: CC Rifle team, 2iC Rifle team, Batallion Komissar team.
Hero Motorstrelk Company: Cmd SMG, 12x SMG, 1x Maksim HMG
Hero Anti-tank Company: Cmd Rifle, 4 57mm ZiS-2
Hero Heavy Mortars: Cmd Rifle, Observer Rifle, 4 120mm mortars
Hero Tankovy: 4x T-34/85 Obr. 1944
Hero Spetznaz: Cmd SMG, 4x SMG, 3x looted SdKfz 251/1
Air support: Limited Il-2M
My opponent's list:
Grenadierkompanie (Heer) - Confident Veteran
HQ: CC Panzerfaust SMG, 2iC Panzerfaust SMG, 1x Panzerschreck
Grenadier Platoon: Cmd Panzerfaust SMG, 6x Rifle/MG
Grenadier Platoon: Cmd Panzerfaust SMG, 6x Rifle/MG
Pionier Platoon: Cmd SMG, 4x Rifle/MG
Anti-Tank Platoon: Cmd SMG, 2x 7.5cm PaK40
Panzer Platoon: 5x Panzer IV H
Assault Gun platoon: 2x StuG III G, 1x StuH
Rocket Artillery Platoon: Cmd SMG, Observer Rifle, 3x 15cm Nebelwerfer
Luftwaffe FlaK Platoon: Cmd SMG, 2x 8.8cm FlaK36 + Extra Crew (Reluctant Trained)
This was to be our battlefield.
The train tracks would be slow going, infantry and man-packed gun teams positioned right up to them would get bulletproof cover. The fields are slow going, the crops can provide concealment to troops that aren't too tall.
Deciding which table quarter to defend turned out to be a tricky decision for my opponent.
Objectives in the Soviet deployment zone.
Objectives in the German deployment zone.
Soviet deployment.
The T-34s, smaller infantry unit and Spetznaz are in reserve.
German deployment.
The second infantry platoon, Nebelwerfers and both armoured platoons are in reserve.
The German side would have the first turn.
The Germans tried to dig in and move their forward infantry platoon into the woods to cover the forward objective.
The massive Motorstrelk blob (plus Company Command and Komissar) are advancing towards them, taking cover in the fields.
The other Soviet units further back dig in.
Effective rounds from the 120mm mortars destroy a PaK40.
Turn 2. The infantry blob moves in to assault enemy positions, strafing the enemy with a hail of SMG rounds.
Unfortunately, only 4 hits are scored, leaving the Germans unpinned.
The order to charge is still given, but the Germans manage to score 11 hits to drive the heroes of the Motherland off. Take particular note of the 2iC team scoring hits with all 3 SMG shots.
The assault is repulsed. A unit of T-34/85s moves up to support, wary of the German AT assets in the area.
Mortar fire manages to pin the FlaK.
The infantry tries again, this time pinning the enemy effectively.
Unfortunately, the Germans take the initial attacks on the chin and counter-assault.
Their desperate attacks cripple the Motorstrelkovy and kill COmrade Komissar, and the unit could not be persuaded to continue the fight, even with the Company Commander urging them on.
Next, the T-34s decide to launch a do-or-die charge.
Effective German defensive fire makes it "die" for two of the tanks, driving them off.
The large Motorstrelk unit (not so large any more) fails its Platoon Morale, even with the re-roll from the Company Commander.
This leaves the Soviets dangerously understrength, with no real option to claim the forward objective, which is about to be reinforced by the Pioneers.
Meanwhile, the first German reserves are arriving on the battlefield as well, moving cautiously behind woods to stay out of sight of the Soviet AT guns.
After some more effective German fire on their next turn, I saw no more ways available to win this battle, even in an attrittion situation.
Therefore, I conceded.
That also gave us time to have dinner and try a game of Bolt Action at 15mm on the same table, with some fences rearranged.
That went pretty nicely as well, even though I also lost that.
An interesting fight, especially for my first game using this briefing.
I quite enjoyed it, even though there were a few momens where I made suboptimal choices.
With some better dice rolls (or my Sturmovik showing up more than once) I could have made it more of a fight, still.
Oh well, better luck next time.
Nice to see the Russians getting their asses kicked :D
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