On a different plane of our reality, the 4th Cavalry Group was shifted to the Crimea and became part of a counterattack supporting the Soviet spring offensive of 1943. This was where it encountered the Hungarian 1 Armored Corps, or the "Gyorshadtest" as it was previously known.
In real life, one of my mates from our RPG group, that plays Earthdawn at the moment, realized that he needed to throw down with the new FoW V3 rules. I thought that was a brilliant idea so we met at Cavs on Thurs.
Like me, John prefers historical combined arms lists, they get the job done usually. His one weird model, in fact the impetus for this force, was the Nimrod SP armored AA gun. I was checking them out as we set up and admiring the camo scheme, it is a cool modern looking anti-aircraft gun, 4cm.
I was running my MW (Con-Trained) Cavalry, 3 x short Cbt platoons, (one was dismounted with two carbine teams and a bazooka team!), Stuarts x5, Shermans x4, Assault Guns, 105's and Limited Air (P40's)
John had Con Vets with two full platoons of motorized infantry, 8cm mortars, 105's, Panzer IV's x3, and a pair of the aforementioned Nimrods.
In the new book there is a slightly different scheme for determining scenarios, the scenarios are a bit different as well, but we've seen them in tourneys lately so they've been tested. We got Counterattack, which is similar to Breakout, but neither of us had played it before.
Both being Mech, we rolled and I was the attacker.
John had two platoons in reserve, the Panzers and a Motor Platoon, I had to work fast.
You know how I roll...
Summon Sacrificial Stuart Platoon! Davai! Davai!
Meanwhile, my cav patrol holds the center with the XO.
Then there was lots of shooting, mostly by artillery that couldn't hit anything, unless of course you were AA arty! The old triple A, self propelled, devils from hell!
You beauties.
You devils!
I try to threaten his left with my dismounted recon boys.
Pointed right at his artillery battery! (Later on they got two guns!)
Meanwhile my right is trying to block his link up attempt that will come through soon. I've got a cav patrol holding the center right, the Lt tanks holding the objective and my mediums, (Shermans) waiting for the inevitable, right on the border.
The Nimrods finish off my Assault Gun platoon. I frown.
Then his Pzkw IV's show up and we begin an 'exchange of fire'.
Somewhere around here one of my Shermans is killed by the Hungarian 105's.
Crap! That's my template!
The big changes in V3 for this game were my movement bonuses for the jeep and wheeled. Even bigger were my saves for the recon jeeps,now at 3+.
This did not save my tank though. Back to my right flank, ie where he needs to eject my Staurts from the contested objective.
His Infantry are still holding the center, and frankly I'm afeared to attack with my few infantry stands. But if he moves, he will face a ton of MG fire from my cav patrol.
The tank battle continues with multiple shots glancing off of the front armor of several tanks of both sides. For several turns... finally my 'P40's' kill one, then it's three on two.
Finally it comes down to the tank battle and the motor troops that show up. He fails to debuss and my MG's have to feed do they do. The few teams that survive get assaulted and destroyed.
Around now the last surviving Nimrod makes a desperate double move towards the objective. It is met by .50 cal fire and killed twice. Finally. A narrow win, it came down to dice and gunnery.
Super fun game John!
I'm stoked that I've finally got a mid war army to run.
