International Visitor!!

Our normal Wednesday evening game was a little different this week with a special guest (no, not Charro on the Love Boat - wow, I am old for pulling out that reference) - Igor from Poland.

Igor had sent out an email to some folks in Wisconsin based on the player finder at WWPD.  Thanks guys, err Chris Miller!!!  Anyway, we welcomed him with open arms and even convinced him to play in a tournament this Saturday (1,750 LW).  He plays Task Force A, so immediately I bonded with him.  I have enough Americans to let him field the list (mostly, I only have 4 Hellcats so we had to sub some M10s).  I also had enough to still field my 3rd Armored Tank Co.

We played a practice game last night and Igor took pictures.  Once I get them, they will pop up here almost immediately.  In order to get Igor to meet as many people as possible, we played as pairs.  Igor and I vs. Mike (cornishkeebler) and Ben (we call him "medium" Ben because we have big Ben and little Ben).  Ben is a good younger player, but can make some tactical mistakes (see earlier posts).

Igor's Task Force A

HQ - 2 greyhounds
Platoon #1 - 1 armored recon patrol (greyhound, jeep and mortar jeep)
Platoon #2 - same as above
Platoon #3 - 5 stuarts
Platoon #4 - 3 shermans
Platoon #5 - tank destroyers - hellcats, 2 sections for 4 'cats
Platoon #6 - same as above
Platoon #7 - armored arty (3 priests)
Platoon #8 - armored rifles
AOP
(Damn!  That's a lot of "stuff"!!)

Allen's 3rd

HQ - 2 shermans
Platoon #1 - 5 76mm shermans
Platoon #2 - 4 75mm shermans
Platoon #3 - 5 stuarts
Platoon #4 - 4 stuarts
Platoon #5 - recon (halftrack, 2 jeeps)
Platoon #6 - armored pioneers (engineers)
Platoon #7 - armored arty (3 priests)
AOP

Ben's Germans

HQ - Stug
Platoon #1 - 3 Stugs
Platoon #2 - 2 SP AA
Platoon #3 - 3 Panthers
Platoon #4 - 2 Tigers
Platoon #5 - FJ
(I think that is it)

Mike's Panzer Lehr - Mech
HQ - 2 stands
Platoon #1 - Grens
Platoon #2 - 3 Panthers
Platoon #3 - Nebs
Platoon #4 - Pak 40s
Platoon #5 - Grens
Platoon #6 - Panzerjaegers
(I think that is it)


Breakthrough was rolled and it is one of the possible missions for this weekend.  Since I was 3rd, we attacked.  Of course, Task Force A gets a similar rule, but it was ME that got us to attack!  Mike and Ben both had german armored lists, so big disadvantage for them.  The game went slower because of the yacking that went on.  We got 4 turns in, but the game was over by then anyway.  The allies simply rolled the germans.  The panthers put up a fight, with Mike taking out my 76mm with panthers and damn panzerschreck / faust / what ever they were!!  Rolling a 5 and a 6 for firepower against 2 hits sucks for the owner of the glorious 76mm shermans!

Quick summary with pictures to follow from Igor:

On turn 1, I used recon to lift GtG on the Pak 40s that were in woods and blocking our most direct route to the objectives.  I then ran 2 platoons of stuarts to assault range and unloaded main guns and mgs.  I also used 4 shermans to support the firing, keeping them still for full RoF and no stabilizer penalty.  18 AT7 shots, 8 AT10 shots, 26 MG shots basically wiped the Paks out.  I did use Shooting to Successful to get more movement out of the stewies.  Igor ran his TDs up to get side shots on the panthers.  His recon move got him 16", then anthother 16" in turn 1.  Panthers just laughed as shots missed.  But they didn't laugh when priests rained down and over two turns knocked out 2 panthers!!  That part of the board became tank hell!

Turn 2 saw more of the same.  The stewies pressed to get near / on the objective and setup a line for defense.  The grens couldn't get out of the foxholes for fear of certain death.  Mike then used part fo the grens to jump in a building anf light up my 76mms.  TDs kept up the pressure and did the "run and hide" a few times.  Priests continued to claim victims, including a 3rd panther!!

Rest of game:

Reserves started to come on, but by this time the board was littered with 76mm ruins, panther ruins and 3 hellcats.  Pak 40s were gone, FJ were reduced to taking platoon morale checks and ARP came on in delayed reserves to sit on the second objective and use 50cals and AA MGs to destroy FJ troops in the open.  Ugly.

So at the end of 4, german armor had come on, but there was no way to get to both objectives to contest.  Igor still had 3 shermans in reserve and I have my armored pios waiting to come on.  Plus a gazillion (ok, 14!) stewies were holding the other objective waiting for panthers and grens to head their way.

This was rough on the defender due to the mission.  The germans simply had too little on the board having to face 3,500 points of allies.  Priests were awesome and paid for themselves many times over.  76mm were good, but I played them poorly.  Igor's TDs were zipping like they should and got quality shots.  Too bad his dice (supplied by me) were cursed.  My stewies were stars as usual and the recon / lift GtG worked exactly as I hoped.  All in all, a good solid effort.

On the german's part, Ben made a mistake with the panthers and gave up side shots turn 1.  That didn't hurt him as much as sitting under two barrages from Priests each turn.  ToT (we got 3 ToT) claimed on panter outright.  Mike was tactically sound / superior with his grens and their help in taking out 76mm shermans.