Flames of War at the Jersey Shore

1000 Point After Action Reports (AARs)

Russian Cossacks vs. Polish Infantry (Lou vs. Rich)
1,000 Point Game- Late War

Mission: Free for All

Terrain: A small river (difficult) parted the battle field diagonally. There were a few small patches of woods and one building serving as the railroad junction with the railroad following the river.

Deployment: Platoons were everywhere since the woods and small river did not effect movement except for the Russian SU-122s.

Plans: Their was no plan... Not really..... I tried to out flank the mortars with my 2iC and Observer Crack Suicide Squad and Recon Carriers. I planned to hold the objective with the infantry with the 17 pdrs and 25 pdrs in support.

What happened: The 17 pdrs got picked off one at a time as did the 25 pdrs (which could not hit the broad side of an SU). The flanking maneuver did distract them for a while but in the end it was a Russian Commissar that put my 2iC out his misery with a bullet to the head.

Lesson learned: Never under estimate an opponent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RUSSIAN TANKOVY vs. GEPANZERTE PANZERGRENIDER
Allen vs.. Norm
1,000 Point Game- Late War

Mission: Hold the Line. Since I was a tank unit and Norm was mechanized, I was the attacker.

Deployment: Norm placed the objective to my left behind a building with a walled courtyard. I placed one to my right in order to spread the defense. My objective was just over a small hill and the minimum 8 inches back from the German forward deployment line. The terrain in that area was clear.

Norm advised that he was not going to put any units in ambush, and deployed his grenadiers on foot covering both objectives, with a reserve an HQ in the center. I was surprised that the Germans had no AT guns and that the 3 Stugs would be held in reserve. Even the Panzershreck team was not in ambush and more than 8 inches from either objective.

Plans and reality: My plan was simple and looked all too easy. I would deploy as far forward as possible. My recon took their recon move forward. I then moved them normal and doubled moved my T-70 company, t-34/85's, and infantry. I had the infantry brushing against the right tableside and in front were the tanks. The T-34/85 had 3 of the 5 behind the small hill. To their immediate left was the HQ t-34/85 and then the 5 T-70's and then the Recon BA-64's. My tanks were only 8 inches from the objective and only 1 command stand with a panzerfaust could stop them next turn. My recon would be used to mask their gone to ground status on turn 2. My 11 tanks would pour in concentrated MG and gun fire on the one defending infantry unit as well as my 80mm mortars. My infantry would move up and it would all be over soon.

Norm rolled a single turn one die for reinforcements and rolled a 5. On came the 3 Stugs. Their ROF was reduced to 1 for movement, but increased to 2 because of my double move. Range over 16inches, he needed 4's to hit. He got 4 out of 6 hits on my T-70's ( reasonable) and then none of my armor save was above a 3. All penetrate. 3 dead one bailed. Failed motivation. One unit gone.

Time for revenge. 2 T34/85's had a shot and the other 3 had to move to see around the hill. Keep the infantry moving at regular speed. Moved the HQ tank into position. Six shots at the Stugs. Results-NADA/Zilch/Goose egg. The Stugs shoot back and 2 T-34/85's are dead. Time to concentrate on the objective and end this game. 5 shoots on the Stugs. One bail!!! The bailed re-mounts. The Stugs shoot back. Good- bye HQ tank. Got to maneuver to fire at Stugs. I take 4 shots and kill one. Stugs shot back. Kill one more take and I fail morale. Say good-bye to my tanks.

While this is going on, my infantry got hit by the mortar reinforcements that came on turn 3. My infantry fails motivation tests for the next 10 turns while the objective was cleared away of the German infantry by my T-34's before they fled. My recon and tanks killed 2 of his platoons and one more would be a morale test. The Stugs kept hunting the recon and the mortars kept picking away at the infantry until below half. They never got unpinned and died 8 inches from the objective when they also failed their motivation test. I was now below half and no HQ- GAME OVER!!!

LESSONS:
1. Flames of War is extremely balanced. Like the NFL, "On any given Sunday…"
2. Never move at the double if there is even a remote chance of being fired upon.
3. Murphy's Law is a Universal constant. Expect the worse.
4. Light mortars are almost useless against dug in units.

By: Allen Kaplan

Fallschirmjager: Bill (why do I play this game) Bartlett
US Paratroopers: Karen (I know not the meaning of mercy) Jarosz

Mission: Encounter, 1000pts

I actually started the game with a plan and for the first turn it was on track. I would advance up the weak US flank and supress enemy fire with my mortars. Then the US mortars killed three of my mortars and one of my observers in turn two. In the first 12 turns Karen rolled a six to zero in on all her first attemps. Come to think of it, she rolled a LOT of Eagles all game long. To balance this run of incredible luck I rolled a lot of German Crosses. (keep in mind I have the old dice and she has the new ones) So on turn three she finished off my mortars. The hill they were on has been named Boothill. My AA got slaughtered on it too. Not a lot happened for the next 10 turns or so. The Paras slowly wittled away the FJ. In the end we traded off pretty much evenly in kills. For every stand I killed she killed a platoon. Some where around turn 100 or so my army failed its compoany morale check and bugged out. On the plus side of all this one of my infantry platoons actually made it through the game intact.

All in all it was a fun game and we all got a laugh out of it, and the bottom line is fun is what it's all about. It's a good thing too, since half the AARs are writen by me. Man, I really suck at this game...

Til' my next game, Bill

Well, this was the first of my 1000pt games for the league. It was a very hard and bloody fight for both of us.

Fallschirmjager: Bill
Tankovy: Allen

We played the Hold the Line mission with me defending. I occupied a small village with a small woods to my front left and toward the far side of the table there was another wood and a large hill that never came into play. 1st Platoon and the 2IC kampfgroup platoon started on the table with my PaK38s in ambush.

The Soviets started out moving the recon platoon to the woods, followed closely by the lone infantry platoon in their force, to my front and the T34/85 staight down the center of the table. The T70s came down the right side of the table to try and tie down that flank. Having moved everything more than six inches they were unable to fire on my units. I responded by reveiling my ambush immediately not wanting the Russians to get any closer and limit the PaKs possitions any more than was already the case. My Pupchen killed two T34s and the Paks bailed two more in the following turns. So, that's the news from the Ostfront. Bill

The next turn saw the Russians continue their advance, although with far more caution this time. The T34s didn't move so they could get their full rate of fire. Everything that could get a line of sight on the PaKs fired on them. The mortars pinned them right off the bat, but failed to kill anything. It was like that all game long until near the end when one PaK finally died to their fire. The T34s and T70s failed to kill anything either. All told the PaK platoon took over 50 hits and made either their gun save or Allen failed the fire power test. Iron Crosses to the crews for the great job they did.

My reserves came in on turn two and three so I was able to get my mortars into action right away. In turn 3, 4 and 5 they were able to pin and keep pinned the infantry by the woods. When the T34s got close enough to 1st platoon they bailed one with the panzerfaust. The Pupchen finished it off the next turn and on turn five the pzf bailed another causing a platoon check which was failed. In the mean time my PaKs were in continuous combat with the T70s, but unable to eliminate the threat.

At the beginning of turn six the only thing Allen had in my half of the table was one armoured car. So no quick victory for me. My mortars continued to pound the infantry, but couldn't get any kills. 2nd platoon came up to support 1st platoon but just a little too late. 1st platoon disappeared under a curtain of lead from the recon, infantry and the Russian CIC T34. THe Russians finally got into possition to assaut and slaughtered 2nd platoon. On the other side of the table my FlaK finally got into range of the T70s and killed one (the others immediately wiped them out in return ). The next turn the Paks finished the T70s off.

My only chance was to move the kampfgroup across the table and contest the objective captuered by the russian infantry. The 2IC motivated them and they were able to assault the Russian infantry. 4 or 5 combats later the Russian command team was facing my 2IC and one FJ stand. Allen promtly killed them off along with the attached CIC with a crap load of machinegun fire from his recon and CIC. Being down four platoons and not having my CIC the game ended in a 4-3 win for the Russians.

Oh, almost forgot. As a lesson learned. You can attatch the CIC at any time during any step in a turn. (He detached at the end of the Step) If used correctly he can help with morale and even add an extra attack in an assault. Just something to keep in mind. Also, don't forget the Warrior rule. The CIC is a wariior and will benefit from this rule.

Bill

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