The Romans - A Hail Caesar Project - Part 6: A Battle Report!

Less of an update, more of a battle report as my Romans took to the (3ft by 5ft-ish) field of green baize to battle Aidan's Romano-Brits as they also took part in their first clash. As well as the two painted cohorts of legionaries I also fielded one of auxiliaries (easy to spot with their bright blue shields) and one of partly painted legionaries. The Romano-Brits, also facing their first encounter, easily outnumbered my small forces, and kindly lent me a small unit of Saxon mercenaries, a tiny unit of horse archers, and finally the Titus Aduxas model to lead my three legionary cohorts. The auxiliaries and Saxon’s being led by a random auxiliary on a horse who lost an arm (literally) half way through.

With us both being rusty we went for a straight punchup, thinking it would be best to prevent us getting into too many complicated rules areas. I hoped my legionaries (as heavy infantry apparently, and so quite good) would best his infantry (mostly a bit lighter), but was concerned about my lack of cavalry and skirmishers and so lack of flexibility. I was however confident having watched one of my three Roman period films the previous night to pick up historical tactics. None of you will be wondering which one so I'll tell you; I rejected Gladiator, and turned down King Arthur reluctantly, but felt Life of Brian was the best option. In hindsight perhaps not, particularly when the opposite army was being lead by King Arthur! 

 The scenery having barely survived a sustained attack by the bio-Titan we kicked off, my legionary cohorts on the left facing the bulk of the enemy army.

 The auxiliaries and allies on the right facing some cavalry.

 The bulk of the Romano-British army (from now on to be mostly referred to as Brits for ease), lead by a nicely painted King Arthur (centre of front line - green cloak and light blue shield, standing heroically!) and the Bishop of Bath (back on the right looking religious).

 The Romans were mainly sluggish, their CO having to remember that in Hail Caesar the troops move a bit slower.  This let the Brits allied Saxons in for the first charge, and they crashed headlong into the second cohort!  I stood expectant of these ruffians to be seen off in short order, so when the second cohort (how many hours of painting?!?) disintegrated in the first round I was slightly miffed.

 With the rest of the Brits army seemingly quite happy to sit and watch the Saxon’s then carried on into the Fourth cohort on my far left, hitting them in the flank but luckily the legionaries stood firm this time.  Rumours of big money sponsorship by Coke and Maryland cookies for the Romano-Brit faction cannot be dismissed easily.

 Rallying his men Centurion Titus Aduxas personally lead the third cohort into action against Arthurs best men, as the fourth cohort got the best of the smaller Saxons and began pushing them back.  Arthurs elite copied the embarrassing actions of the second cohort and vanished in short order, while the Saxons continued to reel backwards.  Both Roman cohorts having been fighting for a period (and my saving throws being shocking) they were both quite worn down.

 On the right the action centred around my own Saxon’s taking advantage of a rare opportunity to charge the enemy horse.  They of course counter charged, but with my auxiliaries (which I think are probably from Gaul, or Germania, while Aidan thinks they are more Spanish looking) following and hitting the enemy in the flank I was confident.  I shouldn’t have been.  More shocking dice rolls followed, and the auxiliaries abandoned ship early as well, leaving the Saxons to be harassed off the table by the cavalry.  My own tiny unit was a minor annoyance with its one arrow a turn, but nothing more.

 Having tired of the oppositions Saxons getting in the way Titus Aduxas lead both cohorts of legionaries in a charge, wiping them out.  Both cohorts then pursued into the skirmishing spearmen, with Titus and King Arthur both joining in to devastating effect.  When the round was over the Brits spearmen had gone, dragging Arthur with them from the battlefield, while the fourth cohort had also dissipated, and the third (last remaining legionary cohort) was badly damaged.  

 With the disaster than had befallen the auxiliary and mercenary wing it was backs to the wall time for Titus and his last legionaries.  The Bishop of Bath lead his infantry into the charge, as the Brits cavalry appeared around a bunch of trees and launched themselves into the enemy flank.  The legionaries held out but had to withdraw, and found themselves eventually pushed off the table giving victory to the Romano-Brits!

Analysis: I’ve never read the Hail Caesar book, and Aidan’s knowledge was rusty, so we probably got a few things wrong.  It was however, and despite defeat, fairly enjoyable to be able to use my Romans.  The rules are subtly but definitely different from Blackpowder in some critical areas, and a few games would help.  The Romans and the Romano-Brits also looked the part fighting, and in an unusual twist most of my army was actually painted!



In other news; once my Romans had finished limping off the field I got to use this lot:

 The trains were particularly effective.

And after this final skirmish was victorious as Duke Tristram (me) foiled the dastardly Earl Erik!  More detail I suspect may be found here:  http://platoonfire.blogspot.com/

Flames Of War Battle Report - Grenadier Kompanie Vs Finnish Panssarikomppania (Tank company to everyone outside of Finland)

1/12/09

2,000pts "Free-For-All" Scenario.

With the battle for Normandy suspended it was back to mid-war mediocrity and picking a fight with another 'alle'. I was actually given the choice of whether I would like to fight the Finns infantry company or tank company. Having picked my army earlier I wasn’t going to make any changes based on the opposition, and because I had not faced them before I plumed for the tank company.

The Protagonists:
The Finns army, at first look, appeared daunting. A total of thirteen tanks, including the two KV1e’s - with armour to match a Tiger, lined up preparing for deployment, and reminded my of Red‘s 7th armoured (“haven‘t we just left this party…”). They were joined by three assault guns - the irrepressible BT-42‘s, some heavy artillery, a pioneer platoon, two units of anti-tank guns and a couple of Landsverks (armoured anti-aircraft vehicles with a nice sideline in light-tank and infantry killing). However I was given hope having looked up the enemies vital statistics, and realised that only the KV1e’s were a match for any armour I could put down, and at least seven of the tanks, and the assault guns, were vulnerable to machinegun fire!

My own force was heavily infantry-based, with a total of three grenadier platoons, machinegun and mortar assistance and a unit of two PaK40 anti-tank guns. The real killing power rested with my remaining two platoons; the StuG F/8’s at full three-assault-gun strength, and a Tiger 1E. I hoped the Tiger would even the playing field against the KV1e’s, while the StuG’s could pick off the rest of the armour and the infantry did its usual trick of hiding in buildings and trees until it was time for medals and schnaps.

The Battle:
I deployed my two objectives as far from each other as possible in the enemy deployment zone, hoping to split the Finns units, the opposition placed their two quite close together in the centre of my deployment zone.

I was thrown off balance early on with the enemies deployment and initial attack. Six light tanks (T-26’s) set off down my far right, while the bulk of the enemy armour and their pioneers attacked down the left. Cunning deployment of one of their anti-tank gun platoons (also PaK40’s as it turned out) instantly restricted the Tiger’s movement in the centre, and it was unable to go to the aid of my first grenadier platoon which was overwhelmed and destroyed in short order by the enemy pioneers in buildings on my far left while the Finns tanks kept watch. The StuG’s were also unable to help due to the persistence of the light tanks - with only one grenadier platoon and the PaK40’s on my right/centre I had to maintain a presence to prevent the T-26’s sneaking in to grab an objective.

For a time it did not look good; the StuG’s and PaK40’s struggled to kill off the T-26’s swiftly (although they finally got there by turn five), while the only thing my Tiger truly feared - pioneers - were advancing, seemingly unstoppably, towards the centre supported by a mostly untouched tank spearhead of ten AFV‘s. Then luck and the fear factor took a hand in proceedings.

My own pioneers, guarding a wood, and the only unit between the enemy attack and the objective held by the Tiger, struck very lucky and pinned the enemy pioneers with defensive fire, and then beat off an attack by the T-28’s in the tank column. They would only last one more turn in their foxholes, but by the time they had all succumbed the enemy pioneers were reduced to a single team which soon fled. This punch-up did cost me my company CO as well, but bought time to bring the StuG‘s back towards the centre. Meanwhile fear of having to go toe-to-toe with the Tiger - an enemy now only the KV1e’s could damage, and then they could only hope to bail it out - had struck the Finns armour, and it stayed hidden from the Tiger behind the much-contested wood, trading shots with the StuG’s in an ineffective fire fight.

With the T-26’s on the right destroyed my final grenadier platoon finally went on the offensive, moving through a series of ruined buildings and a wood to a position where it could launch an assault upon the enemy heavy artillery. With no Finnish infantry or armoured presence on that side the heavy guns were quickly silenced in turn eight, and any attempt to rescue the situation with the PaK40’s was finished off by three fortunate (and very long-ranged) shots from the Tiger who was starved of other targets.

With nothing else left to contest the objective, and no way of forcing a company moral check the Finns gracefully conceded.

Post-Battle Analysis:
I was concerned about the Finns giving an Italian-esk performance with their light tanks, but compared with the Eyties their tanks are far too slow and unreliable for this sort of tactics, and the slow methodical approach works much better. The pioneers could hold the key to the Finns tank company success - with my infantry confined to their woods and buildings in fear of getting hit by the massed tank machineguns in the open, and my supporting Tiger and StuG’s distracted, the Finns pioneers were able to pick their targets without interruption.

In the end I am left giving thanks to my own pioneers for stopping them, because I don’t think the Tiger would have, and nothing else was able to assist. Credit also goes to Nathan for his aggressive placement of his two PaK40 AT guns, who were stood in the open covering the whole of the battlefield while my two had already taken to the trees with virtually no affect on the battle. The Finns armour may have been paralysed by the Tiger late on, but the Tiger didn’t move more than six inches onto the battlefield for fear of the PaK40’s! I just hope the Brits weren’t watching…..

Flames Of War Battle Report - 4,000pts Germans Vs. British - 'Fighting Withdrawal'

5/11/09

Grenadier Kompanie & Panzergrenader Kompanie Vs. British Motor Company (Red - 2,500pts) & British Rifle Company (Aidan -1,500pts)

This is the re-match of the 4,000pt battle fought several weeks ago between the same opponents. The scenario then was ‘Free-for-All’, and the German mechanised assault came unstuck, with the Brits racing through and only just blocked by a last-ditch defence that relied more on time running out that any hopes of success. This time the scenario was to be ‘Fighting Withdrawal’, and the Germans would be defending, and hoping to improve. Having defeated the Italians earlier in the day morale was high.

Pre-battle Set-up:
Unusually for such a big battle I had not picked my army beforehand, and instead used the 2,000pt grenadier kompanie that had defeated the Italians earlier, and added to it a very heavily armoured panzer grenadier company (no trucks in sight, only halftracks).
Having had the (mis?)fortune to be chosen to defend on an 8 foot frontage (on a 6 foot deep battlefield) I surveyed the terrain. I chose to deploy my Grenadier company mostly on the left in the small town there so they could ambush anyone entering it; three infantry platoons, a machine gun platoon, and the 6 Panzer III’s and 3 Panzer II’s covered this sector, assisted by the mortars and artillery. On my right I left the 88’s and the StuG’s to overlook a wide expanse of open ground, which was mostly covered by four large cornfields and had a farm on the far side. As support I gave them the two armoured panzer grenadier platoons to help counterattack through the fields. The centre could be reached easily by either force, and finally the heavy tank platoon of two Tiger 1E’s was kept in ambush. In a change from the previous battle I was 3 Marder II’s and a machinegun platoon down, but a Tiger 1E and some halftracks up.

The opposition appeared to suffer from some indecision, with the ‘Desert Rats’ motor company deploying mainly opposite the small town down the road, and the ‘Black Cats’ primarily infantry force setting up just the other side of the farm, along with their two infantry tanks platoons, two platoons of Crusaders and my nemesis - the Universal Carrier horde. In essence it was the same army that I had faced several weeks previously and drawn against (but only just), with one change - the RAF had been cancelled, and a platoon of Grant tanks would be making their way down the main road towards the town. I was quite confused but this because I expected to be hunting Crusaders with 88’s and 75mm guns through the cornfields of Sicily (?), and to be facing the infantry in the built-up area up-close and personal. My initial views being that this could actually be very bad for me on my right if the infantry managed to swamp the objective, while my left should be fairly secure.

Objectives - The first was placed towards the back in the centre (a full 44” from the British start line), the second near the crossroads in the town (much closer to the centre of the battlefield), and the third between several cornfields, again closer to the Brits.



Initial deployment, Germans to the right, British to the left, the usual arguments about deckchairs and towels have begun.

The initial deployment, British seen on the right here (motor company in sand camouflage).


Turn 1:
Due to the size of the battlefield, and the British lack of artillery, it was a quiet start. The British infantry on the (German) right started their advance, moving troops and tanks lock, stock and barrel into the farm to use it as cover. The remainder started to move towards the cornfields. On the left the Crusaders started to spread out to encircle the town from the left, with the supporting trucks seeking cover in a small hamlet further up the road. The Germans advanced the StuG’s and panzer grenadiers to the edge of the cornfields to cover the right-hand objective, and managed to destroy a single Desert Rats AA truck with mortar fire on the left.

Turn 1; British 'Black Cats' begin moving through the farm.

Initial German positions within the town; Pnazer III platoons and grenadiers in shot.

Panoramic shot of positions; turns 1-2.

Turn 2:
The British launched a strong mechanised attack down the (German) left, towards the edge of the town, with a unit of 6pdr Portees advancing and firing into the town at Panzer III platoon from their position on top of a hill, destroying two Jerries. The Grants advanced down the centre of the road, and the Crusaders (two platoons) were joined by a HMG Carrier platoon in sweeping around the left of some trees around the town. The German response was immediate and overwhelming. Two Tigers popped into being in the centre of the town (how the British recon missed that they alone know), and blew two of the Grants to pieces, bailing out the third. The Portees were punished for their temerity by a machinegun platoon inhabiting one of the buildings on the towns edge, and all four were destroyed in a hail of bullets.

The Portees deploy on the hill as the Brits advance.

The Motor Companies right hook, trying to encircle the town.

On the right the British infantry reached the far side of the farm buildings and started their advance into the cornfields. The StuG’s, 88’s and panzer grenadiers all fired but the cover offered by the fields protected the Brit tanks and infantry from heavy damage. Two Crusaders to the left of the farm were not so lucky and were destroyed, with the third fleeing.

The infantry tanks prepare to move out of the farm and into the infamous cornfields of Sicily.


Turn 3:
The British attack on the (German) left rapidly became a disaster. No casualties were inflicted upon the Germans, who in turn decimated the Crusaders left hook with 88mm fire from the Tigers. The second 6pdr Portee platoon attempted a ‘tip-and-run’ attack on a Panzer III platoon, but failed to run far enough and suffered the same fate as the first platoon. With the left looking more secure by the minute the Germans took the decision to withdraw the ineffective mortar platoon, and dispatch the second (intact) Panzer III platoon up through the centre and towards the right in an effort to challenge the flank of the main ‘Black Cat’ attack through the farm.

The British ‘Black Cats’ had actually cleared the farm and their infantry and infantry tanks were now advancing across the cornfields en-masse towards the objective. A panzer grenadier counterattack against the British infantry on the far right failed miserably and they were thrown back with numerous casualties.


British infantry tanks near the right-hand objective; a destroyed Tiger.


Turn 4:
The last Crusader tanks on the left were destroyed by the Tigers who were now virtually invincible on that flank. With the ‘Desert Rats’ assault force now reduced to two infantry platoons in trucks hiding in trees, and a HMG Carrier platoon which continued its left hook around the town, the Germans felt safe enough to withdraw a grenadier platoon from the high-rise buildings.

The Germans achieve armoured superiority on the left flank with the demise of the Crusaders.

On the German right things were looking stickier for the goose-steppers. The panzer grenadier platoon that launched the assault the previous turn was attacked and destroyed by British infantry, and the StuG’s just survived a concentrated assault by infantry and tanks and remained within 4” of the objective. The Panzer III’s, chased by a forlorn last Grant tank and several Crusaders, bit into the British flank, destroying a platoon of 6pdrs pulled by jeeps.

By now it had become very clear to all concerned that the left-hand objective was out of the British’s reach with the Tigers there, and the centre objective was too far for the British infantry on the German right to change direction. The battle had become for the right-hand objective which the Brits had to take before the German 6th turn when it could be withdrawn.



Turn 5:
On the German left the 10.5cm artillery pieces took time out from their bombardments of the right flank to lower their muzzles and assist the Tigers in ridding themselves of the HMG Carriers that were buzzing around the rear of the town. The British motorised infantry made a desperate, and doomed, attempt to skirt the town to the (German) right and grab the central objective. The machinegun platoon firstly shot-up their transports, before the Panzer II’s opened fire, killing most of the survivors. With the town secure a second grenadier platoon was withdrawn from the what remained of the Central Business District (it was remarked at this point that the town had remarkably similar characteristics to the legendary town of Novgorod).

On the German right it was time for desperate Wehrmacht tactics, and crunch time for the British, they needed to rid the objective of German troops so it would remain in ‘Black Cat’ hands at the start of turn 6. The Brit infantry launched itself at the StuG’s, firing numerous PIAT’s while the remaining infantry tanks looked to get a flank shot in. However, the cornfields which have served the Brits so well in covering their attack now save the StuG’s from this scare, and even an infantry assault failed to drive the assault guns away. The remaining 88mm gun was less fortunate, and was surrounded and destroyed by the Universal Carrier wave, while the Panzer III’s and II’s were moving across to lend their support. The former platoon shrugging off the chasing pack of Crusaders to do so. Finally the last panzer grenadiers in their halftrack moved in to contest the objective and prevent British victory on turn 6, and sacrifice themselves to buy time for the rest of the armour to withdraw next turn. Due to heavy losses the motor company had also started to take company motivation checks at this point.
Crunch time for the Brits, worrying time for the Germans as the PIAT's and infantry tanks take aim.


Turn 6:
The remaining Panzer III on the German left was withdrawn, having been rendered obsolete by the Tigers presence. The final motorised ‘Desert Rats’, minus their motors, tried to attack into the edge of the town in desperation but are stopped dead by the machineguns once more, with even the Panzer II’s returning to lend a hand.


The Tigers take up defensive positions in the town.

On the right flank the Germans withdraw the right-hand objective and the Panzer III’s and StuG’s follow the before mentioned Panzer II’s back towards the centre, the StuG’s meeting the last Grant going the other way and destroying it. The British take revenge of a sort; piling into the last halftrack and wiping out the remains platoon which had denied them victory. The Black Cats were also forced to start taking company motivation checks on this turn.

German Pioneers making their way across the town to re-enforce the central objective.


Turn 7:
With time running out (game time had expired, and the scenario was timed to end at eight turns), the end was close for the British forces. The Universal Carrier swarm made a late dash for the central objective but was headed off by the StuG’s, and had to content itself with machine-gunning the careless panzer grenadier CO who had got his staff car stuck in some trees.

The Germans withdrew their artillery and returning fire at a chasing pack of Matilda’s (?) and Crusaders using the Panzer III’s, and had some success against the Crusaders. The last Brit infantry outside the town faced the machineguns and Panzer II’s once more and evaporated, and the battle was over.

Panoramic of battlefield; Turns 6-7.


The StuG's take up position around the central objective.

Analysis:
I will admit I have a tendency to go on about my luck when it comes to vital dice rolls, but if any of my fears of a curse are true, then it was definitely lifted this time round and probably handed to the ‘Black Cats‘ CO to hold! Good luck wasn’t needed as much on my left as the Eight Army Motor Company was mostly smashing itself to pieces against a solid urban defence, and the immovable object that the Tigers formed in the centre of the town. The left-hand objective was never really in danger once I deployed the heavy tanks there, and even the central objective was nicely covered by the pioneer infantry and Panzer III’s during the battle.

On my right however, I owe a fair amount to luck. The rules we used for the cornfields (all teams in them, and seen through them, counted as concealed but could see in and out) both aided and obstructed the defenders and attacking teams. The attackers were able to get very close to the objective without the significant casualties the 88mm guns and StuG’s should have caused over open ground, but upon arrival they were unable to see the StuG’s to shoot at them, and the assault gun platoon survived unscathed. However, with so many guns firing at them a fair number of shots still made it through, only to bounce off every time. PIAT infantry, plus 6pdrs and 2pdrs from every angle, simply didn’t make a difference, with the Panzer III’s proving almost as invulnerable to harm as the StuG’s when they arrived on the scene. The halftracks were more vulnerable, but still took more punishment than normal before they succumbed.

Overall I was very concerned about the small size of my army at the beginning (2 Tiger tanks, plus 3 StuG’s make a big dent in any points stash!), and without those two units survivability I would have lost with ease. I did feel a sense of disappointment that I would be defending, because with such a large mechanised force I believed the enemy would have had serious problems if I had concentrated just on one flank. Maybe another time, late war is now upon us whether we would wish it or not!

Flames of War Battle Report - 2,000pts German Grenadier Kompanie Vs. Bersaglieri Company (Aidan) in a ‘Cauldron’ scenario.

05/11/09

The Cauldron scenario throws up a very mixed up battle, with units deploying and appearing everywhere, making it tricky to give a blow-by-blow account so this report will be shorter than usual, less precise, and concentrate on the main flow of the battle. Lack of pictures I'm afraid, I let the Eyties take them so they may appear in the near future, or not as the case may be.

The Opponents:
For my Germans I went for the Grenadier Kompanie rather than the Panzer Grenadiers, reasoning that not as much manoeuvring would be needed on a 6 by 4 foot battlefield. Three infantry platoons (including one pioneer) were backed up by mortars, machine guns, artillery, the compulsory StuG F/8’s, and finally a Tiger 1E. I reasoned little in the Italian army could damage either of the last two, and they would be needed to take on the small horde of light tanks the enemy would bring.

The Italians had called upon some German assistance to help them reach 2,000pts, with a platoon of 3 Panzer III J’s. They had the compulsory two platoons of Bersaglieri infantry (one of which turned out to be fearless veterans!), backed up by machineguns, light antitank guns, light artillery, two of the Lancia heavy anti-tank guns (truck mounted) a platoon of (fearless veteran!) Semovente assault guns and one of light tanks, plus the Panzer III’s of course.


The Battle:

The opening moves - Err, didn’t really happen! The Italian re-enforcements were typically late for their appointments, and only began arriving in earnest from turn 5 onwards. The Germans in comparison played a waiting game, waiting for enough of their own troops to arrive to bolster an assault force. The only clash of note was the StuG’s vs. the Panzer III J’s in the centre, which the StuG’s came off best, destroying two of the enemy for no loss. The remaining Panzer III raced off to spend the next three turns dogging the footsteps of the Tiger, and somehow avoiding certain death.

With the arrival of the German infantry the attack finally went in, with the right-hand side objective being the target due to the location of the StuG’s and Tiger being more right, and the left-hand objective being in a tree-strewn location covered by machineguns and AT guns. The fearless veteran Bersaglieri platoon made an error trying to bring the StuG’s to battle after one of the assault guns had been destroyed by the Lancia heavy AT guns. The German guns drove them off, just, and the machine guns opened up with them stuck in the open, and not even the presence of an ‘Unknown Hero’ was enough to save the platoon and company CO from destruction.

The German mortars and artillery spent the battle duelling the Italian artillery, breaking off only to blow the rogue Panzer III up (finally!), and successfully kept the enemy pinned down. The Italian light tanks arrived, and made a sweeping attack around the German left, destroying the machine gun platoon, the pioneers, and damaging the mortars for no loss, and ringing alarm bells in Wehrmacht HQ. The StuG’s, having dealt with the Semovente’s, were forced to turn and face their onslaught to keep them away from the main infantry attack going in on the right.

With the Semoventes and Panzers destroyed, and the Tiger hiding behind a hill to avoid the last Lancia truck-mounted AT gun, it was down to the infantry to win or lose the battle. The first German grenadier platoon drove off the Italian artillery, and pushed back the other Italian infantry platoon. However, the Eyties were soon back, their infantry destroying most of the grenadiers. At this point the second grenadier platoon charged in and destroyed the enemy infantry completely. With German infantry swarming the objective, and unable to pass the necessary company motivation check, the Italians conceded and withdrew.


Analysis:

Having played ‘Cauldron’ a few times before I had hard-fought knowledge that an early attack would be pointless, and lead to defeat, so I held my army back waiting for the rest to turn up so I could launch a more powerful assault on the objectives. This, and the lack of Italian re-enforcements lead to the first four turns being a dire affair, with both sides so well entrenched that even the artillery did little/no damage.

The Italians had only one weapon that could comfortably destroy the Tiger and StuG‘s, and good placement of it meant that the heavy tank spent the game doing very little for fear of getting shot, and the assault guns were almost as ineffective! The Italian light tanks meanwhile were very effective in rolling up the German left and centre, and at one point I was concerned they would destroy enough platoons to force me into a Company Motivation check (which I rarely pass!). The StuG’s, having dealt with the Semovente’s and Panzer III’s so easily, seemed incapable of hitting them, but luckily for me they hadn’t made it far enough to the right by the time my infantry swarmed the objective.

I was very pleased with this victory because it is the first defeat the Italians have suffered, which, after a previous six battles (5 wins, 1 draw) against Russians, Finns and Germans is testament to how difficult they are to beat! That is despite their lack of armour, anti-tank ability, artillery or numbers.

Flames Of War Battle Report - 2,000pts Free-For-All German Grenadier Kompanie Vs. British 7th Armoured

03/11/09 - A battle report with a difference, the British view from their commander (my regular opponent Red), followed by my report on proceedings. It was our first foray into Late War.

"First run out for the Desert Rats in Late-War, came as a bit of a shock to Jerry that Britain had some tanks, and his heavy armour wasn't quite as invulnerable as previously. We got a Free For All in some rather open country, despite a number of hills providing good artillery positions. "

"With the threat of not 1 but 2 Tigers dominating the central area, with support from StuGs and FlaK 36 my tanks tried to make use of what cover was available. There was a moment of hesitation as I tried to position myself as best I could to pass in front of the massed '88s, particularly as I wasn't able to bombard the static positions. A minor traffic jam ensued as Stuarts and Cromwell tanks massed behind the hill on my left, whilst towards the centre the other two Cromwell platoons moved forward to challenge the Tigers. On the far right Bren Carriers and Crusader AA tanks moved up behind a bombed village, forcing an infantry platoon to withdraw to the imagined safety of the woods behind them. "

"The Tigers having survived unscathed returned fire and demolished a Cromwell platoon, another tank fell to the StuGs and I considered whether or not I'd made a huge error in attacking across the full width of the table. I decided to make a full blooded charge at the enemy with the Cromwell CS tanks smoking the '88s, whilst both surviving platoons of Cromwells decided to to deal with the StuGs, figuring they'd be easy kills for 2 platoons attacking together. Needless to say the StuGs survived unharmed. "

"The Stuarts attacked the infantry in front of the Artillery but hadn't banked on the '88s lending a hand which knocked out 2 of the things, the survivor still managed to panic the Germans sending the running into their own guns. Sensing imminent doom for last Stuart I went for a charge on the '88s, predictably this ended in a cloud of oilly smoke.There then followed an indecisive exchange of fire between the StuGs and Cromwells with occasional interuptions from the Tigers."

"The Brens supported by the Crusaders attacked the infantry in the woods but got themselves killed driving them off. The weight of fire finally showed on the StuGs and they were forced into the ruins before being destroyed. One platoon of Cromwells folllowed up knocking out the MG platoon holding the position, the second platoon switched targets to the Tigers which had advanced towards them. "

"On my left the German infantry which had been milling in front of the artillery decided to advance, akwardly at the same time I'd made the same decision and mounted my infantry in their halftracks. This prompted a rapid dismount and attempt to reform their gun line.I started to bring up the Observer Shermans, one to help hold the position on my left the other to threaten the objective near the artillery and hopefully draw off some of the forces that could tip either of the critical battles around the contested objectives. On my side the Germans assaulted before I was in position and initially forced my infantry and Cromwell back, however they managed to rally and pushed back in to halt the Germans with a hail of gunfire from all directions."

"On the other side of the field a heavy duty brawl broke out as Tigers, Pioneers and a motley collection of British vehicles began hammering away at point blank. The stalemate was broken when the Pioneers failed their nerve check to charge, leaving them in full view of an artillery officer. This abruptly ended their threat and one of the Tigers brewed up almost immediately afterwards, straight through the frontal armour from the last Firefly. The efforts of the massed Cromwells failed to claim the last Tiger but the final Cromwell from the platoon that got shot up in turn 1 got busted which meant a company morale check was imminent. "

"By this point both sides were spent, neither of us had achieved the vital breakthrough, but the Germans had lost their striking capability and conceded the point.We rolled to see what would have happened with my morale, and the Desert Rats also failed...The Reluctant status of the Desert Rats is something I'll have to get used to, they're a lot more fragile than they appear. I'll also need to familiarise myself with how British artillery works, though even with my clumsy efforts they signicantly out-performed the RAF."

The German View:

There was nearly a nasty brown-alert moment when I turned the corner and saw what appeared to be the entire British 7th Armoured Division waiting for me on the other side of the battlefield! A swift count (once I had gathered approximately 27.645% of my wits about me) confirmed my fears - I was faced by no less than 26 AFV, of which 20 were medium battle tanks, supplemented by 3 light ‘Honey’ Stuart tanks, 3 of my nemesis Universal Carriers, a small platoon of mechanised infantry in their M5 carriers, and the nastiest artillery battery I had even seen - 8 Sextons - all fitted into 2,000pts late war! Against this horde I could muster but 5 AFV‘s, although fortunately I had plumed for both Tigers (which surprised the watching Italians even if it had no effect on the Brits), the StuG’s and the 88’s. The rest of my Grenadier Kompanies force was made up of Grenadier infantry platoons, machineguns, mortars and some artillery.

I harboured serious doubts about whether I had enough shots per turn to defeat such an wave of armour, and my infantry and man-packed gun teams were always going to be doing a lot of hiding in holes and woods while hell was unleashed around them! I was definitely convinced this would be a battle for survival rather than any attempt to take my two objectives on the other side of the battlefield, and deployed the StuG’s and 88’s to cover the right-hand British objective, while the Grenadier pioneers and Tigers lurked near to the left-hand one. The machineguns and mortars crammed into buildings in the centre and the artillery hid behind a hill on the right!

The enemy swept out into the central open area majestically, blazing away at the Tigers and StuG’s. Fortunately the Sherman Fireflies proved inaccurate most of the battle, and the Cromwell IV’s best attempts bounced off the Tigers armour. A Grenadier platoon, which had been a bit ambitious trying to reach another bit of cover on the left, was severely damaged by the Bren Carriers and fell back into some woods. The Brens, and assisting Crusader AA tanks, hid behind the buildings in-case the Tigers turned towards them, but the heavy tanks had bigger fish to fry - destroying 2 Cromwell’s, a Firefly and bailing out a third Cromwell in turn 1! The StuG’s were not quite so lucky in the centre, and the enemy armour raced closer and soon swamped them, with the last assault gun fleeing the field.

The Stuart tanks decision to have a pop at a grenadier platoon on the right didn’t pay off for them, thanks to a massive assist by the 88’s (who truly earned their schnapps on this occasion), and on the left the Bren Carriers made the mistake of venturing into the woods, only for the remaining grenadiers to ambush them with panzer Faust’s - destroying all three AFV’s before following the StuG’s example.

A platoon of Cromwell’s made the mistake of mixing it with the machineguns in the buildings on the right/centre of the German backline, and opened themselves up to the 88’s fire. The remaining bailed out tanks were then captured by the sole surviving officer of the machineguns (must have been on a training course to Finland). This cleared the right-hand British objective of enemy pressure, and left a huge melee of AFV’s on the left. The Tigers found themselves literally surrounded by Sherman‘s, Cromwell’s and Crusaders, and the attempts of the Pioneers to assist were thwarted by the enemy machineguns and artillery. One Tiger fell to a Firefly shot, but the other defied the many Cromwell shots at point-blank range and took up a defensive position behind some rocks covering the objective.

On the German right another sideshow had developed, with the Grenadiers, initially driven back by the Stuarts, now advancing with the assistance of a scout platoon. With the enemy armour destroyed or distracted on the left, they made it to the right-hand German objective, driving off the British mechanised platoon on the way and causing several casualties. Victory was actually within grasp, because the only two tanks on that side were independent teams who could not contest the objective. However, the mechanised infantry passed their 5+ motivation test, and moved back in, and with a hail of machinegun fire (and some awful saving throws) wiped out the Grenadiers and scouts.

With time ebbing away (actually we had overrun and it was almost 10:15pm - many thanks to the key keeper for his patience!), I conceded the field to the British, knowing that victory was impossible. The British then rolled their Company morale check and promptly failed!
I had successfully bled the British armour dry, having destroyed 16 of their 26 AFV’s for the loss of four of my own (and many infantry), but in doing so I wasn’t in any position to do anything but fall-back all game, firing as I went. The Tigers accounted for 5 Cromwell’s and a Firefly, while the 88’s bagged 3 Stuarts, 2 Cromwell’s and a Sherman. The machineguns got a Firefly and a Cromwell with a major assist from the 88’s, and the Grenadiers with their panzer Faust’s claimed the three Bren Carriers. I lost a Tiger and a StuG to the Firefly’s, and a StuG to the Cromwell’s. The British artillery was more effective than the RAF, claiming numerous grenadiers, and several German artillery pieces, and the irony of the British infantry preventing an unexpected defeat should not be overlooked!

FOW Battle Report - 2,500pts German Panzergrenadier Kompanie Vs. British 8th Army Motor Company (Red) in a Fighting Withdrawal

The Armies:
The British were easy for me to predict because my regular opponent would be using his whole army. I knew to expect, amongst other things; a flight of hurricanes, five platoons of Crusader II’s (15 tanks in total), a number of 6pdr portees, and finally my nemisis the Universal Carrier recon platoon.

My own force would be very different from usual because for the first time it would be picked solely as a panzer grenadier kompanie. I was limited in the number of support choices I could take due to only being able to field two combat platoons, but I managed to fit in the 88’s (for AA support and fear factor mostly), two platoons of Panzer III’s (M & N variants, 6 tanks in all), the compulsory three StuG F/8’s, a mortar platoon and a machinegun platoon. Of my combat platoons one was armoured, and a small motorised pioneer platoon completed the listings.

The Battlefield and The Plan:
Playing on a 8ft by 6ft battlefield, the scenery was similar to my previous encounter with the 8th Army and the Black Cats (see below). A small town and road dominated the (German) right, with the centre and left much more open and populated by a farm on the left, and cornfields, trees and a few hills in the left/centre.

Having decided the mission (Fighting Withdrawal), and managed to secure the job of attacking I decided a bold and aggressive policy was the way to go after the embarissment of last time out. Having watched the enemy spread themselves across the battlefield I grouped my entire company into the far left-hand third, tanks to the front to create an attacking wedge which the panzer grenadiers would follow in. The 88’s would proved cover from the inevitable RAF, and the mortars and machine guns would keep the enemies heads down. I also deliberately set-up opposite the enemies recon platoon, hoping to decimate it early on.

The Early Stages of the Battle:
My Germans, automatically getting first turn, poured forwards at speed towards the thin British line. Unfortunately the recon platoon saw the impending doom and scooted away behind the farm with only the one casualty. My initial firing also accounted for a Crusader II, but it didn’t matter as much as the fact that surprise had been achieved.

The British Portees lie in wait for the Panzer III's.

The British response was immediate, with Crusaders racing from all corners of the battlefield to try and get in the way of the panzers. Their big hope, however, was from their two units of 6pdr portees, one of which was already in situ, and the second appeared from ambush beside it to the left of the farm. However, the distance was against them, and their opening volley could only scratch the German tanks paintwork!

Continuing the attack:
The Germans continued their headlong charge, with the Panzer III’s and panzer grenadiers going to the left of the farm, and the StuG’s moving more towards the right. The machine guns and mortars made it their mission to pin the British infantry defenders of the farm. The Panzer III’s machine guns made light work of the portees, just in time for the first wave of Crusaders to drive straight into their lines! A close-range tank battle ensued, the British having learn the hard way that they couldn’t damage the German tanks from the front. A Panzer III was lost to these tactics, but the devastating replies accounted for at least six Crusaders and tested the limits of the smoke-marker supply. The Brits Universal Carriers meanwhile had retreated further under fire from the StuG’s.

A panoramic of t he battlefield approximatley turn 4.

In other small cameo’s across the battlefield more truck mounted infantry ran into German mortar fire and disintegrated, while the 88’s survived being smoke bombed long enough to down a hurricane, and drive off a HMG universal carrier platoon. The truck-mounted panzer grenadiers launched an assault upon the farm itself, clearing it of enemy troops at the cost of their own platoon, and the German company commander (who had a sudden attack of cowardice most unbecoming a German officer!).

Burning Crusaders.

The Final Acts:
With turn 6 approaching, and armoured superiority nearly achieved, the StuG’s were sent racing to secure the objective on the far right, while the Panzer III’s wore down the final Crusader platoon. Neither were able to reach their respective objectives when the Brit commander decided enough was enough and it was time for a serious tea break (the Brits had lost four platoons, and been forced to withdraw three earlier). He failed his company moral check and it was a German victory - just as the German CO fled from the battlefield!

The final German charge.

Analysis:
For once my tactics worked a treat. The major sticking point had been the portees, but these were unable to do any damage this time - the opposition was possibly unfortunate to find a number had deployed just out of range, and the rest were plain unlucky to see so many shots bounce off - and machine guns took care of them. Piling my troops on the left meant a large number of British units were out of position and unable to take part before they had to be withdrawn due to the scenario rules, it also gave me a local superiority, and in the event the StuG’s and armoured panzer grenadiers were more observers than participants.

One particularly interested fact that came out of the battle was that the Crusader II’s 2pdrs were unable to even bail out the Panzer III’s at long range, and needed to get amongst them to do any damage. This could have turned out nasty if a larger number could have charged in at once, but because they were stretched out across the British lines they arrived in dribs and drabs and the German tanks were able to take them on at a good range.

Footnote - The Germans rapid advance meant only the mortars and the 88’s were viable targets for the RAF, who once again failed to cause any damage, and lost a plane in trying to. Sadly the victory did not include the Black Cats, and another battle will have to be fought.

The hated and feared British recon troops finally forced to retreat past the objective marker.

FOW Battle Report: 4,000pt Free-For-All vs. The Brits

The points value was 4,000 a side, with the British (Aidan's) 'Black Cats' and Red's 'Desert Rats' proving the opposition for my German Grenadierkompanie and Panzergrenadier Kompanie combination in a Free-For-All battle. The report is lifted straight from Red's views on the RGMB forums, while I claim responsibility for the poor photography.

Quote from the Commander of the British Motor Company - Eighth Army:

"I set off for the border not knowing if I would have Black Cat allies or a combined German-Italian force to deal with, but having all my mid-war Desert Rats packed for the trip made choices a little simpler. Whilst I was awaiting my opponent(s) / ally I was invited in where I noticed the sprue of spare guns from panzer turrets... A few discreet questions to a local resident confirmed that Herr Rick had recieved a number of new panzers, things had become intresting..."

"The transport then arrived bearing my opponent and it now turned out my allies as well. Rick went to eat I unpacked my army and Aidan leafed through some old magazines... "

The Black Cats Valentines waiting for their CO.

"Once these formalities were completed we rolled Free For All and deployed on the table. The left of the battlefield (from the British perspective) was dominated by a built up area with a road running through, there were hills at our end and woodland in German Territory. The rest of the battlefield was largely open with a number of wheat fields and some scatted woodland. Objectives were placed either end of the road, near a small group of buildings on the right of the British lines and at the edge of a wheat field in the German area. "

"Jerry had an artillery battery at the back, Machineguns and Marders on our right '88s and panzers in the centre and a veritable armoured horde on our left. The Motor platoons formed a line with Black Cats occupying the defensive position overlooking our right objective and massed machineguns holding the left. 6pdr portees deployed to catch the panzers in the centre, Bren Carriers massed behind the built up area and Crusaders deployed on both flanks. There were 2 platoons of infantry tanks with the bren carriers and a platoon of 6pdrs amongst the hills at the end of the road."

Deployment viewed from the British left flank.

Deployment viewed from the British right flank.


German Grenadiers and Panzer III's rready for the off.

The Desert Rats portees mass behind the Black Cats infantry.

"The Germans made a recce move with some BMWs behind a wood, parked up and decided to have a snooze.The Brens moved into town and found a cafe open. The Panzer Grenadiers then moved up with the StuGs and Tigger whilst the panzers in the centre moved aimlessly forward. Black Cat command went into crisis mode as they felt incapable of dealing with the massed german armour threatening to roll through their positions. The Brens on the other hand figured that they could tackle a couple of infantry platoons, even if they were in the ruins on the other side of town and set off down the road to prove the point. Black Cat morale seemed to evaporate entirely as they seem to have got the impression that the Desert Rats were abandoning them to their fate rather than giving Jerry the damn good thrashing he deserved."

The British advance into the town, the German armour advances into difficult terrain and trouble!

The German recon troops having a relaxing evening.

"On the right a long range firefight between armoured units developed which favoured the Germans and depleted the supply of smoke markers. However the Portees made an impression on the panzers forcing them into a withdrawal and leaving the motorised infantry free to advance. The Mortars proved badly positioned to target the '88s and simply annoyed the Marders. "

The 8th Armies portees and truck-mounted infantry deploy in the centre using Wellington's patented 'reverse slope' tactic.

The Marder II's and 88mm guns inflicting damage upon the British right and its Crusader tanks.

"The German advance on the left rapidly reversed direction to save their objective as the Grenadier platoons in the ruins were overrun leaving a large gap in their line in front of the objective. An increasingly desperate melee then broke out as the halftracks were outflanked by Crusaders, The Brens punched right through to the objective forcing surviving panzers to throw themselves infront of the Portees fending off the inevitable. StuGs tried to run round the woodland whilst Tigger bogged down in it. "

The Universal Carriers and Matilda's swarm the objective, driving off the remains of the German Grenadiers.

A last ditch attempt by the Panzer III's prevents defeat on the right long enough to claim a draw - they were destroyed minutes later by portees.

"The German mortars were mowed down by fire from the infantry tanks as the British advance slammed into Jerry's rear area and the Marders were knocked out by the last Crusaders on the right letting the infatry get within striking distance of the other objective. The MG42s embarrassed themselves being unable to bump off a single team. Though this was nothing to the embarrassment of the RAF who failed to kill anything during the entire battle, for the loss of 2 hurricanes.At this point the Germans heard their Fraulines calling and claimed a draw. "

The final British infantry advance on the right falls just short of the objective after the last Crusaders were cut down by the 88mm guns, although not before they had destroyed the Marder II's.

Black Cat infantry in reserve.

My own Final Anaylsis: In hind-sight my army selection was rushed because I wanted to field my expensive (in points and cash) latest aquistions; which subsequently had little or not effect, while my tactics were extremely poor and made little use of my own abilities while the brawl that developed on the British left playing perfectly to theirs.

The initial (and unexpected) panic from the Brit left flank in response to my armour's deployment would have been almost comical if I hadn't realised almost immediately that my tactics were total bollocks! Having set up with the Tiger, StuG's and panzer grenadiers on the right I realised that I had make a monumental error in dooming my main (only!) assault force to a close-range fire-fight amongst the close terrain of trees and buildings on my right. This was trying to play the Brits at their own game, when my own strengths were the reach and firepower of my own weapons.

The number of enemy tanks, AT guns and infantry in that area mean that my assault force would have been fortunate indeed to clear the edge of the buildings with less that 50%+ casualties, and then they would have to fight more AT guns, tanks and infantry on the far side! (Truly die Englanders were many!) Faced with the problem of being unable to successfully attack I was then left out of position when the Universal Carriers went on their rampage through the buildings and towards the objectives. My efforts at falling back to try and cover the threatened objective then revealed my flanks and my panzer grenadiers who were easy prey to the opportunistic Black Cats.

In all honesty I believe that once my deployment was complete I had ruined my own chances of victory, and only frantic stalling (by moving troops to block the enemy, not the taking-an-age-to-move-a-single-figure type of stalling) and a time-limit to the battle saved me from what would have been a deserved defeat. I will conceed that a number of excellent tactic ploys by the Brits made life even harder, including the deployment of the 6pdrs across the battlefield, the Universal Carriers charge, and the Valentines advance through the woods - the latter preventing me from disengaging without loss.

The only part I was happy with was my left (the British right) where the Marders and 88's held their own against the Crusader horde. And even at the end my machine gun platoons were in a good position to fend off the follow-up wave of truck-mounted infantry. The 88's get the German 'Gun-of-the-battle' award, claiming I think about 6 Crusaders and 2 huricanes (and possibly a Matilda but I can't remember) between them.

A re-evaluation of both army and tactics is called for, then I'd like a rematch please, if the enemy is not too busy drinking tea and getting bailed out by the 'Amis'.....

The Clash Of Might - A Warhammer Battle

Somewhere in the mists of time a group of gamers convened and conspired to fight a Warhammer battle the like of which has not been seen at their local club in over three years. This is their tale…….

Participants:

On the side of sugar, spice and all things nice:
Empire - Aidan “Emperor Karl Franz” (6,000pts)
High Elves - Red “Some Pointy-Eared on a dragon“ (3,500pts)

"The Emperor Karl Franz"

"The Git on his dragon"

Completing the alliance currently know as ‘Evil‘:

Goblins - Chris Fry “Grom the Paunch” (2,500)
Chaos - Chris Fazey “Dastardly entity from the warp” (2,500pts)
Undead & Skaven - Rick/Me “Brian Von Carstein“ (5,000pts)

"Brian Von Carstein"

"Grom the Paunch (after his latest diet)"

"An Estate Agent - aka Daemon Horror from the magical realms"

The Rules:
The current set of Warhammer Fantasy rules were used (7th ed.), with just a few clarifications to ensure each side operated as an army rather than several different entities, and these follow; There was one general on each side (the Emperor Karl Franz for the armies of good, and the representative of the Von Carstein family for the forces of evil). Each side generated two dice for castings/dispelling magic.

The result of the battle was decided using the old rules of one victory point per 100pts, or part of 100pts, destroyed (e.g. a Chaos unit worth 455pts was worth 5 VP when destroyed). We began play around 11am, using a time limit of 30 minutes per sides turn (any actions not completed by then were lost or drawn in the case of combats), and had a finishing time of 6pm. The battlefield was 12ft by 6ft in size, with each side allowed to deploy up to 24” on from their side. Finally on the day sheets of polystyrene and cardboard were used to create a ‘fog of war‘ effect so that both sides set up at the same time without know how the other was deploying.

The (Evil) Plan:
Being on the side of Evil I can only comment on the dastardly plans we hatched, maybe the forces of good will even the balance at some point.

The lack of a traditional Goblin horde (all too busy sowing or something similar) brought some of the more stereotypically evil participants to the fore, with my Von Carstein Vampire Count leading a motley crew of Ratmen, Goblins, Chaos warriors and shuffling dead things against their foe (note: the Vampire was the army general only due to the need to keep the undead marching, the Chaos Daemon Prince or Grom the Paunch would probably have been a better choice!).

With the battlefield obscured by a primitive version of the fog of war the decision was made to put the undead infantry alongside the goblins in the centre, with the ratties guarding their flanks on both sides. The extreme left flank was viewed the most open and the swifter units placed there (the undead dragon, Black Coach and fell bats deploying alongside Grom the Paunch’s chariots and his wolf-riders). The right flank was an almost entirely Chaos affair with the disciples of Slaanesh facing the hills and village.

The rough plan was to advance swiftly with the left flank and try to break through whatever faced them before rolling up the enemy left to right using our quick shock troops, while the infantry centre pinned them in their deployment zone so they couldn‘t react. The Chaos forces were to crush the forces facing them in the village and prevent re-enforcements being sent to help anywhere else.

"Freakish roll on the scenery table...."

The Enemy and their deployment:
Our prediction that the Elves would be facing out left flank, and the Empire our right was correct, with the elf cavalry looking to try the same trick as us, and the Empire centre bulging with infantry, heavy cavalry and guns! My initial worries that the battlefield would be too big were banished, it now looked too small with all the models on it! Having managed to win the roll to pick a side, we now won the roll to go first.

"The Foe"

"The whole damn show"

Early Days:
The bloodiest encounter at the start was on our left where the elves cavalry charged straight into the wolf riders and the fell bats, both of which evaporated swiftly! However, a counterattack by Grom and the Black Coach saw them off swiftly. We did run into a problem with the fields of corn, which, following an in-depth read of the rules turned out to be difficult terrain, and would cramp our attempts at breaking through in the early turns.

"Undead and Chaos advance"

"Elven wall of spearmen"

"Initial clashes on the (Evil) left"

On our right the Chaos charged towards the edge of the village, whereupon most of their targets turned tail! Throughout the battle very few troops would run from the board due to the depth of the deployment zones. Most would rally and return - except for our wolf riders who fled on turn one never to be seen again - the gits! The Empire general moved up his steam tank and heavy cavalry ready for the test the numerous Chaos warriors and monstrous creatures would present.

"forces of evil moving up in the centre and right"

In the centre the Goblins and undead advanced, with the compulsory fanatics immediately lured out by pistoliers, although the horsemen regretted their generals decision! Magic was mainly ineffective, and proved so throughout due to the number of dispell dice, the size of the armies, and an abnormal number of miscasts, mostly by the high elves. Some success was had by the Chaos in casting scary spells, but the location of Karl Franz on the Empire left meant that sturdy leadership was had by all and nobody ran.

High Elf collapse:
The loss of their cavalry turned out to be the beginning of a catastrophe for the elves on turns 2-4. The Vampire on his zombie dragon had flown in to challenge the elf noble on his white dragon, and subsequently killed him. Then, while chasing the dragon down, it also managed to panic large sections of the elf army, with spearmen, archers and swordsmen fleeing, leaving them open to the attacks of Grom, his Goblins, the giant (who recovered from his fear of elf archery just long enough to come out from behind his building and be pin cushioned anyway), and the skaven clanrats. With the elves falling like ninepins the Empire general declared his allies army to be lost, and moved up troops to cover his right flank.

"The elves before it all went wrong"

"The elves afterwards..."

Middle Days:
The initial Chaos attack on the right had been slowed by the firepower of the Empire troops, and now suffered from a number of carefully planned counterattacks using heavy cavalry. The loss of the Daemon Prince leader, and his pet Shaggoth (the latter to a hell blaster), was keenly felt, and the Chaos warrior units were not in a position to avenge them due to the scenery and slow movement conspiring against them.

"Empire troops holding the village"

"The Empire counter attacks being prepared"

In the midst of the disaster which was the elf army a ray of light gleamed on turn 3 as the Vampire Lord on his dragon was ironically killed by a giant stake from a bolt thrower, and the dragon collapsed into dust before the elf archers, defeated by a rank bonus and the enemies numerous nature.

The undead impacted into the Empire centre, and after two turn of bitter fighting had managed to push them back over the central hill and make inroads towards their rear. However on the way through they had lost both their cavalry (destroyed by the White Wolves), and their skaven and goblin flank protectors; the goblins, sensing blood, had gone after the remains of the elves, while the skaven plague monks were tied up trying to deal with the rampaging white wolves.

"Chaos reigns as the Undead reach the Empire lines"

End Days:
At this point, with VP’s and the whole game having been very even so far, it all fell apart for the Evil alliance. The good news in turns 5 and 6 was that the remains of the elves on the left were being gradually ground away towards extinction by the skaven, Grom and the Goblins. The bad news was there was a disaster about to happen in the centre to the undead, and on the right to the Chaos.

The undead wedge that had driven into the centre of the empire lines had been hit in its unprotected flank by empire reserves lead by the (so far mainly anonymous) Emperor Karl Franz on his griffon. Already stuck in combat with the near invincible pikemen, the undead were overcommitted on the ‘needing to raise reserves’ front, and began to swiftly fade away.
To their the right the plague monks had finally managed to drive off the knights of the white wolf, only to discover themselves alone due to a general Chaos withdrawal in the direction of ye olde city of Manchester (the, now banished, Daemon Prince had muttered something about prior commitments in the daemonic haunting department during the build-up, but the rest of the forces of evil had hoped to have moved onto the celebratory squig beer and blood banks before such an eventuality arose).

As the Goblins continued to work their way through the (astonishingly inept) sword masters of hoeth and spearmen on the evil left, the undead finally collapsed (literally) in the centre, with the evil general meeting the Emperor in single combat (“its just you, me, my hammer of sigmar………oh, and my 40 guards!”). The vampire fell to the hammer just before the combat resolution finished him off.

"Brian Von Carstein loses out to the Emperor and his bigger weapon"

The final part was played out by a 475pt Chaos Warrior unit which was been in the Goblin reserve all game, and now charged into the Emperor looking for death and glory. They discovered the Emperor still had many, many friends, and that their own weapons were made of foam just before they got the death part of their wish.

"The last act"

On this suitable note the battle ended on turn 6 just before the time limit of 6pm, with few evil troops (or elves!) left on the battlefield, and Good winning by 58 VP‘s to evils 27.

Aftermath:
Up to turn 4 the victory points were tied, and it suddenly went all wrong for the baddies! The elves had collapsed in a truly spectacular way in the first few turns, and only became more resilient once they were reduced to approximately 20 models. The Empire, however, stood its ground and magnificently dealt with everything that came its was, including the 2,500pts of Chaos Warrior army, and the nearly 2,500pts of Undead and skaven that tried to chew its way through the centre.

In hindsight my own problems came when my undead attack became disjoined due to charging the pikemen early with zombies and grave guard, and, more importantly, losing my right-sided skaven and chaos flank support which gave the much-vaunted empire ‘second line’ its opportunity to hit all of my shuffling units in the flank.

In game terms it was an excellent day and it was very enjoyable playing Warhammer on such a large battlefield. The fog of war rules at the start provided some surprises, and shortened the setting up time, while the 30 minutes rule kept the momentum going and we fitted in 6 turns between 11am and 6pm.