Parabomb Game Report...

[Kriegshund]

Played a 100pt Game last night using the "Parabomb" tactic against a German Army. I hinted to my oponnent that he might be facing more infantry that usual, but did not reveal my overall plan. (In reallity, had I not hinted, he probably would have looked at the board on movement phase one and conceded. He would have built an Army to defeat my normal Allied build which is armor heavy that would have had no tools against the Parabomb)

Oder of Battle:

Allies : Me

81pts Screaming Eagle Paratroopers x9
11pts Screaming Eagle Captain
8pts Humber Scout Car

Axis: Opponent

49pts SS-Panther Ausf G. x1
22pts Sturmpanzer IV "Brummbar" x1
7pts SS-Haupsturmfuhrer x1
15pts SS-Panzergrenadier x3
4pts Blackshirt
3pts Mauser Kar 98

We roll for map and get number 4 "Urban Combat", I win coin flip and choose the Able/Baker side. I want his infantry to have to cross open ground to the objective, and have lots of places for my Humber to hide. I place the Humber just past the bridge on the medial road on Baker-2 and reveal my paratroops to my opponents groan that turns into a smile because he shows me the Sturmpanzer, then I groan.

He places all his Infantry as close as possible to the town on Dog-1 (to my secret inner smile he keeps his HSF with them, he explains this later because he want's to keep his troops moving to the objective if they get disrupted) He has six infantry all together and they form an open faced bowl, one flank right below the town on the road, and one flank next to the forrest hex. He places the Sturmpanzer right in the middle in the open (no danger to it), and the Panther close protecting his right from my Humber I guess.

We roll initiative, we both have +3 so even rolls, I win, not crucial, but very very advantageous for me. I choose to go first. The Humber seemingly far away, but with road bonus and high gear moves up through the town and immediately takes position in the southern most town hex where the road enters. It threatens his HSF which is now in the open and with really no where to escape. (He expained he just didnt think about how far the Humber could move, and was more concerned about getting into the town).

I deploy all my paratroopers into the town. The hex the Humber is in is illegal because it is adjacent to troops, and most my parartroops are placed on the lateral (west side) of the town, away from his Brummbar. My original plan was too hold back my SE Captain, but it looks like we're going to duke this one out right away so I decide to drop him in too, but he is placed right on the objective out of LOS from everwhere.

My opponent has a big problem. His HSF is hosed no matter what. And now his has a Humber and 4 Paratroopers that can shoot at him. He chooses to do what I think I would do and charges ahead. If he retreated I would have probably just killed him anyway. He pulls a 20th Maine and advances. Puts 2 SS-PGs into the town hex with my Humber. I take a defensive fire to try to stop one AND MISS!! (EDIT: we have a house rule that scout cars and halftracks may make defensive fires against troops, sorry for any confusion). He advances the rest of his infantry with HSF forward. (Later on he explained at this point he just wanted to kill as many SE troops as possible and finish off the job with the Brummbar)

I shoot with the Humber because its hosed anyhow, and kill his HSF. Long story short from here, up to 6 SE Paratroopers shooting from cover at his remaining infantry murderlize them. My disrupted SE Paras throw it off and he no longer does that. I lose 2 SE Paras in the close quarters fighting in the town. The Humber is dead. He kills a 3rd SE with the Brummbar. After turn 2 all his infantry is wiped out.

The rest of the game up to turn 7, I win initiative every time and go first (ironic that I argue for going second, but in this case first is best), up to turn 7 I have beautiful ground to play cat and mouse with the Brummbar. The Panther is also taking shots, but usually only disrupts due to so few dice or cover. It was easy to maintain the objective and sneak out of LOS. Turn 7 I change up and go second. He moves the Panther and Brummbar adjacent to objective to send the game to extra innings. However is careful for this turn to move the Brummbar in a position that I can't immediately close assault.

The Panther rear armor of 4 only lasts one turn with 2 SE Paras close assaulting with 9 dice ( +1 SE Captain bonus) 3 hits from 2 SE
Paras and the Panther is destroyed. However, those two brave close assaulters are blown to smithereens because they were vulnerable to the Brummbar. He really rolled like a demon and blew them both away....

I have 4 SE Paras and one SE Captain left and he has the Brummbar that must stay adjacent to objective or lose. It is turn 8.

This time I am able to close assault the Brummbar. I roll 9 friggen dice x 2 close assaults and only get two hits!!!. Brummbar can't shoot at Paras in it's own hex but manages to waste another two SE Paras!! (that I should have moved away, but wanted near to finish off the Brummbar)

1 SE Captain, and 2 SE Paras left...against disrupted and damaged Brummbar....turn 9. SE Paras move in for close assault, SE Captain moves behind so as not to get shot at. Brummbar rear defense is now 3 due to penalty. First close assault rolls 6 successes, double Brummbar defense, Brummbar destroyed. Two victorious Screamin Eagles with their indomitable Captain enjoy some some wine and the company of French cuties in the little village they have just liberated......

Questions, comments, critical analysis is welcome...

[Field Marshall Rommel]

Sounds like a great game. Got him by the short hairs early and kept him there. Looks like your oppnent would have been better served to have a couple of MG's and a Panzer IV Ausf. G rather than the Panther.

Do have to wonder..after the Brummbar blasted the town into pate, would any of the cuties still be hanging around? :p

[Kriegshund]

Sounds like a great game. Got him by the short hairs early and kept him there. Looks like your oppnent would have been better served to have a couple of MG's and a Panzer IV Ausf. G rather than the Panther.

Quite true, but he really didn't know what he was going to be up against. He had been burned by taking too many MGs in the past, and he was probably expecting at least some armor to deal with.

On my part the the MGs would have been problematic for sure, but I still would have had plenty of room to try to stay out of LOS, and in the end I think he would of had to bring them in....its just that the poor Axis guy has a dilemna..."Am I going to face 3 to 4 armored units or 10 friggen paratroopers?". Any build that is optimized for one is susceptiple to the other....

Do have to wonder..after the Brummbar blasted the town into pate, would any of the cuties still be hanging around? :p

The Screamin Eagles made sure they were safe and warm in their basement bunkers.....and kept the wine on ice.....

[Modern Major-General]

I think that, like probably everyone else, the Urban Combat map favors soldier-heavy builds. You said that you were able to keep your soldiers out of LOS of the Brummbar. On any other map, the Brummbar would have been able to fire on one or two Paratroopers each turn, yes?

Still, the build is strong. Did you buy a lot of boosters to get 9 Paratroopers or trade or buy singles?

[Kriegshund]

I think that, like probably everyone else, the Urban Combat map favors soldier-heavy builds. You said that you were able to keep your soldiers out of LOS of the Brummbar. On any other map, the Brummbar would have been able to fire on one or two Paratroopers each turn, yes?

I agree that the Urban Combat configuration was probably ideal for the paratroopers. On the other maps, it might be good to hold some of the paras back or not all right on the objective but some in the terrain closeby. There is room to play ring around the terrain. However against an MG or two plus the Sturmpanzer it would be hard work, and yes more Paras would be vulnerable.

Still, the build is strong. Did you buy a lot of boosters to get 9 Paratroopers or trade or buy singles?

Two full cases yeilded 8 Paratroopers, I traded for one more....

[PatrickWR]

Great report, Kriegshund. Your suspicions are correct: the best anti-infantry vehicle the Axis could muster almost took out all the Paratroopers, but not quite. A very even matchup.

[Lynx7725]

Nice to hear a report on the parabomb.

What I don't understand is why did he deploy so close to the town/ objective knowing that there are paras? In his place, I would have placed the infantry in the woods on Dog-1 and use the ranged firepower of the Brummbar and Panther to clear the town as we went.

[Joisey]

Great report, Kriegshund. Your suspicions are correct: the best anti-infantry vehicle the Axis could muster almost took out all the Paratroopers, but not quite. A very even matchup.
Now if he had had TWO Brummbars........:D

[Kriegshund]

Nice to hear a report on the parabomb.

What I don't understand is why did he deploy so close to the town/ objective knowing that there are paras? In his place, I would have placed the infantry in the woods on Dog-1 and use the ranged firepower of the Brummbar and Panther to clear the town as we went.

He deployed so close because had he won that first initiative he could have moved first denying the paratroopers nearly all of the town, including the objective. I would have had to drop the paratroopers in the only two town hexes that were legal at the back and behind in the open....it would have been a different fight as I would have to move in on him and he would have cover rolls to save his infantry.

I considered the Panther as rather harmless as it only rolls 7 dice against 5 defense, and failed to do more than disrupt my SE Paras (which is removed next movement phase), and one time it would have killed I rolled successful cover.

[Lynx7725]

He deployed so close because had he won that first initiative he could have moved first denying the paratroopers nearly all of the town, including the objective. I would have had to drop the paratroopers in the only two town hexes that were legal at the back and behind in the open....it would have been a different fight as I would have to move in on him and he would have cover rolls to save his infantry.

I considered the Panther as rather harmless as it only rolls 7 dice against 5 defense, and failed to do more than disrupt my SE Paras (which is removed next movement phase), and one time it would have killed I rolled successful cover.
Uhm, so he was betting on winning a even dice-roll? (HSF vs. SE Capt, evens out so it's straight dice roll.. or coin toss, much the same. :) )

Had I been in his position, I would have conceded the early objective hold to him (since early objective hold gives no points...). The thing about the Parabomb build, it encourages players to drop onto the objective first and hold. Since that is the mentality of a Parabomb player, why not play to it and just let him have the town? I know where he's going, I have a unit that ignores cover, he can't get to my unit that ignores cover, well... I'll just BLAST him out of the town later. :p

So, I would have set up further away but within range and LOS of my Brummbar. Doesn't matter whether I win the first turn or not, the Parabomb has a high chance of dropping on the objective -- so I let them. If he drops elsewhere, then I grab the objective and make him come to me.

Y'know, the thing about the Parabomb is not that its units are good -- they are by the way -- but that it's REALLY predictable where they would go. And if it's predictable, I can make life difficult for them. :D

As for the Panther, yeah, it's kind of useless. But I'm working with his list.. if I knew I'm going against Paras, I would have gone for two more Brummbars (for a total of 3) and more SS-PzGrs. Had it been a more average build, I probably would have gone for SS-Panzer IV, a second Brummbar, and more SS-PzGrs or MGs. Probably SS-PzGrs.

EDIT: Heck, had I wanted to be mean I'd field 4 sIG-33s, 2 HSFs and 5 SS-PzGrs, but that's too mean...

[Aries]

"Puts 2 SS-PGs into the town hex with my Humber. I take a defensive fire to try to stop one AND MISS!!. "

I do not believe a Humber, or any other vehicle other than ones with the Overlapping Fire SA, can perform defensive fire against infantry. Did you mean one of your paratroopers tried DF?

[Kriegshund]

I understand your point, but I think I would have done what he did. Leaving his infantry behind more or less makes them non-combatants. I would just do the ojective dance with the Brummbar for 7 turns, watching for his infantry to move into the open. I could have also used the Humber very very effectively by making forrays out of the town, taking pot shots and strike and fade back. At the very least I would have sacrificed the Humber to kill the HSF. Once he started moving his infantry into the open, I would have at the very least 2 assault phases to chew them up in the open.

I think I liked his decision best. Have a good chance to deny me the the cover and the objective completely, and if not, bring the fight to me right away doing maximum damage. On his first turn he had 2 SS-PGs in the town, eliminated my humber and killed 2 SE Paras, and forced some of my SE Paras to remain in LOS of the Brummbar where I lost another one. I'm pretty certain he wouldn't have achieved those results by hanging back, and then having to cross open hexes...

[Lynx7725]

I understand what you are saying and maybe that would have been better. It's just that personally, I would use my Artillery to blow gaping holes in his SE lines so that my SS-Panzergrenadiers can move in peacefully.

Hey, that's what arty is for. :P

As for the Humbar, for the lack of anything else better to do, I would have to use the Panther to hunt it down, no? A bit overkill but you work with what you have.

[Kriegshund]

"Puts 2 SS-PGs into the town hex with my Humber. I take a defensive fire to try to stop one AND MISS!!. "

I do not believe a Humber, or any other vehicle other than ones with the Overlapping Fire SA, can perform defensive fire against infantry. Did you mean one of your paratroopers tried DF?

Nope, we have had a house rule that allows scout cars and halftracks defensive fires. We thought that these types of vehicles having much greater field of view would be able to defend themselves. Also it was a rule that tried to make them more attractive to the Axis but may have backfired on us. Sorry, forgot to explain this....

[Kriegshund]

I understand what you are saying and maybe that would have been better. It's just that personally, I would use my Artillery to blow gaping holes in his SE lines so that my SS-Panzergrenadiers can move in peacefully.

Hey, that's what arty is for. :P

As for the Humbar, for the lack of anything else better to do, I would have to use the Panther to hunt it down, no? A bit overkill but you work with what you have.

I understand completely what you are saying too. However, without forcing a fight with his infantry, more or less there were no SE lines to blow holes into, as turns 3 thru 7 are an example of. I never allowed him LOS with his Brummbar. The Humber has strike and fade....and could have stuck and faded back into town before taking fire..

[DocD]

Nice after action report. Close game....wonder how it could have gone if you hadn't got so many initiatives.

[Kriegshund]

Nice after action report. Close game....wonder how it could have gone if you hadn't got so many initiatives.


The first one was pretty important. After his HSF died, I had +3, and didn't lose any. I am unsure if after his infantry was gone what difference it would have made. I didn't have to set up to fire, just avoid being fired at. I achieved that by going first, and using my assault phase to move out of LOS. I think the same thing can be accomplished by moving second, but I felt going first gave me more initiative in this case. To be honest, I am not sure what he would have chosen to do if he won initiative....