Germany vs. Soviets: Testing some Formations

[Lotus]

Off sick today(and last 1.5 days) but feeling better so I decided to use the time trying out some formations.

Axis:
German Line Airborne Platoon
German Panzer Grenadier Platoon
Panther Ausf. D

Allies:
Soviet Partisans Platoon
Soviet Antitank Platoon
KV-1
2 x BA-10M
1 x Soviet Grenadier

Maps joined 7-6

Axis deploys on 7
Infantry in middle preparing to move into optimal position
Vehicles on back line (NE corner)

Soviets decide not to utilize optional deployment rule
AT guns positioned 1 to each of the hedge sections with best field of fire
Sniper and PTRD positioned in the town hex (middle of map 6)
Vehicles on back line in middle

Friendly comments/suggestions welcome.

I'll try and update as things progress, depending on how I feel.

[Richter von Manthofen]

Get well soon!

[Colonel_Coo]

I don't like the Panther in this build.

You'd be better off with the SS tank with Battlefield Awareness. Similar points, but with initive control, you shoul be able to move to lock down the enemy tanks with the SS tank. (I assume Expanded rules)

During combat, scoot the SS tank away and whack him with the PG's.

I think the Panthers are pretty solid, but do not mix well with a tank-hunting infantry platoon.

[Remember-OWS-]

PTRD is really limited, shooting down the SdKfz's...
I really dislike that unit, not to mention all the weak anit-tank from the Japanese (even if it was a reality).

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by Richter von Manthofen

Get well soon!

Thanks man. Getting there. Head still rings a bit like a bell.

Col. Coo: Believe it or not I considered the SS PZIV. The problem was the lower non-superior armor & slower mobility. It's still a good tank to put in. Just wanted something beefier against the KV-1.

Here's a pic of the map:


Turn 1:
Soviets won initiative first turn…Germany moves first.
Both sides take best ground they can. No shots fired.
Turn 1 ends with small German force including Bazooka flanking south, MG in middle trying to get best field of fire while staying away from the sniper, and the armor flanking to the north.
KV-1 and BM-10M flank north to link w/ partisans, 1 Ba-10M flanks south, readying to harass advancing small German force and possibly the German middle.

[Lotus]

Note: With a couple of exceptions, I more or less kept the formations starting out together, rather than mixing them after the purchase. Opted not to stick the Cossack Capt. on the KV-1 for this reason. Later...we'll see. I think he's better suited elsewhere for the time being, although I forgot to move him this turn so it was almost moot.

Anyhow...Turn 2:

Germans win init. Choose to go first in order to move certain units across killing ground to out of LOS. MG fires on attack round trying to tag "wayward" Cossack Capt missing both times. Panther attempted to get into forest and failed. Halftracks, having dumped their loads last turn, move up to airborne and bazooka for future p/u.

Ba-10Ms move into excellent position (also one sitting on objective in middle of map--not shown on map). Partisans move up. Cossack ducks back out of LOS where he should have been in the first place. On attack round, a BA-10M squeezes off a shot at the PAK-38 and misses. KV-1 sits tight.

Still no casualties.

[Lotus]

Turn 3:

Germans win initiative again and choose to have the Soviets go first.

BA-10Ms abandon objective area to avoid the PAK-38, allowing the partisans to get close and attack it.

Panther shifts back to get a mid-range shot at the KV-1. Halftracks move troops in range to fire on partisans. Stormtrooper and Fallschirmjaeger advance on southern flank. Panzerschrek on kfz250 pulled out of LOS in back middle seeking better position.

KV-1 scores 7 hits out of 11 on Panther who’s out of cover, disrupting it. Partisans disrupt Pak38.

Panther rolls only 4 successes out of 13…bad. PAK38 shifts back to cover of town. Hampsterfury on halftrack shifts adjacent to remove disrupt next turn. Panzerschrek on halftrack moves within striking range of KV-1. Airborne linemen advance along south. MG moves off from hill.

[Lotus]

Turn 4:

Germans win init once again and choose to have the Soviets go first.

BA-10Ms reclaim objective and position. Partisans shift to offer def fire should the Panzerschrek attempt to close on the KV-1. KV-1, in LOS of PAK 38, decides to risk staying in order to get another shot at the Panther.

Hampsterfury removes disrupt on PAK 38 and moved to cover. Panzerschrek moves in w/I 2 hexes of KV-1 and dismounts adjacent to forest. Panzergrenadiers move into forest hex w/ disrupted partisan. Germans generally move up.

KV-1 lobs 5 out of 11, another disrupt on the Panther. Partisans kill the Panzerschreck. BA-10M blows away the SDK250 that transported the Panzerschreck.

Panther throws another brick. Panzerschreck (not having a worthwhile shot at the KV-1) damages the BA-10M that killed his ride. After much bland to bad rolling, 2 partisans leave the game for good. The PAK 38 missed.

[mid-game dice change]

[Lotus]

Turn 5:

Germans win initiative and goes first.

Fallschirmjaeger unit to south moves into damaged BA-10M’s hex. Stormtrooper unit to south moves adjacent to sniper. 2 Panzergrenadier in the north moves into partisan’s hex and draws defensive fire, which fails. Halftrack with remaining airborne moves next to forest hex just out of LOS of KV-1 and drops off airborne.

Sniper shifts back. SMG makes his roll and moves out of hedge within 2 hexes this new action but out of LOS. Soviet Grenadier moves adjacent to KV-1 to offer support.

MG42 missed twice on partisan. To the south and middle, Stormtrooper moves into healthy BA-10M’s hex. Fallschirmjaeger moves into damaged BA-10M’s hex. PAK 38 misses on KV-1. To the north, Panther misses disrupting KV-1 by a single dice. Fallschirmjaeger moves adjacent to KV-1 through forest. Panzergrenadiers move into KV-1’s hex. Defensive fire by the partisan fails.

KV-1 scores 8 hits out of 11…Panther is damaged. Soviet Panzergrenadier hits German Panzergrenadier hard. Cover saves the German’s A$$, making him disrupted. Damaged Ba-10M fired on MG-42 and missed. Healthy BA-10M fired on Stormtrooper and missed. Sniper, Cossack Captain, and SMG move up into forest 2 hexes away from Stormtrooper.

Yep…I know. I let the KV-1 fall into close assault potential, but I think it can take it. There’s enough AI to handle the situation…should be. I wanted to catch the Panther while it was down.

OK, now lunch.

[Lotus]

Turn 6:

Soviets win initiative. Germans go first.

Germans move up MG in LOS of advancing Cossack crew. Hampsterfury halftrack shifts south out of LOS.

KV-1 moves out successfully from threatened hex and relocates adjacent Cossack crew.

To the north, fallschirmjaeger disrupts the Soviet Panzergrenadier. Halftrack kills the last true partisan. In the center, MG42 disrupts Soviet SMG, Stormtrooper damages the healthy BA-10M (shoulda killed him), Fallschirmjaeger paints an “X” over each eye of the damaged BA-10M. It will fight no more.

Soviet Panzergrenadier and Partisan kill the disrupted Panzergrenadier (they hi-5 from either side of the forest hex). One BA-10M misses and the other hits the MG, which becomes disrupted. KV-1 misses the Stormtrooper. Sniper misses Stormtrooper, as does Cossack Capt and smg who decides to stay in cover (no surprise there).