FOW Tournament Report - Game Depot Late War 1780

On March 16th Game Depot held the next Flames of War tournament in the on-going 2013 tournament season that kicked off with Shifting Sands 13.

The event was a three round, 1780 late point affair. 

This post is the AAR for Battle 1

The AAR for Battle 2 against Reluctant Trained Panthers is here

The AAR for Battle 3 versus Grey Wolf German Pioneers here

With much hesitation I brought US Tank Destroyers, the current boogie men on the Flames of War Forum. There is much debate as to whether these guys are too over-powered or not, especially when being lead by Patton.

There is a certain damned if you do, Damned if you don't aspect to bringing this list. Playing the Tank Destroyers and winning will be held up by certain factions as proof they are broken. IF I play them and lose the same group will say, you played them wrong.

Ultimately I decided to take them despite my misgivings as I simply like my M-18 Hellcat models, and my Patton model. This gives me the chance to play with them. If my results can help Battlefront improve the game then even better.

My Tank Destroyer List was as follows

6 Platoons, Patton and an AOP.

Round 1: No Retreat versus Art M and his Romanian StuG List. We played on the ugliest table I think I've every played on.  

 Patton let me Auto Attack and Art took the city with plenty of concealing wall to defend.

His StuG Horde of 8 platoons meant he was starting with 3 Romanian StuG Platoons and kept an allied German StuG Platoon in Ambush.

Art Rolled his morale/Skill and all his starting Platoons were Vet, the Company Commander though was Trained.

I stacked up to go after the closest objective.

I'm still working on the best way to run the Recon and I still managed to not use my Tank Destroyer Recon platoons to their best.

I recon-ed forward and then popped my ambush. I couldn't dilly around and let Art's three other StuG Platoons on the table.

I managed to pop or drive all but 3 of my 3" guns into short range.

Fire wasn't as productive as I had hoped but Art probably wouldn't agree with me. I killed 4 StuGs, completely annihilating the short 2iC platoon.  The StuG's over watching the Objective lost 2 but made their moral to stay in the game. My Shermans, who at this point in the game is tasked with smoking the survivors missed all their smoke shots!

Romanians: 

No Reserves arrive this turn to assist the Romanians. Art popped his ambush, the German StuGs driving into the position of the smoking Romanian wrecks. 

He also thickens his line, bringing his far Platoon over to lend fire.

I took a hard hit on the Tank Destroyers. Losing 2 Hellcats and sacrificing the 2iC to save another. One Hellcat and one Shermans were also bailed. Patton motivated the Hellcat Platoon to stay in the game! Hello Fearless!

Turn 2: 

I'm sensing blood in the water and go all out. The AT Guns and Hellcats are in a good position to punished the defenders, while the Shermans do what they do best and drive into the thick of the Romanian defenses.

Firing is somewhat successful. My AT guns whiff there attack. The Hellcats pummel the German StuGs with3 hits but Art manages a trio of Sixes for is Armor Save bailing only 1. The Shermans are a little more successful  killing the Romanian CO. To Add insult in injury a Greyhound kills a StuG as well.

The Germans again fail to get any reserves. However all the bailed German StuGs manage to get their tanks going again.

German Fire takes it's toll, I lose two Shermans and another Hellcat. Patton again keeps the Hellcat platoon in the game with their Fearless morale.



Turn 3: Without a Romanian C/O I need to knock them out this turn.

Tank Destroyer Recon jeeps park on the far objective.

The Shermans continue their rampage, running behind the StuG's with Stabilized guns blazing.
the Hellcats and Towed guns add their Fire. Art loses all but 1 German StuG. At the start of Turn 3 the Romanians fail company morale and the game is over 6-1 to the Tank Destroyers. No Romanian Reserves made it onto the table.

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Conclusion:

 In retrospect I should have deployed one of my Tank Destroyer recon platoons as a vanguard on my attack. they could have drawn fire or pushed back the ambushing StuGs further  I also flubbed my pre-game recon move. I could have had the 2iC peeking around the corner and trying to lift GTG on one of the Romanian Platoons. I still really need to fine tune this aspect of my game play.

My Losses:

2iC M-20

3 Hellcats

2 Shermans

Patton's Effect: 

He gives me Auto Attack which is great. Though I probably could have effectively defended in this mission as well.

He let me spearhead my Shermans.

He did save me a VP when I rolled a three for Morale on a Hellcat platoon.

Continue on to the Round 2 AAR here... a to the death Grudge match versus Reluctant Panthers versus my own son!