Combined arms - Normandy! Log entry 4

 Battle for the Communications Bunker

 German infantry escorted by Kriegsmarine support outflanked the defenders and attacked from the north! 

The game we rolled for was secure the point, so my friend Nick setup the board with the bunker in the centre. The US had to setup one infantry unit and one other unit at the start of the game, everything else started off the board. The US also outflanked an M3 halftrack with an engineer squad inside.

This game I broke with tradition and brought a mechanised Sturm Pioneer platoon all mounted in SDKFZ 251/1 as well as an SDKFZ 251/16 Flammenwerfer. I got a free artillery observer because of the ship adjacent to the battlefield.

The first move was to send the Sturmpioneers forward to burn out the defenders, killing 3 and putting 3 pins on them, they passed their morale test.

Turn 2 the SDKFZ251/16 rolled up and finished off the GI's on the bunker roof as US reinforcements tried to rush foward.

Another SDKFZ251/1 rolled up and deposited 2 5 man LMG squads and an officer onto the bunker, one of the squads destroyed the Mortar as it rallied from the Luftwaffe air raid that came in turn 3.

The Sherman had move to counter a push by a Heer squad in the fields, successfully pinning them down, but the Goliath team was having none of it and sent their little bomb forward.

Detonating but failing to pen, it caused 6 pins! Which the Sherman then rallied turn 4.

Whilst the Sherman and the Heer squad rallied turn 4, turn 5 the Grenadiers got the first dice draw moved forward and slammed 3 Panzerfaust into the Sherman blowing the turret it sky high.

The GI's copped a blast of flame from the SDKFZ251/16 then charged the halftrack destroying it in combat.

The M3 half track arrived turn 3, by turn 5 it had fubar'd and ran away from the battle before the engineers inside and then it itself succumbing to morale as they both racked up 9 pins and quit the field.

The Aggressive Grenadiers then charged the Heavy AT Gun after it killed the Goliath operators, handily winning combat.

Turn 5 and 6 they ran towards the centre and wiped out the FAO team on close combat securing the objective for the end of the game.

The US was able to retreat unharmed from the battle, in the subsequent campaign turn the aircraft bombed the Heer infantry destroying it and recaptured the comms bunker. We then drew victory cards, scoring 1 for Allies and 5 for Germany, this also allowed the allies to bring in 4 new units and the Germans 1. 

Mighty Empires - Gronbef-Afor - Orcish realm - Log entry 2

 

The Empires expand!

This session the Chaos Dwarves starved the defenders of Altenburg into another desperate sally to drive off the besiegers, the Orcs expanded their empire to the river discovering several Orc hill forts/towers making their river line extremely well defended.

Chaos Dwarves pushed up to the damaged settlement, whilst the General tried in vain to move the Bullcentaurs and artillery forward.

The Empire began their push across the river with their many Handgunners and Crossbows in support. Leading the charge was the Steam tank that I foolishly charged with my Bullcentaurs losing 4 rounds of combat before a lucky turn lead to its demise.

Once the Steam tank was destroyed the big block of ranged infantry moved forward and unloaded into the Bullcentaurs, the Hobgoblin wolf riders failed their charge this turn.

Finally with all the Handgunners in initiative range the Chaos Dwarves, Bullcentaurs and Hobgoblin wolf riders carved apart the Empire ranged infantry as the Halberdiers tried to rush forward and get a flank charge but failed their final move and were stuck watching the slaughter.

The campaign turn ended with expanded empires and much bigger tax revenues this turn, with the empires almost in contact I expect to see a larger incursion of Orcs across the river.

Mighty Empires - Gronbef-Afor - Orcish realm - Log entry 1

 Deep in the Gron mountains lay the ruins of the GronAfor Dwarfs, in 1629IC the Orcs of the Waaagh Gorwaz overran the Karak and slaughtered all the defenders as Warboss Gorwaz-bag fell from a Warhammer to the skull. Shortly after the sundering of the Karak Gron the Orc Waaagh! broke down into several Clans as no Warboss was able to rise up and take control of the throng.

  Ingrim-Ruk Chaos deamonsmith of the Chaos Dwarfs, descends upon the Orcish realm of Gronbef-Afor. In a bloody ritual where hundreds of Golin slaves were sacrificed to Hashut, the Tower of Dun-Gabab was raised from the scorched earth, with months of work the minor forges and mills of their dark industry began to churn out weapons and minted coin.

The Campaign began with Orkish expansion south west, subgegating the Yellow Snake goblin tribes before turning east and massacring a remant village of Dwarves. 

The Chaos Dwarves Expanded south and east, looking to secure the rivers as a frontline against the incursion of Orcs. The Human city of Altenberg refused to submit to the Chaos Dwarves, the Chaos dwarves then marched to besiege the city - but the Men of Altenberg Sallied out!

I had basically forgotten how to play warmaster - and my opponent who was playing as the orks was playing for the first time so it was a good start!

I marched the Chaos Dwarves forward with no real plan and was met with a hail of handgun and Cannon shot, the intense shooting destroyed a stand of Blunderbuss and drove a unit of chaos dwarves from the field also destroying the Hero on Bullcentaur.

The following turns were a series of advances and retreats and the Blunderbusses tried to break up the Empire knights, the Bullcentaurs then turn the flank around the forest and charged into the Knights destroying 2 of the 3 bases.

The Empire flagellants and a unit of Halbadiers charged, bouncing off of the shaken Chaos dwarfs the combined Chaos Dwarves and Hobgoblins then ground the two units down winning the combat then withdrawing.

The Final act of the game was a big charge by the Chaos Dwarves, smashing into the big block of Halbadiers and Handgunners, in two rounds of combat the empire lose 2 units and the Chaos dwarves lost 2 stands. Ultimately the game was a tie, with the Chaos Dwarves losing the most points. I suspect the Empire will now withdraw into their city and continue the siege but lets see!

Combined arms - Normandy! Log entry 3

 

Following the successful allied landings near Rouen and an unsuccessful strike towards paris the reeling armoured formations moving away from Paris turned the flank of the Coastal defences and forced the defenders to withdraw lest they be cut off. GI's in the Vanguard of the US Army then pushed the Heer outposts, during the fighting a Storch light aircraft crash lands in no mans land carring important orders and intelligence to retake the Atlantic wall defences.

Today's scenario is Top secret! Documents in the middle of the map must be secured and run off of the Map to secure victory. The Germans in this scenario are outnumbered 2:1.

The USA brought an army of infiltrator veterans and dominated the table from setup, the Heer made up mostly of Penal Battalion troops were quickly shot down and pinned by the Veteran GI's.

With allied trucks on the objective end of turn 1 and half the already ounumbered Germans down off of the board, I called the game for an Easy US victory!

What happened next completely shifted the Game, the Germans fell back but maintained contact with the defenses objective, the allies moved their tanks in to chase the retreating Heer. The German infantry and Kriegsmarine support outflanking from the sea shifted the focus of the battle north, the allied armoured tried to disengage but was destroyed in an ambush (when campaign tokens try to move in a hex adjacent to an enemy the enemy can roll to destroy the enemy token for free).

The Allies then tried to bomb the Kriegsmarine squadron but was quickly driven off by the luftwaffe before the German bombers tried to destroy the advancing allied infantry, but failed to stop them. The Heer then launch an assault on the communications centre. This battle will be resolved in Log entry 4.

Combined arms - Normandy! Log entry 2

 Destination Paris!

The Allied armour pushes towards Paris, due to bad weather and effective Luftwaffe patrols the allies need to secure information on the defences of the city before proceeding further. OSS operatives located an SS Panzer commander who can tell them the in and out details of the defences so the allies despatched a taskforce to capture him.

Scenario rolled for was Manhunt! So the Germans began the game deployed in the middle of the board.

The first wave of GI's arrive and are met by a hail of LMG fire from the SS.

Turn 2 the Luftwaffe Support arrives and drops a large bomb on the Lt. Gaylord killing him, his batman and 3 GI's from an adjacent squad.

The SS then move up and using their Panzerfausts knock out the Stuart from point blank range, the LMG's then poured fire in the Veteran GI's pushing up from the south.

The Half track then comes on and is immediately assaulted by the Regular GI squad hiding in the wheat field, what they didn't count on was the 5 kitted out Veteran SS inside wiping them out to a man.

The Bazooka Runs on, only to be chased down by the Recon Bike and killed with MMG fire.

The Panzer II Luch's then moves onto the board and combined with the Flamethrower attack from the Sturmpioneer breaks the 2nd squad of Veteran GI's.

The US observer calls in his airstrike and hits the SS Veterans with a small bomb, they went down so only lost 2 men but took 4 pins.

The Veteran GI's ran forward with the Aircraft suppressing the SS only to be outflanked by the second squad of SS coming on from their half track.

After 2 turns of shooting the GI's are finally brought down to 1 man - but pass their break test!

The SS charge the solo GI and capture him.

The Allied armour is forced to retreat from Paris and the Axis armour pursued.