Combined arms - Battle over the Crimea Campaign Turn 8 and 9

  The Battle for Crimea continues with a Soviet victory at Frontove, pushing the Heer into the sea and destroying them, the now Hardened soviet infantry boarded transports and quickly crossed the Sea of Azov to sure up the failing defences at Mariupol.

VP scores
Germany: 5
Soviets: 3

The Both sides reinforced turn 8 and the soviets reinforced turn 9 leading to a massively reinforced Soviet army, the Luftwaffe launched air raids against the reinforced Tank unit, the Red airforce intercepted them leading to the following air battle.

 We rolled escort mission, so the Germans had to bring in their Stukas to try and strike the Soviet tank column. Turn 1 started with all the soviets disadvantaged through a combination of unlucky rolls and the Obsolete formations card Germany played.

German Veterans came straight at the mixed soviet pilots, the soviet Heavy flak presence card did the heavy lifting this game knocking down 2 JU87's.

Turn 3 the Soviets and Germans end up in a hairball at the table centre, a Soviet plane gets a good tailing position but fails to climb after the German player used his Great climb card.

Start of turn 4 the German high cover begins coming in, the two soviet planes in the cloud burn advantage and attack the JU87's downing 1 whilst the Heavy Flak Prescence card downed another breaking the Bomber formation and winning the game for the soviets.

Soviet High cover comes in from the flank and attempts to shoot down JU87's but no hits.

The JU87's by the end of the turn had accrued 4 boom chits on 3 planes and had to disengage, winning the game for the soviets.

Following the air raid the Panzers assaulted once again into the Factories of Mariupol hoping to storm the defences of the now Veteran red army Infantry.

Soviet plans were lost when a German fighter supporting the assault outside the strafed and killed a courier transporting the documents across the city, the two forces now rush to secure the documents.

This game we played the scenario 5: Top secret - a document has to be seized from the centre of the map by an infantry unit and evacuated off of the board. 

The Germans got a free forward air observer this game from a card played during the campaign.

Turn 1 Saw the Soviets and Germans pour into the centre, the German infantry were largely mounted on bicycles allowing the vets to quickly occupy the centre - Curiously they didn't pickup the objective.

Turn 2 Saw the Soviets pour shots into the Heer veterans in the centre with the KV plastering them MMG fire and using its cannon destroyed a Panzer 1.

The Airstike came in and the vets went down putting 2 pins on them.

Turn 3 the German Artillery barrage came down and wiped out the conscripts and put 3 more pins on the vets! The KV-1 tank shocked the German veterans in the centre and crashed into the church killing the forward air observer.

Turn 4 the KV-1 Turned on the Waffen SS veterans with twin LMG's and shot them the pieces, under fire from an LMG squad, and MMG and the KV-1 the veterans broke and ran!

Turn 4 the Germans moved forward to engage the KV-1 and Soviet infantry who had not ran off with the secret document.

The Soviet Veterans tried to charge the Heer infantry in point blank range but failed their charge twice losing a man to the Commissars wrath!

Turn 5 the Veterans finally stood up and charged the Heer infantry wiping them out 6 to 3 - their tough fighter came in clutch

The KV-1 turned around and plastered the SS veterans with MMG, the flamethrower then moved up and tried to burn them out but missed whilst the Heer LT moved in and after a broadside of SMG fire ended the Flamethrowers career.

The Game ended with the LMG team running off of the board with the Objective - the secret soviet plans were safe!

The board at the end of Turn 9 - The Panzer unit was destroyed in the city, the Soviet plans of a deadly ambush remained hidden and the Navies faced off near the Kerch strait!

Combined arms - Battle over the Crimea Campaign Turn 7 - Fighting over Frontove

  Following the Sea battle off of the coast of Sevastopol soviet troops moved east to secure the fortifications at the Kerch strait, row upon row of bunkers and redoubts supported by mines and wire protected the heavy naval artillery controlling the strait.

Current campaign scores:

Germany: 4VP's

USSR: 2VP's

Turn 7 the Luftwaffe attacked with a Vengeance, destroying a freshly raised Infantry unit near the factory, Panzers ran up the northern road towards the factory whilst Kriegsmarine ships, exploiting the success of their victory pushed up to support the Landsers counter attacking the soviet infantry moving to assault the Fortifications. 

 Coming out of their Dugouts and bunkers the Landsers launched a spoiling attack before the now bloodied and Veteran Russians could mount an organised assault, the two armies met at the Village of Frontove, open fields dominated the landscape with most of the cover being in and around the village proper. The scenario for this battle was Meeting engagement, neither side begins deployed but instead moves onto the board as a first wave or reserve in subsequent turns. The battle will be decided on kill points.

Turn 1

Russian and German Forces poured onto the board, most units missed their hits except the Panzer III putting a pin on the T28c.

Turn 2 the German Call in an barrage from their supporting fleet. Very little effective shooting or movement occured turn 2 as both armies and players sized each other up.

Turn 3 

The IL-2 come in and hammered the Germans crossing the field wiping out a rifle squad.

The SS squad unleashed on the Russian infantry occupying the ruin in the table centre but failed to do anything other than adding a pin.

The T-28c Rallied, the Mortar team was lost to LMG fire whilst the Russian LMG squad prepared for the inevitable SS outflank charge.

Turn 2 and 3 saw really ineffective AT Rifle, Light howitzer and Light AT gun fire against the Panzer III

Turn 4

The conscripts charged the SS squad after they retreated away from them and fired on the LMG squad in the ruin, the Conscripts wiped out the SS squad and then went to ground in the wheat field for the rest of the game.

The German MMG team fubar'd and ran off of the table.

The light howitzer Fubar'd next, shooting and destroying the Panzer III.

The soviet veterans Fubar'd in turn and made a run move to their table edge!

The SS charged the LMG squad in Ambush, losing 3 members to the closing shots, after 3 turns of close combat the LMG squad defeated the SS losing 5 Riflemen.

Turn 5/6

The LMG's and light Howitzer from the T-28c Saw off the German Light howitzer, turn 6 the T-28c failed their order test and ran off of the board as the remainder of the German platoon hid behind the Hill.

Losing 9 to 3 the German infantry unit could not retreat to another land hex and was destroyed - the Fortifications belonged to Russia - Next turn the Germans were to play a card giving them the fortifications - Oh well.

Combined arms - Battle over the Crimea Campaign Turn 6 PART:2

 After losing control of the Crimea Peninsula in an engagement sinking most of the German fleet OKW ordered the Kriegsmarine to rapidly reinforce the region and regain control of the Sea, restrict Soviet shipping and block reinforcements landing. 

M41 Minesweeper

The Security detachment and Sboat Flotilla along with their barracks, stores and a large fuel convoy arrived at Sevastapol in mid Febuary. The Flotilla spent the first week mining and sweeping the approaches to Sevastapol before sallying out to engage and destroy the Soviet squadrons covering the water side flank of the Infantry defending the Communications Network. As the Soviet Infantry force attacked the Heer infantry the Kriegsmarine charged the Soviet Fleet supporting the land assault.

Using the random scenario chart from Close quarters we randomised the Start location, the terrain, the weather and scenario rules. This scenario was simple, kill the enemy and preserve your own force.

Turn 1

Turn 1 saw the fleets close directly with each other, the soviets moved off their minesweeper towards the island.

Turn 2

The MTB's closed and raked each other with 37mm, 20mm, 12.7mm and Small arms fire putting down an E boat.

Turn 3

The Fugas moved into a good firing position before unleashing on an R-boat, the Escorting Bronekater then deployed smoke the screen the Minesweeper.

The Germans began pushing forwards through the melee strafing the G3 torpedo boats as they went

Top of turn 3

The veteran Bronekaters both got hit with Rudder steering results and a G3 was lost to an S38b.

The tough R-boats close with Bronekaters

Turn 4 and 5

The M41 Minesweeper and Rboat closed and finished off the Bronekaters before the Remaining Bronekater and Fugas Minesweeper ended the M41 Minesweepers career. At the end of the game, the Russians sunk all but one  ship which only had 26 of it's original 90 hull points, the Kriegsmarine sunk 3 Bronekaters and 2 G3's with a 3rd Running off of the board by accident and counting as a loss. The German player won 11 to 9, it's a little perplexing to me how the VP's are organised considering a G3 is worth the same as a S38 despite the S83 have almost 4 times as many hull points and a R boat is worth the same as a Bronekater, despite having 3 times as many hull points.

Combined arms - Battle over the Crimea Campaign Turn 6 PART:1

 

Turn 5 saw both armies escalating, meaning for each VP the opposing player gets you can add a unit to your original roster of 6 starting units. Turn 6 the Pazerwaffe counterattacked the Soviet armoured unit that has been desperately trying to root out and destroy the Heer infantry from the Airfield, the combined German Infantry and Panzers overwhelmed the Soviets and destroyed the armoured unit (above).

Battle then shifted south, the Heer infantry moved to attack the Communications complex but a spoiling attack by the Red Army with Naval support lead us to a BA battle, we rolled scenario 3: Key Positions, rolling a d6+2 we had 5 objectives for this battle, (1) the Communications complex, (2) Power plant that supports the complex, a (3) fuel depot, an (4) ammo dump and a (5) Farm.

 

I used to have a Radar dish terrain piece which I planned to use as the communication centre but the top half went missing so Instead I decided to build a Comms Bunker.

Turn 1: Battle begins!

German Vehicles pushed the Soviet left to counter the MMG and AT Rifle team.

The Soviets Pushed straight up the Centre with 3 Rifle sqauds. the Comissar, LT, Medic Flame thrower and LMG squad.

Germans moved on the right and occupied the farm.

Turn 2

The T-26 came on from reserve and put a perfectly aimed AT shot into the side of the Panzer III.

Forward Comrades!

The soviet Infantry Poured forward in attack, The Blue marker near the objective was an artillery strike called in by the free observer from the nearby fleet, this caused the Germans to flee from the target area as best they could.

Turn 3

The artillery barrage arrives! The Heer suffer many pins but the SS Squad gets annihilated by a direct hit.

Soviet Rifleman charge the Officer and his assistant, killing both.

Another Rifle squad pour forward and takes out the Medic and his assisstant.

The Heer infantry on the Soviet left make an unsupported advance towards the MMG losing a man in the process.

Turn 4

A huge Melee ensues on the Soviet left flank, German Infantry counter charge the rifleman wiping them out, before themselves being charged and wiped out by another rifle squad which then occupied the ammo dump objective.

T-26 Pinned down by the AT Rifle team.

Turn 5

Soviet infantry pouring across the board.

Heer counter attacks the Ammo dump and wipes out the Soviet Riflemen.

The Soviet Veterans join the fray pushing towards the ammo dump, soviet LMG moves up the right flank towards the hills, whilst the T-26 chills on the fence.

Turn 6:

The Heer unload into the Veterans Killing 2, before the Medium howitzer fires and misses and the MMG fires and kills another 2 men.

The Soviets fail their charge order and go down.

The Soviets break and run from the flamethrower team.

The T-26 Plinks away at the SDKFZ222

Turn 7

Soviet Veterans make that final charge and wipe out the Heer infantry at the ammo dump.

Rolling to destroy I roll a 2, using a card that allows me to reroll I get a 5 on a second try and destroy the German infantry unit controlling the comms bunker.

After losing control of the Crimea Peninsula in an engagement sinking most of the German fleet OKW ordered the Kriegsmarine to rapidly reinforce the region and regain control of the Sea, restrict Soviet shipping and block reinforcements landing. 

M35 Minesweeper

The Security detachment and Sboat Flotilla along with their barracks, stores and a large fuel convoy arrived at Sevastapol in mid Febuary. The Flotilla spent the first week mining and sweeping the approaches to Sevastapol before sallying out to engage and destroy the Soviet squadrons covering the water side flank of the Infantry defending the Communications Network. As the Soviet Infantry force attacked the Heer infantry the Kriegsmarine charged the Soviet Fleet supporting the land assault.

Cruel Seas next game!