Vietnam: Contact! Contact!

Got another chance to face Mick and his PAVN forces after our game at Christmas. This time it was a Thursday night at BF HQ, and the scenario was Contact! Contact!

I also changed my list to remove the M113s, and add in off table artillery:

Fearless    Veteran	Rifle Company (Aus)	ANZAC Vietnam
Infantry Company

Platoon	Qty	Unit	Points
Headquarters
Rifle Company HQ (Aus)  p.65	2 1	Cmd M16 Rifle team Medic team	65
Combat Platoons
Rifle Platoon (Aus)  p.65	1 6	Cmd SLR team SLR team	260
Rifle Platoon (Aus)  p.65	1 6	Cmd SLR team SLR team	260
Weapons Platoons
Anti-tank Platoon (Aus)  p.66	1 6	Cmd M16 Rifle team M67 90mm recoilless gun	285
Support Platoon
Assault Helicopter Platoon  Confident  Trained Allied Platoon  p.51	3	UH-1D Slick	80
Aeroweapons Platoon (25th)  Fearless  Trained Allied Platoon  p.19	2	UH-1B Hog	160
Field Artillery Battery  Confident  Trained Allied Platoon  p.49	1 1 3	Cmd M16 Rifle team Staff team M114A1 155mm howitzer	140
Company Points:			1250

www.EasyArmy.com

Source document: Tour of Duty Book

At some point I would like to find a way to do the list with 2 patrols of M113s instead of the Helicopters.

Mick working out how many shots he would get from his Ambuscade

This was also an opportunity to use the new Paddy Fields and Vietnamese Huts I received for Christmas.

Alex's trip to Corrivalry - game five and conclusions

The last game of the weekend for me was Encounter against Matt Haywood, who was also running Kampgruppe Pieper. Matt's list was very different to Laurence's.

 

He had only two platoons: 1iC King Tiger, 2iC King Tiger, Pieper in his Panther, Limited Sturmvogels, 2 Skozeny Commando teams and a platoon of Panzer IVs. The Panzer IVs were in reserve.

 

Initial deployment. As I had the first turn, I dug in my artillery and advanced my infantry up the flanks. As it was a meeting engagement, I could not bombard.

Turn two, I destroy the platoon King Tiger with artillery. At the start of his turn three Matt takes and fails a company morale test. 6-1 to me.

As we were barely 10 minutes into the round, we noted our result, and kept playing on. Matt's planes come in to harass the infantry heading for that objective.

The other infantry move up the other flank towards Pieper

105mm artillery arrives from reserve

The 155mm guns are pinned for the rest of the game

The infantry move up and takes the objective, but we keep going

The other infantry moves up and uses its flamethrower on Pieper

Whilst the 90mm guns try and open up on him too

Panzer IVs arrive from reserve..

...And take out the infantry on the objective

Stuarts and Cannons arrive from reserve

The infantry assault Pieper

Killing him, and we eventually call the game here.

This was unlucky for Matt, but part of the risk he takes with his version of the list. Only putting one tank on the right hand objective, but three on the left, and if it were me, I would have had the Panzer IVs on the table, as they would have been harder for me to kill, and probably caused me more problems.

So 2 big wins (both against KG Pieper it turns out), 2 minor losses and a blowout at the hands of the Canadians leaves me at the end of the weekend exactly where I was after day one, 38th out of 84, which I am very happy with.

Road to Rome should be out in March, and I am hoping the cost of the support platoons will come down to match the other Late War books. This could go some way to getting a third infantry platoon into the list, which I think I need if I am to attack with it properly.

Alex's trip to Corrivalry - game four

Day Two. I would be playing John Hopwood and his Canadian Rifle Company in Hasty Attack. John is one of the best players in the country, and the only member of the Lancashire Hotpots I had not played in 5 years of Flames of War tournaments. Knowing one of John's lists included Breaching Groups (which would make him Auto Attack), I decided to try and defend, taking my 'B' list again. That was a mistake, as he also took his 'B' list, and ended up defending. A strategic bombardment could have really helped pin John's forces down.

 

John had 2 platoons of infantry, 6pdrs, Mattress launchers, M10 Achilles and several patrols of Universal Carriers.

 

We pick up the action after John has destroyed both my infantry platoons (who doubled) and Typhoons have taken out the Stuarts.

Things are not looking good for the Americans.

We get some reinforcements in the form of 90mm AA, hoping to protect the artillery from further excursions by the RAF

My best hope of getting some victory points and making a play for the objective was taking out the Mattress Launchers. Despite being ranged in on the platoon with both lots of artillery for the entire game, I only managed to kill one. 2+ firepower tests failed me in this game.

The Cannon platoon arrives, hoping to take out some Mattress Launchers

The Mattress Launchers take out a 155mm gun and a 90mm gun.

The 1iC runs for cover behind a building

The Cannon platoon moves up, but is unable to cause any damage. I must have a platoon in his half of the table from turn 6, so they were also keeping me in the game.

John starts moving his infantry up on my left flank

M10s arrive from ambush and gut the Cannon platoon

And his infantry come up and capture the bailed out vehicles. 6-1 to John.

This game was difficult. I made multiple mistakes in this game, that really took away my ability to fight. Doubling both my infantry platoons on turn one was hubris, I had become too confident in their abilities after day one, but they are still trained, and die in droves to mass firepower. My dice rolling was also atrocious, but that is a return to normal for me. I am looking forward to getting a rematch against him at one of the Sturm Uber events later in the year, and hopefully I can acquit myself better then.

Alex's trip to Corrivalry - Army list and game one

February 8th and 9th in Daventry was the weekend of Corrivalry, the UK's largest tournament. 84 players came together to play a 1650 point Late War tournament. Corrivalry is different in two ways. Firstly, scenarios are set for each individual table, and secondly, a 450 point 'swap out' is available, allowing you to vary your list and hopefully then have something appropriate for the scenario and opponent matchups you have over the weekend.

 

After much umming and ahhing over what company to take, I eventually settled on US First Special Service Force from Dogs & Devils. An aggressive infantry company, which with the swap out, allowed me to build a variation of my list that could choose to Auto Attack (by including a Fire Direction Center and aircraft). Yes, the support is rubbish, and yes it is over-pointed, but it was a much more enjoyable experience than playing 2nd Infantry Division for example.

 

My two lists were:

 

Fearless    TrainedSpecial Service Force	USA Late-War
Infantry Company

Platoon	Qty	Unit	Points
Headquarters
Special Service Force Company HQ  p.25	2 1	Cmd Carbine team Bazooka team	40
Combat Platoons
Special Service Force Platoon  p.25	1 6 1	Cmd Pioneer SMG team Pioneer Rifle/MG team M2 60mm mortar	245
Special Service Force Platoon  p.25	1 6 1	Cmd Pioneer SMG team Pioneer Rifle/MG team M2 60mm mortar	245
Weapons Platoon
SSF Cannon Platoon  p.26	1 1 4	Cmd Carbine team Jeep M3 75mm/81mm mortar GMC	210
Divisional Support
Light Tank Platoon  Confident  Veteran   p.31	4	M5A1 Stuart	250
Armored Recon Platoon  Confident  Veteran   p.33	2 1 1	M8 armored car Mortar Jeep Recon Jeep	140
Field Artillery Battery(with M2A1 105mm howitzers)  Confident  Veteran   p.28	1 1 1 1 4	Cmd Carbine team Staff team Observer Carbine team Jeep M2A1 105mm howitzer	190
Field Artillery Battery  Confident  Veteran   p.28	1 1 1 1 2	Cmd Carbine team Fire Direction Center Observer Carbine team Jeep M1 155mm howitzer	200
Air Support  p.27	5	Limited Air Support P-40 Warhawk	130
Company Points:			1650

www.EasyArmy.com

Source document: Dogs & Devils Book

 

And:

 

Fearless    Trained	Special Service Force Alex Billing Corrivalry B	USA Late-War
Infantry Company

Platoon	Qty	Unit	Points
Headquarters
Special Service Force Company HQ  p.25	2 2	Cmd Carbine team Bazooka team	60
Combat Platoons
Special Service Force Platoon  p.25	1 6 1	Cmd Pioneer SMG team Pioneer Rifle/MG team M2 60mm mortar	245
Special Service Force Platoon  p.25	1 6 1	Cmd Pioneer SMG team Pioneer Rifle/MG team M2 60mm mortar	245
Weapons Platoon
SSF Cannon Platoon  p.26	1 1 4	Cmd Carbine team Jeep M3 75mm/81mm mortar GMC	210
Divisional Support
Light Tank Platoon  Confident  Veteran   p.31	4	M5A1 Stuart	250
Field Artillery Battery(with M2A1 105mm howitzers)  Confident  Veteran   p.28	1 1 1 1 4	Cmd Carbine team Staff team Observer Carbine team Jeep M2A1 105mm howitzer	190
Field Artillery Battery  Confident  Veteran   p.28	1 1 1 1 4	Cmd Carbine team Staff team Observer Carbine team Jeep M1 155mm howitzer	280
Heavy Anti-aircraft Artillery Platoon  Confident  Veteran   p.34	1 2	Cmd Carbine team M1 90mm gun (with 8 crew)	170
Company Points:			1650

www.EasyArmy.com

Source document: Dogs & Devils Book

 

 

Game one was Free For All against Hammy and his Aufklarungs from the PDF. He had 2 platoons of half track mounted infantry, 5 Panzer IVs, 4 Marders, Nebelwerfers, 2 platoons of 234/1s, one platoon of Pumas and half track mortars. I decide to take my more defensive second list, and actually end up using this list for the entire weekend.

 

The majority of the game is contested outside of the city, and a member of the cannon platoon is an early casualty to the Marders

I kill a Panzerspah platoon early on, but as Hammy had 9 platoons, this one did not count for VPs

Having failed to dig in, a 90mm gun is an easy target, and the platoon is pinned

The Stuarts advance cautiously through the city, whilst some infantry Truscott trot up the left flank (SSF infantry can TT through difficult going).

A lone Panzer IV takes long range shots at the infantry

Whilst the rest of the platoon bails and destroys two Stuarts

The cannon platoon broke under more intense fire, and the halftracks move up to bring their many MGs into the firefight

Panzer IVs and Stuarts continue to dance around the city streets, and the infantry on the left move up, looking to assault the Panzer IV in the rubble

The 105 battery on my right flank is taken apart by German firepower, having caused relatively few casualties on the German lines

Recce moves up and takes away Gone to Ground from the infantry holding the right objective

A Panzer IV finally engages the Stuarts, but not until after the platoon commander (and his only viable target) is blown apart by a shot from a Puma

The infantry get in assault range of the Panzer IV, and dispatch it

 

But end up in a precarious position next to some dug in infantry, and the platoon are wiped out in an assault

Hammy considers bringing his infantry in to assault the weakened platoon on my right flank

155mm howitzers take out the last Panzer IV, getting me a victory point

Before the German infantry assault...

And after. I forced a platoon morale check on the Germans, but they hung on in. At that point I had to take company morale, and failed. 5-2 to Hammy.

A fun game. If I had passed the company morale, it would have timed out, and been 3-2 to Hammy, so I am happier in a way we got a real conclusion. Annoyed I didn't get that third platoon....

 

Alex's trip to Corrivalry - game two

Game two was Dust Up against Jerome Draussin (of Team France) and his Finnish Jaakari Komppania. His list had 3 Platoons of infantry, 4 T28s, 3 Pak 40 platoons (one with a warrior), 122mm and 152mm artillery. I took my more defensive list again.

 

Early in the game my infantry is aggressive and moves into the woods near the closer objective and starts the first of many rounds of assaults

My deployment area after my infantry start to move out

One T28 was taken out by 155mm artillery, but the remnants of my infantry hide in the wood.

His infantry and T28s move up to remove the infantry.

And do so, but lose a T28 in the process

Stuarts arrive from reserve, and start harassing Jerome's artillery.

The next turn the cannon platoon arrives, and gets to work on the T28s

After a Stuart is destroyed in a bombardment, the rest of the platoon moves up to engage the 152mm artillery.

The second infantry platoon moves up to take over from the first.

The Stuarts take out the 152mm guns in an assault (there were only 2), but have now attracted the attention of the 122mm guns and a Pak 40.

Jerome has a strong hold on the objective

The Cannon platoon takes out the remaining T28s

The Stuarts take out more artillery, but are eventually brought down by far superior firepower.

105mm artillery arrives in support of the US attack

The US infantry and cannon platoons move up to try and shift the Finns off the objective. 2+ to hit in assaults proved vital here.

Finnish reserves finally arrive in turn 5, and are heading straight for my poorly defended objectives.

The Finnish infantry are destroyed, but the artillery commander is moved up to contest the objective.

He is dispatched, but the Finnish 2iC moves up to replace him and keep the game going. The cannons try to finish the artillery (Jerome was at half platoons and his 1iC had been killed), but were unable to kill the Staff Team in an assault.

Allowing him to assault my 90mm guns and take an objective himself.

4-3 to Jerome, in a fantastic game that would have ended 4-3 either way. I thought I had him on the ropes, but he showed a Finnish tenacity, and forced me back and claimed a well deserved win.