It's May Day 2011. What better way to celebrate all things "red" than with an After Action Report featuring the 46th Guards Tank Brigade! This game was played between Paul and myself waaaaaaay back on Sunday, Feb 13, 2011. Subsequent events that occurred later that month and hinted at in prior posts delayed its posting until now.
Grab a cold one and I hope you enjoy it.
The Black Hats
13. Panzerdivision ‘Feldherrnhalle’
HQ w/PF
PzGr Squad w/PF
PzGr Squad w/PF
PzGr HMG (2xHMG)
3x PzIV/70(V)
4x10.5cm Artillery
4x StuG G
Inf Gun Platoon 2x7.5cm
1750
The White "Red" Hats
HQ M4(76)
8x M4(76) Company Anastasia
8x M4(76) Company Bolshivek
3x SU-100 (w/ tankos)
5x BA-64
1750
A mixture of Battlefront and Old Glory M4 75mm Emchas put on costumes and pretended they were their better armed M4A2(76) brothers. Ditto for three ISU-122's, who played their part as SU-100's. I was eager to see what M4A2(76) Emchas could do.
For Paul, it was all about playing with his nearly complete Pz IV/70 (V)'s.
The Mission: Free For All
The Setting
You can see my mistake in deploying the BA-64's near the center, instead of putting them on my far right flank, able to recon move and threaten Paul's left flank objective. Instead, they are facing the IV/70's.
Company Anastasia on the left along with the CiC and Company Bolshevik on the right.
A down and dirty view of Anatasia company facing off against Paul's StuG's
The Bolsheviks advance on the right.
On Paul's 1st turn, one IV/70 moves behind a small building to shoot at the SU-100's. The other two shoot at the BA-64's. I announce they will attempt to Disengage. They succeed but, suffer one bailed armored car after Paul fails a FP.
SU-100's foolishly go into the woods. Um, what was I thinking?
The StuG's shoot and his two M4's of Anatasia, suffering 1 destroyed and 1 bailed. On my turn, the bailed tank remounts (yay protected ammo and fearless) and take revenge by destroying a StuG after moving up (cough 6" cough)
Paul's Turn 2
Anatasia loses two M4's with 4 out of 6 shots landing. Le Ouch.
Bolshevik gets pounded by artillery
Still on Paul's Turn 2, the 7.5cm infantry guns kills a BA-64. They still haven't moved towards the enemy after Disengaging.
The 10.5cm guns get in on the act and kill 1 M4. Not to be out done, a IV/70 kills another M4. I'm getting nickle and dimed here.
Give it 'em Back!!
The 46th's Turn 2 reponse started meekly with the SU-100's firing....and missing. Needing 6's to hit and ROF 1 sucks, to put it bluntly.
A IV/70 goes up in smoke
Anastasia gets 4 hits on the StuG's and kills two! Paul makes the platoon morale check. Meanwhile, Bolshevik kills one IV/70.
Turn 3 for Paul. It's raining death!
Bolsheviks loses another M4. The two IV/70 shoot and miss. The 7.5cm ranges in again and hits an M4, but it bounches.
My turn saw a hit on a IV/70 result in a bail (he remounts, boo protected ammo!). Anastasia hits the last StuG! Bounce. :(
The scene before Turn 4
Paul's Turn 4 - Ahaha, I'm bailed. I'm bailed!
The IV/70's bail two of Bolshevik's Emchas (you'd be right in thinking they'd be back in their tanks when it's my turn! Yayyy, protected ammo and fearless!).
IV/70's doing the Stormtrooper dance. BA-64's praying they have bigger things to shoot out. Yes, really, that was the tactic. I waived these BA-64's to take the pressure off the Emchas. Paul didn't take the bait.
The state of Anastasia on Turn 4
That blasted lone StuG kills another M4. The 7.5cm fails to range in on Anastasia company.
Enemy to the right!! Translation:
Wrrrrrrrr go the turrets of Anastasia as they turn right. The IV/70's presented their flank to Anastasia. Two M4's stay put and a third maneuvers for a clear LOS. 5 shots later, there two IV/70's are smoking hulks. Scratch the IV/70 platoon.
Off cameras the BA-64's sneak forward, safe from the lurking IV/70's and MG a grenadier squad, pinning.
Anastasia, report! Come in, Anastasia. Static!!
Paul had moved his StuG back behind his artillery park. Whether or not I would have still shot at the StuG is debatable with the side shots presented by the IV/70's.
In any event the StuG rumbles forward on Turn 5, kills an M4 with 2 hits and forces a company check. Fearless? Nope. I fail. I attach the CiC for the re-roll. FAIL! Buh bye, Anastasia. :(
The pics of the rest of the battle are a summary.
Bolsheviks continues on under the weight of artillery fire on Turn 5.
Oh look, I'm bailed twice. Yawn. Protected Ammo! Fearless!
I see you!!
Assault, assault and oh damn those fausts!
Bolsheviks manages to route a grenadier platoon and then falls to the other grenadier platoon, getting blasted to pieces with fausts.
Game to Paul! 3-4.
My thoughts----
Love the M4A2(76)! Can't wait to do up the BF model. It's wonderful! I wasn't a big fan of Shermans (visually speaking) until I started playing Lend Lease tankovy, but now I think it's a beautiful tank.
The turning point of this fight was on the left flank. Anastasia whittled down by StuG and 10.5cm fire, knocked out 3 StuG's, went for the 4th, and missed (or hit and Paul saved). Then the single StuG got 2 hits, causing a destroyed tank, forcing a morale. It was an epic fight.
It was nice to see how splitting 2 big groups of tanks can yield side shots. Paul positioned his IV/70's to shoot at Bolshevik Company, exposing the SA3 to Anastasia who took advantage. Tactics work!
SU-100's, didn't kill anything. Didn't hit anything that I can recall. I depolyed them bad. They should have been in center as a 325pt distraction and on overwatch. It was bad to put them in a forest. Concealment is good, but having good lanes of fire is better. If you notice, I hardly mention them in this report.
BA-64's should have been on right flank, to do a recce move and threaten the Grenadiers. Company Bolshevik could then double move (if safe) and threaten the objective. This would force the Pz IV/70's to shift. Paul said I may try next time to overload one flank and force him to move.
All in all, I like the AT12 vs the AT10 of a 75mm Emcha. It's twicing the penetrating power versus a StuG at range. AT 12 - FA 7 - 1 (range) = 4/6 to penetrate. AT 10 - FA 7 - 1 (range) = 2/6 to penetrate.
Dice were hot and cold. In other words, normal for me. I'd flub a bunch of rolls and then make a bunch. I can't remember any throws of dice being average. Either yahooo or ahhh crap! Over the entire game the dice rolls evened out, it was just funny to see the extremes of one throw from the next and I'm talking handfulls of 10+ dice
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