Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Of FJ and KT or 'Big, Expensive things"

Big, expensive things... Again, this can go both way, as one does not want to lose the big, expensive thing, and the other tries his hardest to avoid it...

Big Expensive thing supported by Fearless Veteran Infantry is a another headache for the attacker, you can't flank the beast, for fear of infantry assault and the 2" rule, and if ignoring the combination is really not possible either..

I personally love the effect when the opponent gets the vision of rooting out FV infantry, while getting slapped by BFG fire, it's quite easy to lose the focus, someone asked me if I'll bring the 2 KT with FJs to tournaments anymore but I think I just might, for that reason alone, only thing I'd like to have in that list is something fast, maybe marders... Pak40 is good, but since it's fairly static, you can't have them in reserve or anywhere too far to start with.




Thursday, March 7, 2013

Fallschirmjäger Support Options - The LG40 7.5cm Recoilles rifle

7.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40

The LG40 is another piece of warfare unique to the fallschirmjäger, it's cheap, packs a decent punch, and is man-packed gun, so gets concealment in the open, and can move with the boys, ROF 2 with AT9 and FP3+ is quite decent in DF. in defense you need to keep these dug-in, stationary, gtg, until the tanks assault, then unleash huge black cloud of smoke and some bang...

PROS: 
- Cheap at 55 points in most Late War books, back in V2 you could create KG out of one LG and 2iC for 2 ultra cheap reserve platoons. Even now, having a 55 points in reserve is very good option to have.
- Surprise factor, 2 guns in defensive fire with possible faust added packs quite a punch, they are easy to ignore for some, others thing they are really fearsome... Both effects on the opponent work.

CONS: 
- Fragile 3 teams, 2 gun teams, it is pretty easy VP if you let it be.
- Recoilless rules means the gun does not fire from inside of a building and more importantly if you fire with it, they don't get concealment for the next turn.

STUNTS to try on with the LG40:

  • Add the HQ Stummelwerfers to give them protection, and have a nice weapons platoon, guess you could add the schrecks as well to the platoon if you wanted to have ambush platoon from hell :) Should surprise at least...


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Fallschirmjäger Support Options - Stummelwerfer

Kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42 aka Stummelwerfer

This is a weapon system that's very hard to get to grips with, but you can't deny the value for price it brings to FV army list, where everything is very expensive.

At 25 points per mortar, up to 3 Stummels can be had in the HQ, to be dished out as needed.

The FJ Light mortar platoon can be  1 command team with 1-2 sections of 2 mortars plus an observer team.

With the HQ stummels, you can have KG with 2 x 3 mortars platoon, 2 x 2 mortars platoon, or just take the short platoon and attach 1 mortar from the HQ, lot of different ways you can play with these. In half-on last time I had 2 platoons of 2 mortars each in reserves, front loading fun if anything and custom.

2 mortar platoon re-rolls hits (big deal, it's veteran) and creates 1 template smoke, which can be very good as you know exactly where the smoke will be.

So, 

PROS:
- Cheapest smoke available
- Direct fire, with V3 you get ROF 2 FP 3+ weapon system
- Direct Smoke, smoke as you go with attached mortar
- Kampfgruppe customization, very adaptable for platoon amount tweaking
- Manpacked Gun

CONS: 
- Short range only 40" in bombardment, Direct Fire is ok with 8" - 32"
- Hard to master really, these seem to be out of range or on the wrong side of the table often enough.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Any decent player....



When posting list ideas to the Forums, you quite often get replies along the lines of :

- Any decent player will just smoke it
- Any decent player will just ignore it and kill the squishy platoons
- Any decent player will destroy that list

And so on, well I sincerely believe that if you play a lot, you get better, and when the people who play a lot, play against other people who play a lot, these perceptions might apply.

However, any decent player hasn't played against every decent lists frequently, and so needs to adapt when they meet something different. If everybody would play the 'Cookie-cutter' builds, there would be even more truth to the matter, still, Murphy's laws do apply here as well:

Fearless - Isn't
5 rolls in DF equals 5 hits
Smoke it: Smoke needs to range-in, need to remember to do it first (even decent players forget stuff)
Ignore it: I'm sure somebody said the same thing about Hitler
Dice are fickle

1780 BBB against US Paras with TDs

Played this before the last tourney, where I could not go, while my youngest son had enough fever to get in the hospital...



I had something like this:


 2 Panzerfaust Cmd/SMG
 3 x Panzerschreck
 2x 8cm GW 42 (Stummelwerfer)
Von Der Heydte, 2x Panzerfaust Trap

Fallschirmjager Platoon - 1x Command Panzerfaust SMG, 9x Rifle/MG
Fallschirmjager Platoon - 1x Command Panzerfaust SMG, 9x Rifle/MG
Fallschirmjager Machine-gun Platoon - 4x MG42 HMG
Fallschirmjager Mortar Platoon - 2x 8cm GW42 (Stummelwerfer)
Fallschirmjager Scout Platoon - 1x Command PanzerFaust/SMG, 4x Rifle
Fallschirmjager Anti-tank Platoon - 4x 7.5cm PaK40
Assault Howitzer Platoon - 3 x StuH 42

1780 Points, 7 Platoons

He had about this:
2 Paratrooper platoons, Winters, 2 platoons of M18s, Mortars, Artillery.

Both M18s and  the other Para platoon in ambush on the table to start with.


We rolled for mission and got the No Retreat, with lucky me attacking. We had a time limit of 3 hours and had a blast.



I deployed my Faust traps to harass the Security section, while everybody moved forwards, Paks stayed in overwatch.



Once my FJs were too close, he had to put the ambush on with the Para platoon. Then spring the TDs, few turns later it looked like this :)



I smoked the para platoon and assaulted, but got thrown back, assaulted again and he counter-assaulted... And so on. Until there were only drags left of both sides platoons, I had t attached HMG in the building top floor, after the rest of the platoon was gone, these stayed and rolled to stay...

Next the american player had a bad thinking moment and he assaulted me, with 4 Schwere MGs, CiC with the Smg it was not good... My next turn the HMGs tried to force a platoon check to remove the contesting teams but time was up. 1 - 1 as neither lost a platoon... FV vs. FV is nasty.

My conclusions were that we both made a lot of mistakes, my Pak40s were too far back to have effect, Faust traps were crippled by the very short no man's land, Stuhs survived... but really had no place in this battle. Scouts I moved with the idea of harassing the backfield, losing few turns before using them for what they are meant for, lifting the G-t-G from paras, in order for Mortars to smoke/pin.

We played this quite a while ago so sorry if I forgot something...






Fallschirmjäger Support Options - the Tiger II

Tiger 2: You can get this beast using list  from the Grey Wolf eastern front LW supplement. It has impenetrable armor from front, goes straight to firepower with anything but the most heaviest tanks.

Have these in Ambush, Immediate Ambush, to make the best of them.

PROS:
- FA15, nothing hurts it from the front.
- AT16 it can hurt anything
- Psychologically this beast can be the worst opponent, everybody is not expert in this game...
- 2 of these are something that can't be ignored.
- Tiger Ace skills
- Looks

CONS:
- 345 points....per tank, and I really think you should take 2.
- It's Tiger I e for Air/Arty/Infantry
- It's slow and cumbersome
- Smoke makes it move, but again with 2 of these, other moves, other shoots with full ROF

My first Tourney recapped

Click to Expand and Collapse


So, when I finally managed to get to Grey Wolf / Red Bear tourney, with almost 3 games played before..

Had great success really (revised to shared 2nd place, best axis out of 18 , sorry the bragging but can't help it...) The list was this:
2 pzfaust
1 schreck 
2 stummels 
2 full fj platoons with pzfaust 
1 short stummel 
1 lg40 plat with knacker 
1 fj at platoon 3 pak40s 
1 heavy tank plat 2 :) tiger IIs 
1 fj aa plat 3 flak38s 
7/8 platoons 1780 points

I took a calculated risk about not meeting any infantry horde. Full FJ platoons can really support the King tigers well.


   Game 1  PINCER  against Guards Tankovy,

Had very nice opponent trekkeri.  His list was about this.

 2 big 9 platoons of t34/85
 3 Is2s
 3 ba64 or similar recon.              


There was lot of terrain, I had the fjs near, but not on the objectives, King's in middle and paks in ambush. 

Fearing the big guns, the tankovy moved behind houses the is2s on another side, 

One kt sniped one is and it bailed out and stayed there for 4 rounds... 


The another t34 platoon moved to the obj where the Kts where not, 

I sprang the ambush and killed 2 of the recon cars, the Kts removed t34s and used the st to move back


The first t34 platoon attacked the paks but bad luck for him, whizzed, 

The paks bailed/killed 4-5 tanks, the Kts 1, failed morale and bye the 1st tankovy company, 
the fj platoon moved towards the buildings at the middle, 

The 2nd tankovy started the dangerous mice and cats game, the is2s moved towards the other fj, 


After Few rounds of dodging and killing, the fjs killed the last recon with schreck , the is2s managed to blog in assault to be killed by the fjs, the t34s scored one kt and kg of 2 stummels, I almost lost a fj platoon due DF from t34s, as we were running out of time and he had only 3 t34s plus 1 is2 far away, he had no chance so that's for is, my first ever proper game of fow, first in tourney, and 6-1 to fj ! 

Game 2 was fighting withdrawal against forward detachment on snow table with blizzard (night attack, forests needing re-rolls for succesfully bogs, slow movement everywhere, really painful. 

My opponent had lim sturmovics , decoy platoon with tiger and pziv, 5 t34/85s w tank riding infantry, 4 kv-85s, infantry with german halftracks and 2 katjushas, I made quite a Few mistakes here, starting with deployment of objectives , I put mine obj to the woods in middle, not to the side where the opponent put his, I had to put mine fj platoons to both sides, Kts to the middle (partly inside woods, second mistake), the aa covering them, lgs with the right flank platoon, first turn the t34s made the 16" move with the decoys tanks, dismounted the infantry next turn, and where close. 

The next night turns showed the decoy platoon destroyed by kt, the dawn had 1 t34 destroyed, next Few turns I had to move the left flank fjs to help the middle, while the Kvs moved to attack the right flank, pak40s ambush plus kt destroyed the t-34 platoon, flak plus the another kt killed the halftrack platoon, kt plus 1 SMg DF was enough to repel the assault in forest, 7 shots 5 hits, ;) , Kvs assaulted the fjs in right flank and failed the counter assault, failed the pinning so no assault (mistake 3, the 2ic could have contested) Kvs take object game ovet 3-4... I lost one fj platoon to morale on this one, and moved my mortars to defend the left flank for 2 halftracks that were not in play.... One kt died in the middle when bogged down.



Game 3 Surrounded against Soviet Heavy SP artillery, Earnest being the opponent, very well painted force with big barreled nasties and that blasted sturmovik... 

IIRC he had 

HQ IS-2 

3 IS-2 w .50cals and those Ghost riders 

3 ISU-122 plus Rat ISU 122 

3 ISU-152s 

Platoon of scouts in a truck 

The table was like something out of a fairy tale, german village surrounded by hills and flanked by forests one at each side. I had my KTs at Immediate Ambush and filled the woods with infantry :) Both objectives could be contested from inside of the woods... 

I had my flak and mortars just in the middle, staying in fields for concealment and laying low. 


Image

KTs are north and south of the southern forest. 

This was hard fight to the sovs, I had my FJs inside the forests, and he really did not have time to dig mine troops before he could kill my big cats, so Cats and Mice plus some Sturmovik fun, with KT dead, the bloody planes came every turn till turn 3... My 2iC command scored one ISU-122 assaulting solo from cover. 

In the end (we ran out of time)he managed to assault and kill my mortars, then started the assault thing with the ghost riders :) the Rat and his cronies tried to get the last KT but failed and the FJ assaulted and took them out, Rat failed morale and left too. 

My Paks killed 2 of the ISU-152s in the last round, forcing a morale check, my CiC, Knacker from LGs and 2nd FJ platoon command assaulted the IS2s killing one, forcing a morale ceck there as well, CiC rerolled for IS2s and ISUs made the morale, EDIT but no contest for Objective so 5-2 for medraw to the disappoinment of both us, still very good games all. 

Learned tons, and I really think the 2nd KT was needed, as I lost 1 in all of the games and they really made the sovs nervous ;) 

Think I really want to test those pzfaust trap teams, the 2iC assault was the highpoint :) 

with the KTs, all the focus was on them, barring the FW game, where my idiotic placement of the objective cost me dearly, still that particular game I destroyed 3/6 platoons, could've bombarded the katjushas to make morale, the last infantry was rolling morale, the KVs were rolling morale, so not badly for a newbie :) the winner got 3 wins and 16 points I think, I only lost 2 platoons in 3 games, none in the first, one fj platoon in the FW, and the mortars in the last.... 

Had the points revised making total of 2 wins 14 points and best axis, shared 2nd(most likely 3rd after sportmanship), but big smile for me :D

Possible tourney lists at 1780 LW Cassino FJ


CASSINO 1. Fallschirmjägerdivision



The general idea here is to have 2 big platoons that can't be removed without killing them, only thing here I'm not sure is the nebs, they might leak points.

HQ
1 Cmd SMG team
1 Cmd Panzerknacker SMG team
3 Panzerschreck team
3 8cm GW42 (Stummelwerfer) mortar
225

Warrior Hauptmann Siegfried Jamrowski 70

Combat Platoons
Fallschirmjäger Platoon
1 Cmd Panzerknacker SMG team
9 Rifle/MG team
270
Fallschirmjäger Platoon
1 Cmd Panzerknacker SMG team
9 Rifle/MG team
270
Fallschirmjäger Machine-gun Platoon
1 Cmd SMG team
4 MG42 HMG
150
Weapons Platoon
Fallschirmjäger Mortar Platoon
1 Cmd SMG team
1 Observer Rifle team
2 8cm GW42 (Stummelwerfer) mortar
70

Divisional Support
Assault Gun Platoon(Heer)
4 StuG G  380
Fallschirmjäger Anti-tank Gun Platoon
1 Cmd SMG team
4 7.5cm PaK40 gun
240

Rocket Launcher Battery(Heer)
1 Cmd SMG team
1 Observer Rifle team
1 Kubelwagen
3 15cm NW41
105

Company Points: 1780
www.EasyArmy.com Source document:Cassino


Monday, March 4, 2013

About this blog.



This is a blog that's dedicated to Flames Of War, gonna be creating my Battle Reports, Tactics I think work, or at least work for me, equipment both friendly and enemies, and basically anything I have an opinion on.




Fallschirmjäger vs. Romanian Tankers 1500 points LW battlerep

Click to Expand and Collapse


A friendly battle between me and Sotahullu, tried on the Dust-Up scenario, Sotahullu was playing his Romanian '3 tanks per platoon wonder' and I was testing the B-b-B Veterans for size.


Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii
  • Tancuri Medii HQ - 1x Command T-4 (80 pts) CV
  • Tancuri Medii Platoon - 1x Command T-4, 2x T-4 (240 pts) CV
  • Tancuri Medii Platoon - 1x Command T-4, 2x T-4 (240 pts) CV
  • Tancuri Medii Platoon - 1x Command T-4, 2x T-4 (240 pts) CV
  • Tancuri Platoon - 1x Command R-2 (Panzer 35(t)), 2x R-2 (Panzer 35(t)) (105 pts)
  • Tank-Hunter Platoon - 1x Command TACAM T-60, 2x TACAM T-60 (130 pts)
  • Pioneer Platoon - 1x Command Pioneer Rifle/MG, 6x Pioneer Rifle/SMG (160 pts)
  • - Command Pioneer Panzerfaust SMG (10 pts)
  • Vanatori Motorizata Platoon - 1x Command MG, 6x MG, 3x 1.5 ton Truck (150 pts)
  • - Command Panzerfaust SMG (10 pts)
  • Romanian Air Support - Sporadic HS 129B (115 pts)
  • 1480 Points, 7 Platoons
6th FJR Bridge by Bridge
  • Fallschirmjager Company HQ - 1x CinC SMG, 1x 2iC SMG (55 pts)
  • CinC Panzerfaust SMG (10 pts)
  • 2x Panzerschreck (60 pts)
  • 1x 8cm GW 42 (Stummelwerfer) Mortar (25 pts)
  • Von Der Heydte, 2x Panzerfaust Trap (120 pts)
  • Fallschirmjager Platoon - 1x Command Panzerfaust SMG, 9x Rifle/MG (275 pts)
  • Fallschirmjager Platoon - 1x Command Panzerfaust SMG, 6x Panzerfaust Rifle/MG (255 pts)
  • Light Gun Platoon - 1x Command SMG, 2x 7.5cm LG40 gun (55 pts)
  • Mortar Platoon - 1x Command SMG, 2x Observer Rifle, 4x 8cm GW42
  • Anti-tank Platoon - 1x Command SMG, 3x 7.5cm PaK40 (180 pts)
  • Anti-aircraft Gun Platoon - 1x Command SMG, 3x 2cm FlaK38 (80 pts)
  • Fallschirmpionier Platoon - 1x Command Pioneer Rifle/MG, 6x Pioneer Rifle/MG (240 pts)
  • 1x Pioneer Supply Truck (25 pts)
  • 1500 Points, 7 Platoons Kampfgruppe with Mortars for 8



SETUP AND DEPLOYMENT


UNITS IN RESERVE
Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii
  • 3 x T-4 CV
  • 3 x Tacam CT
  • 3 x R-2 CT
  • Vanatori Motorizata platoon RV
6th FJR Bridge by Bridge
  • Short Stummel
  • Short Stummel
  • Lg40
  • Flak 38


DEPLOYMENT SUMMARY
Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii: Having 7 platoons in dust-up is not the best option, Sotahullu deploys 2 T-4 platoons and Pioneers.
6th FJR Bridge by Bridge: I deploy my Pioneers on the objectives, Pak40s on the hill-top, Fausted platoon with 1 stummel attached, ready to move to the forest and ruins up north. The large Fj platoon with VDH and Schrecks attached ready to move in south.

TURN 1


COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii
    6th FJR Bridge by Bridge


      TURN 1 SUMMARY
      Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii: The T-4s move across the wire, Pioneers move forward, some ineffective shooting, no Aircraft.
      6th FJR Bridge by Bridge: Large platoon moves forwards, Fausted platoon in to the forest, Paks and Pioneers dig-in.

      TURN 2

      Romanian flyboys in action

      Fanatical faustmen show why field is not good place to be for tankers...

      COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
      Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii
      • CiC T-4
      • 1 Med Tancuri T-4 Platoon- Destroyed
      6th FJR Bridge by Bridge
      • FJ 1: 2 Rifle/Mg teams


      TURN 2 SUMMARY
      Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii: Tanks move forwards, potshots at Pioneers, Romanian Air Force hits the southern FJ platoon, 11 under the template, 9 hits, VDH resurrects a fallen team...
      6th FJR Bridge by Bridge: Pzfaust traps deploy, promptly assault and dispatch two T-4s, fail morale, CiC joins and off they go... Big FJ platoon takes some buildings but foolishly I let teams in the open, where the reserves will appear.

      TURN 3


      COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
      Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii
      • CiC T-4
      • 1 Med Tancuri T-4 Platoon- Destroyed
      6th FJR Bridge by Bridge
      • FJ 1: 2 Rifle/Mg teams


      TURN 3 SUMMARY
      Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii: The third T-4 platoon appears from the reserves and fires on the FJ 1 platoon, killing a team. The pioneers notice that their objectives are in danger and move towards them. T-4 north platoon dances around with the fausted FJ platoon.
      6th FJR Bridge by Bridge: Some shuffling of troops, no shooting (stupidly didn't shoot the moving FJs at the pioneers). Got mortars from the reserves.

      TURN 4


      COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY
      Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii
      • CiC T-4
      • 1 Med Tancuri T-4 Platoon- Destroyed
      6th FJR Bridge by Bridge
      • FJ 1: 2 Rifle/Mg teams


      TURN 4 SUMMARY
      Red Bear - Romanian - Tancuri Medii: Romanian pioneers move to safeguard the objectives, reserves appear. T-4s in the north decide to fall back.
      6th FJR Bridge by Bridge: FJ 1 moves for the kill, five shots, 4 kills, the pioneers platoon fails it's morale and goes home, stormtrooper to contest. FJ Pioneers moving to help as well.
      Last turn, Sotahullu tried to shoot my FJs off the Objective, instead of contesting (tried to advice), with 1 team killed... 6-1 to the BBB boys. VDH resurrected 2 teams.


      EDIT:
      We played this a bit wrong as I deployed the fortifications from the Supply Truck while the mission does not have prepared positions rule.

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