Tier 3 Total War 4500 pts aside!!!!

Soviet Armour being feed to the FSJ Pioneer Machine!

Last Friday we had the chance to play Tier 3's Total War of the Table Top Tacticians escalation league.  This game had 4500 pts on both sides and pitted the Axis played by Ca$h(Panzer Grenadiers), Pripyat (FSJ Pioneers) and I (Big Willie's Panzer Kompaine) against the Allies played by Matt Varnish (Brits Infantry), Lothlann (Soviet Armoured Kompany) and Joyous Oblivion (US Armoured Company).  Each player played a 1500 pt army that combined with the other forces.  I had not had the chance to finish painting everything I wanted to so I ended up taking a very point intensive force with only 2 platoons and priority Stuka bombing air support.  Here are the armies on parade. 

THERE ARE A LOT OF AWESOME PICTURES, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

The 3rd Reich ready to crush the Allies

Pripyat's FSJ Pioneers

Ca$h's Panzer Grenadiers with Panther D's supporting

Big Willie's Panzer IV E's and III M/IV H's supported by Stukas

Joyous Oblivion's Armoured Company supported by Hurricanes and Armoured Rifles

Matt Varnishes Brit Infantry with universal carriers and 6 pdr portees with.....

Supporting 8 gun battery of 25 pdrs and 4 17/25 pdrs.  That's a lot of guns!!!!

Lothlann's Soviet Armoured Kompany

Pripyat housed us yet again and Ca$h brought over some of his terrain and I think this was the best looking battle field that we've played on yet.  I think the guys manage to out do themselves week in and week out.  The table was once again 2 6'x 4' tables pushed end to end to give a 12'x4' table.  The game we ended up playing wasn't a scenario per say.  Each side started with half their platoons on the board with the other held in reserves.  There were 4 objectives that were placed in the centre of the board.  Objectives went live on turn 2 with sides earning a point for each turn they held an objective without an enemy team within 4".

GROUND ORIENTATION

Objectives were the crashed Hurricane in the field, meadow in after the first set of buildings, in the centre of the town and on the far edge of the table by a home stead.

Crashed Hurricane, hopefully this is what will happen to the Allied air support....

Destroyed Panzer in the Meadow

Another destroyed Panzer in the centre of the town

Destroyed Crusader on the far edge of the board

Better view of the town

Panzer III M's and IV H's spread out in the open ground ready to advance on the downed Hurricane

Armoured Panzer Grenadiers mounted and ready to act as a mobile reserve

Nebs deploy behind a minefield ready to shell the Allies

FSJ Pioneers supported by a Tiger deploy ready to advance into the town

FSJ in the far North ready to advance on the objective near the home stead

Matildas supported by 25 pdrs ready to advance on the town

A horde of T34's ready to advance in the centre of the board

US Armoured Rifles supported by 17/25 pdrs deploy in the corn fields

The Nemesis of Panzer's every where...

Forces are deployed its time to roll some dice!

TURN 1

First Blood goes to the Panther's who destroy a T34 at range

US Armoured Rifles advance into the fields

Panzer III M's and IV H's advance cautiously while the newly arrived IV E's double forward to gain position on the US Armoured Rifles

The RCA cover the advancing Matildas by firing Stonks against the Axis

FSJ advance on the home stead objective

FSJ and Tiger advance on the town

Panzer Grenadiers move to support the Nebs and the FSJ in the town

25 pdrs open fire bailing a Panther!

T34's suck back following running into the Panthers

Causalities

Axis

Nil

Allies

1 x T34

TURN 2 

RCA look forward to causing more damage on their repeated bombardment

Armoured Rifles spread out in preparation for the Panzer's assault

Newly arrived Brit Infantry advances to support the 17/25 pdrs

Panzers spread out to open fire on the dismounted infantry in the field while attempting to avoid the 17/25 pdrs

Panther's spread out while newly arrived Armoured Panzer Grenadiers advance behind the Panzers

The Tiger begins picking off Matildas

Nebs open fire on the 17/25 pdrs knocking out a gun!

A sole Stuka manages to break through the USAAF screens but does no damage to the T34s

Combined MG fire knocks out 6 Armoured rifle stands

Points
Axis 2 vs Allies 0

Causalities

Axis

Nil

Allies

1 x T34

1 x 17/25 pdr

1 x Matilda

TURN 3 

The 25 pdrs hammer the Tiger with no effect

T34s roll around the flank attempting to by pass the Panthers

Shermans and 6 pdr Portees arrive from reserve combining their fire with the 17/25 pdrs causing...

Massive casualties on the IV E platoon wiping them out to a man, er... tank

Armoured Rifles hold the line until reinforcements arrive

Remaining Panzer's return fire destroying 2 Shermans and bailing another one

Panther's reposition and destroy another T34

Panzer Grenadiers deploy to support the Panzers who are hard pressed to stand in front to the amounts of anti-tank fire they are facing.  They lose another III M in the process

Panther's hold the objective and continue to harass the T34s

10.5 cm guns open fire and pin the 25 pdrs

FSJ 10.5 cm prove their worth immediately

The Tiger continues to rampage Matildas while the FSJ gains a foot hold in the town

Panthers making sure they are scoring points!

Points 

Axis 4 vs Allies 1

Causalities

Axis

Panzer IV E Platoon

Allies

2 x T34

1 x 17/25 pdr

3 x Matildas

TURN 4 

With the IV E's destroyed the volume of anti tank fire turns on the III M's and IV H's destroying one IV H and bailing the 2IC

Newly arrived Stewarts double time past the flaming IV Es

Soviets lend leased Stewarts on the Panzer Grenadiers knocking out a stand and preparing for an assault

The Tiger continues to play with its Matilda prey

The Grenadiers hold their own destroying a tank and sending the other packing

The final Panzer platoon is below half and quits the field on a 2.  The OC joins the platoon and attempts to stop them the resulting roll is a 1, so the Axis is down it's first player.  

The Tiger attacks the Matildas while the the FSJ Pioneers move up to contest the objective and prepare to assault the Matildas

The Panthers continue to hammer the T34s destroying another 2 tanks

The 10.5 cms smoke the Matildas to assist on the assaults by the FSJ

With the Panzer Kompaine broken and fled the field the Grenadiers have to readjust their defensive plan

Panther's stand their ground...

Points 

Axis 5 vs Allies 1

Causalities

Axis

Panzer Kompaine

3 x FSJ Pioneer stands

Allies

4 x T34

2 x 17/25 pdr

5 x Matildas

2 x Stewarts

TURN 5

Stewarts swarm the Nebs observer

Shermans advance into the wheat fields harassing the Grenadiers

Brit Infantry arrive to support the T34s

Russian Tanks are being forced back from the town by the FSJ and Grenadiers

Universal Carriers race forward to contest the home stead objective from the FSJ

FSJ launch their assault on the Matildas breaking the platoon

Panther's continue to hammer the T34s destroying another 2 and bailing a 3rd

10.5 cms smoke the Stewarts to prevent them from reengaging the FSJ

Grenadiers preparing to assault the Stewarts

Points 

Axis 5 vs Allies 2

Causalities

Axis

Panzer Kompaine

4 x FSJ Pioneer stands

3 x Grenadier Stands

1 x Half track

Allies

6 x T34

2 x 17/25 pdr

Matildas platoon

2 x Stewarts

TURN 6

Brit Infantry advance against a big cat

Stewarts attempt to get shots into the back of one Panther only to be exposed to another

Brit Infantry move into support the Universal Carriers

US tanks hammer the Grenadiers  while Brit Infantry moves in waves against the Panthers

Despite being seriously outnumbered the FSJ hold the objective

The FSJ continue to hold the town despite the amount of Soviet Armour that is being pushed into it

Pak 38's continue to advance on the town

25 pdrs have been pinned for 3 turns, come on boys get behind those guns!

With that we called the game 5 - 3 for the Axis but I was wiped out so a moral victory for the Allies.  I would have rather gotten the painting done that Matt Varnished did doing Flames of Lunch.  It sounds like we are going to start a round robin tournament at 1750 in preparation for the 2011 Game Summit Skirmish, stay tuned!