The Opposing Forces
The Board before and after deployment
Before
After
My friend started with the 88s, the PAK40s, and an infantry platoon with 2 attached MGs. He put the PAK40s in ambush.
SS Freiwilligen (FV)
HQ Upgraded to fausts
3x Full strength Freiwilligen Platoons with command and 2 mg stands upgraded to fausts each
3 StuG G (late)
2 PAK40 and command
2x Flak 88s+extra crew, 2 halftracks, staff car, and command
Finnish Jaakari (FV)
HQ SMGs
2x Jaakari Platoons with 6 rifles and command upgraded to fausts each
1 Pioneer platoon with 8 stands and command upgraded to fausts
1 Pioneer platoon with 8 stands and command upgraded to fausts
3 Tampella 81mm Mortars, Observer Rifle, and command
3 T-34/76
3 Sturmis
4 sFH18 howitzers, staff team, observer rifle, and command SMG
Attacker's thoughts: I'm gonna have to push hard on his weak flank covered by just his 88s really quickly, and do my best to take out his AT assets ASAP.
Defender's thoughts: I just have to hold out until reserves arrive and I can spring a counterattack. MGs vs Rifles is not a hard fight to win, and my 88s and PAK40s should make short work of his tanks.
Finnish Turn 1
Everything moves forward in the least creative strategy ever thought up. Surprisingly, none of my Sturmis bog on the way into the woods.
Chaaaaaaarge!
The arty at the back of the board ranged in on the 88s, and hit everything except the command stand. Both guns make their saves, and only one halftrack is killed. Lets just hope return fire doesn't completely murder my poor tanks. My mortars manage to smoke the 88s, but the T-34s and Sturmis fail to kill any guns.
German Turn 1:
Reserves arrive immediately and the StuG Gs come on the board and drive up to attack the unsupported charging infantry.
We got this guys... hey anyone want vodka? I got this bottle all the way back in 41!
Possibly the largest whiff I've ever seen
The drunk StuG drivers stormtrooper and floor it to the wall, where the sight of the Finn horde scares them and causes them to stop.
Finnish Turn 3:
I'm still alive! The bailed T-34 remounts and the infantry move up.
Forward! FOR FINLAND!
The arty kills one 88 and the command stand, but the Sturmis fail to hit the other 88.
The T-34s fail to hit the StuGs, as their target keeps moving around senselessly.
German Turn 2:
No reserves arrive, but the 88s unpin. The drunk StuGs get 2 hits on the T-34s, but...
6s for both saves
The 88s hit nothing, as does the StuG that split fire into the infantry. Apparently the drinks have been passed around the whole company.
The mortars range in on the left Freiwilligen but do no damage, the arty ranges in on the PAKs and the Freiwilligen, but only kills one stand, the T-34 fails to hit the PAK40s, and the StuGs fail to do any damage on their side of the board. Ouch. Nevertheless, the assault goes in on the trucks of the 88 platoon. 4 hits are all saved by the top notch pioneers and the assault goes in, with predictable results.
Finnish Turn 3
Still alive! The T-34s move to get side shots on the StuGs, but one bogs on the wall. The infantry move into assaulting distance. The T-34s kill one StuG and bail the other, the arty kill the last ack ack gun, and Sturmis kill a stand of infantry.
Yay! No more scary ack ack guns!
"Hey Hans, *hic* what're all those grey blobs? It's nothing Otto, just have *hic* another drink and they'll go away."
The mortars smoke the StuGs before the infantry go in. The infantry fail tank terror, but their company commanders urge them into the fight.The StuGs and command SMGs get one hit in defensive fire, but the pioneers hit the dirt and come in to kill one StuG and bail the other. The bailed one is then captured, although the pioneers loot plenty of booze from the assault guns before destroying them.
German Turn 3:
Both reserves come in and the PAK40s ambush the T-34s. The Freiwilligen claim one stand of pioneers, and the PAK40s kill one T-34 and bail another.
Yay! Kills!
Finnish Turn 4:
The bailed T-34 remounts and the infantry push towards the remnants of the 88 platoon.
The swarm moves on
German Turn 4
The PAK40s and the Freiwilligen unpin, and the Freiwilligen dig in. The PAK40s kill the last operational T-34.
Finnish Turn 5
The lone T-34 sticks around, unbogs, and pulls back to be with the Sturmis, and the front infantry platoons dig in. Arty kills a PAK40 and a Freiwilligen stand, while the mortars try to kill the company command, but to no avail. The Sturmis again kill no infantry.
German Turn 5
Nothing unpins and nothing shoots.
Finnish Turn 6
Nothing is killed
German Turn 6
Everything unpins, and everything moves up. Finally, action! One pioneer stand is killed with a lucky shot.
Finnish Turn 7
Arty kills 2 stands of Freiwilligen
German Turn 7
Everything unpins again, moves up again, and prepares to assault.
The platoons assault, but there is more defensive fire than originally anticipated and the SS are pushed back with very heavy losses.
That's a lot of dead guys
 | ||
Finnish Turn 8
Everything moves up to prepare for a total of 3 assaults this turn. Fun, fun fun!
First, the pioneers go in but are pushed back in defensive fire with 2 stands killed.
Then, the regular rifles go in and loose 2 more stands to defensive fire, and are pushed back.
The only successful assault this turn is the Sturmis, who bog one on the wall but get both their swings and kill the small Freiwilligen platoon.
German Turn 8
The Freiwilligen stick around, but the Freiwilligen and the HQ kill 2 more regular rifle stands.
Finnish Turn 9
The
rifles fail motivation (but I am smart and decide not to do the company
re-roll so my HQ will stick around- it was a good choice, because when I
rolled just to see what would happen I rolled a 1)
The Sturmis, SMGs, rifles do nothing, but the arty party nabs 2 more stands of the Freiwilligen. The pioneers assault and finish the HQ off, only loosing one stand to defensive fire. Being below half strength and with no CO, the Freiwilligen surrenders to the almighty Finnish army, who begin drinking their looted booze. 5-2 Finns!
The board at the end
From the observer's view
All the casualties from the game
Attacker's thoughts: Really I owe my victory to his inability to roll dice well in the first few turns, and after his StuGs and ack ack guns died, there was really nothing he could do. The end of the board became a quagmire and nothing could move around very well. But it came to a ton of big assaults and those were fun, and really dictated the game.
Defenders thoughts: I could have rolled my dice better in the beginning. At the end, it was getting late so I decided to pull a @#%! it move which failed, but was really fun. Looking forward to our next game!
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