My recent FOW games.

In the last 3 weeks I have managed 3 games of Flames of War. I am limited to only playing in the afternoons at my local club due to 'she who must be obeyed' working that day. I used to manage at least 2 games when I attended but not the case at the moment.

1^st game was 2,000 points MidWar. Me with Hungarian Tanks (with German Stukas and 3 x Marder II) versus Soviet Mech horde. Game was encounter and due to my deployment I could see the game would be over for me by Turn 3 as I faced, from memory a full sized T-34 platoon move towards one of the objectives on the right side of the table. I was a tad rusty at the game with not having a game for a while before this one. I am also a very new Hungarian player with not many games using my midwar Hungarian Tanks (despite having them for a while).

Future projects for them is definitely getting an infantry platoon completed. It should fill the infantry void in the list. The game panned out as predicted and I even managed to lose my 1iC in an assault on Infantry. 2 tanks hit with top armour 1 facing AT2 in assault and yep I roll snake eyes. That’s the way it rolls sometimes.

Next Sunday game I tried a 1,750 Late War Fallshirmjager list from Hells Highway. I have never tried the Fearless Trained version so made a list that had the 5 FV Stugs and the 5 CT Halftrack recce tanks. Other support was 4 x Heavy Mortars. 2 x Regular FJ Infantry (Full sized) and 1 x FJ Pioneer platoon. I maxed out with the HQ support options and come game time I made a KG platoon with 3 stump mortars, 3 x Panzershrecks, and some FJ infantry teams. Sometimes the most unlikely platoons/teams on paper can surprise you in games and the Stump Mortars managed to do that in this game. I faced a really good SS Infantry list. One of the better ones I have faced at our club for a while. From memory it had 3 Platoons of SS infantry, a small FJ platoon, 3 x Pak 40, 3 x Nebs platoon, 3 x Flak gun platoon (ground mounted 24inch range ones) and 3 x Marder III (which became a real nuisance). Game was free for all and I was defender. I dug in as soon as I could and moved my Recce forward on a flank to shoot up the AA platoon guns. A ruski village was used for some SS infantry to approach my table side but they got sent packing by an FJ assault and the Stugs and Recce vehicle moved into a position that meant that the village approach was no longer feasible. The Stugs and Marders traded shots and a Stug went up but I only managed bails on them. It wasn’t until the Stump Mortars managed to range in and get a destruction result that the Platoon bugged out. We ran out of time but it was a very enjoyable game.

My most recent game was 1500points midwar commanding a German Armoured Recon list. 2 platoons of Panzer II Luch, a platoon of 2 x 8 Rads, 3 x Hornisse, 3 x Panzerwefers and also my very first game use of a Heavy Artillery unit for the Germans (15cm guns). We later nick named this unit the Thermal Nuclear Tactical Strike unit. I faced an Australian Div Cav list with 2 x platoons of Carriers, 3 x Grants, 2 x platoons of Crusaders, Air-Support (which showed up around 3 times but did nothing), and 4 x 25pdr platoon. Table was Italy style with a Village and hills and roads and forests and a wheat field. Mission was Hasty Assault.

It was a total slog fest. After only bailing 1 Grant from my Laser ambush (Hornisse) I had a sinking feeling that this was going to go pear shaped over the next 3 turns. By turn 2 the Hornisse Platoon was no more. But incrediblly I managed a narrow win in the end. The Div Cav lost the Grants when they bunched up and the small Nuclear strike managed to get them and the 1iC under the template. My reserves arrived late and slowly. I did manage a sneaky ploy to distract from all the attention that one of  my weakly held objectives was getting by double timing a Luch platoon across the table (after it arrived from reserves). Then attacking and assaulting the 25pdr platoon placed on it. They took out 2 guns and even pinned them for a turn but eventually got bailed by a Crusader that moved away from the Objective they where pressuring (as I had hoped) then assaulted by the independant Arty HQ Command Team.

This game though was one of those classics that just make you want to play another game. It was really enjoyable.

Cheers