Last Game of Flames of War for 2011

I put a shout out for a game to my fellow gamers at our local club. It was my last game for 2011 as I am heading to New Zealand on a Holiday very soon. Awesome. It was proposed for 2 players per side with 2,000 points each to spend, Late War, Total Vitory mission. One side Germans and one side Soviets. It was an easy guess that my fellow Sov player would be taking an IS-2 heavy tank list. I really had no idea what we would face but I thought it would be a great chance to get an Udarny Soviet Shock troops list on the table. It is always great to hang with some gamers and throw some dice around and see what happens. The up coming new Soviet compilation (Red Bear) and tank rules naturally got a little kicking around among us.
My List...
2 maxed out Infantry Platoons.
Flame teams x 4 (2 for each Infantry platoon).
Scout Infantry
5 x IS-2 heavy tanks
5 Flame Tanks
Blunt and simple...just the way I like it (sometimes).

During the game unusually for me I took a defensive stance around the left hand objective. Why? This was because of lots of open space and lots of mobile MG vehicles that would reduce my Infantry numbers easily enough. This proved possibly the right thing to do as 2 Platoons of Pumas arrived behind my force during the game. Besides we rolled Defender in any case.

When some SS infantry started to occupy some buildings in assault range of one of my Infantry Platoons the Shock Infantry went on the rampage and wiped a few teams before they fell back but it was enough to force a below half check and the last 2 teams retired from the table. Sometimes even fearless troops break.

Table set up with the Road being the halfway line in no mans land.

After deployment the table from the other end with my Soviet Infantry dug in around an objective.

The Panzer IV versus IS-2 and infantry fight for an objective.

A big fight took place at the other end of the table with Panzer IV (FV nutty SS ones) going hard out for the objective in the trees. They destroyed themselves in the process.

Phil's awesome Soviet ground attack planes doing another Air Strike. My FV soviet scouts managed to nail one of the Hummels in an assault from the rear table edge but they got destroyed in the process. The planes are 1:100 non Battlefront models.

Puma platoon arriving from reserves behind my Soviet Infantry. Fortunately all dug in with heads down.

End game. Flame T-34 tanks passed bog checks to get within 4 inches of the 2 of the remaining Infantry in half tracks to destroy them both. One was destroyed earlier by an Infantry flame team who sneaked up on them through the buildings. In the same turn something incredible happened. I had 3 IS-2 (stationary) who required one 6 each to hit 3 Panthers. I rolled three 6s. Incredible! One Panther remained though passing its armour save but earlier in the game one was lost to Air Attack. Under half test that was required failed so no more panthers.

The game was fun and a good way for me to finish my gaming year. No more games for me as I am away in NZ and North Queensland with the family until lat January.

Have a good Christmas every body and all the best to you and yours from me (Brendon AKA The Kiwi).

Cheers