Infantry Aces with a difference

 Infantry Aces at G3, Glasgow

 Starting on the 3rd September 2013 I'll be kicking off an Infantry Aces campaign at my local gaming club, Glasgow Games Group (G3). This will be the second 'Out of the tube' campaign I've run at the club. The first was a highly successful Tank Aces campaign which averaged eight players throughout the running time, with people dropping out and joining as the campaign continued. 

 Inspired by the success and heartened by the interest from members at the club, I pressed on, managing to (luckily) find a copy of Infantry Aces at my local games stockist (Static Games, Glasgow). Armed with the map, pin badges and the rules from the Flames of War website, I began to plan.

Infantry Aces rules and resources are available from the Flames of War website, here

Monte Cassino... The map will be used, but the terrain will be different

A few small changes

 The Infantry Aces rules are really easy to follow and in my own humble opinion, the experience awards are far more balanced. The problem I had during the Tank Aces campaign was that after a good game the winner could be five XP ahead of the loser, meaning they were on their first skill. Should the player continue to do well, they would soon outstrip the field, and a few players did. The Infantry Aces XP awards are more balanced and easier to achieve more points, even on the losing side.

 One idea that I will be bringing across from Tank Aces is the 'Tactical Edge' tokens. These one-use counters allow players to re-roll dice from Motivation Tests to one that allows any dice roll to be re-rolled. The other interesting use of them is that they aren't limited to being used on your own units. And many a time during the campaign a closely passed dice roll has been forced to be re-rolled due to a token, and often meant the difference between a loss and a win. Naturally with the lack of armoured vehicles early on in the campaign I won't be using the 'Re-roll an armour save' token. The others however fit fine in an infantry heavy setting.

Army Building

 The important bit now, which forces can you take, and what will be their complement? Notes in red are a deviation from the Infantry Aces core rules.

• Any Infantry or Mechanised company/battalion from any legal Late War book. If in doubt ask.
• Mechanised Companies must have infantry as their core. i.e. No armoured car squadrons. 
• Mechanised Companies may not have any vehicle with a front armour higher than 1
• You may spend up to 500pts on your company and must take:

1. A company HQ, with the Commander in Chief representing your Infantry Ace (This unit cannot be upgraded with 'Special Characters' as they are aces in their own rights
2. At least 1 combat platoon from the mandatory platoons

• Any remaining points may be spent on other Combat or Weapons platoons. No points may be spent on platoons solely reliant on vehicles (Universal Carrier, Panzerspäh, Cavalry Recon etc...)
• Pioneer Supply Vehicles automatically deploy fortifications during deployment and are then sent to the rear

First Turn

 First turn will be the entirety of September. 

 Games will be played on 3'x4' tables to prevent players with Veteran ratings to dig in and sit.

 Players only earn XP for their first two games, and subsequent games will be for control points.

 The contested are must be decided upon before starting.

 After-action reports must be completed for all games. Slips will be supplied.

Rewards for participation

 As per usual players will receive an 'Infantry Aces' badge for successful completion of the campaign. Due to limited availability players will only receive a badge if they participate in every turn of the campaign, turning in After Action Reports for their games.

 I will also look into getting a more substantial reward for the player voted 'Ace of Aces' by all other participants (And no, you may not vote for yourself)

The coveted Infantry Aces pin badge

 So, with that, it's on to gaming. Any questions feel free to drop me a line here, or catch me on the G3 Facebook group.

Over and out.

Don't fear a Tiger (1750pts Late-war tournament)

 Worlds at War, 18/08/2013

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 Worlds at War in Livingston, run by Frank Keast, has been a hub for Flames of War for many a year now and proudly boasts of monthly tournaments. Not only are these tournaments regular, but are usually two or three events over a weekend and are always well attended.

 I had the pleasure of attending the third of this weekend's tournaments, missing out on a 1600pt Mid-war, and a further 1750pt late war tournament the previous days. I packed up my confident (but untried) Guards Armoured Recce Squadron and headed over.

 Apologies to my fellow players if they feel they aren't mentioned enough, but my games usually don't take long one way or the other, and for some reason this time around they were more closely contested than normal, so I couldn't sit in on other games being played.

Slightly Out-numbered

 German lists seemed to be the popular choice, with five out of eight players taking them, leading to a small amount of blue-on-blue. The players and their forces were as follows (Allies in blue, Axis in red):

• Bill Patterson- 12th Volksgrenadier
• David Burns- Kampfgruppe Hummel
• Dougie Kirby- Guards Armoured Recce (Overlord- Confident Trained)
• Lawrence Kettle- Feldherrnhalle Panzergrenadier Kompanie
• Dave Patterson- Panzerkompanie (Reluctant Trained)
• Norman McLean- Soviet Self-propelled Heavy Artillery
• Andy Thompson- Kampfgruppe Piper
• Myself- Guards Armoured Recce (Market Garden- Confident Veteran)

 With the first set of games arranged the mission was rolled and came up: Hold The Line

Remember your objectives

 With my opponent being relatively new player David Burns, I didn't know what to expect or even how to go about my task, given that he had seven Tigers and a King Tiger. This one was going to be interesting.

The starting positions for the Infantry, Cromwells, Sextons and M10Cs

 With the small advantage of being the attacker, his delayed reserves might allow me an easier run at the objectives, I set up and readied my assault. This is when interesting question and check of the 'Bridge by Bridge' book was brought up. Kampfgruppe Hummel may take Luftwaffe Flak platoons. But these are no normal platoons, with two Vierlings and an 8.8cm in a platoon for 90pts, it's not to be sniffed at. The downside to this is that they are only Reluctant Trained, so can be pinned and taken care of easily.

The cheap and cheerful 8.8cm, with the Vierling in the background

 So as a brief summary of the game:

 I loaded one flank with both Cromwell Platoons, the M10Cs and the other had the infantry picking their way towards the objective being guarded by the dug in '88'. Watching over all of this were the Sextons hiding a bit back behind walls and fields. Air support was decent enough, but with the amount of FlaK on the other side the poor planes had little to no chance of success.
 The first few turns were fairly sparse, with no targets for the M10's and the Challengers, given their 'No HE' rule, and the infantry made steady progress. A warning shot from the '88' narrowly missing the 2iC's tank making him think again about advancing down the middle.

The Grenadiers defending the objective on the forested hill

 Then the Tigers appeared. Four of them right in the face of a platoon of Cromwells. The two hanging out of the forested hill not living to regret their enthusiasm. Little did I know that these Tigers were a little senile and limp-legged. For the Tigers from Hummel are only Confident Trained, have no wide tracks and are still unreliable.

Reckless movement kills off two Cromwells, while the Challenger sits safe

 A tentative game came into play, with my faith in Veterans being concealed and at long range giving me the confidence to send the Challengers forward to trade shots with the Tigers. Which they did to great effect, knocking a good few out.

 The Infantry risked an 'At the Double' move to close in on the '88' covered objective, and were subsequently fired on by three arriving Tigers and the '88' itself. An almighty 28 shots resulting in... no losses to the stalwart men in khaki. This tirade of shots only emboldened them, sweeping the '88' in the subsequent turn only to be trampled and routed by a slightly braver Tiger II.

The Tigers knock out the Cromwells, but are soon picked off by the waiting Challengers

 The game was wrapped up shortly after due to time restraints, with the loss of one platoon of Cromwells, the M10s and the infantry causing a shaky moment, luckily being Guards kept me in it long enough to secure a 3-4 loss. Even with the last gasp pushing of infantry off the other objective, they kept close enough to deny a victory.

Lessons learned from this game? 17pdrs are your friends for making Tigers go 'boom'.

Read the mission carefully

(Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of this game as it was so intense)

 Next up, I was drawn against Dave Patterson, with his Feldherrnhalle Panzerkompanie. The prospect of plenty of Panthers, but having a lesser training on them.

 The mission rolled was 'Breakthrough', and with the FHH having the 'Always Attack' special rule, I was put on the defensive.

 The table divided into quarters and objectives placed, it then came the time to select my one and only armoured platoon to defend, having to obey the 'Mobile Reserves' rule. This transpired to be the M10Cs and with the infantry being able to deploy, having no transports.

 The game started and I soon found out what a platoon of 251/21 (Triple 15mm) combined with Mobelwagens can do to deny any modicum of air support.as an almighty twenty dice of AA went into driving off the Typhoons.

Dave's stunning FHH Panzerkompanie

 This is the moment when the title of this paragraph comes into effect; for I had wrongly believed that 'Delayed Reserves' applied to myself also. Upon further reading and understanding, this was proven to be wrong. But, regardless, we continued the game. The Panthers trundling their way towards the objectives while the M10Cs did a poor job of hiding and subsequently burst into flames.

 The arrival of the Cromwell platoons did a little to bolster my confidence as they forced Dave to choose which side to expose his weaker armour to. Suddenly the 75mm on a Cromwell doesn't look that bad in comparison when hitting armour 5.

 Turn three arrived however and with it another platoon of Panthers from the table edge with the objectives. With my forces a little far away, and subject to a beating if they came out of cover the decision was made to be impolite and to utterly destroy the two units of Anti-Air, thereby securing a 3-4 again. Even with the infantry making a last ditch attempt to assault the Panthers on the objective. But as luck would have it, five out of seven shots from the Panthers pinned down the plucky Brits and the game was won.

 Lessons learned from this game? Read the mission rules carefully and if in doubt of a platoon's firepower, ask; your opponent should be kind enough to tell you.

Damn nine platoons and damn withdrawing platoons!

 Lastly, I was drawn up against Bill Patterson and the might of the 12th Volksgrenadier. A formidable looking force with plenty of infantry, being supported by two Jagdpanthers. This one was going to be a tough nut to crack.

The mission was 'Surrounded', which didn't make my job any easier. His PaK40's, field guns and even rocket launcher battery having the ability to dig in around some rather open objectives. Worse still, the Jagdpanthers in immediate ambush was a little unnerving.

 This is when mistake number one was made; instead of splitting my anti-tank capabilities on either flank, forcing him to present weaker armour to one side, I instead loaded a flank and it led to my downfall. The Jags being placed with perfect cover and with their Stormtrooper move, a place to retreat to. Add into this the church on the hill providing his independent and MG teams a good view of both the objectives and my advancing infantry, this was not going to go well.

Gamers in their element

 True to form, the M10s let me down again as they went down immediately to the Jags. Not that their No HE 17pdrs were much use against the mass of infantry holding the objectives. The Cromwell platoons fairing no better as they were pounded on by PaK 40's and field guns alike. The rocket battery putting the hurt on the infantry before they could even get into the battle.

 The one thing I had going for me; Bill had no anti-aircraft support. And this fact was to be a major point in securing me some points. For in the first turn, the speed of the Cromwells took them into a mortar platoon, which they subsequently overran in the following turn. But, of course, Bill had nine platoons, so this one got me nothing.

 Eventually, I was down to a barely functioning infantry platoon, the 2iC on his own facing two Jagdpanthers and away on the other flank the platoon of CiC, Cromwell and Challenger breathing down the neck of the rocket battery.

 The 2iC made a brave move and skirted round the Jags, who were almost back to back at this point. But a lucky hit on the side armour caused a small stir, until the firepower was failed and the mighty beast only bailed out. The brave 2iC was taught the folly of his hubris and flattened.

The sad remains of the proud Cromwells

Over on the other side though, I had a little more success, with the Cromwell platoon rolling into the Rocket Battery and crushing one of them under their treads, The platoon however survived and passed their motivation to fall back.

FIRE ALARM

 At this point, the fire alarm went off, and we brave souls wandered out into the elements while they investigated whether the chip-shop next door was burning down again.

 Seems it was, but was saved from a fiery end. With that we were allowed back in to continue gaming.

We brave few who stood around while the sirens deafened us

The end is near

 Bill then made a telling mistake, bringing the Jagdpanthers out of safety to support the beaten down Rockets. This proved to be a fatal error as I managed to secure air support. I only rolled one aircraft however, so odds were not good. But, even with the re-rolls to hit, both tank-hunters were pelted with rockets and some poor dice rolling for saves sent the hapless monsters up in flames, thus securing me a point.

The burning remains of the Jagdpanthers and the now slightly reduced defenders

 The Cromwells then pushed on, crushing more rocket launchers. With only one left and no command team my confidence in finishing them off was high. But, alas, a withdrawal move was passed and the one loan rocket launcher escaped the field denying me the further point.

Lessons learned from this game? Nine platoon companies are tough to crack if they're in good prepared positions and don't be afraid to push forward and finish a wounded platoon for points.

Aftermath and the tail end of Andy Thompson's final game

 With that the tournament was over for the majority. I'd scored a respectable 8 points given that I didn't win a game. Attention though turned to Andy and Lawrence, still battling it out on the table behind.

 Andy was using Kampfgruppe Pieper and his Panthers were having a tough time getting onto the objectives as Lawrence's hardy FHH Grenadiers were putting their Anti-tank weapons to good use. Combined with some skilful Stormtrooper moves keeping Lawrence's Panzer IV/70s out of sight of the scary 7.5cm tank killers.

The presence of Panzerfausts and Panzerschrecks keep the Panthers at bay

 The problem Andy was having was that Lawrence had only the staff and command of an artillery team left, who were going nowhere and thus denying him points. The only weapons that were hitting were machine guns and they were doing nothing to the bulletproof cover the teams were cowering in. The Panthers relentlessly pounding with their main guns were missing, and when they were hitting, the infantry saves were keeping the helpless teams alive.

 Finally, just as time was about to be called on the game a breakthrough was made. Andy's Panthers had hit with their main guns, Lawrence failed the saves and the killing power of the beasts put paid to the remnants holding on to deny points.

Final Scores

 And with that, the tournament was over. The final scores being:

1. Andy: 15
2. Lawrence: 14 
3. Bill: 11
4. Dave P.: 11
5. Norman: 10
6. David B.: 9
7. Me: 8
8. Dougie: 6

 So,  a bad day for the Allies, but for Andy and his last minute play (A thing he had been holding out for, since he knew 1 more point would win it for him), victory and plaudits.

The smug victor himself, Andy Thompson

 As per usual Frank organised a great tournament with a relaxed atmosphere. I would recommend any player that finds themselves up or around Livingston while a tournament if being run should go in and check it out, or even try to participate. Spaces are limited due to constraints, and the popularity always guarantees a full roster.

 That's all for now, over and out.

Andy's Kampfgruppe Pieper

Norman's Soviet Self Propelled Heavy Artillery

Bill's 12th Volksgrenadier Kompanie

Dougie's Guards Armoured Recce (Normandy)

The Prologue

 Glasgow Games Group (G3), 13/08/2013

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 As an introduction to the Infantry Aces campaign being run in September, and to demonstrate the game to new and interested players I opted to run a demonstration game to two chaps on the above date. This soon became six players as interest grew, and would have expanded more were it not for time and space constraints.

 The venue for both the demonstration and the campaign proper is Woodside Halls in the north of Glasgow.

Woodside Halls, with the aftermath of the battle clear to see

 The battlefield was a simple one for the players to fight over, with a road running north to south, with an intersection taking it east. A small dwelling near the middle surrounded by fields and the occasional copse of trees dotting the countryside to provide cover. Finally, two low-rise hills to provide vantage points for guns or tanks. With the scenery in place, it was time to start the battle.

 On the side of the Axis we have Hauptmann Craig and his Unteroffizers Grace and Iain, and opposing them Colonel Chris and his subalterns Scott and Murray.

The war councils begin to plan their strategies, or merely pose for the camera

Turn One

 With the Allies winning the dice roll to start the game they move off from their starting positions, Lieutenant Murray taking control of a platoon of Shermans, supported by the 2iC. They wheel round the western hillock in an attempt to flank Unteroffizer Grace's PaK 40's which sit covering the Tiger objective in the middle of the road. They open fire, dispatching one of the guns with a well-placed 75mm shell. Colonel Chris sends his Sherman platoon down the middle, using the southern woods to shield his approach from the deadly AT guns and their supporting StuGs. Finally the American support from Technical Sergeant Scott in the form of Paratroopers advance through the south eastern woods tentatively on their approach towards the Cromwell objective crashed in the nearby vineyard. 

 Considering the Shermans to be a threat on the west-flank, Grace pulls back the remaining AT gun to behind the cover of the nearby forest, relying on the StuGs to offer some support in dealing with the troublesome tanks. Unteroffizer Iain however spots that Colonel Chris has been poor in his positioning and has left the Sherman Firefly in the open to one of his StuGs. The assault guns climb the hill and open fire on the hapless tank. Thankfully for the allies, the shots knock a track loose, but leaves the Firefly in the fight. The two platoons of Grenadiers make their way towards the house and it's adjoining vineyard, safe in the knowledge that the Yankee dogs are still a march away.

Turn Two

 The inactive Firefly fails to get moving again as the crew botches their test to remount the bailed vehicle, leaving it at the mercy of the Germans. Not wishing the same fate on his remaining Shermans, Colonel Chris pulls the three back further behind the forest. Sensing the demise of the PaK 40's, Murray advances his Shermans round the forest and lets rip, decimating the AT gun and their command team for the first platoon loss of the game. Cold stares and heartless words are exchanged across the table for the merciless slaughtering of the platoon. The Americans begin to cross open ground, confident in their training to allow them to seize the Cromwell objective.

The Shermans make short work of the remaining PaK 40

 Eager to extract vengeance on the ruthless Shermans, Unteroffizer Iain diverts two of his StuGs down the hill towards the advancing tanks, in order to blunt this spearhead advance. The tactic pays off as one of the Shermans go up in flames, while another bails out against the small volley of fire. The German grenadiers continue their advance, with Hauptmann Craig's platoon and CiC taking up a position in the middle forest, while Unteroffizer Grace with the 2iC edge the vineyard in preparation to repel the advancing Americans.

Turn Three

The bailed Firefly manages to get back into the fight after a turn out, as does the bailed Sherman on the west-flank. The Firefly showing it's worth by knocking out the lone StuG cresting the hill, while the thick frontal armour of the two on the flat save them from the repeated bombardment from Lieutenant Murray's Shermans. T.S. Scott's Paratroopers take up a position on the other side of the vineyard to the Grenadiers, denying them the objective outright and allowing them shots into the German lines.The burst of rounds from the Americans sends one squad of grenadiers to an early bath, but didn't do enough to pin the stalwart Jerries.

 

It's game over for the lone StuG on the hill as Unteroffizer Iain awaits the inevitable

 Vengeance soon comes for the StuGs as they rip into the Shermans on the west-flank, knocking out the two remaining Sherman V's, leaving only the Firefly active. With the 2iC gone, the Firefly crew decide to be cautious, not stupid, and retreat to fight another day. The Grenadiers fearing a little under the high amount of fire coming their way attempt to dig in to repel the advancing allies, but the tangle of roots in the vineyard makes it hard for the Grenadiers there, and their comrades in the forest fair no better, with both platoons failing to dig in. The reduced fire from them fails to dissuade the Paratroopers as turn three ticks over.

Turn three from the air. The Grenadiers and Paratroopers exchange fire across the vineyard

Turn Four

 With the threat on the hill dealt with, the Shermans turn their attentions to the vineyard and the objective, trundling forward to provide fire support for the Americans, alas the cover of the forest proves too good and not a single team falls under the hail of bullets. The Paratroopers show them how it's done, with the Grenadiers in the vineyard taking a beating  which costs them their platoon command. Thankfully a Sergent is on hand to take over and with a little 'encouragement' from the nearby 2iC manage to keep themselves in the fight.

The situation looks grim for the Axis as their platoon in the vineyard gets reduced to almost nought

The Germans put their backs into it, and this time manage to break the earth and construct good defensive positions in fox-holes. The reduced fire from the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck of the Grenadiers in the woods doesn't hamper them from bailing a Sherman. The luck of the Americans continues no more as the Paratroopers finally begin taking a few casualties from the fire of the Grenadiers, but not enough to drive them off.

The line in the sand is drawn, but neither side is brave enough to cross

Turn Five

 Confident that they can seize the victory, Colonel Chris continues the fire into the Grenadiers, taking out a team while the Americans find it hard going to even dent the dug in Grenadiers in the vineyard. Confidence they might have had, luck they didn't.

Colonel Chris (right) directs the battle as Lieutenant Murray looks on

 Showing them how it's done, the remaining Grenadier platoon combines their fire with the Company Commander's and lays waste to the Paratroopers, reducing them to only a few men. Continuing their good run of luck, the anti-tank weapons of the CiC's platoon brews up a Sherman and bails the Allies CiC. With the Paratroopers gone it was only the Shermans left to seize the day.

The AT weapons from the Grenadiers are put to good use, lighting up a Sherman and bailing the other

Turn Six

 Sensing that it's now or never, and on the advice of a certain Ranger, Colonel Chris passes the company command test, gets his CiC back into his tank and leads his men into the heart of the Grenadiers, machine-guns blazing and tracks grinding they pin the Germans before they declare their assault. The staunch defenders attempt to halt the charge with their AT weapons, but to no avail as the Shermans roar into their positions.. and then subsequently only kill one base.  The counter-attack from the Germans is merciless, wiping out the Sherman platoon and leaving the objectives free to be taken by the Axis.

The last ditch attempt from the Allies goes awry as the German defenders swamp the remaining tanks

Result and Aftermath

 A resounding win for the Axis on the face of it, though there were points where it looked dire, especially when the Pak 40s were taken out so early, and then later on when the Grenadiers holding the objective were subjected to the brutal firepower of the Paratroopers.

Come in number 12, your time is up. The lone StuG burns on the hill

The sad remains of the once victorious Shermans burn on the west-flank

The victorious Axis forces (from left to right), Unteroffizer Grace, Hauptmann Craig and Unteroffizer Iain

That's got us all right in the mood for the upcoming Infantry Aces campaign being run at the club. Watch this space for more action from the games and a track of who's winning, who's losing and who's just having a laugh.

 That's all from the field for now, over and out.