AAR: Battle on the Mississippi 2016.1

Another one in the books, with the completion of the first Battle on the Mississippi for 2016. This one was a 1600 mid-war affair drawing players from all across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Missouri, and probably places I’ve forgotten.

We one again, must thank Battlefront, the Battle Badgers, the Screaming Eagles, and Deaf Ear Records for making this all come together in La Crosse WI. Between Prize Support (Battlefront, Battle Badgers and the Screaming Eagles), tables (Battle Badgers, Screaming Eagles, William Yankausky, Partrick Barkuloo, Joe Abrisz) there were a lot of people putting in major efforts to make this one happen.

Special thanks to Chuck Hiner who was the TO for the tournament and did a great job with all the paperwork and keeping everything running along smoothly. Chuck is also the guy who put together and picked out the great trophies!

Results

1. Chris Novak – German – Able Kompanie – Overall Winner
2. Keith Gilmour – Britis – Best Allied General
3. William Yankausky – Soviet – T-Rex Winner
4. Rick Davis – Finns – Best Axis General
5. Patrick Barkuloo – British
6. Rick Gearheart – Finns – Battle Badgers – Best Painted
7. Collin Chouinard – Italian – Screaming Eagles
8. Tom Gall – Soviet – Screaming Eagles
9. Ken Horton – Hungarian – Battle Badgers
10. Joe Abrisz – German
11. Matt Vach – German – Screaming Eagles
12. Mark Bullen – German – Screaming Eagles
13. Lee Shaver – US – Battle Badgers
14. Ben Aehl – German
15. Richard Novak – Soviet – Able Kompanie
16. Joel Hessler – Brits – Battle Badgers
17. Bill Wojahn – Hungarian – Screaming Eagles
18. Ryan Peacore – British – Battle Badgers – Best Sportman

Chris Novak, the overall Winer. Well done Chris!

Keith Gilmour, overall best Allied General playing British.

Rick Davis, best Axis General, playing Finns. (Both Finnish Armies did really well)

Will Yankausky the winner of the dreaded T-Rex award. He finished strong. In his last round had a crazy bad set of die rolls. He can tell you the story.

Best sportman, Ryan Peacore, playing British.

Best painted army, Rick Gearheart and his pretty amazing Finns.

Action

Here’s a number of actions shots from the day… lots of eye candy here!

Round 1, Keith and Ken going at it in the streets.

Ryan Peacore’s Brits on the move in the desert…. get ready for a hail of bullets.

Patrick and Chris duking it out.

Now THAT is what you call a line of battle! (I think these are Richard Novak’s Russians…)

Chris and Will, battling it out for the Championship.

My AAR

A couple of months ago I decided I’d try and do a mid-war version of the late war Soviet tank format I’d played at TundraCon II. 1600 points doesn’t go very far so I ended up with just 6 T-34s with tankodesantniki, 4 SU-85s, 5 T-70s, 3 AA trucks and a Stormavik. Makes for quick setup and take down which for tournament play least means more time on the table top.

The first game of the day I played against Rick Gearheart and his Finns with Domination as the mission. I figured I’d play my T70s to the center to take the 4 spot and in theory hold against the hoard of Finn infantry coming my way, have my T-34s swing around the flank to grab a ‘2’ and then have them come in towards the end of the game to in theory bolster the defense or push forward with the attack where there were two ‘1’s to be had.  I put my SU85s on the left flank, where the territory was more open and in fitting with their guns and a plum 3 was there and a quick and easy ‘1’ . I figured they could boogie out if needed as my main assault needed to be on the right as that was where most of the points were.

My SU85s ended up tangling with 2 KV-1s, a couple of scout cars and some infantry. Unfortunately with no machine guys they really aren’t good unless strongly supported and as a result were for the entire game essentially reacting and trying to stay out of getting mobbed. On the other hand, they kept a bunch of stuff out of the main fight which was what I needed, and with the help of my air, did take out both KV1s.

The T-70s ended up getting mauled between anti-tank guns and infantry but put enough hurt in that as the game was coming to a close my T-34s could come in and keep the middle. We ended up play 10 turns and in theory the game should have been done sooner as Rick had grabbed the 4 pt objective but I was able to come in and contest it with some dramatic assaulting in the last turns.

A 4-3 loss but a mighty fun game and great way to kick off the tournament.

Next I played Joe with his German Pioneer list, including a KV-1, Ferdinand, and Tiger in Encounter. I fully expended to get completely smoked as I knew unless I got on the rear of the Ferdinand there was nothing I could do to it. Likewise the Tiger and KV-1 wouldn’t be able to be touched by anything but the SU-85s. With both of us having to keep 1/2 off table as reserves I keep my AA and SU-85s off, starting with my T70s and T-34s while Joe started with his infantry, 88s, and 20mm AA guns. (They might have been 37s)

With my T70s on the far right I ran up the side of the table to get in range of the dug in pioneers. I figured I had about 4 turns to push and take the objective up there before re-inforcements would break the situation for me. I kept my T34s in the center with the idea of watching the other objective and keeping it from being contested. Given their tankodesantniki, they should at least be able to inflict plenty of hurt, tho the engineers are nothing short of crazy great against tanks with their high tank assault values.

Approx turn 2, my Stormavik came down and dropped a well placed bomb into the pioneers on the objective I was pushing for. It took out approx 2-3 stands and this was my signal to assault. Unfortunately just behind those Pioneers was Joe’s Ferdinand. Time for some courage given it was just out from participating in the assault, I came in with my T70s and my battalion command T34, and through a crazy set of die rolls I ended up taking out the engineers without a loss, just one bail.

I received my SU85s. Unfortunately with the Ferdinand parked contesting the objectives, until the SU85s could get into position and rush in, there was little hope taking the objective, OTOH it could serve to draw in more of Joe’s forces and maybe create an opening for my T34s to head for the other objective.

Using the T70s I swung around and assaulted his 88 and 20mm AA guns and likewise Joe halted his thrust down the middle and headed towards the objective I’d been attacking. The created a few opportunities for both Joe and I to take swings at each other.

The SU85/Ferdinand + KV fight continued where I took out Joe’s Ferdinand, but losing all my SU85s in trade. The KV-1 would be taken out by a Stormavik bomb late in the game, still the upper objective wasn’t something I could take with just two T-70s and so ultimately I pinned my hopes on my T34s going for the other objective and the potential for air to get after the tiger.

One die again and again for Air support just didn’t work out and time was ultimately called where I was contesting the objective the still two T-34s against 1 tiger wasn’t a winner combination. A 3-3 tie.

Again another very well played and very dramatic game. Was a heck of a fun one and kudos to Joe.

The last game I played against Ken. We’d faced off at TundraCons I and II before, so this was our 3rd match up. He was playing a really fun looking list of Hungarian Cav with 3 STuGs, a couple of 80s, Marder Is and plenty of infantry and Cav.

The mission was Hold the Line and I was the attacker. Ken had his 80s and STuGs in ambush so I figured I was pretty much going to take it on the nose pretty bad. Without any recon to sniff out the ambushes, there wasn’t much to do but use traditional Russian tactics, push hard, and take the fire to find out where he was.

I placed my one objective close up on the ridge and Ken placed his objective as far back as possible.

Starting up the game I had a hard choice. I needed my T-70s to get after what was going to be a heck of a lot of horses if the game went long and T-34s to assault. Likewise The SU-85s weren’t going to be of much use without machine guns so they had to be ready to go after the STuGs and 80s and anything else that was a danger to armor.

To do an effective rush I really needed my T-34s and their fast tank status to take the 32″ of double movement to invite the ambushes to fire off. Buuuut, given their strong assault abilities I thought the better of it and instead gave this honor to the T70s putting them on the far flank with my AA trucks and my battalion commander behind. I put the S85s and T34s more or less in the middle to push down the center on the hill towards the obvious objective.

Ken didn’t disappoint on springing his ambushes, the 80s and StuGs came out to play right away. While my T70s made a very big  double move, they were brewed up to a tank with the 80s and their extra crews not missing a shot, 6 shots, 5 brew ups. Great shooting.

In the middle the StuGs were after my T34s so they were kind of pinned down but my SU-85s were in position to be going after the 80s. Top of turn 2 I was able to take out one of 80s but didn’t do a thing to the StuGs either with Air nor my T34 fire.

Turn 3 Ken and I traded fire, where i lost my SU-85s to platoon moral but his 80s were gone and my AA trucks were just a hair off the objective and my T-34s making a break for it as well. Again my Air didn’t do squat. Ken received his Marder I platoon and moved to get them into position to try and pick off T34s or anything that could contest.

Turn 4 the pivotal one, I was able to get on the objective, my AA trucks were able get rounds onto the Marders, taking one out and bailing another, and my T-34s were on the objective. Ken would roll up more reinforcements, taking Cav. His lone functional Marder took a shot, likewise the StuGs moving took their shots but my T34s survived and without being able to contest the objective that was that, a 4-3 win.

Next!

2016.2  we’ll have in about 2-3 months we figure. We’re thinking it’ll be a late war affair limited to books covering approx Dec 44 to May 45. Stay tuned!