Overlord Brit v FI 4. Fallschirmjägerdivision 1750 AAR - Pincer

Hello

It's been an age since I did an AAR.  There have been a number of abortive attempts, but hopefully this candidate will make it to production.

To set the scene, Ben was coming over to get some practice for Art of War Too.  He'd had some recent success against Tankovy so the FJs were back on the table to give him some practice facing veteran infantry.

Now I've had a desire to do the whole, infantry backed by a single super heavy tank for a while now.  I don't think it's particularly competitive, but you do see it alot.  My only offering for this is an Elefant so I used the EasyArmy unit finder thingy and remembered that you can take them in Fortress Italy.  In fact I found a list I'd been experimenting with hand written tucked inside my book.

There were a few tweaks I really needed to make, like squeezing in an extra Shrek, and downsizing the mortars.  This is a terrible list btw, but I didn't have time to write a new one.


Order of Battle

4. Fallschirmjägerdivision
Fearless Veteran

CinC and 2iC SMGs with Fausts - 75pts
1 Mortar (attach to mortar platoon) - 25pts
2 Shreks (attach one each to FJ platoons) - 60pts

FJ platoon with command Faust - 275pts
FJ platoon with command Faust - 275pts

Short Mortar platoon (2 guns) - 65pts

Pak 40 platoon (4 guns) - 240pts

Elefant - 300pts

Nebs (3 guns - CV - Allied) - 105pts

Artillery Battery (4 x leFH18) - 230pts

Flak 88 with extra crew (1 gun) - 95pts

Total 1745pts

British Armour
Confident Veteran

CinC Sherman, 2iC Sherman

2 Shermans, 1 Firefly
2 Shermans, 1 Firefly
2 Shermans, 1 Firefly
3 Shermans, 1 Firefly

Mortars (4 guns)
Universal Carriers (3)
Universal Carriers (3)

Breaching group - 2 AVREs
Breaching group - 1 Sherman, 2 Sherman Crabs

Seeing Ben's list, I could see how it had torn through some tankovy, the combination of smoke and high end AT with Semi's would be devastating to the Trained Hen and Chicked T34s.

We rolled up Pincer, which I haven't played in a dog's age.  In fact I've never played the new version found in "Lessons from the Front" where you pick one side as your reserve deployment zone.

Here's the table set up

As you can see I set up on the left side, 1 FJ platoon strung out between the objectives, Elefant in the woods, artillery behind in woods/monastery ruins.  The pak40s are in ambush.

It was a toss up between starting with the Flak 88 on board or the Elefant...I went with the Elefant as I wanted to slow Ben's advance, but I knew the 88 would be smashed as soon as it arrived.

Another shot of my deployment

and Ben's deployment

That's a lot of hulls

Ben's bold recce move

Turn one sees a general advance, Sherman's everywhere and the scouts are shutting down the ambush

A mortar barrage smokes the Elefant

First blood to the Fjs, a precise arillery bombardment hits the Universal Carrier, killing 2 and the third one runs off

 Of course at this point I said "Well at least I'm not losing 6-1" but of course Ben has 9 platoons...eek.

The Elefant risked bogging and moved out to take a pot shot

Turn 2 sees more aggressive manoeuvring

and direct fire smoke

WTF MG'ing an arty observer just isn't cricket

FJ Artillery attempt to knock out some hulls, achieving 2 bails

He moves, he shoots, he hits, he fluffs the FP.  Causing a second bail on the CinC, but he passes the motivation check

Turn 3, Ben is really working my left flank and those Neb/Mortar observers are feeling pretty exposed

The Crabs, the 2ic and a platoon occupy the Elfant mostly by smoking it...all freaking game

just like that

An artillery piece gets taken out

Checking line of sight for bombardment and Ben's sexy beard

Another Universal Carrier dies to superior German Artillery fire and a Sherman is bailed

Ben un-bails keeps the pressure on...note the 2 Uni Carriers attacking the observers

Sharking for some side shots

and also....<sigh>

Let this be a lesson to you all, do not assault FJ trained rifle toting artillery observers, they are double hard and will deflect your assault

 Okay, a massive stroke of luck.  How badly do I wish observers could assault right now?  Ben did pass his platoon motivation check and I mentally awarded those guys Iron Crosses.

My turn, the ambush pops, unfortunately mostly at long range

The 88 comes in from reserve, hoping that single shot could make a difference

The Elefant feeling exposed, hits reverse

Between artillery fire, 8 pak 40 shots and 1 88 shot, 2 kills and a bail.  Ben passes the platoon morale check

Ben looks for revenge the AVRE's getting unbelievably aggressive, but with 4" range I guess that's to be expected

The firefly unpins, but the uni carriers do not

2 Arty pieces, the arty commander and a pak 40 go down to Semi indirect fire  The artillery pass the motivation check.

 Missing photo of smoked Elefant and further movement from sherman platoon on my right flank, who destroyed the Flak 88.

  In my turn, I failed the sole survivor check and Ben gets his first platoon kill form the 88 platoon. The other FJ platoon arrives from reserve and immediatley assault the platoon that was annoying the Elefant and had killed the Flak 88.  Ben duly breaks off preparing to deal some MG flavoured death

Which tastes like this, I made a bucket load of j-adam-y infantry saves from mortars, crabs and 3 shermans.  3 kills was a bargain.

Shermans kill another Pak 40 and one of the uni carriers comes back into the game, Mg'ing up the staff team

My mortars arrive from reserve, feeling nervous, but stick some DF smoke on the AVREs  Some how I achieve a kill and a bail on the AVREs from Pak 40 fire, but I can't exploit it cos I fired the Rifle/Mgs at the lone Uni carrier hoping for a lucky bail.

Holy toledo, this game is really hotting up now.

Ben had pulled these Shermans into some cover from the Elefant, one had already been destroyed by the FJ platoon coming in from reserve.  Time for 1st platoon to get some.  The Shrek got a bail on the way in so, there were not enough MG shots to bounce the assault.  KaBoom another platoon dies to the mighty FJs.

The remaining AVRE unbails, the 2nd Uni carrier joins his brother and Ben claims another Pak 40.  The staff team survives a hail of shots.  The Pak 40s pass their motivation check.

2nd platoon take more hits and are on half strength

 Somehow the mortars survive intact and dig in on my next turn

This is the point in the game that I love the most.  That do or die moment.  Yes the guys take the mickey out of me for charging out of my foxholes, but the alternative is usually sit there and die.  I had to break the AVRE platoon and the Universal Carriers to put Ben on a company morale check.

My artillery (one piece and a staff team), pak 40s (one piece and a command team), 2nd platoon on half strength are not going to hold out much longer.

So I smoke the AVRE...

 ...and charge, killing the AVRE...

 ...and a carrier...

...who promptly fail their platoon morale check

Ben rolls a 3 for the Company morale check

Well I would never have guessed that outcome, a 5-2 win to the FJs.  Despite being smoked the whole game, I liked how the Super Heavy tank, dictated some of the enemy flow.  I really hope this has helped Ben prepare for Art of War Too.

Thanks for reading

WinnerNoReallyDave