Late War AAR - SAS Squadrons vs Panzer Grenadier Kompanie (25. Division) - Hasty Attack

Having just completed my SAS list I was itching to try it out.  So I got in touch with one of my regular sparring partners Dave M and set up a game.

We both agreed that this would be a fun, friendly game rather than a tournament practice game so we bought bought lists we’d like to try out that we never normally get the chance to play.  I turned up with my SAS Squadron, all fast moving recce jeeps and Comets, and Dave took a Panzer Grenadier company from the Nuts book.

This was shaping up to be a good historically themed bash.  The desperate Germans holding off the ever more confident Allies in the final push into the German heartland.  Unfortunately Dave didn't have a Jdgtiger to hand so the trusty old King Tiger had to stand if for him.

We rolled up the mission and it was Hasty Attack.  As we are both mechanised lists it came down to a dice off to see who was attacking and who was defending.  Dave rolled a two and I rolled a…..one, yep that would about set the tone for the game!

Dave put his Stugs, his Heavy Panzer Grenadier platoon with the mortars (as he’d combat attached the HMGs out), a Panzer Grenadier platoon and his 8-rads in reserve.  On the table he’d have a Panzer Grenadier platoon with HMGs, his Jagdtiger, Nebelwerfers and a Pak40 platoon.

I put my Cromwells, Infantry, armoured SAS patrol and unarmored SAS patrol in Delayed and Scattered reserve.  My Comets went into Immediate Ambush and I deployed my forces with the artillery in the centre and a SAS patrol on either flank with every platoon covering at least an objective.

Dave removed the right most objective and set up round his objective to cover it from a potential alpha strike.

My deployment and a good view of the table that we'd be scrapping over

SAS Patrol covering the objective on the right flank, the placement on the road is deliberate in order to take advantage of the 24" movement on roads in case Dave decided to pull this objective, which he did the cheeky beggar.

25pdrs covering the centre objective

Another SAS patrol covering the left flank this time.

Dave's deployment.  In there we have a platoon 3 Pak40s, a Jagdtiger, a Panzer Grenadier Platoon with HMGs attached and a Nebelwerfer platoon.  He obviously wasn't taking any chances leaving his objective unguarded!

Immediate Ambush popped and SAS patrol making their rec. move forwards

Dave got air support on his first turn and tried to range in on my Comets.  Luckily I placed them near a wood so he was unable to range in, it could have potentially been a very quick game otherwise!  He also got reserves on his first turn, the jammy beggar, and decided to bring on his Mortars.

On my first turn I pushed forward and tried to engage both the Nebelwerfers and the Pak40s with no success.  I was loving how fast my army moves.  I was supposedly the defender but I was already in his deployment area trying to threaten his objective. 

Dave absolutely whiffed with his shooting in his next turn giving me the opportunity to set up and pull off an assault with my Comets on his Nebelwerfers.  I stomp right through him and wipe out the Nebelwerfers and being Reluctant they decide to to not hang around and fail their platoon morale check.  Dave was starting to look a little worried.  In the meantime my SAS jeeps were generally being a nuisance and were brassing up whatever Germans they could see.

I consolidate in the wheat field which is just as well as on his next Dave gets some more reserves and brings on his Stugs to have it out with the Comets.  He moves into position and whiffs again with his shooting.  The PanzerGrenadiers open fire at the Jeeps and with 15 shots score 5 hits.  However the 3+ rec. save comes in handy here and I lose only one Jeep to all that fire.

I move my Comets into position and have at his Stugs.  I shoot 5 shots and score zero hits.  Doh!  The return fire from a combination of Stugs, Panzerfausts and Pak40s takes me out.  Scratch one Comet platoon!

Luckily my Cromwells arrive and I decide to continue pressing on his flank.  Using a combination of Cromwell shots and an bombardment from the 25pdrs I kill and bail a Stug.

 I push Cromwell into his objective and lose 3 of them in the assault against the Panzer Grenadiers despite pinning them.  Flaming Panzerfausts!  The sole surviving Cromwell decides that discretion is the better part of valour and decides to slink back to the QMs for a brew.

Cromwells set up for the assault and....

They are beaten back decisively by a fusillade of deadly fire from the Panzerfausts.

SAS Patrol caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place!

Despite the combined might a Jaagdtiger and 2 8-rads shooting at them they just lose a vehicle and the rest are bailed.  These are some tough characters!

Their oppos are out for revenge and blast round the side of the 8-rads

Dave knowing that victory was in his grasp charged his 8-rads forward to try and capture the objective.  I threw my Jeeps at him and destroyed both 8-rads with side shots from my .50cal and Twin MGs.  Result.

They exact their revenge firing their .50 cal and Twin MGs into the side armour of the 8-rads

Another SAS patrol arrives from Reserves and drives hell for leather towards the action.

The Jaagdtiger moves in to contest the objective.

With my only real mobile assets now being the SAS jeeps I could have pulled them back and sat on my objectives and wait for him to come charging towards me but where is the fun in that!

The SAS set up for another bash at Dave's objective, may as well as we can't harm the Jaagdtiger.

 However the Jadgtiger trundling down the road was going to give me problems.  Nothing that my British infantry couldn't handle though, providing they make the fight in time.

The next few turns song back and forth and alternate between myself trying to put in another assault and failing.  Dave smoking my Observer in the church tower and when the smoke lifts me trying to bombard his Jagdtiger who then dances out of the way of my ranged in marker.

I range in on the Jagdtiger and fail to hit him

And so begins the merry dance around the objective with Dave trying to lose the ranged in marker and trying to kill my SAS patrol

Dave's air harasses my Infantry Platoon as they make their way towards the Jagdtiger

Gearing up for another assault with the Armoured SAS Patrols.

But I don't quite pull it off.  His defensive fire is simply too strong.

Dave moves in to finish them off....

but chokes at the critical point and push him away.  His platoon then suffers the inglorious end of failing their morale check and decide to hightail off the board.

I decide that I've had enough and leave the objective to him.

Dave finally shifts the last SAS Patrol on the objective but the Company Commander arrives to save the day and hold the objective until reinforcements arrive.

Dave's Stug decides to join the fight 

The Company Commander decides to hid his jeep amongst the wrecks for cover....and a plucky survivor from another patrol decides to see if he can bail the Stug with shots to the side with his .50cal but whiffs.

Retribution is swift and the Stug dispatches the SAS jeep.  In the meantime the infantry have snurgled their way across the board and are gearing up for an assault to try and recover the objective.

 Eventually I have my infantry in a position ready to assault.  I launch it and get in.  I hit 5 times and Dave makes 5 top armour saves, god dammit.  Unsurprisingly he elects to break off and I consolidate forwards off the objective hoping to push him off it completely.  However by this time I am under half strength due to losing a few SAS patrols and have to test company morale every turn.

The assault is successful and has pushed Dave off the objective.  Hurrah!

A good turn of shooting sees Dave kill both my Company Commander and Company 2i/c and that was game after a very fun 10 or so turns.  A 4-3 win to Dave.

However the return fire kills my Company Commander and with no 2i/c I automatically fail my company morale.  Victory to Dave!

Reflecting back on the game I would have been better served letting him come to me and waiting for his Jagdtiger to expose his flanks and then opening up with my Comets.  My SAS jeeps would have tried to cut down his infantry as they advanced forwards.

I could also used Smoke several times to mask my assaults against the Panzer Grenadiers to avoid their crippling defensive fire from the Panzerfausts.  Hey, you live and learn.

However by being aggressive I got to really give the list a good run out and see its strengths and weaknesses.  The 3+ recce save is simply awesome and really gave Dave some pause for thought.  However this is where we got the rules ever so slightly wrong in that we assumed that when somebody is hot by a Breakthrough Gun that they still get their 3+ recce save, it turns out that this isn't the case.  Sorry Dave!


The speed of the Cromwells and Comets is not to be underestimated and being able to put in an assault in the opponents deployment area, as the defender no less, on the third turn pays testament to that.

The game confirmed my suspicions, it is a fun list to run!   It gave even a seasoned veteran like Dave some real pause for thought and made him tear his hair out at the amount of vehicles racing around and machine gunning his troops.  Dave commented that although it isn't a natural tournament winner it would be a lot of fun to run. 

I will definitely be using this list again!