Corrivalry 2013 AAR - Adam

Hi all DrCox here

So Corrivalry has been and gone, it was definitely an enjoyable experience and the biggest tournament I've gone too.

I once again took my trusty British para's and due to the rules had two lists, my defend and my attack list, but with so many Axis armour lists I wouldn't use that one much I thought....

Game 1 No Retreat
So bleary eyed I drove Ben and myself up, my first game was against Dave G who I've had a few emails from, he had a Panzerspah list, and the mission was no retreat.

List was
Hq puma
2 puma by 3
2 8 rad by 2
2 sp AA
Auk platoon
Pz IV (5)
2 Hornisse
2 Neb

The board had only 3 routes down for his wheeled vehicles so I tried to block two with my wire.
He moved quite close on turn 1 and so uncharacteristically I opened fire with my 6pdrs wrecking his recon, as I'd probably have lost GTG next turn anyway.
After that it was his Pz4's grinding my down whilst my reserves arrived, sadly I forgot frost's 'man the gun rules' which should have helped!
But in the end artillery and bailing most of his tanks meant I could assault them handing me a 4-3 victory

almost lost it here!

games ends

Game 2 Surrounded

I was drawn against a German Grenadier list something like this

2 platoons of Lorried Grenadiers
3 Pak 40
2 Pak 43
5 Pz 4
3 neb
2 mobile AA

I advanced undercover of darkness, but my artillery had not been eating their carrots! My plan had been simple, pound one objective remove the enemy there then walk in - but as I didn't range in till turn 5 my forces were whittled down too much to allow me to hold the objective, and eventually lost 4-3

The board

still not ranging in!

how it ended

Game 3 Counter Attack

Drawn against FJ - night assault time again!

List was something like

2 platoons of full FJ
1 Dismounted panzer gren platoon
HMG's
Nebs (3)
Pak 40's (3)
Flak 88's
Infantry guns
Air support

Well I move up close with my engineers, assault platoon and one para platoon, whilst the other platoon move to the far objective, as it's night I once again fail to range in.

He decides to come at me with one FJ platoon whilst the panzer grens move to the other objective, he assaulted me, I only hit 4 times but all 4 kill, the fight is brief and ends badly for him losing his platoon! I then try to deal with the second, but end up losing my platoon instead!

Meanwhile the artillery starts to hit as my advancing para platoon outflank him! With this he moves his panzer grens back, allowing the recce jeeps to steal the objective, another 4-3 win

recce jeeps vs FJ

lets not do an 'all guns repeat!'

this was a friends board

After an exhausting day it was time for beer and whiskey before day 2.

always needed

Game 4 Hasty Attack

Fortified Germans, so once again let's attack!

The list was something like
2 sets of grenadiers with trenches and flak nests
Barbed wire
Captured train
Nebs
Hornisse
Pak 40's
Flak 88's
Captured tank

I hate playing fortifications having not worked out how to deal with them, and trains were completely new. With his objective in my half at the end if the train line, my first concern was stopping it, with that in mind I used the pioneers to destroy some track sections.

Sadly my men just turned up piecemeal and were pinned in the open, with most of his reserves arriving the same corner I was attacking my attack stalled and despite passing 6 company moral tests (and destroying the train) he took the objective.

Blowing up track - my new euphemism?

Damn Train

Game 5 Breakthrough

Oh look it's some FJ....

The list was something like

2 2 section FJ platoons
4 Pak 40's
RT flak 88's
HMG's
Light AA
5 StuG's
Heavy artillery (4 guns)

He deployed his Pak's and one FJ section on the edge closest to my deployment zone and the HMG's and artillery almost on the edge of the other, whilst the 88's were almost in the centre and the rest preparing to go to the objectives.

It turned out for a change that my artillery could shoot at night and my flame throwers worked! By turn 2 he'd lost the Pak's artillery and 1 FJ platoon, and by the end of turn four the HMG's StuG's (6pdrs ripped them apart) and flak 88's.

Only photo from game 5, turn one before i assault!

With his commander dead I took a full points victory!

Overall a great weekend. 5 nice opponents and 5 good games, I've learnt a lot and think (thanks to a certain Mr Charlton's advice) that my para's will be back again soon, and even more prepared!

Thanks for reading!