AAR Canadian Rifles vs KG Spindler - Free for All

So welcome again to another exciting game of Flames of war.

This one was fought between myself and Toby, we'd both got upcoming events and were keen to try out list, he was off to a Market garden themed event so was choosing a German force.This was the first outing the canadian rifles had and getting to grips with them took a bit of time.

He didn't have Bridge by Bridge so ran KG spindler (FV), he had (from memory)

KG Spindle

HQ (MG faust) + schrek

Full platoon MG faust

Dismounted tank crew platoon

2 Pak 40’s

4 Nebelwerfers (15cm)

Mortars (2 tubes)

3 Panthers

Limited air Support

I was using my Oxford list for it’s first outing

Canadian Rifle Company

HQ

Full rifle/MG platoon in Rams

Full rifle/MG platoon in Rams

Mortar (4 tubes)

Land Mattress (4 Guns)

3 universal carriers

3 Wasps

3 Shermans (2 with .5cal) and 1 firefly (.5 cal)

4 M10 3’’

We rolled up for fair fight, and I was the attacker. We both deployed objectives fairly spaced out in the opponents territory, and started deploying our forces. I started with the Landmattress, they would always be far back, so could go down first, and Toby responded with his own rockets, next we both did our mortars. I deployed my UC’s centrally to be able to change my axis of attack, and eventually had the shermans and a platoon of infantry there too to form one attack group, whilst the other infantry platoon, wasps and M10’s went on my left flank.

Toby had his dismounted tank crew on my right, and the pak 40’s and SS platoon in a wood centrally, with the panthers to my right flank, with a small kampffgruppe he formed there too.

Turn 1

I started by moving the UC’s to my right, and had them supported by one infantry platoon to threaten the objective over there, meanwhile the wasps and other infantry platoon moved up my left flank. In the centre the M10’s and shermans advanced. Sadly my smoke cover failed, and the land mattress also failed to range in.

Toby moved his Panthers centrally, and succeeded in taking out one Ram as well as it’s crew. Meanwhile his air support took out my firefly rather depressingly.

Turn 2

With my only realistic chance of taking out Panthers at range gone, I decided to focus on every other unit. The flanking force partially dismounted and engaged the small kampffgruppe while the other infantry also jumped out to advance to the objective. The M10’s fired some shots and missed, as did the smoke from the mortars, the Landmatress pinned a few infantry in the dismounted crew platoon.

Thankfully there was no air support for Toby and his neb’s failed to range in, but the pak 40’s ruined my M10’s and the panthers added hurt by bailing a Ram and destroying another Sherman.

Turn 3

The land mattress again failed to damage anything but pinned his dismounted tank crew again, the Infantry on my left flank engaged and damaged the small Kampffgruppe and took out a Neb, but the infantry on my right made slow progress whilst the remaining Sherman’s I forgot to move.

Toby retaliated by engaging my infantry with his neb’s killing a vast number on the left flank, whilst the pak 40’s and panthers thankfully inflicted minimal damage bailing a couple of vehicles.

Turn 4

The mattress worked and again pinned the dismounted tank crew taking out a couple of stands, the shattered remnants of the infantry on my left took out the kampffgruppe and started clearing out the nebs, whilst my infantry on the right moved into the field to get ready to assault the tank crew – the mortars missed again!

Toby Retailiated by attacking my 4 infantry stands on the right with his panthers, thankfully one bogged, and only one reached combat, and missed. The PIAT destroyed the panther, and then the next one also failed to hit, and subsequently died to the PIAT too! Leaving a gaping hole in his defence. He did though use his Pak’s to annihilate my Wasps!

Turn 5

The shattered infantry on my left advance over the objective trying to damage the Pak’s but only succeeded in pinning them. Meanwhile the remaining platoon on my left engaged and destroyed the platoon on the right. With the shermans advancing to start firing on the platoon which Toby had hidden in the wood in the center.

Toby attempted to counter attack and remove the platoon on my left, but while not pinned lost 3 out of 5 stands on the way in, in the ensuing combat, his force was wiped out, and mine passing numerous, motivation and moral checks held! As turn 6 dawned my forces were very bloodied but held the objective.

Post game thoughts

It’s always interesting using a new force for the first time, and it raised a few points for me. Without smoke/night my force is very vulnerable, and I was shocked how poor my mortars were. Also using artillery with only 3 attempts to range in instead of 4 – wow that means recon is really needed, and needed accurately! I was amazed by how hard this list is when dealing with heavy armour, and I think I may have been better served, if I’d held off assaulting, and tried to smoke the panthers out of the game whilst using the artillery to take out first the nebs – and then everything else! But an enjoyable and very close game!