LV Open Team Yankee Tournament 2019

LV Open Team Yankee Tournament 2019

LV Open Team Yankee Tournament 2019
With Clive Hendrick

On February 8th to 10th we had one of the larger US tournaments for Team Yankee and Mid War Flames of War. What was interesting is that how I thought the games were going to go was very different to the actual armies that I had to face. My army, was a combination of West German (Marder Mech Infantry Kompanie), a Panzeraufklärungs Kompanie and an Allied Australian Mech Infantry Company

Marder Panzergrenadier Kompanie

Marder Panzergrenadier Kompanie HQ
> Marder Panzergrenadier Zug
> Marder Panzergrenadier Zug
> 3x M113 Panzermörser
> 2x Luchs x2
> 3x Jaguar 1

Panzeraufklärungs Kompanie
1x Leopard HQ 1
> 2x Luchs x 4
> 3x Leopard 1
> 4x Gepard

Australian Mech Infantry Company
1x SLR Cmd  rifle team + 1x M113 (T50 turret)
> 4x M60 team with LAW + 3 CG team + 4x M113 (T50 turret) (TAU105) x 2
> 4x M60 team with LAW anti-tank team
> 4x Leopard AS1
> 2x M125
> 4x Milan Missile team + 4x M113 (T50 turret) x 2

My thoughts was with 21 drops and 12 Milans, 8 Leopard 1's, and tones of Infantry, I could Attack, Maneuver, or Defend in the Missions. I have never played with West German or Australian so I wanted a chance to see what they could do.

Game One (6 to 1 victory)
Against a Australian Mech Company and a Ozy Leopard Company. We both picked Maneuver,  and ended up playing Contact. The gentleman I was playing was slow and new to the game. Knowing this, I tried to explain everything I was doing as I did it and luckily, I was playing Australians so I could explain the strengths of his army.

LV Open Team Yankee Tournament 2019 LV Open Team Yankee Tournament 2019

It was a quick game asI managed to flood one side of the board with my Leopards 1s and Australian Infantry before he received many of his reinforcements. His one Ozzy Infantry company could not hold vs my Leopard 1s and support Australian Infantry and won the game by turn 4.

Game Two (3 to 3 tie)
Dutch Armored Infantry Company with Leopard 2 and a West German M113 Infantry Company.

Attack (Dutch) and Maneuver (Me) resulted in Counter Attack.

I could have spearheaded easy and made a huge difference but instead I decided to maximise the amount of tanks and Infantry. This was a big mistake as my opponent used Spearhead to great effect. Add to this the ability to have his Leopard 2 to move 18" (with Blitz), and my attempts to move across the board were crippled. Most of my Leopards were destroyed as they attempted to return his tank fire.

My reserves could not contest the center of the board, so I went to kill as many of his smaller units as I could at the cost of almost all my Luchs.

LV Open Team Yankee Tournament 2019

Overall my opponent outplayed me but in the end I managed to kill enough of his small units and at the last moment and move up my Ozy infantry to contest the objectives.

Game Three (4 to 3 win)
West German Armoured Leopard 1 Company with Leopard 2 Company with M113 WG Infantry Company.

LV Open Team Yankee Tournament 2019 LV Open Team Yankee Tournament 2019

His Leopard 2s and I think 10 Leopard 1s with two units of M113 German infantry was going to be hard for him to beat me on defense. I picked defend and him attack and we rolled REARGUARD. This was the best scenario I could have played as I had lots of infantry and silly amounts of units to remove as the game continued with little to no loss of combat power.

Right Hand Image: Starting positions

LV Open Team Yankee Tournament 2019

He pushed hard to my right, but my Dug In Ozzy Infantry (in buildings) did not fire a shot and just hoped that he could not roll 6's to hit before I could move another company up from the left of the board to the right ( which I did ). By this time I had already Milan'd quite a few Leopard 1s, and destroyed a Leopard 2 and most of my tanks had swung around from the left to his side of the board. By turn 4, he saw there was no way to remove me from the building with his forces, so he called the game to a 4 to 3 win for me.

My main mistake was thinking (no idea why) that my M113s transport units did not count for VP. I usually play Soviets so I never get down to 2 models , so it was a shock to me to have my opponent point out that they do ( Oops ). I had put my M113s out to shoot at his infantry in a building for no real reason ( it was something to do as all the other games they basically did nothing ) so I gave a 6 to 1 victory to a 4 to 3. Well that made me learn a lesson!

So in the end I made second place as the Judges determined that my last two games where against tougher opponents so I ended in 2nd place instead of a tie for 2nd / 3rd.
~Clive

Team Yankee Tactical Takeaways:

  1. Set up is critical. Spearhead every chance you get.

  2. Play fast. If you have lots of units, place a bright colored dice next to units that have to do something next turn as a reminder.

  3. If you have lost 2 units already, then just play aggressive with everything else. Who cares if you lose more units if they help you kill the Min needed to get a 4 to 3, 3 to 3, or 3 to 4. To many people don't want to lose units which at 93pts, you probably have tones left.

  4. Pick a side, and push.

  5. Remember infantry in APC can move really fast. In quite a few games I moved whole companies across the board. Many tanks move fast as well. So when in doubt move it!

  6. Leopard 2 are fast beyond belief. 14" Tactical with a 4" Blitz just hurts the mind.