Luke Vs Alex - 50 Point Battlereport

Luke vs Alex - 50 Point Battle Report with Luke & Alex Luke here and with our first 50 points in the Hobby league done we got celebrate by using our freshly painted models. While my list at 100 points will be a bit more rounded my first 50 points are largely tank based. Formation Churchill Armoured Squadron HQ - x3 Churchill (6pdr) Churchill Armoured Troop – x3 Churchill (6pdr) Churchill Armoured Troop – x3 Churchill (6pdr) Stuart Recce Patrol – x3 Stuart (37mm) Support M10 SP Anti-tank Platoon – x2 M10 (17pdr)

Alex’s list was largely infantry based. After setting up the board and rolling for our mission we got No Retreat. Given the force I was up against I opted to attack and we put down our models. While a creek stood between me and the objective, I knew that with the 2+ Cross check I barely had to consider it a problem. My first option was to see if I could push for the objective further back and simply bypass the town filled with infantry. This plan however did not work due to ambush with 7.5cm Tank-Hunter guns that destroyed an entire Churchill Platoon on the first volley. Not all bad news however since the first shots from those Churchills claimed the Panzerschreck team of one of the infantry platoons and I moved the Stuarts to threaten the 2nd Objective and keep Alex pressured to defend it. As things were looking however instead of just threatening it, I would need to actually take it. If you’re going to change your plan might as well change nice and early while I’ve got lots of stuff left to fight with

With the Stuarts in position they blasted away at the infantry along with any Churchill I could find. I sent token shots to the 3.7cm guns but sadly failed to do any damage. In turn those pesky guns opened fire again and claimed another Churchill and bailed another and freshly arrived German artillery bailed two Stuarts!

With the Infantry close to the objective I wanted I had sufficiently whittled down his platoon with 3 whole turns of fire. It was time to push and rolled all my tanks forward. The Stuarts remounted narrowly avoiding an assault by a freshly arrived infantry platoon and moved across the river and onto the objective, one of them however didn't make it across but was of little consequence. My Churchill HQ moved across the river, weathered the defensive fire and assaulted. A few tense rolls later the Churchills came out on top forcing Alex off the objective entirely and out of range to contest taking the victory.

Overall, I absolutely love this list so far. Churchills while a bit slower are great tanks for pushing through terrain and for this game despite their first turn losses were an absolute star. The Stuarts also really rounded out this list giving me a pesky fast tank platoon that can scoot around the edges and get those shots the Churchills might not. Sadly with no armour targets there wasn’t too much for the M10s to do except use the .50 cal to help pin down the infantry for the game winning assault. In the end I think this is the right amount of armour on the table for me and I can’t wait to add the British Rifle Company I’ve been building. ~Luke

Formation Grenadier HQ  Panzerfausts  Luftwaffe Card  Grenadier Plt, MG42 (5 teams)  Panzerfausts  1x Panzerschrecks   Luftwaffe Card  Grenadier Plt, MG42 (5 teams)  Panzerfausts  1x Panzerschrecks   Luftwaffe Card  Grenadier Plt, MG42 (5 teams)  Panzerfausts  1x  Panzerschrecks   Luftwaffe Card  7.5cm PaK40 (3 teams) Support 10.5cm Gun Battery (4 teams)

Running an infantry list meant I was always going to be Defender, and luckily at 50 points my force does divide up for reserves quite comfortably. I started the battle with my HQ and two Infantry platoons dug in around the objectives, and my trio of PaK40s in ambush. My third platoon and my battery of 10.5cm guns were kept off the table in reserve. My plan was essentially to put my infantry on the objective, deny one lane of advance with my Anti-Tank guns and then, once my reserve came into play, smoke out the Churchills, bombard the Stuarts and assault with my newly-arrived infantry.

I revealed my ambushed AT guns as soon as I could, and managed to wipe out a Churchill platoon on the first volley- but it was largely all downhill from there. My panzerfausts and panzerschrecks managed to do not a thing to the advancing tanks, and my attempt to wheel around my third infantry platoon to assault fell flat as I managed to constantly have my infantry too close to the tanks to range in on them. Luke’s speed and aggression coupled with my bumbling secured him the win when he drove straight over the top of my infantry on the objective, knocking me out by the beginning of turn 4.

In general, I actually think my list is not as useless as I have managed to make it, and I wouldn’t say no to a few more games with it before I up it to 75 points and 100 points. Once it gets to full strength I do think it will be a mighty formidable force. ~Alex