FoW- Panzershrek 2016- Part 1

The past weekend I went up to Palmerston North to play in Panzershrek for the first time. I've thought about it in the past but decided against it but this year Poochie and I decided to team up as Team Conquest 04 (apparently the first year we played at Conquest in CHCH though I think it may have been 2003).

Having not played FoW,  apart from the previous warm up game vs Nigel, since Day of Days 2014 Poochie and I set our goals as to win at last one game. We didn't think our lists helped our cause any:

Each doubles team needed to have 2x 1000pt early war companies.

Poochie took: 

• 1x HQ Panzer III
• 3x Panzer IIIs
• 5x Panzer IIs
• Limited Stukas

I took: 

• 1x HQ Panzer III
• 3x Panzer IIIs
• 1x Captured T34/40
• 2x 231 8 Rad armoured cars
• 
  

So both were as far as we were concerned very, very fragile. One ambush, one poor round of saves etc and it would be all over in most games. My list was also hamstrung by having 3 platoons so could lose 2 platoons (including the squishy 8 rads and be all over red rover), as a result we weren't expecting too  much. In fact our first goals was to try and lat more than 30 mins on each game from when the first dice was rolled. 

Game 1: Free for all vs Al and Josh (Panzers and Grenadiers)

Game one was a blue on blue match up on a suitably eastern front table. Our opponts had a panzer company with HQ + 4x 38Ts, 5x panzer IIs, 4x Panzer !s + a panzer II) and a grenaider force of 2x infantry squads, 1x pioneers, 1x 81mm mortars & 2x 3 pak 38s.

I was very worried about the pak 38s and one platoon covered each objective. Poochie started well by rolling in a stuka strike which hit two x pak 38s but both passed their saves and were unaffected. Poochie conentrated on the right flank, my panzers covered the centre. 

The 38Ts advanced between Poochie's force and mine, using the woods as cover.

My panzer IIIs soon engaged then in a firefight and the superior armur and rate of fire of the panzers was in my favour.

Poochie sent his panzers forward to help out.

 Our opponents sent the light tanks panzer Is forward to try to steal an objective (the 88) but we were able to concentrate firepower and knock them out,.

Poochie has put pressure on the right objective, using the woods to avoid the pak 38s, Boris had moved back into the village (after having threatened the paks) to assist the 231s if required.

 In the end we broke the panzer company. The static infantry were still holding the objective and we had had negligible success in dealing with the pak 38s but once we dealt with the 38ts the game swung in our favour- I didn't like our chances vs the pioneers so avoided them and the paks and focused on dealing with the panzers. 

6-1 to us- a good start to the weekend. 

I think Boris knocked out 2x panzer 1s in that game but going forward to snipe the pak 38s with his front armour had been quite successful too.