Mission Critical (FOW); battle of Ogledow Poland 1944

Background

By August 1944 the Russian 53^rd Tank brigade supported by the 71^st Guards heavy tank regiment captured the village of Ogledow expanding the Russian bridgehead across the Vistula. The seal breach the Germans committed the 16^th panzer division supported by the 501^st heavy tank battalion equipped with the new King Tiger tanks. As daz breaks the Germans begin their assault

Design notes

The battle of a Ogledow is based off Dave Brown's WWII eastern front scenarios book for battle group panzer grenadiers

Terrain:

Villages, and the farm count as buildings.

Hay Fields count as concealing terrain for infantry and open terrain for vechicles

Woods counts as concealing terrain for all units.

Forces:

The Germans -attacking ( approx 2210 points)

1 armoured infantry company HQ, 2 panzerfaust command teams and 1 antitank section

2 armoured infantry platoons with command panzer faust and 2 squads

1 armoured heavy platoon, 2 MG section. 1 mortar section and 1 gun sections

1 armoured mortar platoon with 2 sections of 12cm mortars

1 heavy tank platoon with 2 king tigers

1 tank platoon with 3 PIV

1 tank platoon with 1 Panther

Limited air support-Hs 129B

The Russian Garrison -defending (approx 1240 points)

1 tank company commander in T34/85

1 tank company of T 34/76 with 2 tank platoons at full strength

1 tank company of T 34/85 with 2 tank platoons at minimum strength

1 mechanised infantry company with 2 platoons. 1 attached AT rifle platoon and 1 MG platoon

1 mechanised infantry mortar company with 2 platoons

Russian Delayed reserves (approx 1580 points)

Limited air support- IL-2 Shturmovik

1 guards heavy tank company with 2 platoons of IS-2s

1 guards heavy assault company with 1 platoon of ISU-152s

1 submachince gun company with two platoons

Special rules:

Bad day to be a King Tiger

Ogledon was one of the first battles with the new King Tiger tank. Rushed development, determined Russian resistance and bad terrain made for a bad début. The King Tigers treat all terrain as very rough going.

Deployment;

The Russian garrison deploys first and deploy any where north of the roads into Ogledow. Units may not start the game dug-in.

The Germans with 12” of the southern table edge.

The Russian delayed reserve arrive from the North road

Who goes first:

The Germans go first.

Game length:

The game last twelve turns or until one of the companies breaks contact

Victory conditions

There is only one objective, the village of Ogledan. Place an objective marker at the northern end of the village. At the end of the game which ever side holdes the objective is the winner. If the objective is contested by both sides then the Russian win. If either company break contact then the other side wins be default.

Afterwards.

No photos of the battle for Ogledan yet but below are some of the photo of a re fight of the battle for Snoder river. This time with battle moved to the Western Front with British infantry trying to prevent my HG grenadiers from capturing a bridge some where in France. Both list were adjusted based on what the players could feild.

View from the British defences

View from the German starting line

British Mortar observer deploys a bit to far forward

Motorised scout platoon breaches the british frist line

 

With the rest of the company following quickly behind them

 End game the germans take control of the bridge after a furious assault which broke the british and nearly broke the germans. The dice represent pinned units ie everybody bar the Marders

Dig in; Swamps

NWG 2012 is a fair bit away but considering over a dozen players have stepped up to the ABF challenge and pledge to raise an army to debut at the event.  It seems only fair the terrain standard gets raised a bit. Frist up is some swamps. The prototypes were made for NWG2011 but did not make it in time :(

Materials
3-5mm MDF
Masking tape
Basing sand
Knife
Glue
marker

Methods

 1. Mark out the outline of the swamp on the MDF board.

 

2.Cut the MDF in irregular shapes.

 3.Use the masking tape to mark out the outline of the swamp or pond.

 4. Cut the Masking tape into irregular clumps where you want the pond to be. Remove the sections you do not want to be part of the swamp ie the banks and some islands.

 5.Paint glue around the ponds and base as normal.

 6.Once the basing material has dried paint a mottled (uneven) grey under coat.

7.Once the paint has dried based coat the ground Scorched earth
8. Once the Sorched earth dired highlight the ground with a off white light color eg pale yellow, cream, whatever.

 9.Once the highlight has dried removed the masking tape.

 10. Paint the pond the green or brown.

11. Once dried varnish the pond.

12. Use static gress amd clump foliage to break up the pond bank and hid any painting errors.

The swamps are designed scale neutral so can be used for FOW or 40K

Plus they are cheap to make so it is possible to produce in mass. 

sitrep (40K); second battle of hamburg day two

Starting to run low

Round four Vs Denis

1 Lash prince

1 Tzeetnch prince

1 summoned greater daemon

1 5 man squad of veterans

2 5 man squads in rhino with icons

5 packs of 5 summoned daemon

3 squads of 2-3 obliterators

2 3 man terminator squad

Mission get into the opponent deployment zone. Scoring units counts double

Deployment: pitch battle

The defeat put the orks nine points behind the lead. The next round was against Denis, also fresh from ETC win with Germany. The mission of getting scoring unit into the enemy deployment zone. Which suited the marines with seven scoring units worth double points with five able to deep strike into position.

Demunz

The marines deployed the obliterators, terminators and princes in the centre with rhino marines on either flank. The Orks replied by deploying the Kans up front supported by shoota mobs with two slugga mobs behind while the grots went as far away from the last as possible from the marine heavy stuff.

Choppa Vs terminator

The Marines when forward with the two rhino going flat out. Obliterators and terminators opened fire on the kans destroying one and damaging the others. The boyz opened fire on the rhino and missed with everything. The next turn saw the arrival of the daemon bomb with the greater daemon and three packs summoning near the kans. The lash prince fired and pulled one shoota mob into assault range. The daemons, princes, marines assaulted the kans and shootas boyz and inflicted a world of pain, not many boyz were left standing but there were boyz still standing which was important. In behind the shoota boys waited sixty happy choppa boyz The orks Waaagh and assaulted, two marine units were destroyed but the orks came of worse. In reponse more daemons were summoned and the oblilerators charged four. Four ork mobs the supporting Kans were in combat with the entire chaos marine army in a combat that stretched from one table edge to the other. The combat raged for four rounds. Obliterators dropped like flies but daemons with a 5+ save seemed indestructible.

royal rumble

The fifth mob finally arrived just in time to see the wall crumble. The combat had fragmented and one mob had taken all the obliterators, some terminators and some marines and was left on one table edge. While on the other table edge the rest of the mobs and kans were gone. Seeing the badly depleted daemon packs and marine squads the fifth mob surged forward. But failed its assault into difficult terrain and hit and destroyed a rhino. The Chaos marines assaulted back with everything it had in the area, two HQ’s two elites, four troop units. Over the next two rounds they destroyed the mob. Fustratingly while the mob killed models it could not destroy squads. All the marine units survived but six of them were down to one wound or model left. The most of the survivors counted double. Giving the chaos marines a health win.

Result, Defeat 16-4

Round five Vs Marian

Logan Grimnar

1 rune priest

4 squads of 8 grey hunters in rhinos

2 squads on long fangs

2 Dreadnoughts, one dakka and one assault

1 squad of Wolf guard, distributed among the squads with one cyclone

terminators operating independently.

A hill too far?

On the other side was the lair of the Great Wolf

Mission; capture the objectives. There were three objectives one in your deployment zone worth one point. One in the table centre worth two points and one in the enemy deployment zone worth four points.

Deployment; Spearhead

The German ETC team has cost me thirty out of forty points and any hopes of an event win. This round was against Marian, Kayu’s other clubmate using Kayu’s ETC list beefed up with Logan Grimnar and with some tactical advice from Kayu before the game started. The main feature of the table was a massive hill in the centre of the table which was good because it blocked line of site but really bad because it added an extra eighteen inches into the distance between the two armies.

The orks won the roll off and picked the side with the most cover to deny it to the Wolves. The Meks, Shoota boyz, Kans and grots opted to set-up with the choppa mobs in reserve. All of the wolves deployed in response. The orks surged forward but found movement slowed by the hill. The marines replied with frag missiles, since the kans were hidden, but with limited effect. Two choppa mobs arrived and ran forward behind the shoota boyz. The marines switched fire to the kans who were now visible destroying one and damaging another. The Orks kept pushing forward opting for distance over damage. The scouts arrived and targeted a kan mob destroying one. The Orks replied with the grots and surviving kan firing on the scouts killing two then assaulting the survivors who being wolves proceed to beat up the grots quite badly. The rest of the orks surged forward. The marines started to reform to prepare for the treat. Long fangs pummelled the kans. The shoota boyz opted to slow down and open fire decimating two grey hunter squads. While the choppa boyz moved in behind them. The third choppa mob arrived and moved passed the embattled grots ready to help them if they could not finish of the scouts. The Long Fangs Started to destroy the kans while the rest of the wolves exchanged fire with the shoota boyz.

Wolf scouts Vs grots 

The boyz opted to waaagh and four mobs hit the wolves lines. The marines counter attacked with Logan and friends while the rhinos sped forward to contest the centre objective. The combat raged for several turns with the marines eventually winning but not before losing the rune priest, a dreadnought and a couple of Grey hunter packs. One orc mob broke through but was hunted down by logan and friends and destroyed on the last turn to secure the marine object. The final Ork mob assaulted the rhinos, support by the surviving kans. The rhino were killed destroyed with the added bonus nothing exploded. The game end with the Orcs holding two objectives (their own and the centre) while the marines had inflicted more casualties.

Result; Draw 10-10

Overall the boyz finished in the top half of the pack. Hamburg still counts as my best venue in Germany at the moment. So much eye candy

??

more photos here

sitrep (40K); The second battle for Hamburg

 1850 pts forgeworld friendly, in possibly the best club venue in Europe? Game on, the boyz are off to Hamburg from North Guard challenge fiftheen.

Steffan playing chaos marines

2 daemon princes mark of Khorne

Defiler

Landraider

1 Dreadnought

2 squads of 7 plague marines in rhinos

1 squad of Khorne berserkers in a rhino

2 squads of terminators, one deep striking one in the landraider

The mission was to secure five objectives spread around the table. The deployment was spearhead.

Chaos deployment

Ork deployment

Orks got to go first. The Big Meks and shoota mobs supported by kans deployed behind two slugga mobs. The grots deployed ready to seize to nearby objectives with support from a kan mob. One slugga mob went in reserve. In response the chaos marines deployed everything except the deep striking terminators, with rhino hiding behind the landraider and defiler.

The Orks spread forward seizing several objective. The Khorne reacted aggressively with the landraiders moving forward and its terminators multi assaulting two slugga mobs and winning the combat. A daemon prince and the khorne berserkers opted to try an out flank on the wrong flank

Slugga mob gets the drop on out flankers

The reserve slugga mob duly arrived and Waaaghed to get an assault on the daemon prince and the berserkers in their rhino and mob of kans moved to support. The shoota boys opened fire and destroyed the battler cannon of the defiler. In combat the slugga boyz finished off the terminators while the kans and the fresh slugga mob destroyed a rhino and a daemons prince.

Unperturbed the chaos marines launched another assault at the approaching horde. The Daemon prince, defiler, dreadnought and now exposed khorne berserkers all assaulted. But the attack were not co-ordinated with each unit attacking mobs the results was wins for chaos but none of the mobs broke and more boyz were moved into combat. The next turn saw two mobs of kans assault and destroy the land raider. While the boyz in combat destroyed all chaos marine units losing over thirty boyz to vehicle explosions. By turn four the chaos marines were reduced to two squads of plague bearers in rhinos.

By this stage the boyz were well into the chaos table half and the remaining marines were quickly wiped out. In total about eighty boyz were lost.

Choppa's clear the last objective

Result; Win Orks 20-0

Patrick playing Tau

1 HQ crisis team with body guard

3 Crisis teams

3 broadside teams

3 Kroot squads

1 fire warrior team

The mission was to secure a single objective in the centre of the hill, The deployment was dawn of war.

Kroot evolution takes a strange turn

Orks got to go first and two shoota mobs with a Big Mek deployed up front to deny some ruins to the tau. Every thing else walked on. The replied with everything walk on with the exception of two large Kroot packs. The horde moved forward with a slugga mob covering each flank. Everybody seemed lazy and nobody ran more than two inches except the grots who were behind everybody and could not use the extra move.

The tau arrived and opened fire blasting the crap out of a shoota mob with a painful reminder of what their shooting phase was capable of. Elsewhere, broadside teams ignored the affects of night fighting to blast several kans apart.

The slightly worried orks pushed forward using the left overs of the shoota mob as a shield. Again the running was slow except for the grots who where not suppose to go anywhere.

Waaagh

The Tau were reinforced with a Kroot pack who went after a flanking slugga mob. The crisis team finished of the shielding shoota mob and redeployed to go after the next wave of orks. The Kroot shoot up the slugga mob but opted not to assault. The slugga mob returned fire then charged into the woods to finish the job. The other shoota mob got promoted to shield duty and pushed forward screening the boyz behind it. The Tau were reinforced by the last Kroot pack who went after the deleted slugga mob in the woods. The tau opened fire on the shield mob and reduced it to ten models which were then assaulted by the tau HQ squad. The orks held but barely. Final it was the orks turn to strike back. One kan mob assaulted in to support the shoota mob. A slugga mob got the drop on a crisis team and swept forward. The kans and shoota boyz saw off the HQ while the slugga mob stuck in combat with a single suit. 

Take the high ground

The Kroot assaulted in to support the suit and were destroyed along with the suit. The rest of the Tau opened fire on the shoota mob reducing it to two models. The single slugga mob opted to assault the remain crisis teams, fire warriors and broadsides. Not one for finesse the mob hammered the lot causing them to flee or be destroyed. The game ended with the orks firmly in control of the centre.

getz sum, Orks finallz make contact.

Result; win Orks 18-2

Kayu playing Marines

1 librarian

1 five assault terminator squad

3 ten man tactical squads with razorbacks

1 redeemer land raider

2 dreads (one dakka and one snippy)

1 Techmarine with thunder fire cannon

2 tornado speeders

1 five man scout team

The mission was to secure table quarters. The deployment was spearhead.

Marines

Thirty eight points put the boyz on to table one. Their opponents were marines, led Kayu fresh from his ETC win with team Germany.

The table was covered in terrain which limited the Orks movement but had little effect on the thunder cannon or redeemer's flamers. The Orks got to go first and opted to deny the strongest table quarter from the marines Two shoota mobs, two kans mobs with Big Meks and grots in support opted to deploy. The rest went into reserve.

The Marines replied by fortifying the largest piece of terrain in their deployment then sticking two combat squads and the Techmarine with cannon in it. The rest of the army deployed around the terrain. The Orks rolled forward. The grots seized a nearby table quarter while a shoota mob seized another. The rest moved to support either unit. The marines replied by contesting the two zones with the landraider with terminators moving towards the grots. The other squad open fire with missile destroying dreadnought weapons and killing several shoota boyz.

One Ork mob rolled on as reinforcements opposite the marine fortified position. The grots and boyz drew back from the land raider. The other shoota mob edge forward. A sneak rocket attack killed the Techmarine and took the thunder fire cannon out of play. The marines rolled forward with heavy missile fire in support more shoota boyz were killed while more kans suffered several weapon destroyed, always the dreadnought close combat weapon.

Purple marines

Another slugga mob and a kan mob entered the fray opposite the marines. Rockets and big shootas opened up on the speeders trying to deny the option of turbo boosting later in the battle, but had no effect. The redeemer rolled forward and flamed the shoota boyz while the newly arrived mobs were target by sustained missile attack. In reply the final Ork mob rolled on. The boyz opted to Waaagh one shoota mob assaulted the fortified marine post while the other assaulted the redeemer support by the grots and the kans. The kans and grots rolled badly and failed to block the path of the redeemer while the nob failed to damage it. The other shoota mob had better success and forced a way into the marines deployment zone.

The marines scouts arrived and opted to deploy close to the slugga mob. Realising their was something amiss. The Ork gods :) opted to recheck the mission criteria sure enough there was a twist to the mission. Only scoring units could claim or contest objectives this meant the speeder treat was less trouble some but two of the six scoring units were in serious trouble and none of the units were in a position to contest all quarters. The marines maintained the pressure. The terminators, librarian and redeemer destroyed the grots, a slugga mob and a big Mek. Missile fire made a mess of the kans . The Orks replied by destroying the scouts. For the rest of the game the orks desperately tried to push forward to contest all the quarters but the marines broke contact to secure one zone and contest the rest.

Result. Ork defeat 14-6

Daemunz, again.

WiP (40K): Wild Unz

Next mob nearly ready for painting. Wild Unz 

PiP (40K); Gringo boyz

Finally finished the second mob of the new waaagh.  The frist mob was thirty boyz using maxmini  pirate heads to count as death skulls. nice but a bit to subtle.  This mob uses puppet wars  gringo Ork heads to count as Bad Moons. The conversion are louder probably because of the bigger hats.

Painting method (P= Plaskote GW= games workshop V=Vallejro)

• Under coated in Plaskote grey
• Orc skin painted in GW goblin green
• Boots and clothes done using the GGB method (grey, green brown but out the green to not clash with the skin tone) for non uniform units.
• Guns, armour  and grenades base coat V Gunmetal then a wet wash in GW bad moon yellow. once dired a final wet wash of V brick red.
• Teeth and trophies painted in GW bone
• The Sombros were painted in a couple of different shades of GW desert yellow
• Once everything was dried the whole model was given a wash of V smoke

GGB method

How it works, pick a a shade of brown. On the frist model paint just the boots with the color on the second model paint just the trousers with the color and repeat for the rest of the unit. once every model has at less one item, and they can be the same item on different models, painted pick a different color and repeat the process. It make it possible to quickly paint large units of irregular units with it getting to tedious.