(FOW): Desperate Pleasures

Flames of War main strength, for me, is tanks, dozens of them, whizzing around the table blast crap of things.

Battling on a 6'x6' table

One of this year's FoW releases was Desperate Measures ( called desperate pleasures those in the know) outlining the tank battles of the eastern front in early 1945. At this stage of the war the German military and industrial complex is starting to break down. They still capable of turning out tanks but the are cracks being to appear. Training is not as good as it use to be and formations have to make do with what they available rather than what they should have. For FoW this translates into awesome.  The tank companies get access to pretty much anything on tracks while everything seems to get a really big anti tank guns stuck on it. Plus the German get access to Hans Rudel the most decorated German warrior in WW2 (think of him as a flying sniper).

Panther Vs Churchills

I have almost stopped jumping from list to list and played out of the same book three times in a row in one month. This normally only happens at tournaments were people seem to take exceptions to mixing things up a bit.

Jagdpanzer contesting control of a Village

For the last few weeks my panzer kampf gruppe has been pitched in battle against Matthias' British Armoured task force.  The first game saw a reinforced British assault group (2000 points) attacking a Panzer Ausbildung (training) group is a Hasty Assault at night.  After 4 hour battle the Ausblibidung were just able to fight off the Assault group to stay in control of a contested village. But not before losing three platoons in one turn to some aggressive movements by the British.

German recce on the move

The second game saw a panzer gruppe attacking in a Pincer mission with support from Rudel and a King Tiger tank against an armored recce squadron.  The Panzer gruppe made it to the objective but could not hold it long enough before being forced to withdraw.

British advance on the village

The third game was the Panzer Gruppe once more in action in a Hasty Attack mission.  This time as the attacker against a British Household Guards cavalry group backed up by American paratroopers.   The Gruppe made good initial progress but could not move the paratroopers from their objectives before the cavalry arrived and saved the day.

While trying to out flank at the other end

Overall I am loving Desperate Measure and the flexibility it gives to the German panzer commanders.

2000 points list

Bogged down Jagdpanzers

Sherman assault platoon.

Another Hasty Assualt mission

Another Panzer group on route to the front

Their objective is to capture an American position

First blood the Allies due to a long range firefly shot.

German Attack starts to take flanking fire from the British armour

But they continue to build forces against the American objective

Disaster four platoons of German armour fails to shift the Americans paratroopers from the position

British Cavalry rides to the rescue of the americans

German King Tigers fails back against advancing Shermans fireflies (moving the wrong way damn it)

Recce on Recce action as the Auflerung tried to bag the  British company commander

Thanks for stopping by.