595 - TANK WAR!

Yup - I finally had a proper game of the Bolt Action supplement, Tank War! ...and there are three key words to describe it: 

• fast!
• brutal
• fun!

I played against Mattenbury (again), at Dark Star (again), and he really is a thoroughly sporting opponent; not least because he didn't object to me playing with unpainted Germans for our first attempt at Tank War. 

Forces:
Mattenbury's Brits:

Two small sections of Commandos in [my] Bren Carriers;
3 Cromwells; 1 Firefly; free Observer; M5; PIAT; HQ and more
Commandos.

My (unpainted) Germans:

Two Panthers; a Panzer IV; Sd.Kfz.251/22 (with a Pak.40); 2
squads of 5 veterans (each with 1 SMG and 3 Panzerfaust) and
2 Sd.Kfz.251/1 Hanomags. (the extra rifleman was a confusion)

What Happened: 

Well, we rolled up 4 objectives and rolled onto the table to try and grab them. 

And the Brits got absolutely tonked. 

Even without the stupid new 'Tiger Fear' rule (which I refuse to entertain playing as the German player), my Panthers were m.o.n.u.m.e.t.a.l.l.y intimidating, and the dice-luck was all with the Germans...

...Well, the luck was with the side that had two heavy- and two super-heavy Anti-Tank guns, against the Brits' single super-heavy and three mediums.

Here's the skinny:

The board during Turn 1. My Panther (cream; bottom)
has just destroyed the first Cromwell (top-right).

Focus on Panther...

...then focus on its victim.

Turn 2. By this point, everyone except outflanking troops are on
 the board, and another Cromwell (top middle; turret inverted) is
destroyed. The Firefly is tucked in behind the building top-right,
but by this point it's both pinned and immobilised.

Turn 3. By this point, the Firefly is dead, freeing up my right
flank completely for my PzIV to start its charge across the table
(top-right) whilst my 251/22 moves up to an objective (bottom-right),
the yellow Panther awaits an incoming arty barrage and, on the left,
Commandos converge on my Hanomag as the last Cromwell tries
to engage it from top-left. The Carrier outflanked.

What happens when a Panther unleashes its mighty MMGs.

Turn 4. Yellow Panther survived with three pins and rallied;
top-right is Hanomag 2, which outflanked to grab the objective
in the hamlet, the Pz.IV and 251/22 continue to harass the centre,
and on the left, the other Carrier arrives as the last Cromwell
keeps plugging away. The PIAT is up on the rocks, now...

Mattenbury was worried about losing empty transports, but
when his Commandos de-bussed and gunned down my last two
men (I forgot they were vets - d'oh!), we realised that actually
the Marines were closest to my Hanomag - so that went instead!

Turn 5: KABLOOM! The Pz.IV dispatches the last Cromwell
and his arty observer, thereby claiming objective 3 for me,
and the empty M5 is saved only by his lone and luckless PIAT. 

I love this shot.
Caring nothing for the three Commandos (comprising 75% of
Mattenbury's remaining troops), my painted Panther crunches
onto the bridge, thereby taking the objective and automatically
destroying the empty Carriers.

Endgame. 

Result?

- A crushing German victory. Mattenbury conceded with just a PIAT, 3 marines and an M5 left to face everything of mine but for a valiant six-man squad and their transport. 4-0.

Reflections

Brilliant. Just brilliant. I was actually unlucky with my order dice for the first two turns, but those German big tanks are just all kinds of fearsome, and Mattenbury was profoundly unlucky. 

For once, I'm actually happy with most of my tactical decisions - especially my outflank, which worked perfectly - and though I was unsurprised by the underwhelming offerings of the 251/22, I must say that those tanks were amazing. 

I need me some more Tank War!

Cheers, 

- D.