Taking Hill 112

Friday night Densmol came over so we could get a game of Flames of War before the deadline for results submission for the final turn of Cameron's Caen Firestorm campaign, umm, today as a matter of fact.

We played to 1400 points, with me playing the valiant 51st Highlander Infantry Division and Densmol busting out some SS Panthers lead by the deadly zombie (See comments below for a description of why he's a zombie) Ritterkreuzträger SS-Oberscharführer Ernst Barkmann. I don't know if he was around Caen during the Normandy campaign, but it certainly made for some fun gaming with him on the board.

My Scots were as follows:

Reluctant Veteran rating
1iC + 2iC (Bagpiper, also somewhat of a zombie due to his special "Warrior Save" of a 5+)

2x full Platoons of infantry with all the trimmings
1x Platoon of 4x 6-Pounder AT guns
1x Platoon of Universal Carriers
1x Platoon of 4x Heavy Mortars

Confident Veteran rating
1x Platoon of 2x Sherman tanks and 1x Firefly

Confident Trained rating
1x Platoon of 2x Churchill Crocodiles
1x Platoon of 4x M10 3" Self Propelled AT Guns

Firestorm Troops
Confident Trained rating
1x  full platoon of infantry (With Sticky Bombs)
Limited Typhoon air support

Densmol's list was a lot more simple

All Confident Veteran rating (I think)
1iC Panzer Ace in a Panzer IV H
Barkmann in a Panther tank with his "workshop"
2x Platoons of 3x Panthers tank
1x Flak36 8.8" Gun (With extra crew = 3 shots a turn!)
1x Platoon of 3x Nebelwerfers of one flavour or another.

[Densmol didn't take the listed Firestorm troops and instead opted to add extra points allowance to his total, though I haven't the foggiest what those points equated to.]

Our mission per Cameron's briefing was Cauldron. We'd not played this one before, ever, so it was a nice surprise. With random placement of my units, it ended up being a little frustrating, but nothing that wasn't overcome and my plan adjusted accordingly. Defending Panther tanks are usually in trouble - not this game though as they performed admirably in my opinion. We both had not played for yonks, so lots of mistakes were made and rules forgotten - but that just made the evening all the more fun!

On to the pictures of the evening with some captions to summarise events. Needless to say, the valiant Scottish took the day and the vile SS were sent scampering back to their pits of hell. After around 9 turns, I ended up the victor, 4 points to Densmol's 3.

On the way to Hill 112, the German forces wait in this heavily bombed out farm area to keep the Commonwealth troops from making it to the hill, thus denying the Germans a perfect place to drop artillery bombardments upon Allied forces at Caen. My troops were spread out with majority in the near areas of this picture and my poor Crocodiles by themselves at the opposite end - they resolved to be a distraction from my main push.

German 1st turn saw little happen, whilst my own had my infantry advance to the edge of the ruins and shermans to the crest of the hill. They took shots at the German 1iC and brew him up!

The Allied Typhoon airpower was called in on numerous occasions, but proved quite flaccid, managing to only bail one tank all bloody game. Bah.

Panthers MG the heck out of the poor infantry, scoring 7 hits!

Here is what I rolled for saves. 3x 6's and 4x1's!!! Made sense that the front "rank" who made it to the safety of the ruins survived, but those poor sods following up were definitely in the wrong place out in the open. After this bout of shooting, this platoon failed to unpin for the rest of the game! >_<

Bit of maneuvering by all parties. Crocodiles fencing with the far Panthers platoon and  I finally get reserves in the form of my 2nd infantry platoon!

Unfortunately Densmol also gets reserves and more Panthers arrive! Those Shermans are in for it.... If they could only hit. Miraculously, not one shot hit it's mark and the Shermans live for at least another turn. 

Slow Churchill Crocodiles are eventually out maneuvered and one is brewed up by a powerful Panther shot.

Meanwhile, Barkmann starts pouring fire into the Heavy Mortars, destroying one.

The 2nd Panther platoon moves in for the kill, determined that they won't miss a second time.

But they in turn are targeted as the M10 tank destroyers arrive!

(Sideways picture that won't orient, don't get a crick in your neck!) M10's manage to kill two Panthers and bail the third.

But in turn are hammered by a Nebelwerfer bombardment. Thankfully, only one is destroyed! (Nebs are in the picture, but out of focus, back right.)

Attempting to rush the 88's position, the 2nd infantry are caught in the open and Barkmann makes them pay! 

He then assualts, but is pushed back by the stubborn Scots and the assault is at an impasse. Unfortunately, this platoon also fails to unpin for the rest of the game. This push has stalled, for now.

My (Firestorm troops) 3rd infantry platoon arrives, maybe they'll pick up the slack?

(Another pic that wouldn't orient properly. Apologies) The far Panthers take out the remaining Crocodile, then move over to take out my Shermans, which they do, easily. Meanwhile, my M10's turn their guns on the Nebelwerfers and take them all out!

It seems that my push on the left hand objective is done!?

The punishment for killing Nebelwerfers is apparently Panthers to the face and so the M10's pay the price.

The Heavy Mortars like the air support fail to kill anything all game. Good lord.... 

Barkman is killed by the Crocs in a prior turn, this one is the zombie Barkmann as Densmol rolled to have him come back per his special rules. Funnily enough, Zombie Barkmann looks no different from his regular version. :)

In a shock development, The 2iC who up until now had been hiding in some trees, decided that it was nigh time that he and his bagpipes charge out from the trees and assault the 88's position, single-handedly killing the gun crew and it's officers!

When it comes to my final turn, there's no Germans within 4" of  the objective and I win!

I got a little painting done this week as well. The first of my Soviets, my Lieutenant is done! The eyes were an absolute nightmare to get done, needing 4 tries before I was too fed up to try again. It'll do for gaming....

Plastic Winter Soviet from Warlord. Nice sculpts with some cool character. I like how he's holding his right-hand glove and manly moustache!

No idea how this pic is so out of focus? Looked fine on the phone last night. Not sold on the snow effect, done by Army Painter and seems more like sand than "snow". Will stick with it though as I just want to get these done. 

Lastly, (Long post eh?) I have set up a small 3x3' table for me and my son to play our first game of Frostgrave this evening! He's excited and so am I. Will maybe get some pics and a writeup posted depending on how it goes.

If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with it!