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IABSM Battle Report;
20/04/05 DAK Panzers Vs Jez's British Armour
get together for a bash at my place, Wally HQ.
We only had a couple of hours so the game had to be quick and exciting. Jez and me are both
'tread heads' so I suggested to him that we fight a tank action set in North Africa, with very little
terrain, where we could really get at it.
However, I decided to try a few on my preconceptions on what armoured warfare in the Desert
had been like by using my house rules for 'Confused Tank Actions'
The 6' x 4' table was totally open desert with no ground cover as such. However, I made sure that
the surface undulated very slightly to provide slight rises and depressions where hull down
positions could be found.
This was done quite simply by cutting 6mm thick 12" square cork tiles, available from all good
DIY stores, into random shapes and scattering them across the table, which was then covered
with a cloth. By placing shapes upon one another rises can be created and depressions where
no tiles are placed.
placed on the table, after I had chose its number. Then
'Tea Break' came up.
He decided to use what is known as 'The Skelton
Gambit' and voluntarily deployed it behind a low rise -
three Grant tanks.
Next turn my blinds card came up and I placed a blind
on table behind a slight rise, its identity known only to
me. Jez was then able to place another blind on table
as his 'Blinds Move' came up again!
When his unit card came up the Grants successfully
spotted my blind as a fake. 'Tea Break' came up and
followed by Jez's 'Blinds Move' yet again.
Another unit and another 'Tea Break' once more Jez
decided to deploy his blind - Another three Grants!
Next turn I deployed a blind only to have it spotted by
Jez and revealed as a fake.
Jez had six tanks on the table I still had no units.
The next turn this time saw me lay a blind down which
was successfully spotted as a towed PaK38 AT gun.
Jez now had a stacked pack against me. His Grants
fired, hit and destroyed the gun.
Things weren't going to plan. Clearly the AT gun
commander had ordered his guns forward expecting
my Panzers to already be in postion but our
communications had gone awry.
Another blind for Jez and this time when he deployed it
it was a Recce troop of three Stuarts.
The next turn I had more luck in placing my blind on the
table my Panzer Company HQ of a Panzer IV F1 and a
'Special' with long 75mm canon. However, the Grants
hit my Company CO and forced him off-table. The Pz IV
F2 'Special' looked very menacing as I moved on a
'Blitzkrieg Bonus' card into an enfilade position on a
Grant platoon. However, a long range shot across
table from his other Grant platoon blew it to pieces!
The game was becoming decidedly one sided.
In subsequent turns more of jez's blinds entered the
table but as nothing of mine was on table I had nothing
to spot with and he didn't see the point of voluntarily
deploying them.
When at last another blind of mine was placed on table
it was another damned PaK38, which suffered the same
fate as the first! Ka-boom!
At last I was able in the next turn to deploy my second
Panzer Platoon; two Panzer IV F1's and a Pz III J. I was
outnumbered 3:1 and it was little surprise when my Big
Man's Pz IV was hit and forced off-table by a Grant. the
other Grants missed though and then 'Tea Break' came
up saving my arse!
Next turn my Panzer unit came up first, but only after
Jez had voluntarily revealed a blind as his Company
HQ of another four Grants! I was outnumbered 13:2,
where was that damned support?
Some commanders would be defeatist and some
players would have bitched about luck and bad rules.
However, I'm a gritty bastard and the game was turning
out to be a chaotic nightmare that I'd hoped it would be.
Jez was beginning to feel very guilty, which is a rare
thing in the man who delights in using his tanks to
crush the enemy as Rob Avery will testify. Jez was
showing remarkable reserve in not advancing pell mell
up the table, as he is accused of often in our games.
For once he was not rash but calm and collected. His
entire force was on table and I was arriving piecemeal
like lambs to the slaughter.
My remaining Panzer unit arrived next followed by 'Tea
Break' allowing me to deploy them without loss. At last
a hope!
I decided that I should advance swiflty to put some
space between my troops and their base edge,
somewhat as a preventative against being forced
off-table by fire. With this in mind when my 'Blitzkrieg
Bonus' card came up I decided to get into him. All
tanks were within 6" of each other so the whole lot
went forward for three initiative die.
Luckily my second Platoon had a chance to open fire
then with their remaining Pz IV and Panzer III. One
Grant was disabled and a Stuart knocked out. I was
beginning to level the scores.
Jez now raced his surviving brace of Stuarts on his
'Recce Bonus' towards me. One rolled two ones for
movement so was declared as having hit soft sand and
becoming immobilised.
One Panzer III however, was hit by a Grant and was
succeptable to engine failure.
The next turn saw my Panzers becoming hit by Grants
but failing to be penetrated by the shot from the turret
guns. Jez was deployed hull down and couldn't use
his hull gun.
When my Panzers could fire, their Veteran status,
combined with a three man turret meant that I was able
to hit another couple of Grants and cause minor
damage.
Jez was luckier though he immobilised two of my five
Panzers and, a nice flank shot at short range from Lt
Hugh Jarce's Stuart, destroyed a Panzer IV.
More worrying was that Jez now directed his Company
HQ across the table from its reserve position. Capt
Roundwood's Grant hit soft sand and became stuck
though forcing him to dismount in search of another
mount, after jez rolled another two ones for movement.
My Panzers were repeatedly hit, and now received
turret jams, from the rapidly advancing Grants. Jez was
becoming a little frustrated at his ability to penetrate my
light armour and so had decided to close to short range
to add another two to his gun ratings in an effort to see
me off.
It worked too. The only remaining tank which could
move AND turn its turret was Leutnant Bockstein's Pz
III J with a short 5cm. I raced him toward the Grants
hoping that the ability of his Veteran three-man crewed
turret, with his calming influence would ensure that I
could take out at least a couple of Grants with flank
shots. I hit one three times but still failed to cause any
major problems even though at short range.
Bockstein's Panzer though erupted in a loud explosion
as a Grant brought its 75mm hull gun to bear on the
courageous Panzerwaffe officer.
When my last Panzer III - a 'Special', had its card drawn,
the crew decided that their immobilised vehicle was
beyond hope and bailed out.
My last remaining Panzer IV, immobilised permanently,
turret jammed, but crew still intent on fighting, was
finally destroyed by a close range shot from a Grant.
The game was a victory for the Brits, largely as a result
of good luck. Jez managed to get his tanks on table,
mostly en masse, whereas the DAK force arrived
piecemeal to be destroyed iin detail.
The DAK Panzer's though fought remarkably well,
inspite of the odds and situation. The superior crews
and three-man turret design of the German tanks offset
their weak armour and mostly poor armament.
Jez really began to sweat a bit when the 50mm shells
began clanging off his Grant's armour and the Panzer's
came at him. The tanks which I had lost earlier due to
their retreat off table would have made a huge
difference and possilby tipped the balance in my favour.
Hero of the game was Lt Hugh Jarce whose Stuart
personally destroyed two Panzers at close range using
his superior movement to good effect.
All in all an excellent game which accurately recreated a
confused tank battle in the desert. Lots of seemingly
open terrain, but providing hull down positions when
examined closely. Dust and burning vehicles being a
major problem to visibility in spite of no real cover.
Total lack of co-ordination and a breakdown in
command and communication on the German side
though it could've gone either way. I did have a lot of
bad luck but no sour grapes. Jez played a very good
game and proved to be quite shrewd.
