LV Open Flames of War 4th Edition

Las Vegas Open Battle Reports

One of the Surprises of the LV Open was on the amount of horde armies that people brought. It seems if one group of 5 light tanks would do, then 10 would do better. Italians seemed to be the go to force for this, but I saw German ( with Italians ), Soviet, and British being representative.

There was a few heavy tank units such as Churchill's, and soviet KV-1 but I did not play any of them. Overall it seemed the more defense infantry lists did not do well.

I think one reason why the infantry lists not do well is with missions, about 1/2 the time you have to cross the board, and with 109 points, there is just to much firepower to allow infantry to do so without large amounts of units being killed. At least this was my experience.

My List:

I debated this for a long time, but in the end I decided to go with a strong US Armored Infantry formation + 75mm GMC Anti Tank Formation ( I just love the way Half tracks look ) + Crusader Formation ( with the Scout Cards ).

Armored Rifle Company = 44 pts

Armored Rifle Company HQ = 2 pts

2x M1 Carbine team 

1x M3 Half-track (.50 cal MG) 

Armored Rifle Platoon = 15 pts + 7 pts ( Command Card Regulars, By God! ) = 22pts

6x M1 Garand rifle team

5x M1 Bazooka team

2x M1919 LMG

1x 60mm mortar

1x M3 Half-track (.50 cal MG) (MU117) 4x M3 Half-track (.30 cal MG) (MU117)

Armored Rifle Platoon = 15 pts

6x M1 Garand rifle team

5x M1 Bazooka team

2x M1919 LMG

1x 60mm mortar

1x M3 Half-track (.50 cal MG) (MU117) 4x M3 Half-track (.30 cal MG) (MU117)

T30 75mm Assault Gun Platoon 3x T30 (75mm) = 3 pts

M4 81mm Armored Mortar Platoon 3x M4 (81mm mortar) = 2 pts

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M3 75mm GMC Tank Destroyer Formation - 24 pts

https://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=109&art_id=5780

• M3 Tank Destroyer Company HQ ( 2 M3 Stuarts ) = 4 pts
• M3 75mm GMC Tank Destroyer Platoon ( x 4 M3 GMC 75mm ) = 10 pts
• M3 75mm GMC Tank Destroyer Platoon ( x 4 M3 GMC 75mm ) = 10 pts

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ALLIED FORMATION:

Crusader Armored Squadron (Allied Formation) = 26 pts

• Crusader Armored Squadron HQ 2x Crusader II (2 pdr) + 2x Crusader CS (3 inch) = 7 pts + Command Card Scout Tanks ( 2 pts ) = 9 pts
• Crusader II & III Armored Troop 1x Crusader II (2 pdr) + 2x Crusader III (6 pdr) = 7 pts + Command Card Scout Tanks ( 2 pts ) = 9 pts
• Crusader II & III Armored Troop 2x Crusader II (2 pdr) + 1x Crusader III (6 pdr) = 6 pts + Command Card Scout Tanks ( 2 pts ) = 8 pts

Support: = 12pts

• 6 pdr Anti-tank Platoon (British Allied Unit) 4x 6 pdr gun = 12 pts

OTHER COMMAND CARDS = 3 pts

• Command Card Fortify the Building = 2 pts
• Command Card Arsenal of Democracy = 1 pt

Tactical Advice:  In a LV Open test tournament in Sacramento, I played the same basic list but without the GMC formation and more crusaders, and I think that was a much stronger list. The 75mm GMC TD looks cool, but with 1 point of armor and Hit on a 3+, they die if someone even looks at them wrong. Crusaders are not much better, but a 4 AV ( 6 pdr ) at least you can assault with them. In the end, the GMC TD basically died every time they showed themselves. Sometimes they did managed to kill there points, but did not make enough of a difference. 3 x M-10 TD's or 9 Crusaders with Scout would been a better build.

Also, I did not take any spearhead units. What the Hell was I thinking? It could have made quite a few games so much easier if I had taken 3pt unit. Sheesh!

GAME 1: ( 8 to 1 Win )

Sean Forte - German Grenadier list with Italian Allies

We both rolled for Attack and rolled up COUNTERATTACK with me as the attacker.

His list:

Panzergrenadier Company:

• HQ
• Panzergrenadier Platoon x 7
• Panzergrenadier Platoon x 7
• sMG34 Machine-gun Platoon

Support:

• Tiger
• Marder x 4
• 7.5cm Tank-hunter Platoon
• Semovente SP Battery x 5

I new this was going to be easier for me than for Sean as I had a very fast mobile army and most of his troops where infantry stands, so I decided to maximize my advantage and keep all my infantry mounted in half tracks and do a hell for leather rush across the board on turn 1 while I dropped a line of smoke across the board. 

On the german turn he tried to move a platoon of german grenadier to the bottom but I kept dropping artillery on them and causing them to be pinned. He popped his ambush of Pak 40's, but with the smoke there was little to shoot at.

By turn 3, I had spread out my US Armored INF units throughout the buildings while dropping artillery on his Pak 40's and Infantry. When his tiger showed up I engaged it with Bazooka's and bailed it out then assaulted it with Infantry destroying it. 

By turn 4, His marauders arrived but also meet a large amount of GMC 75mm and Bazooka fire to be bailed out then destroyed by Infantry assaults. I think we called the game by turn 5 as there was just no way he was going to be able to cross the board to contest the objective.

Tactical insight:

Combination of speed ( Halftracks + Crusaders ) and Smoke allowed me to move across the board and take the objective quickly. Both of us not having spearhead units hurt both of our abilities to hold the critical ground at the start of the game, and this game could have been very different with these units.

GAME 2: ( 1 to 2 Tie )

Bryan K : Soviet SU-76 Tank Company with a Hero soviet motor infantry platoon + M3 Stuarts platoon. We both attacked and rolled FREE FOR ALL.

His list:

• Hero Motor Rifle Company ( 10 DP, 1 Komissar, 2 PTRD,1MG) + Guards Cmd Card
• IL-2 + Viktor Maksimovich Golubev Card
• M3 Stuart Tank Company ( x 8 )
• SU-76 Light SP Regiment
• T-70
• 5 x SU-76
• 5 x SU-76
• 5 x SU-76
• 4 x SU-76

Bryan list had a huge number of SU-76's ( x19 ) plus a unit of 8 M3 Stuarts plus 1 unit of Hero Soviet Motor Rifle platoon. I knew this was going to be tough as he could out shoot me, out artillery me, and had basically the same 4 AV that my best tanks have. Also his Infantry could out assault mine with a 2 + to hit vs my 5 + or 4 +.

The Opening moves for me was to push my Vet US Armored Platoon up the middle before he blew me apart with artillery fire and rush fwd my 75mm TD GMC unit on the left. This did not turn out so well and basically I think I destroyed one or two of his SU-76 for all 4 of my TD. In the Middle my INF did a Bazooka Vs SU-76 shoot out with Crusaders supporting to kill a few more SU-76 at the cost of a lot of the Vet Platoon. Eventually he retreated back to the table edge not to be close assaulted by the INF and my INF moved back to the middle not to be broken.

His large unit of Stuarts made a giant fire line and to my disbelief shot out my TD's and anything else that even came close to them. With a 2+ to hit, you think with the TD + 6 pounders, I would clear them out in short order, but while I got them down to 2 models by the end of the game, they just would not die!

After turns of crap cross check rolls, my crusaders moved up to his Soviet Mech Inf and to my surprise he assaulted them, it did not go well for him, and I won the combat and routed his infantry out of the building into the open. Next turn I advanced and MG many of the unit and tried to assault him away from the objective but do to a mistake of moving more than 10" with 2 tanks, could only assault with 1 tank, which flubbed its roll and allowed his infantry to contest the objective.

He moved out a unit of SU-76 forward at the end to go for my Objective, but the game ended before he could do anything ( and I had the Mortars + T-30 unit there to contest + a unit of crusaders ).

Great game against a really good opponent.

Tactical insight:

I should have pushed with the Armored Infantry platoon on the right ( instead they sat there the whole game ). I would have out numbered him with Infantry + Halftrack fire support + the 10 crusaders would have pushed him out. Instead I only sent in my tanks which took forever to get there do to all the cross checks. I should have used CROSS HERE to get across the forest and river the first turn. Sigh ....

In my defense, I was worried if I move any infantry not in cover, it would get nuked by his SU-76 templates. In the end I think he fired only once or twice as a template.

GAME 3: ( 8 to 1 win )

Alex M -> US Sherman Armored Company ( Big unit of Shermans, Some M3 Lee, HQ Shermans, some AA units, and a Rifle Platoon. )

He picked Attack and I picked Defend with the result : REARGUARD.

This board had no cover but few building and lots of Railroad tracks. We decided that at least the Railroad tracks would give short cover as there basically nothing on the board. I put one objective next to one of the only buildings and the other was in the open to my right. I put all the Minefields around that objective then spread out my Armored Infantry Company to guard the spots with crusaders and TD's hiding the best I could.

He put everything to my left and moved forward shooting at the dug in INF. I ambushed the 6 pounders and moved all the other US Armored INF unit across the board using smoke as cover. My crusaders also moved up.

He continued to push forward into the fire of the 6 pounders plus 75mm GMC TD. When he got close to the building I added bazooka fire  which bailed out the tanks. Then he decided to side step the building and move towards the center which resulted in a swirl of crusaders and 75mm GMC TDs running around the sherman's ( looked like a wagon train being surrounded by Indians ). We called the game after turn 4 or 5 as I had destroyed most of his armor.

Tough game for his list without any terrain to maneuver. In the end he tried, but could not get my Infantry to leave the building while being picked off my 6 pounders and TD's.

Tactical insight:

A pure Tank list against a dug in US Armored Infantry list is extremely hard to win.

GAME 4: ( 6 to 3 Win )

Dave Griffen, British Honey Stuart list with US Tank Destroyers

Dave's list had lots of small units of Honey Stuarts, Churchills, Bofors AA guns, and some Universal Carriers.

We both picked Attack and rolled FREE FOR ALL.

On setup, he moved up his Universal Carriers with spearhead ( again if I had spearhead it would have been a much easier battle ! ). 

I moved up my Veteran Armored Infantry to get into the buildings and failed my follow me and was left out in the open, but did managed to smoke his Bofors / M10's on a Hill. That did not save the unit though as two units of Honey stuarts moved up and shot the hell out of the Infantry in the open. Then failed to rally or dig in, so I got another turn of MG fire.

His Honey Stuarts on the left came out and shot at my crusaders in the woods and we exchanged fire for a few rounds till he killed them. My GMC TDs managed to eventually Blitz and shoot up his stuarts while on a challenge from Dave, one bazooka ran up and shot and killed a honey Stuart.

His Churchill's came out to be shot at by the 6 pounds and some Crusaders, but all the shots bounced off the hull so eventually I stopped firing with the crusaders and used Scout Card to go to ground.

The GMC TD's on the right moved out and destroyed more Honey Stuarts only to be killed by Honey Stuarts and eventually the M10's that moved away from the hill.

I realized that he was very close to breaking, so I focused on killing the last of the honey stuarts with all my remaining units and managed to break the formation.

Tactical insight:

Moving my Armored Infantry up in the middle was a suicide mission. There was little chance to get across the board in front of the 40mm Bofors and his Honey Stuarts. I also under estimated the amount of MG fire a stuarts can spit out. Whats funny about my list, is that it allows for stuarts to be played aggressive as there guns have a good chance to penetrate almost anything in my list.

GAME 5: ( 6 to 3 Win )

Robert Bomkamp -> Afrika Korps force ( Armored Car Company with Allied L6/40 Light Tank Company )

His list:

Armored Car Company:

• Sd Kfz 221 Cmd
• 2x Sd Kfz 222, 2 x 2x Sd Kfz 221
• 2x Sd Kfz 222, 2 x 2x Sd Kfz 221
• 2x Sd Kfz 222, 2 x 2x Sd Kfz 221
• 2x Sd Kfz 231
• Afrika Rifle Platoon ( + 1 MG, +1 Mortar )

Support:

• 4 x Marder
• 3 Diana
• 15cm Lorraine Schlepper Artillery Battery x 4
• Sd Kfz 10/4 Light AA Platoon
• Semovente SP Battery x 6

Allied L6/40 Light Tank Company

• L6/40 Light Tank HQ ( x4 )
• L6/40 Light Tank Platoon ( x 5)
• L6/40 Light Tank Platoon ( x 5)
• L6/40 Light Tank Platoon ( x 5)

We both picked Attack with the result: COUNTER ATTACK with me being the defender.

Robert surprised me on the setup, as he spearheaded everything to the opposite table side, and moving first, moved almost his entire army next to the opposite objective. The major lucky factor for me was he failing the follow me that left his Africa Rifle Platoon in the middle of the road.

Knowing that I had to kill the infantry before it could get into the building, I dropped artillery and moved up half tracks which managed to break the unit. I attempted to run my veteran armored infantry across to the building but failed my follow me. This allowed for him to swing a large number of L6/40 light tanks out to MG the unit and drop more artillery on them.

My other armored infantry unit moved out most of the unit across the street ( but managed to follow me ) allowing it to get into the building. I then played fortify building on it which allowed the unit to save the huge amount of fire being pumped into it.

My crusaders moved up into the tank factory and fired away at the L6/40's destroying some but slowly being witted down from Marders and L6/40 fire.

My GMC TD's arrived from reserves destroyed his 15cm Artillery Battery, which then were destroyed by his Semovente Battery. My 6 pounders managed to kill some of his Diana's and AA Platoon moving to cut off the reinforcements to the main fight.

By mid to late game, I knew I was in trouble and basically playing for a tie, when he decided to be aggressive with his armored car company and move them out to kill the heavily depleted veteran armored infantry company plus the part of standard armored infantry company in the contesting building.

As soon as I saw this, I went all out to kill the armored cars and managed over 2 turns to break the formation with a combination of bazooka's, T30 shots, Crusaders, 6 pounders, and GMC TD's. It was a very close battle and could have gone both ways.

Tactical insight:

When I saw his list and rolled to be the defender, I knew that I was basically playing for a draw. He had so many units and he used spearhead to great effect to move his entire army to under cover. By turn end of turn one, I knew I was in serious trouble. I tried and tried to destroy all the L6/40's, but being 4+ Hit and with decent armor ( compared to me at least ), I was rapidly being swamped, so I did everything I could to stay focused and keep something alive to contest the objectives.

In the end, it was my opponent being aggressive ( and he had a really good chance to win by doing so ) that allowed me to focus everything on breaking the formation. When you are playing a game in the later turns, remember that people tend to become aggressive, and sometimes thats all you need to pull victory from defeat.

Ending Thoughts:

I was blessed with great opponents who made every game fun and interesting. In the end, I managed to get third place which was a surprise to me!

At 109 points, I saw very small number of Infantry lists with lots of units being the standard in most of the battles. I think this has come about as Infantry just got shot to bits against all the MG and Artillery fire. And since both players are generally going to play Attack ( or pick something to force you to move ), you are going to have to come out of your fox holes at some time.