January First Disposable Heroes AAR

Hi Kids,  We figured we'd get the new year started with a bang!  Although it was a fly-by-night last minute scramble, we somehow managed to round up a fistful of gamers, a pile of figs, and a location all within 12 hours.  Even had half a tank of gas, some cigarettes, and dark glasses, too.  Anyway, I'm hopeful that 2014 will have a few more games than 2013.  We picked a scenario from a Skirmish Elite book and got right to it.  The figs are all over; Bolt Action, Company B, Westwind, Battlefront, even Walmart for the Marder.  All 25mm of course: The One True Scale!

 Turn one, the Huns move onto the battlefield, the Americans are in the buildings and behind the hedgerows.  Hedgerows are not my favorite terrain, as the defenders get those huge -4 die modifiers.  To win the game the Huns have to exit two armored vehicles off the US edge.

 In a fit of tactical finesse, the Hun vehicles line up to go straight down the main drag.  It's the only way they can get past the hedgerows, so its not exactly unexpected by the US players.  Could be trouble...

 And on cue, the first turn random US reinforcements arrive at the end of the road... a Sherman tank and some infantry.  Yeah, things just got a lot tougher.  Naturally, the river can only be crossed at the bridge.  Anybody got a Stuka handy?

 After receiving two track hits, the Sherman finds the range to the Marder and kills the entire crew.

 Another Sherman shows up!  The Pz4H decides to stick it's neck out to get a line of sight down the road while a halftrack sneaks up on the first building to unload the infantry.  Other forces swing out to the left to exchange fire with more US infantry.

 Score!  The second Sherman brews up, the Pz4H closes the distance on the original Sherman.    The infantry has taken the first building, and the Kubelwagon races to hide behind the second building.  At this point one US player takes the liberty of repositioning it so he can have a line of sight to the vehicle.  Not really sure how that can be justified.....  but the Kubelwagon and all its passengers are then summarily shot dead.

 The Pz4H takes a lot of hits, few penetrate.  The Sherman seems to have enormous magnets attached to the tracks, as it is immobilized a 3rd and 4th time.

 Most of the left flank US infantry are crushed, a halftrack leads the charge!

 The Yanks get lucky as the Pz4H finally takes a hit that penetrates and destroys it.

 The Luckiest SOB on the planet, only a single crewman survives in the Sherman!  Not really sure why every single hit (of which there were about 6) went into the tracks... oh wait, I know. It's the Chuckster's standard dice curse!  Nothing special there....

At the end o' the game, the few surviving US infantry hunker down behind the final hedgerow and the Sherman stands tough on the road.  With nothing to take out the tank, the game is declared a US victory!  Arg!  There is much gnashing of teeth and grumbling on the Hun side of the table!