We've just held Round 1 of our Tank Aces campaign in Gamer's World, Dublin.With no real history of Flames of War events until now, we were curious to see what kind of attendance we'd see. We knew we'd have our six club FoW players, regardless, but were delighted to gain six brand new players. The faction split was heavily in favour of the Axis, so I switched to an Allied army. Goodbye, sweet Fearless Trained King Tigers, we'll meet again. I swear it.
The map above shows that the historical operation was planned as a double encirclement of the French town, Nancy. Our campaign will last four weeks, with a series of battles based on three separate routes. Route A is set in the northern sector, representing a long hook by the CCA around Nancy towards Arracourt. Route B is the direct attack by the CCB on Nancy, resulting in the close encirclement of the town. Route C is the southern flanking effort by the CCR, they sought to link up with the attackers on Route A by reaching Luneville, just east of Arracourt. As matters stand, they're making good progress.
Allied Campaign Points: 2
Axis Campaign Points: 1
Route A: Dieulouard (Axis Victory, 3-0)
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| Combat Command A take heavy losses while breaking out of their bridgehead. |
The Allies had established a small beachhead on the far shore of the Moselle, in preparation for the offensive. Tanks, fuel and ammunition were transferred to the forces massing in the region. On the 18th of September, their engines roared as the main column pushed east. Within minutes, the attack ground to a halt as the lead tanks were devastated by concealed tank hunters. A slow, careful push managed to carry the Shermans out of the killing zone only to find themselves ambushed once more as they attempted to flank their attackers. The losses suffered as they seized the main road to Chambrey were heavy but they simply foreshadowed several terrible days of fierce counter-attacks and crafty ambushes that slowed the Allied advance in the sector to a crawl.
The Moselle River (Allied Victory, 3-1)
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| Under the guns of the tanks, the divisional engineers force a crossing at the Moselle river. |
Scratch German formations attempted to hold the Bayon Canal, which represented the easiest crossing point in the area of operations. Despite the best efforts of the defenders, they were quickly suppressed by the weight of incoming fire. The Allies succeeded in bridging the canal quickly and troops began pouring across. By September 20, several intact bridges had fallen into American hands. The German garrisons along the canal found themselves encircled and trapped. With no hope of relief, they surrendered en-masse. Sparing no time, the Allies pushed on to assault Dombasle, a small town directly east of Nancy.
Boinville-Aux-Miroirs (Allied Victory, 3-3)
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| The battle for Boinville was exceptionally heavy. This aerial image shows multiple burning tank formations. |
Despite being seen by both sides as the least critical sector, the battles around the small village of Boinville-Aux-Miroirs were the largest clashes, in both tanks committed and casualties sustained. The bloody nature of the battle was a consequence of local weather conditions. With a thick fog concealing movement, the battle degenerated into a confused melee. Both sides blundered into each other's lines, friendly and hostile formations became inter-mixed and tanks fought at point-blank ranges. After two days of chaos, reinforcements shifted the balance against the defenders. Acknowledging the change in their fortunes, the Germans executed a successful withdrawal to Mont and the Allied units cautiously followed.
(Note: Allied players win drawn areas.)
Generals Table
| Name |
XP |
Kills |
| Ludwig Von Waffenbak |
9 |
2 |
| Franz Dur Himmler |
10 |
2 |
| Johann Johann |
8 |
2 |
| Heinz von Catsup |
10 |
2 |
| Wolfram Blitzen |
12 |
2 |
| Baz Von Nizchol |
5 |
2 |
| Henri Hande |
6 |
3 |
| Hulk Washington |
11 |
1 |
| Zhukov Lostski |
5 |
1 |
| Brad Chadworthy |
6 |
2 |
| Billy Canuck |
5 |
- |
| Lord Nosediver |
- |
- |
Some random shots from the night, I'll remember to take more pictures next week, the combined burden of rules, playing and paperwork distracted me from this critical task. It will not happen again.
Labels: Campaigns, Flames of War, Gamer's World, Newbreed, Warheads
