My team-mate and I decided to field our Finnish forces for a change. This also gave us extra incentive to paint some new minis and try something new. Our team name was “Miljoona volttia” and our armylists were:
Osasto Napa: Finland 1944 – Jalkaväkikomppania [Infantry Company][Confident Veteran][980 pts]
Company HQ [40 pts]
Jalkaväki Platoon [150 pts]
- 3 squads, close defence team
Jalkaväki Platoon [150 pts]
- 3 squads, close defence team
Jalkaväki Mortar Platoon [105 pts]
- 3 mortar sections
Jalkaväki Heavy Mortar Platoon [140 pts]
- 3 mortar sections
Jalkaväki Scout Platoon [245 pts]
- 3 squads, SMGs, panzerfaust [Fearless]
Panssari Platoon [150 pts]
- 3 T-28 [Fearless]
Osasto Kymppi: Finland 1944 - Jääkärikomppania [Infantry Company][Fearless Veteran][1020 pts]
Company HQ [45 pts]
Jääkäri Platoon [175 pts]
- 4 Jääkäri squads, Close-defence SMG
Jääkäri Platoon [170 pts]
- 4 Jääkäri squads
Sturmi Platoon [315 pts]
- 3 Stu40G Sturmi
Sturmi Platoon [315 pts]
- 3 Stu40G Sturmi
The games would be:
1. Breakthrough
2. No-retreat
3. Free-for-all
The hassle before the storm.
In the first game we were paired against team Fish & Chips. A layed-back combination of Welsh (or Irish, can’t remember) Guard and general British infantry. Army 1 had two platoons of infantry, one platoon of tanks and priority air support. Army 2 had two platoons of infantry, a platoon of tanks, light mortars and universal carriers with flamethrowers.
The first battlefield and our adversaries - team Fish & Chips
The Brits decided to leave a platoon of tanks and two platoons of infantry to make the flank-attack with delayed reserve. The Finns left both platoons of Sturmis and the platoon of T-28s in reserve.
An aerial view of the battlefield with initial deployment. In a crescent shape from left to right: Finnish infantry platoon, jääkäri platoon, jääkäri platoon and infantry platoon. Heavy and light Finnish mortars behind the bocage in the top right corner. Finnish infantry recon platoon along the bottom right of the village, ready to infiltrate towards the objective. In the British corner are a tank platoon, two infantry platoons, carrier platoon with flamers and some light mortars.
The British in their starting positions
The Finnish starting positions nearest the enemy - intertwined (for better defensive fire) jääkäri and jalkaväki platoons.
The British advance with all guns blazing, but the fire is ineffective. No reinforcements arrive for the Finns and realizing the threat posed by the flamer carriers the Finns are faced with two options – advance or retreat from foxholes. The Finns attempt a brave first turn assault, but are forced back by defensive fire.
The carriers ignore the pinned infantry teams in the open and advance toward the jääkäri platoon. The British infantry kill the majority of the infantry platoon with shooting and an assault. This gives them an extra move. The jääkäri get pinned down and the flank looks like it won’t hold. Luckily Finnish reserves arrive. 3 T-28s lumber into a hull down position and destroy the entire carrier platoon.
The Brits retaliate by destroying two and bailing out one of the T-28s with their tanks and Typhoons. The last one stays in the game.
With British delayed reserves still not present the Finnish infantry recon platoon and a jääkäri platoon from the unengaged flank of the village assume relatively good positions around the objectives. The second Finnish jalkaväki platoon from the unengaged flank advance in the village towards the Finnish left flank, which is about to collapse.
On the threatened flank the British infantry assault the remainder of the decimated jalkaväki platoon and the intact (pinned) jääkäri platoon. The depleted platoon fails its morale and takes the jääkäri CiC with them off the field. The jääkäri fail their counterattack and fall back. Next turn they fail to unpin (5 failed 3+ morale tests so far). They decide to fall back and take 4 pot-shots requiring 6 to hit at the advancing British infantry – killing 3!
The British infantry receives the full brunt of both mortar platoons and get pinned down. The lone T-28 goes on to kill some infantry teams by shooting and assault. At this point British reserves finally arrive (and en-masse) to contest the objectives.
Fortunately Finnish reserves also arrive. The 3 Sturmi engage the British tanks while the lone T-28 continues to shoot at the British infantry. Both infantry platoons remain pinned-down, which is gives some time for the strung-out jääkäri platoon to recover.
Furious close combat erupts on the objective. The results are indecisive.
The British infantry in the center continue to be pounded by artillery. One platoon breaks while the other largely intact one recovers from being pinned down. They make a last effort to break through the jääkäri with smoke to cover their assault.
The fighting is brutal with defensive fire and close-range firefights causing casualties. British-bulldog and Finnish Fearless status (they finally manage to roll 3+) mean the assault continues. When the firing finally subsides only two jääkäri teams, one British infantry team and the British 2iC walk out of the smoke.
The lone British infantry team tries to take cover between some buildings. It is now the Finnish turn and the second British company is near to breaking point with their CiC dead. The sole surviving T-28s machine-gun fire settles the affair and the British company breaks.
Result: 4-3 victory for our brave Finnish forces.
Analysis: Our Finns made some initial mistakes which could have hurt us badly. The flank was about to collapse but fortunately the British infantry stayed pinned for a critical turn, which gave us a chance to recover with the jääkäri, bring up more tanks from reserve and pound the bunched up Brits with mortars. Perhaps the Brits should have been more cautious with their infantry and instead assaulted with the tanks. This would have given them more time to capture the objectives with their flanking force, before their company morale broke.