VotG 9 Eviction Notice.

 

Picked up a game with Carlos via Gamesquad.  He wanted to play a Valor of the Guards scenario and chose Eviction Notice.  I had played one other VotG scenario before:  Siberian Shockwave, so I had some experience with it.  But hey, it’s just more Red Barricades right?

Eviction Notice is a smallish scenario set in Stalingrad.  My Germans were holed up in some rubbled buildings and bracing for a Russian attack.  They had some backup across the road to their rear.  The goal is basically to hold my ground, a task easier said than done, as usual.  My forward force is nothing to sneeze at:  8 morale elite troop with stout leadership and a couple of support weapons.  The supporting force were not as fearsome.  First liners, average leadership, with a gun and MMG to beat back the Russian hordes.

 

Carlos had 3 tanks, 2 T-60s and a T34 1941.  Grunts were a mix of elite and 1st line units with better than usual Russian leadership.  As the title indicates, his goal is to evict me from the forward positions, and prevent me from re-entering if he accomplishes his task early.

Tank movement is very restrictive in Stalingrad scenarios so I hid my gun in some debris looking up the road on the left.  Carlos had to set up his initial troops 2 hexes from my perimeter and from my forward units.  The tanks and assault troops entering from offboard.

 

Looks like I was going to get a nice shot at a couple of tanks early.  And after pregame concealment we were off and running.  Carlos wasted no time in making the Russian presence felt, breaking my 467 on the German left with the first shot.  Then began moving up.  With 4.5 turns there is no wiggle room in getting the job done.

The first tank rolled up, giving me a nice shot on a T-60 and I didn’t miss, killing the tank and retaining my concealment.  Carlos diverted his second tank, moving offboard to the other road.

 

Carlos was nonplussed (to borrow a word from Mike) and the Commie horde continued forward.  I got my shots in, but as has been the case in my games recently, I appeared only to anger them.  A point blank shot created a berserker…….. on cue..

 

At this point, this game is shaping up to look like the previous game in my blog, nothing seems to go right after the initial tank kill.  I got my shots in, and had some real nice results, but Carlos’s Russians shrugged everything off.  I put my stud up front to deal some punishment but my reward ended up being broken Germans, and a wounded 9-2 leader.

 

Prior to the disaster.  Ineffective point blank fire from my side, brutal return fire from the Russians.

 

 

My backup crew was not helping.  I had some nice fire from my small mortar, had some nice rate of fire, but couldn’t get a result.  I shifted a couple of squads to the left to cover Carlos’s approach from that direction, but the writing was on the wall in the center.  My troops melted in front of the Russian assault, routing back to a rally point, but if they didn’t rally quickly, the Russians would push them back once again.

 

My troops preparing to leave the victory area.

 

 

It only took Carlos 2 turns to push my 8 morale units out of the victory area.  We routed back through the shellholes to escape total disaster.

 

 

My mortar crew broke and ran, I decided to abandon the victory area, lick my wounds, get healthy and try for a last moment push to get a unit back in there, routing through the shellholes to find a friendly leader.  Carlos tried to drive a T-60 down the right side but on an esb attempt, immobilized it, a break for me.  My gun crew was taking some serious punishment but stood tall, handling everything thrown it’s way.

 

Things are starting to look bad for the Landsers, Carlos has moved up and has now formed an infantry barrier in front of the road.  The remaining tank has moved to the German left and is covering that side.  My gun crew finally cracked.  My guys have started to rally, but it is probably too little too late.  My units on the left move up to engage the Russian in CC, winning in a small victory for my side.  This game has been too easy for Carlos, but my Germans just have not been up to the task so far.

 

It’s the small victories at this point.  My close combat win.

 

Down but not out, if I can get across the road and stay alive in a building / rubble hex it’s all good.

 

With one move left for me, I needed to get across the street and into the building hexes.  Oh, and I had to survive and own it.  I managed to get two units across the street and into CC in the buildings I needed.  I survived the Close Combat at the end of my turn but needed a miracle to get the win.  If Carlos were to roll a 12 on one of his attacks, I would be able to withdraw, hopefully into a victory hex and steal a victory.

 

 

But no such luck.  Carlos only had to keep me locked up and/or win the CC’s and it was over.  After reinforcing the melees, my chances were extra slim and he got the job done.

Two scenarios in a row where nothing seemed to go right.  My troops in the center needed to inflict some damage, stand up and fight and they just melted, 8 morale, a -2 stud leader and they just crumbled.  It was easy pickings for Carlos after that.  A good player like him wasn’t going to whiff on the chance.

0-2 since I started this blog….. seems about right.

NEXT!!