My list was - Fortress Europe Panzergrenadiers HQ + fausts
Panzerschreck
2 x Panzergrens + fausts
King Tiger
4 Brummbars
3 Hummels
3 Pak 40s
Limited air support
Jamie's list was
HQ + sappers
2 x 2 platoon strelks. He attached the half the sappers to each and one had a flame thrower.
5 x KV-8s flame tanks (250 points!)
4 x Su-100s
GoW
Limited sturmovichs
something else that never turned up - SU-76?
We played a modified cauldron mission.
Attackers table edge
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/ 4 1 / S=Strelk
/ G / G=GoW
-----------S--------------
/ 3 / x x x / 2 /
/ / x x x / S /
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Defenders table edge
This differs from the usual cauldron in that the defender deploys and places the objectives in a 2x2 foot box within their half of the table.
I deployed 2 pzrgren platoons and 4 brummbars
Jamie deployed the GoW and the 2 strelks.
The strelk with the flame thrower and 3 sappers was hiding in a forest in sector 2. The other strelk was hiding in a forest on top of a hill in the middle of the table. My deployment area had multiple hedges that blocked line of sight for infantry.
Turn 1 - I moved my infantry back so I wouldn't be assaulted and flamed on the first turn. My planes hit the strelk in sector 2 killing 4 stands and pinning them for the next three turns despite the Komissar reroll (ie 6 stands died because of the air strike).
Jamie got reserves and brought the flame tanks on. The Strelks stayed where they were. GoW failed to range in and Jamie planes turn up but were intercepted.
Turn 2 - 4 Apart from my stukas destroying 2 flame tanks I basically managed to do very little as I was trying to stay 10" away from the strelk in the forests and the flame tanks and still within range of the objectives. 1 brummbar was killed by air.
Turn 5 - No reserves arrived. Jamie assaulted and destroyed 1 panzergren platoon with the strelk from sector 2. The other strelk and the flame tanks moved up to assault the next turn.
Turn 6 - No reserves arrived. I tried to assault the strelk with the other panzergrens but Jamie's 6 shots of defensive fire hit 5 times.
Jamies turn 6 - Assault destroyed everything I on the table - 6-1 to Jamie.
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Thoughts on modified cauldron. I felt more boxed in than in the standard cauldron mission. Although the defenders deployment area is further back, the attacker can deploy up to the halfway point. Retreating backwards isn't an option.
However, I think my poorly designed list may have a bearing on my thoughts on the mission. The list that I was going to take to destroy Jamie's Radzveki list would probably have done better in this mission. I think the key to winning cauldron is for the defender to attack the attacker. For this to work it is best to have as much of the force on the table as possible. In this game I only used 895 points (51%) of my force.
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