Kharkov 1941 - 28mm CoC

Forced into a change of venue as plumbing work was underway at my place, Martin put together a very nice table that just screamed 1945 Berlin or Stalingrad or as I eventually decided - Kharkov 1941. 

Great looking table, lots of scatter terrain. Using an attack/defend scenario from Chris Stoessen, (Loosely)! I had a Green Soviet Platoon, with supports in the form of 4 entrenchments, a bunker, a MMG and a 47mm AT gun. Martin had a 4 squad German platoon and elected to take a StuGIIIE, a Sdkfz222, and a flamethrower team. For Morale, my Green troops rolled a 6 for a Force Morale of 9, and Martin's Germans decided they hated street fighting and rolled a 1 for Force Morale of 8.

The patrol phase was relatively uneventful except  I ended up with an advanced patrol marker on my left, as did Martin. I hadn't considered how exposed it was as his vehicles could deploy (and if wheeled move) on any road. Sure enough, with initiative, the sdkfz222 arrived on a road, rolled 14 on three dice and trundled straight on to my leftmost JOP. A quick morale hit of -1. Oops. I wanted my AT Gun in the bunker on my right, so my only option was to deploy the MMG and hope to drive away the armoured car.

Err.. no.. not to be. 

and here's more trouble, a Stug advancing on my right. with an AT gun that rolls this for attack dice, repeatedly through the game.. 

And when it does eventually hit, it rolls 6 dice for damage, needing 5s and 6s... 

And now Martin has deployed a squad from his left hand forward JOP directly into the sturdy building on my right flank and opens up on a newly deployed Soviet squad. The Germans are in the ruined buildings to my front, and with my left-hand JOP gone I am having to deploy deep and manoeuvre to try and flank them. The bunker is holding on well, but the MMG is being peppered, and I have to bring on the Platoon sergeant to try and rally off shock.  Bringing on my squads, even behind entrenchments is a gamble - as Green troops they will get massacred in a firefight with German MG34s in the heavy cover of the ruined buildings. 

I'm finally forced to do something - the MMG team is wiped out, and a fresh squad is forced to deploy the AT in the bunker and Stug have exchanged hits, but the bunker is now at risk of crossfire, so I deploy a squad to engage the Germans in the right hand building.  There are now two uneven frefights I am likely to lose, and my third squad is still sneaking between buildings trying to work their way to my left under cover. 

And then the dice gods smile on the Soviets - I roll no less thane three consecutive double sizes giving me another phase, a total of 4 phases of fire uninterrupted, enough to break the morale of the German squad in the house on my right, another squad on my centre left and attempt to throw grenades at the 222.  I use my Chain of Command dice to end the turn and the broken squads rout..  

Martin gracefully conceded, and I felt like a very lucky escape! 

Very odd game, and while I couldn't hit the side of a barn with the AT gun, I more than made up for it on the dice luck with the double phases at a crucial time. At that stage I was in losing firefights, had no adequate answer to the 222 on my left and had been incredibly lucky none of my leaders had been hit with all the lead flying around.

Like many other CoC players we might think about house rules for multiple phases.

On the painting front, it felt like I had ben painting Jacobites for ever, so as a change from painting 18th Century infantry, I thought I would paint some 18th Century infantry...

American War of Independence 'generic' blue coats, three groups faced red, and three buff. All Perry plastics. The last couple of Sharp Practice AWI games, I have felt a bit limited in options for the Colonists, so this just adds some flexibility. Very quick and dirty 56 figures.