A while ago I wrote an article about a theoretical list whereby you could field 3 x King Tigers with a ton of Volksturm infantry and no have any units in reserve. having finally painted the huge number of stands I decided to test the list out at a 5 game event.
Corrivalry is quite unique in that it has 2 core parts:
- Missions are fixed to the table. To determine attacker you take an average of your formation(s) attack score. A formation with only a tank unit HQ is worth 2, a formation with a tank and inf stand (eg armoured panzergrens) is 1 and a infantry only HQ is 0.
- Secondly you can bring a second list where you can change up to 40pts of your original list.
I chose 2 different lists although I didn’t really like my second but fancied seeing what these cheap SuHs could do (answer not a lot).
With fixed missions on the table I was not expecting great things from my list overall. While i was confident that I could defend with them, if i ended up with missions where I needed to get across the board things would get very tricky. In a normal event I can mitigate this by picking defend, but not here!
Game 1
My first game was vs Steve Blackwell and his German Armoured Recce company with me defending in rearguard. With all my forces already allowed to deploy my unique selling point was negated. However with so many platoons i knew withdrawing units wouldn’t be that bigger issue.
I set up with 1 company on the left flank and the smaller on the right with the train and King Tigers in ambush. As with all missions I deployed quite far forward of the obj thus allowing me space to fall back from assaults (I am reluctant!) but not give up the obj.
Steve deployed everything to focus on my left flank and moved forward aggressively. My King Tigers ambushed to engage his armoured infantry with my railway guns targeting his other infantry platoon. I knew that if i could wipe out or minimise his infantry then he had little to assault me effectively and therefore push me back in time.
I used smoke to shield my left flank forcing his 7.5cm guns and AA to move. Once the smoke was fired I then withdrew that unit (I have 4 x smoke bombardments). That worked 3 times with the final smoke barrage subsequently refusing to roll a 5 to range in. Steve started to destroy my train but they refused to run and instead did a orderly withdrawal preventing a me losing a point and achieving a 8:1.
Game 2
This time I faced Rex. He was running aggressive Chaffees and a British recce company. This is a great match which gives access to the cheap Crocs and M10 Achilles plus the cheap US integrated artillery options. The mission was bypassed and I knew this was going to hurt. I would have to get up and take an obj while facing an almost uncountable number of MG shots. To make matters worse the deployment zone is so small my train can only fit it at the diagonal and to prevent it being unable to ambush it had to actually deploy.
To give me even a fighting chance i chose my StuH list, but lets face it, the number of shots just isn’t there to beat the chaffee and recce horde. In retrospect had I gone for list A I would have had no reserves so I could have kept a King Tiger on my obj to shoot up the Crocs and taken the other 2 to sit on the other obj and take my chances with some flanking Chaffees.
However, as expected the train got flamed and killed turn 1. As I had next to no cover the Achilles nailed a StuH platoon and then the Crocs closed on the Infantry holding the obj in the buildings. I managed to take 3 points but could see that the game would end with both of my formations broken so we called it at 6:3.
Game 3
It was time for a meeting of minds as I came up against Eddie, fellow member of Breakthrough Assault and Team England. He was running a British Recce company with double Achilles and double Land Mattress (ironic he says he took them just because he wanted to murder my list!).
The mission was an experimental one which is broadly fair fight by rotated 90deg so you are fighting from short edge to short edge. Again I knew that in 2.5 hrs killing him off and then getting onto the obj was highly unlikely however I needed to get 3 points and prevent his win.
Once again i deployed by company ensuring my CiCs could rally every one of their respective platoons. The railway went behind my front line and this time the King Tigers covering the centre ready to respond either way. Eddie advanced very cautiously with not a lot happening turn 1-2. I eventually ranged in on a some Land Mattresses and killed one while a KT nailed the other. This was a big deal and prevented him blowing a big hole in my line.
Eddie did have a set of SAS armoured jeeps. These arrived turn 1 and deployed on my rear obj. Luckily i had recce patrol of my own to defend it. Had i not then I would have had to rush a KT to baby sit that obj!
Eventually he assaulted on my right flank with some carriers but was beaten back by my 7.5cm guns and fausts. A set of M10s soon followed along with more recce. With this he had to back off his remaining recce to protect his formation break. Nearing end game it was evident that he couldn’t break through my line but I would not get to his objs either. Final score 3:3.
Game 4
Day 2 started against Keith Fisher and another British force recce force. This time with 3 Crocs, double M10s as well as double mortars. The mission was Escape although it seemed a bit different as I had no reserves to come on behind his forces. I actually chose to put my recce in reserve with the aim of munching/disrupting his mortars. In actual fact this meant he kept 2 x recce patrols back to defend them.
I deployed just ahead of a stream running through my zone with the railway behind it. This was a mistake, I should have put it further back so it didn’t prevent my King Tigers freedom of movement between the flanks.
Keith advanced straight in with everything and his Crocs survived the long range shots from my King Tigers although he did lose one to my ambushing railway guns. With clever use of smoke and my King Tigers getting stuck due to the railway gun I then couldn’t get shots on the Crocs as they gradually flamed through loads of stands on the left flank. Meanwhile my recce arrived from reserve, killed a British recce patrol and then assaulted the mortars making them fall back.
Keith kept pushing but by turn 6 he couldn’t get within 8 inches of the obj so it was a 6:3 win. I would note that only a force like this could cover enough area to do this. Had I had a ‘normal’ force then either he would have won or the game would have timed out.
Game 5
The final game was against Shirley King and her Soviet Churchill company. She had a choice between this being run with a R35 formation with some T34s or a Red Banner infantry company and she chose the latter. The Mission was hold the pocket and I had a very limited deployment area for my train with the line running down the centre of the table. I used 2 minefields each side of my deployment zone to help funnel the attack to a more central location and kept the King Tigers and Railway guns in ambush.
Shirley split her force quite evenly both sides and came at me. With no HE she was very reliant on her mortars which ranged in effectively, killing a infantry gun and forcing the other one to flee (pesky 6+ last stand rating). However despite her keeping 3/4 of my templates pinned i did range in on her 120mm mortars and kept them pinned from turn 2 onwards!
As expected the Churchills did not like the King Tigers and 88s. Eventually she had to back off her Hq and what remained of a platoon to prevent the company break. She did get an assault off on my King Tigers with her Faust packing infantry but they were beaten back by defensive fire. Even her IL2s had no luck, turning up once, and even hitting a King Tiger, however I had charmed dice and rolled a 6 to save.
Once again it ended at turn 6 and I just manged to squeeze a 7:2 by a hail Mary 6+ last stand!
Conclusion
The Volksturm horde is definitely not a bad list, and in defence the 3 x King Tigers are fantastic. Nobody can get to their flanks so they just dominate (albeit vulnerable to smoke). I am on the fence with the railway gun. it did well in game 5 but equally was useless in game 2 and actually caused me issues in game 4. Many have asked whether its worth taking 2 x 88s and paying 5pts to make them 2 x twin 88 Railway carriages. Yes its the same amount of firepower (8 shots) and easier to ambush but they are even easier to kill off, especially with a 5+ last stand. Perhaps worth trying though.
What this list cant do it attack and move. This didn’t play well to some of the missions I faced but would have been mitigated had we been doing traditional stances.
All in all I managed 4th place even with 2 fairly unwinnable games so I cant complain. They did what I wanted and produced some fun tense games. Now to find something completely different for Scottish Nationals!