An unexpected FOW Tournament in Switzerland with an Army Never Used Before, but with Lots of Good Chocolate!
By Paolo Paglianti
Just imagine the scene. It’s Friday morning at the Paglianti household, and we are getting ready to leave for our house on Lake Como. Suddenly, the phone rings: it’s my friend Etienne, one of the best Flames of War players in Europe, calling to tell me that he has a problem with his Lady of the Lake tournament. The tournament is a pairs event, Axis and Allied, and unfortunately, one player had to withdraw at the last minute. Three players might have to drop out if he doesn’t find a substitute.
If I ever needed confirmation of how awesome my wife is, I got it that morning: not only did she understand how much I would enjoy playing over the weekend in what is practically the Swiss Nationals, but she also knew how often I worry about organizing a tournament and facing such issues.
She said, “We’ll go to the lake next week!”. So, I packed my things and joined Stefano Regazzoni, who lives in Italian-speaking Switzerland, and together we headed to Lausanne, passing through the San Gottardo pass, which looked like the Ardennes with all the snow.
The Army
Generally, for such an important tournament, you prepare for months, testing the list against as many opponents as possible during training. However, I had to prepare the list in a hurry while packing my bags. Not only that, but since I was replacing an Axis player who wanted to play on Defense, I had to bring a list I had never tested before, from an army I never play (I generally prefer to field British and Americans) and on Defense or at most Maneuver, when I usually choose Attack. What could possibly go wrong?
Thanks to advice from my friend Claudio Tiso and some last-minute suggestions from Livio Tonazzo (Captain of the Italian FOW Team) and Mark Goddard (an excellent British player whom I wish would move to Milan tomorrow), I finally put together a defense list. Here it is:
The idea is to use the Volkssturm platoons from Berlin: German book to create defensive lines, possibly exploiting terrain and any minefields. The 88s and Pak 40s should keep the tanks at bay, and the Pak 40s are also excellent candidates for my ambushes. Two mortars provide support against attacking infantry with a skill 3+, and the SD KFZ with 7.5 guns help keep medium tanks and scouts away.
Finally, the motorized SS with its HQ are the rapid response unit, to counter the inevitable holes in the Volks line. The two King Tigers are a fixed reserve with their 31 points – considering the presence of three Volks platoons, they are more than sufficient.
Here you can find all the lists.
First Game, Loic Soler with US Shermans + Foreign Legion
Louic’s list has a good number of Shermans (12, including 3 Crocodiles) and quality infantry (thanks to the Foreign Legion card and Patton as HQ). Here is the list.
He attacks and I defend, and we play the “Dogfight” scenario. Here’s a photo of the table – I miserably failed the range in and it shows the lower part, where the action took place.
The photo has been take on turn 2, when Loic already sent his LVT-4 to crash into the lower two minefield, and this helped the US infantry to cover behind bulletproof covers and remove the mines.
Louic charges in immediately and sends the massive LVT-4 transports into the minefields. His plan is to make them explode, which they do, creating barriers to protect the infantry’s advance. I respond by concentrating the mortars on the infantry that entered the minefields, but can’t take them all out; in two turns, the protection from the mines is gone.
Louic advances with the Shermans to support the upcoming assault, but my PAK 40s appear at the edge of the trees and take out a platoon of American tanks. Of course, the Crocodile flamethrowers intervene and BBQ the PAKs (a huge mistake on my part, putting them so close to the front line). In return, the King Tigers arrive from the reserves with Teutonic punctuality and start shooting the remaining Shermans like fish in a barrel – the few US tank survivors retreat behind solid buildings.
At this point, Louic concentrates the remenant of the two Foreign Legion platoons against the Volks platoon defending the woods, annihilating it. Meanwhile, the SS have positioned themselves behind them and counterattack, repelling the Franco-American infantry. The result is a dance of a couple of turns, in which the SS have a bit more luck in the counterattacks and push the Foreign Legion over 20 cm/8″ from the objective. A very hard-fought 6-3.
Second Game, Arnaud Gaillard with Russians
Arnaud, a very experienced and precise player, presents an unusual list of Veteran Russian Infantry (hit on 4+) and an SU-57 anti-tank company. To support the assault, there are two mortar platoons, an SMG platoon, and pesky OT-34s, armed with cannon and flamethrowers.
Again, attack and defense, and I find myself in the blue part of the Hold the Pocket scenario.
The German deployment at the lower center of the table, with the pinch maneuver of the Russians to get on the objectives. The Infantry in the right-upper corner is closing in the gap in the minefields, while the OT-34 warm up the 88s.
I placed the minefields to the right (3) and two frontal ones, which are practically wasted. I send my SD KFZ Scouts with a spearhead to the center of the table to prevent Arnaud from making dangerous flanking maneuvers towards my front, and then deploy the three Volks platoons on the three threatened sides of the deployment square, with the Pak 40 in ambush, SS in the center to respond to threats, and 88 on the most open side without minefields.
Arnaud cleverly divides the assault force: to my right, he places two infantry platoons and an SU-57 platoon, and to the left, he concentrates everything else. On his first turn, he launches the OT-34s and infantry to immediately attack the most exposed side of the deployment: the flamers take out two 88s, while the infantry predictably hits the unfortunate Volks platoon in front of them.
On my second turn, I bring out the Pak 40s from ambush with the specific purpose of destroying the OT-34s, which are really a thorn in my side. I also command the SS to plug the hole left by the previously devastated Volks platoon. It’s a risky choice because it means engaging my only reserve on the field, waiting for the King Tigers to show up.
On the third turn, Arnaud mostly stays in his positions, reorganizing the attack on the left, and this allows me to turn the PAKs 180° and take out the only SU-57 platoon to my right. This allows me, when the King Tigers enter the next turn, to have no opponent on the right half of the table who can threaten the side and rear armor of the Tiger 2s. The two super tanks can then boldy and safely move towards the remaining SU-57s on the left and start taking them out from afar.
The final clash is between the SS and a few particularly brave Volks remaining on the spot and the single Russian infantry platoon close enough to the objectives to prevent me from winning: once the single Russian flamer is taken out, the SS charge into the woods and push back the Russian infantry without much trouble. 7-2 the final score.
Third Match, Stefano Regazzoni with British Desert Rats
The third match of the tournament is a bit special: it’s a true Doubles, where two players play on each side. Actually, Stefano’s teammate, the organizer Etienne, had to run off to be the best man at a friend’s wedding! Nonetheless, Stefano is one of the most skilled players in the Old World and can certainly manage on his own, especially when playing his beloved British. A list very similar to the one I usually play.
He attacks, and Gunnar and I maneuver, resulting in scenario Breakthru. Here’s the table setup.
My inexperience in deploying in defence is all in those 88s positioned too close to the front line. Stefano exploited my error and destroyed them on first turn. Will I learn for next time?
The scenario is good for my army: I deploy two platoons of Volks on the sides of the deployment zone facing Stefano’s approach, preventing him from freely advancing towards the objectives, and the third Volks with the HQ goes towards the unguarded rear objective. The SS, as usual, serve as the mobile reserve, while the 88s are positioned to defend the infantry in the upper right corner. Another mistake, which Stefano immediately exploits: he sends his 6 WASPs towards the 88s, taking out half of them in a shooting inferno of flames. I should have deployed them 10 cm / 4″ further back, and shield them with the infantry.
Nevertheless, the Volks put up a fierce fight and repel the single Rifle platoon on the table. This gives me time to position the Pak 40s in a good ambush spot and vaporize a platoon of M10s. At that point, Stefano gathers the remnants of his infantry, the WASP flamers, and the mass of Scouts and uses them to clear the quadrant and then approach the central objective. Gunnar and I sent the King Tigers to the center, along with the SS, to repel the mass of British troops, joined by the allied US Sherman platoon and the remaining M10s. Additionally, the other platoon of Desert Rats infantry enters from Reserves to the rear and heads towards the Volks platoon, attempting to contest the objective placed right next to a huge building. Fortunately,
Gunnar and I moved some SD KFZ (scouts and mortars) that gave the British a hard time and pushed them back far enough, aided by an unfortunate counter-attack roll from Stefano. In the center, I have to do some math very carefully to manage to take out the mass of scouts clustered near my most exposed objective.
I used every anti tank weapon to the last Panzerfaust, from SS platoon, their HQ, and the remaining Volks nearby, plus the shots from the two Tigers firmly sitting on the objective, and luckily managed to destroy or push back every British unit within 8″ of the objective. One of the hardest-fought 6-3 victories in recent months.
Fourth Match, Raphael Bosson with Sherman
I know Raphael is an excellent player from the ETC 2023, when I had to assault a fort of US Rifle and Motor Rifle with my British. Here the roles are reversed, although Raphale tries to catch me off guard by playing defense against defense, and we get the scenario “Free for All”. Here is his list
And here’s the table, after a turn.
Again, I managed to miss the left part of the deployment, but on that side didn’t happen too much. On the right, you can see the SS King Tigers and the Panzergrenadier advancing relentless towards the easy spot of a single small Motor Rifle British platoon and some M4 mortars.
Noticing that Raphale’s list doesn’t include scouts with Spearhead, on the right half of the table I launch my scouts onto the hill just outside my deployment zone and place a Volks platoon and the 88s on it. Behind them, on the objective I consider most exposed, the second Volks platoon, while on the far right I position my attack wing: the usual two King Tigers, the SS, and the formation HQ.
On the left, there’s only one Volks platoon left, but with the reassuring presence of the HQ and the 88s. The SD KFZ 7.5 unit is in the center, as a mobile reserve against sudden Sherman incursions.
On the first turn, I send the two King Tigers into the forest on the right and the motorized SS + HQ to the far right. Raphael seems a bit disoriented by the sudden assault and limits himself to unleashing his three bombardments on my Volks infantry, who start losing units at a pace that’s a bit too fast for my liking.
In the second turn, I target the visible mortars with the 88s and the Pak 40s, forcing Raphael to repeat his successful artillery rolls and give some respite to the infantry under bombardment. Meanwhile, the SS approach the American mortars and the right objective, while the Tiger 2s emerge from the forest and start taking out the visible Shermans. Raphael seizes the opportunity to send his PIAT to the side of the Tiger, but with little luck. After eliminating it, I assaulted the remaining British infantry but forgot to launch the smoke bombardment. The combined fire of British and American machine guns first repelled the dismounted SS and then decimated them, leaving only one surviving base.
At this point, there’s only one way to win: charge home with the King Tigers. I try to take out the Shermans that can respond to the assault, but one survives. I charge with the nearest King Tiger, which receives two shells from Uncle Sam on the side. One seems to penetrate the armor, but I save the armor roll with the Lucky card, survive, and win the combat against the poor British infantry, pushing the platoon beyond 10 cm from the objective. 8-1.
Fifth Match, Tim Bogaerts with Veteran Chafee
Tim is one of the strongest players in Belgium, and I immediately liked him when I met him at the ETC 2022 and 2023. He plays with a formation of American Chaffee tanks supported by infantry and three artillery units.
The table, to be honest, favors me, because it’s full of buildings where my four infantry units are very comfortable, while Tim’s Chaffees cannot enter. On the other hand, the three American artillery units are almost untouchable, and I’ll have to endure their deadly fire every turn, particularly effective against my defensive infantry. He attacks and I maneuver, and we play the scenario Killing Zone.
The photo of the table after a couple of turns. Tim’s Chaffees are gathering on the upper corner of my deployment, and in a few moments my 88s will disappear. Meanwhile, my infantries are taking positions in the buildings around the objectives on the left.
Tim wisely places the objectives in the most open spot possible. I position two Volks infantry units in the southern part of the deployment zone, along with the Pak 40s, and one Volks infantry unit plus SS in the northern sector. The 88s are placed at the northern and rightmost edges. Tim immediately sends his Chaffees against the 88s and takes them out with cannon fire. Another of my mistakes, as I placed them too close to the combat line.
Then, Tim sends his infantry against the exposed and unprotected Volks, naturally tearing them apart and taking the northeast corner of the building. In response, I pull back what’s left of the Volks platoon and move it closer to the HQ, so that in the next turn, they can spin. The SS rush to their place and assault the Americans, returning the favor and pushing them out of the building, where they will remain pinned for the rest of the match. A Volks earns a gold medal by jumping out of the southern building and shooting one of the Chaffee HQs with its Panzerfaust, while the other one runs far away!
With no other infantry to assault the SS, Tim wisely starts targeting them with artillery and groups the Chaffees north of the building to attempt a flanking maneuver. The previously withdrawn Volks platoon begins the delaying action, positioning a unit or two in front of the Chaffees, forcing Tim to choose whether to assault them, risking two Faust shots in the side, or to shoot them, giving up the guaranteed advance from a successful assault.
Moreover, I sacrifice the SD KFZ 7.5cm to shoot at the Shermans and put a couple of the closest ones out of action. As a result, in my sixth turn, there are no Americans within 20 cm/8″ of my objectives. 6-3.
The aftermath
Five defensive victories with an army I’ve never tried before are not bad at all – though I must point out that luck played a big role, especially in the match against Stefano Regazzoni. Three Volks platoons are tough nuts to crack because they have lots of bases, and every time you assault them with armored vehicles, you risk taking at least two Panzerfausts in the side.
Examining the Battleplan the night before the tournament, I had noted that my army would have almost no chance of winning if I faced a “Spearhead” scenario, for example. The army is very solid but also static, except for the King Tiger 2 platoon (which is almost always in reserve), and the motorized SS, who can’t win alone against masses of tanks. Anyway, Gunnar and I manage to climb to the second step of the podium, right behind the Regazzoni-Etienne duo, and also take home a lot of Swiss chocolate!
Some photos from the tournament.
The tournament hall, we shared it with other 20 players on Warhammer fantasy. I’ve used well the help of a dragon, actually.
Etienne managed to have 9 beautiful and rich tables, some urban and some more “countryside”
We played in the French Switzerland, and they take seriously the croissant thing. They were delicious! And guess who was the Italian Barista serving the Espressos?
The usual “we go to sleep early this evening as we need to play tomorrow and we need to concentrate” idea resulting in Pastis and beers at midnight somewhere in a Cat-themed pub in Losanne.
Love these ruins, I need to find them somewhere for my tournaments in Milan!
I and Gunnar taking the prize for second place, while Etienne smiles thinking “I got the first prize” 🙂
Well done! A nice battle report and the tournament looks like it was a good one.