Dust Hades Campaign: Game 1

Schnell 203! Ze enemy is weakened!!

The super-nice facebook group (Dust Tactics Quebec) and myself decided to play the Dust Warfare Campaign from the latest book Hades.



Things to know:
-You start with a 150pts Platoon and that is it! Everything you want to add to it you'll have to earn the points for by fighting battles.
-The battle system makes it so that taking casualty is a risk, the more casualties a unit suffers, the bigger the chance of it being unable to reform (= you loose the unit and have to buy it again if you want/need it).
 -The locations you are fighting for might be critical to the control of a district, making the battle that more intense has the controlling player doesnt want to loose it.

Knowing that, you are ready for what is about to follow:

SSU Central Hospital's Attack

Conditions of the Battle: Blizzard

<<Damn blizzard is slowing the panzers down, they won't be able to reach Central hospital before the Russian attack will begin...
On the bright side we still have no way to deal with the commies' copters so I guess that'll take care of that for us.
Soldiers of the 203, get your weapons, we're on the move!>>
--Major Wilhelm of the 203 Panzerabteilung
Deployment of the Battle: Unprepared

<<Hey man, you see that over there? I swear I saw something in the blizzard! Maybe it's the Russians? OH GOD they're right here everybody OPEN FI->>
--Axis Sentry NCO's final words
Battle Objectives: Decapitation<<Oh sure, we'll let the Russians enter the Central hospital:... On a cart holding their bullet-ridden guts for those who make it.>>
--Major Wilhelm upon learning of the planned SSU attack

For non Dust players: We needed to eliminate the opposing faction's command squad while deploying little by little our troops and support. That and a blizzard is obscuring lign of sight to anything 16'' or more away.


Forces:
Axis: 203 Panzerabteilung (Sturmgrenadiers Platoon)
Command: Kommandotrupp
1st Section: Battle Grenadiers
2nd Section: Laser Grenadiers
Support: Flamm-Luther
Platoon Upgrade: Extra Panzer Support = Hans (no picture available yet)

SSU: Firebird's Flight
Command: Commissar Squad
1st Section: Rifle Squad
2nd Section: Fakyeli Close Combat Squad
3rd Section: Chinese Volunteers
4th Section: Fakyeli Close Combat Squad
Additional Transport: MIL MI-45 Airborne Transport
Platoon Upgrade: Air Cavalry

Pre-Battle Anylisis:
The Axis is outnumbered as the SSU is throwing 2 more infantry sections in this attack. To make things worse, SSU's guns have a much higher rate of fire than the ones equipping Axis troops.
Axis does have a higher range on their guns but the limited visibility provided by the Blizzard will force both factions to be close to each other if they want to damage anything.
Axis has a joker in their sleeves in the form of the Flamm-Luther, a metal behemoth whose Schwer Flammenwerfer can burn flesh off a unit's bones while most of the soviets' weapons will be inefficient against its thick armor.
On the other hand, the SSU brought a transport helicopter and while it isn't quite a full attack copter, the 203 has absolutely no way to bring the thing down if it flies high.

While the SSU high command made an Opportunity Assault to try and get the limited visibility of Snow, the Axis did key lookouts, trying to catch their opponent's unprepared and as such, delay the Helicopter as much as they could.

And now...

SSU Central Hospital's Attack

As the Axis Sentries spotted the Russian advance, the first elements of the 203 were just arriving at Central Hospital, while not exactly the most important location for  ''Gods' Thunder Operation'', it still proved critical in order to control People's District and as such was not to be lost without extremely heavy resistance.

In the middle, totally destroyed but still used: Central Hospital

Medics and beds made of crates.

203's Kommandotrupp behind heavy cover, in position for the SSU soon to arrive attack.
Almost inside the hospital is the 203's 1st Section: Battle Grenadiers.

203's 2nd Section finally arrived: Laser Grenadiers.
Should Winterchild show up, he'd feel the sting of Axis technology.

On the left: Commissar Squad, leaders of the Political Platoon and target of the 203's counter-offensive.
On the right: Ohotniki SSU rifle squad.

Aerial view of the map after 2 hours (non fluff:turn2, we played for a little less than 30 minutes at this point, not 2 hours) of defending the hospital.

Rejoice Panzerabteilung: the Flamm-Luther has arrived!

Yes, we might not had the time to change the camo on it, but it is ready to burn the communists!
Forward 203!

The SSU, like cockroaches use it swarm tactics and bring 2-3 and 4th sections to the battle.

even moving close to the forward battle grenadiers and threatening the Kommandotrupp by their mere presence (and mobility).

Why did the OKW sent us there? The 203 is an panzer-hunter platoon, we're not meant to face airborne threats!! Where is the Luftwaffe?

The Flamm-Luther blitz into position while the Kommandotrupp tries to put some distance between them and the left Fakyeli squad.

Aerial view of turn 3.Still no losses on each side despite the amount of shots fired. (heavy cover helps a lot)

Having recently been repainted to match the snow and urban environment of Zverograd, the 203's Hans shows up in the back of the unsuspecting SSU.

<<Major, we have LOS to Decap Target>>

Having slaughtered the right flank Fakyeli squad, the 203 gets into position, ready to attack the Comissars hiding at the other side of Central Hospital.
Right flank it is!

And then the disaster: The left flank Fakyeli squad jumps out of cover and starts to unleash devastation on the unsuspecting germans.
At the same time, the helicopter gets into position and opens fire on the Kommandotrupp.

Using the cover of chaos and confusion, Commissars try to relocate, leaving their heavy cover.

That fatidic turn's initiative roll:
on the left, the Axis' dice (who wanted initiative)
on the right, the SSU's dice (who also wanted initiative)
Whoever was getting initiative would inflict a crippling blow to their opponent.

Go go Comrad Fakyeli!!!

The 2 men from the Battle Grenadiers that survived the onslaught were ordered to fall back.
The Flamm-Luther was blitzed into a better firing arc.

Avenging the fallen grenadiers, the Flamm-Luther wrecks havoc on the daring fakyeli squad with his Schwer Flammenwerfers.

Aerial view of the 6th hour of defending Central Hospital.
Kommandotrupp is down to two men while the Commissars are walking inside the Hospital's ruins.
Both Fakyeli squads were reported KIA.
Chinese Auxiliary Squad gets a nasty surprise in the form of a stalking Hans.

Aerial view of the 6th hour of defending Central Hospital.
Kommandotrupp is down to two men while the Commissars are walking inside the Hospital's ruins.
Both Fakyeli squads were reported KIA.
Chinese Auxiliary Squad gets a nasty surprise in the form of a stalking Hans.

Aerial view of end of the 6th hour.

Alllmoooost......

In the streets near Central Hospital, bodies are piled up for burning.
Casualties of this battle:
Axis:Kommandotrupp
SSU: Fakyeli and Auxiliary

Surviving units.
Units that gained experience:
-Laser Grenadiers: high visibility lasers
-Fakyeli: grizzled veterans
-Commissars: grizzled veterans

I guess any survivor of a battle involving the 203 would become grizzled veterans right ;)

''The Major is down! Fall back and protect ze Major!''

With covering fire from the Flamm-Luther and remnants from the laser-grenadiers, the 203rd started covering their fallen leader while the SSU troops, driven by their Comissars' heroic actions secured their position in the Central Hospital.

Victory for the SSU, but at what cost? The 203rd had fought despite their heavy losses, intent on making the SSU troops pay with their blood for every inch of terrain.
Everywhere in and around Central Hospital bodies were piling in.

------

2 days later, in a Sturmprinz converted into a field hospital:
 ''Major, you are back!''
''Yes...To once again realize how poor the Luftwaffe still is at covering our troops from the SSU helicos!! Where were these Fledermaus III?!?''
''Luftwaffe didn't thought the commies would send any air attacks in a Blizzard...''
''Obviously I got 4 dead persons about to receive the latest improved version of Wiederbelebungsserum next to me that would beg to differ!!!
...Is our own anti-air ready to avoid such a disaster next time?''
''Mein Major, it is on its way as we speak but won't be there until the next planned attack.''
"We cannot wait, Gods' Thunder Operation cannot wait! Tell the men respite is over and prepare the walkers, we're back into the fray!''

Post-Battle Thoughts:

Campaign battles are so stressing! As any casualty you suffer increases the chances of your squad being disbanded/lost for good at the end of battle, you have to think that much more into any action and movement you make. You can't allow yourself to throw your men into the fray like fanatics...unless you are the 203!
When I play games like that, I like to imagine everything going on, some say I even roleplay them (making shouts and voices from time to time), as a result, I did actions because I was 'in character' and tried to fight untill the bitter end.

I think I played rather well and might have won if it wasnt for the dreaded helicopter and that loss of initiative in the most critical turn.

Some could say I was doomed from the start by my Axis list, lacking both a healthy mass of infantry and stuff able to deal with air units, to these same people I must explain that the 203 is actually an armored anti-tank platoon (although you only see the tip of the iceberg) and won't be able to fight flying units until they get enough army points to bring the Prinzluther in reinforcements.

Overall I think I did extremely well: I wiped two squads for only one on my side.
My lucky opponent benefited a lot from the Hospital and re-rolled almost every single dice (meaning I would have wiped everything but his helicopter and Ohotniki if it hadn't been for that Central Hospital).

Thanks for reading!
Campaign games are fun and this campaign is extremely entertaining!!