Punish the traitors!
With the ork threat confined the
imperial forces has time to deal with the first and second legions of
the Steel eagles that deserted before the offensive against the orks.
The legions has maintained radio silence since they deserted so the
Empire had to rely on reports from the local population and a squadron
of thunderbolts performing aerial reconnaissance to located the
traitors. Finally a company from the first legion was discovered in
the Hammer Mountain, not far from the ork lines in the north. Captain
Harianus of the Blood Angels immediately ordered one company of Space
Marines to intercept the company and punish the traitors.
The battle was 2000pts per side on a
120cm x 120cm table. Standard rules
Traitor Steel Eagles (Steel Legion) led by Regimental Commander
Alerus 'Stiff upper lip' Hessen
==========================================
Regimental HQ + Hydra 550 pts
Super Heavy Tank Company 675 pts
(BTS)
3 Baneblades + 3 Leman Russ
Rough Rider Platoon 150 pts
Sentinel Squadron 100 pts
Artillery Battery 250 pts
3 Basilisks
Infantry Company + Sniper 275 pts
Blood Angels (Codex Astartes) led by
Chaplain Moghart
===========================================
Tactical Detachment + Dreadnought 325
pts (BTS)
Thunderhawk 200 pts
Whirlwinds 300 pts
Devastator Detachment 250 pts
Rhinos
Land Speeders 200 pts
Assault Detachment + Chaplain 225 pts
Predators 250 pts
4 Annihilators
Bike Detachment + Chaplain 250 pts
The Blood angels surprise the Steel
Eagles when they travel along a road in a valley in the Hammer
mountains. The Blood Angels has their blitz behind a small forest and
the two objectives close to the Steel Eagles blitz that is placed at
the middle of the road. The Steel Eagles has spread out their
objectives, one on each side.
The first troop of the Blood Angels
that reach the field is the land speeders that garrison close to some
storage houses. The Steel Eagles has an infantry company together
with the rough riders garrisoned in the hills to their left and the
sentinels to protect their right.
Turn1
================================================================
The Blood Angles win the initiative.
They start by letting the Whirlwinds
put down a furious barrage on the poor infantry hiding in the hills
hoping to rout them out. But only manage to kill four units, but
among them the company commander and commissar.
The Steel Eagles Basilisks return fire
at the Predators but fail to do any damages.
Along the road the Super Heavies
advance and fire all their big guns that now is in range on the
predators, kill one.
The Predators advance and fire back at
the Super Heavies with their laser cannons landing quite a few hits
but all bounce of the reinforced armour of the Russes.
Instead they attract the attention of
the Regimental HQ that double up the field and fire all their
autocannons and multilasers at the Predators. Destroying every one of
them. A smile could be seen on the commanders stoneface.
The Blood Angels answer with letting
their bikes double toward the Regimental HQ, getting into assault
range.
Meanwhile did the infantry company in
the hill regroup, removing all blast markers from the earlier
bombardment and tried to get the men in better coverage.
But to late does 'Stiff upper lip'
Hessen realize that the Predators was nothing but a decoy to fool him
to advance his troops. Thereby leaving his artillery unprotected by
his Hydra. With a roar a thunderhawk cross the sky and drop of a
detachment of Tactical marines supported by a dreadnought just by the
basilisks. Before the artillerist had time to react the marines are
all over the tanks. Killing the crew and putting demolition charges
on the hulls. Seconds later only three smoking hulls remains of
the Basilisks.
'Stiff upper lip' Hessen had to face
that he must fight the rest of the battle without artillery support.
The most important now is to protect the HQ. He order the sentinels
to advance to screen the HQ from the Blood Angels bikes and fire all
their guns, that all however miss their targets.
As a response the Blood Angels let their land speeders advance and fire at the screen of protective
Sentinels. Killing two of them and break the group.
The Rough riders is ordered to march to
the back of the field and stage a counter assault on the threatening
tactical detachment.
With the threat of the Rough Riders
galloping away the devastator detachment dares to enter the hills and
double up in fire range of the infantry company. Killing three units.
End Turn 1
=============================================
The Bikes fail to rally.
The Infantry company, the Super Heavies
and the Sentinels does however succeed.
The game is still at balance. The
Steel Eagles dominate the centre massively with both the Super heavy
tank company and the Regimental HQ. Anything the Blood Angles has
tried to throw at them they just shrug off. The Blood Angels on the
other hand dominate the flanks. Forcing the Steel Eagles to react to
their actions. Trying to give the lethal Baneblades as little as
possible to fire at.
Turn 2
================================================
The Blood Angles win the initiative
again.
They start with sustained fire by the
whirlwinds on the tightly clustered Regimental HQ hoping to do
considerable damage. But only kill three infantry units, including
the commissar, and a chimera. Leaving the HQ almost undamaged and in
a position to reach the Blood Angle rear if it want to. Chaplain
Moghart start to wonder if the flanking strategy was a good one in
this case.
On the other side of the battlefield
the Tacticals retain the initiative and sustain fire at the nearby
Rough Riders. Killing two, one short of breaking them. The tacticals
brace for a charge.
The Rough riders storm into the
tactical ranks. But their strong armour reflected most of the rough
rider lances. And only two units of space marines was run down before
the last Rough rider succumb to the marine bolt pistols.
While the tacticals fight for their
life 'Stiff upper lip' Hessen has grown irritated on the nearby land
speeders zooming around his troop and order his men to 'Bring those
big flies down'. But the speeders are hard to hit and even though
they take a lot of fire from both autocannons as well as chimera
heavy bolters and multilasers. Only three crash to the ground. The
remaining two breaks and flee behind a small hill.
In the hills can the devastators
advance to get a better line of fire on the infantry company and kill
two units with their missiles breaking them and they flee to their
rear.
The bikes has seen the fate of the land
speeder and double from the left to the protective hills to the
right. Leaving the Blood Angel left dangerously unprotected.
The Sentinels try to protect that flank
from the amassing Blood Angels, advance and fire at the devastators
but do no damage.
Then the thunderhawk once again enter
the battlefield going on the side of the field to avoid the hydra and
assault the fleeing infantry company in the Steel Eagles rear.
Killing and routing all remaining units.
The Super Heavies are forced to halt
their advance and response to the threat on their left flank.
Advancing
To increase the pressure on the right
flank the Assault detachment march across the entire battlefield with
long jumps by their jump packs. Taking cover behind a hill on the
Steel Eagle edge close to the Steel Eagle blitz objective.
End Turn 2
==================================================
All units rallies but the Sentinels
that fail to remove their single blast marker.
Both sides has problems. The Blood
Angles has been forced by the Regimental HQ that kills anything in
sight to abandon most of their left flank. Only leaving the tacticals
in the Steel Eagles rear to disturb the Steel Eagles. The Steel
Eagles on the other hand has almost free passage to the Blood Angel
rear with their Regimental HQ. But by doing so they risk being
overwhelmed in their own rear by the Blood Angels that has a lot of
fast moving troops in their right flank. The Steel Eagles are also
starting to feel the lack of units to counter the Blood Angels moves.
Turn 3
===================================================
Blood Angles win initiative.
The Whirlwinds continue their sustained
fire at the Regimental HQ. This time killing four infantry units and
the pesky hydra. The losses is now starting to take its toll on the
HQ.
But behind the Regimental HQ the Super
Heavy tanks advance and fire all their guns at the tactical
detachment in the forest. The hail of fire kill every one of the
space marines. But fortunately couldn't any of the tanks get
a clear shoot at the dreadnought that was lumbering on the other side
of the forest. The lone dreadnought flees behind the same hills that the
land speeders has taken cover behind. Thereby, by shear luck denies
the Steel Eagles Breaking the Marine Spirit.
The sentinels retain and advance to
fire at the assault detachment but the distance is to far and all
shoots miss.
On the other side the Blood Angel land
speeders advance foolishly on the Regimental HQ but fail to do any
damage putting them in a dangerously exposed position.
The real reason for the headlong
advance was not however to do any damage but to pin the Regimental HQ
on spot. 'Stiff upper lip' Hessen took the bate and regroup his
company and fire at the land speeder instead of trying to advance to
secure objectives. They kill all the speeders but remain in place.
This give the Blood Angels the
possibility to surround the Steel Eagles. The bikes doubles and
secure two
objectives by stretching out.
objectives by stretching out.
On the other side the devastators
advance and fire at the sentinels. Breaking them. Leaving the field
for the assault detachment to advance and secure the objective the
sentinels was guarding.
'Stiff upper lip'
Realize that the battle is lost and order his remaining Regimental HQ
to retreat fastest possible while the Super Heavy tanks cover the
retreat. The remaining troops are lost and survivors are taken
prisoner to be taken back to Hive
Agnebergus to be interrogated by Commissar-General Baruccus Ludius.
Blood Angel victory 2-0 (Defend the flag and They Shall not Pass)
It was an interesting battle between two different forces. The fast moving, but rather fragile forces of the space marines. And the slow but resilient forces of the Imperial Guard. The plan as Blood Angles was to try to stay out of harms way of the Baneblades and try to pin the Guards on their side of the field while killing the smaller formations and if possible rush for the blitz. It worked, a bit due to inexperience of the guard player missing to advance the Regimental HQ to claim an objective. But it was hard pressed. Midway through the battle was the left flank of the Blood Angels almost abandoned. And the way for the imperial guard to the space marine blitz almost open. If there had been a Regimental HQ planted on the Space marine blitz where the Super Heavy tanks fended of any competition on the other side of the board. It would be hard for the Blood Angels to secure anything without huge losses.
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