So it's time for the two imperial guard armies to face of. Both of them are in desperate need of a win to be able to keep up with the other armies.
The Steel Legion got to chose the edge and selected the one with the most cover knowing that the Minervans will have trouble with that. They also dared to put their objectives rather forward knowing that there is not much of scouts in the tank legions list. Minervans on the other hand put their objectives as much in the open as possible to make it easier to be reached by the tanks.
+++ TURN 1 +++
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demolish the first Company. Destroying a hellhound, chimera and four infantry units.
The Steel legion thunderbolt tries to intercept the Marauders but fail to damage the sturdy airplanes.
As a counter the Minervans let their Thunderbolt attack the Steel legion thunderbolts but without success.
The Steel legion decided to toss in the second squadron of thunderbolts as well into the flying circus and finally manage to down a Marauder.
Minervans Demolisher company double into the city. Taking cover behind the park. They have no target for their short ranged guns this round but they will be a threat to anything entering the city.
A big enough threat for having the Steel Legion Basilisks hammer them with a barrage. No damage however thanks to the thick armor of the tanks.
The Russ Company also double to take position at the middle of the city.
The first company fail to activate and decide to regroup.
Exterminators double and hide behind the ramp to the bridge.
The Conqueror company double out on the Minervans right flank to the other ramp of the central bridge and fire at second company. Killing one units of infantry.
The Steel legion order the Warhound to protect that flank and it advance up to take cover behind the other bridge and fire at the Conqueror rendering one into a a smoked-out shell with its mighty plasma gun.
The forward Salamanders notice that one sentinel is within range and visible and destroy it with a sustained fire.
The rough riders marsh forward and hides behind some ruins within the city.
The Sentinels try to marshal but fail and instead break.
End: The surviving Marauder get an extra BM for exiting on the wrong edge. Every formation manage to rally except the Exterminators.
+++ TURN 2 +++
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The Minervans wins the initiative and let the Conquerors advance and fire at the second company under the bridge. Destroying 2 Chimeras.
The battered Marauder does not manage to take of.
Also the Basilisks fail to activate and regroup to remove the blastmarker.
Feeling threatened by the nearby Rough riders the salamanders advance within range of them and manage to kill two units.
The rough riders got hit by the same salamander curse as the sentinels and fail their activation and thereby break,
This leave the field open for the Demolisher company that double forward and fire at the first company. They destroy another hellhound and the company commissar disappear in a explosion.
Shocked by the loss of their commissar the company fail to activate and just fire some uncoordinated pot-shots at the charging Demolishers none manage to do any damage.
Pressing the advantage the Russ company also doubles and rush through some ruins to get as close as possible to the second company on the other flank. Unfortunately losing a tank stuck in the rubbles. But nevertheless manage to kill three units of infantry and just as many Chimeras, breaking the company almost leaving that flank empty of defenders.
The Minervans try to scramble their aircraft in defense but a vulture get stuck in one of the engines and they have to stand down.
Leaving the skies free for another attack by Steel legion thunderbolts on the Demolishers but still without any result.
The Exterminators got some radio problems and could not receive any orders. They stay in place and regroup to get the radios up and working again.
Some unlikely heros step up on the Steel legion side. The battered Sentinels advance in firing range and fire all their light guns at the Demolishers. One of them hit an fule hose previously damage in the barrages and a Demolisher goes up in flames. All the fire taken is to much for the Demolishers that break and move back.
The lone Warhound on the Steel legion left flank advance towards the Russes, But with the plasma cannon still on cooldown it lack the punch to make any damage.
End: The Demolishers rally as well as both the first and the second companies.
+++ TURN 3 +++
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The battle are still indecisive. Both armies has a good chance. The Minervans are rather battered but the Steel Legions has a worse position. The Steel Legion win the initiative and the Basilisk fire their barrage at the threating Russ company. One of the shells strikes true and the Executor flips over in a rain of dirt.
The Steel Legion gamble on reatining the initiative and have the Warhound sustain fire at the Russes. Now with the plasma cannon fully operating. Blowing up three of the tanks and the Salamander command vehicle. Breaking them. It start to look dark for the Minervans.
To make things even worse the Marauder fail to get airborne.
Instead it is the Steel Legion Thunderbolt that enter the skies. Loosing their rocket on the fleeing Leman Russ. Destroying them all.
Chocked by the news on the radio the Salamander scouts fail to activate. They fire desperately at the nearby sentinels destroying two of the fragile vehicles and breaking them.
The second thunderbolt squadron zooms in and bombs the Exterminators. Destroying two of them. The tanks organization start to crumble under the Steel legion air supremacy,
The Demolishers doubles into the middle of the city and spread out to take control over the two objectives in the city. Fire at Warhound but the distance and the speed that the tanks moved at making it hard to hit even a titan.
The battered second company march and hide behind some hills on the Minervans side of the battlefield to disrupt the Minervans control of that part of the field.
The exterminators react by double back to to take control of the Minervan blitz objective and fire at the second company but cause no damages.
First company also march and take the last objective on the Steel legion side of the field.
The Minervans does a final try to dislodge the second company with their thunderbolts. They destroy two chimeras and two units of infantry. But it is not enough to break them.
End: Steel Legion 2 BTS and DTF - Minervans 1 DTF
Another loss for the Minervans. The Steel Legion played very defensive tempting the Minervans to overextend. It looked promising until mid second turn when the fragile Minervan formations started to crumble under the weight of blast markers collected due to fire taken. What really nailed it for the Minervans was the inability to get airplanes in the air. Leaving the skies open for the Steel legion thunderbolts to wreck havoc on the battered formations.
