Charge of the Winged Hussars was held at Old Guard Games in Milwaukee on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kris, the TO, ran a fun event last year, and expectations were high. Kris brings a specific style of mission design, and it’s very unlike the “standard” missions you tend to see. You can view the full event rules here, but at a high level, the format was:
- Three Games
- 1,250pts, 16 Order Dice, and 4 Platoons max
- That’s basically it! Players had the freedom to run wild with their Army Lists
John and I hopped aboard Terry’s 2009 Ford Escape for the quick 90-minute drive north – the vibes couldn’t have been better. Old Guard is always welcoming, and with 24 players packed into the basement, it was fantastic to be back in Milwaukee for another Bolt Action tournament.
My Force
I’ve been wanting to get East Africa Command onto the table since my copy of Armies of the British Commonwealth arrived. The EAC Army List is packed with some wild and unique Army Special Rules (Scouts, Local Area Control, and Pangas) along with some of the most elite Infantry around. I discussed this list concept with Brad on Episode 79 of the podcast, and I leaned in hard on both Scouts and Local Area Control. This force not only wants to but needs to Infiltrate and Outflank. Without those options available – as I’ve learned in both my practice games against John’s Hungarians – I am in trouble. I won’t say that mission restrictions and specific matchups will determine my success or failure, but it’ll have more of an impact than, say, if I was running US or Germans.
Using my existing Chindit collection, I cobbled this list together for East Africa Command:
| Scout Platoon | |
| Platoon Commander – Vet – 39 +4 additional men – Vet – 52 Nigerian Chindits – 15 – Behind Enemy Lines, Fieldcraft, Superior Ambush Tactics, Deep Jungle Scouts (Infiltrator) – 5 | 111pts |
| Rifle Section – Vet – 5 men – 65 Scouts (Infiltrator) – 5 | 70pts |
| Rifle Section – Vet – 5 men – 65 Scouts (Infiltrator) – 5 | 70pts |
| Rifle Section – Vet – 5 men – 65 Scouts (Infiltrator) – 10 | 75pts |
| Anti-tank Rifle Team – Vet – 33 Scouts (Infiltrator) – 4 | 48pts |
| Light Mortar Team – Reg – 30 Scouts (Infiltrator) – 4 | 34pts |
| Rifle Platoon | |
| Platoon Commander – Vet – 39 +2 additional men – Vet – 26 | 65pts |
| Nigerian Chindit Section – Vet – 7 men – 112 x5 SMGs – 15 Nigerian Chindits – Behind Enemy Lines, Fieldcraft, Superior Ambush Tactics, Deep Jungle | 127pts |
| Nigerian Chindit Section – Vet – 7 men – 112 x5 SMGs – 15 Nigerian Chindits – Behind Enemy Lines, Fieldcraft, Superior Ambush Tactics, Deep Jungle | 127pts |
| PIAT Team – Vet – 52 | 52pts |
| Light Mortar Team – Reg – 30 | 30pts |
| Artillery Platoon | |
| Platoon Commander – Reg – 30 | 30pts |
| Light Artillery – Reg – 65 Light Howitzer Gun Shield, 25-pdr AT Shells | 65pts |
| Light Artillery – Reg – 65 Light Howitzer Gun Shield, 25-pdr AT Shells | 65pts |
| Armored Platoon | |
| Stuart VI – Reg – 155 Armor 8 Stuart Recce – (-30) Pintle-mounted HMG, Hull-mounted MMG Recce, Open-topped, Reinforced Front Armor Command Vehicle – 10 | 135pts |
| Stuart VI – Reg – 155 Armor 8 Turret-mounted Light AT Gun w/ coax MMG, Hull-mounted MMG Reinforced Front Armor | 155pts |
| Total – 16 Order Dice | 1,248pts |
Game 1 – Beer, Wine & Cheese v
Jim D (United States)
Justin’s Soviets moving into position to contest the Ammo Bunker against Ian’s Germans.
The Mission – Three objectives spread evenly across the middle of the table. Starting at the end of Turn 2, check for objective control. Players score 3 VP for each objective they control. Once an objective is scored, roll a die. On a 5+ the stores have been exhausted, and the objective is removed from the table. Additional VPs are also scored for enemy unit kills. It’s a combination of Objective VPs and Unit Kill VPs to determine the winner.
Highlights – I played Jim a couple of years back at Operation Midnight, and his US have not lost a step. A terrifying combination of three Hellcats, plus a M15 GMC (x1 Heavy AC, x2 HMGs) supported by a big unit of USMC, two small Glider MG Squads, a Chaplain, all led by a solo Inexp. Company Commander aboard an Inexp. M29 Weasel. That’s a lot of firepower arrayed against my Chindits. Luckily, the mission played to my strengths, with both Forward Deployment and Outflanking allowed.
I used my five-man Scout Rifle Sections to jump onto all three objectives early and had them secured, but to my horror, two of the three objectives disappeared after being scored at the bottom of Turn 2. I was up 9-0 on VPs, but two of the objectives had already been removed, and the sole remaining objective was the one Jim was best positioned to capture. I feared this game would come down to kill points. Jim quickly eliminated the Scouts on the remaining objective (Vets with Infiltrator in Hard Cover, no easy task) and swooped in with the USMC aboard their M2 Half-track. I was barely holding on, but at the top of Turn 3, the Chindits in Outflank arrived to save the day. The PIAT Team walked onto the table from Jim’s long edge and put a shell through the Weasel, blowing it sky high. The Company Commander aboard was killed along with the Chaplain. The two seven-man Chindit sections arrived as well and blasted away at the Glider MG Squads at point-blank. The hammer had arrived just in time to save the weakening anvil.
The game continued through the bottom of Turn 6, and we traded blows back and forth. Significant casualties were taken on both sides but some clutch cover saves and a desperate Chindit close-assault kept me ahead in points. The game ended with East African Command ahead, but just barely. It could have easily gone the other way. A hard-fought battle on both sides!
Result – Win
Game 2 – Command and Ammo Bunker v
Cameron S (United States)
EAC Armor moving through the ruined city center.
The Mission – The Ammo Bunker was placed in the middle of the table, and then both players placed their respective Command Posts. The Command Post had to be within 6-12″ of your own table edge and 12-36″ from one flank. At the end of the game, players scored 9 VP for controlling the Ammo Bunker and 9 VP for controlling the enemy Command Post. As in Game 1, additional VPs are also scored for enemy unit kills, and a combination of Objective VPs and Unit Kill VPs determines the winner.
Highlights – Cameron’s US included a Company Commander, two Ranger Squads, a Glider MG Squad, a unit of MPs, a Forward Air Observer, a terrifying Long Tom Heavy Howitzer, an M15 GMC (the 1+ pick for all US players), a Hellcat, and a Sherman 76. It was 14 Order Dice with all the toys, and my lightly armed Chindits would be up against it once again. Our battle took place on a really cool blasted Stalingrad table that proved a challenging mix of massive ruins and long sight lines.
We traded fire across the opening turns and, surprisingly, not a single model was killed. Despite my best efforts, I could not remove that FAO. I was worried about the damage an airstrike could deal. Turns out, I didn’t need to worry about a thing. My humble Stuart Recce, armed with its single pintle HMG – the only Flak in my entire force – earned a Victoria Cross for shooting down not one, but two, ground-attack aircraft on approach. Without these heroics, my lads would have been pinned to hell, and I never would have been able to advance on Cameron’s Command Post. It was an incredible moment.
As we reached the end of Turn 5, I had control of my own Command Post, had captured the Ammo Bunker (even with an enemy Sherman 76 sitting on it!), and even managed to get Cameron’s Command Post as well. We rolled to see if the game would continue for another turn and … that was it. The game ended after Turn 5, which was a lucky break for me. I don’t know if I would have held control for another full turn.
Full marks to Cameron – he commanded his troops well, and I was more than lucky on a few occasions. A missed Long Tom shot here, and a fended-off Air Strike there kept the Chindits very much in the game. Although I wasn’t able to fully Forward Deploy, that +1 Cover Save from Infiltrators made a big difference. Those small five-man Scout Rifle Sections are damn hard to remove when they have a 3+ Cover Save in ruins!
Result – Win
Game 3 – The Relief of Vienna v
Kevin C (United States – Texas Rangers)
Shane’s Soviet assaulting Kris’ Germans in the Vienna Zone.
The Mission – Both players place their Vienna Zone (a 12″ circle) on their half of the table and deploy three units inside. The zone counted as Rough Ground and Hard Cover and was worth 12VP at the end of the game if you controlled the enemy zone. There was also a “sudden death” mechanic – if all friendly units inside the zone were destroyed, game over. Sadly, with how the zones played and the terrain on the table, it was unlikely that either of us would get anywhere close to the enemy objective. Victory would be determined by kills.
Highlights – So it comes down to this. Kevin and I have played many times but never at a tournament. We were both 2-0 heading into Game 3, so there was a lot to play for. Kevin’s now iconic Texas Rangers had been recently bolstered with a pair of M8 Scots and two M6 GMCs (soft-skin, Light AT, pintle HMG), the M15, a unit of MPs, and a Company Commander. It was going to be a difficult force to crack. We both deployed three small Infantry units within our zones, but kept them away from the edge. They could not fire out or be targeted by the enemy. We then advanced up the table from First Wave, and the battle began in earnest.
The biggest highlight for me was a late-game assault by a unit of Nigerian Chindits out of some woods (Fieldcraft) into a unit of Rangers inside some ruins. I did, however, forget about the Reaction Fire and took some deadly small arms as they charged in. Through a hail of bullets, five Vet Tough Fights reached their target and sliced through the Texas Rangers. These Nigerian Chindits may be exceedingly expensive per model, but they are worth every single point.
But with these soaring highs there also come crushing lows. My normally dependable Stuart failed two single-Pin Order Checks in a row. Those back-to-back 4.5″ reverse moves resulted in the little tank backing off the edge of the table. It was a critical loss early in the game that left my right flank woefully under-equipped to handle the onrushing US AFVs. Kevin took full advantage and pressed up with the M15, an M8, and an M6, which were now free to fire into the Chindits exposed in the center. It was a critical moment during Turn 3, and I was not able to recover. I held in there for the following two turns, and the close assault noted above brought me back into contention, but Kevin protected his vulnerable units.
Looking back at the game, I am truly impressed with how Kevin played. He stayed tight and refused to give up any free kills worth more than 1 VP. He didn’t take unnecessary risks and set up some devastating overlapping fields of fire. But don’t let that sound like Kevin spent the game turtled up. His Texas Rangers were exceedingly aggressive when needed, and all those little SPGs were put into harm’s way on multiple occasions – but everything was a calculated risk. All the vehicles with Armor 7 or less were only worth 1 VP. With PCs and CCs worth 5 VP each, they were never put into the line of fire. It was less than two years ago when I ran Kevin through his first demo game and, well, what more can I say? It was top-level generalship. Well played, my friend. Well played indeed.
Result – Loss
Final Thoughts
Veronica’s Chaplin looks on in horror at the destruction of US Armor.
The East Africa Command played well. But, as I suspected, if you live by special deployment, you also die by special deployment. The Army Special Rules for EAC (with the exception of Pangas) are all deployment special rules. If the mission or the opponent (such as Hungarians) does not allow for Forward Deployment or Outflanking, the EAC quickly finds themselves at a disadvantage. Without Scout Platoon and Local Area Control in play, we don’t have much left in the toolbox. This is not a complaint, just the reality of playing with such a specialized force and certainly something to consider with future force selection and army list creation. I am still drawn to EAC. Not only because I like the theme (one that is far underrepresented on the table) but also because when it works, like it did in Game 1, this army is legit terrifying.
It’s always a joy spending the day at OGG. Josh and the staff are incredibly welcoming, and we feel right at home. Kris ran a solid event with everything moving along smoothly and on time. The venue remains top-tier, and it’s great seeing the store thriving two and a half years after opening. If you are anywhere close to Milwaukee, it is 100% worth the trip. The community they have created feels incredibly strong – whether it’s for tabletop minis, TCGs, or board games.
Congrats to the winners – well done John, going 3-0 with his Toon Hungarians – taking Best Axis and 2nd Overall. All the players walked away with a prize, and some extra gift cards went to the top finishers. The players included groups from Wisconsin, Chicago, and a crew from distant Indiana who made the four-hour drive up the night before to play. Spending the day gaming with old friends and meeting new players is what these events are all about, and Charge of the Winged Hussars provided that opportunity. Despite playing against US in all three games, each list was unique, and the missions ensured no round would be a carbon copy of the previous. Rumors are flying about an upcoming K47 tournament at OGG later this fall, and I cannot wait for the chance to play!
Chicago Dice 