Königstiger List

It looks like Don and I will play some Flames of War this weekend. He and I were talking and I told him that I needed to take the Königstiger list out and get its teeth kicked in by a Soviet horde list, so I would know just how bad it could get. Don said he would be more than happy to oblige me by bringing a Soviet Strelkovy list. :^)

This game will be 1,500 points. Here is the list I used last time:

• Company Commander in Königstiger (Porsche) - two Tiger Ace skills
• Bergepanther Recovery Vehicle
• Platoon of one Königstiger (Porsche) - one Tiger Ace skill
• Platoon of one Königstiger (Porsche) - one Tiger Ace skill
• Schwere Panzer Pioneer platoon with 3 squads
• Schwere Panzer Anti-Aircraft Gun platoon with 3 Unarmored Sd Kfz 7/1 (Quad 2cm)
• Armored Rocket Launcher Battery with 3 Panzerwerfer 42 and extra crews

I found that there was too little infantry the last time I played the list. If the company has to defend two objectives, that leaves just armor defending one of those objectives. So, I have to squeeze in a second infantry formation and at 1,500 points that means dumping the AA half-tracks. Here is a possible 1,500 point list:

• Company Commander in Königstiger (Porsche) - two Tiger Ace skills
• Bergepanther Recovery Vehicle
• Platoon of one Königstiger (Porsche) - one Tiger Ace skill
• Platoon of one Königstiger (Porsche) - one Tiger Ace skill
• Schwere Panzer Pioneer platoon with 3 squads
• Motorized Panzergrenadier platoon with 2 squads and trucks
• Armored Rocket Launcher Battery with 3 Panzerwerfer 42 and extra crews

I don't like the loss of the AA, but at 1,500 points, most players probably won't bring air support. If Don does, well, that is just one more thing to kick my teeth in and teach me a lesson. I'll just have to make sure we play the air support rules correctly this time...

The idea will be to have each KT platoon defend an objective with an infantry platoon, until the enemy is whittled down enough that the KT can go on the attack. Given the slow movement of the Königstiger, I will have to be very sure of no surprise move before I move the infantry off of an objective. The Bergepanther will operate as a leaderless platoon, led by the Company Commander when necessary.

If I get to choose a Tiger Ace skill, my first choice is to re-roll misses, with the second to have a 2+ Stormtrooper move. A 2+ Motivation is nice, but it really only comes into play for re-mounting when bailed, as the KT platoons will never take platoon morale checks. If I have to take a company morale check, it means I have either lost at least one KT and some support, or lost all of my support. That probably means I am only one turn away from losing an objective, so I see that Tiger Ace skill as being of lower value.

This should be an interesting game, and a good lesson as to why small, elite forces cannot probably win in open tournaments. The odds of running against a horde army, whether infantry or armor, is probably too high.