Battle for vogen 07 – into Ashshore

Previous battles:
Battle for Vogen 01 – Embers
Battle for Vogen 02 – Rescue Mission
Battle for Vogen 03 – Assault on 176th FOB
Battle for Vogen 04 – Lost souls
Battle for Vogen 05 – Relief column
Battle for Vogen 06 – Cut off the head

M40.852
Planet: Khai-Zhann (Agri-world)
Location: Southern Rim – Ashshore district 9

Recently field promoted, now second in command of the merged 176/32nd, Lt. Jeager shook his head at what a mess everything had become. It felt like this rebellion had been all he had known, but in reality, it was less than two weeks since the 176th regiment had been ordered out to first put down what had been thought to be a rowdy protest. Now, there was only chaos in Ashshore. Gunfire and explosions echoed from all parts of the city.

The survivors of 176th and 32nd regiments had managed to hold a small base of operations in district 14, but they were running low on ammunition and supplies. With HQ only broadcasting the order to join the rebels, they knew that no resupply was coming. Captain Schneider had held a vote among the men, if they should break out of the city and brave the mid-continent wastelands to reach Vogen city, or if they should move into Ashshore to try to link up with other units. Someone had suggested trying to find and free general Mattius, but with no intel, this action was discarded for now. It had been a tight vote, but in the end, the decision was made to try to link up with other PDF forces in the city.

They split up in smaller groups and passed through several districts with only minor firefights. Most of the rebels seemed content on looting and pillaging in the anarchy left by leaderless PDF forces, moving about in smaller groups. Entering manufactorium district 9 however, rebel resistance increased. Scouts reported that PDF stores of weapons, fuel and ammunition were being raided by insurgent forces. Jeager radioed all groups to prepare for battle.

Imperial Forces

176/32nd Khai-Zhan PDF
Captain Schneider
– Infantry squad, 2x plasma, plasma pistol
– Highwayman APC
Lt. Jeager, powerfist, carapace armor
– Jeagers veterans, 2x melta, heavy flamer, carapace armor
Preacher Mattis, eviscerator
– Infantry squad, 2x flamer

Loyalist remnant PDF forces
Commissar van der Sol
– Infantry squad, 2x grenade launcher, heavy bolter
Infantry squad, 2x flamer
Scout sentinel, lascannon
Mortar support squad
AT83 Brigand

122nd Cadian
2x Stormtrooper squad, 2x melta, power sword
Armoured sentinel, heavy flamer
Armoured sentinel, lascannon

Insurgents

Rebels
Rebel instigator, nurgle’s breath
– unsanctioned psyker
– Rebel mob (20), 2x flamer
Rebel pathfinder, shotgun, power weapon
– Rebel mob (10)
Rebel mob (20), 2x flamer
Rebel militia (20), 3x heavy stubber
Pa’ku artillery, quad launcher
Armored technical, rocket launcher
Armored technical, twin-HMG
2x Walker technical, rocket launcher, saw
3x Monsterous mutants, claws

Renegade PDF
AT52 Offender
2x Scout sentinel, autocannon

Night Lords
Night lord warp talon (1), jetpack, lightning claws

Scenario

The scenario represents the total chaos following the disappearance of the high command in Ashshore. Small rebel forces roamed the city, looting weapons and valuables. Some PDF forces have followed the order of the captured general, and have turned renegade. Unit cohesion among loyalist PDF forces has been lost.

The renegades aim to empty PDF weapon storages to strengthen the rebellion. Loyalist PDF forces must group up and secure supplies to keep them fighting. There are 5 objectives on the table. As the objectives are ammo and fuel caches, they give bonuses to different units. One gives re-roll 1s to vehicles, another re-roll 1s on flamers, and the rest give infantry re-roll 1s. Each objective is worth 3VP, and killing enemy units is worth 1VP

To represent the chaotic nature of the city, with PDF and insurgent forces intermingled, some PDF having switched sides, the scenario uses the following rules:

• Half of each force starts on the table
• Each table half is split in 3 sections. When deploying, the units are randomly assigned a section they must deploy in
• All but two units enter the game in turn 2
• Two units enter the game in turn 3
• Non-ambush reserves enter the board edge from a random table section, they must enter outside 9″ of enemy units

The renegade forces realise that they have to defeat a more unified imperial force. Two groups form, one taking control of the ammo cache in the train, the other defending a cache of vehicle ammo on the top right. The imperials take control of a logistics vehicle filled with weaponry in the upper left, and a mortar squad sets up beside a fuel cache at an abandoned filling station bottom left. The last weapons cache is in the mid-field promethium refinery.

Most of the 176/32nd are grouped around the supply truck and the promethium refinery. Jeager’s and the preacher’s squads move up and secure the promethium refinery, while the other squads take pot shots at the approaching rebel mob. The large amount of flamers and small arms means that it is suicide for the rebels to charge into the open. Both sides stay in cover and maneuver for advantage, and only a few men from each side are injured in the opening stages of the engagement.

Midgame

Jeager and his men tried to engage the enemy technicals, but enemy infantry made them keep their heads down. He was considering having to order a risky advance into the open when one of the enemy technicals suddenly took several bright blue plasma hits, slewing to a halt.

“Captain Schneider here, I heard you boys might need a hand?”
Having pushed on further than the rest of the 176/32nd, the captain and his men had turned around as they received comms about the firefight. Now they were behind the enemy, putting pressure on their firebase.

Loyalist units, draw by the radio chatter and gunfire, arrive behind the main concentration of renegade forces. The heavy AT83 Brigand immediately engages a rebel technical walker, damaging the machine and shaking the man inside.

Captain Schneider and his men continue to harrass the renegades, taking out a technical and their artillery beast. They are engaged by a large group of militia, but with the aid of their driver ramming his vehicle into the group, they hold their position and keep adding casualties to the enemy. However, a ramshackle tank rumbles in to support the renegades. The renegades have found a mothballed AT52 Offender tank. It might not be too much of a threat to a Leman Russ, but Captain Schneider’s men have no immediate tank support of their own. Luckily for them, the tank opens fire on a Cadian armored sentinel instead, although the pintle heavy bolter fells one of Schneider’s men.

Jeager and his men had secured a cache of weapons, and from their commanding position in cover above the renegades, they were punishing the enemy. Suddenly, a horrible shriek accompanied by the sound of a jet engine screamed in from above. Before the squad had time to react, a massive creature clad in power armour slammed into them from above, squashing a man beneath its clawed feet. Crackling lightning claws struck out, severing limbs.
The enemy space marines laughed as he cut his way through Jeagers men, a cruel, fear-inducing laugh.

However, Jeager and his men were no longer just a PDF squad. They were all survivors, all hardened in battle and hardship, and they were brothers. Even as they died in the claws of the space marine, they fired their guns and hacked at the enemy with their knives. Jeager himself had aquired a powerfist and a riot shield. Flicking the fist to max power, he met the marine head on.

Even occupied with the rest of Jeager’s men, the marine was fast, a crackling lightning claw shot out towards Jeager. He barely got his shield up to deflect the hit away from his head. The riot shield was sliced open, but it protected him for long enough. He smashed the marine dead center, the energy field of his fist channeling enough power to push the marine’s adamantium armour into its chest.

The marine struggled to his feet, getting ready to once again lay into the guardsmen. However, the punch had made him drop his guard, and from behind, private first class Tokilas had stuffed a krak grenade into his jet pack.
“Down!” Tokilas shouted.
The guardsmen hit the floor. The marine got to his feet and started a laugh. He never finished it. The krak grenade went off, blowing up the jet fuel and engulfing the marine in flames.

Jeager looked as the blackened, headless armour dropped to the floor. Thank the Emperor it had only been a single marine, three of his men were clearly dead, and most of the rest had some injury that told the tale of their brutal fight.

Late game

Turn 3 – A squad of storm troopers make a combat drop onto the train, threatening the enemy sentinels, and getting ready for a push to retake the train. In the bottom left, a renegade sentinel and a squad of insurgents have moved up and threaten the fueling station. The Cadian sentinel with a heavy flamer loiters nearby, keeping them back for now. In the upper part, the infantry forces start moving towards each other. A brutal clash is imminent.

Both technical walkers engage the Brigand. They launch barrages of improvised massive rockets while slowly clanking towards the tank, industrial claws clanging open and shut, waiting for a chance to rip at the loyalist machine. The Brigand’s crew are professionals however, and even with several rockets impacting, they engage the walkers with all weaponry, tearing pieces off, and keeping them back. The stand-off continues with the Brigand slowly gaining the upper hand, but the walkers are able to keep hold of their objective.

A group of monstrous mutants arrive behind the guardsmen protecting the trailer. Sensing their chance, a large mob of renegades storm forwards. In their midst, a psyker mumbles to himself, dark energies rolling out of his mouth to swirl around the group. A hooded instigator eggs the men forwards, building up their rage and lust for blood.

PDF soldiers fire at the group, dropping several, but they are not able to stop them from charging in.

The rebel mob charges in to commissar van der Sol’s squad. The dark energy hits the PDF soldiers first, several of the men dropping to their knees, gasping for air as the dark magic seeps into their mouth and noses. Then the brutal rebels storm trough the fog, hacking, slashing, crushing and firing into the squad. Even van der Sol can only gape in terror as he and his men are torn apart.

Seeing their comrades being torn to pieces enrages the nearby PDF squads, and they fire into the mob, killing many and driving the rebel mob back from the trailer.

However, the fight for the logistics truck is not over. A group of lumbering mutants charge in from behind, damaging the sentinel, forcing it to withdraw. Seeing the enemy make use of abhorrent mutants enrages the preacher.
“To me men! We must cleanse the Emperor’s fair city of these mutants! For the Emperor!”

Even as the preachers men charge headlong into the hideous monsters, storm troopers from the 122nd Cadian move nimbly up and take out two of the monsters with their melta and hellguns. The last mutant roars and meets the charge of the PDF. The brute meets the preacher head on, ignoring the bayonets and knives hitting it, it readies to crush the preacher. Before it can strike, preacher Mattis revs up his eviscerator and drives it into the beast, tearing out guts.
Covered in slime, bile and blood, the preacher finally lets the eviscerator rest as the beast slumps to the ground.

In the fueling station, the mortars have held off enemy attacks with the support of an armored sentinel from the 122nd Cadian. When the sentinel is brought down by renegade PDF autocannon fire however, the rebels make their move. In close combat, most of the mortar squad is killed, the remaining men forced to run for their lives, leaving the rebels in control of the vital fuel cache.

The brave Highwayman driver attempt to drive the rebel militia away from the train. In doing so, he attracts the attention of the AT52 Offender, which promptly lights up the cabin, exploding the front part of the truck, killing the driver, before it moves out to engage the Brigand.

The storm troopers took out a sentinel and moved forwards. With the Offender moving away, they see their chance to recapture the train. With the courage and professionalism they are known for, they charge into the rebel militia, spearing several on their bayonets, pushing them back. Their own carapace armour protects them from harm. However, there are just too many of the enemy, and they are unable to break through. With enemy reinforcements closing in, the storm troopers extract themselves from the melee, pulling back in good order, but leaving the train in enemy hands.

End game

The rebels barely won on objectives, 3-2. The charge of the storm troopers only failed because the rebels managed a 5+ morale check. Kill points ended 6-5 to the imperials. As such, the final score is 14 – 12 to the renegades for a minor victory to the renegades.

With light casualties and both sides gaining some supplies, the tale of the 176/32nd regiment is not over yet. They have managed to push deeper into the city, finding loyalist PDF forces, and getting in contact with expeditionary special forces from the Cadian 122nd. With the additional supplies, they have what they need to continue into the inner city.

The renegades on the other hand have strengthened their cause with additional heavy weaponry, and will certainly follow the loyalists while gathering roaming warbands to a bigger showdown.