After Action report 20100116

[John Tailby]

Michail, Thomas, Ken and I got in another game of AI on Saturday.
We played a large game using most of my collection of planes some made their debut in a game
The back story
The inquisition has captured a valuable prisoner from the forces of the arch enemy. The legions of chaos are not too happy with this and have sent an armoured strike force to recover their Etogaur before he can be transported deep in Imperial territory. The Inqusitor and his retinue have made it back to the regimental HQ and have requested immediate evacuation by air and an airstrike to delay the forces of the arch enemy. Several bombers, fighters escorts and a flight of Valkyries are inbound.
However the forces of chaos are planning an airstrike of their own.
The Game
Mikhail and Ken played the forces of the Imperium, Thomas and I played a combined force of chaos and Orks (the orks representing additional chaos machines)
The Imperials sent their bombers and transports in at low and their fighters providing top cover from high altitude.
The chaos forces swept forwards in a loose gaggle centred around their enormous harbinger bomber. Tom’s Orc horde flew in from the right with both forces converging on the Imperial base.
The Imperial bombers raced forwards to get to drop their loads of ordnance on the attacking chaos horde of vehicles and supporting infantry. Toms orc fightas and fighta bombers raced to intercept. They managed a near perfect head on attack. The Marauders were blasted at close range with steams of cannon fire. Only one crew managed to bail out, the other went down with their machine. The remaining bomber launched a salvo of hell-strike missiles and demolished an attacking tank. Seconds later it was riddled from stem to stern and crashed into the desert surface. In a huge cloud of exploding fuel and ordnance.
The swarm of chaos Hell Blade fighters split some going after the Valkyries and Arvus Lighters heading for the base some swooping up and around to engage the diving Imperial fighters. The Imperials had miss-timed their dive and were dropping late and predictably into the fight. The Chaos fighters looped up and around and caught the Imperials from the flanks 2 Thunderbolts died. A lightning died why trying to engage the attacking Hell Talon light bombers. The remaining Lightnings managed to damage a Hell Talon before they swept past and onto the Imperial Base.
The initial Hell Talon bombing attack was ineffective and the second blasted an AA defence station and damaged the surrounding installations. A follow up attack by the Harbinger demolished a bunker and sprayed fragments over a wide area. The Inquisitor survived a staffing attack by an pair of Orc fighters by the grace of the Emperor.
Imperial losses continued to mount as the remaining fighters tried to protect the Valkyries long enough for them to land and pick up the inquisitor. The chaos fighters ravaged the Imperial formation and the Imperial Navy flyers broke off their mission and the few survivors fled back to their bases.
The base defences claimed on Hell Talon and damaged a second as it exited the target area.
All hail the forces of chaos.