Warhammer 40,000 Battle Report #47 – Astra Militarum vs Space Wolves

Today we bring you our newest armies in progress, as the Astra Militarum and the Space Wolves go to war!

Griff recently picked up my Vraks Renegades from me, and immediately went to town making them his own. They are now a band of Tzeentchian cultists, with an impressive armada of armor to back them up. Since I’ve been working on a Space Wolves army for some time now, I figured it was past time to put them on the table. It seemed doubly appropriate since he brought out the forces of Tzeentch in his fluff!

Stefn snarled as he scented the air. The enemy was close; he could smell the scent of blood, fear, armor, and the putrescent sickly-sweet of Chaos. He suppressed a growl, stalking lower through the ruins and motioning for his Wulfen brothers to follow. In the coming moments, the beast could have its fill. For now, he knew that his brothers would be best-served by the man within retaining his control.

Slipping up to a ruined window, he saw masses of unwashed men taking position across the street. They hadn’t seen him yet. Most of their eyes were turned upward, watching for the falling debris that they all so desperately needed. One of the bigger ships was coming apart now, most of it disintegrating as it came down from orbit. Being in the landing zone of the remains was tantamount to suicide, but there was little choice now. Too many supplies had been lost, and they would not remain a viable fighting force if they did not gather these resources from the fleets.

It was time; a mournful howl rose from Stefn’s lips, echoed by his packmates. Nearby, the throaty engines of a trio of Razorbacks snarled to life, and their drivers gunned the engines as the ambush was sprung. Stefn and his brothers vaulted through the broken windows, eating the distance between them and their stunned quarry at lightning speed.

The hunting was finished; all that remained was the killing.

The Armies

The Ninth

Astra Militarum – 1,000

Combined Arms Detachment

HQ

Company Command Squad: WARLORD (Master of Command); Chimera transport with Multi-  Laser and Heavy Bolter

TROOPS

Infantry Platoon

-          Platoon Command Squad

-          Infantry Squad: Grenade Launcher

-          Infantry Squad: Grenade Launcher

-          Infantry Squad: Grenade Launcher

Infantry Platoon

-          Platoon Command Squad

-          Infantry Squad: Autocannon Team

-          Infantry Squad: Autocannon Team

-          Infantry Squad: Plasma Gun

HEAVY SUPPORT

Leman Russ Battle Tank

Leman Russ Demolisher

2x Wyvern

The Rout

Space Wolves – 1,000

Combined Arms Detachment

HQ

Wolf Guard Battle Leader: WARLORD (Saga of Majesty); Frost Sword, Melta Bombs

TROOPS

Grey Hunters: Flamer, Razorback transport with Twin Heavy Bolters

Grey Hunters: Plasma Gun, Razorback transport with Twin Lascannons

Grey Hunters: Plasma Gun, Razorback transport with Twin Lascannons

ELITES

Dreadnought: Multi-Melta, Great Wolf Claw with Heavy Flamer, Drop Pod transport with           Deathwind Missile Launcher

Wulfen: Pack Leader has Frost Claws

HEAVY SUPPORT

Long Fangs: three additional Long Fangs; 4x Lascannon

After Action Review

This game started poorly for the Space Wolves, with heavy casualties that knocked out the units I was planning to use for early damage. Looking at his army, I thought the Dreadnought would surely make it into melee in that early game. However, his initial turn of shooting took the wind right out of my sails.

It took a couple of turns to dig my heels in, but the Space Wolves finally came up big. The turn in which he lost both of the Russes really sealed the deal, as his infantry had already taken significant casualties, leaving him with little capacity to finish off my men. Luckily he had already done enough damage that he didn’t have many men left to bring down. This led to an absolute bloodbath, with little remaining when the smoke cleared.