Ambush on Parvana Mahrukh, Solar Auxilia vs Milita Horus Heresy battle report

Episode 3 in our Campaign in the Parvana Mahrukh System.

Previously the Eastern Fringe Trading Company had taken the important Hill 134 and thus the control or atleast overview of the trading routes and movements in the area of the Benafsha region.
http://kampgruppe-engel.blogspot.com/2018/09/escalating-conflict-on-parvana-mahrukh.html


After some trade negotiation with local clans and warlords the goods and treasures from the Benafsha region started to move.
The Eastern Fringe Trading Company had plans to make lots of money here.

The Expeditional Protection Force had other plans...An ambush was organised.


For all the games in this campaign, look at the "Campaign - Parvana Mahrukh" label on this blog:
http://kampgruppe-engel.blogspot.com/search/label/Campaign%20-%20Parvana%20Mahrukh



For this game we decided to use the 8th edition scenario of "Ambush" but with some minor tweaks.
For scoring method we decided that three "Dracosan Camels" would be used and not the regular army. These needed to be protected and moved out of the table or taken out, depending of the side.
For the Dracosan Camel I used standard Dracosan stats but removed the transport ability and the front gun. The cost of miniature was halved but I could upgrade it for standard cost. In this scenario I choose not to upgrade it with Flareshields as I thought it would be a bit boring.

Here is my friend Håkans Milita force acting on the behalf of the Expeditional Protection Force.
They are lead by Commander Kolm Bask




Here is my Solar Auxilia force under the command of the Eastern Fringe Trading Company:

++ Armies of Dark Compliance (Solar Auxilia) [1264pts] ++

+ HQ +

Auxilia Tactical Command Section [105pts]: Veteran Auxiliaries, Veteran Auxiliaries, Veteran Auxiliaries, Veteran Auxiliaries
. Strategos: Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol
. Veteran Special Weapon Auxiliaries: Grenade Launcher
. Veteran Special Weapon Auxiliaries: Grenade Launcher

+ Elites +

Auxilia Medicae Detachment [90pts]: 5x Medicae Orderly

+ Troops +

Auxilia Infantry Tercio [239pts]
. Auxilia Lasrifle Section
. . Troopmaster Natailia Koluchev: Blast Pistol, Power Fist, Troop Master
. Auxilia Lasrifle Section
. . Sergeant Seraphim Uvarov: Blast Pistol, Charnabal Sabre


Auxilia Infantry Tercio [245pts]
. Veletaris Storm Section
. . Prime: Laspistol, Power Weapon, Volkite Charger
. . Velentarii: Volkite Chargers

. Veletaris Storm Section
. . Prime: Charnabal Sabre, Laspistol, Volkite Charger
. . Velentarii: Volkite Chargers


+ Fast Attack +

Auxilia Primaris-Lightning Strike Fighter [215pts]: Battle Servitor Control, Ground-tracking Auguries, 2x Twin-linked Autocannon, Two Sunfury heavy missiles

+ Heavy Support +

Auxilia Artillery Tank Battery [185pts]
. Auxilia Medusa: Pintle-mounted Multi-laser

Auxilia Artillery Tank Battery [185pts]
. Auxilia Medusa: Pintle-mounted Multi-laser


+ Scenario Special +

Dracosan Camel [68+10=78pts]
 . Pintle-mounted Multi-laser

Dracosan Camel [68+10=78pts]
 . Pintle-mounted Multi-laser

Dracosan Camel [68+10=78pts]
 . Pintle-mounted Multi-laser

++ Total: [1498pts] ++


Something that really struck me when I built my force was that I felt that I really miss some kind of scouting infantry in my force. It would have been nice to have some kind of infantry with the scout or infiltrating ability for the Solar Auxilia.


I deployed in a sort of column with a Medusa at the front, the Dracosan Camels behind and infantry lining the formation. I didnt have space to deploy both the Medusas in a single line so I kept one in reserve with a Lightning strike fighter operating in the area.

A Leman Russ shoots in battlecannon but dont get the aim correctly and the shot scatters into a rocky pillar.

The heavy teams at their fire position on the small hill.

Looking down at the advancing column.

When the first shells starts to land the forces of the Eastern Fringe Trading company started to spread out.

The Medusa takes a fire position as the infantry runs towards the flank to engage the infantry.

The elite Veletaris takes casualties but just barely manages to hold their moral and storms forth with their volkite rayguns.

With their volkites chooming away at the enemy the Veletaris draws their close combat weapons and charges the small hill.

The combination of rayguns and old honest combat blades takes a massive toll on the enemy and they are forced to flee the field.

The close protection of the heavy teams are taken out but their weapons are now homing in on the Veletaris.

Sergeant Seraphim Uvarov charges the large "blob" of militia levies with his lasrifle section.

The casualties inflicted and the levies was forced from the field.

The heavy weapons shoots at the hill as the Veletaris tries to find cover.

With even more casualties they are forced to fall back.

The Sergeant Seraphim Uvarov and his lasrifle section tries to find some protection behind the step hill.

And a charge is issued, the lasrifle section climbs the step hill.

The charge is not as effective as I would have hoped but I managed to atleast win the combat and force a moral roll.

Seeing some of their men charged and cut down the whole unit of heavy weapon teams decided it was more then enough and they flees of the table.

At the main road two Dracosan Camels had advanced with their pintle mounted mulitlasers in an attempt to keep the advaning enemy down. My own infantry had been forced to fall back from all the firepower on the hill.

A Dracosan Camel pushes up with its pintlemounted multilaser in an attempt to protect it self from all those missile launchers.

The enemy had managed to take out a Dracosan Camel with all those kraken grenades they were carrying. Troopmaster Natalia Koluchev had to stop them and she charged in with her lasrifle section, challenged the enemy sergeant to a duel.
It was fisting time...

I had pull full back on a Dracosan Camel, I couldn't afford to use it at the front as protection for my force.

Atlast the airforce responded to the distress call and flew into the battle.
It unleashed all its autocannons with a roar and two of the lascannon equipped sentinels exploded...

The Dracosan Camels and the Medusas had taken a heavy toll on the heavy teams on the hill and as the sentinels exploded more men were taken out.
Commander Kolm Bask was also caught in the blast and pull shrapnel from his face...

Another sentinel was taken out, also exploding and even this time Commander Kolm Bask was caught in the blast taking even more wounds...

The wounded enemy commander, here seen between the burning left over bits from the exploding sentinels...

My infantry on the flanks had managed to push forward and take out a Leman Russ

All my forces rushed the hill with the enemy commander.

My Velitaris rushes forward with their volkites scanning the hill for enemy forces.

They located the enemy commander, Commander Kolm Bask and fired their volkites, their martian rayguns at him and he was taken out.

With its flanking maneuver the way was now safe to move out but the ambush had taken out the momentum, the speed of the convoy.
They needed to speed up to get the convoy to regain the lost time.
Barely just barely I managed to move out a Dracosan Camel of the table on the last turn.

As we had switched the scenario from me needing 1/3 of my force to needing 1/3 of the Dracosan Camels to leave the table this was enough to give me a victory.


As we were short on time to get the rest of the convoy moving no thural investigation after the battle could be taken and the enemy that fled to the mountain could not be pursued and the body of Commander Kolm Bask was not to be found. He is thought to have been perished in this ambush in this moment of writing.

The convoy had managed to push through.