Soldiers of God Campaign, the Battle of Alhouz

Game 3 of my ‘Holy War’ campaign using my SoG rules, with the Muslim’s forced to defend the desert town of Alhouz from the advance of the murderous Crusader intruders from the County of Tripoli. Flush with their earlier successes, this would be a small field battle, with my Saracens having to defend, using the ‘Hold and Harry’ battle plan. The Crusaders where attacking, echelon right, led by dismounted knights and dismounted Holy Order knights, their strike force. My plan, was, archery, archery and, hmm, more skirmishing archery… if I couldn’t stop them with bows, my melee power was weak… a few infantry units and single unit of dismounted Ghulam (the Imam of Alhouz's bodyguard).

I had both flanks covered by three small units of horse archers, with the centre of infantry, screened by dismounted skirmishing archers (three more units). It would be a real arrow storm. Could the crusaders weather it and press on to break my feeble lines?

On my right, in the rugged hills, my horse archers and his Turcopoles would fight-out an inconclusive stalemate skirmish, trading arrows and unable to break either side. The main battle was determined on the plains down towards town. His right (my left) faced off, with his dismounted knights, backed by a Charge! card, racing forwards, but they had a long way to go as heavy infantry in close order. My horse archers would harry them every step of the way, galloping forwards (worth it by giving them the distance to fallback into), and peppering them. But the tough knights (now with experience upgrade from the earlier battles) and Knights Hospitaller were taking it, using Rally cards and March cards to get to halfway as my horse archers rolled back before them. One unit deserted and fled… tshk! My archers came forwards as well, to get into range and added to the storm. His centre, bereft of cards, was still on the start lines.

I was becoming a bit worried that my massed bow-power wasn’t stopping him, as disorder built and was quickly shed on Rallies… until a final Loose! card from my centre’s archers scored a big round of hits and his Resolve dice desert him, 4 hits, all failed resolves and suddenly the foot knights routed, they could take it no longer. Then, to add insult to that injury, the armed peasants behind his holy orders (in support, all modeled as monks and priests) panicked, as levy, and broke as well. The Knights of the Hospital were suddenly all alone.

His attack now looked considerable weaker, but another March, then that Charge! saw them reach my archers… and his flank’s commander used Bold Champion to charge in as well “Deus Aix!!". Let the carnage begin… or not, my archers did well, took a beating but then a crafty ‘well drilled’ card saw them shed most of it. Yes, archers are usually militia and well-drilled is for trained or better troops, but due to campaign experience, these archers were now rated as trained… good lads, they had held up the charge, for a bit, hopefully it would be enough.

As that fight continued, with me slowly losing, the Crusader's centre got moving, under more archery fire (today we had a lot of arrows to use). His men-at-arms also charged in and another unit of skirmishing archers was engaged, against my will. That wasn’t in the plan… but in return another Levy Panic card saw a second unit of his peasants break without ever actually meeting the enemy… you just cant trust a peasant! Cheap, but useless...

My army morale had dipped to 8 (from 15 starting), his to only 10 (from 17 starting). I was still losing, just. I couldn’t afford to let my archers die and be massacred and a lot of cards had to be thrown away to keep them going. Then a stroke of luck went my way (for once), the bold champion leading on his right called another bold challenge, only to roll 3 dice for his attacks and get 1,1 and 2 - oops… my mere archer champion won the duel, and his flank's leader was dead, costing him army morale and, more hurtfully, an action card a turn - unlucky that, but he had been just too bold and got himself killed in the fray.

It was a turning point…  lacking a card and with the Saracens now having the initiative, my horse archers decided that saving the melee-ing archers from their own arrows was only prolonging their certain death, and began shooting into the combat anyway. A few turns of that and Hospitallers were in a bad way with disorder (as were my own archers), and both broke at the same time… costing me a mere 2 army morale and him 10, for an elite unit routed and a flank’s battle wiped out… his infantry attack had been broken and the day went to Allah! Alhouz was saved. Yes, a win, with 6 MV to spare!

The Campaign Victory Points are now 2... all even. The next battle, for the new year, will be as the Emir of Homs and the Count of Tripoli both unleash their full might in large field battle, somewhere on the disputed border. It’ll be an epic clash, I’m looking forward to it a lot, time for my own big cavalry charge I think. Not seen a mounted Ghulam in three battles. The Emir of Homs also has his Al Halqa royal guards too… a unit that I've painted but never yet used.

Here are the three pics I got, before my phone ran out memory space (rubbish phone, I think I need a word with Santa).

 My centre deployed, skirmishing archers screen the infantry and baggage. On the lft, my horse archers have raced forwards at the gallop to face down his foot knights

Those horse archers in action against the main attack on my left, passed the edge of town. I kept shooting, but on they came in determined fashion... worrying that they won't just die!  1 point of disorder each for galloping.

 The horse archers have fallen back to the start lines, as the archers move up a bit, risky, but it worked, those leading foot knights paid for their aggression, routed by archery.  This flank was the crux of the battle... and I won it, wiping out his attack. To be fair, he has some bad resolve tests... but I needed win in the campaign... all even now, and big battle next.

Soldiers of God - Winter Mini-Campaign

The past few months have seen both sides preparing their forces for the coming clash of Crusaders and Saracens, tensions have risen and, after a few false starts, we’re finally ready for the religiously inspired medieval blood-letting to begin.

Over the winter months I’ll be playing through the 5 game Soldiers of God mini-campaign (SoG is my card-driven Crusades rules). The war got started at the weekend. I shall be playing the Saracens, as the Emir of Homs, with the war beginning with the Christian Kingdom of the County of Tripoli as the aggressors, attacking a merchant and pilgrim convoy as it encamps in the Wadi Al Salah, en-route to the desert shrine at Qasr.

The first Raid scenario would be the ambush on the encampment, with a follow-up raid by the winner of that game.

Below are a few shots of the action, not many, as I find the games required a lot of engagement and concentration (as my opponent knows the system well, plays hard and any mistakes are punished). Time for photography was limited, but the action was intense and great fun with the cut-and-thrust of cards and counter-cards.

In the first game my pilgrim convoy’s encampment would be defended by a lot of Ahdath militia (standing in as the poorly armed pilgrims), local tribal Arabs (guides and guards) and the merchant’s hired help (crossbows and archers). It was a light-weight force, lacking any ‘top end’ armoured troops, but this war was only just starting, time for the real ‘army’ later.

The Crusader's raiders would be led by a fanatical band of Knights Hospitaller (on foot for these attacks - I imagine their horses weren’t far away, just off-table), keen to kill infidels, with their supporting men-at-arms, local Turcopole guides and a few bloodthirsty mercenary types just in for the plunder.

Game 1 - Ambush at Wadi Al Salah
I deployed my defenders to face the approaching raiders in the centre of the table, with the Crusaders attacking from both sides. The initial exchanges of fire were from the light cavalry (as per usual), harassing each other in a stalemate, neither side wishing to give the fast cavalry freedom of action. I was happy to cancel the Turcopoles out with my own Arab tribal horsemen.

The steady (slow) advance of foot knights and men-at-arms saw them under a lot of missile fire, which (due to my inability to roll a 4+) did very little disorder, and my best troops, the crossbowmen, decided that their pay just wasn’t worth it if they were actually going to have to fight, and spend the entire game sitting it out nursing their grievance! Humph! Like that’ll save you from the ensuing massacre if we lose. I never got a mercenary grievance resolved card to get them back into the action.

And steadily lose I did, as the Crusader’s advance pushed on and saw the first units get into melee. Some Ahdath levy (pilgrims) panicked and routed, my archers failed to hit some more in a display of awesome ineptitude (1 4+ in 12 dice!), and only my camelry, flinging javelins, did any damage. Beset from both sides, another unit of Ahdath broke rather than face dismounted knights and then a unit of archers fled as well. That was enough. The rest of my force surrendered, outmatched in the melees, no doubt to be all be robbed and then massacred.

This outrage must be avenged!

Game 2 - Plundering of Holy Qadr.
Happy with their ill-gotten gains, the plundering expedition then headed for the shrine itself, believing it to hold a treasury of gold and jewels. This time, in our second raid scenario of the day, I mustered a force of crossbows (please fight this time), archers and local horse archers to mount the defence. The horse archers would harass around the shrine and keep moving, whilst the archers and crossbows held it (with a Loose! card to make any attack painful).

The Crusaders were basically the same force, but a few more Turcopoles added, and a single large unit of dismounted knights ready to storm the shrine itself, instead of 2 smaller ones.

This was very close fight. It started badly for me, with one archer unit routing before the Knight's determined advance, but crossbows from the walls of the shrine made the Knights pay in turn. My horse archers did excellent early work, routing a men-at-arms block with their archery and a Turcopole unit. They also used their speed to sweep around and target 2 Crusader leaders, isolated and now fighting for their lives. But the Knights rallied, driven on by a “God Wills It’ card and Blood-lust (fittingly). Soon they were hacking at the shrine doors trying to break in. My last archers did some super-swift manoeuvring (benefits of multiple manoeuvre cards and being skirmishers) and added their arrows to the crossbow bolts from within the shrine. The Knights endured the storm, and rallied again - hell these guys were determined. Meanwhile, my horse archers proved that close combat isn’t their thing, and failed to deal with the two raid leaders, who fought back and started to get the upper hand! It was very close, down to 3 morale points left for the Crusaders to 2 to me… but try as I might I couldn’t get those Crusader leaders to break (many cards were played to keep them in the fight - so heroics from them). Meanwhile the Knights slowly got the upper hand breaking into the shrine, and a unit of crossbowmen within broke. That was it… with the Knights inside and running a-mock, the shrine was lost and my remaining forces withdrew - another outrage to be reported to the Emir. The Crusader’s Morale value was just 1… it can’t get any closer.

So, the first 2 games of 5 played, 2-0 on campaign VPs to the Crusaders. But back in Homs the bad news has now reached the Emir and he is mustering his army to extract Allah’s divine retribution. The Crusaders will press on their bloody raid towards the desert trading town of Alhouza. Here, the local Imam of Alhouza will try to stop them - that’ll be game 3, Crusaders attacking again, me defending in a small field battle this time. 

Two top games, two defeats, but the later battles are worth more VPs, so I’m far from out of it.

Wadi Al Salah... the encampment.

Table, ready for the coming fight.

Camelry and javelins hold up some foot knights.

Turcopole and Arabs in a close range exchange of missile fire and brief melee skirmish. 

The chief merchant watches on, no doubt in growing horror. 

Skirmishing archers lurking in rocks try (and fail) to pepper the advancing knights, as the Ahdath levy get ready (and panic). Despite numbers, they're unlikely to stand long.

The holy shrine at Qadr and its defenders.

The enemy arrive and eye the prize from the high ground. 

Arbalaster and archers arrayed to hold the shrine itself. Horse archers beyond. Ever man in this force had a bow or crossbow, and the battle plan cards to use them.

‘The table is set, the pieces are moving…’ War of the Ring, the epic board game

Sometimes you have a hankering to play something big, really big… to spend a day, or maybe 2 in a huge board wargame, pushing the little men around, besieging strongholds with hordes of Orcs, Trolls and evil Southrons.

Enter the rather excellent War of the Ring board game by Ares Games. This is the game that, once, when I was about 11 years old, would have had me saving every penny to buy from Games of Liverpool. I did once try to buy the first ‘War of the Ring’ board game there in about 1983, they didn’t have it in stock… much disappointment followed on the bus trip to my grandmas. The scars remain. Now, things have come full circle and this big-beast of a board game is just a click away. It ain’t cheap, but you get what you pay for, and it is, well super cool (in my world).

 Early moves in WotR... cheesy Wotsits of ultimate power not included...

So far we have only played it once, and I loved it (but it could have been written for me). Having done the hard-graft on the rules reading, it became obvious that for first time players the forces of the Free Peoples were going to be the tougher ask. The game is asymmetrical, in that the forces are not evenly matched. The free forces will not match up against Sauron’s hordes of darkness and win in a straight military sense. Theirs is a struggle for time, to help get the Fellowship of the Ring (or whoever happens to left in it) into Mordor and then up Mount Doom. Heroic lasts stands play big here… all to the good. Those sacrifices are not in vain, which is satisfying.

The game has many great elements, the sub-routine mini-game which is the fellowship’s secret journey adds a lot, it’s a race, for them and for the Dark Lord, as he’s unlikely to stop them getting to Mordor (although he can delay them, perhaps fatally in the end). Sauron might well have to commit to war and battle before he has had the chance to sit-back, build-up overwhelming forces and unleash his legions to sweep to victory. This give the men of Gondor, Rohan, the Elves, Dwarves and the ‘Men of the North’ a fighting chance. These are the five factions of the Free People. But, in a war of attrition, they lose, because their troops are removed from the game altogether, whilst the enemy’s can be recycled endlessly, as long as he uses the Muster actions needed to recoup them. The forces of freedom and light get a few small advantages, like they have more leaders and more special characters (called companions in the game), like Gandalf, Aragorn, et al to help out (but only if they leave the Fellowship). This is a neat (and hard) choice. They can stay with Frodo and Sam and go to Mordor and assist in the final ascent of Mount Doom, usually by taking corruption damage instead of the Ringbearer, which will kill them off (hey, it’s a suicide mission, Elrond probably didn’t mention that back in Rivendell), or they can leave Frodo and Sam to it and get involved in fighting the battles and sieges, and much aid they are (and direly needed).

In our game, the Fellowship initially struggled to get to Loth Lorien (they start at Rivendell), through hunting Nazgul and bad weather and balking at an attempt through Moria (the Balrog special card is a bit scary). It took me far too long and I had to rest up in Loth Lorien to recover some corruption, which was already building up. The time lost here saw Rohan fall (with something of a whimper) to Saruman’s rampant forces (the siege of Helms Deep was a low point for me, it fell with not a casualty inflicted on the enemy). Then Gondor was assaulted by a huge Southron army and corsairs from the sea. They overran Dol Amroth and the Pelagir and only Minas Tirith stood, and that’s when the host of Orcs attacked through Ithilien from Mordor. Eek, things looked very grim for me then.

There was little hope for the White City and Gondor without aid in the form of Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir etc., so they headed south at speed, before the siege closed around Minas Tirith, whilst all the Hobbits headed for the Black Gate. Legolas and Gimli stayed in Lorien, to aid its defence, because armies from Dol Guldur and Moria severely threaten it. That proved a good decision, as Loth Lorien was attacked several times, but held out. Getting into Mordor cost Merry and Pippin their lives, and Gollum was now leading Frodo and Sam on the final leg of the quest. Meanwhile, Boromir aided his fellow Gondorians in a huge battle for Osgiliath, before retreating back into Minas Tirith with his few survivors (the Orcs paid dearly for the crossing of the river - satisfying),  there to be reunites with Gandalf (now the White) and Aragorn. That siege would last most of the game, but (with some aid from the Eagles routing the Ringwraiths), the city remained unbreached. Hurrah!

Meanwhile, in the far north, the Dwarves had roused themselves to war and, mustering an army in Erebor, they marched on Mt Gundabad, laid siege and eventually captured it (the Free-People’s only offensive triumph of the game). Back at home, the Easterlings now had Erebor besieged, but it too held out, in a close run fight, with no help from the Men of Dale (thanks), because as yet they had not reached the ‘at war’ status required to get stuck in. The ‘Men of the North’ faction never did… and sat this war out! That mechanic, whilst frustrating because forces you need can’t act, attack or eevn reinforce, is a nice addition. Not all a player’s factions are equally as committed to the war, and for some, if largely left alone, they don’t feel any requirement to get involved. The allied factions are divided ('scattered, divided, leaderless'). The Dwarves risk this fate most, and could easily sit the war out, unless you use actions early to move them along the political track towards war they will just hide out in their lonely mountain and refuse to come out. Investment early can pay dividends later, another element I like. Forward think, not just reacting to attacks and events.

Our game reached a tight and very tense finale, with much shouting and laughing. With Minas Tirith saved my last Gondorian army went on the offensive, led by the main characters, sweeping to the gates of Minas Morgul through Osgiliath and Ithilien. Besieged, one attack would see the dark stronghold fall and the Free Peoples win a unlikely military victory (thanks to the Dwarves earlier hard work at Mt Gundabad). But Frodo was on the last steps to Mt Doom too, and each step was costing him more corruption points. 12 breaks the poor Ringbearer, and I was now on 11, with 1 counter to draw to make it to the Crack of Doom. Here is the rub… if he stays still, he gains +1 corruption automatically, so I had to move, he just couldn’t wait for a turn for Minas Morgul to fall. Try as I might with event cards etc, 5+ hours came down to that last chit draw. And Sauron (my eldest) pulled a 3… even Gollum’s special ability couldn’t save Frodo and at the last he failed and broke – I’d like to see the end of the movie where Frodo turns, but Gollum doesn’t fall into Mt Doom with the ring. In our game, Frodo pushes Gollum and Sam in and heads for Barad-Dur instead…

The game has a good feel for Middle-Earth, unsurprising given the authors, and was close enough to events of the book, without being slavish to them. The war plays out like ‘a’ possible War of the Ring, pleasingly close to the book, but without feeling like it was locked into it. In our game, the war came to Rohan before any further aid or extra musters of troops were allowed. That resulted in it collapsing, as per Saruman’s original plan (I imagine), thwarted by Gandalf et al in the book. In our game, Saruman’s plan obviously worked and Gandalf was not about to save Theoden.

It all played rather well, but it all took time. 5+ hours running time (first time though), so not for the feint-hearted (or the too busy). But, it’s half-term, so when else is there time for such happy diversions? All that is left is to re-read the rulebook and find all the things we did wrong, so next time we can forget all about them and start from scratch again. That the problem with these big games, you don’t play often enough to remember the (not uncomplex) rules and exceptions. So, how many units can you stack in a besieged city?? (We got that wrong).

For LotR fans, with the time to invest, this is top fun. I’ll look forward to our next crack at it, maybe at Christmas.

Donville and the Road to Baupte

Time to play a historical refight scenario, which makes a change from picking armies, to fight with what they had on the day. The weekend would see 17th SS Panzergrenadiers attack Carentan, with the scenario recreating the fight around the Donville Farm and the side road to the village of Baupte. Not played in Normandy for ages. Bring on those StuGs…

The scenario is in the Overlord book, and has the US paras holding with 2nd Armoured’s tanks on the way to rescue them (me) from the SS StuGs and Fallschirmjager’s strong attack.

The early game was just the 101st Paras and some off-table 105 guns holding… and they did this well. The Germans were rather cautious, holding back with lots of suppressing fire and shelling the farm itself with mortars and their 105s. Much pinning, and removing of pinning under German MG fire from the far hedges… my bazooka guys held tight on ambush fire waiting for the StuGs to advance. Only along the road did they push-on far, and my bazooka guys proved rather erratic and missed (1 hit bounced off the front glacis). A single StuG and its tank riders headed north of the farm on a lonely advance (hmmm!).

As my artillery hammered the far hedges and kept some German heads down, so my first 5 Shermans arrived. My plan was simple, reinforce the farm with some armoured infantry (when they showed up) to secure it, just hold the Germans on my right, north of the farm, and strike in force along the road. If I could take the small house to the south I’d have all 3 objectives and win it, regardless of the losses. Worth a lighting strike then, along the road to speed it up.

My first Sherman up the road was KO’d by StuG fire, but the others kept coming, under shifted German arty fire. Following up, the next wave of Shermans arrived as the main strike force to overwhelm his 2 StuGs on my left. It was 6 to 2 in AFVs. The armoured infantry arrived just behind the Shermans and weathered the incoming mortars (some pinning only), to be the final assault force once the house was heavily suppressed.

It panned out rather well, I lost another Sherman on my right to StuG fire, but return fire KO’d it. Long ranged fire from a StuG still back at the start-line hedge was ineffective (he empty his ammo bins without scoring a single hit) and the Marder did likewise, blazing at distant Shermans to no effect at all, then becoming just a machine gun in a tank fight- oops.

The Germans along the road were under pressure, another StuG KO’d by my charging Shermans and the other surrounded, Shermans left, right and behind! I switched my artillery to the target building and it scored a direct hit that wiped out the German Forward Observer - no more artillery fire. Things looked bad for the Hun. Even the surprise arrival of BF-109 bombing my tanks (but pinning them only) wasn’t enough. The last StuG guarding the road was hit and KO’d from the flank, and the other Shermans switched to HE on the building, hammering it to rubble. Within, the FJ were cowering. I pressed on, M3 half-tracks now on reserve move to rush the building then assault it in my turn.

So it went, like clockwork - for once. My infantry raced up and jumped out, to then assault the last defenders. They surrendered rather than fight on, and the last FJ panzerschreck team was wiped out by MG fire from the half-tracks. The building was empty and the objective was in the GIs hands. I had all three, the main farmhouse, the road junction and the southern cottage - so game over. The loss in BR was very close, with the Germans just having the edge (3 special counters helped). But the Germans fell back, having lost 3 StuGs from 6 and about a platoon of men. US losses were 3 Shermans from 10, and about a platoon of men, so also very even, but the Germans hadn’t attacked the main farm in any strength, and had not threaten the road junction objective either, so ultimately paid the price for not fighting for the objectives. Nice to win one after a bit of a loosing streak… nowt wrong with a Sherman tank, and don't believe anybody that says otherwise.

 Donville farm, the Carentan road and the road to Baupte. Germans attacking from the left, US from the right.

Main farm, and an objectives.

 First StuGs on the road. The air identification flag would probably be a bad idea in Normandy.

Pinned infantry in the hedges, with the farm under 105mm artillery fire.

Platoon CO StuG presses on up the road, bazookas be damned (they're pinned anyway). 

Back at the start line, StuH standing in (1 too few StuGs for this game in my collection), with US return arty landing. FJ not prepared to risk the open field ahead. 

 Hello 2nd Armoured. First 5 Shermans rolling on, one gets the road junction objective (marked by the cart).

The field(s) of battle. The house in top left is my target for my armoured assault. 

Hear those Detroit motors purr...  the Sherman waves arrive as 105 fire lands.

 Ouch! First Sherman gets a 75mm-sized hole in the turret front.

 The victory of that duel... but not for long.

 Close encounter in the woods by the road, the HQ StuG fails to spot, twice!. I missed, and rolled right on passed. Odd one that at 5" range. 

 GI armoured infantry reach the farm. Not required to defend it, they had an easy day.

 Pressing on into the teeth of the enemy, but overwhelming them.

Got him, StuG burning.

The StuG is surrounded and soon KO'd. The way to the objective is clear. Go! Go!

 Too little too late, a BF-109 bombs the Shermans, but can't hold the tide of US steel.

 StuG still back on the start line. Captain Miss. Fired 5, missed 5, now empty... gawling.

Captain Miss 2, an ammo-less Marder as well. Doubly gawling. Long-range shots at Shermans in cover probably was not the way to play it with so little ammo and no resupply available. 

NORTHAG, EARLY PLAY-TEST

It’s 1983 and the Russians are coming!

Somewhere in northern Germany the BAOR are facing the advance of Warsaw Pact forces invading West Germany. This was an early play-test game for my ‘Cold War Gone Hot’ rules in development, Battlegroup: NorthAG (WIP title).

Whilst drawing from Battlegroup’s WW2 rules, these aren’t the same game, everything has been tweaked, changed, dropped or had stuff added, to try and get a better feel for a larger size game with smaller models (we play in 10mm, but 6mm and 15mm will be equally fine and dandy I think).

This was the smallest game size (Platoon), with Company and Battalion-sized games included as well. In it, my Chieftains were facing T-64s, backed by infantry and mortars. It was close, but I lost too many precious tanks, and my TOW Lynx - when it arrived - failed to hit anything before being pinned under Shilka cannon fire. The Russian won it when a platoon of airborne infantry dropped onto my frontline objective and seized it in a lightning assault. Lessons to be learnt were that, with the possibility of an airborne assault from mobile reserves, lightly held objectives, anywhere on the table, are vulnerable. In this game objectives are vital - more important than in BG, and mostly only available for infantry units to capture. So, in a big tank fight, the infantry have a specific role, to get to, capture and hold the objectives.  That is where they bump into each other.

The game worked well, I was happy, but it did need the tweaks that followed. Mainly I’m very happy with the new army lists, which have been completely re-written and provided the sort of forces and the sort of battle I think a ‘modern’ game should. Combined arms, task-orientated mixed battlegroups, but leaning towards the tanks for these open-field battles (the game isn’t going to worry overly about purely urban combat). But recce, infantry and artillery all have a role to play. So too the AA vehicles, because airborne firepower on helos and aircraft is frightening, leave yourself open to it at your peril. AA vehicles parked up, just waiting on ambush fire, makes me oddly happy! It turned out in this game that 1 infantry team with a Blowpipe didn’t really provide much in the way of air defence. Another lesson learnt.

Development work will continue, and some of the heavy restrictions I had on artillery will have to go. Atm, it’s just not doing enough in the game to feel like it’s a major factor, and against massed Red tanks, 81mm mortar fire just doesn’t cut-it! They just roll-on with barely a pin amongst them. My Scorpion recce tank did a lot of spotting, but his called mortar fire was largely ineffective.

Later, we also introduced the new gas-attack rules, which are nasty but added a new dimension I like… no tactical nukes yet, but they are defo coming.

Here are a few snaps of the first game in progress, not many, as my mind was firmly on the rules. We also played a second larger game, which was another Red win... a pounding this time as his T-64s overran me. Hard life as Chieftain crew in these rules.

Red Steel. T-34 company giving (and taking) fire.

Russians on the left, BAOR on the right, Lynx choppering in inbetween. 

The Lynx lines up the T-64s.  2 TOWs away, two TOWs miss!

 Some mechanised infantry FV-432s unload infantry teams into the woods (an objective). Once the men are out, these tracks are redundant, so withdrawing them off-table is a good move. This I also like, it feel right. Quick in and then quick out before the enemy tanks starting targeting them.

Humber scout car restoration

A little job, long put-off. My Humber scout car model, made about 10 years ago, has been collecting dust (literally) for about 6 years, broken in places, and a spider was living inside it. Hence the many cobwebs it was under. On a rainy Saturday afternoon I set about renovating it.

I haven't done much 1/35th military modeling, mainly because if I'm painting tanks I want to play games with them, but this scratched an itch to try out various painting techniques (and use an airbrush), like weathering powders. It was a trial piece for a larger project, to make my grandfather's Churchill in 1/35th in an Italian campaign diorama. First, I thought I'd trial the techniques, see if I enjoyed the whole fiddly process and, to boot, get a Humber to add to the diorama in the end.

Well, the Humber was all I got to, and frankly, it took ages, and the thought of doing it all again with a Churchill and 5 crew stalled me. I got back to painting tanks for wargaming pretty quickly, having just dipped my toe into the 'serious' business of military modeling.

Still, the poor Humber was now in urgent need of some tlc... or binning. Time for a restoration job, with much careful dusting, cleaning, fixing of antenna and broken wheels and evicting the spider.

Here it is being restored, interior de-cobwebbed details and all. My only daliance with pure 1/35th modeling so far. I like it, just making it was a bit too torturous for my patiences. The Churchill, 5 crew figures and added detail kits remains unmade in a box in the loft. One-day, maybe.

 Humber scout car, liaison vehicle with HQ Troop, 51st RTR, Italy, 1943. 

 New aerial added, after the last one broke off. Both front wheels had also broken off.

 Interior detail of engine compartment

Crew compartment and former spider's lair. Now cleared out, so you can see the radios again.

 Back to wargaming in future...

Point 126, Kursk again...

Kursk again, well, this game was my opponent’s choice of theatres and he went for Kursk, to give his mid-war Russians a run-out, so it would be another chance to put my Germans up to the test again. Slightly larger game, another meeting engagement…700 points this time. My force would be very similar to the last game, as really my Germans are for 44-45 games, so I’m scratching about a bit for ’43… but Tiger 112 would get another roll out at least. 

Another T-34 charge to face… and another slugging match in which both sides just went at it hammer and tongs… no quarter asked or given… it was great fun. Aggression from both sides.

My Germans rolled on in goodly time, a smaller, hard hitting force… and seized one objective, then my armoured panzer grenadiers rushed the objective on Point 126, a small hillock, at speed. Up the hill, out, MG team pinning the Russia recce troops in the trees, then the veteran rifle squad assaulted them and wiped them out… fast and efficient. That objective was mine.

The Russians arrived slower, but held back, building up the T-34s and T-60s, weathering long range tank fire, and right under my 150mm timed artillery barrage that knocked out a T-34 and a T-70. Meanwhile, Russian 120mm mortars were raining on my lines and kept pinning my tanks (the Tiger!), until a direct hit came through the roof of the house my forward HQ had set-up in, wiping it out in one explosion. Disaster, no re-roll, no tactical co-ordination, lost an officer,and 2 chits. Drat!

Still, you must fight on, and soon the Luftwaffe had arrived (a bit of luck), my timed FW-190 strike bombing the village church as a Stuka plunged in on his massing tanks… to kill another T-34 and adding more pinning. The VVS responded with a Sturmovik bombing run, and I had once again failed to get my 20mm flak onto ambush fire in time to stop it - stupid!. The IL-2’s bombing KO’d a Panzer IV. That flak crew are fired! I sent forward my FAMO to fix it, but a 120mm bomb KO’d it too… good grief!

As we traded aircraft bombs, artillery shells and mortar bombs the Russian tanks built up, lots of HE flying back to pin my panzers. When all 3 (remaining) were pinned, the other T-34s got into gear and began to roll. Here they come. I had little to answer with… a desperate artillery request from my FO, for some pinning but not much else. Those T-34s would be on me in 2 turns.

So they were, firing at point blank range, but my Tiger got a lucky ‘Beyond the call of duty' test and passes, suddenly back in the fight it demolished one T-34, then another in short order… Russian chits were building up quick. On Point 126 my grenadiers fought at close range, pinning T-34s with MG fire, then assaulting a passing T-60 with AT grenades, scoring a hit, but then only pinning it - awful dice roll. Still, they had pinned 4 AFVs in a desperate close quarters defence of the hill top. Heavily pinned the Russian attack looked like it might have shot it’s bolt as my panzer unpinned and lined them up in their gun sights. Only for the dice to desert me again, double 1 for orders, and 3 officers left 5 orders at the critical moment. Obviously, the panzers fired (and the artillery stopped), but they only scored 1 more kill. The Russians got off easy… and then took advantage, as T-34 shells destroyed two half-tracks and another Pz IV (with a side shot). All the counters were building up on my side… and the heavy pinning from earlier had been costly too. I was close to breaking, but the Russian player’s stack was actually larger.

In the end, despite heroics on Point 126, but with my tanks now out of AP ammo and seeking resupply (from my resupply truck which was being harassed by long range 76mm infantry gun fire), the next counter drawn broke me. BR 39, 40 in chits… the Russians, well, they were still 12 away, so 3-4 counters really… if only I’d have killed a few more tanks when the shots got easier. Instead, we’d have to give up our ground and that high point today.

A top game, just a real no-holding-back hammering from both sides. I could claim 8 tank kills (from 13 enemy) to 2 lost (from 4), and Tiger 112 was still rolling, if with empty ammo bins. Losing the CO early was a heavy blow, no tactical co-ordination when the panzers needed it, and the enemy 120mm mortars just kept rolling 6s!! Heavy, accurate barrages turn after turn. My Stuka eventually strafed them into silence (the battery was on table)… but the damage was done early. 

Here are few pictures of the action around Point 126 - and still a Tiger doesn’t die… a defeat, but who cares as long as it’s fun? 1-1 over two Kursk games seems fair enough. Facing that tank charge is tough...

 The battlefield, Germans bottom right, Red's top left. Point 126 top right.

 My FHQ take their place in the house... soon to be hit by 120mm shells... sniper hides in the corn.

 Pz IV takes first objective. 

 Panzer Grenadiers roll on Point 126 in platoon strength.

First T-34s arrive, but don;t storm straight in, weathering shelling and Stuka attacks instead. 

 Luftwaffe flying display... 190 and Ju-87 in bound together.

Victim of the Sturmovik, FAMO on hand, but not for long, another 120mm mortar victim. 

Clearing Point 126, Russian recce car about to flee. 

IL-2 does it's work, unmolested by 20mm flak due to my 'oversight'. 

Here they come, Stal! Stal! Stal! It cost a lot of tanks, but it works...

 Tiger, suddenly unpinned - can't miss, and didn't... score 2 kills

Carnage from the T-34s at close range... the end is nye!