2015 – NEW YEAR, NEW 8th ARMY PROJECT

2015 looks like a busy year, with 3 books to produce (and 3 to write). The first book is almost complete, Battlegroup Blitzkrieg is now well on its way to completion and should be with the printers in February.

Alongside ‘work’ work, I’ve decided that I shall use this year to start, and finish, my 8^th Army 1941 project. My Afrika Korps and Italians are all done and dusted (literally) and awaiting their opponents. So, I’ve made a start on collecting the first infantry platoon (Australians) and some vehicles. 

The project looks like being a fairly long one, I’m starting a new WWII army from scratch (my 8th coincidently). So far the infantry have come from Wartime miniatures (via Elheim), Foundry and Lancer. I like to use different makes and mix them all altogether, to get a wide variety of poses. At 4’ from the table, slight differences in size or sculpting style just don’t show and they don’t bother me anyway, I’m 6’6” so a miniature of me would look completely out of scale. I also have a preference for prone and kneeling models, mainly because they look like men actually in combat and close contact to the enemy, rather than behind the lines or under no threat. It’s not possible to do them all prone, and some upright or sprinting men helps the look on the tabletop, but prone figures do look ‘right’ when the rounds are flying!

The first work has been on my 25pdr battery, Italeri kits. Kit making isn’t any wargamer’s favourite thing, but these are nice kits (except the crew, which will be replaced by metal) and you gotta love Morris C8 quads, surely one of the coolest British vehicles of the war. Fast build kits will be the way forward, and some die-casts where possible, but these guns will probably be the fiddliest bit of the entire army (so get it out of the way first is the plan).

Fiddly kit construction has begun... 5 hours so far for these, with a first undercoat for the interiors of the quads. I don’t often go for on-table artillery, but in the desert I mainly want them for direct fire at the panzers.

I already have my 8^th Army shopping list sorted for shows through the year, so roll on Vapnartak and WMMS.

The first batch of infantry. Undercoated using Halford's spray camouflage range, ultra-matt light brown (very pale pinky-brown), then heavily washes in dark brown (Citadel Nuln Oil). That gives me the first basecoat to work from. Working on 25 at a time.

 

The big guns, 2 Italeri 25 pdrs on the work bench. I have changed my mind on deploying the guns on their turning wheel and pulled them off. I want to be able to have them on-tow as well as deployed. 

XMAS MODERN COMBAT - ANTI-INSURGENCY WARFARE

I set myself a little project over the Xmas break, to paint up a few 20mm modern forces for a skirmish game I hope to play this year. I already had the western troops (lovely Wartime miniatures Australians) and ordered a few Elheim Taliban and insurgents for them to face. OK, so it took a bit longer that just the Xmas break to get them painted, but they are all done now and ready for a game.

The game I have planned will be a conversion of the standard BG rules into a one-to-one modern skirmish, but to get away from it being a straight fight (with one side having the obvious advantage of all the good gear) and make it a more a-symetrical game, where winning the fire-fight is the easier bit for western forces, but doing it such a way that they don’t offend public opinion and start to lose the war for ‘hearts and minds’ is the tough bit.

I have some idea for this, mostly using the Battlegroup counters system and by setting the NATO forces two break points, one for their men on the ground fighting (which might be quiet brittle, given that they cannot afford to take many loss, one guy killed is disaster, so wounded guys have to med-evaced or the cost in chits is massive) and a second level for public opinion, so just dropping 500lb laser-guide bombs is a option, but not one that helps much if there are civilians around and it misses.  The point being to set the western forces a tough challenge, even though they have all the big guns at their disposal.

All those big guns will be off-table (as per support Request as per BG), from Apache 40mm cannon strafes, to mortars or artillery, to fast air and those really big bombs. The Insurgents, well they get guys with AK-47s and RPGs, but a far higher breakpoint (they don’t care some much about losses) and they don’t have to worry about public opinion at all, so can blaze away in circumstances, including using civilians as shields.

Hopefully, it’ll create a game in which the asymmetry of the forces of the ground is balanced by the widely different victory conditions of the battle, being far easier to achieve for the insurgents than NATO.  So NATO have to be very careful. Hopefully I get the rules to more accurately reflect actual losses (ie not many) without it being a dull game in which nobody gets hit.

Anyhow, I have the first models complete. I think I’ll add a med-evac Blackhawk helo for the western forces,  because not getting aid to wounded guys will basically cost the NATO forces the game, and a Technical and some civilians (to get in the way) for the insurgents.

Here are the squads so far. 

 Insurgent squad 1 - with RPG and RPK

 Insurgent light support teams, 2 x RPKS

 Heavy support team - recoilles rifle and 3 spotters (or are they just civilians?). In the game, getting this wrong would result in heavy loses on the public opinion victory condition, shooting innocents is a big no-no! But then again, maybe they control an IED or is the inurgent force commander. .

 Insurgent squad 2 with, RPG and RPK

 Insurgent squad 3, with RPG and RPK

 Able squad, with sniper, SAW, guided AT missile, satelite communications uplink and its own officer.

 Bravo squad, with SAW, an assault shotgun, sniper rifle, a UGL and a combat medical technician

WADI AZ-AZUA, 1178

The blog has been sadly neglected for a while, so I thought it was time to get back on it. Stuff has been happening, wargames have been played, models have been painted, but there just hasn’t been the time to do all the faffing round uploading stuff.

So, this is an attempt to catch-up a bit.

Here is some shots of last weekend’s Crusades game. This was a large play-test game for my own rules, which I’ve been working on (on and off) for the past year. I had hoped to get them finished this year but it seems things have conspired against me, so 2015 will be the year they hopefully finally see the light of day.

Called ‘Soldiers of God’, they use a card driven action system to create a very different kind of battle. It might look the same as most wargames (ie there is a tabletop with miniatures on it, with units facing each other). But, what happens from turn to turn is far more nuanced than in the standard ‘i-go, u-go’. The cards provide a lovely level of ‘dis-control’ (my term for it) but in this system you also have a overall battle plan, pre-chosen before the game, which you can control (like whether to attack on the left, right or centre), but then how that battle plan actually happens is more random. The system has had some very good testing of late and is coming on well. It’s is almost there and this battle proved an excellent run-out for two new players. A big game and it lasted 3.5 hours, from scratch, which is good going.

More information will follow, but for now enjoy the game pics and write-up.

The forces arrayed across Wadi Az-Azua. On the left is the Army of Kingdom of the Jerusalem, complete with the True Cross for moral (morale) support. On the right, Saladin’s saracen host, from foreground to rear, cavalry wing, infantry centre and skirmishers.

The Crusader's chosen battle plan was for an all out attack, with the main strike in the centre, by the mounted knights (of course), looking to smash home and win the day in a short sharp shock charge. Unfortunately, the rocky outcrop was in the way so they'd have to go-round (random terrain generator threw this up). The knights would be supported by steady infantry attacks on the left and right. A very aggressive plan (the game includes about 8 options), the Franks wouldn’t be messing about but getting stuck-in.

On the opposite side the Saracen's battle plan was also aggressive, conducting their own cavalry attack on their left with their Ghulams led by the Al-Halqa royal bodyguard cavalry (elite heavy cavalry), supported by an infantry advance in the centre. Their right flank would be 'refused', with only light skirmishing horse archer and light foot archers to hold it whilst their cavalry swept round.

The scene was set, with both sides looking to go on the attack, it was going to a bloody day at Wadi Az-Azua.

The Saracen's centre, all infantry, the back ranks being all poor militia units. The centre 'Battle's' command stand is in the foreground. Each side had 3 Battles in its army.

 The Saracen skirmisher 'Battle' on the flank on the right, small units (2 stands) of horse archers and light archers.

 The Crusader's left, with armed pilgrims on the end of the line, with some Turcopole (local) light horse archers ready to rush forward and harass the enemy (but they got carried away and made a impetuous charge, which did not end well for them).

Crusader's centre, baggage train and guards, elite Templar heavy cavalry and beyond the secular knights. Behind them is the true cross, a one-off special command unit, useful, but an automatic loss if the enemy captures it ( and the Pope would be most unhappy). 

 The knights strike force and Crusader's left flank infantry, including some Armenian allies.

 A light siege engine backs up the right flank, useful for its range. Behind, the right flank's command stand.

The battle progressed (and I stopped taking pictures to run it), but the Cruasders advance was rather slow. Their right never got going, with the massed Muslim cavalry closing too fast, winging arrows from horseback before charging home with lances.

Ghulams support the charge of the Al-Halqa elites as the men-at-arms desperately try to hold their ground. Bitter fighting saw them eventually overrun and routed.

The Crusader's attack in the centre finally strikes home, having take too long to cross the desert under arrow and ballista  fire. Here both units of knights strike the Saracen's front ranks, but their best royal bodyguard infantry held, supported by the 'poor' militia behind. Neither side could could get the upper hand in bitter battle of attrition. But stalemate was good enough.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders right flank collapsed under the massed cavalry attack (but the armed pilgrims fought heroically well, divinely inspired, before being matyred). On the Crusader's left, their steady advance was into an arrow storm, which whittled them away. As they finally got into charge range, the horse archers fell back and peppered them again, and again. Units started to break and that flank collapsed as well, men streaming back to the rear, looking like hedgehogs. 

It was a big win for the Saracens. They had held in the centre and smashed the left and right of the Crusaders. The Christian commander conceded defeat with his army on the point of routing altogether, only the presence of true cross kept them figthing at all, and it seemed in imminent danger too with Ghulams now closing in. Saladin had another famous victory over the infidel invaders.  

ASSAULT ON CASA SINAGOGA

The game we played was a small action by British forces advancing and clearing the Liri Valley, after the breakthrough at Monti Cassino (yep, Italy for a change). The write-up below is for a more historical scenario based on the actual forces, but in our game we just used the right terrain and selected our own forces, using the Overlord book (with a few small alterations). This was mainly so we could us the miniatures we wanted to (or have just painted) in a pick-up game on a Sunday afternoon.

The British force consist of 2 infantry platoons (on foot) supported by a squadron of Churchills, with off-table mortars and timed 5.5” and 25 pdr strikes to hit the village early. The Germans were veterans from 1^st Fallschirmjäger, supported by a StuG and a Ferdinand (never used one before, so this was very cool).

Below are a few photos of the game. It didn’t start well for the Brits, as their leading Daimler armoured car was toasted by a Panzerfaust trying to sneak an early objective and their opening artillery did very little (most of the FJ were still in reserve or not in the village, instead pushing forwards in the hedges and vineyards to wait on ambush fire). The British advance was dogged by poor reinforcements rolls, so was very piecemeal and the veterans FJ were fighting hard, causing a lot of pinning with their MGs and then with an accurate Nebelwerfer strike.

As the Churchills hooked right (my left) they crossed the sights of the waiting Ferdinand and in a display of awesome firepower it wrecked two in short order, at very long range – nice!

But the relentless British mortars had found their range. As the FJ arrived to occupy the buildings they came under sustained mortar fire which got their heads down, and pinned the German 120mm mortar team.

The first bold Brits reached the edge of town, but having dashed across open ground into MG fire, there were many left to press the assault further, and they were gradually whittled away to nothing. The last Churchill traded shots at maximum range with a StuG on the overlooking hill, and survived repeat hits, but then... we ran out time! Drat!

Despite the situation on the ground the BR reckoning was close, the Brits were still 10 from breaking, and after a series of terrible chit draws, (4, 5, 4, 5) the veteran FJ were actually only 11 from breaking too. Still, with the Ferdinand re-armed and now hunting the last Churchill, I don’t think the Brits could have taken the village today.

Here are some snaps from the game. A nice change from our norm. Italy has prospects for a good BG book, one day!

First blood - Panzerfaust 1, Daimler AC 0.

 The German artillery support behind the village, werfer and (often pinned) 120mm mortar team

The lurking beast, on ambush fire.

British armoured support moves up the road to take their chances against the very big gun waiting for them. 

Infantry under 'werfer fire and pinned down in the village's surrounding cornfields. (Historically very accurate!)

 

The Church's trundle up through incoming mortar fire. Slow and steady.

 

A StuG peaks its gun out from cover on the hill behind the village. Targets approaching.

 Meanwhile, reinforcments rush towards the cover of the buildings (Nebelwerfer marked as reloading)

 The last of the first British infantry platoon dash over the open ground from the fields to the buildings, swept by 3 MG42s. Ouch! The PIAT won't really help much.

 The Elephant's calling card... kaboom! Churchills have good armour -right? 6s to hit, twice - lucky (I am sometimes).

 And this is the historical forces for the scenario.

Casa Sinagoga, Liri Valley, 16 May 1944

After the fall of Monti Cassino, the 78^th (Battleaxe) Division is advancing into the Liri Valley to secure Route 6, the major road which leads through the valley toward the Hitler Line - the German‘s last prepared defensive position before Rome.   

The 2^nd Battalion, London Irish Rifles, began their attack on the heavily defended buildings near Casa Sinagoga just south of Route 6 at 0900 on 16th May, supported by Sherman tanks of the 16^th/5^th Queens Royal Lancers. Having cleared the building they reached the Colle Monache (report line Pytchley) just after midday. They spent the rest of the day staving off small attacks from the Piopetto river on their left flank, before the Sherman tank’s and well directed artillery was able to stop the counter-attack, destroying 4 self-propelled guns (probable Nashorns) and 2 anti-tank guns firing across the river.

Our game was inspired by the events in the capture of Casa Sinagoga by H Company of the London Irish Rifles and their supporting tanks and the successful morning assault. It was played diagonally across a 6’ x6’ board.

Included here are the forces if you want to replay the events with more historical forces. 

British Forces - Attacking

H Company 2^nd Battalion London Irish Rifles

1 Forward Headquarters’ 

3 Infantry Platoons, each consisting of

1 platoon command section with PIAT

3 Rifle Sections

Heavy machine gun team

Medium Mortar team with Bren Carrier

1 Combat Engineer Section with minesweeper

16^th/5^th Queens Royal Lancers

2 Troops each consisting of

            3  Sherman 1 (M4) Tanks

17^th Field Artillery Regiment

Consisting of

1 Forward Observer team

1 timed  5.5” barrage

1 timed 25pounder barrage

1 Pre-registered target point – somewhere in Casa Sinegoga

Off table artillery fire 2 x 25 pounders

German Forces - defending

Elements of 361 Panzer Grenadier Regiment,

1 veteran Grenadier platoon consisting of

            1 Platoon command squad

            3 Grenadier squads with a Panzerfaust

            3 MG teams with MG42

            1 Medium mortar team with loader team

1 Forward Observer team

Elements of 6 Coy 741 Grenadier Regiment

1 Grenadier squad

1 MG team with MG42

Elements of 95 Fusilier Battalion consisting of

1 Sniper

1 Fusilier squad

1 MG team with MG42

3 timed 80mm mortar barrages

Off-table 2 x 150mm Nebelwerfers 

2 Nashorn SP guns