Flames of War D-day landings

I managed to get these off my phone at last. A game from back in February, 10 players, four Brits, one US and 5 Germans on 20ft of table.  A straight up beach assault.  Looking along the table, I had the German left flank, closest to the camera.  I placed my two 75mm PAK40 bunkers on each flank facing inwards, covering the two sea wall 50mm PAK38 bunkers.  With some wire and entrenchments scattered about, there were lots of obstacles for the attackers.  I also had a couple of 88mm AA guns back in the village (lower right).

The view for the Allies from the landing craft!

The beach view from the opening of the extreme left hand PAK40 bunker.  Dennis is sitting in the middle distance working out how densely he can pack his assault armour - unfortunately, he managed to lose or immobilise most of this while straying in the minefields.

The empty rear of the German defences.

The scene about 3 turns in.  Ian's AVsRE have knocked out the closest PAK 40 bunker and eliminated the entrenched infantry, but a pair of Stugs are engaging them from the flank, knocking one out in the first round of firing.

The whole length of the table.

Here come the Stugs!

Dave's armour in the next sector, pretty much stalled at the HWM and largely reduced to Priest SPGs.

Dennis with his troops also pretty much hung up at the HWM.

 

 

The action was pretty intense, but a fun game.  My Stugs got the range of the AVsRE and knocked one out before we ran out of time.  Ian's infantry were gradually working their way off the beach, but weren't likely to have much armour support as the Stugs were about to have another crack at the surviving AVRE.  However, Ian's AVRE made the deepest inland penetration of the game, so he felt fairly happy.

 

We were pretty pleased with such a great looking table set up in around an hour, although the rate of play was quite slow, as is usually the case for such a big game.  Lots of fun though and nice to see it all laid out.  It was also the first chance for me to use my bunkers since I bought them, more years ago than I care to remember.

 

Thanks for looking.

Market Garden Flames of War game

This weekend just passed, eleven players from the Deeside Defenders club met up to play a Market Garden-based game, which saw 30 Corps trying to break through Fallschirmjaeger lines around the Neerpelt bridgehead, 101st and 82nd US Paratroopers struggling to take and hold bridges along Hell's Highway despite vigorous counterattacks from Stug and Panzer Kampfgruppes and British and Polish paratroopers struggling to take and hold Arnhem and it's bridge from a mixed grenadier and panzer kampfgruppe.

The first day saw para drops along the whole length of the board and the seizing of all the bridges, although the German defenders were holding out in Nijmegen, blocking the road to Arnhem, although Poles and US paratroopers were converging on the town and bridge.

Looking along Hell's Highway (on the right) from Neerpelt towards Eindhoven, Nijmegen and with Arnhem in the far distance.  This was the situation on Sunday morning, with 30 Corps pressing along both roads and about to cross into the 101st table.

Hell's Highway with wall to wall Shermans pressing down the road.

30 Corp's armoured column on Hell's Highway.

30 Corps at the bridge on the left flank.

Fallschirmjaeger retreating onto the 101st table, using the "collapsing bag" technique.

101st Airborne around Nijmegen.  A platoon of paratroopers had cleared the buildings in the right foreground, only to be effectively wiped out by Stug reserves coming onto the table.  However, air support has knocked out the Co commander (lower left) and is about to knock out the Kingtiger, leading to a local collapse in German morale.

Polish airborne advance across the bridge on right and dig in around the bridge approaches.

Further west of Nijmegen, 82nd AB defend a hedgerow attempting to secure the bridge upper left, awaiting the inevitable German counterattack.

Polish paratroopers secure the "Island" side of the Nijmegen Bridge.

Polish paratroopers deployed along the raised causeway across the "Island" between Nijmegen and Arnhem, passing through the village of Elst on the right edge of the picture.

A German Stug Batterie starts to push into the flank of the "Island" threatening the Arnhem Bridge, although Polish paratroopers seem to have the situation under control, although not before a few jitters.  The village of Driel is visible to the left of the picture.

Some intense fighting in the built up area of Arnhem.

The German Kampfgruppe surrounding Arnhem.

British paratroopers still struggling to get to the bridge in Arnhem.

Arnhem, looking towards Oosterbeek in the distance.

Later, German forces attempt to cut the causeway across the "Island" with a Stug Batterie and a Grenadier Company.  The Poles are still confident!

The Stugs threatening Nijmegen have been dealt with, but now an armoured kampfgruppe is approaching from the west in the far distance.  At the same time, an armoured kampfgruppe is threatening the nearest bridge on the left from the next table.

Stugs and panzers start to push across the bridge into the 82nd AB flank, having brushed aside local resistance from 101st AB.

101st AB and Fallschirmjaeger bitterly fight over Eindhoven and the surrounding fields.  Where is 30 Corps?

There they are, stuck on the bridge.  Press on chaps, clear that jam and bag those Jerries.

On 30 Corps left flank, progress is better and lead Stuarts have crossed onto the 82nd AB table.  Artillery seems to be deployed en mass along the canal.

The game ended with both bridges between 101st and 82nd AB in German hands, although 30 Corps was close by the most westerly bridge and could be expected to oust the Germans in a turn or so.  However, the German force advancing on Nijmegen might have been tougher to deal with as 30 Corps were still back around Eindhoven.

So, no glorious sight of British armour streaming across the Arnhem Bridge, despite the allies holding an airborne corridor for most of the game.

Thanks for looking.

Flames of War Vietnam - test game

We played out a test game at the club tonight.  Way too much Free World armour on the table, meant the VC/NVA player was shot up pretty badly, but at least we tried out quite a few of the rules.  I had a small ANZAC force comprising a mechanised infantry platoon in turreted M113s, with support from two Centurions and two Saladin turreted M113s.  Steve deployed a US force with a mechanised infantry platoon in M113 ACAVs, plus two Duster AA vehicles and two M48s.  Phil deployed a mixed bag of NVA regular infantry platoons with various support weapons (MMGs, HMGs and recoilless rifles) and local force VC with fewer supporting weapons teams.  All figures, models and most of the scenery we used was from Steve Black's superb collection.

My ANZAC force deploying on and adjacent to the roadway.

Steve's deployment using elephant grass for concealment.

Phil's local force VC deployed around the wooded hill in the middle of the table, the adjacent plantation and the village beyond.

Direct fire from the US and ANZAC forces pinned Phil;s VC in the woods and the ANZACSs moved in to close assault, routing the VC.  Later, the ANZACs successfully searched the objective using tunnel rats.

Steve's Cobra gunship targets the fleeing remnants of Phil's local force VC.

The ANZACs consolidating on both sides of the river.

The Cobra supporting the ANZACs prepares to rocket attack the VC reserves racing towards the centre of the table, catching them in the open.

The centre of the table, now effectively cleared of VC.

Towards the end of the game, the VC player brought on a pair of regular T-55s but one was bailed out by US Cobra attacks and the other knocked out by an ANZAC Centurion.  Free World losses were one Anzac infantry squad and an M113.  The VC lost a full platoon, which failed to resurrect using the Born in the North to die in the South rule, while the supporting infantry and heavy weapons platoons were no longer even remotely combat effective and the T-55 pltoon had been effectively neutralised.

All in all a fun game but a little too one sided for my tastes.  The rules played quite well.  However, we felt they were best suited to scenarios like massed VC infantry assault on a firebase, city or runway, or actions like Khe Sahn, Dien Bien Phu or possibly the Ia Drang valley.  Small scale infantry sweeps and ambushes are best kept to rule sets like CWC or Force on Force.

A big thanks to Steve for the use of his minis and scenery and thanks to you for looking.

15mm Battlefront Morris Bofors platoon

Back to the 15mm gear completed last month.  Here we have three Battlefront Morris Bofors vehicles.  I thought it high time my Brits had some AA support, so these guys are it.

These were very difficult to put together, not least because there were no assembly instructions supplied or available on the web site, at least not that I could find.  Once I'd worked it out, they went together pretty easily, but it took a lot of research.

Thanks for looking.

15mm Plastic Soldier Company British M3s

Continuing my 15mm theme, here are 5 M3 half tracks from the Plastic Soldier Company.  They are going to provide transport, and hopefully some protection, for my motor rifle platoon in the upcoming Market Garden campaign.

Very easy to put together, paint up nicely and very light for carrying around.

Two views of a regular vehicle, lots of stowage supplied, plus plenty of crew for each vehicle.

I did one with a larger winch and hawser on the front and with a crew figure actually firing the HMG.  I plan to use this one for the platoon commander.

A nice little box set of 5 vehicles.

Thanks for looking.

15mm German panzergrenadier company part 1 Command and PAK 40 platoon

The last couple of weeks have been something of a 15mm marathon.  Phil has passed over to me loads of late war Brits and I picked up quite a few bits and pieces from Paul at the club too.  With my new found storage solution from Figures in Comfort, it made sense to fill the boxes and make room for other things, hence the intense 15mm activity.  First up though is another project for Phil, this one rather more time consuming - a Battlefront Panzergrenadier company box set.  He asked me to prioritise the PAK40s and Panzerschreks, so here they are.

First up today are the three guns of the PAK40 platoon.  As per the box artwork, these guys wear camo smocks and helmet covers, although I also painted camo trousers as well, rather than the field grey suggested.

One of the guns in more detail, together with the platoon command stand (these guys I did paint in field grey trousers).

The command stand, in slightly more detail.

A better view of the PAK40 command stand.

The CO and 2iC stands (CO on left with orders in hand and cameraman taking newsreel films.

The 2iC stand.

The CO stand - I wonder if Goebbels will like what he sees.

A slightly less oblique view of the CO and 2iC.

Two panzershreck stands.

Not bad models to paint, quite a bit of excess metal to trim off, which can be a pain on gun barrels etc.  Overall though, quite nice.  Will have to see how the infantry go now.

Thanks for looking.