Aircraft and Balloons

Air Craft Rules for WW1 Operational Games

Aircraft attacks commence on the hour every hour.

Aircraft must be given a flight plan to their target including the tables they will cross.

Aircraft must have orders; escort, recon, attack.

Unescorted bombers are automatically destroyed by fighters.

Fighters automatically drive off other fighters or in a 2:1 dogfight drive off one and are destroyed by the second.

Fighters shoot down balloons on an unmodified 4,5,6 (minus 1 if under AA fire).

Observation Balloons

Observation balloons give a plus 1 to off table indirect fire.

They are also able to conduct counter battery fire against off table targets that have fired.

Spearhead Italians V americans

A Thursday night 500 point game

1942 US division meeting an Italian armoured division ( its a specialist division Baglieri/Bagpuss or something )

Us regiment (green) moving forward on the right picking up objectives but no sign of the enemy

Italian recon controlling artillery making the yanks pay for taking the wood on the left

Yanks still paying

Italians are spotted

Recon dealt with

Notice the Italian tank coming to deal with the 2 No US recon jeeps

11 or 12 to suppress the tank

jeepNo1-11, jeep No2 -12

That was the highlight of my evening

The green regiment advances towards the Italian objective straight into an advancing Italian tank battalion.

The Foo controlling 6x105mm and the new US bazooka saved the day

Another Italian tank battalion comes down the road into the maelstrom of combat

And its all over, ran out of time

Italian tanks rout back over the hill. there is a US M3stuart battalion coming forward just off screen to counter the Italian tank reserves

Close US victory



Grande Armee ancients

That needs a better title!

So, we talked about using the fast play grande armee rules for ancients at Sheffield and I have been rolling it round my head for a few weeks.

The rules needed very little adjusting and it took longer just waiting for the beer mats to arrive from ebay.

This was just a solo game last night and will need to be play tested against you lads before its ready for general release.

Roman legionaries trained men, can form shield wall to front giving them a 6+ save

their unit strength is the No of combat bases, in this case 9

the archers behind are their skirmish value 3

Gaul war band irregular troops, the round base gives them no flanks and they can move in any direction their strength is 7 and is reduced to 6 if 2No skirmish stands are added.

most units will be irregular except for the trained units of the day

Legionaries, Hoplites, pike phalanx, immortals

Roman axillaries strength 9 no SK value

irregular

Set up

Pulse 1 armies move

I gave the Roman commander a good rating 3xD6

with sub commanders 0 rating

The Gaul war lord war average 2xD6

with war chiefs at +2 rating

Armies close and casualties are given and taken

bases are slightly larger than normal and a few stands were lost when bases retired thru friendlies

Roman left secure on the hill

Roman right getting overrun

Roman centre is gone but the Gaul's have paid a heavy price



Tank traps

 

These are the tank traps I have for the operational game using the Americans

does anybody have any more ???



Operation Bagration

https://pdf.k0nsl.org/B/Bagration%201944%20-%20The%20Destruction%20Of%20Army%20Group%20Centre.pdf

Click on the link and get the Osprey book on Bagration for free.  Unlike me who paid £5 for the actual book on Ebay THEN saw this on Google.

Anyway - good source for an operational game...

1916 WW1 German Corp

Here are the points value for a WW1 German Army Corp


Note that I did not include the Corp HQ stand or both Divisional HQ's - only regimental.

If it is deemed necessary then add another 15 points to this list.

I also omitted the 2 divisional cavalry stands as I don't have any.


Regimental HQ = 5 points
3 Infantry Batallions of 4 companies each = 60 points
3 MG = 21 points
1 Stostruppen = 7 points

Total = 96 x 7 regiments = 658 points

18 x 77mm guns = 108 points

6 x 105mm howitzer = 54 points

2 x 24cm mortar = 24 points
2 x 17cm mortar = 20 points
4 x 76mm mortar - 16 points

3 x engineers = 15 points

2 x 150 howitzer = 22 points
1 x 170mm mortar = 20 points


Total = 966 Points



Depending on who is down this week and any other preferences I will be happy to put on a General Quarters game?

I would not mind using my WW2 Russian fleet if anyone can field an opposing fleet?

Failing that there is WW1 British V Germans.

American infantry division

So whilst I'm away working I thought I'd do some homework

Points value for US 45 infantry division

Division regular

Tank battalion- 1 company M4 76mm

3No Foo

1No 240mm (8") howitzer battery

        1No regiment (3 battalions)motorised with trucks

Points 1653

Tank regiment from 45 light division -Regular

2 battalions M4 with 1 company M4 76mm

1 heavy battalion M4 jumbo 1 company M4 76mm jumbo

Points  824

(that's 40 tank platoons to a regiment)

Gents I wont be able to put anything on this Thursday but I will be there



Hamilcar Glider & Locust Light Tanks

Some photos of British Airborne progress.



Hamilcar Glider.....

Locust Light Tanks.....

Operational Games Organised.

I've got Jon's dates, spoken with Mark and Russ and discussed it all with Phil and it looks like we have a plan!

Friday 30th September

This will be a follow on from the recent WW1 operational game based on the Somme battles of 1916.  Commemorating Verdun 1916 we will use the same table layout but with a German Corp attacking a French Division.  The two towns will be replaced by Verdun forts.  We will introduce Observation balloons, aircraft and integrated tape measures on all the tables to facilitate pre-planned bombardments.  I may also allow some more corp assets.  Russ are you able to work out the points value for a German Corp?

We will do the smaller 2-2-1 layout and try and get the room booked behind the bar.  It may be impossible to use upstairs on a week day.  Russ, Jon and Mark will play and I shall umpire.  Phil may be able to make it but I will have to wait for confirmation.

Like last time, we will use the Thursday night to pre-plan the game and roll for preliminary bombardments.

Saturday 23rd October

Full table operational attack using a reinforced US armoured division.  Same tables as last time but I would like to replace the river on two tables with a line of dragons teeth - just an excuse to use another dramatic terrain piece that requires engineers to cross - can you organise that Mark?  I will give the US the option of a carpet bombing attack.  The German players will be given 50% of the US points to create their own defence force (including bunkers) as I think we now have the experience to play this to its full potential.

Saturday 19th November

A full operational game using a 1941 reinforced panzer division.  The defenders will be Soviet but because its 1941 I will have to do something a little different to allow the Germans to attack and outflank tables but allow the Russians some flexibility in defence.  The Germans will use their standard flank roll of 2> with a -1 for each level of tables.  With only 2 order changes each turn this may allow them to overstretch themselves, especially against a tough and superbly equipped opponent.  The Russians will use an armoured train allowing them too operate on a railway that will replace the existing road.  With inbuilt FOOs and recon this will give flexible firepower support onto adjacent tables.  In addition, any off table armoured or motorised reserves will be able to move on and put in flank attacks as part of their initial orders - but do the Soviet players go for a strong initial defence or powerful reserves to launch a concerted counter attack - they will have the points to decide.

There you have it!  Hopefully an autumn season of planned games that could lead to more games in the Christmas period.  In addition, Mark, Russ and myself are planning to visit Timecast on one of the Fridays before the two operational games and get some more terrain and trenches but fit in visits to RAF Cosford, the battlefield at Shrewsbury and the Roman city of Wroxeter.  Let me know what you think about the games and the visits.

The Berlin Hearald headline "The Russian bear is stopped"

forces of the Glorious Wehrmacht army met and halted the evil tide of the Russian communists last night. Here are a few pictures from our front line correspondent.

layout all the objectives are to the right

The hand of the Wehrmacht (well Phil actually)

Motorcycle  battalion race for the objectives, straight into a pre planned katushka bombardment.

Those sneaky Bolsheviks

The claws of the Russian bear close around the Wehrmacht boys

Assault into the village as the Panzer reserves turn to meet the green iron tide

Heroic action at the village as the assault is thrown back breaking the Russian battalion

Captain Von Okey in the latest panzers available stop dead the iron monsters.

A hole appeared in the line as a Wehrmacht battalion routs

(they were probably Rumanian )

Russian armour retreating

Night or the Prussians

The Russian bear halted

Good game gents