Operational Ideas

Is it a change in the weather or is that time of year?  With the weather getting cooler I am definitely more in the mood for wargaming.  I had a great game with Russ revisiting PoW and the ECW.  Phil's winter war scenarios have been excellent and I know Jon is making ACW plans.

However, it's operational games that are always the ultimate objective with my current plans and Phil's winter war and Mark's "Bridge too far" operational game are on the horizon and this got me thinking about other variations.

These are my ideas;

Alamein

                              

3 x 3 layout but part of a larger Thursday night preplanned point of attack.  The Germans have to commit there defences along a theoretical 12 x 3 layout with  two layers of off table reserves.  The British then decide where the actual attack will happen.  If the German's spread their defences too thin and keep their reserves too far away will they be able to hold Montgomery's offensive?  Or if they commit too far forward and in the wrong place will it be a walk over for the British?

All I need is a further 4 feet of concertina wire and I'm ready to go.  This is also the format I will use for a future D-Day operational game so it will be a great try out for an amphibious assault.

Tunisia

                               

We have had two brilliant encounter operational  in the desert.  This would introduce mountainous terrain into our battles.  Both sides layout the battlefield and objective points and then slug it out with whatever wide variety of forces they wish to employ; well equipped but green Americans, 1940 vintage French, paratroopers on both sides,  well motivated German and British regulars and less motivated Italians - this battle has the lot.

I am ready to go with this one.

East Africa 

                                  


This is the first British (and Allied) campaign victory of WW2.  It secured a relatively secure shipping route through the Suez Canal and witnessed the first liberation of an Axis occupied country (Ethiopia if you are ever asked in a pub quiz!).  However, it has largely been forgotten in popular history.

But we don't do just popular history - this game will require a significant mountain chain across 2A, 2B, 2C and 3B.  There will be outlying fortresses, railway tunnels and significant mountain fighting as both sides commit what are essentially colonial troops to secure Mussolini's Empire.

Mark has the final components I require on order from Kallistra and then I need a few weeks to construct railway embankments and tunnels - this is imminent and will be the ultimate mountain desert game.

WW1 Somme

                                      

We discussed this earlier on in the year when we hoped to convince another player from the club to join us for 3 aside plus one umpire operational game amidst the trenches.  We are ready to go on this but we need that other player!

Fulda Gap 1986

                                      

I suspect we have everything for a standard operational attacker v defender game featuring the Soviet Behemoth attacking a British/West German/French defence.  We probably just need to get a better understanding of the rules, weapons and doctrine before we unleash WW3.

The Bridge at Remagen

                                                   


Only it's the Germans on the attack.  The Americans must defend their bridgehead on a standard attacker v defender operational game.  The Ludendorf bridge is on 3B and the Americans do not have the option of deploying a pontoon across the Rhine on 2B.

Hitler has ordered an all out attack with all reserves in order to stabilise the Western front.  Green Volksgrenadiers and veteran SS Panzer units spearhead an attack employing all the latest wonder weapons.  Jagd Tigers and King Tigers dominate the battlefield whilst the latest jets wrest local air superiority from the Allies.  Meanwhile off table V2 rocket batteries attempt to destroy the bridge and cut off the American supply line.

This is a chance to use all the toys in a "what if " 1945 scenario.  The German equipment is expensive and should ensure that the Americans get a good choice of troops to defend the battlefield.  The jets will be immune to AA and fighter cap but will have a limited choice of targets due to their speed and the risk of bad landings exacerbated if the Allies attack their airfields.  The V2 has an option of firing on the hour but if it fires consecutively the Allies may well discover it's location and destroy it.  If the V2 moves each time it fires it will miss a turn but will remain concealed (I will use this rule for Iraqi Scuds in a future game).

Not much to produce for this game.  Does any one wants to make up to four late war German jet models for the game?  I'm prepared to make the V2 - it's attack will be simulated to one side of the main game by lobbing a ball into a small cup - it's easier and more fun than working out the ballistics!

The Road to Korramshar

                                        

This will be my first Iran-Iraq war operational game and this will take a while for me to get ready.  Apart from the armies I will need to make motorways. date plantations, waterways in the desert. oil refineries, power stations and a Middle Eastern city.  However, I am making headway and hope to put on some scenarios in the coming months.

I'm quite excited by this project as I think the poor command and control but employment of very sophisticated weaponry will give us an easier route into modern spearhead.  In addition, I am able to further develop my desert terrain; there are offensives in the mountains, across large waterways and unique as far as I can determine, huge operational battles in marshes!



Sorry about the size of this post but this is also an aide memoire for me.  I wanted to make sure I wrote down all my ideas - especially the Remagen game; I've been reading Kesselrings memoirs and this was what he was planning to do if he'd had the time and resources to hand - I think it would be a corker!