Updated Table 1A

New updated table for tomorrow's game.  1A always seems a bit of a weak table for defence so I did want to beef it up for this game.  However, I only picked up the escarpment pieces last week and finished painting them last night.  The two smaller escarpment pieces are level two terrain and can see into the adjacent rear table (2A).  The biggest escarpment is a level three feature and can see all other tables except 2D and 3B!  The rock faces are impassable so those gaps might be important.

The view from the British side.  The cairn on the highest feature is the objective point for 1A.  However, all the features can be used for order purposes.

Gauntlet Game 2017

Next Saturday (1st July) is Gauntlet at the club. As it's just a week off I asked Mark about staging a 1200 point Star Wars armada game as it is just a matter of building the two fleets and hey presto!

After our past game which was 1000 points we upped the ante and went for a 1200 point build list on each side. This will be a mega battle.


I don't know what everyone's plans are for next Saturday but it would be more fun if it was just Mark and me.

Thursday Night Game - Sidi Rezegh

Our largest practice session so far for the Operational game and it's a revisit to an old classic; Sidi Rezegh.  Part of the Crusader offensive launched in December 1941 by Eighth Army, its a tank on tank encounter around the recently captured Axis airfield near to the old tomb of Sidi Rezegh.  If the British hold on they will have secured a crucial stepping stone for the relief of Tobruk.  Rommel is determined to smash Eighth Army's army offensive.

A poor attempt by me to photo the whole battlefield.  Mark and Frank have deployed 7th Divisions Support Group around the airfield.  Jon's infantry cautiously advance from the left whilst an anti tank battalion deploys in the distance to create a screen for Russ' panzers.

Jon's infantry bring the airfield under direct fire and heavy off table artillery bombardment.  Whilst the British infantry are pinned Russ' panzers launch a flank attack.

The anti tank battalion redeploys from the ridge to give closer support to Russ' panzers and the German infantry launch an assault against the airfield.

From this point on I forgot to take any more photos!  The British launched their trap with the remnants of two brigades of tanks counter attacking from reserve positions on either side of the flanks of the Support Group.  Phil's Honeys were unlucky in their firing against the panzers - but still forced Russ to redeploy and seek cover with the antitank gun screen.  Meanwhile Russ had still done enough to overrun the remnants of Mark's infantry battalion.  Jon was lucky to have enough off table artillery and an 88mm in reserve to just stop Phil's other attack rolling up the antitank guns.

Frank's crusaders were launched a little too late and too wide to have an impact on the game before dusk descended.

Another good game with some very interesting points raised.  Should the British have concentrated all their armour on one flank and launched an attack as soon as an opportunity presented itself.  Instead of just failing in two places could they have been more decisive in one place.

Was Jon lucky to have placed his 88mm in reserve or did he have it there on purpose?  And without the artillery support would the anti tank battalion have survived and would Russ' panzers then been in the lurch?

Again, would the panzers have been more effective concentrated rather than attacking in two different places?  Concentration of force is vital in the desert, as Heinz Guderian would say; "Don't tap them, boot them!"

New Baccus ECW Pike & Shot 24 Hr Challenge

I picked up a few packets of the new Baccus ECW range at Phalanx on Saturday.

I wanted to see if I still had the horsepower to get a unit painted and based all in 24 hrs.

I used a quicker painting technique this time and avoided the use of any highlights

Everything was kept as simple as I could bare to resist!

Primed using vallejo black primer, then block painted the faces.

I sued grey instead of a metallic on the helmets just to see what it looked like.

Overall  - pleased with the result in the time it took. I finished them off with a coat of gloss and matt airbrush varnish. They are "wargame" standard and that's all that counts these days.

Thursday Fight in the Desert

Last Thursday's game was a British assault against an Axis defended minefield.  Russ, Ozy and Phil were defending three sets of tables but knew the assault would be against only one.  They cunningly deployed the majority of an Italian battalion on the right hand table and they were correct!  Reserves were posted behind the middle table with a two turn delay, but the artillery battalion was well deployed on the middle table with a FOO on a high ridge able to spot any dust on all three tables.  It looked like a strong defence.  Mark, Jon and Frank were about to test it.

Jon's battalion has successfully cleared a way through the initial minefield but has strayed into another unmarked mine field.  Frank's engineers are widening the original gap to secure a better line of supply.  Mark's battalion on the far side has lost casualties to mines and to the German FOO on the adjacent table.  He attempts to demonstrate in front of the Italian held defences whilst Jon and Frank consolidate a bridgehead.

Ozy's German rifle battalion arrives from reserve and takes up a holding position to the left of Phil's Italian held fort.  The Italian defences were positioned too far back from the minefield.  Further forward they would have inflicted casualties on the British engineers and allowed Ozy's Germans to more quickly counter attack.

German artillery arrive on the flank and Russ' panzers put in a rapid counter attack.  Jon's Foo has neutralised the 88mm and he has used the unmarked minefield as a defensive feature for the bridgehead.  Jon and Frank's  supporting Valentines check the panzers whilst Ozy's infantry battles with the defending British infantry.  Mark's casualties have been high and he pulls his troops back to avoid a morale check.  As dusk falls Phil launches a counter attack which narrowly fails to finish off Mark's British.

The British managed a marginal win by establishing a bridgehead before dusk.  However, the reserve tank regiment had been launched and with a few more hours of daylight it is possible the British may have broken through - and yet Ozy's infantry with antitank guns was still fresh and Russ was about to pull his panzers back into a stop position. 

Another great game, well played, with a few more desert specific situations played out before the operational game.  This Thursdays battle will be a tank v tank encounter featuring the classic Sidi Rezegh scenario.

War of the roses DBA3

12 base army

4 armies

Yorkist army

1 knight, 4 bow, 4 blade, 1 cav, 1aux(Irish), 1 psiloi(xbow)

Lancashire army

1 knight, 4 bow, 4 blade, 1 cav, 1 pike(welsh)1 psiloi(handgun)

 

Base sizes are 90x60 and 90x30 for psiloi

I can make the cav deeper to 90x90 but not the knights

 

Would be good if you could make up your movement/shooting template for this

return of the jedi

 

Saturdays battle

Imperial might

rebel scum

turn 1

we used a slightly deeper table than the tournament one, I was assuming that we would need the room

Rebel fighters and bombers stream forward, Imperials maintain a steady advance

Turn 2

still closing, lighter Imperial ships try to envelope on both flanks

Ouch time!

The Imperial centre came under extreme pressure and was destroyed by concentrated rebel attacks

Imperial right hook went too far out before the swing in and contributed very little to the battle

Centre breaking

Imperial centre gone

Rebels lost 3 ships

Imperials lost 6 ships

 

Points

Rebels 633

Imperials 610 ish

Another win for the rebels

The emperor will not be pleased