Saturday, March 30, 2013

28MM BOLT ACTION EASTERN FRONT AND NAPOLEONIC UPDATE





This weeks game at the SESWC was a 1944 28mm Bolt Action Eastern Front game.  Colin Jack provided most of the figures and the terrain.  I contributed a platoon of inexperienced Soviet infantry.  The terrain on the table was relatively open.  A German force of a reinforced battalion supported by a Tiger, Panther, Jagdpanther and Panzer IV  holding a line of isolated buildings was attacked by 2 Soviet platoons supported by 2 SU100s and 4 T34/85s. 
SOLIDO T34/85s cross the open fields - more vehicles on the road
It proved to be a German victory when 2 Soviet platoons were wiped out assaulting 2 of the buildings.  Though we played multiple moves and there was much anti-tank fire only a SU100 and a  Panther had been knocked out by the end of the game.
My Soviet inexperienced infantry reach some cover
Sadly I was so busy playing the game and talking to people that I only managed to take these 2 photographs. 
I also spent time this week adding a page to the blog giving details of my Russian Napoleonic army. I also revised the design of the blog by widening the main blog section and right hand lists. 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

BOLT ACTION: 20mm GAMES


I have been trying out the Bolt Action rules with my 20mm collection.   I set up a quick game at the SESWC and this is fully reported in Bart Zynda’s blog at

http://asienieboje.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/market-garden.html  

I then setup a 6ft by 6ft table at home and played 2 games with different players.   In these games we used the hidden rules in Bolt Action for the first time which worked well. 


VIEW FROM RELIEF COLUMN END


VIEW FROM THE TOWN END

All the 3 games involved at one end of the table a British parachute battalion holding a town under attack awaiting a relief force which had to come on at the other end of the table.  A German force of 2 battalions was deployed in the centre of the table with the task of attempting to take the town and delaying the relief force.  Any German vehicles which arrived came on at either side of the table. The arrival of the British and German AFVs was diced for each turn and they were selected by chance from a variety of models.  
All the games worked well but it was a hard or near impossible task for the Germans to take the town.
The final order of battle for the games is given below

BRITISH PARA PLATOON  - VETERAN
HQ:  2nd LT (SMG), SMG, RIFLE
SECTION: NCO (SMG),  2 SMG, 6 RIFLES, LMG
SECTION: NCO (SMG),  2 SMG, 6 RIFLES, LMG
SECTION: NCO (SMG),  2 SMG, 6 RIFLES, LMG
MMG TEAM
2”  MORTAR TEAM
6 PDR AT GUN
 

BRITISH INFANTRY PLATOON - REGULAR
HQ:  2nd LT (PISTOL), SMG,  RIFLE
SECTION: NCO (SMG),  6 RIFLES, LMG
SECTION: NCO (SMG),  6 RIFLES, LMG
SECTION: NCO (SMG),  6 RIFLES, LMG
MMG TEAM
3” MORTAR TEAM
6 PDR AT GUN

TRANSPORT AS REQUIRED  - 3 M3 HALFTRACKS (UNARMED) AND 2 LT TRUCKS
SCOUT CAR,  HUMBER ARMOURED CAR
AFVs    PICKED BY CHANCE.  In the last game a Firefly, 75mm Sherman, Cromwell and Churchill VII arrived.





GERMAN INFANTRY PLATOON A  - REGULAR
HQ:  2ND LT (PISTOL), PISTOL, SMG, RIFLE (PF)
SQUAD: NCO (SMG),  6 RIFLES, LMG
SQUAD: NCO (SMG),   6 RIFLES, LMG
SQUAD: NCO (SMG),   6 RIFLES, LMG

GERMAN INFANTRY PLATOON B  - REGULAR

HQ:  2nd LT (PISTOL), SMG, RIFLE (PF)
SQUAD: NCO (SMG),  SMG, 6 RIFLES, LMG
SQUAD: NCO (SMG),  SMG, 6 RIFLES, LMG
SQUAD: NCO (SMG),  SMG, 6 RIFLES, LMG


TO BE ALLOCATED TO EITHER PLATOON AS DESIRED
75MM PAK 40 HVY AT GUN
MMG TEAM
80MM MORTAR TEAM
VOLKSTURM SQUAD – NCO(SMG), 9 RIFLES (WITH 4 PF)  INEXPERIENCED & SHIRKERS

AFVS  - PICKED BY CHANCE  - up to 4 vehicles.  In the last game a Panzer IV and a softskin 20mm AA arrived.

Friday, March 22, 2013

More Napoleonics


I have continued to work away on my Napoleonic collection.  As I wrote before I ordered the Elite 6Pdr guns to re-equip my Russian foot batteries.   I have now painted up all the new guns.  In the photo below the crew figures are by Foundry which I bought ready painted from South Africa -  I added some more shading and rebased tem.
Russian 6pdr Foot battery
Liking the Elite guns I also ordered French 6pdr guns to re-equip my French horse artillery batteries which had the small Foundry and Hinchliffe 4pdr guns.  The Guard battery has Elite crews and the line battery crews are Foundry.    The crew figures were painted by Reinforcements by Post in Bangladesh as a commission whilst I painted the gun models.   I  have now ordered some 12pdr guns from Elite to replace the Foundry models in my Russian heavy foot batteries.
French Line 6pdr horse battery



French Guard 6pdr horse battery
I have also continued my work on the plastic tents from Renedra.   Having shown the ridge tents here is a photo of the bell tents on a 60mm round edged MDF base from Warbases.   I must say that all deliveries from Renedra have  been very prompt.
Renedra bell tents

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

ALBANICH 2013


Over the past 2 weeks I have been getting back into wargaming.  Last weekend I took part in a 12 player 2 day Hail Caesar game.  I will write a separate report about that big game at a later date once I have got my Flickr account reorganised.  I am recovering from a  virus attack which wiped out my PC.

This Saturday I helped with the SESWC display game for Albanich the Wargames show in Dumfries.  The display, figures and all the supporting material were from the collection of Colin Jack.  It was a 28mm game of an action in the Russo-Japanese War.  There was enough interest in the display to keep us from playing the game to a conclusion.  Still lots of questions about Colin’s faux fur battle mat which I used for our AWI display at Albanich in 2012.
Russo-Japanese war game.....
The host Dumfries club put on a very good looking FIW Muskets and Tomahawks game.  The West Coast wargamers – from the west coast of Cumbria – put on an impressive 28mm Bolt Action game based the Crossing of the River Bug scenario in the RapidFire Eastern front scenario book.  I have played that scenario myself in 20mm with RapidFire.

FIW - Indian allies land rom the river
 


PZIII explodes on the Soviet mines
 
There seemed to be more traders as Albanich this year.  It is a relatively small show but it definitely seemed busier this year than last year.  It was great to speak to so many people at the show.  Overall it was a good relaxing enjoyable day and I will be back next year.

On the Sunday another team of members from my club, the SESWC, put on a display at the Vikings Exhibition at the Royal Scottish Museum.   Link to their report here.

http://seswc.co.uk/2013/03/13/vikings-at-the-museum-of-scotland/