Camp Cromwell 23/03/06

MarkO's US Inf v. SteveJ's Falschirjager in 2000pts HTL. Germans chose to attack on a large crowded table.
Jim umpiring. (Anvers & Nick dropped in for a while).

This time Steve's Henchels kept on coming, though their effect was far from devastating & they went missing at the end when really needed.
The American Luftwaffe took out some of their own artillery, stopped the Henchels twice & finished off the German HQ at the end.
The US ambushes of Homeys & Stuarts looked scary, but were soon dealt with by a/tank guns & infantry.
The German infantry got to the objective, but was blasted back off it by US firepower.
Finally, about midnight, the US won by killing all the Huns over the centreline.

Fort Floriet 21/03/06

As some compensation for a work trip to Burnie Jim took his K&C to the northern desert to face the might of the DAK.
Jim's K&C Brits attacking Chris' DAK in a 2000pts King of the Hill on 9x5 table. Robert also present for a while.

The King of the Hill is one of the unofficial web scenarios - there's a big hill in the centre of the table. The defender digs 1 platoon in on it with the rest of his army in one corner ready to move up & help. The attacker has 3 platoons in reserve, the rest in the diagonally opposite corner to the defender. The flat top of the hill is the objective.

The Dak had 2 panzer platoons (MkIIIs, MkIII* & MkIV), 2 motorised grenadiers, reece, Pak 38s, 88s & some add-ons in HQ. They deployed the Paks on the hill, the 88s to cover the advance, & the rest rushed forward to help the defence. The Brits has 3 inf, hmgs, mortars, 1 large & 1 small 6pdrs, bugs, Matildas & a double 25pdr battery. The inf rushed forward. The mobile stuff was in reserve, but came quickly and moved up as fast as it could. Brit inf took the hill but were immediately blown back off it by the MkIIIs. Another platoon attacked the MkIIIs under smoke and retook it. The surviving MkIIIs rallied & took it back. Meanwhile the 25pdrs caused great disruption with a well placed Stonk. The Matildas & smal 6pdr plat had taken care of the reece and with the help of the artillery also the MkIVs. The bugs cleaned up a Grenadier platoon before getting blown away by the 88s. Just in time, the Matildas crossed the top of the hill and cleaned up the German HQ on the rear side to force an unwinable Morale test, though the MkIIIs still contested the top of the hill.

Both players liked the scenario. It was good fun & seemed well balanced. The Brits were fortunate in the end - they failed to get uncontested control of the hill, but the German HQ failed their platoon morale & evaporated leaving the coy below 1/2 strength just before the time limit expired for the Brits.

Hillcrest HQ 19/03/2006

Steve vs Nick -- the long delayed Maharajah

It took a while, and it was supposed to happen last year, but we finally got together for our Maharajah game. The first one was a draw, characterised by Steve's Hs129b planes blowing the crap out of everything I had, while I had some lucky shooting rolls at critical moments that stopped Steve's attack.

After much thought, I tweaked my army list for the rematch. Steve did as well, and the game looked to be a tough battle.

Except for one thing -- the HS129's didnt arrive for Steve.

I had paid for maximum airpower (to stop the hienies), and bought an AA platoon. The airpower intercepted Steve's planes every time except once, and they managed to arrive once with no interception, taking out an 88. Steves planes killed two artillery guns, but that was it.

With no air support, Steve had to attack with his infantry. It was here that he discovered a slight tweaking of the US army. The addition of a weapons platon with 4 x LMG teams, plus Command Kelley, provided the US infantry with enough fire power to stop the attacking infantry. Eventually I dropped stuarts (with Reb Jackson) and AA half tracks out of ambush, and the combined firepower effectivly destroyed Steve's attack.

Forced to keep going, Steve managed some devilishly effective smoking. But in the end, a platoon reduced to 4 stands could not take the objective.

Final -- 5:2 to Nick.

Camp Cromwell 16/03/06

Counterattack Mission 1600 pts on 6x4 flat desert table

SteveJ's Falshimjager defending v. SteveP & Jim's K&C (Brit+Indians)
The scenario is on the website this week - a modified Cauldron. The Germans started dug in in a tight box on one table edge with half their force. That Empire started with a random deployment but also dug in if they want. The scenario seems pretty well balanced - probably an improvement on the Cauldron.

The Allied inf stormed forward with HMG, bugs, Shermans & a double 25pdr battery ready to provide fire support as soon as the Huns showed their heads. The Germans opened fire immediately with great effect as the Allies threw a pile of 1&2 saves. The Allies returned heavy fire with little effect but the Tommys pressed on and both objectives were quickly over-run under heavy smoke. But the Huns had more infantry handy to counterattack. The unsupported Tommys on the left were overwhelmed, the bugs on the right got flamed and swamped and both objectives were retaken. The Shermans retook the RHS objective. The Falschirmjager which retook the LHS objective survived a 25pdr Murder with zero casualties, then unpinned and counterattacked the Shermans. A recoiless 75 took out one Sherman, the remaining 2 couldn't pin the attackers & were bailed in the assault so the RHS objective changed hands again. Now the Allies poured the fire of 4 HMGs, 8 25 pdrs (direct fire) & 6 infantry onto the exposed defending platoon - 39 dice and they killed no-one. The Indian infantry (delayed & weakened by mortar fire) had finally come up and now charged making their fearsome warcry. It was the last chance for Allied victory, but the curse of the save dice struck again & they took casualties in the charge & failed morale. Next turn the Allies failed Coy Morale. This was a very close battle that could have gone either way. A sound defence v. a sound attack so luck had its way.

Fort Floriet 14/03/06

Starn, Corina, Chris and Robert an hour late.

Diced on the new table Hold the Line.

We used Starns pre-picked armies

Chris Grenadiers chose to defend vs. Starn Russians

Germans deployed 2 platoons of grenadiers + Command near the front objective, 88’s in ambush.

Russians one Infantry = mortars on right, AA guns + Su 122’s centre, Infantry + Matildas left flank.

Turn 1 Russians advanced. Germans sprung ambush early to try to slow the Russian infantry. Killed 2 infantry stands.

Turn 2. Russians advanced. Sturmoviks came on and did nothing. Germans killed an infantry stand and a truck and attached AA gun. Tiger reinforcement came on.

Turn 3. Russians advanced. Germans killed 3 stands of infantry.

Turn 4. Russians advanced. Germans killed 5 stands of infantry.

Turn 5. Russians killed an 88 and an infantry stand. Germans killed 6 stands of infantry. No reinforcements.

Turn 6. Russians advanced. Germans killed 7 infantry stands.

Turn 7. Russians infantry pinned. Germans received rest of reinforcements which double moved. Kill 7 stands infantry.

Turn 8. Russians kill 2 German infantry stands. One Russian infantry fails moral test. The other Russian infantry is down to 1 stand and retreats behind hill.

Turn 9. The Matildas and Su 122’s are the only 2 platoons in the German half of the table. The Germans assault the Su 122’s bailing 3 but then fail moral and retreat.

Turn 10 the Tiger finishes off the Matildas.

Turn 11 the Tiger kills the Su 122’s. Game over 6-1 to the Germans.

Post Mortem. The Russian planes came frequently but only got through 3 times and did very little. The German planes came less frequently and also did very little.

Hillcrest HQ 12/03/06

After a full on morning of Laser Tag, the spare room got its first actual wargame. Cameron and his son Tristan came up, ostensibly to play Mage Knight, but it turned into the kids playing video games, so the adults opted for a quick flames of war.

We created armies from what I had. Which is a lot of tanks and not a lot of infantry. So it was two armoured forces. Cameron was Russian and I was German (decided by the roll of a die). We fought over the steppes, modified by throwing down some hills.

The Russian force was:
C in C in a T-34
7 x T-34
4 x KV-1e
2 x SU 152
3 x SU 76

Probably not a legal Russian force, but you play with what you have.

The German force was
C in C in a Pz IV H
2 ic in a Pz IV H
3 x Stug III F
5 x Pz III M

The Russians were attacking in a hold the line.

The Germans deployed 3 Stugs in the center, covering the first objective. The rationale was that with their big gun and superior range, they could get in a lot of shots. The panzer IIIs were reserves. The Russians deployed the SU 152's and KV's in the center for a charge at the objective, while the T-34s and SU76s tried to sneak up each flank.

The game started with the Russians doubling their T-34s down the side of the table, hiding them behind the lone woods on the table.

The Germans managed to maneuver their Pz IVs to shoot at two tanks that were sticking out, but only managed to bail one T-34. The Stugs failed to have any effect on the SU 152's. Then the Germans stormtroopered to cover.

The Russians unbailed their bailed T-34, and continued their advance, maneuvering their T-34s out from behind the forest, in range of objective II.

Deciding the T-34s were a threat, the German C in C and 2iC popped back over the hill -- and missed. The Stugs concentrated on the SU 152's, and with 5 shots managed to bail one tank :(. To make matters worse the C in C and 2iC failed his stormtrooper roll, and sat on the top of the hill staring back at 8 t-34's.

Smelling blood, the T-34s pounded the German command structure into vapour, while continuing their advance. The SU 152 commander doubled on to the first objective.

The German reinforcements arrived. 5 x Pz IIIs ran to the top of the hill -- and managed to kill one T-34. They then also failed their stormtrooper, and sat still as inviting targets. Fortunately the Stugs finally managed to load real shells into their guns, and the SU 152's were vapourised.

Blasting away, the T-34s destroyed the Panzer III platoon. Needing a 1 to penetrate, the T-34s hit 7 times and penetrated 4 times. Fortunately one resulted in a bail. But the end result was the Panzer III platoon that ran to the rescue was now mostly scrap metal, with 2 bailed tanks. The KV's moved close to the other objective, and managed to kill one of the stugs with a lucky long range shot. Fortunately the german luck changed, and they managed to save on their morale roll.

Over the next two turns the Panzer IIIs came good, and destroyed some T-34s, but the damage was done. One was knocked out. And the KV's moved onto the other objective. The stugs had to move up the contest the objective, but the SU76's crept into the stug's rear and destroyed them.

In the end a 5-2 victory to the Russians -- but revenge is planned!!!!!!!

The room had a few teething problems. I will re-arrange the table for the next game -- its current place makes it VERY hard to play one side.

Camp Cromwell 09/03/06

Big Push on 6' wide x 8' deep table

Mark 1160 pts US Inf + Leigh 1500 pts US Mech
attacking
SteveJ 1310 pts Falshimjager + Jim 1345 pts Grenadiers
Scenario chosen by dice & table, coys cobbled together from what was available.
Barrie was present for a while. Apologies from Peter - absent due to an examination on sauces ?

The whole US army lined up against the Grenadier's side of the table. The Germans got a severe pounding in the Preliminary Bombardment but that bad luck was well compensated for by good reserve dice - 1 each on turn 4 & 1 each on turn 5. Steve made a token move towards the threatened flank, but desisted when he came under artillery & mortar fire. Instead he deployed his reserve Falshirmjager on the left to support Jim. The US infantry advanced slowly up to and through the first line of wire & up to the minefield while the German defenders lay doggo. Only when the GIs reached the minefield did the Huns pop up out of their trenches and start blasting away. Hot shooting from 2 HMG, a Pak36 & a mortar pinned both forward platoons. Pinned down, the GI's couldn't cross the minefield & the US lost through having no teams over the centreline by turn 7.
The US suffered for lack of experience with the scenario - which for the attacker is easy to stuff up if you don't do it just right. The Huns were grateful that the advance was too cautious & that the engineers were not pushed to the front.

Camp Cromwell 02/03/06

Pottery Road on Sunday

SteveP's Russian Inf defending v. Jim's Fucilieri in a 1500 pts Hold the Line.
The Ities used the terrain to cover their main advance on their left against the forward objective while they moved infantry forward on the other flank to get observers into place for the artillery, mortars & light guns in the centre. The Reserve Ivans got pounded by artillery and mortar fire as they moved up, then the Ities swarmed over the hill at the Ivan front line. The L6's and Pioneers cleaned up the 2 Ivan infantry platoons on the objective then destoyed the counterattacks (with the help from an awful lot of fire support). The T34s rushed over from the other flank and began systematically destroying the objective's new defenders, but the invincible L6s ignored them, left the light mortars and Capitano da Angelo to contest the objective, and hunted down the few surviving Ivan infantry & HQ. This caused Russian Morale Failure & gave the Ities victory.

Camp Cromwell on Thursday

2 v.2 Coys Death from above:
SteveJ & Ander's with Falschirmjager (1500 pts each) on a 8x6 table.
Jim (as Monty) with Barrie's Brits & MarkO's Indians (1500 pts each).
After the usual confusion of an air landing the Huns sorted themselves out & began to advance on a neat Alllied line which had received few reinforcements (though what they got came in safely from behind their own line). The Luftwaffe came often, the RAF hardly at all, but damage from above was slight. Eventually the late Allied reserves showed up in the Hun rear, obviously delayed by their long flank march. The Bugs and tanks went on a rampage in the rear area, but Steve's attack took an objective with no Indians close enough to immediately dispute it. The Allied fired every tube they could muster at the Huns on the objective, HMGs, mortars, artillery, AA, rifles & finally 3 long range shots by the Grants got the last one. Anders attacked the other objective & pushed back the Indian defenders, but Mark's counterattack destroyed the platoon. That was the last throw of the dice for the Huns, both Coys fell below half strength & although passing morale were out of steam & at 11pm the Huns conceded. After a slow start, it got exciting in the end as the Huns tried to grab an objective before the Allied reserves could win the game.

SteveP's Russian Inf v. MarkW's Panzers:
Russians defending a HTL on a 6x4 table.
The KV ambush took out the MkIV specials, the Big Guns took out the MkIV shorts, then the Kvs mopped up the MkIIIs.
Russian losses = 4 teams. You just don't seem to get enough German armour for your points.