Attack/Counterattack Normandy

With the release of the hardback rule book we have been getting back to Battlegroup Overlord.  We played three Attack counter attack scenarios which saw the US Paras defeated twice in a row by the Germans inside the time it took me with British and JP with Panzer Grenadiers fight the same scenario over four hours. everyone was using 600 point lists.  this gave me

FHQ in jeep, FAO in a dingo

3 Recce Carriers

1 Sherman platoon with 2 extra Shermans

2 Infantry platoons on with a 81mm Mortar

I toyed with the idea on RAMS and should have did it learning the lessons of Normandy.

German startline, this house was an objective

German view brown strip represents a stream this was an objective

 I knew what I had to do take those objectives but I had a long way to go with the British infantry

This carrier became pinned down by MG fire from the hose and the Panzer 4 in Turns  4,5&6 but them rallied and got to the base line dying duelling with a panzerscheck team in turn 10.  The other two carriers survived the game and were a terrible nuisance to the germans as mortar spotters

Britsh lateral advance

Rest of the platoon

The panzer grenadiers came forward and cut down about half this plaoon.

JP won a marginal tactical victory but this was a fantastic game possibly the most enjoyable WW2 game I have ever played

C'est La Guerre!

Prussian Fusiliers Advance

This was a fast hard fought Last Argument of Kings battle in Willie's Garage on a cold snowy night. The Prussians had to cross the river via a ford and two bridges and take the town held by the French.  Equal numbers but the the Prussian had some lower quality troops(for them).  I tried to plough most of the foot into Willie in the centre with Sparkie leading the Dragoons.  Livy had the command of a brigade of Hussars fusiliers.

Dragoons join battle

The Dragoons suffer serious set backs in the first wave then second wave suffers sever casualties and are forced to retire massing up on the bridge to rally, all the Prussian infantry were committed with little chance of bursting through the French

Infantry try to blow the french defenders to pieces

Rally the dragoons!

Cinc in the distance moves to call up the Hussars

A combination of disjointed command rolls resulted in a Prussian Defeat, French Victory. Victory for JP and Willie.  The brigade commanders went with the plan.  However I need to remember make the hussars into big units, it keeps the list legal and gives them better battle potential.

"C'est L'guerre"

Fritz

Black Powder just keeps on giving as a set of Rules. Today we played a six player French v Prussian battle, the Prussians paid for their blunders, literally throwing six separate double 6s in this battle, three brigades made a bolt for the table edge. The Prussian columns were in chaos

Grenadiers Advance

Grenadiers under heavy French fire

Dragoons to the rescue

Box shot

Box shot

After the battle

Dragoons Tam's heroes

The discraced Curiassiers

Fritz

Seydlitz

Hussars

Grenadiers

Foot Patrol to Battle

We fought a WW2 platoon battle encounter battle last night,at Willie's who had just finished flocking a lovely table.  He also got his new buildings onto the table.

Nobly he decided to advise the two novice German Players facing me with the british and JP with armoured infantry. My opponent had a platoon of German Panzer grenadiers in half tracks, supported by a Pak40 a mortar and an HMG, a Panther and a Panzer IV.

I fielded  a foot patrol , one churchill, 4 rams carrying a platoon and a 6pdr.

Foot Patrol

Entered the table with the foot patrol on the edge of some woods.I worked them into the nearest buildings, holding the rams and Churchill on reserve moves.

Foot Patrol is hiding through the Wall

The German Player deployed swiftly over two thirds of the table, his Panther eventually leading.  He reached the buildings my foot patrol was occupying.  At this point I was ready to spring my trap depolying the reserves, the Kangaroo dismounted with the attached Medic, Piat Team and Light mortar.  The 6pdr pushed forward and unlimbered out of sight of the Panther

Kangaroo,Piat and Mortar

Platoon Command

 The Platoon Command deployed in the little archway, the Piat Team literal revealed themselves to the Panther getting one shot off, the Panther rattled off a pair of HE shots but struck only bricks.

Panther!

 The 6pdr was then manhandled around the corner and got a lucky hit but no penertration however his  morale roll of "1" pinned the blighter.  We went into a concerted frenzy of 6pdr and piat attacks which failed to penertrate the armour

The German infantry were occupying the houses in the background.
The platoon commander felt a  needed to deal with these as it was now hitting 10.30 pm with less than so the Churchill and the rifle sections rolled into the attack but ended repulsed.  the Churchill missing a rear shot on the Panther with the same beast hitting it twice and penertrating twice.  Game over with the Brits pinned within 10" of the enemy and likely to all go into the bag, however the foot patrol came out in one piece.

The Cameronian answer to Tigers.

 Operation Blackcock was fought in January 1945, right in the period of "The Fall of the Reich" battlegroup book.  Most of the fighting took place in the towns on the German Dutch border in terrible winter weather.  Heavy snow alternating with thaws, bogged roads and limitedtank support meant that  The Lowland Division infantry would depending on 6pdrs, piats and sticky bombs.  

Unknown to Lowland Divisional Intelligence,  a battalion of German Tiger 1, rebuilt on a core of Russian front veterans, was ready willing and able to counterattack Operation Blackcock.

My 6pdrs are coming on now, working on the bases, the crews need a wash, highlight and varnish.

Deniston jacket

Goney need the loader crew

or we will be down to stick bombs

Beneath the Lily Banners Swede v Russians

This was a five player game played at Carluke Wargames Club.  Jon Bryson is still completing his Swedish army but you can see some of his fantastic painting already.

The Russian Army was about 50% stronger in infantry with 21 battalions v 15 Swedish, with 24 Russian Squadrons  v 15 Swedish Squadrons. The Russains had 6 field guns to 3 Swedish.  A Polish ally was deployed but didnt get into the fighting.  Result Swedish win massacring the Russians.

Polish including their black coated  Scots

Swedish

Swedish

My Russian Center

My Russian Center being destroyed

Swedish cavalry close on the Russian left

Swedish Infantry sweep over the grand battery and their fusiliers

Hail Caesar Samurai

After playing a few Early Imperial Roman battles with Hail Caesar I joined the Yahoo group, which led me to the discovery of Rick Priestly file for late samurai armies.  Fantastic, I was eager to play my favorite Japanese armies the Ikko Ikki and using the basic rules I was able to field the following army.  We set up to play at Willie's garage on the last cold dark rainy  night of this year.  

Training

More training

Cant get enough training

Army Lists

Clan 1& 2

Experienced Taisho CD8

Unit of naginate armed Monks

Unit of Teppo Ashigaru, professional

Unit of Yari Armed ashigaru, professional

2 units of Levy Ashigaru

Ally Clan commanded by Willie

A unit of samurai cavalry

2 Units of Samurai foot

Unit of Teppo Ashigaru, professional

Unit of Yari Armed ashigaru, professional

Jp fielded two clans 

Clan 1

Daimyo CD9

2 Cavalry Samurai

2 foot samurai

a unit of monks

2 Tari Ashigaru, professional

1 Unit,small Ronin

Clan 2

Taishi CD8

1 Foot samurai

1 Yumi ashigaru, professional

3 Yari Ashigaru, professional

2 Units,small Ronin

"My right flank"

In command Sohei monks

"They call me The Daimyo"

Battle analysis, first impressions

We did get a different game from the previous Roman battles.  Every peasant unit from clans 1 & 2 got into the fight. The right flank came very close to breaking JP's Clan 2.  JP needed to commit seriously to breaking the peasants and making sure every unit went down.  Use of my commanders became essential to boost the attacks.

Most troops dont give support so movement to the flanks seemed to play a bigger part or the use of reserves for the right moment. The Yari Ashigaru are good enough to hold up the samurai but unlikely to defeat them in one on one combat.  Teppo Ashigaru can do more damage to the samurai. This includes the levy ashigaru

The monks are much better at smashing ashigaru and stand up better to Samurai.

Cavalry do give you mobility but with most units having long spear it takes the edge off their punch. They can get surrounded so this discourages charging a mass of enemy, both Willie and JP cavalry battle stagnated with only one charge made by JP on Yari armed foot samurai.