A Scout's Tale

Once upon a time in the west,

A scout had been peacefully at rest.

But after hearing a shout,

He went a venturing out.

As time went by

Another scout thought he better try

As no word had been heard

Of his restless comrade.

He sought and he sneaked 

And into the bushes he peeked.

Oh no!

If memory serves me well, at least one or two of these figures were a gift from the guys at York.  They had been sitting around half painted for a few years and suddenly their time had come.  Still lots more before a Pony Wars can be staged.

Two Panzer Four

The kits were purchased for last Xmas and have been waiting patiently to be completed.

Zvedza

Battlefront

Comparison.

Zvedza looks crisp, the Battlefront chunky.  The Zvedza is about a third of the price and a tenth of the weight (I did give it a bit of ballast to stop it being blown away).  I did like the fully moulded open hatch with the Battlefront.  It is a pity that Battlefront seem to be reducing their supply.  I was late to 15mm WW2 and miss being able to browse in Tactics and pick up the odd kit.

Nikephorian Byzantine doesn't fight Imperial Spanish

This was a club league game against the dreaded Spanish Imperials.  Strategy wise I should have declined the game and denied my opponent a point, but, well, that would have been mean...

My plan was to go infantry heavy and mass against one of the Spanish flanks.

That required winning the scouting roll.

I didn't.

Immediately the Spanish artillery started firing on my units.

That would be deadly for the large units

so it was skirmishers to the fore.

Meanwhile we had a light cavalry dance develop on the right flank,

I decided to keep to my plan and focus on the left flank.

Thrusting to my light cavalry to keep the enemy busy on the right.

Sensing this the Spanish left move down off their hill.

Moving forward the Spanish light cavalry dash forward,

while mine are shot up by the Spanish harquebusiers.

At this point I had a careful look at the factors and units.

I had 8 units, the Spanish 9.

But the critical thing was my short bow was 0/1 short and -3/0 long (inf/cav)

The harquebus A is 1/2 and -2/-1

Then there is the Spanish artillery, but more critically their musketeers.

The musketeers were busy being spotters for the artillery,

but their factor is 2/3 and -1/0.

They could easily out fight my slingers (0/1 and -1/1).

So what to do?

In the only excitement of the game the Spanish light cavalry charged one of my units.

They got 3 hits (on five dice), but I got 1 back (with three dice).

On the subsequent Cohesion Test I lost three, but they lost three as well!

(Another six on a D6 will do that)

Result: Stand off!

Subsequent combat saw my light cavalry prevail

which momentarily opened up an opportunity.

But the Harquebusiers finished the light cavalry off,

so I decided to stick with my new plan.

A skillful careful withdrawal.

And look, there's the table edge.

Don't Mention The War - Part 41 via Facebook

AUSGAME 2023

JUL/AUG 1944 – Part 2

AXIS DISASTER ON THE EASTERN FRONT CONTINUES – THE RUSSIAN JUGGERNOUGHT.

This session started with the Axis 1st Impulse of the J/A 44 turn, all land actions. The German desperately tried to fill the holes that had been created on the Eastern Front by the Allies getting two impulses in a row with one at the end of M/J and start of J/A – double tap. Italy decided to attempt to ‘take out’ some Allied units before they were forced to surrender, assaulting three single hexes at 1:1 odds – they all failed much to the relief of the CW. Japanese land units in China stated to head North withdrawing from the Chinese front-line, and in a series of lucky rolls they sank, damaged or aborted the 5 subs in the Sea of Japan as the US/CW sub force searched and rolled several 9’s and a 10’s.

The next  Allied impulse saw nearly all Major Nations take land actions as the Russians exploited their earlier success advancing in Rumanian, E Poland and even in the Baltic as the German struggled to impose delay. The casualty pile tells its own story and worse more German Acft were shot down for marginal effect. The US progress was slow as he was rolling sub 10’s, often 5’s and 6’s on the 2D10 except on the last impulse where he finally rolled TOTT and exploited to the Siegfried line. The CW busied itself with expanding into Yugoslavia, threatening Bulgaria and being awarded the 1st Allied Nation to enter Germany as they followed up on the Germans withdrawal to Kiel. The CW Marines have again landed in Denmark and are now threatening to enter other German homeland hexes from the sea – further stretching the German reserves. The CW Lancaster’s have again been successful destroying a Factory in Dortmund and shutting down 4 factories on the Ruhr. However this BP loss will be offset as the German will receive additional BPs as he retrains Pilots – he has 17 in reserve at the moment and he will also get the BPs from Italian Pilots, Cadre and builds.

In the Far East – despite the initial slow start rolling a 3 then a 5, the Russia-Sino front has turned around as two low odds attacks were successful and the exchange of units is in Russia’s benefit as they advance to Harbin. The US on the borders of Manchuria have consolidated their position of cutting off the Japanese Army in China, and with the Japanese Conv finally found and sunk in the China Sea the IJA in China is now OOS. The Communists have only launched 1 assault, successfully capturing Sian and with multiple IJA units inverted they will be easily destroyed by Nationalist and Communists if they remain OOS.

For the Axis part, it will be their impulse next session, but so far, they have reacted to the breakthroughs, contained them where they could with their meagre reserves. They have had little wins at sea and in the air, and an occasional low dice roll by the Allies – but their days are clearly numbered as the photos tell their story of the declining position of the Axis forces.

This is our last session for the month as ironically our Japanese player is visiting the USA on holiday – next session, the end game turns will commence first week of May 23.

· ACFT – Aircraft

· LOC – Line of Communications

· TOTT – Top of the table a 23 or more

· AGN/AGS German Army Group North and South

· OOS - Out of Supply

The Eastern Front - ominous

AGN - breakthroughs in the North with many German units inverted 

- it will be a nightmare for the German if the turn does not end soon.

AGS - its remnants withdrawing to the Rumanian capital as the E Poland line is established again - last of the German Hvy Arm Reserves committed to stem the advance.

The Far East - Japan now fighting on three fronts - 

the visual is stunning as the IJA is cut in half by the US expansion.

The Russians finally break through the Japanese line in Manchuria, It is the Japanese move.

The Japanese Chinese front - inverted Japanese and OOS a Chinese dream 

- Sian now in communist hands.

The US take Mukden

Italy - will surrender at the end of the J/A turn

The CW expanding their influence into Yugoslavia.

The pool of death and destruction 9 x German acft again huge losses for the Luftwaffe

Barbarossa - Turn Fifteen - Completion

Just a short session today prior to a short break.

AGN needs to take Pskov before it can consider advancing on Leningrad.

AGC on the road to Moscow,

but note little stack of supply units LHS.

AGS has two pockets on the way to Kiev

Rumanians halt at the border (for now).

It will be a while before AGS sends encouragement.

For Turn 16 the weather all rolls were all dry.

However there will be a short break before play resumes.

Yet More Romans

I needed another unit to do justice to the Carrhae scenario I am working on.

When I was painting these I felt as if I was being a bit rough and ready, but seeing them magnified I am presently surprised.

Don't Mention The War - Part 40 via Facebook

AUSGAME 2023

JUL/AUG 1944

AXIS DISASTER ON THE EASTERN FRONT AND TRIPOLI FALLS.

Reinforcement, and arguable the most important roll for 1944 which the Allies win. The first roll for the initiative was won by Russia with a 7 v’s the German 4, the Axis demand a re-roll (quite rightly +1 shift to the Allies) and Germany rolled a 6 with the Russian rolling a 5 +1 (6) with the Allies winning ties they get the jump on the Axis with two impulses in a row at a critical time. With this roll this game has shifted significantly in the Allies favour, and unless it ends at the first opportunity for the Axis it is going to be very tough on the Axis to recover this game.

Allied 1st Impulse – Weather roll 1 (+1) for a 2 – fine weather everywhere, except rain in the N Monsoon, The US and CW both take a Naval/Land actions and Russia an Air/Land all majors spending O-Points for the double actions. France takes a Naval to sail escorts and its three TPTs, with China an Air so that it can bomb the Japanese line.

The US flies some long range NAVs into the China Sea, reinforces the Pacific Fleet sitting in the 2 box and sends out 5 x US/CW subs to search for the Japanese Convs in the Sea of Japan and China Sea – no finds as two 7’s are rolled. The Japanese Army in China remains in supply as the Japanese Conv in the China Sea is not found. In the Baltic, the Norwegian Convs under the Comd of German Offrs were not so lucky as the CA’s Uganda and Ceylon both find and quickly despatch them, once again cutting off the Swedish iron ore. The CW fleets sail off the Coast of Italy and picks up land units to bolster the garrison in Sicily and Yugoslavia. GS on the Western Front are favourable as the INF stack defending the Dyle River is all inverted, and several Axis Corps and the Rommel HQ are inverted. The US launches a single attack across the Dyle River rolling average for a 20 B, losing their second ENG and another half invert and sending the defenders back to Berlin but they have now crossed another river, and gained a hex adjacent to Germany. In Libya’s capitol the Italian garrison is inverted and subsequently surrenders to the CW forces, with Tripoli now in Allied hands, the Italian Empire crumbles and the Govt of Mussolini collapses and flees North. The Allies now hold Taranto, Tripoli and have a larger GV so Italy will be forced to surrender at the end of Jul/Aug 44. This is one year later than historical, but then D-Day was one year earlier, so there is an inverse Zen balance on reflection. An Italian stack in Yugoslavia is eliminated, hastening the withdrawal of the Italians back home.

On the Eastern Front, Russia launches multiple GS with their unlimited air action successfully GS multiple stacks against both AGN, AGC and AGS. On the recently opened Sino-Russian front, they also successfully GS the mountain defenders in Manchuria who are now all inverted and OOS - but the Russian attack there is a disaster as a Japanese bomber gets cleared through and an awful dice roll (3) from the Russian sees the dreaded ~14 as they loose three units and the Japanese only a single Div, a full invert and Japan keeps the mountain hex. Better results on the Eastern Front although another below average roll against AGN sees the inverted stack retreated and another half invert – not the start the Russian wanted on the 1st impulse on a long clear weather turn. The Results against AGC was as expected a +19 attack against the lonely Von Lieb HQ sees him eliminated and the Russian MECH and ARM exploit deeper into E Poland and even better news, a TOTT roll against the two defending German MECH/ARM behind the Dniester River sees both quality units eliminated and Russian GBA cross the Dniester River and into Rumania, breaking the river-line. An attempted strategic bombing of Ploiesti by the Russians is aborted as they lose a bomber and their ftr cover is aborted.

A long first session that started late – next session will see the Axis response with Germany having too many inverted units on the front lines and too many holes to fill with too few troops – sounds very familiar. Worse for Germany, the Luftwaffe has again performed very badly losing 7 planes in one impulse – they now have 15 Pilots – they will not need to build any more for the rest of the game and may start retraining them for land operations – Luftwaffe Pilot Divisions? Italy will be forced to surrender at the end of this turn, so this impulse do they cover the withdrawal North of the German units in Italy or do they attempt suicide assaults in an attempt to inflict casualties on the Allies knowing that they will be simply disarmed during the turns conquest phase. Japan’s issue is that the US Army has now cut the Japanese expeditionary army in half and their Army in China can only by tenuously supplied by Conv/Tpt via the China Sea, which is occupied by US Acft and the Pacific fleet.

Slow steady hex by hex grind on the Western front by US land forces.

Eastern Front - EOT and start of A/J - two turns in a row will do this.

AGC is decimated and the breakthrough into E Poland will be hard to contain.

Russia's one attack v Japan squiggly 14 lose 3 units, full invert 

and Japan keeps the Mtn hex.

Casualties - 1st Allied Imp - the Luftwaffe suffered badly.