I kept this for Xmas - An Arab Conquest Army

Not just an Arab Conquest army, I think that I can do any army from the Basic Impetus Volume 12 Armies of Islam and perhaps a few more. This army came with the Persian 25mm army and in a major display of will power (and that I was super busy with other acquisitions) I put it aside as a Xmas present.  

I will need to do a bit of research, some repair and maybe some painting updates as well as rebasing.  I think the figures are nearly all Tin Soldier and so it will pair nicely with my Byzantines.

It's been a good Christmas for wargaming presents.  2021 will be a busy year bringing them to the table.

And until then...

Merry Xmas 

and 

Happy New Year

 

Stalingrad'42 via Vassal - Turns 16 to 18

End of summer.

The Axis clean up the Don/Volga pocket and repair their defence line.

The Rumanian 3rd Army helps clearing away Soviet forces south of the Don.

The Soviet continue to press the northern Don penetration.

It's hard work, but has drawn Axis forces to meet them.

Note: The Axis have the advantage in being able to stack three units plus one free stacking, to the Soviets two units plus one free stacking.  Add in that the Axis units tend to be stronger as well. 

The big picture at the end of summer, 31 August 1942.

September starts out overcast.  This means one less Axis air unit is available.

The Axis are heading for Krasnodar.

Not only are there VPs to be had, but there is also the chance of getting extra units.

Rumanians mopping up.

The Axis keep basing at Stalingrad,

and also counterattack the Soviet northern offensive.

At the end of Turn 17 both sides are well dug in in the west,

but things are still fluid on the eastern end of the northern front.

The centre is all about Stalingrad were losses have been high for both sides.

Down south the Axis seem unstoppable.

Come Turn 18, the weather clears.  But will it make a difference?

The Axis keep powering towards Krasnodar.

As well as keeping up the fight for Stalingrad.

The Soviet attack achieves nothing.

There are no other changes in the north

and in the centre, as can be seen, the Soviets are moving forces across the lower Volga

and also across the Caspian Sea.

A slow process.

At this stage the Axis should have 12 VPs.  

This goes up by 2 per turn for the next three turns.

The Axis should be able to at least pick up a few to avoid sudden death.

VP locations in the south are basically where the Soviet troop concentrations now are.

Trouble is they are going to find themselves isolated pretty quickly.

If the Axis can take Taman they get the five units that can be seen in the box in the eastern Crimea.

If they can take Krasnodar and Voroshilovsk to its east then they can start to raise volunteers and that would give them an extra six units.

Stalingrad'42 via Vassal - Turns 13 to 15

Enemy at the gates.

Turn 13 covers the 14th to 17th of August.

The Axis have reached Stalingrad.

And are also well over the southern Don.

The German 4th Bicycle Regiment is off on a tour of the Kalmyk Steppe.

The Soviets attack south hoping to drive the Axis back.

That is the full playing area.

17th Army and the 8th Italian Army continue their offensive.

1st Panzer Army's tanks have mostly been sent north to help 6th Army.

The Axis have trapped significant Soviet forces between the Don and the Volga.

The Soviets try to get back to the safety of Stalingrad.

The Stalingrad front is certainly interesting.

Will the Axis have enough troops to attack the city and

 at the same time as face off the Soviet build-up to the north?

But down south it is just a matter of having a few troops too few!

The Axis are concentrating on destruction of the Soviet forces,

rather than rushing off to capture territory.

That 10:1 attack alone is going to pocket significant Soviet forces.

Again the Axis focus on what they can destroy, rather than making a massive number of attacks.

Massing against weak targets is also saving artillery supplies

and allowing railroad repair to catch up.

Two Soviet attacks this turn.

Is this the start of a major offensive or just an attempt at a distraction?

The constrained Axis attacks have allowed them to apply resources 

to fortifying the Hungarian 2nd Army position (top left hand corner).

The Soviet attacks towards Stalingrad had some success.

A very tricky situation for both sides.

In the south the Soviets are trying to occupy VP locations.

The Axis are focusing on destroying enemy formations,

before crossing the red line which will see more Soviet forces released for front line service.

A bit gamey, but probably is a fair way of representing supreme command decision making.

A similar thing happens with mandated troop withdrawals.

The Axis currently have ten VPs which is spot on where they should be.  The margin is six either way for automatic victory.

Napoleonic Prussian Muster

A collection spanning thirty years are a variety of figure manufacturers and acquisitions, although most have been painted by me.

Using the pages feature of Blogger I have itemised each "unit".  Generally they are modelled on a regiment and in Napoleon's Battles represent brigade although of course what the Prussians called a brigade was equivalent to a division.  Regardless each base of four figure equates to 480 men, 320 cavalry or a 6 to 8 gun battery.

What you see above is:

• An army command General(4) with the detachable Blucher option.
• A wing commander General(3)
• Four corps commanders General(2)
• Fourteen division commander General(1)
• Two 16PrHC
• Two 16PrLC
• Five 12PrLC
• Two 16PrLWC
• Six Pr12#
• Eight Pr6#
• One PrHHA
• Two 20PrGD/GN
• Seven 20PrLN
• Three 16PrLN
• One 24PrRES
• Two 20PrRES
• One 20PrLW
• Eight 16PrLW
• Three 12PrLW
• Five casualty markers
• And three other markers.

It is possible to change the configuration/size of the units.  I also have Portuguese and British Rifle units that can be added in as PrRES troops. 

The David Nash book on the Prussian Army 1808-1815 provides an Order of Battle comprising 45 infantry regiments (which generally equate to a Napoleon's Battles unit), in 16 Brigades (which are divisional equivalents) with 10 cavalry brigades and 9 12pdr batteries, 13 horse/howitzer batteries in 4 corps.  

So I would seem to be 20 regiments, 1 cavalry brigade, 3 12pdr, 4 6pdr and 6 divisional commanders short.  I didn't count the grenadiers or heavy cavalry or consider the Portuguese et al additions

However, at 124 cavalry figures and 436 infantry figures that equates to about 10,000 sabres and 52,000 bayonets.  David Nash gives a figure of 12,000 and 100,000 respectively.  Oh well, back to the painting table!

What I plan/hope to do is create a page for this blog where I can itemise the units and help keep track of my Prussian army (as well as creating future pages for my other armies).  Time will tell.

Stalingrad'42 via Vassal - Turns 10 to 12

Things seem to have slowed down, only to develop fast!

The Italian 8th Army, German 17th Army and the 1st Panzer Army keep hammering away at Rostov.

But it is the Don bridgehead north west of Stalingrad where the real action is.

The Soviets are still able to maintain a defensive line,

but it is awful thin in places.

Rostov is now at breaking point.  

Soviet desperate defences have enabled them to hold the city,

but it has only been partial success.

The Axis bridgehead north of the Don is expanding east...

Seeing the writing on the wall, or rather the mass of pontoon bridges arrayed along the southern Don,

the Soviets have pulled back, even abandoning Rostov.

In order to gets troops arrayed against Stalingrad,

the Don Bridgehead has to shuffle east.

Having captured Rostov, the Axis now have to clear the southern Don.

In the north the Axis are now dangerously close to Stalingrad.

In the south, the Soviet withdrawal and a successful attack at Rostov,

has allowed the Axis to cross the Don in force.

In the south both sides have a lot to do and little to do it with!

Prussian 4th Hussar Regiment

Or if you please, the Erstes Schlesisches Husaren-Regiment (that's the second first Silesian Hussar Regiment in English).  I often think it is more fun/colourful to use the national name for a unit, although this can present tongue twisters for us linguistically challenged types.

[Edit: apart from identifying my mistake in translating "erstes" I have also been informed that given the linguist region from which they were recruited they might also be called the Pierwszy Pułk Huzarów Śląskich.  We live and learn. Well, mostly.]

These are yet more figures from Stan's Prussians.  I updated a few uniform details (which sadly involved overpainting some uniform details that the Silesian Hussars just didn't have), but the major work was repainting the horses and of course rebasing them.  The only lingering doubt I have is that the use of matt varnish is a bit too dull for Napoleonics, particularly horses.  I used to use a satin varnish and maybe I should go back to that...

Stalingrad'42 via Vassal - Turns 7 to 9

We now get to the phase when Stalin issues his "not one step back" directive (Turn 8).

Only four attacks.  

Are the Axis running out of steam

or has the Soviet presence disappeared?

The Soviets are safely behind the Don river,

north and...

South.

For those with eagle eyes and a bit of x-ray vision, it is the Germans that are now closest to Stalingrad, specifically the 1st SS Reichsführer (RF)  Brigade.

On Turn 8 the Axis make their first attack against Rostov.

They take a gamble and attempt to cross the Don to the north west of Stalingrad.

They took losses, but are now across the Don in force.

The Soviets have rushed troops to try and stop any exploitation.

As can be seen there is a lot of territory going begging to the south.

The Axis have held off crossing the lower Don as they know it will trigger the release of Soviet forces in the Caucasus.  A bit gamey, but the Axis will not be ready to cross until they have taken Rostov.

On Turn 9 (29 July to 1 August) the Axis concentrate on securing their bridgehead.

As well as increasing their attacks on Rostov.

The big picture in the central region where all the action is, end Turn 9.

The attack on Rostov met with partial success,

the Don bridgehead looks impressive, 

except that the three lead armoured units have to be withdrawn next turn.

The Axis have been able to interdict the rail line near Stalingrad 

which links the north to the south. 

 It is the north where the bulk of the reinforcements originate.

The Axis have 6 VPs at present which is exactly how many they should have by Turn 10. Automatic victory occurs if there is a difference of 6 or more.