Battle of Kamenewo 6 October 1941 Refought Using BlitzKrieg Commander

Battle report from 19 February 2012

The aim was to play a game using Blitzkrieg Commander set on the early Eastern Front. I was tempted to try and convert the Crossfire Stalingrad scenario, but would need to test it first. So I settled on the Battle of Kamenewo which I found on the BKC website. Researching the battle provided the necessary inspiration to overcome the rather rough notes and after a bit of searching I found a simple online tool to produce a map.

Map created using:

http://www.imagineimage.org/gbgen/gbmain.htm

The game was 2,500 points a side. The start sees a Soviet rearguard trying to stop the 4th Panzer Division as it makes its push towards Moscow in early October 1941. The rearguard know that help is on the way with the 4th Tank Brigade heading towards the front to ambush the Germans.

The Germans sent the 35th Panzer Regiment across first, but it took time to deploy. The going was slow but as the Soviet rearguard forces were revealed they were taken out one by one. As they were entrenched this was hard work, but the Germans had the numbers and eventually threw the 6s.

By the time the Germans were across the Soviet tanks had begun coming down the highway. The Germans Pz IIIs headed out to stop the BT7s while the rest of the 35th and the 34th motorcycle battalion raced to deploy on the hills. When the Soviet T34s arrived the German tanks tried to pull back, but couldn't find reverse and so it was stay and fight. There was no Russian ambush and in the head to head fighting the Germans would mass against one of the Russians, normally knocking it out while the Russians would generally go for suppressing as many of the German tanks as they could.

The German 105s had been lost to accurate Russian mortar fire early on, but they now had their 88 deployed and with its long range and power started to knock out the BT7s with each shot and that helped the hard pressed Pz IIIs.

The game played well, with only mortars seeming too powerful (we since found they should have required 6s to hit fully enclosed armour) and wrecks, while looking great, were not blocking line of sight. This last point is an interesting issue as in the scale I was imagining (one model representing around a company) it wouldn't factor, but with a 1:1 scale it most definitely would.

It would have helped to have hidden movement and an advantage for the Russians to be able to move through the forest and flank the Germans as they did in the real battle.

The pictures are from the end of the game.  All figures, models and terrain are from Richard’s collection.

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division – Part 6

With all the recent posts I’ve seen on other blogs about contents of scrap boxes I thought an update on the progress of the field artillery for this unit would be timely.  The guns and limbers were not an issue and I have even found the original gun crews.  One of the quads required only a little make good, but the other was a total rebuild from many parts including a bit of scratch building.  Here are the two quads before they go for painting.

Austrian Napoleonic IR 29 – Completed

Undercoat commenced in July last year and I finally got the time over Xmas to finish them.  See original post on the background to this unit here: http://onesidedminiaturewargamingdiscourse.blogspot.com/2011/07/austrian-napoleonic-ir-29-undercoat.html

  I only used the brown wash on the flesh, although I don't think these photos do the effect justice.

I’m very happy how this brigade of 28AsLN turned out for Napoleon's Battles.  I went to a bit of effort to make sure they fitted together regardless of sequence, not so noticeable when deployed in line, but a must for column.

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division – Part 5

Time marches on and now all the infantry elements have been rebased.  So I now have the three brigades 69^th, 151^st and 168^th for the 50^th Division for the Megablitz rules.

These same figures also double up as an infantry company for Crossfire.

I'm also hoping that these same forces can double (or will it be triple) up for Blitzkrieg Commander (rules set has been ordered).

So far only one dedicated transport unit – a reconstructed Matador.  It is the first vehicle I undercoated black before painting.  In another first it is also the first to be varnished.  The matt varnish has a more satin finish to it, but i think that is my fault for not shaking up the can enough.  So it goes.  The infantry used to be gloss.  I didn’t fix the truck to its base.  I um’d and er’d for a long while, but decided not to at this stage.    I’ll keep with the loose look.

The next job is to start on the field artillery regiments, which will be more repair work.

Blitzkrieg Commander

Played my first game of Blitzkrieg Commander.  Very impressed.  Gave a good feel and quick and easy to play.  It's now on my wish list.

http://www.blitzkrieg-commander.com/default.aspx?Area=BKC

Field Fencing – Part 1

This is a Xmas project and hopefully there will be a Part 2 within two weeks (the time I have off), however at the moment I’m into painting Napoleonics so it might not happen.

I purchased this Peco Lineside kit and decided that for wargaming purposes it would be best to make up into ten separate strips.  Pop sticks made the perfect base.  I originally started to collect the pop sticks by saving them from ice creams, but I soon realised that was a fattening idea.  I ended up just taking ten from a self service drink stand were they were supplied in lieu of teaspoons.

The end of each segment was a bit tricky, but actually went together very well.  I had no luck with the centre struts and so left them off.  PVA glue worked fine to secure the fence to its base.

Now they are ready to paint and flock.

Here's to a relaxing Xmas and all the best for 2012.

Stalingrad – Russians – Crossfire

These are my two Russian companies that I have dedicated to the Crossfire Stalingrad scenario.

They have been relabelled with red brown on white for the first (rifle) company and white on red brown for the SMG company.

The figures are a mix of Esci, Atlantic, metal (one Hinchcliffe, but the other metal are I think GHQ).  There is even one Matchbox hard plastic figure in there.

I hope next time I get to play the scenario the new labels aid playability.