Half A Plan The Battle of The Clouds

 This week's game was an American War of Independence Clash, the scenario was based on The Battle of The Clouds and used a set of club rules drawing inspiration from Black Powder.

The Americans are deployed across the board under Washington, preventing the British from moving up the two roads.

General Washington (Average)

Green (Average) (numbers in brackets indicate the unit in the picture below)

1st Division - 1st Brigade – Muhlenburg (4)

16 figures, 4 stands, Trained

1st Division - 2nd Brigade – Muhlenburg (3)

16 figures, 4 stands, Trained

4th Division – Wayne (2)

24 Figures, 6 stands, Trained

Maxwell's Light Infantry (1)

12 figures, 3 stands, Trained

6 pdr gun Veteran

Whilst the British under General Howe, were driving up the two roads in a manner that would clearly lead to a split battle of two wings.

General Howe (Average)

Right Wing - Cornwallis (Excellent)

Advance Guard (Queens Rangers Light Infantry) (13)

8 figures, 2 stands,  Trained

1st Brigade - Grant (15)

24 figures, 6 stands, Veteran

2nd Brigade – Vaughan (14)

20 figures, 5 stands, Veteran

Hessian 1st Brigade – Stirn (16)

16 figures, 4 stands, Trained

6pdr gun Veteran 

Left Wing - Knyphausen (Average)

Light Infantry and Guards Brigade – Matthew (10)

20 figures, 5 stands, Elite

Hessian 2nd Brigade - von Donop (9)

24 figures, 6 stands, Trained

4th Brigade – Agnew (11)

20 figures, 5 stands, Trained

3rd Brigade – Grey (12)

16 figures, 4 stands, Veteran

The British "Half a plan" involved Knyphausen driving Mathew's Brigade through the woods, splitting the American line and exiting the board by the road beyond. Cornwallis was tasked with pinning the Americans in front of him so that they could do little to support the beleaguered center.

The plan however, began to fall apart from the first moment of the game (when doesn't it). The vagaries of battle deployment meant that Von Donop's brigade were deployed at the head of the column instead of the Lights, and they couldn't get through the wood.

To further complicate matters, issues with command and control often meant that brigades stubbornly refuse to move, usually at critical moments meaning it's very difficult to put together a coordinated attack.

The first turn saw Maxwell's Lights move forward and act as skirmishers on the Knyphausen's flank. The rest of the American forces waited to see where the British attack was going to come from. Knyphausen moved the Hessians up and inclined slightly towards the wood, with the intention of staying hidden from American artillery whilst the Lights would push through.

Cornwallis moved his brigades forward and the Queen's Rangers also moved up to the wood in front of them with the intention of harrasing the Americans beyond the road.

American artillery opened up but there were no casualties on either flank and the British were relieved by the fact that the bodies had not started to pile up yet as they faced a potential storm of shot.

The second turn saw the British gain the initiative. Again, Knyphausen urged his men up the road but the half plan was abandoned in favour of  a determined push into the mouth of hell. General Howe dug his heels into the flanks of his horse and dashed across the field to stiffen resolve if it should falter. Cornwallis continued to advance and the Queen's reached the edge of the wood.

The American Lights moved along von Donop's flank and began sniping, causing one casualty. Muhlenburg's second division wheeled and moved up the road to prepare flanking fire for the advancing Hessians. On the other wing, the American brigades mirrored the other flank and began to take up positions which would allow them to create a killing field.

The American artillery had found its range, causing two casualties on von Donop's Hessians and on the other flank one casualty to Grant's Brigade. The only British shooting resulted in one casualty on the American Lights.

It was at this point that Howe had hoped that Cornwallis would use Grant's Brigade and the Artillery to pin the American left whilst he made a dash down the road in an attempt to outmaneuver the Americans and give the British a sporting chance of achieving the objective. Cornwallis however continued to advance up the flank, heading straight for the carefully prepared cross fire. This was exactly the same situation as was developing on the American right flank.

Turn Three saw the Americans gain the initiative. The lights continued to harry the poor Hessians who steadfastly ignored them and kept pushing up the road.

Hits from the artillery meant that the Hessians lost a base. The American Lights fired at the Guards, causing one casualty and scored a further casualty on the 4th Brigade behind them. The Hessian morale stood firm as they drew ever closer to the artillery. Over on the other flank, the American artillery missed and the British continued up the road whilst the Americans waited, inclined to maximise their fire power when the British appeared around the wood.

Turn Four saw the British gain the initiative and they determinedly continued with their advance into the very teeth of the American guns. Cornwallis ordered his artillery around the wood and deployed dangerously close to the American line. Grant and Vaughan moved their brigades up slightly whilst the British skirmishers moved through the wood with the intention of finally finding a target.

The American left flank remained stationary whilst on the right, the gun pivoted to catch the hessians in its arc of fire and Muhlenburg moved up the hill to act as a reserve if the British succeeded in punching through.

The shooting phase saw volley after volley of devastatingly effective fire from  the Americans. The British artillery lost three casualties and the crew promptly fled into the safety of the wood. The beleaguered Hessians bore the worst on the American right, losing two bases. The resulting morale check meant that they routed, and streamed down the road past the Lights and the 3rd Brigade who fortunately stood firm. All credit to General Green who had positioned his forces to create a deadly cross fire, whilst the American Lights had accomplished their purpose admirably.

Cornwallis faces the same horrific cross fire as von Donop. Washington, positioned near the farmhouse, looks on with grim satisfaction.

Turn five saw the slight adjustment of the American right flank to face the threat of the British Lights who were closing on Wayne's battered division. Muhlenburg formed into line behind them as support whilst General Howe failed to stop the rout of the Hessians who were removed from the field.

The shooting phase saw more misery for the British as the Lights lost two bases but stood firm. Their return fire on Wayne's division caused slight consternation as a musket ball whistled close to their General. The British skirmishers on the other flank were finally in a position to fire upon the enemy, whilst Washington closed in on the advancing British using the wood to secure his flank.

And there we paused the game until next week. The British face a monumental task. The terrain means that they are funneled into two narrow channels that have become killing fields. The often ponderous nature of movement and a reluctance to follow orders makes mounting an attack in which wave after wave drives the enemy back is extremely difficult. It remains to be seen whether the British can crack a hole in the line and take advantage of this to roll up the enemy either side. Will they falter as they step over the pile of dead into the very teeth of the guns and muskets lined against them?

We'll find out!

Building a 1/35th Tamiya T34

A short post on the making of a Tamiya 1/35 scale T34/76 for a potential Battle of Kursk game that we are working on:

This is a classic Tamiya kit first produced in, I believe, 1975! A real veteran of the military modelling hobby. A number of us are working on running a Kursk game in 1/35th scale, so we are concentrating on equipment available in mid 1943, hence why I have gone for the T34/76 1943 production model.

I am no expert in this sort of detailed modelling, but the the kit comes with comprehensive plans, decals and well produced sprues with zero flash.

It was easy to assemble by following the instructions closely. As a wargamer, I don't tend to bother with too many of the fiddly, overly complicated or delicate bits, but this model doesn't come with many anyway! Indeed the larger 1/35th scale is a joy to work with.

The trickiest part of the process is actually joining the upper and lower chassis together - they don't fit together particularly well. Nevertheless, I can fill the small gaps with grout easily.

They are sprayed with black primer, painted in Vallejo Olive Green/Russian Green and dry brushed with Flat Earth for low body and US Field Drab for upper body.

If I was rating this kit, I would give it 9 out of 10. It is highly accurate, gives you some different options in terms of the precise model and crew figures and looks great when finished. What's more, I bought three of them online, working out at £17.00 each, including P&P, which is very reasonably priced when compared with 28mm or even 15mm equivalents.

As someone who is new to 1/35th scale, I would highly recommend it. You do get a lot of 'bang for your buck', they are easy to assemble and they paint up well. 1/35th also provides a welcome change from the ubiquitous 28mm wargame scale.

On manoeuvres with some 1/35th Tamiya and Zvezda infantry:

 

Russian Civil war - 'And Quiet Flows the Don'

This week's game was set in Russia 1918 -21 during the Russian Civil War and used a homebrewed set of rules based around the Black Powder system, which always leads to some interesting results when units are reluctant to move up and engage the enemy, or have the complete opposite and hurl themselves forward in an unstoppable rush!

The scenario involved a classic battle for domination with the Reds approaching from the North facing the Whites who advanced from the South, towards two villages. One of these villages stood in the centre at a crossroads, whilst the other was on the Eastern flank. A fordable stream ran along this Eastern flank and there were a few clumps of trees breaking up an otherwise open battlefield.

Again, we were using 28mm scale which is easier to see when playing an online game, and we were looking forward to playing something with a slightly different flavour to it.

The Umpire had given each side a choice of strategic advantages which are secret from the enemy. This brought an element of tension to the engagement as each side wondered what cards the other was holding up their sleeves and plans had to be rapidly adapted to cope with new developments.

The Reds deploy, ready to take the objectives. The armoured car prepares to advance up the road whilst three regiments are deployed in columns, screened by a wood and supported by artillery. A battalion of cavalry are mustered just to the left of the road. Behind them, an Agitprop unit stand ready to stiffen the resolve of their men, whilst off picture to the left, three battalions are ready to move up along the stream towards the village.

 Facing them to the South, the Whites deployed three battalions on their right flank, one in line to the front and two in column behind. Their limbered artillery was alongside the road and two battalions of Cavalry are poised to make a dash for the central village. A White General was heard to be muttering concerns about being riddled with machine gun fire from the AC, whilst the Reds were disturbed by the lack of White units visible on the table.

You're expecting me to ride my cavalry up that road straight into the barrel of that Armoured Car!

The first turn saw the Whites gain the initiative, and the Cavalry duly followed their orders and dutifully trotted up the road, some of them to dismount and try and hide as many of their men behind the buildings as possible. The crew of the AC were no doubt cursing the limitations of IGOUGO and lack of reserved fire-let's just assume they'd forgotten to load up the ammo belts!

Meanwhile, on the Western flank, the White infantry showed a remarkable reluctance to move forwards. Perhaps they'd seen the Cavalry's situation and decided to let them be a target rather than draw machine gun fire onto themselves. The regiments only action was to pull up their artillery slightly forward.

To the North, the Agitprop Officers were screaming at their men through loudhailers, exhorting them to cut down the White traitors. It obviously made a great impression on the three raw battalions on the Eastern flank because they all moved up to the stream, determined to take the village and perhaps begin to turn the White flank. The Red cavalry moved up behind the wood in front of them and dismounted, ready to push up next turn. The armoured car barrelled forward and fired a burst down the road, causing the first casualty on the dismounted White cavalry in front of them. It had used it's strategic advantage of a double move on it's first turn, much to the consternation of the White General.

 To the West, the three Red battalions also moved forward, the sailors bravely intent on reaching the village before the Whites could get a foothold, whilst one battalion moved around the wood to face the hesitant Whites. The sight of an artillery piece became their main concern which quickly neutralised the Agitprop "encouragement".

The second turn again saw the Reds seize the initiative, but whilst the sailors continued to get on with the job, the rest of the infantry began to have serious doubts. The three battalions on the Western flank decided that they were happy where they were and it was left to the artillery to unlimber and pick a target. The dismounted Red cavalry moved to the edge of the wood so that they could provide covering fire for the sailors. The raw training of the Red Eastern battalions hit home hard, as they refused to move another step forward until their concerns had been addressed. As many of them floundered around in a shallow stream, it  became clear that there were a lot of concerns and it was going to be a long, slow advance-if at all.

The elite experience of the White cavalry meant that they ignored the death of one of their own and triumphantly pushed into the village. Those that could, sought shelter in the buildings, whilst the remainder hid out of sight of the AC, furious that their rifles would have no effect on its armor.

The White artillery unlimbered and prepared to blast apart the AC, whilst the infantry finally decided to follow orders and began to move forward. The White gun managed to hit the AC, which fired on the cavalry in the village to its left, causing three casualties. The Red gun caused a casualty on the unit in front of it. Bullets were flying around all over, as each side blasted away at anything it could see.  The White Tchanka with the Cavalry caused a casualty on the Red Cavalry hiding in the wood, whilst their return fire proved useless.

The third turn again saw the Reds take the advantage. The stumbling battalions on the Eastern flank finally got into some sort of order and moved across the stream to get within touching distance of the village. It seemed that victory was within their grasp. The Red cavalry remained at the edge of the wood to trade shots with the White Cavalry. The Red Sailors stormed towards the building intent on inspiring their comrades and driving out the decadent White Cavalry who were smashing firing holes in the walls. Totally uninspired, one battalion remained behind the woods but the other continued to advance in column towards the nervous White infantry across the field. To the amazement of everyone on the field, the AC took it into its head to perform a death or glory charge, straight down the road behind the White lines. Its Officer insisted on being mentioned to Comrade Lenin personally for this act of bravery/lunacy.

It was a this point that the Whites revealed their strategic advantage, a regiment of infantry with artillery, appeared on the Eastern flank and immediately snatched control of the objective away from the Reds. Poorly trained troops were facing a highly trained enemy who had outmanoeuvred them and had much more fire power. The Agitprop unit hurried over to bolster the resolve of its cannon fodder who now faced a real challenge. Still picking his jaw off the floor, the White artillery Officer ordered his gun to be manhandled round 180 degrees to fire South at the AC in an attempt to stop it wreaking havoc on the terrified White Infantry. Never in the filed of human conflict has so much consternation been caused to so many infantry by one armoured car Sorry, I couldn't resist!).

Once again the bullets and shells began to fly. The Red artillery caused one casualty on the Cavalry to support the Sailor's attack. The Red and White Cavalry traded fire, resulting in a casualty on the Tchanka and a dead cavalryman, whilst the Reds lost a base from the machine gun and rifle fire, but the raw Cavalry stood their ground. On the Eastern flank, the White artillery caused three casualties on the Reds who managed to kill two in return, but a further casualty on the Reds from infantry fire meant they would have to take a morale check. The Agitprop screamed through the loudhailers once more and prepared to shoot deserters.

But what about the AC I hear you cry? What about the insane/brave crew of the tin box on wheels? As its machine gun killed three Whites, two artillery shells struck it full on - and bounced off the armour. Thank Lenin for the engineering skills of the Petrograd Shipyard!

The Sailors stormed into the building and easily drove off the White Cavalry, although they did receive three dead from close range closing fire. This meant that the middle village was a contested objective for those that are focused on the Scenario, whilst the Whites are in control of the other objective and it seemed highly unlikely that the raw battalions would be able to kick them out. Just take a moment to appreciate the view of Comrade Vasileyev who is shooting a fat, bourgeoise Cavalryman through the window of a humble, proletarian cottage.

Because they were Elite as well as bourgeoise and fat, the White Cavalry regiment refused to flee the field, even though they had  seen their fellows wiped out by Red nautical chappies.

And there we had to leave it I'm afraid. It's always difficult to predict how the battle might go if it continued, but it's unlikely that the Whites would lose the Eastern village and the Reds may probably drive off the Cavalry Regiment in the centre. All in all, a highly enjoyable game that was made extra interesting through the use of Strategic advantages. We knew to expect something, but not what, and this gave us a feel for the fog of war. We take it for granted that we should be able to react to what's on the battlefield with our God like perspective, but this isn't the case in warfare. Map movement is tedious and causes arguments, so this device is a great way of adding strategic complications to the scenario.

Thanks to Keith for hosting the game, swapping cameras, moving troops and settling disagreements. We look forward to next week's AWI game using 28mm scale figures, so that we can identify who's who. I'm off to write up the Agitprop report, detailing the inspiring heroism of our AC and the dastardly cunning of the flank marching Whites- who, it must be admitted, did time their arrival to perfection.

Revenge For The Sherman!

 This week, we gathered once again around our screens to finish off our Rapid Fire game from last Monday.

The Germans had made noticeable gains on the right flank and the loss of one of the Shermans meant the Americans were extremely nervous. As the Panther trundled down the slope to support the flank, the infantry readied their grenades and prepared to rush the Armored Car, which was cowering behind the hedge.

Heavy damage from the Panther immobilised the vehicle long enough for the Germans to stroll up and pop in a grenade. Although this meant that the flank was now clear and attention could be focused on the center, the Panther had presented the Americans with a juicy rear end shot.

American mortar shells screamed down onto the road, catching a couple of unfortunates before the rest of the Infantry were ordered to lie down and effectively disappeared from view!

It was a now or never moment for the Sherman, which pulled out from behind the building, poked it's 76mm barrel through the hedge and fired.

It missed!

The horrified crew watched in terror as the Panther swiveled round to punish the American audacity. It had already proved it's deadly efficiency with an amazingly accurate shot last week, and it seemed the inevitable awaited.

As the focus of the battle had now switched to the right, the M36 started to make a dash between the half tracks to hopefully have a crack at the Panther.

A fierce debate broke out over whether German mortars would inflict damage on the crew of the M36, as shrapnel pattered over its armor. The remaining GIs running up to the farmhouse were so intimidated by the proximity of the Panther, that they failed to reach the safety of the ruins and ended up in an embarrassing heap.

 

The Panther fired, causing heavy damage and it was assumed by everyone that it was only going to be a matter of time before the Germans forced an American withdrawal. The only hope seemed to be that the Germans had forgotten about the remaining bazooka and there might be a chance for a lucky shot.

The German infantry continued to lie flat, out of sight of the American spotter. They were content to watch the Panther wreak havoc, intending to come up and clear the farmhouse of the mangled remains of GIs.

Surely it was a matter of formality, surely it would be a simple shot. The German players were already looking at the fire table to calculate the most efficient way of cutting down the GIs before the M36 could intervene.

The miss was a delicious piece of Teutonic hubris! The amazed Sherman reversed back around the corner out of sight with the crew having a story to tell their children.

The M36 parked up behind the ruined farmhouse and the American infantry finally made it into cover.

As is often the case in armor duels with Rapid Fire, the tactical considerations are demanding. The Americans could just sit tight and hope the Panther made a mistake in positioning itself for a shot, or they could try and seize the initiative and offset the movement penalty by closing and shooting from an obscured position in case the Panther survived.

It hadn't worked well for the Sherman and although the M36 had a better class gun, it would probably only get one chance. The flimsy shed offered no protection from armor piercing shells but at least it did mean partial obscurity. Fortune favours the brave apparently, so the M36 bravely stopped by the shed and slammed a shell into the Panther.

The shot caused heavy damage, which meant that the Panther had to sit there getting a taste of it's own medicine whilst the M36 closed in to finish it off.

The German mortars dropped smoke in front of the M36 in a desperate attempt to buy time but the M36 drove through it to close range. Emboldened by their success, the Sherman also came back round the corner and lined up for another shot.

The Sherman fired first and missed-ramping up the dramatic tension and giving the Germans hope. Hope that was cruelly dashed as the M36 knocked out the Panther to the sound of cheers from the GIs.

The Germans were forced to withdraw and the Americans had managed to hold onto the crossroads and beat off the counter attack.

The post battle discussion centered around the German decision to split their armor. Having only the Panzer on the left flank meant that the Americans were able to consolidate their forces and face the Panther. The US Armored Car performed heroically stopping the German Infantry from sweeping up to the crossroads and supporting the tanks. By the time it was knocked out, the infantry were battered and in no shape to storm the ruined farmhouse.

We made a decision to apply negative modifiers to both shooter and target if they had moved, which made careful planning all the more essential. It could have resulted in a stand and shoot situation but the Panther's decision to come forward to support the infantry was critical.

We've learned an awful lot from running these games. The larger scale makes it much easier to see what is going on. A skirmish game provides challenges and frustrations for the players when line of sight becomes critical and it's difficult to judge whether you're safe or caught in the open. This game seemed to be a balance between a small action with a few forces and the larger scope we need to be able to play effectively. We've played several games of large scale units which are easier to control and manage your forces once you remember which unit is which ( flags are a great help here!)

Massive thanks to our game host who patiently moved our forces, worked out lines of sight, positioned cameras at key moments and made the whole thing possible.