Partizan, Newark, October 2021 - 1/35th WWII Eastern Front

We put on a 1/35th scale WWII Eastern Front game at Partizan on Sunday 10th October 2021. This was the first Partizan to be held in the Newark Showgrounds since the start of the pandemic. It was great to see everyone back in action. The event was heaving, the games were of a particularly high standard and all of our favourite traders were represented.

Well done to the organisers for yet another great event!

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:

 

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.

The Sherman Cops It Again!

 As part of what has become our regular Monday night lockdown club session, we played a Rapid Fire game involving a US Recon force which had just chased off some German infantry and were holding a farm situated on a strategic crossroad. As the Americans are taking defensive positions, they are threatened by a German counter attack US reinforcements are coming up the road from the North but the Americans face a determined thrust which seeks to retake the crossroads and hold up the American advance.

We were using 1:35th figures and vehicles which we've found are easier to see on camera and although Rapid Fire is designed to be played at battalion level, we took a more skirmish based approach. We also scaled up the ranges by a factor of 1.5.

A ruined farmhouse and shed opposite a blasted house situated at the crossroads.

The Recon force consisted of : HQ with Jeep

1 Rifle Company of 8 figures armed with bazooka.

30 Cal machine gun.

Half track transport.

M8 Armoured Car.

75mm Sherman.

The terrain consisted of some hills to the South East, hedges lined the roads and a few patches of woods offered much needed cover.

As the Germans made their way to their starting positions, the Americans nervously looked  up the North road for any sign of reinforcements.

The German force boldly approaches the crossroads. Two half tracks and a lorry push down the right flank. A Panther lurks hull down on the crest of the hill with a commanding view of the crossroads whilst a Panzer IV threatens the left flank. The M8 Armoured Car nervously hugs the hedge at the edge of the Eastern road, whilst the Sherman sits ready to take on the Panzer.

American reinforcements barrel down the Northern road in an attempt to relieve their already hard pressed Recon buddies.

The first German turn saw a decisive thrust on the right, no doubt hoping to get into an advantageous position before the reinforcements could arrive. The Sherman at the crossroads had to decide which armoured threat to face and chose to try and knockout the Panzer before the Panther could intervene.

Unfortunately for the Americans, the Panzer caused heavy damage and the Sherman had to sit there for a turn and hope it would survive a second shot.

The US Reinforcements consisted of : an off table 81mm mortar.

1 Rifle Company with bazooka in a half track.

1 Rifle Company riding on the Sherman.

76mm Sherman.

M36 Jackson.

The Sherman pelted down the road towards the crossroads whilst the M36 pulled up behind a hedge. The half track pulled off left and made it's way towards the farmhouse, hoping it would stay out of sight of the Panther.

It's been said that the Americans don't understand irony-this game was loaded with it! As you will no doubt have guessed, the Panzer rolled two sixes to destroy the Sherman at the crossroads whilst the Panther took a "Well I'll just have a go shot at the half track and destroyed that before it was half way through it's move. Damned Reserve Fire!

So far, for the Americans, this battle seemed to be going along depressingly familiar lines. The German armour carves up American tanks and leaves their infantry to mop up the cowering GIs.

The other Sherman had managed to pull up behind the house and the Rifle Company gratefully scrambled into cover. The Recon half track had pulled back from the hedge in front of the Panzer and made it's way across the road. No doubt the sight of a blazing half track and a mangled bazooka gave them a nasty scare.

The presence of the Panther caused a great deal of consternation as US troops scurried backwards and forwards, repositioning themselves as the tank shells whistled in. Much to the amusement of the Germans.

The German Infantry on the right had not been hanging around and were keen to grab some of the glory for themselves. Debussing from the half track they made their way towards the hedge with the intention of driving off the M8. They were badly shot up by the heavy machine gun, the 30 cal and a round of mortar fire which dropped on them after it had put down smoke in front of the Panther.

It wasn't enough to put them off though and they lined the hedge, called up the two Panzerfausts and got ready to charge.

A bitter hand to hand combat swirled around and through the hedge, resulting in the 30 cal crew being wiped out but the Germans decided to stay this side of the hedge. Two shots from the Panzerfaust bounced off the armoured car which promptly reversed along the hedge, leaving the German Infantry battered and bloody, but in possession of the right flank.

Meanwhile, over on the left, the Sherman peeped cautiously out from behind the building and took revenge on the Panzer IV-leaving it a smoking husk of smouldering metal in the middle of the field.

It was at this point that the evening had to draw to a close and we decided to continue the game the following week. We're all set up for a classic challenge-a Panther commanding the battlefield with a nervous Sherman playing hide and seek! Can the Germans capitalize on their dominance on the right flank? Can the Americans sneak up with a bazooka and knock out that pesky Panther?

With the armoured car and M36 still operational ( for the moment ) the Germans are going to find it a tough job to drive the Americans off and take the farm.

Photos from Games at Partizan Arranged by the Club Over The Last Few Years