Allied Turn 4 - The Allied hammer blow falls.

Allied Turn 4

Things are hotting up in the Tactics II campaign with engagements taking place across the front (normally the breaking point of most campaigns with more games than time allows.) 4 battles to play out this round..

Starting from right to left the Allies look to break out from the recently captured port of Karalaan but found there way unhindered by a solitary Infantry formation they would need to pushed aside. Rolling for a scenario within Platoon Forward - A platoon attack is called for against a defensive position. Heavily outnumbered this could be a short lived battle for the Axis defenders.

Similarly in the centre the blue forces/allied army was pushing up from the centre catching the Axis forces who had crossed the river and were screening the city, they had failed to activate to fall back and have been caught by three times their number.

The third battle is an all armoured affair with both sides under taking a point reconnaissance and finally on the left flank allied forces continued to face off against each other, a veteran mountain unit had cleared the pass looking to cut off the Axis forces at the river, but have out stripped their supporting units.

On the far left the allied forces have pushed down the mountain road and were on the outskirts of El Habira generating a Battle (Type N) Defence against flank attack.

On with the first battle and a challenging clash. The Italian defenders who were outnumbered 3:1 but were confident in taking a chunk out of the allied attackers. The terrain fell nicely for the red forces with a village and rough ground all sitting on their side of the table. The Allied forces would need to clear open ground to reach the defenders.

We are a small gaming group and you get to know how people play, however every now and again you can be surprised by players actions and this was one of those occasions.

With a road running into the cluster of buildings the British player put is foot down and headed straight for the village neither side knew the exact numbers they are up against.

Turn one and the Italian defenders open up turning the lead lorry into a burning wreck with the occupants scrambling into the scrub.

However having sprung the trap the remainder of the allied column bypassed the first wreck and pushed into the village, the small number of defenders were unable to stop the charging lorries.

The allied attackers spilled from the backs of trucks and set about the defenders. Quite a bold move and not one the Italians had expected.

On the right flank more allied troops entered the fray, they were brought under mortar fire but it did not stop their advance as they looked to envelope the village.

In the centre the Italians were flanked as the allies leapt from one house to the next.

Finally Italian reinforcements entered the table but the village was already in allied hands, the Italians looked to open up on the speeding transport but far off a solitary Matilda fired a 2 Pdr round which sent the Italian tank to go Down.

Boom and a second shell brews the first tank. The second tank had had enough and retired from the table it's Force Morale broken.

A short but bloody affair the Italian formation was all but destroyed as a fighting force and will need to be reconstituted in the replacement zone as an inexperienced unit.

On to the next encounter and hopefully a more balanced battle.

Gripping Beast Arabs - 40 become 6.

Another week and the last of the Gripping Beast Plastics are done.

With the various options on the sprue I have been able to create 6 whole units from a single box, all really useful for the forthcoming Lion Rampant outing. The original batch generated 4 spear units, now for additional options.

First up with the addition of sword and shield a completed unit of Warriors, they mix in well with the Footsore Miniatures and the odd Blacktree which I had repurposed from other projects.

Then a unit of 6 archers to support the Spear ranks.

Next up more cavalry.... The clock is ticking the Christian forces are done and every extra Arab model will make the Christian job that little bit harder.

Outremer Arab Spearmen

Back to Outremer. 

Having decided on the plan for the next all dayer - It turns out we might be woefully short of Arab foot types. 5 weeks nothing like deadline to focus the mind.

Not usually a fan of plastics for gaming, I tend to lose bayonets and spears during regular game play, but you can't argue with the value for money. Gripping Beast offer 40 figures for £25.00 - 62p a figure can't be bad.

The box contains 8 sprues with enough to make a mixture of spear, bow and sword armed units together with command elements horns etc.

The Sprue contains 3 round shields and two teardrop so plenty of mix for the various units, while there may not be obvious leader types they are very useful to fill the ranks of generic warriors.

Good quality casts with minimal mold lines and and they detach really easily, limbs are pre-molded carrying spear or sword so construction is minimal.  

The Gripping Beast figures fit in well with other manufacturers hidden amongst the masses are a bunch of Footsore and some Black Tree Design

The shield designs are from Little Big Man Studio such a good time saver.

Next up more cavalry.

Tactics II - Turn 3 Axis - Game 6 Spotters Ridge.

After being mothballed over the summer months the Tactics II Desert Campaign kicks off again, thanks to my good gaming buddies who indulge my map movements and come along to roll some dice, the games take on a new meaning when their is a little more of a back story.

A few miles outside of Karalaan the 1st Parachute brigade are holding the road looking to stall the Axis advance.

The German Armoured formation having been slow in mustering is finally pushing forward looking to counter attack and recapture the costal city where the allies have been shipping in reinforcements the Axis force need to put them under pressure before they can breakout.

Using Platoon Forward the mission is Hasty Attack which orders the German to breakthrough the British lines who are holding a rocky rise and the only pass on route to the city.

Both sides were given the aerial photo showing the ridge and the road rather than blinds both sides were given their available points to spend, but are also provided with the option of additional support should they pass the various rolls. The allies had a positive roll on the support table and were able to deploy a stretch of barbwire to cover the road this would be deployed after the Germans had announced their table top plan.

Hidden amongst the scrub and rocks the allies awaited the advance of the Germans. A glint from the spotter reveals his location as he ranges in on the advancing column.

The Armoured Car moves up the road but is brought under fire by the allies bringing down mortar fire and an off board 25 Pdr. A lucky strike and the A/Car is immobilised. The German infantry scatter. Not the best of starts the curse of freshly painted units strikes again.

The German armour swings left across the desert plain, still no sign of the Allied defenders. They break into the compound the locals having left hours before.

The Germans fan out and head towards the ridge line Pz III's and infantry advance forward.

Shells land amongst the advancing Germans as they moved swiftly to secure the ridge line still no sign of the defenders.

Unable to wait any longer the Allied forces opened up on the advancing Axis forces killing a number of the attackers, the armour responds sweeping the line, artillery shells burst amongst the ridge line. The casualties start to mount.

The clock was ticking down the Brits start to drop from the firing line seeking shelter on the reverse sloop having kept the Germans at bay for as long as possible. At this point the British as well up on points.

No one was certain what happened next the allies ahead on points decided to fall back on the table, they only have two parachute formations in their roster and they may be needed elsewhere but in a fubar moment the Infantry falling back from the German assault bump into the Captain moving forwards, words were exchanged and burst of fire and the officer is killed. A costly loss of 75 points on game night just as the clock struck 11.00 pm.

A hard fought battle with losses at 145 Brits to the Germans 135. The allied forces fall back on the map but are forced to swing right to avoid the enemy forces on their flank, despite a hard fought effort the road to Karalaan is open.

Next up the Allied initiative and an opportunity to counter the German attack.

AWI - Rebel Sharpshooters, casualty markers and buildings

The end of the summer and the AWI stage one is complete.

I admit I might have to have watched Revolution again to get these over the line.

This post is some what of a sweep of the least elements, 4 skirmish units representing woodsmen or riflemen to counter the British Army and their German Jaegers. 

Rather than taking figures off units within Rebels and Patriots given I plan on using casualty markers before I take a base off. Hopefully clusters of ones and two's will be enough in a 48 Point game. 

Just need a game to play and this cracking purchase from Helion makes for some light reading.

Last up a couple of buildings to flesh out the table also from Pendraken.

The planning continues for phase two.

Afghanistan 1980 - Xenos Rampant

Another run out of Xenos Rampant we wanted to push the rules a little further and picked on the scenario of a Russian Armoured column pushing into an Afghan town to rescue a downed helo crew. A Soviet version of Black Hawk Down if you will.

The Mi8 crew were pinned down with fighters closing in using the nearby compounds as cover to get close to the crew, the pilot and his comrades were not able to moved until they were reached by their rescuers.

The armoured column planned to sweep through the town but found their entry into town blocked by enemy armour which forced them to swing left and right off the tarmac surface. MBT's exchanged fire which left burning hulks on both sides. Wheeled vehicles ran the risk of bogging in the soft sand. Around every corner RPG's and HMG rounds seemed to find a Russian target, not enough to kill but to chip away at the advancing Russians.

The Soviets called in air support to help the rescue mission trying to get ahead of the rapidly closing irregulars.

As the Soviets entered the clearing with the down help they were confronted by a battered T72 who disabled a BMP causing the infantry to bail out. The Soviets were insight of the crew but before the could move to rescue them the crew were captured by the Mujahideen and were being forced at gun point away into the interior of the town.

Spetnaz dropped in to a nearby rooftop but were under fire from the deadly HMG who inflicted a number of casualties on the specialists. An aging PT76 tried to chase the hostage takers but it was peppered by RPG rounds as it attempted to close with gap.

Time was running out the for the Soviets stripped of much of their armour and the pilots dragged into the narrow streets and alleys the remaining infantry were in danger of also becoming prisoners of the Mujahideen 

It's fantastic to finally bring this game collection to the table after my friend had it stashed away for over 20 years. 

The rules are a blast—quick to play, with a plenty of toys on the table, and they really capture the essence of the modern encounters to my eye. We've once again learned that armour is extremely vulnerable in urban settings, and light infantry can be decimated if caught in the open by heavy weapons. Both scenarios seemed reasonable to me.

The helicopter statistics could use a minor adjustment to enhance their speed and combat radius.

Although the rules are set for 24 points, they're adaptable enough to accommodate larger units and formations within an evening's gaming session. I'm confident there will be many more games to come.

Pendraken Miniatures - American Militia

Nothing like a bank holiday and a day on the brushes.

After the uniformity of the British these took a little longer to bring to the table, having opted for a mix of colours in both trousers and tunics the switch from one base to another added several hours to the process. But I have to admit having flocked, based and adding in flags they look rather good.

My intention is to focus on the earlier encounters of the war, but I dare say some more regular looking line infantry will of course make their way into the collection. These militia types have standards from those at Bunker Hill.

Not quite ready to get them on the table yet, but the six foot units and a couple of commands will do for the core of the American forces sharpshooters and casualty bases and I should be ready to go.

As an old friend of mine used to say they pass the three foot test and look great on mass.