Friday Night Games: 15mm Medieval

Friday 14th & 212t at saw us playing a 15mm Medieval game which saw a force of German Nurembugers trying fighting off a force of Austrians

The figures were from John's collection and he umpired the game using his version of Rupert's rules.

Austrians we're commanded by Dave, Rupert and Mike N. whilst the Bavaruan side were commanded by Mat, Steve & Phil.

Mark's Workbench Update!

A real quicky post here - three photos of gear that Mark is working on for future games...

As with others at the club, Mark's fancy has been tickled by Sci-Fi topics in recent weeks,
here are various pieces of machinery.

Amid the worktop, a couple of WW2 Italian armoured trucks.

A Condor Legion Heinkel He 51B-1,
being paintd for Phil's SCW collection

Friday Night Games: 1939 Winter War - Suomussalmi-Raate Road Actions

A Russian truck and horse drawn Field Kitchen in the depths of a Finnish Forest

Friday 19th July saw Mark put on a 20mm WW2 game with a difference, the 1939 Winter War between Finland and Russia. The scenario saw the elusive Finnish forces engage a somewhat disorganised Russian convoy in the depths of a snowy forest.

The wintery tabletop, where the Russians had to travel the length of the table from left to right,
effectively limited to the roads, due to risk of boggiong down in the ice and snow, progress was always going to be slow.

On the Russian side we had Steve, Phil, Dave, Nigel, Rupert and Mike W. Mark played the Finns, the figures were Mark's and the venue was at Ruperts. Rules were an adaptation of the fabulous 'One Hour Wargames Rules'.

Close-up of entry point for many Russian units, again direction of travel willl be left to right,
note the many snow drifts and frozen ponds etc.

Russian progress was always going to be slow, with the game mechanics of the 'One Hour Rules' system, each unit on the table moves in a somewhat random sequence, thus more often thatn not the back end of the column will be delayed and stuck behind slower units to their front.

Right hand end of the road, where the Russians have to cross a frozen ruiver to enter a village,
before crossing a second frozen river to exit the table.

After initial russian deployments the Russians were informed that it was night time and that they would camp over night, starting their journey fresh in the morning.

Part of Mark's WW2 20mm Russian collection

However, the sneakiy Finns where busy overnight and the deployed road blocks that would help to cause chaos as the morning progresses for the Russians!

And part of Mark's WW2 20mm Finnish collection

Initial deployment of Nigel's units, at the rear of the Russina Column. Somewhere behind them were the NKVD,
who would enter the table later in the game.

Steve's HQ was initially deployed in the Villlage, where they had a comfy night's sleep.

Rupert's initial deployment

Dave's initial deployment

Phil's artillery deployement

The morning breaks and felled trees have been used to block the road system in a number of places

Nigel's force is relatively efficient about removing the road block and beginning to move forwards again, maybe spurred in by the later arrival of the impatiant NKVD section on the road behind them!

A  view of the convoy at daybreak

A masssive traffic jam ensues after a field kitchen got stuck in a ford the move after the road block was cleared. The NKVD way at the back are not happy and are pushing the trailing units to hurry up.

Another view of the convoy

All to play for next week when Mike N. & John will be jooining the fray on the side of the Finns.

Friday Night Games: Battle of Frankfurt

 On the nights of 23rd February & 1st March, Mark put on the next installment of his epic WW2 Battle for Frankfurt game, at Rupert's venue. The game is set in 1945 and the last days of the Reich, with the inexorable advance of the Red Army that was being opposed by series of small, disperate units of Germans.

This game featured a German Armoured train, along with Volkstrum veterans and German trainer aircraft fitted with Panzerfausts for ground attack roles!

Highp oints and low points of the second week's fighting involved the destruction of much of the German Armoured Train, routing of a Russian T34 unit from long range fire from said train and a combined infantry attack with Panzerfausts! 

As ever I'll leave the photos to do the talking, just to add that the Rssians were played by Steve, Mat, Rupert and Phil whilst eth Germans were hered about by Dave, John, Mike N & Mike W, with Mark providing excellent umpire services as usual.

German Luftwaffe Ground Attack unit, plane on the right had Panzerfausts fitted for ground attack, the fighter n eth left was unarmed and acting as a decoy. It dod not end well for these guys!

Advancing Red Armuy units

German 2cm Flak 38 SdKfz 7/2,
one of two such vehicles attempting to support the armoured train

The armoured train, early in the game before taking a real battering!

Exiting Rusisna aircraft

Overgead view of the battlefield, Russians attacking from eth top of the picture

Another view of the above looking from behind Russian lines

More advancing Russian Heavy Armour

The big success of teh evenng for the Germans. T34, top centre knocked out by a long range shot from the Armoured Train, whilst simultaniously the lead T34 bottom right, is knocked out by Volkstrum infantry close assault. THe nit's crews panicked and fled teh field leaving their vehicles behind.

A view of the Russian infantry attack going in, on their left flank

More shots of Red Army Armour

and same advance from their right flank.

Mark is yet to declare the evening's outcome, late in the day the German command was mysteriously whisked away in secret to report to the 'Bunker in Berlin'. Question is just how lcky is thi smove for teh German leadership and what happened to the defenders left behind in Frankfurt!?

Friday Night Games: Two Fat Lardies, WW2 What a Tankers

Friday 1st December saw Mark out on a 20mm 'What a Tanker' game at Mike's gaming establishment. Using his own model collection, and the Two Fat Lardies rules  thus scenario was set in WW2, where two Germa Tiger tanks held off a British armoured company  consisting of Cromwells,  a Sherman Firefly, some regular Shermans and an Archillies Tank Destroyer.

The Archillies and Firefly each sporting 17lb guns, the best weapons for taking out a Tiger on the British side

Part of the battlefield, British Entry end, showing bridge over river, near to some ruins and a Barbed  Wire line providing a 'light' obstical for the advancing Cromwells.

Mike W, Rupert, Phil, Nigel and Dave all played the British whilst Steve was the dastardly Hun and Mark & Mike N officiated.

A glimpse of the German end of the battlefield beyond the river crossing

British Crowells rolling onto the battlefield

MIke W's brave (or wreckless) Cromwell advancing up the main road,
having crossed the bridge it is now actively looking for the enemy 

One of the two Tigers lying in wait for the British armour,
this one knocked out he above Cromwell at the second attempt

Phil's Cromwell - a lovely model with hedge cutters attached to get through the bocage 

Mike W's replacement tank,
showing somewhat more caution in how it advances on the enemy positions

Overall a win for the Germans, with Mike W & Phil both loosing a Cromwell and Mat's Achillies taking damage, with no permenant damage inflicted on teh Germans.

Finally, it felt abit like 'Fury' for the Bitish Tankers, remind yourself of that scenario below!

Battle of Frankfurt

Friday, 28th April saw Mark putting on game 4 in his series of the Battle for Frankfurt, set in the dying days of the second World War.

 

German forces struggled all evening to pin a hit on the attacking Russians but in the lat minutes of the first week of the game, the Germans managed to knock out an SU152!

This was achieved by a very cunningly concealed 88mm PAK gun.

Meanwhile German paramilitary firefighters were holding a line of tank traps awiting waves of Russian infantry attacks.

Below are additional  earlier shots of the table-top.

Friday Night Games - The Siege of Vienna, 1683

Friday, 1st July saw the much overdue playing of Mike W's 28mm Siege of Vienna game. It was staged at Mike N's venue and used Warlord Games Pike & Shotte rules, with some variants to keep the mechanisms simple and flowing.

On the allied Austrian / German/ Polish side (Hereafter referred to as the Western Allies), we had Mark, playing the Austrians and thus assuming that he had overall command and taking up a position on the right of the line.

This notion was not fully endorsed by Mat, who commanded the Polish Divisions in the centre. Ably assisting Mat was Phil, commander of the Polish 2nd Division.

On the left of the line was Dave  playing a polyglot of German allies  loosely known as the German (or Imperial) division.

Massed Austrian, Polish & German Cavalry Divsions

Phil threw he cat amongst the pigeons by playing his black mark ⚫ on turn one against Mat's division. The resulting blunder sees Mat' two units of Cossacks leaving the field, they did not return for several turns much to everyone's amusement.

Mark's Austrian Cuirassiers & Mat's Polish Panceri race ahead on the right

On the Ottoman side, we had Steve playing ad the Grand Vizier  commanding the Janissaries & Sipahis of the Porte as well as the artillery.

He was backed up by Mike N, who as First Vizier had command of the Heavy & Feudal Sipahis.

Turkish and vassal light cavalry was under the command of Nigel  whilst Infantry units were split between them in the absence of John  who will be re-joining his command in week two.

Ottoman Tufecki Infantry supported by Ottoman Deli Light Cavalry & Hungarian Hussars

The Western Allies plan was straight forward, a rapid advance straight forward! This was enacted as rapidly as possible but somewhat held-up as commanders struggled to get there orders out to their units in a timely manner. 

Orders being subject to a Command test based on their commander's capability ratings.

Over a course of a few turns, Mat's Poles and Mark's Austrians were behind the pace. On the left Dave's Germans  led by he Bavarian Cuirassiers  made much better progress.

Towards the rear of eth Ottoman lines there is much activity,
Janissaries in the background and Sipahi Cavalry manoeuvring to their front 

On the Ottoman side, commanders scurried from their tents to join their units to put together a defensive plan.

Nigel's Light Cavalry were soon in the thick of it  managing to give a good account of themselves alongside various Azab and Tufecku Infantry units.

Polish Panceri Heavy Cavalry with a unit of staggered Cossacks behind.

End of week one and there's all to play for, Ottoman units are holding g up well but two Infantry and two cavalry units have been sent back to the box.

The Western Allies have four of five units with casualties and their opponents have two or three on the same situation.

As ever I'll leave much of rest of the report to the pictures, week #2 is due to be played July 8th.

Polish Winged Hussars make contact with Ottoman Mamelukes,
the Mamelukes held out for one turn but were destroyed in the following melee round!

General view of eth table from the Western Allies right flank,
looking down the table to eth Ottoman Right 

The game in full play, Week #1

Week Two saw a slight change in the Ottoman line-up, Nigel was unable to attend but his place was ably taken by John, who took command or the Ottoman Light Cavalry.

The Western Alliance continued to roll forwards, eliminating Ottoman units and pushing them quite quickly into their own half of the board. On the left flank the Bavarians continued to do well, but at the loss of one unit of Cuirassiers. Luckily within the German Division the Saxon Cuirassiers stepped up to replace them.

On the right flank of eth Western Allies, Austrian Horse advance behind their Cuirassier comrades

Austrian Cuirassiers wheel to engage Hungarian Hussars to their left

Ottoman Guns finally come into play and start to bombard advancing Western forces

The grand sweep of the Western forces as they close with the Ottoman infantry's defensive lines in the centre of the board.
The Polish Winged Hussar unit at the bottom of the picture has just been staggered by artillery fire

The rest of the line from above!

Ottoman Sipahi of the Porte advance out of their camp to engage
with the approaching Austrian Juggernaut

Not so good photo of eth Ottoman Infantry's positions

Time was called at the end of week two, The Western assault on the Ottoman lines was just starting, albeit that the infantry positions were being avoided as much as possible. On the Western left it was deemed that he German division would likely break through the Ottoman cavalry and levy lines, enabling them to flank the Janissary positions in the centre, on the right the Austrians had a much harder fight to overcome the four units of the Sipahi of eth Porte and a Janissary of eth Porte unit.

In the centre the Poles would have had to crash into eth Janissary lined up behind Chevaux de Fris, another tough ask but with cunning and bravery it would have been possible! But we'll never know for sure.

Thanks to all that played.