Golan Clash!

 

Daniel suggested experimenting with using Clash of Steel rules in a Fate of a Nation setting. The only models we have for FOAN are 12mm 1:144 so somewhat heretical in two planes! The table was set to represent a plateau with road junction on the Golan Heights, circa 1973:

The randomly generated mission was Flanking Move. 

Normally in 15mm this can lead to somewhat cluttered deployment but in this scale all was well and we still had the feel of the wide open spaces of the Levant.

The random mission rules dictated Scattered Immediate reserves.

Daniel rolled to be the Israeli player, and Attacker, with a company each of Sho'ts and M51s with 105mm guns. He placed a platoon of each into reserve.

As the Syrians I had two companies of 10 x T-62s, leaving one in reserve...

And a company of 10 x T-54s:

Looking at the table from Daniel's deployment area, you can see he deployed aggressively, moving forward towards all three objectives, whereas, in the distance, you can see I was more circumspect:

Threatening the centre objective but keeping my T-54s in cover in the crop fields:

However Daniel soon started racking up the victory points (VPs) so I diverted my T-62s from the centre to Objective 3 by the oasis:

Initially I felt I had little to fear from the M51s, gaining 3 VPs for wiping out an entire platoon, but Daniel directed his reserve platoons, which arrived at the right spot for him, here and then things started to get tough!

But now it was my turn for my reserve company of T-62s to arrive - I couldn't decide between the Centre and left objective in the wadi:

Because, frankly, 10 T-54s couldn't seem to deal promptly with a mere 3 Sho'ts!

Shooting them in from long range with the reserve T-62s eventually did the trick...

But by this time, only now gaining my first undisputed objective, Daniel was way ahead of me on VPs! (I won't go into the actual numbers...)

Despite this, I really enjoyed the game and I have no doubt Daniel relished handing out a drubbing. Clash of Steel always gives a fast, fun game and the 'armour only' aspect seems to suit 20th Century Arab-Israeli Wars, which this smaller scale also suits. I think we shall be revisiting!

Kursk - Ponyri Station

This week the Wollongong Wargamers revisited the Battle of Kursk, northern salient. Ed, below left, actually volunteered for the challenge of being the Russian player! Peter joined me on the German side. We had six moves to take an objective...

Looking NNE over Ponyri toward the German startline

Looking NW - red dice show objective areas and Red deployment area.

Peter came up with a cunning plan. He would take the Ferdinands and SIG33s Brummbars and go right flanking. I would go left with the infantry and STuGs via State Farm July 1st.

Ed probably suspected we would try take the covered approach through the cropfields. Anyway his T-34s were massed in the vicinity of the State Farm, crammed into the woods around Hill 253.3 (represented by the brown felt.)

My STuG company split up - the lead platoon hammered down the road through the undefended State Farm for the distant objective, the remaining platoons opened up on the T-34s.

These inexperienced Tridtsat' chetyre tankers were hit on a 2+ plus 1 for being in cover... 

Three knocked out in the first salvo!

Then Peter chipped in from a field far far away with his 88mm L71s....

At this point we Germans were feeling quite confident...

And my infantry were slowly closing in on the near objective, creeping through the crop fields...

Although of course we still had the SU-152 Zvierboi to deal with...and the Red God of War had found the range to my infantry platoons and was steadily wearing them down...

Thus far neither side were having much luck with our air support rolls but then Hans Rudel showed up and was directed toward the SU-122s as these had been attriting my infantry pretty heavily...

Rudel rerolls a miss which is nice! But of four hits, all were just bails which Ed was able to roll off! Flyboys - civvies in uniform!

At this point the battle was in the balance - the Russians had lost a lot of AFVs and infantry, but their defence of the forward objective was looking strong, particularly since my infantry has suffered so much from artillery fire.

On the positive side, my point STuG platoon was deep into enemy territory and approaching the far objective...

Before the Red Air Force showed up! Once again, no harm done from the overpaid aviators!

With no infantry to speak off, at the sixth and final turn we had no choice but to assault the near objective with our armour...

It was a desperate fight with PTRDs firing at side armour and Molotov cocktails attacking top armour!

 Finally, the German armoured onslaught was forced to Fall Back! Well done Ed for a skillful and resolute defence of Ponyri Station.

Operation Spring Awakening

This Thursday the theme at the Wollongong Wargamers was Flames of War, and Operation Spring Awakening, late March 1945, had been requested.

The table was laid out to represent the undulating country south east of Lake Balaton. Hungary rather than Russia so a reasonable road net was laid down. This was necessary if we were to have any sort of game given the apocalyptic levels of mud involved with 2 tank armies moving during the spring thaw!

I was the Russian player and got to deploy all my platoons first. I decided upon a forward defence with my heavy armour, keeping my T34-85s in ambush. My motor rifles would dig in around both objectives.

Ed and Daniel, pictured, would command the Germans.

They made good use of the road net...

But, by dint of good use of movement orders, actually made pretty good progress cross country too, despite the mud. Damn!

My decision to deploy forward turned out to be a mistake!

I was finding out the hard way that my guns couldn't penetrate a Tiger II's front armour! 

Bagged a couple of Panthers though!

With the Tigers rapidly approach the near objective it was time to deploy my T34-85 ambush...Because the wily Germans had been advancing in echelon, I found it hard to find space to deploy the ambush that would expose the Tiger's side armour...

Three of them got a shot, and killed one and bailed another. Retribution was swift however. The rest of the T34-85 company got out of there!

Meanwhile the German PanzerGrenadiers were creeping up the flank of my infantry:

But by this stage this was the least of my problems!

It was time to charge in...

 and hope for side shots at close range!

But the mud was a double edged sword, and the Soviet tankers weren't up to clever Blitz moves! What few side shots there were missed!

By Turn 5 the Germans were all over the objective and had wiped out all my armour. A very convincing win to Ed and Daniel!