GMT Historical Game with Modern Connotations: Ukraine 1943

Just looking at the GMT website and I came across this interesting game (see below, a different time, a different war but the same geography and landscape): 

See map: 

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For modern purposes it is maybe only half a map, but the range of name places are haunting. Even Poltava is a name that calls out from history, as does Chernobyl. 

Connections 2019 - FireMove and Exiles' Party (Part 2 of 2)

Phase II: The attack is going in hard on the German right flank. "Bags of smoke and flank left" as I think the British Army expression goes, plus a huge concentration of the British PBI force, three infantry companies attacking to one defending certainly helps. 75% of the British battalion are hitting at this point here .. ouch .. (see below, top of photo, another close combat goes in against the middle German platoon): 

The advance is merciless and methodical ... although momentarily stalled. FireMove does not always produce fluid flowing play as the defenders can with the roll of the dice can produce an unexpected roadblock (see below, the heavy British pressure is held for at least one more turn and time is a factor in this game as there is an implicit fatigue and exhaustion point):  

Note how the British green company has been reduced under the withering fire of the "other" German company and logistics "firing out one platoon". Attacking entrenched infantry at 1:1 of odds, even with two HMG Platoons, does not bode well for the attacker. Meanwhile at the north/top end of the photograph an infantry assault clears another German platoon from table (see below, that is 2VPs for the British and 2VPs for the German in infantry KIA):  

The British infantry advance on towards the German baseline, pressing on, heeding the ancient axiom of "not fighting where you do not have to". One consequence of this headlong rush forwards is the awful intermingling of platoons from different British companies which hinders both suppressive supporting fire and close assault execution. Different coloured companies cannot fire in mutual support or perform mutual assaults together, although a "white" Vickers HMG could - subtle but effective rules (see below, the German baseline is a feast of additional or rather potential VP that are up for grabs):  

A line of VP markers are placed along the German baseline that are "up for grabs" - which serves to emphasise the plight of the German defenders. The German turn is rather quick as the British have done a good job in suppressing them so the only action left open to then is to rally and recover - becoming fresh again (see below, please note the third white platoon on the British baseline is the British scout stand which has chosen to retire, its job): 

For who the dice rolls! In this case a terrible "one", for the Germans. No hits are automatic so a "one" can mean a failure at the most critical of times (see below, I think the roll was probably defensive fire or a German close assault that went horribly wrong, with the action probably fat away from this safe German platoon): 

British Turn (Reinforcement Call - burning 3VPs to bring on some tanks, but risking them [minus 1 VP for any lost] on the assumption in the time remaining they can be driven off the board from 2VPs each): With an opening created and a safe zone cleared by the British Infantry Battalion asks for (as yet unallocated by Brigade) armour support to exploit this opportunity. A favourable dice roll - possibly influenced by imbibed strong beer, sees two |75mm Sherman tanks and a 17 pounder Firefly Sherman appear ominously on the British baseline. Note, also the use of black painted cocktail sticks that denote movement - so a unit cannot fire if it has a black stick on, this was a very useful aide memoire (see below, this really looks like curtains for the German right flank, time perhaps for the German to ask for armour support (?) as he sees this threat develop - see how those movement markers imply the final German platoon in the north is about to be surrounded.):  

The last German platoon in the north is becoming an awkward embarrassment to the British. With clock ticking and the British player burning VPs to bring on his armour "en masse". This turn seems to be stetting the German player up for the kill next turn (see below, the 3" mortar and Vickers HMG's do not have to "pay" the logistic tax, so the southern half of the battlefield seems to be semi-permanently supressed to the German player): 

Discretion can sometimes be the better part of valour, true the German player could possible make a brutal close assault on an adjacent British platoon, but in all probability he would be pinned and lost on following turns (see below, instead he elects to retire while he s able to and also in so doing removes a potential VP from the British coffers): 

Seen from the German perspective the final brake out with an intact British armoured formation being released to wreck havoc in the German rear area, on reflection is a rather depressing viewpoint (see below, all the British armour will have exited in two turns or be in place to try and shoot up his Stug III if he chose to bring it on - which would be on a friendly German baseline hex, not adjacent to an enemy unit. It cannot fire on the turn of its entry so would receive incoming fire. The danger is deemed too great, the gain is too little and the opportunity passed [Note: The German armour could be asked for on the turn after British armour was spotted]): 

Breakout as seen from the British side (see below, four VPs from the German Baseline hexes and six VPs for the British armour exiting off table make a swing of ten VPs which is a crushing victory - a token defending British infantry force in the newly captured farm house [which offers protection as good as entrenchments] can hold off any German counter attack as they would have to leave the protection of their entrenched positions):

Called convincingly for the British. Well played, a gentleman's ending to a fittingly good game between friends, and we are the last ones in the house to boot  (see below, it is not a good sign when your opponent has to move from his side of the table to your right flank to move his troops along your baseline): 

A good end to a great night old in Old London Town! That was a good run out for FireMove and some extended rules, once again thanks goes to teh Exiles for being such great sports.

Connections 2019 - FireMove and Exiles' Party (Part 1 of 2)

Can I set the scene correctly? It is so long ago now. Late at night, in a Gaming Café in South London, underneath Waterloo [I believe, as I did get a little disorientated as we traversed all those London back lanes] in pre-Covid times (2019), four people did meet and bring their own game to a rather special venue. The game was a miniatures table-top version of "Fire Move" by Professor Phil Sabin of Simulating War fame, or at least should I say this was "The London Exiles" variant - as I met up with two of the 'newer' members of the Exiles (my old London Wargames Club), a club who IMHO represent the finest of the Old Guard of the wargaming fraternity (see below, an epic venue, strain your eyes to see some nicely painted 10mm WWII Pendrakon Figures on the table if you can, a scenic flocked battle board, but most importantly of all - the finest of company, good strong beer and beautiful gourmet burgers to boot - had I died and gone to some form of wargaming heaven?): 

The bar, the food and waitress service were exceptional and the "the gaming crew" certainly took an avid interest in our table's game [partly as it did not come out of one of their stable "off the shelf" boxes - in fact I literally wheeled in the components in a suitcase, they were intrigued]. The game had already had two outings that day at the Connections UK 2019 Professional Wargaming Conference held at KCL, but here "Fire Move" was going to be put to its most serious test as yet in my eyes, this being the measure of the respect I have for the Exiles as arbiters of wargames taste (see below, friendly staff and a buzzing atmosphere): 

One final shot of the whole crew and the first dice of the night are ready to be rolled (see below, British attacking from the left with the Germans defending on the right, a standard probing battalion attack at a sector "believed" to be thinly held by a couple of "under strength" German infantry companies):

A first departure from the basic Fire Move game and Connections UK script was the introduction of the "Fog of War" hidden placement and spotting rule - rather than just laying the German defenders out, the British had to find them. They could do this by getting close enough to spot stationary infantry or enticing the Germans to reveal their position by firing on them (see below, the German player was given ten red poker chip tokens that represented "places where the Germans could be in clear LOS" to the British baseline - note the wood below is in a contested "no-man's land"): 

The British player deploys troops from three out of four of his companies (blue[A]-white[B]-green[C]), five platoons in total, in a left-middle-right attack formation with the fourth company (yellow[D]) held back in reserve. The British white counter in the middle of the left baseline is a "recon counter" that can flush out red hidden German "poker counters" - it cannot assault but it can spot, this is in difference to Frank Chadwick's "patrol counter" and is another experimental element (see below, note no pre-game artillery bombardment was opted for, rather and again going away from the basic book version of the game it was going to be available "on call" during the game): 

Turn 1: Nothing spotted or heard from the Germans as yet [are they really there?] so the British infantry move gingerly forwards. The phycological sight of the row upon row of hidden "possible" concealed enemy positions gives a much heavier level of caution to the British plater, a trepidation of the unknown (see below, it was getting a little bit tense at this moment, "I don't like it Sarge! It's too quiet!"): 

On the German turn [3] there is "contact" as three German platoons are revealed, two from the "purple" company [top of photograph - the white piece of card to the front has a series of crosses drawn on it to denotes it is dug-in, something that is not really captured in the photograph well] and one from the "grey" company [bottom of photograph] - as they "open up" on the advancing Tommies. We played if you come within two hexes of a "red poker" counter you can "roll for a reveal" - same odds as shooting but just determining if anything is there or not (see below, the "grey" company platoon attracting the attention of the 3" British off-table mortar for his troubles):  

Again deviating slightly from the book, as I allowed the British to call down a 25 pounder smoke barrage to conceal their advance from direct fire. This was a LOS impediment which saved the British from withering fire - one shot spans two hexes rather than a point-to-point attack. I like the diverse nature of this spread of fire as opposed to most miniature game systems. Works best with hexes for sure. Chain of Command in effect does something similar by spreading casualties across a group in LOS, albeit with a different mechanic (see below, the beer is being drunk as casualty chits mount up, from strained memory we played every eighth casualty a platoon was removed, likewise the British had an ammo restriction which removed platoons to get replenished - so they could not be over zealous in their shooting. The above two rules make it a very different game from the normal WW2 tactical game experience):

From various cheap "number and word" games you can find in the high street shops that sell budget games for kids (Sudoku, Bingo and the like) I cannibalised "number chits" (see markers to the left and right of the board). These are used as casualty as logistics counters for the British and (decreasing) mortar allocation points. Also note - the new white British counter that has appeared on the baseline is the Vickers HMG platoon that has come down from a higher echelon for the attack to complement the organic battalion 3" mortars as support weaponry, once placed it cannot move (see below, the attack has reached a critical "reveal" stage, over half the British forces are on the table and most, but not all the German forces are shown - the British player can now choose his "main point of attack):   

The British player commits his last company (yellow [D]) to attack in the North (top), therefore reinforcing the success of blue company but still continuing the pressure in the South (green company). The British player has taken losses but not had to remove a platoon to date - logistical or by enemy fire (see below, note the German player has lost one platoon from an infantry assault, the only way the Fire-Move rules allow an entrenched platoon to be removed from play - it can be hit and suppressed [so it cannot fire back] any number of times): 

The British attack progresses and the final German counter is revealed. Two infantry assaults are prepped to "go in" on the next British turn unless the German suppressive fire can register hits this turn - making the British spent and unable to go in. Just off camera, a second Vickers HMG platoon has appeared. The infantry advance in the North is complemented by intense suppressive fire in the South, it is starting to look grim for the German (see below, nothing is guaranteed until an assault or fire hits .. a one is always a miss and it is so suppressing how many times a one comes up when statistically unexpected on a d6 .. Lady Luck is a cruel mistress):

Useful playing aides: Caught on camera are the "painted long stem coffee stirrers" which I used to help the players "get the rules right". In particular direct fire and assaults can only be supported by friendly stands from the same company (or the British HMG stand). Without remembering in a semi-permanent form (as in lasting over the turn) this is easily muddled up in the heat of "game play" (see below, I also think it gives the player an aide for forming his "fire plan" rather than letting organically grow, and be wasteful of ammunition, which does play a significant part in this game): 

To be continued ... the second half as the attack is pressed home.

Big Cat Pair - Panthers in "Ambush Style"

These go back a while, lurking in a 'loft box', in an almost but not quite finished state. I am sure these were ESCI originals, for I was intent on grabbing a third when Italeri briefly re-released them, but "missed" my window of opportunity. Meanwhile what I had got painted in my classic Tamiya paints based "three-tone camo", but as per the cool 'box art' the next step is to polka-dot it "ambush style" (see below):

The general camouflage scheme maybe too broad a swathe, I must have had a bigger brush in those days compared to now, as seen in the more recent Mk IVs but I still like it (see below):

The panzer commander figure is still one of the coolest IMHO and comes from an old ESCI Panzer III.

Killing Rommel, a book by Steven Pressfield

Just finished reading this book, while it is fiction it held my attention (see below):



May well have to make and paint up my Revell (ex-Matchbox) 1/76 LRDG trucks, jeeps and Dixon Miniatures 20mm metal SAS figures.

Naturally the Airfix DAK character throwing a grenade (potato masher) will have to get a look in too

;)

Soviet 20mm WWII "Chain of Command" Supports: Zis 3 76mm AT Gun

Alongside the Esci/Italeri basic Russian Infantry Rifle Platoon (now complete), the Chain of Command "supports" section lists those "must haves" for any Soviet Platoon Commander. In 1944/45 you need a decent anti-tank deterrent to knock out Pz IV's and at least a Cat (Panther or Tiger). Enter stage left the Zis 3 (76mm) anti tank gun from Italeri (see below):

Even better when you see that you get 'two' to the pack (see below):

It is an absolute hassle free construction and is a perfectly molded kit and superb crew figures. The only thing to note is that the hard plastic gun components beckons super glue rather than poly cement.

Next Stage: A bit of paint ;)

Plastic Soldier Company Pz III (50mm short)

The Panzer III was designed to be the prime German MBT (although I acknowledge I use this post-war modern term in a historical sense, perhaps "cruiser" would have been better) of the Second World War, but the Pz III found itself compromised right from the outset. Slow to get into production and hence only playing a minor part in the Polish 1939 campaign (A-D versions), it was found lacking in the France 1940 campaign (E) against the better French tanks. Up gunned to the short 50mm (F/G) it optimistically went into the Russian 1941 campaign only to met the shock of the KV I and T34 monsters.

The PSC models (along with the 4 x HaT models I have) nicely finishes off my Panzer Battalion for the early-mid Russian campaign (1041-42) now with a max of seven Pz III F's to field (see below):

As the Pz III tanks were improved via workshop upgrades as well as new factory additions the Panzer battalion was always a mixture of types up until the end of 1942.

The F/G model was the Barbarrossa workhorse as well as being the DAK chariot in the desert (see below):

The PSC models are perfect for company command tanks given their nice commander poses (see below):

Nice to get my hands on so many short Pz III 50mm tanks, as a kid they were nowhere to be seen, bar a broken barrel Matchbox conversion. 

To understand German tank development in WWII IMHO I think you need to know the Pz III story.

The story does not end here as the Pz III gets a final upgrade to the long 50mm gun (L-M)1941(late)-42-43(mid) that takes it to its Kursk swansong on the Eastern Front. Not forgetting the final (N) version as it was demoted from MBT to an anti-infantry "support" tank (notably seen in Tunesia supporting Tigers) with a short 75mm.

My Esci/Italeri/Matchbox/Revell/Fujimi long 50mm models will nicely fill into the final chapter of the Pz III tank battalions (a future post methinks). 

Note: The PSC Pz III's are not their simplest models but still damn good for ease of construction. 

Plastic Soldier Company StuG III

The German workhorse StuG III with the long barreled 75mm, a defensive cheap version of a "tank" in eyes of Albert Speer (aka an accountant/economist say no more). The PSC company version is a lovely snap together, highly detailed but simple model which easily goes together in a single modelling session (see below):

No fuss to build and a mean looking tank killer (see below):

It has plenty of scope to add additional campaign clutter over all those flat surfaces (see below):

The best bit is you get three in one box giving you an instant CD II/III company (see below):

There are enough subtle variations (MG mount variants and main gun types, even a 105mm StuH 42 - which I declined to use because I already have one model) to the basic kit model to add that "element of variety" that keeps the interest level up (see below): 

An other section of tanks now waiting for the spray can!

Plastic Soldier Company Panther

The "killer cat with zimmerat!" Note: The brown bits are pieces of wood jammed in to hold the tracks down while the glue sets (see below):

It is a very, very nice model to make indeed (see below):

It goes together like a dream (see below):

I think the PSC Fireflys would have to get the first shot in from ambush position to stand a chance (see below):

All in all a nice addition to the Panther collection I have amassed (see below):

Note: It's getting a little crowded in the CD II Panther Battalion box, just two off the 1944 regimental requisite of fifteen tanks, amassed it has to be said over twenty years of on and off collecting (see below):

Their time on the painting tray will come!

Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) T70 Light Tanks

I simply could not stop myself, there were too many seductive blog postings complementing the Plastic Soldier Company on their T70's, so I got a packet (see below): 

They are brilliant, the kit fits together like a dream, have cool tank crew members (turret commander and driver) giving three dramatically different versions for a lovely variety of poses. The assembly time was literally measured in minutes. One construction tip if/when you use the driver figure, 'trial' the turret carefully with it as you have to let the gun rest in a slightly elevated position to be able to traverse over the driver's hatch cleanly. I made a mistake on my first model but luckily I could easily switch turrets with another model.

;) 

They also fit it well with my existing two resin T70's from Britannia Miniatures [aka the ones already base-coated in Russian Green] (see below):

The above gives me in Command Decision/Spearhead terms a Battalion HQ tank and two light tank companies, a third light tank company can be made from two T60's (see below, Britannia Miniatures resin kits) I also have to make a full light tank battalion (1942/43/44). Alternatively it's a strong T70 troop for skirmish level "reconnaissance" games.

I just keep hoping that the Plastic Soldier Company keeps pumping out these kits. My wish list of future kits would be:

• (British version) M3 Honey .. why doesn't Revell release this old Matchbox kit?
• (US version) M5 Stuart (as in teh sloping armour upgrade of the M3)
• Cromwell (OK, there are a lot of them about now but I know they will make a nice job of it and would probably give a 95mm Centaur version as well)
• German Panzer 35t

In the meantime I intend to get more of their existing range, as I seem to be having something of a 20mm WWII Renaissance at the moment

Westland Whirlwind a "mini" Mosquito or another Strategic Fighter misfire?

As you know I seem to have been in a "plane mode" or at  least "looking to the skies" with my modelling as of late. At the time of the "X-Wing incident (see previous post) I also was checking out the clearance section of a certain high street Hobby retailer (Hobbycraft) and spotted a peculiar kit that I had never got my mittens on before, the Westland Whirlwind Mk I in a starter pack (see below for current state of the painting tray, Mosquito and Whirlwind together):

I put a little bit of TLC into painting the pilot (see below), but I am not sure it comes out from my BlackBerry photograph:

After I had sorted out the painting inside the cockpit area it was a pretty quick build (see below):

The Whirlwind was a curious little beast with a short (and in the end very specialised combat role) in 1942/43 before being replaced by the Typhoon. The concept was drawn up in 1938 and it could have been a war winner like the Spitfire. A two engined singe seat fighter that could out perform ant single seat equivalent, packing a hell of a punch with four x 20mm cannon in its nose (remember the RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes didn't get cannons until 1941/42). Originally 400 were ordered but the Pegasus engines let it down. She was brilliant at low altitudes (even out performing the Spitfire) but in the middle to high altitude "battle zones". The usual tonic (aka the Mustang and Manchester-to-Lancaster) of converting to Merlin engines couldn't be done on its airframe. Hence the Whirlwind equipped two squadrons that protected the Channel Convoys and had noted success against the German Me-109 at low altitudes. 

I always thought it looked like an emaciated Mosquito, they even stuck a few light bombs and rockets on it to attack shipping (see below) or is it my over-active imagination at play? Anyway I have acquired a kit that escaped me as a child and given its status in the "clearance section" it may well disappear from the shops in 2013 (or am I just scare mongering)?

One notable victim of the low-level Whirlwinds (and Typhoons) was the German blockade runner "Munsterland". Those low-level "dock strafing" over a heavy defended port (Cherbourg) would be my least favourite mission of all time.

The kit itself was easy to make and trouble free (although alas my propellers are too stiff to turn), the "free" starter pack paints offered good coverage and I was please to say that there was no danger of the paint 'running out' (something I had previously "feared" would be the case in these 'starter packs'). I am debating to myself if I like the Airfix/Humbrol #30 Green or whether I need to mix of a bit of my Tamiya Dark Green/Olive Drab in with it. Likewise I may follow the Mosquito with its "satin grey" as there is insufficient differentiation in the camouflage scheme for my liking.

As per usual I am dragging my heels with the decals ;) 

PS: Please note the interesting newspaper used as a backdrop for the last two photographs.