Battle of the Bulge game 2024-25 Preparation

Below are pictures and maps of my preparations for a Battle of the Bulge game, specifically the Battle of Foy-Notre-Damme-Celles involving British, American and German forces on December 25, 1944.  I started working on this in January 2024 but other projects like Cangames 2024 took priority in mid  April and the game did not happen in 2024, but maybe it will in the the not too distant future.

Overview of Battlefield

6mm French 1940 Infantry and German Fallschirmjagers

 Now that I am back in to playing 6mm W.W.II (Spearhead and Fist Full of TOWs3) I have pulled some of the figures out of storage including German, French and British AFV and infantry. Although the scenarios I have played recently with the Spearhead rules were set in Normandy in 1944, I have always wanted to play some games set in France in 1940 so it is time to start painting my French 1940 Infantry by Heroics and Ros (H&R) and GHQ. Plus as I will note later some 6mm German Fallschirmjagers (FJ)/ Paratroops that can be used for 1940-45 will be on the painting table soon (I hope).

 

Painted H&R Classic German Fallshirjager with LMGs

WIP GHQ & H&R French 1940 Infantry in Vallejo khaki green

Building a Canopy forest with removable top in 6mm scale

This is a summary of how I built a 6mm scale prototype forest with a removable canopy top in 6mm scale for second World War games, which might also work for 15mm scale infantry, possibly for War of 1812 games. The finished product is shown below.

Top half of photo shows Forest with removable canopy and base

I decided just to make one forest to start with, figuring I would likely learn by my mistakes, and best to do that with one forest before going into "mass production" of 10 or more.

Second World War Wargame Rules for 6mm or 1/285 scale

 One of the games I listed to hopefully play in 2021 was 6mm 1/285  (Micro Armour) Second World War.  The question is which rule set.  First I will present some pictures of past games before briefly reviewing various rule sets I have played or considered.

 Operation Charnwood July 8, 1944

Planned 6mm D-Day game 6mm

For many years I have been planning to run a 6mm, 1/285 scale D-Day game featuring the Juno Beach landing.  Perhaps it was the D-Day diorama at the old Canadian War Museum (CWM) on Sussex Drive in Ottawa that first inspired me to do this as well as some Spearhead players in the UK and the U.S.   I have accumulated all the materials I require and just need to paint some additional resin defensive fortification by Leva Production and D-Day specific miniatures like DD tanks. 

D-Day beach, work in progress

Hopefully this will be the year I get it done, as 2019 is the 75th anniversary.   I have played D-day games in 15mm but I think 6mm gives me the ability to represent much more of the battle.

A list of some of the Second World War Micro Armor Games I have played since 2004.

  Second World War in 1/285 or 6mm scale (Micro Armor) was my primary game / genre from 1978 to 2007 originally using WRG rules and now using mainly Spearhead (SH) or Micro Armor the Game (MATG).  It was the genre for my annual Cangames game from the 1980s up to 2007.  It has now taken a back seat to some other games but is still in the mix of my top 10 games. Games below set in either North Africa, the Russian front or the Western Europe. 

Canadian advance under fire in 1944 in Normandy,  using SH 2012