Other Games YR2019-2020

As WR works on his upcoming 28mm Clash of Empires Battle of Dara 530 AD report, he found several ten photo files of past late YR2019 and YR2020 games unreported on Wargamerabbit. These ten games were either “pick up scenarios”, test game scenarios, or WR found the photo log too incomplete to write up a full AAR blog article. Most are Flames of War games fought out in Russia, in Italy at Salerno or Anzio, the Ardennes Bulge 1944 period, or even in Greece 1941 with fallschirmjager and EW British/Greeks. Other games include a grand 28mm WWI trench assault/raid game at David’s (fellow gamer), and two more 25/28mm napoleonic Peninsular battles. The scenario results or outcome, if WR remembers are noted, many of these scenario battles lasted to the final turns.

In order of blog article appearance, I list the photo grouping, if you wish to scroll for your favorite gaming era. Most miniatures and terrain from the WR collections unless noted from David, Bruce, or Gary’s collections;

1).  Peninsular War 25/28mm Battle of Almonacid 1809

2).  F;ames of War (15mm) German Fallschirmjager airborne landing in Greece

3).  Flames of War (20mm) Ordeal of the 179th Regiment at Salerno 1943 replay

4).  Flames of War (15mm) Panzer Invasion Russia 1941 “Meet the Train: scenario

5).  Flames of War (20mm) Operation Fischfang 1943 Anzio scenario

6).  Flames of War (20mm) Rail yard raid 1943: Soviet Partizans vs. German rail security

7).  Warhammer 1917 “Over the Top” 28mm Trench raid/assault scenario (at David’s)

8).  Peninsular War 25/28mm Battle of Vimeiro 1808 test game

9).  Flames of War (20mm) Bulge 1944 with Pz Brigade 150 with support vs. Americans

10). Flames of War (15mm) Bulge 1944. German Panzers vs. 99th American Division

First up: The Battle of Almonacid 1809 fought between the French and Spanish armies south of Madrid. French advanced from Madrid to confront the Spanish nearing the capital city. This scenario ran true to history with minor adjustment for the scenario notes. WR expects this scenario will become a full AAR scenario post this year.

Almonacid 1809 battlefield looks empty except for formation wooden blocks. These wooden green block saves lots of actual miniature movement till commands approach. Also great fog of war situation too.

When the commands reach deployment range, the 25/28mm napoleonic miniatures are deployed to the tabletop. Here the Spanish on left, the French on the right side of photo.

View from the opposite table end. The French flanking commands are pushing back the Spanish left flank. Castle hill upper right with nearby Almonacid village.

French cavalry charging in to repulse the Spanish weak cavalry attack. Miniature ratio 90:1 or 90 soldiers represents one miniature. Battalions of Infantry, cavalry regiments, or battery.

Later on the Spanish left retired to the nearby orchard. French, Poles, and the German division battalions seek them out.

French infantry battalions pressure the Spanish before Almonacid village and Castle hill. The hill was a linchpin for the Spanish late game defense. The “Yellow” order marker beneath the officer.

A fresh French division arrives marching up the roadway towards Almonacid. French for the win in this test scenario.

Second: FOW German Fallschirmjager landing in Greece 1941. This was WR’s first FOW scenario or game using German glider models. Scenario had German Fallschirmjager land by glider or chutes on the double tabletop. Defending a Greek port was  British infantry company and inland, a Greek infantry company. WR”s air-landing company took the village after hard door to door battles but the Greeks totally owned the Fallschirmjager who landed by their chutes. Miniatures and terrain for this scenario from Bruce and Gary’s FOW 15mm collections.

A glider in every doorway. WR landed his air landing company at doorstep of the British infantry. First turn was wild set of close combats. WR even chased the British CO’s sedan out of town.

Another view of the glider assault and street battles. British CO’s sedan in the main street ready to gun it’s 40hp motor out of town next turn. Table terrain Bruce/Gary or Game Empire’s Pasadena.

The full table set up. Port with British infantry in foreground. At top the Fallschirmjager and Greeks battle for the low hills and olive orchards. Greek win and British-German tie in the port.

Third: FOW scenario called “Ordeal of the 179th Regiment” at Salerno 1943. This replay scenario featured on WR blog perviously. Scenario play was different from the first run-through. The Americans elected to screen off the head of the valley German defense then apply maximum effort to clear the mound village. A close game if WR remembers correctly.

German defense at the head of the valley road. Americans here screened the German defenders while assaulting the mound village. Miniatures from WR’s 20mm (1/72) collection.

View from the other table end shows the mound village and objective. Terrain and 20mm miniatures from WR’s collections.

American double platoon assault with fire preparation in progress.

At the head of the valley roadway the Americans kept the German heads down with direct firing and 81mm mortars.

In the woods besides the mound village the fighting was close quarters over several turns. German reserves arrived in time to stem the final American assault, hold the village and counterattack.

With bodies littering the woods the arriving Panzer IV column rolled forward into the village. Solid German win for this game. Having a column of Panzer IV tanks running about wasn’t nice.

Fourth: Back into Russia 1941 with “Meet the Train” scenario. This 15mm FOW Ver3.0 game featured a long table (12′) which had a double track railway along the entire table length. Scenario had a German “Panzer Division” force attacking alongside the rail line. A German recon force was ahead and deployed mid-table astride the rail line. Soviet forces held a front line against the Panzer advance and additional Soviet companies seeking to reduce the mid-table German recon force. Of course, a train will appear on the tabletop. Miniatures from Bruce and Gary’s collections, The terrain from WR’s terrain drawers and cabinets.

German recon force holed up in the mid-table village with Soviet infantry and armor closing in. At top of photo the attacking German panzers seek to breach the Soviet defensive lines.

Center village action. Soviet waves of infantry teams…. cut down by the German defenders.

Hey… Time to “Meet the Train“. Soviet armored train arrives to lend firepower on the central village assaults. Even the Red Air force showed up overhead. German win after the train removed.

Fifth: Operation Fischfang 1943 at Salerno. This FOW-Battlefront scenario game was a real “in your face” scenario. The platoon miniature battles at the overpass was fought for inches of tabletop with Tigers, Elephants, and die hard German infantry held by equally hard nosed Americans. Was a challenging scenario. That table wide raised roadway and overpass created unusual terrain situations unlike other typical FOW scenarios. Sort of like attacking a castle wall in WR thoughts during the game play. In the end the German lost but what a struggle for a football pitch sized area of ground.

At start for Operation Fischfang 1943 at Salerno. Germans at left, the Americans across the raised bank roadway and overpass. That German objective lower right was the scene of pitched battles.

As American P-47 fly overhead, the German panzers line the raised roadway or fight to clear the overpass opening. Artillery salvos land everywhere. M10 ambush dropped to shoot up the panzers.

The battle royal at the overpass. WR even made special terrain from wood boards to represent the raised roadway and overpass. Soviet artillery targeting marker pressed into service.

Sixth: In Russia again with a rear area Soviet Partizan raid on German rail yard set up circa late 1943. WR had just finished painting up his FOW 20mm Soviet partizan companies and their opponent, the German security forces from Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine. Plus the fun of using some of his military and supply rail cars on the tabletop. Soviet win here.

Partizans close in on the weaken German security platoons. Several rail cars from a supply train are burning. Just arriving, Italian tanks M11/39 recently liberated from Italy.

A partizan win after crushing the German allies and their security platoons. Both trains looted for military supplies, then the Soviets ran back into the woods to escape.

Seventh: Change of gaming for WR with one of David’s grand WH “Over the Top” WWI miniature scenarios. David lives locally to WR in California and he runs a fabulous collection of painted 28mm WWI miniatures. Plus David joins WR in mutual Ancient battles using Clash of Empires ancient rules. Ancients example forthcoming with the battle of Dara 530 AD report. Back to this WWI game…the terrain setup is worth the price of playing with drooling mouths. This scenario had the Allies, with some 1917 tank support, rushing a weakly held German trench line. Nothing weak about the German defenders as several Allied platoons found out. Still, the Allies prevailed for the scenario win and capture of a little piece of France back.

The German go about a quiet morning. Just before the first salvo of the Allied sharp bombardment lands. Someone rings the breakfast shell brass casing, but the meal is served hot steel.

Tanks roll forward, and kept rolling way past their random breakdown time period. Table trash talk says they have only mechanics abroad since their gunnery stank. Infantry follows closely.

The final charge and into the first trenches. One strongpoint taken, more to come. Where have those tanks gone? Allied win after repulsing the German counterattack force up “gas” wind.

Eighth: Back in time to the Peninsular war again. This scenario was a YR2019 HMGS convention followup running of the Battle of Vimeiro 1808. Recently landed in Portugal, the British army vs. the French army of Portugal marching from Lisbon. WR still needs to fine tune this scenario. The scenario test again showed a couple of scenario faults with the mid board terrain and advantageous French movements. Not uncommon for a scenario design attempt, sometimes the mental process needs actual game play with gamers to iron out scenario goofs. Another scenario WR will revisit this year for the final proof version.

Opening table with the majority of forces or commands represented by the wooden blocks. Only near Vimeiro village are actual miniatures set up at scenario start.

The opening forces near Vimeiro village. French are approaching the British skirmishers atop the low hill rise outside of Vimeiro. Terrain and miniatures from WR collections.

Later in the test scenario game the battle has moved into the village itself. Lord Wellesley looks on lower left. The token 20th British Light Dragoons near the bridge await orders.

Out on the open British left flank the French flanking columns have arrived and press forward. They won this sector of the battle, routing three British brigades.

Ninth: As we near the end of YR2020 and the start of “slightly cold” winter weather here in Southern California, it is time for more Bulge 1944 action. Before the WR posted article “Pz Brigade 150 vs. the Bloody Bucket xx” AAR, WR’s Panzer brigade 150 ersatz panthers and StuG miniature platoons had a warm up scenario to learn some of the FOW Ver3.0 Bulge supplement rules. Long table set up, with the Germans attempting to break in the American lines and rupture the front. The American line held and the Germans never made it near the Meuse river. Call from the T27 Xylophone operator… will you teke the call?

Opening scenario set up with Americans on left, Germans on right. Ersatz panthers and StuG platoons in foreground while Brumbars…. Brumbars here today thinks WR?

Fake M10….ersatz panthers lurk behind the low hill rise while Sd Kfz 251 await orders.

StuG, 12cm mortars, and SS Infantry. What more does a German player want? Maybe a minefield clearance unit looking ahead.

Here they come mutters an American sergeant. What are those tanks leading. Brumbars! Flipping through the armor research books the sergeant shouts… big gun, armored, overloaded… nasty!

Egg break in or commonly referred as a PzGrenadier armored assault. Charge building in halftracks, toss grenades, jump out and line up the prisoners. Or just MG buildings from distance..

Something even WR hasn’t seen before. A charge of Brumber tanks into the American lines. Forget the huge 15cm cannon, just run them over.

If playing Americans, must use the T-27 Xylophones to communicate with the German SS infantry. A new version of the “collect call”. American soldiers not impressed as they walk past.

Charge of the Brumbars continues. One line crushed, the next American riflemen line soon gets the same treatment but this time the bazookas may upset the German cunning plan.

Tenth and final game: Week later, with the same snowy tablecloth covering, WR’s game room has another Bulge 1944 scenario. Another German offensive battle trying to break the American 99th US Division front lines. Unlike most WR game room battles which last for a single day, WR elected to have a two day event, over two different weekends, and retaining the tabletop set up during the week period between. Since WR’s game room is detached from the main house in most regards, WR just closes the sliding door, turns off the lights, till the following weekend to finish game play. Larger point battle, over the full 15’x6 table, and featured Bruce and Gary’s 15mm miniatures on WR terrain. Once again, the German player team handed a defeat…. but it was close. For early morning warmth, WR even lit the 1960’s era Swiss chalet style vintage floor furnace to heat the room.

The full table setup. Germans advancing from the left towards the righthand Americans. No Brumbars this scenario. Could have used them in traditional way…. blasting foxholes.

WR’s table sector. Panthers and fallschirmjager play peek a boo with American 76mm A/T and some engineers. Off table, the American artillery is numerous and deadly.

Gary was have better luck rubbing out American infantry since most of American artillery deemed WR’s panthers a bigger target. Here the American smoke cloud to screen their M4a1 Sherman.

American view point of the battle.You smoke, we smoke. as a German battery lands clouds of smoke at left.

The American artillery was the tank killer this game. As for their planes, chalk up several trees blasted until they destroyed some German Flak, then the panzers were nervous.

That’s it for gaming photos. One last photo showing the vintage 1960’s Swiss floor heater. Bright orange in color, the gas heater does the job keep WR’s game room warm in winter.

The vintage 1960’s Swiss style floor furnace in orange and black. Some the 1/6th scale collection on the Persian rug before placement atop the five “terrain” storage/ filing dark grey cabinets.

Well, we have arrived in YR2021 and the first tabletop eight player game was the ancients Clash of Empires 28mm Battle of Dara 530 AD. Finished sorting out the photo file, looks good for the complete AAR currently in typing.

Cheers from the winter warren.

WR