And now for something completely different…..

In between Flames of War games the boys have tinkered with Desperadoes, a Wild West skirmish game for 28mm figures. A few games later, and I bought some “heroic scale” 32mm figures from Knuckleduster Miniatures.

My favorite western movie is probably 1993’s “Tombstonewith Kurt Russel, Val Kilmer, and the recently-passed Powers Boothe.  The figures that arrived were pretty good copies of the movie characters. I also picked up “Wild Bill Hickok” and a Wells Fargo “Shotgun Messenger’ (’cause you GOT to have a guy with a shotgun!).

A few weeks later, here they are:

Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp

Johnny Ringo and Curly Bill Brocius.

Wells Fargo agent and Wild Bill Hickok.

These are great figures…now i have to order the rest of the Tombstone characters!

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Posted in Painting, Wild West | 1 Comment

US Glider Rifle vs 512. German Heavy Tank 1775pts

Allentown friend Dan W. (RT on the FoW forum) came to town for our tournament at Legions Hobbies this past weekend. We got a quick practice preview game in Friday night. Dan used his fave “big kitties” and I had US “glider riders”.

His List:

My list:

Forces

The scenario was No Retreat. Dan’s Germans were “always defend”, so I was the attacker.

…………………………………………………………….

The Germans deployed on the North of the board with infantry forward, 150mm werfers in the upper left, and mobile AA in ambush.

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My three infantry platoons were well forward, pioneers on the left. The three 57mm AT guns were in the center. 75mm artillery in the wheat field to my right. 105s in the town square on the left. The M10cs were hidden behind the town buildings. The Recon jeeps were in the center on the road.

………………………………………………………….

TURN ONE. A pair of Typhoons arrived and spotted tanks below. My recon move was shortened by the German deployment, but they got close enough to try to lift gone-to-ground, which they fail to do, of course.

A 105mm barrage on the town defenders hits an infantry stand which saves, but misses all the vehicles. The 75s, using the AOP spotter plane, range in on the werfers and get a hit, but the werfers save.

The Tiffies fail to range in and fly away.

Another Jagdtiger arrives from reserves. Dan reveals his Wirbelwind AA tanks, hoping to give his troops some air defense for my turn.The German werfers unpin (as did the infantry) and hit the advancing GIs, killing one infantry stand. Carius shoots and misses two infantry stands. The 2ic Jagdtiger kills one.

………………………………………………………….

TURN TWO and the 75mm barrage fails to hit the werfers. Three planes arrive.

The 105s don’t do much better. Their TOT hits infantry, a half track and a Wirbelwind. My big chance to kill two vehicles evaporate as I roll 2 and 2!

  The flight of Tiffies spot a big target lurking near the woods and their volley of rockets kill the Jagdtiger. Tally Ho…target destroyed!

 

In the German turn another Jagdtiger arrives on board. Carius works his magic and kills two infantry.

The werfers hit the  pioneers and guns near the industrial park, but all save.

…………………………………………………………..

TURN THREE. A single Typhoon arrives and targets the werfers. Two of the jeeps lift gone to ground on the German infantry. The remaining jeeps and nearby infantry fire and take out two defenders and pin the platoon.

Time on Target from the 75mm battery gets no hits. The 105s fail to range in.

The Typhoon flies through a sheet of flak and goes down in flames (4 hits, TWO kills!).

The last of the German reserves, a Tiger II, arrives on the board edge.

The werfers zero in on the 57s after a Jagdtiger misses and destroy one.

Carius misses two infantry targets, but one falls to another Jagdtiger.

…………………………………………………………..

TURN FOUR. Three Tiffies fly over and dive toward a big Jagdtiger trying to hide near some.woods  The M10c platoon doubles on the left in a risky move, preparing for flanking shots on the following turn.

  To help the air attack, I target the Wirbelwind with the 105s. I blow the resulting TOT, rolling a pair of 1s on the infantry and AA that were hit, so only bail the Wirbelwind.  A recon jeep bails one of the half tracks with accurate .50 cal fire. Advancing through the factory buildings, the GIs take two hits from defensive fire but kill the observer team directing the werfers.

AA fire downs two of the three attacking planes who only manage one ineffective hit on infantry, missing the Jagdtiger completely.

In the German turn, Carius moves to hit the M10c platoon. Due to his slow movement rate, he could only spot one of the tanks (which I had hoped for) and MISSES his two shots. (Two shots because I doubled the platoon in movement).

The werfers did much better, destroying one M10c and pinning the infantry with a near-miss.

TURN FIVE and end. Due to time constraints (dinner time at Burgatory!) we make this the last turn. No planes to help. I try for points here….the M1oc shots kill two Wirbelwinds, but Dan robs me of a point when he rolls morale!

105s range in on a JT but do nothing. The 75s try for half tracks and infantry but only get a bail result on a track.

Suicide charge time! GIs charge the infantry position and are stopped dead in their tracks by 7 hits, losing two stands.

Dan takes it 5-2! Thanks for the game, big guy….

I had really set up to charge in the next turn. Within range of the German platoon  defending the forward objective were elements of three infantry platoons, one of pioneers. A smoke barrage from the 75s would have been used to help the assault, shot in by the recon jeeps and 57s. 

Shoulda, woulda, coulda,…..

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US Glider Infantry vs Ersatz Pioniers 1790 pts

 

I met with Mark M. (sorry for the blurry picture, Mark!) a few weeks ago at Legions Hobbies for a battle to test my list for an upcoming tournament. We rolled Dust-Up for the mission- a fair fight. Mark picked the left corner for deployment, so I got the lower right..

Mark’s List: Ersatz Pionierkompanie-5

My list: US GliderInf1790

Mark set out Hummels, a Tiger II (with Schnell skill) and pioniers and I countered with two infantry, the 105s and the M10cs (British Achilles with 17pdr AT guns). This US list models 17th Airborne and uses British support.

……………………………………………..

TURN ONE and Mark moves his forces closer to the center with no combat.

My infantry moved toward the enemy. I received air support in the form of a single patrolling Tiffie (British Typhoon with rockets) who spots the Tiger and approaches for an attack. The spotter plane reports Hummels in the woods but the artillery fails to range in. The diving plane ranges in on the tank, but the erratic rockets fail to hit the tank and a nearby infantry stand.

……………………………………………………………

TURN TWO begins with the Hummels ranging in on the M10s on the third attempt. I roll a big six to save the tank destroyer but an infantry stand is not so fortunate and is eliminated.

My turn is pretty uneventful. The infantry platoon can’t unpin from the barrage even with a re-roll from the CO. The artillery fails to hit the Hummels after ranging in. Another Typhoon appears, ranges in, but misses the Tiger again!

…………………………………………………………….

In TURN THREE, von Saucken re-rolls the reserve die and gets a battery of 88s which deploy near the board edge with a great field of fire. Evidently they unlimbered too quickly as they completely miss their targets!

The Hummels re-deployed to avoid the artillery template.

I did little movement in my turn with no air and no reserves.

But the artillery FINALLY hits something and destroys one of the 88s.

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TURN FOUR and von Saucken gets some Panthers (one is behind the farmhouse)! The remaining 88 digs in. Hummels fail to range in.

The mighty Tiger finally gets to shoot and explodes one M10, but the Panthers all miss.

I get no plane and no reserves again. The 105s FINALLY dig in and manage a Time on Target strike on the Hummels and bail one. (Mark rolled a 5, but had to re-roll because of the ToT and managed to roll a big four.) My M10s get their first shots  and kill one Panther and bail another.

……………………………………………………………

TURN FIVE and German pioniers arrive. The 88 limbers and advances. One of the Hummels bogs as it changes position in the woods to avoid the artillery.

An M10 is tagged by the Panthers and erupts in flame.

No planes arrive for me, but the Recce jeeps and pioneers appear from reserves! The .50 cals on the jeeps destroy one of the Hummels and an infantry stand defending the objective. Pioneers charge the position and capture the bogged Hummel. The remainder of the battery then quits the field. The poor 88 receives a perfect ToT barrage, but amazingly dodges the shell bursts (Mark rolled 6, then 5!!!). My second infantry platoon moves towards the objective to help the pioneers.

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TURN SIX and end.  The Panthers move to kill the rest of the M10 platoon but miss with snake-eyes. The Tiger moves back towards the thinly-held objective.  

I get mortars from reserves who target the German infantry defending the objective. With infantry fire added, the Germans take TEN hits, and two stands are killed. The lucky 88 lives on when the 105s MISS.

In the big shot of the game one of the M10s hits the Tiger from the rear flank and the 17pdr shell works it’s magic and kills it’s target!!

At this point we call the game because of time (it was almost 10pm). With the death of the Tiger, Mark had one  near half-strength  platoon on the objective that was pinned. Everything else was too far away. US Pioneers  and infantry were within assault range.

6-1 for me… all because of one lucky shot!

Thanks for the game, Mark.   Better luck next time!                        

 

 

 

 

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Bulge Attack: US 99th Infantry attacks Volksgrenadierkompanie (12.)

img_9956 Early last Friday Tim McClelland brought out his Amis for a practice game before our tournament at Legions on Dec 17. We rolled No Retreat and I won the defender die.

Tim’s list was 99th US Infantry:

tims-list

My list was an infantry unit from 12. Volksgrenadiers:

bulgegerman1735

I grouped one panzershrek with the 2iC to get an eighth platoon and deployed the sturm platoon (with the other shrek added); the pioniers, the NW32 rockets and held the PaK40s in ambush.

img_9957 The pioniers went down first with wire placed in front of the town buildings. Tim’s objective was in the second building from the left and the “puffs” on some of the pionier stands showed they were flamethrowers. The mid point of the board is the far front edge of the church. My troops and ambush all had to be placed behind that line.

img_9959 The site for the spotter for the rockets was obligatory…top of the church steeple! The sturm platoon was to the right. Rockets were to the rear in a wood, guarding the objective I placed.

img_9960 Tim deployed all his forces for the attack. His right was weighted with the infantry. The mobile security section for the TDs , Chaffees, and the Recon unit were to the left. The TDs shown at bottom left were held for deployment. We played on an 8-foot board so the back of the table was free storage for our crap.

TURN ONE opened with the infantry doubling on my left…Tim reasoned my pioniers only had rifles and wouldn’t do much damage as only three could effectively fire (where the hell are all the MG34s when you need them?). The recon and security section moved at normal speed ahead on my right. Tim had rolled for two  P47s and my Focke-Wulf Fw 190s were nowhere to be seen.

img_9961 Between the planes and the mortar barrage both German infantry platoons were pinned, but no casualties were taken.

img_9962 Baier’s rolling good! The JgdPanzer V’s arrive on the first turn! They take quick shots at the Recon platoon who evade with no damage. Six shots from the pioniers get two hits on the jogging Yanks and kill a bazooka team. (At TRAINED troops in the open…all I need is a 3 or better…)

img_9964 Maybe the 30cm rockets will do better…the spotter in the steeple does his magic and the heavy shells fall into an infantry concentration. Infantry, mortars and anti-tank guns are under the barrage. When the smoke clears, two infantry stands including the platoon leader and one mortar team are obliterated. (I took the heavy rockets because of the 1+ Fire Power. I figured that if Tim missed his save it was an automatic loss).


 TURN TWO. The infantry and AT guns unpin. The AT guns fail to dig in. A lone Thunderbolt heads for the Germans, but a flight of 190’s chase him away. (I rolled a SIX!). In the center, the I&R platoon tries to lift Gone-to-Ground on the sturm platoon but fail.

img_9966 The mortars target the pioniers again and pin them. All hell breaks lose as the Amis unload across their front with tank fire, machine gun concentrations and rifle volleys! Baier again rolls well and after all the many hits are rolled for only a single pionier stand is lost. Field telephone reports from the observer claimed that he took a shot through the helmet that creased his scalp and the bullets hitting the bell in the tower were killing his hearing…

img_9967 My luck continues (yes, sometimes I do roll well!) and two platoons arrive from reserves. The AA platoon deploys on my right, hopefully keeping the light recon troops back. The Schutzen platoon goes left to shore up the pioniers. The Jagdpanthers miss, rolling 2’s. The sturm platoon’s MGs get three hits on the I&R platoon with no effect. Tim’s saves were all good.

img_9968 The 30cm rockets attempt to fire but only one responds (Superheavy rockets may fire if they roll their skill level if not fully re-loaded). The barrage hits the I&R jeeps but does no damage other than deafening some of the passengers. Tim again saves them all. The Schutzen platoon storm-troops but the Jagdpanzers fail.


TURN THREE. Two P47s fly over but the 190s again appear to drive them away. (Wow!! ANOTHER 6!). The shell-shocked jeeps remain pinned and Tim’s dice woes continue with the mortars failing to range in and the recon again missing their skill check to remove gone-to-ground. Once again all the Ami units fire and get the same effect–one dead stand for the sturm platoon. The  combat engineers charge over the wire and all six cross (they re-roll their skill check to cross). Three hits from defensive fire do nothing and the GIs kill two stands. The assault ends with no Germans able to respond so the Americans consolidate on the position.

In the German turn the last unit arrives near the center and moves forward. The AA guns   appear to have misplaced their shovels in the baggage train so do not dig in.

img_9970 The PaK40s enter the party and knock out a Chaffee and bail one of the M20s.

img_9971 The pionier flamethrower sneaks up on the Amis who assaulted the town and fry two. The sturm platoon  kills a bazooka and the Engineers pass their morale check. The rockets were too busy re-loading to shoot.

img_9972 The Jgdpanthers storm-troop and, in a more normal roll for me, BOTH bog as they try to enter the woods.


TURN FOUR. The shaken engineers fail to dig in and the hapless mortars again miss. Mulligan must be sleeping again! “Wait, Kelly, wait. Will you listen to me a second? Will ya listen to me! It’s not me, I tell ya, it’s not me! I – I can’t tell one shell from another, they all look alike! They all look alike. If was me, if I could tell, would I be here? WOULD I BE HERE?! I wouldn’t be here, Kelly!”

The I&R platoon spots the enemy but to no avail…six hits are dodged by the defenders. One is a near miss when the fire-power roll fails. The deafened spotter in the steeple has no more worldly problems after a 57mm HE shell detonates on the bottom lip of the church bell, sending a large piece of bronze into his back.

img_9974 In the midst of the chaos one of the rifle platoons charge over the wire toward the objective. Five out of six stands cross but withering defensive fire throws them back with six hits, killing one.

The German pioniers unpin and the remaining flamethrower kills two stands from the riflemen in the street.

img_9975 The German rifle and MG shots ring out and get 9 hits on the GIs huddled in the street. Two more stands fall and the platoon commander dies. The engineers take a casualty, too,  but make their morale roll again. Things are looking grim for the Americans…at least the Jagdpanthers are still stuck in the trees.


TURN FIVE:  The low growl of the big Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine of the approaching P47 is drowned out by the two  diving FW190s who again intercept the air threat.

img_9976 Mulligan’s mortars miss again. The Chaffees kill two defenders, wounding the sturm platoon commander who moves to better cover. The HMGs get two hits on the pioniers and Tim gets a chance when I roll snake-eyes for saves but can’t roll his firepower. The I&R MGs account for one more sturm stand and the AT guns kill another pionier, which make their morale test and stay on the field.

Once more into the breach! The last intact infantry platoon charges into the depleted defenders who only manage two defensive fire hits but kill one. Tim whiffs on the combat roll and the German counter-attack kills four, pushing him back from the objective.

A second charge goes in from the other platoon, but seven hits from defensive fire kill three and halt the attack like it ran into a brick wall.

The pioniers, reduced to the command team, have had enough and retire. (Failed the sole survivor test). The Schutzen platoon gets three hits on the platoon that assaulted first last move and kills two and the PaK40s get another.

img_9977 Big rockets fall into the tank platoon but Tim rolls off sure death and bails one. One of the JgdPz Vs frees himself but misses his target. The half-strength sturm platoon kills one of the second assaulting platoon and forces a morale check which Tim passes.


TURN SIX AND END. The last infantry platoon capable of charging fails to unpin, so the Germans hold the objective.

Thanks for the game, Tim. The dice FINALLY went my way. When one side is rolling good and the other rolling below average it sure helps.


 

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Polish Infantry 1939

I finished the majority of my Poles for a recent FoW tournament in Pittsburgh:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dicemanrick/albums/72157669326471884

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Battle of Medina de Rio Seco l4 July l808. Order of battle

Especially for Neil, and a plug for the Nafziger Collection (tell George I said “Hi”)

808GSAT
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Fitzi’s “Pile o’ Commies” fight Polish Infantry

IMG_8310Getting ready for our upcoming Early War Tournament, Aaron Fitzgerald (Fitzi) faced off with my newly-painted Polish forces.

barbarossa-soviet-strelkovy-guardsFitz

My list:

Aug-Pol-EW-1575

IMG_8302 The mission was “Hold the Line“, and I deployed on the left half of the board with one infantry company(platoon) with ATR, both artillery batteries, and the 37mm ATGs were held in ambush.

IMG_8311The artillery was to the rear with 75s on the left. The infantry was forward, deployed around the objective. I also nominated a cavalry company as a Bypassed Company, a special Polish Rule that simulates the rapid advances of the enemy which left isolated units behind the front lines.

IMG_8309 Fitzi deployed with his 122 mm gun battery hidden behind the hills and T-28 tank company to the right. Masses of infantry screened both and prepared to advance.

IMG_8316TURN ONE: The entire Russian army front grinds slowly forward. The heavy guns thunder and immediately hit the infantry near the objective, killing one and pinning the unit.

IMG_8317 After unpinning my infantry, I send my artillery regards back…the 150 mm guns range in on a packed target (good thing he’s Conscript as you can see from my ranging in attempt!). The barrage only managed to bail one tank as all the other targets saved. The 75s ranged in on the other infantry company but do no damage other than pinning it.


TURN TWO and Fitzi’s stunned infantry both need higher motivation to move forward so the Commissars of each company have to “make an example of the shirkers” and each shoot one stand to recover.

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Brit Paras assault German Security Infantry (1420pts LW)

IMG_7353Long-time friend John Loy came in to play in our tournament the following day at Legions Hobbies and needed some practice so we “threw down” Friday afternoon with our tournament lists.

We rolled up “Counterattack” and I chose a night attack to help John ( and me!) get familiar with those

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Battle of the Bulge Tournament

Battle of the Bulge Tournament held at Legions Hobbies, Pittsburgh, PA

1,850 point Late War Tournament
Saturday, December 26th, 2015

Lists are accepted from the following sources only:
-Devils Charge
-Nuts
-Panzers to the Meuse
-No fortified companies will be allowed.

Special Rules that will be in effect.

Rounds #1 & #2 the German player will always attack. In case of a German vs German game then you dice off normally.

Rounds #1, #2, #3 the American Engineering Company will always defend and will always have prepared positions.

Fog rules from Nuts on rounds #1, #2, #3 will be used

Note: The FOW Site has errata for both the Devils Charge and Nuts boo.


 

Pics from the tournament are from my Flickr album. Click on the picture and arrows appear for navigation.

 

IMG_6481


Results:

Allies
1.

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Firestorm: Caen British Airlanding attacks German grenadiers

From Rust and the City:

Epron
Allied forces at Sword Beach have been battered by attacks by the 21st Panzer Division. The airborne troops that held Breville have been pushed back to the beachhead. Desperate to protect their shallow beachhead, the Allies have launched a daring attack directly into the German defenses around Caen.

Mission:

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