15mm WW2 Sunday Game

Today we played an early WW2 in Russia game, pitting the Russian defenders against invading Italians. Each side had potential air support in the form of outdated biplanes. The Russians had been sent by rail to set up a hastily improvised defence of the railhead whilst the Italians were tasked with capturing or destroying said railhead and the associated communications (telephone lines running parallel to the track)

Rick, Paul and I played the Russians and Chris, Adrian and Mark the Italians with Barry as umpire.

Paul took command of our tank force comprising T26 and T27 tanks, whilst I had two platoons of infantry, four HMG's and four 47mm AT Guns and Rick had the artillery and rolled for our air support. On the Italian side, Adrian commanded their amalgam of the usual ineffective Italian armour, Chris had three platoons plus supports of HMG, infantry guns and mortars, whilst Mark looked after their artillery and air support.

We deployed in cover as the defenders and the Italians had the first initiative.

The attack quickly developed with the Italian armour massing on their right flank, the side of table where the railway line and station  were directly to their front. Adrian advanced quickly but after a couple of moves was engaged by Paul's armour and soon the plain was littered with the burning hulks of Italian armoured vehicles. Mark had great success in rolling a 6 at the start of each turn, summoning the Italian airforce, who targeted the railhead in a series of aerial bombardments. Unfortunately for us, our CinC had chosen to place himself in the said station, so after the second air raid, he decamped to a nearby wood!

Chris plodded forward with the infantry, I remained hidden for about two thirds of the game, with my two platoons sheltering in the buildings of the village adjacent to the rail head, and Rick and Mark exchanged artillery fire and rolled for air support - Mark being approximately 5 times more successful than Rick!

Meanwhile, Paul more or less wiped out the Italian armour but then the pesky infantry arrived and cheekily started knocking out tanks with AT rifles! Paul combined the machine guns of his tank force and rolled 24 dice - to get rid of two bases of infantry. As Chris's infantry got within range my four HMG's opened up on them and caused a few casualties each turn. Rick also contributed by inflicting damage with his artillery.

Mark and Chris combined their mortars, artillery and the air support to batter the buildings where my infantry were ensconced, and managed to kill two of the four HMG's. On the Italian left flank, two of my AT guns opened up on an advancing HMG platoon with HE - with no success. Next turn, the HMG's wiped out the two guns!

But the Italian advance was running out of steam. Most of the armour was destroyed and two of the three platoons of infantry likewise. The remaining armour risked advancing from cover to try to push my infantry out of the forward edge of the village, but this simply exposed them to my other two AT guns and Pauls tanks - and they were quickly destroyed, including a spectacular explosion when my AT Gun hit a flame thrower tank! The Russian tanks then turned on the last viable Italian platoon that had advanced to within spitting distance of the railhead, and in combination with my riflemen, reduced them to a few stands of figures who, in the next turn, failed an activation test and were forced to retreat. Rick lost one artillery piece, I lost two AT guns two HMG's and one stand of infantry and Paul lost three tanks whilst the Italian force was reduce to a couple of support units (HMG, mortars and Infantry guns) and their artillery battery. An argument could be made that the Italians achieved their primary aim - the air force succeeded in destroying the railhead quite early in the game - but their ground force failed to make any significant headway and were decimated in the attempt, whereas the Russians still held their original positions and had all their units still on the table!

Here are the pictures I took of the action:

The table looking from the Russian end - rail head on left of the church

From the Italian end

Rick and my Russian troops

The Russian tank force commanded by Paul

 The Italian force before being deployed

 The first Italian tanks advance

Massed Itlian armour

A deceptively peaceful scene - where are the Russians? 

Two of my AT guns redeploying

 Rick brings the massed artillery into action 

 Russian tanks emerge form cover - Italian targets can be seen on fire in the distance

The Italian infantry on the move 

 The first armoured thrust stalls

Some of the surviving Italian tanks press forward 

 Italian infantry making use of cover

 The Italians switch from the flank to the centre

My AT guns continue their perambulation of the table

 One of the few occasions that Rick succeeded in getting our air support onto the table!

The attack in the centre grinds to a halt too

  Italian infantry advance towards the railhead

My AT gun "brews up" the flame thrower tank! 

The last remaining Italian infantry in the woods flanking the village and adjacent to the railhead 

A final view of the table - the burning railhead is in the bottom lsft of the picture...