20mm WW II Game using Iron Cross Rules

Another Sunday game - amazing! Julian's wife was off to Taupo with a girl friend so of course, he took the opportunity of an empty house to invite a few fellow generals around for a game! After some intense negotiation with the dreaded "domestic control", I was able to attend.

Julian had intimated that he had been feverishly painting more AB Figures 20mm WW II miniatures - a scale we last used several years ago when we gave Chain of Command a few runs through. At that time, I invested in a few plastic 20mm figures myself - Brits and Krauts from Valiant (extremely large "20mm" figures but very nice) and, because Valiant don't make any, Russkies by Plastic Soldier Company - their figures being significantly more diminutive and thus much closer to genuine 20mm.

We were joined by John and Chris and played on a small (5' x 3' approx.) table. Julian and John commanded an American force trying to capture a position occupied by a battery of FH 105 guns that were shelling the Normandy beaches. They had two squads of infantry plus two MG groups and a Sherman tank each. Chris and I had half the number of infantry supported by an SdKfz 251 mounting a Pak 36 37mm AT gun plus a PzKfw V Panther tank. The German field artillery were merely there as a "target" and could not fire in our game.

Move one  - my Panther advances into the cover of the woods

Johns Americans opposite my position, whilst Julian and Chris faced off at the other end of the table

Panther supported by infantry lies in wait for the Ami's to advance

Julian's Sherman with HMG group to its left in the woods

Johns Sherman emerged from the woods but took a pasting from my Panther and beat a hasty retreat to lick its wounds

In the distance, Julian's Sherman came out into the open to support John. Chris attempted to engage it with the PAK 36 on his SdKfz 251 but had no effect ; however, my trusty Panther inflicted three or four morale hits on it, and Julian also rapidly withdrew!

Meanwhile, Julian had worked two infantry squads supported by an HMG around onto our right flank and advanced into a wood defended by a single German squad under Chris's command

Two or three rounds of intense fire fight resulted in Chris wiping out one infantry squad PLUS the supporting HMG. In the meantime, my Panther had destroyed Julian's Sherman

The last picture I took before the game ended - Johns Sherman emerged again, took a shot at the Panther - but missed! The experienced German tankers did not make a similar mistake, and the second Sherman disappeared in a ball of flame and smoke!

The final count - the German side lost NO units at all, but destroyed two Shermans, two HMG groups and an infantry squad. Only Chris's infantry squad, our mortar, the SdKfz and my Panther took any active part in the battle. Maybe the Americans needed a third tank?

This is an enjoyable set of rules that we have not played for a while and have only really used three or four times in total - but we shall probably give them another go soon based on the fun we had today!

As I was a bit remiss in game photo's, I took a few more of my troops here this evening

Plastic Soldier Company SdKfz 251 with 37mm AT gun commanded by Chris

120mm mortar by Valiant Miniatures

One of our two MG groups - two MG 34/42 and two riflemen by Valiant Miniatures

My ever victorious Panther - an Airfix kit with AB tank riders

The Panther from another angle.

Sunday Game - Carlist Wars Scenario

As already reported by my good friend Mark at "1866 and all That", our group had a major Carlist Wars stoush at Barry's place yesterday.

I have removed some of the images I took as they were not 100% in focus but still seem to have over thirty left.

I commanded some of my own figures - two British Auxiliary Legion, two Spanish and a Royal Marine rocket unit - plus some Royal Marines, four battalions of French Foreign Legion and two cavalry provided by Mark from his extensive collection. Chris and Paul joined me on the Isabelina side, whilst Mark, Rick and Barry took commend of the Carlist forces. I faced off against Mark on our left wing and a very frustrating job he made it too!

In the second or third round of play, his lancers destroyed my French equivalents, leaving me with a single unit of Raw British lancers to oppose two units of well trained Spanish lancers. The result was that my infantry had to constantly maneuver based on the possibility of a flank attack by the said cavalry, particularly after my crappy Brits were destroyed by artillery fire! Our plan had been for Chris and I to attack the Carlist from both flanks whilst Paul demonstrated in front of the village that the Carlists were bound to reach first and occupy. However, my contribution to this strategy was pretty much stymied by the fact half my troops had to keep one eye over their shoulders for Marks cavalry. At the end of the game, I had only lost the two cavalry units but most of my Brits had not been in any action at all - they just moved around, forming lines and squares as the cavalry skulked in the wings, waiting for a chance to pounce. I did launch an assault on the junction between Mark and Barry with the four French battalions, my best quality troops, but they were opposed by too many Carlists and although they drove back two batteries of artillery, after a round or two of combat, all four were heading back to their start line in various stages of disintegration!

My colleagues in the centre and other flank were much more decisive however and although at three o'clock, when we first decided we should finish, it appeared the game was heading towards a draw, with the Carlists ahead on points, by three thirty when we actually stopped, I think we all agreed that the Isabellinist forces had the upper hand!

Here are the images

My own small contribution - two units of BAL and two Spanish infantry battalions - all rated as Raw

Advancing from the flank - FFL in four columns were my better grade troops

French lancers v's Carlists - my unit was driven from the field

Marks Carlist advance

My initial deployment, preparatory to advancing against Marks position

Ricks Carlist cavalry on the other flank

Chris's Isabellina Infantry advance against Rick

The FFL move through the British line to advance up hill towards Mark

In the centre, Barry occupies the village

Clash of the cavalry on the other flank - Chris wiped the floor with Rick!

Isabellina infantry advance behind the cavalry screen

View from the Carlist side of the village

As the French advanced, Mark withdrew his infantry towards the centre…..

….and his cavalry headed off to ride around my exposed flank.

Meanwhile, the inexorable advance of Chris's troops continues

And Paul moves up close and personal with Barry's troops occupying the village

Chris's advance slightly broken up by the intervening stone walls and patches of scrub

Marks cavalry caused the BAL to adopt a defensive posture, preventing them from assisting the FFL with our planned assault

Face off on the other flank - Chris's cavalry backed by infantry confront a wall of Carlist infantry

The FFL go in - but were defeated by this lone Carlist unit!

Paul's Isabellinists advance against the village

The other two FFL battalions successfully assaulted two Carlists guns, driving off one and destroying the other - however, they were then left in a very exposed position

Birds eye view of action around the village

Marks victorious Carlist unit assaults my BAL Scots and pushed them back

That bloody cavalry is still there - but I now had the rocket troop and artillery positioned to fire on them, so they had to pull back out of range

"La Legion recule!" - the FFL having received a bloody nose scramble back to their starting point

View from the hill, from whence Chris's artillery wrought considerable damage on the Carlists

Struggle for supremacy between Chris and Rick/Barry

The infantry melee went on..and on..and on! We had about three or four rounds that resulted in a draw

The view from the Carlist side at the junction between Mark and Barry's forces

The FFL back at their original position, licking their wounds

The view down the road from the position occupied by Marks cavalry

In the last move, Paul successfully assaulted one of the houses in the village, whilst Chris had destroyed Ricks entire force bar one unit.

It was hard fought game and I did not feel I had contributed much to our victory - maybe my presence prevented Mark from reinforcing the centre, but I think that would probably be over stating my role. Twenty minutes from the end, I would have said it was at best a draw and probably a moral victory for the Carlists - but we carried on for a couple more turns, and things changed dramatically. Certainly not an overwhelming defeat for the Carlists, but I think they had the worse of things!

RCW Female Unit

I have had these figures painted and sitting in the depot for over twelve months and finally decided to base them.

Originally, they were purchased from Siberia miniatures in Russia. I bought one of each figure available, just to see what they were like. As you can see, there are obviously two different sculptors and the quality and detail (not to mention SIZE) of the two groups are quite different.

The larger, more buxom figures are all produced as the "Womens Battalion of Death" a historically accurate Russian unit from approximately 1916-1918 - basically part of the Tsarist WW1 army.

The other figures are actually presented as Polish troops of the Bolshevik/Polish War of 1918-1920 - but I have repurposed them as Bolshevik Militiawomen!

My original intention was to purchase additional figures but this has not eventuated so I decided a couple of nights ago to finish these off and get them based.

To make up numbers, I added a left over Hinterland sailor plus the freebie Hinterland dragoon I received 18 months ago when I purchased the female sailors

Anyway, here are the five bases of RCW ladies - I may create another female unit but to be honest, this one plus the five bases of female sailors is probably enough!

Officer and Standard Bearer

Two smaller "Polish" figures and firing "Battalion of Death"

The kneeling figures is the Hinterland dragoon

Hinterland Sailor, "Polish" advancing in greatcoat and "Battalion of Death" at present.

War of 1812 - Canadian Militia

I decided to paint my last nine Perry figures as this unit but as it will be some time before I get my hands on some more of these figures, I decided to post the three bases I have completed now...

I especially like this vignette (below) that you are able to build with one particular set of arms - an infantryman in the rear rank passing a ball to his colleague in the front rank!