Sick Reading

Back in March the flu made a run through my house bringing all home improvement and hobby activities to a halt.  While I was down I ordered some new reading materials.  This is not a proper review of any of these books just my general thoughts.

Hail Caesar Army Lists: Late Antiquity to Early Medieval  This book is just what it says it is - a bunch of army list for HC covering about 60 armies starting in 259AD.  My primary interest is the period from about 600AD to 1100AD and this books has lots of armies in this period.  Since HC is a very unique sort of game the army lists are bit eclectic.  The have a percentage breakdown for unit types much like the old Warhammer Ancients Lists.  There is a point system and a set number of point will purchase an entire unit rather than points being based on each model.  I am just getting into HC so this book is going to get lots of use.

Black Powder Albion Triumphant Volume 1 - The Peninsular Campaign  The second BP supplement is the first of what will be several Napoleonic books.  Not too surprising, the first Napoleonic book covers the British Campaigns in Portugal and Spain.  I must confess to knowing very little about the era and what interest I have is more towards the battles between France, Austria, Russia and Prussia.  Having said that this is a great book.  It is probably prettier that the BP rulebook which is saying something.  The historical background is well presented and interesting.  It is probably better than the few Osprey books I have read on the Peninsular campaigns.  The rules modifications and national traits seem to be reasonably thought out and designed for good game play while also allowing some chance at historical results.  This book succeeded in getting me interested in the period and I will probably make my French with an eye to these campaigns.

Bolt Action Armies of Great Britain  Just as it sounds this is a collection of units and army list for recreating British armies in your games of Bolt Action.  The book is pretty good but there is something lacking in these Bolt Action supplements.  I really enjoy BA but I am having a hard time getting excited about it.  This is really strange as I have been looking for a game like this for a long time.  Anyway, this is a nice book and a must have if you are planning on playing British.  One thing that I thought was strange is the amount of artwork depicting Chindits and yet how little time they devote to them in the rules.  The Far East is very sparsely covered in this book.

Bolt Action Armies of the United States  Unlike the British book this book almost seems pointless.  It just does not seem to substantially add to what was included in the BA rules.  There was really a chance to make something special with this book and I was really hoping for some solid lists for the Far East.  Unfortunately, there are only two lists for the Pacific and they are both Marine lists.  The US Army did fight in the Pacific and they were quite different than the ETO units.  The same is true of the Airborne forces.

For the most part I am happy with these additions to the game library and I am sure I will get plenty of use out of all of them.

Mustering the Fyrd

The other night I decided to pull out my Gripping Beast extras box and take an inventory.  My new plans to convert my WAB Saxon army to a Hail Caesar army made me realize that I just don't have enough figures painted for HC.  In particular I am short Coerls.  I need LOTS of Coerls!  The new Gripping Beast Warriors of the Dark Age plastic figures are really calling my name but before I went out and spent a bunch of money I need to know what I already have.

Turns out this was a prudent idea.  I pulled 88 figures out to use as Coerls.  These figures are mostly GB Saxon figures with a few of their Ancient Germans mixed in.  Basically, a bunch of dudes with big round shields and no armor.  This collection will allow me to run either two 40 figure, 4 rank, units or, by swapping out a stand for an extra command, I can run 4 20 figure, 2 rank, units.  This is an entire division for HC!

Even with this I still have plans to purchase some of the GB plastics.  That stuff is just too damn cool not to add to the collection.  Stay tuned for more on the project.

Hail Caesar Anglo-Dane Leaders

I finally got around to repainting and re-basing my commander figures for my Saxon army.  These guys are a must for Hail Caesar as well as Clash of Empires.  The army general will also see table time as a warlord for SAGA.

It was pretty fun to work on these guys again.  I have not touched my Saxons for 7-8 years...way too long.  I do plan on getting this army ready for some Hail Caesar games.  I might have them ready sometime this summer.

US Armored Field Artillery Battery

I recently finished another unit for my US Tank Company for Flames of War.  Funny how things pan out.  I had no plans to build this army this year and now I am nearly done.

This is an Armored Field Artillery Battery with one section of M7 Preist HMC.

 I upgraded the command and the FO to the M2 half-tracks.

Eventually, I will purchase the new box set to add the second section.  The new box actually has new M7 models which is nice.  It also includes the FO in a Sherman, yeah!

El Guettar Turns 5 and 6

Even with their win in game 4 the Germans were unable to stop the Americans from capturing Thelepte.  If they are to have any hope of stopping the Americans the Germans need to string together some big wins.

In game 5 the Germans would return with the Panzer Grenadiers, this time with no armor support.  They did have two full grenadier platoons with lots of half-tracks. They also had lots of AT support and air support.  The American would defend with a large infantry company with tanks, TDs and air in support.  The scenario was Pincer.

The Americans deployed one infantry platoon covering a small village on the center of table and covering the near objective.  Covering the far objective, behind the village, was a battery of 105s.  The Shermans were held in ambush.  The Germans deployed a pz grenadier platoon on either flank with the HMG platoon combat attached to each.  The 88s covered the center of the battlefield and the pak38 were on the German right.

The Germans pressed their attack on the left flank.  This triggered the Sherman ambush but they only managed to knockout one half-track.  The 88s then killed a couple of Shermans.  The remaining Sherman passed morale and stayed in the fight.  The German attack on the left slowly ran out of steam as the grenadiers made it into the village.  At this point the Germans shifted their attack to their right flank and pressed hard on the near objective.

Several turns without reinforcements spelled doom for the Americans.  When they did arrive they were fed piecemeal into the battle and destroyed.  Poor choices on what units to bring on made matters worse.  In the end the Germans win 6-1.  Things are now starting to look grim for the Americans

For game six the Americans needed to regain the initiative.  I brought a Tank Company hoping to see lots of half-tracks on the other side.  Tim was too sly for that and brought a Panzer Company.  The battle would be Hasty Attack with the Germans defending.  The Americans needed at least a 5-2 victory to keep the timetable in tact.

The Germans would start the battle with two panzer platoons on the table along with the CO.  The American would start with a battery of T19, the M10 security section and the company command sections.  Seeing the weakness of the initial American deployment the Germans decided to go on the attack in the center.  With only the CO and the 2iC covering the US objective this looked like a sound move.  The only hope for the Americans was to get to shooting fast.  The TD section moved up quickly on a village on the US right and deployed.  The quickly knocked out the Panzer CO and one tank from the German's center platoon.  Some goos shooting from the T19 would also score a kill on the center platoon.

The Germans would not be chased off so easily and continued their attack.  They moved into point blank range on the US command tanks but failed to effect.  Timely arrival of the first of the US reinforcements would save the center for the American with the panzer platoon being wiped out.  On the US right the battle continued with the M10s being destroyed but not before getting a couple more panzers.

This battle would again come down to reinforcements.  This time it was the Germans that had trouble getting them on while the US managed to get everything on the table.  The battle would end with the German company breaking.  American win 5-2!

So far the American offensive is on schedule but the cost has been very high.  Her is the scoring so far:

Victory Points
US - 24
Germans - 18

Casualties
US - 102
Germans - 60

Vehicles lost
US - 36
Germans - 25

Guns lost
US - 2
Germans - 6

With the half way point in the campaign reached it is time for a little break.  Home improvement projects and a case of the flu is cutting into game time.  It might also be time to switch games for a little bit.

El Guettar Turns 3 and 4

After two solid defeats and the loss of Kasserine, the Germans decided that it was time to rest the initiative from the Americans.  The Germans gathered a Panzer company and attacked the advancing Americans near the town of Thelelpte.  The American infantry was caught off guard and attempted a fighting withdrawal.  The Americans had a large infantry company with lots of support from tanks, artillery and tank destroyers.  The Germans had tanks.

This battle never really got going for the Germans.  They advanced towards the defending Americans but struggled to dig out the defenders.  The American artillery, tanks and tank destroyers methodically shot the Germans to bits.  The lack of support on the Germans side doom the attack to failure.  US wins 5-2 and the momentum stays with the Americans.

The fourth battle saw the Germans continuing their aggressive ways.  A Panzer Grenadier company, mounted in half-tracks, managed to surround an American rifle company.  The Americans had an excellent defensive position in a small village.  The Germans had what seemed to be a small attacking force consisting of a couple of Grenadier platoons supported by 88s, Pak 38s and PZIIIs.  The Germans also had strong air support.

The Germans focused the major part of their force against the American left flank with only a single platoon of Grenadiers attacking the right.  The right was clearly a diversionary attack that seemed doom to fail.  That single German platoon was facing a large, well dug in, American infantry platoon supported by M10s.  The Germans half-tracks zoomed across the open ground towards the American lines, surviving everything the Americans threw at them.  They then dismounted to launch an assault against the American infantry.  This assault was repulsed and a brutal short range firefight ensued.  This fight on the right would last for several turns and would draw in another American infantry platoon and a US light tank platoon before the Germans were destroyed.

The success of the German attack on the right took both commanders by surprise.  The Germans were slow in exploiting the success of the diversion and the Americans were slow in shifting forces from the right flank to the left.  The Germans, however, recovered quicker and pressed on the objective.  Over the next several turns the Germans would lose the PZIII platoon but the Americans would lose much more.  In the end the American company was broken and fled the field.  This was the first German victory in the campaign, 4-3, and the bloodiest battle so far.  Even with the German victory the Americans scored enough VP to capture Thelepte but momentum was shifting.

Current scores:

Victory Points

US - 18
Germans - 10

Casualties

US - 60
Germans - 43

Vehicles lost

US - 26
Germans - 16

Guns lost

US - 1
Germans - 6

US M10 Platoon for Flames of War

The next batch of US forces are done.  This is a Tank Destroyer Platoon  of mid war.  This is the old Battlefront box set from 2004.  This box is great because it includes the security section whereas the current box does not.

These guys have already seen a couple of games already and I really like them.  This seems like a no brainer unit for mid-war US army.