The Twelfth Battle - Caporetto 1917

 

Santa brought me this. Great news, as you can never have too many battles of the Isonzo.  It's a solo game taking in the entire Italian Front over the weeks of the campaign.

Having sorted out the very nice components,  I set up the introductory scenario to try.

After the initial bombardment, in go the stormtroopers!

And the Italian 3 Armata starts to crumble

End of GT1. The defence has been breached in several places.

Meanwhile back on the Piave, there’s a lot of frantic digging.

Managed a draw (the historical result). Did I mention the counters are really nice?

I'm hoping to play through the full game in the next week or so.  Like many other solo games, I think it may adapt well to being played by a group over a Zoom link.

More KuK aircraft

Back in 1917, things just keep getting better for the lucky chaps of my kuk forces. These are diecast models with some plastic parts. I’ve tarted them up a little with A-H markings.

The Aviatik (right) was well regarded by its pilots, but the Hansa Brandenberg was apparently a real bag of spanners. Designed by one Ernst Heinkel. I wonder what became of him….

Austro-Hungarian MG team, 1917 style

 Another kuk MG team. The sand-coloured parts are from an ICM kit and the figures began life as….modern Chinese infantry!

Austro-Hungarian MG team, 1914 style

More bodging of Great War Austrians now. Hollowcast MG & gunner, plastic card shield, loader is an old Tamiya WW2 German AT crewman. Replacement heads by ScaleLink.

Gumbinnen 1914 (yet again!) with Op14

 

Last Friday, and clearly still on a Great War roll, Lloyd and Jerry joined me for a game.  As it was arranged at fairly short notice I dug out a battle I'd fought previously.  Several times. So where are we?

Fly low enough and you can read the road signs.  The game used 6mm toys on Hexon terrain, with 2mm BUAs.  And yes, I know that the aircraft are from later in the war.

The horrors of war!  Russian and German commanders study their briefings.

German air recce.  It only appeared twice in two days. Which was a sortie rate 100% higher than the Russians managed...

The Russian attack north of Gumbinnen running out of puff.

German cavalry division marauding about on their left flank.

German aviators chasing away Russian cavalry while the uhlans prepare to skewer some Russian infantry.

Close up of the uhlans and their cyclist jäger battalion.

As day two drew to a close, so too did the Russian offensive, one corps having left the field and a second soon to follow. The Germans had some nasty moments though, spending most of day one with only a single corps against three!  An very enjoyable game which interestingly produced a result very similar to the Funny Little Wars game played in 2023 - link.

I have several more Op14 scenarios worked out for Belgium and the east so expect to see more of this sort of thing in the coming months.

33rd Battle of the Isonzo - part 3

 

The Alpini assault was followed up by two companies of Arditi assault troops.  Meanwhile the Bersaglieri battalion moved up, encouraged by it's very noisy band.

But down the hill came the Austrian reserves and further unpleasantness ensued.

The Arditi took the position - just - but here come the stormtroopers!

The Bersaglieri managed to see them off - at a cost...

...and soon the rest of the battalion surged up to the top.

Just in time, the Austrian CO skulked off with his mountain gun battery...

...while down below the Bersaglieri band practiced for the surely inevitable victory parade.

A very entertaining game to run - well done to all the players for entering in to the spirit of the thing and for donating photos.

And finally: 

In the comments in the 32nd battle (see here), regular reader Brad DeSantis mentioned that his grandfather had fought - in the Alpini - during the Great War.  I duly named one of the figures as Caporal Maggiore Victor DeSantis.  Not only was he (the figure) present at this battle, but unlike a lot of his chums, he survived!  A small tribute to his service.

33rd Battle of the Isonzo - part 2

 

The Italian attack was led off by the Alpini battalion - off they went, dodging between the shellbursts.

Meanwhile, atop Hill 177 an  Austrian company was comfortable in it's trenches...

...until they fell victim to a well-aimed (or just plain lucky) Italian stonk.  Ouch!

The Alpini seemed to be doing well, as their timing skills were put to the test...

...but the Austrians weren't giving in easily.

From the valley it looked a very big hill!

Casualties soon mounted in among the Alpini.

Eventually the Alpini prevailed, but as they consolidated their position...

...the Austrians moved forward their reserve company.

Were the Austrians about to counter-attack?

        Would the Italian artillery ever hit anything else?

                    Find out in part 3 coming soon!

33rd Battle of the Isonzo - part 1

 The earlier, 32nd battle (see here and many other posts), was a fun game to run and play.  Having added to my Italian forces last year, another visit to this front seemed timely.  Thus it was that a few of us gathered to wonder at my latest creation - an even bigger tabletop mountain!

The Italian starting positions are in some or all of the woods nearest the camera, The Austrians are atop the alp.

Italian Brigade HQ admiring it's quarters.

All the old favourites were here - the Italian soup kitchen.....

...and the Austrian senior officers' latrine!

Having set up and issued briefings, the next step was some air recce...

...the Italians found what they were pretty sure was a mountain...

...while their opposite numbers were able to hazard a guess that an attack was imminent.  Well done chaps.

The Italian heavy artillery batteries firing from off table.  Or another table.

This was the debut outing of a rather lovely FIAT lorry.

Meanwhile, uphill, the Austrian gunners sneak forward a mountain battery.  What a rotten trick!

The opening bombardment.  I made both sides' gunners fire blind- the Austrians from behind the mountain and the Italians from behind a screen.  The results were entertainingly erratic.

A commanding position!