Sinai 1967 - a Megablitz game revisited

Last month's Friday game saw seven of us gather to play through the 1967 Sinai campaign with my 6mm toys and Megablitz rules.  I'd actually run this game back in 2000 and it was good to have two of the original players - John and Martin - present this time.  We were joined by Lloyd, Russell, Simon and Pete for an excellent day of pushing toys around, punctuated by a splendid lunch.

As well as the original toys, I still had my orbats and notes from 2000 so it didn't matter much that I ran out of time to do more research.  We started from the point at which the Israeli Air Force was returning from administering a decisive kicking to their Egyptian foes.  The action took place on three parallel tables, each 12x3 feet, covering the area from the Israeli border to the canal.  The action broadly followed the historical campaign.  In brief, following some unpleasantness in the north, the Israelis made good progress along the coast road.  Further south, an Egyptian armoured division caused some worrying moments with a spirited flank attack.  Eventually the Israelis got a firm grip of the situation and bottled up the surviving Egyptian armour in Sinai.

Thanks to Russell, Pete and Martin for allowing me the use of their photos.  I don't pretend they are in chronological order but should at least give the feel of the game.  For those of you as yet uninitiated in the mysteries of Megablitz, most stands represent battalion sized units.

The toys are a mix of GHQ, Heroics & Ros and Scotia.  I had treated myself to some new IAF aircraft but all the other toys were present for the original game.

An Israeli column rushes along the coast road.  The nearest stand is a logistic unit.

Fighting just west of the border.

Heading west at speed!  Some of the Israeli toys date from the late 1970s.

The IAF puts in an appearance.

Unpleasantness near the Giddi Pass.  Two Israeli brigades in action, supported by IAF Magisters.

A scary looking Egyptian armoured task force.

Another scary looking Egyptian armoured division.

Literally, heading them off at the pass!

A senior general flies to the front

My new Fouga Magisters in action

Some recommended reading.  I've had this since the '80s.

A relatively new book - very good.

A classic!

Another new book with newer orbats and nice maps.

Prolonged preowned panzer perpetuation - part 3

Concluding my look at this recently (re?)formed division, here are the rest of the toys.Above is one of the Panzer Grenadier regiments in old resin halftracks of unknown origin.  I added a couple of figures to the nearest model.

The other PzG regt.  Airfix Opels with more figures from me.

The StuG Abt with a high-mileage Airfix survivor, and Pioneer Btl with more figures added.

The Flak and Pz-Jag Abts.  Clearly not all of these sub-units would necessarily be fielded together.

The transport column - a pair of Lledo diecast Macks.

The whole ensemble posing for the camera...

...and snug in their boxfile....

...which is of course, neatly labelled!

Prolonged preowned panzer perpetuation - part 2

After acquiring these toys a mere five years ago and sorting them out a year later (see my earlier post), I have finally managed to form them into 9 Panzer Division for Megablitz games.  Originally built by Chris Kemp who wishes to remain anonymous (and rightly so, since he forsook the one true scale in favour of 15mm...), they came to me by way of a shadowy figure who we'll simply call Chris Willey.  I clearly remember using some of these toys in NQM games 20+ years ago so they are definitely veterans!  Above is the Panzer Regiment with a standard Airfix Panzer IV and a heavily rebuilt PzIII.

The Div HQ and staff.  That's a very full Kubelwagen...

The Aufkl Abt (Recce Btl), with Sdkfz221 (resin hull with Airfix wheels), unknown plastic motorcycle combo, Airfix '222 and a rather pleasing Sdkfz 233 converted from the Airfix kit.

The art regt with Airfix Sdkfz 7 and scratchbuilt Wespe.

The rest of the division will follow shortly.....

French LOG

I have mentioned before (and provided plenty of photographic evidence) that many of the softskins vehicles in my 20mm WW2 forces are rather dodgy diecasts.  The French do not escape this and one of the Corps logistic trains includes this useful offering from Lledo.  This manufacturer obligingly provided 'load' which clipped on (and indeed off...) thus facilitating the spray painting of the lorry while the load remained - aside from some weathering - as Lledo intended.  Hence this culturally appropriate Perrier* wagon.  Well the general needs something to dilute his Absinthe...

*although their last outing indicated more of a taste for Vichy water.....

Ukraine 1944*

* Huddersfield 2014 actually, but who's counting?

A couple of weeks ago I accepted an invitation from Pete (see his blog) to explain some of the mysteries on Megablitz to him and Evan.  Based on the toys I knew Pete had to hand I dusted off the Ukraine 1944 scenario I had used to demo the game at shows in back in 2002.  See the WD/Megablitz site for more chat about the scenario which was basically a means of gently running players through a few game turns.  I brought a few extra toys - including the 1/144 B-25 which finally turned up for it's 'dawn raid' at noon...

We only played a few turns - let in with a great deal of chatting, tea, biccies and other such essentials.  The few photos make no attempt to tell the full story but I thought you might like to seen them.

A division of my Romanians bravely trying to defend a 30km frontage - the 'Thin Brown Streak' perhaps?

One of the two Soviet Rifle Corps.

More Sovs, including the front end of 8th Guards Tank Corps on the road.

The Romanian artillery regiment, engineers (centre) and Div HQ (right).  Mostly Raventhorpe figures.  100 points if you can identify the gun model.

Finally:  The B-25 should have been accompanied by my Il-4.  But it was broken again.  Here it is under repair.  See also it's inglorious appearance at Kharkov in 2012: link

The Megablitz Archive - A Bridge Too Small part 6

I will conclude the report of this game with the 'war diary for days 3 and 4 and the remaining photos.

Day 3 - 19/09/1944

XXX Corps clears Eindhoven and advances to the Wilhelmina Canal.  As the north bank is defended (by among others the recently arrived 245 ID) , road priority is given to artillery and engineer units.

101 Abn comes under pressure from the south.

82 Abn sends a regt onto the Groesbeek Heights.  This is soon in action against lead elements of the grandly-titled Korps Feldt (actually a weak infantry division) arriving from the east.

A German armoured column (Pz Bde 107 and Stug-Brigade 280 ) appears SE of Nijmegen and probes the US defences.

The battle for Deelen hangs in the balance for several hours and only huge huge air support tips things in favour of the Paras.  A short-lived intervention by the Luftwaffe is soon driven off by Spitfires which were flying top cover for the Typhoons.

Day 4 - 20/09/1944

We wound up the game at midday on the 20th.  Final conclusions were as follows:

XXX Corps.  By the end of the day troops of 50 Div were expected to effect a crossing, shot in by div and corps artillery.

101 - clinging to it's position at Veghel Bridge but still under pressure from the south.

82 - Nijmegen could go either way - the Stug and Panzer bdes are chunky units.

1 Abn - in firm control of Arnhem and Deelen.  Elements of Korps Von Tettau are trickling from the west but the lead units of 15 Scottish Div are soon to be flown in to Deelen.

Part the last of this series of posts now.  Above:  the flood of German reinforcements heading for Nijmegen was such that traffic police were needed!

US AA gunners wondering if the Luftwaffe will ever show up.

Ah yes - here is is now!

A lovely 1/144 Eduard Bf-109G built and painted by Wg Cdr Luddite.  

Predictably it was soon seen off by...

...The brave boys of the RAF, in the shape of a horrible
Spitfire flung together and daubed by me.

USAAF aircraft were present in some quantity too....

...while the Luftwaffe were throwing in everything they had!

An RAF recce P-51 keeping an eye on things.

More Germans heading for Nijmegen....

...with heavy support.

By now the Brits had secured the airfield at Deelen.  

Just as well, as the plan was for 15 (Scottish) Division to be flown in here.  

Just as soon as the holes in the runway are filled in...

Meanwhile back in the south, the mighty Churchill bridgelayer was in action!

The XXX Corps traffic jam.  This  was as far as it got!