Operation Bright Star 1983

This NATO Brigade Commander scenario was put together as a flimsy excuse to use some recently finished US troops. It was based on an article in an old issue of Strategy & Tactics which outlined US plans to deploy troops to the middle east in the event of war. How unlikely it all seemed back then... The scene was set as follows:

Following the Camp David peace accords, which finally ended the conflict between Egypt and Israel, the US has been courting Egypt as a regional ally. This has taken on a new importance with the Islamic revolution in Iran, formerly a crucial US ally.
Joint exercises have been held by US and Egyptian forces. These are usually based on a scenario involving hostile action by Libya.

In advance of this year’s exercises, the usual US airborne troops have been replaced with elements of the latest High Technology Light Division (HTLD), lavishly equipped with light vehicles and AT missiles.

Before the exercise can begin, however, news arrives that Libyan armoured units have crossed the border… A real shooting war has begun and the HTLD must delay the Libyans until Egyptian heavy units arrive.

The Libyan advance stalls but the US battalion in the  own looks a bit wobbly.

The battle intensifies as another Libyan tank battalion is thrown in.

US artillery deploys to support the defence.

Libyan Gazelle anti-tank helicopters put in a late appearance.

The Battle of Marathon

No - I'm not dead - just been rather busy with one thing and another for the past couple of months. I'll try to fill you in on recent gaming activity. In July Martin Rapier and I refought Marathon using Phil Sabin's Strategos rules and my 6mm Baccus figures. A spurt of painting activity early in the summer had increased my collection of Hoplites and doubled my Persian infantry.

I ended up commanding the Persian Army (like they needed another handicap!) and we went with the historical deployment as set out in the Strategos book. This is seen from the Persian side above.

Early Persian sucesses were swiftly reversed as the (much) better quality of the Greek infantry began to tell. Finally the survivors ran for the boats and began an apprehensive voyage home wondering how the hell to explain it all to the King of Kings.

Triples 2009

This years outing to Triples (in Sheffield, for those of you who don't know!) featured our new game Sturmstaffel. In this participation game, up to 6 players take the part of German 'volunteer' fighter pilots defending the Reich in up-gunned and up-armoured Fw190s against a formation of B-17s.
The favoured approach was the frontal assault, turning after passing through the bomber stream and picking off the damaged and crippled.
Sturmstaffel kept us all (me, John Armatys, Jerry Elsmore, Nick Mitchell and Martin Rapier) busy throughout the weekend. I reckon that we had over 100 players in total!
Other highlights of Triples included the MAD Gamers participation game of Isandlwana (by reflex I just shouted 'Zulu') which Martin and I played late on Sunday afternoon. Suffice it to say that there were no British survivors and that one om my Impis captured Lord Chelmsford's colours. The game provided an interesting contrast to my last 'visit' to Isandlwana (also using Baccus 6mm figures) at Wayne Thomas' games day in late 2007. On that occasion I was the only British survivor - saved only by a Flashman-like headlong flight with the colours wrapped round my quaking body!

Operations hampered by bad weather!

Gaming activity over the past week consisted of Martin Rapier's offering of Operation Blockbuster as a Megablitz game (see more on Martin's 'The Games We Play' blog). John Armatys and I made convincing tired Germans while, for the Allies, Nick Mitchell got stuck in to the fighting while Jerry Elsmore struggled with traffic control and logistics.

Martin provided virtually all of the (20mm) toys while I mechanized the Canadian infantry in a Kangaroo and a de-frocked Priest. I knew that Kangaroo would come in handy. I really should paint the other one! I also unleashed my Ersatz rail gun - see photo - can you guess how I made it? (Cue cries from the cheap seats of "badly!")

I also managed an Airsoft outing on Sunday. This saw the debut of my new G3A3 rifle which achieved a few long-range 'kills'.

The weather hasn't really restricted me (not being a soft southerner) although I did call off a business trip to Somerset on Thursday. Other than that my Honda CR-V has taken me everywhere I pointed it including, on Sunday, across a snowy field! Only to be greeted by my dear friends Andrew and Heidi muttering "Bloody show-off!"

More airsofting planned for this weekend, but I'll try to do some painting too.