New 20mm toys!

I have had a brief burst of painting 20mm scale toys.  These are the first I've done for a few months.  The kits were based and sprayed some (>2 years) time ago but I can't bring myself to confess how long it is since I actually built them.

First up we have 3 Valentines.  All are I think the ESCI kit although the tank nearest the camera has a resin turret with a 6 pdr gun.

Next up are more 'I' tanks, this time a pair of Matildas.  These are the trusty old Airfix kit.  The only addition is that of a commender figure by (I think) AB.

To accompany the 'I' Tanks we now have some infantry.  These are all the lovely old Dixon figures which match very well with 1/76 scale kits.  Incidentally, for Megablitz purposes each stand represents a battalion so this photo contains a Brigade worth if infantry and an MG battalion.

Finally a pair of Honey light cruiser tanks.  I painted three but for some reason only two made it into the photo.  These are the old but very nice Matchbox kits.  Although I remember them being launched in the '70s.

Corinth Canal again

This was the same scenario as described in my earlier post.  This time I played the FJR Rgt 2 while Martin Rapier took command of Isthmus Force.  As willl become apparent the game took a very different course from my solo playtest.  The Germans adpoted the same landing plan as previously but found themselves under constant Bofors fire.  In the north this led to a very embarassing morale failure at which point the FJR were invested by the ANZAC battalion.

Soon this turned into an even more embarassing rout as the surviving FJR huddled round the end of the bridge.

Meanwhile in the south the FJR infantry successfully overran the Bofors position while Col. Rapier frantically tried to unditch his HQ lorry.

In the north, the ANZACs mopped up the paras but were themselves wiped out while trying to close assault the engineers on the bridge. The Allie's armoured might (a weak squadron of MkVI light tanks lays down harassing fire on the (very resilient) FJR engineers.

 The NZ battalion arrives in the south and threatens the FJR weapons company.  The Greeks at last put in an appearance at the railway station.  Soon they and the FJR infantry fight each other to a standstill.

Endgame.  As turn 15 closes and German land forces close in from the north (just off table...), the engineers, by now the only surviving Germans, continue to hold out against the massed attacks of the tanks, carriers and New Zealanders.  The game ends as a draw but it's Iron Crosses all round for the plucky FJR Engineers. 

Operation Hannibal - Corinth Canal Bridge, April 1941

This was a WW2 NBC game which I playtested earlier this week and played with Martin Rapier at the Sheffield club on Wednesday night.  The scanario was based on the version on the Rapid Fire website (http://www.rapid-fire.uk.com/) which contains a lot of useful material.  This report is of the playtest game.

Allied Orbat and Briefing

Isthmus Force HQ - HQ with lorry - deploys anywhere on table
Composite Greek Battalion - 3 Inf Co - Corinth
Composite ANZAC Btl - 3 Inf Co & HW Co - N of canal, 4+ hexes from bridge
2 AA Batteries - Bofors 40mm AA - anywhere on table
Combined Carrier Plts - Carrier - enter on S road turn 1
C Sqn NZ Div Cav - Mk VI light tank - enter on N road turn 3
26 NZ Btl  - 2 Inf Co (mot) - enter on S road turn 5

Set up after the Germans have plotted their drop zones. On board forces may be dug in. The Bofors guns are emplaced any do not have any transport. Only the Bofors may fire on turn 1.

Reinforcements are placed on the first hex in on the turn they arrive.

Allied forces must control or failing that, destroy the bridge. Surviving forces must attempt to escape to the south.


German Orbat and Briefing


Fallschirmjager Regiment 2
Regt HQ  - HQ  - arrives by para anywhere, turn 3
I/FJR Rgt 2  - 1 Para Co  - arrives N by para, turn 1
                      2 Para Co  - arrive N by para, turn 2
                      HW Co  - arrives N by para, turn 3
II/FJR Rgt 2  - 1 Para Co  - arrives S by para, turn 1
                        2 Para Co  - arrive S by para, turn 2
                       HW Co arrives  - S by para, turn 3

FJR Assault Engineers  - 2 Glider Co  - 1 in place at either end of bridge

4 on-call Ju-87B sorties, max of 2 per turn.

The Germans win if they achieve 2 out of three of the following:
1. Control both ends of the intact bridge.
2. Eliminate both AA batteries.
3. Eliminate all Allied forces.

If the Germans fail to achieve any of their victory conditions the Allies win. A draw occurs if neither side can achieve their victory conditions.

Below - the situation at the end of turn 1.  The first paras have arrived safely and while the carriers trundle along the road the ANZACs dither.  Corinth is just off to the top left (south west) corner of the photo.

The mighty carriers advance.  All toys by Heroics & Ros except the MkVI tanks, which are GHQ.

As the Allied troops start to gather, the Fallschirmjager (FJR hereafter) in the south overrun the Bofors battery.

At the end of turn 2 a mysterious (but entirely historical) event occurred.  A stray shell from a Bofors ignited the charges which the efficient glider engineers had removed and piled neatly beside the bridge...  Some of the engineers paid the ultimate price.

As more FJR land on both sides of the canal, some of those in the north suffer casualties on landing. As the ANZACs advance Stukas swoop out of a previously empty sky.  While the bombing causes no casualties the Stukas live up to their reputation as morale-busters.  ANZAC will wavers (the yellow marker).

The same scene from a different angle.  Under the unforgiving camera flash my Stukas look very scruffy but their service life stands at 20 years and counting.

In the south the Greeks were also targeted by Stukas.  Again there are no losses but morale snaps.  The FJR then close assault the hex containing not only the Greeks but also the surviving carriers and Isthmus Force HQ.  The FJR suffer 2 hits but dish out 4.

Back in the north the ANZACs rout to the perceived safety of the Bofors battery.

In the south the FJR have now seen off the Greeks and overrun the HQ.  The NZ 'Battalion' finally arrives on the hill but is shot up as it dismounts.

Turn 7 - the FJR in the north overrun the surviving Bofors battery and the Allies chuck in the towel

WW1 again!

A full report of this game (played at the Sheffield Club on 20/01/2010) has already been posted by Martin Rapier on his blog (The Games We Play), so I'll try not to duplicate his efforts. Suffice it to say that the game was part of our continuing efforts to find the 'Holy Grail' of a playable WW1 Div/Corps level game. I think it worked.

Again we had 3 divisions - from left to right British (me), British (Jerry Elsmore) and French (John Armatys). My photos concentrate on my division (which was the most successful...)

Below we see my troops (accompanied by some of those new-fangled tank things) overrunning the German front line. Before anyone asks, the tank is indeed the old Airfix faithful (I have three of them).
Next we see my follow-up brigades about to brave no-mans land (and the German barrage). Nice to see another appearance from my 'Harry Tate' (RE-8) on the look-out for Jerry guns.

Towards the end of the game now, and my chaps are overrunning the Jerry communication trenches. We could have had a go at the second line but, well, orders are orders.

The same scene from a different angle (the RE-8 perhaps?) I wonder what will change in 1917...