Plugging the Gap - part 1

A T-64 Battalion of 1 Guards Tank Rgt on the move

Foe this week's game we returned to out (happily fictional) WW3 in 1981.  I ran this over the weekend for Bertrand and Jack as the Sovs and US commanders respectively and again on Tuesday & Wednesday evenings for the usual Sheffield crew.  This report is part 1 of the first game.

In short, we are in the Fulda Gap.  Two regiments of 20 Guards Motor Rifle Division are heading for Frankfurt having sliced through 11 Armored Cavalry Regt on the border earlier this morning.  A US battalion has been deployed and another is on it's way.  

In terms of the logistics of the game, I had it set up on my table and the players joined by Skype.  I 'flew' my iPad over the battlefield as we needed to look at particular areas.

 The field of battle.  The arrow points north.. Fulda is in the NW corner, the N-S autobahn is the A7, the spur heading west is the A66.  The Sovs are expected from the NW.  Each hex is 1km across.  Most stands are NATO companies or Warpact half-battalions.

 The commander of 1GTR photographed during a pre-war exercise.

 As the action opened, disorganised elements of 11ACR are heading south.  The stand to the north is the Recce Co from 1GTR

 A tank btl and motor rifle btl from 1GTR heads south.

 A US force based on a Mech Inf Btl digs in on Hill 401

 1GTR Recce takes up position on Hill 402

 Another US Btl arrives from the west.  Note the explosion markers indicating SCUD strikes on Fulda and Dirlos. HE warheads only of course!

 The Yanks on the hill come under pressure but the Troop from 11ACR (bottom left) has pulled itself together.

 A Soviet airstrike (MIG-27s if it's of any interest) hit Hill 401 and then US Cobras hove into view.

 The Cobras loosed off a few TOW at the Sov tanks which then closed with the Americans.

 1GTR having completed it's arrival, the second regiment (29 Motor Rifle Rgt) arrives from the east.

 Following a successful assault by the MR btl of 1GTR the Sovs were in charge of Hill 401.  More MIGs arrived and upset the retreating Americans.

By now the US forces had been driven back to Dirlos but the hail of Cobra-launched TOW were keeping the Sovs at bay.  We paused at this point with everything still to play for.

Scud TEL

I've just finished two of these GHQ monsters.  Most of us will associate Scuds with the 1991 Gulf War but they’ve been around in various forms since the late 1950s. The Soviet designation for the missile is 8K14 and the TEL (transported/erector/launcher) vehicle is a MAZ-543. I recently discovered that MAZ still exists and continues to churn out heavy trucks in Minsk (Belarus).
I appreciate that opportunities to field a system with a range of 700km may be limited, but that’s no reason not to have one. Or two.
And yes, the missile should be the same green as the TEL but where would be the fun in that?

And of course, it only took me 45 minutes to prepare them....

VCOW - VIRTUAL CONFERENCE OF WARGAMERS

Virtual Conference Of Wargamers

What is it?

When is it?

Where is it?

What will it cost me?

The Conference of Wargamers is an extraordinary event. There can be very, very few, if any, conferences which charge a fee for entrance and then expect delegates to provide the entire program and write up the proceedings. Yet each year COW is a triumph of good will and collective endeavour over standard consumer practice. Each year, as the call goes out for sessions and the members of WD provide, and we all have a jolly good time at Knuston. Then your Editor eagerly awaits, and eventually receives, enough reports for 9 issues of The Nugget

For obvious reasons this year is not the same. We must assume that we will not be meeting at Knuston this year and plan accordingly. We can however take this as an opportunity to develop our wargames and the way we engage with conflict simulation. Following a discussion with a handful of members, we have taken the decision to offer an alternative to COW – Virtual Conference of Wargamers(VCOW).

VCOW will take place over same weekend as physical COW, that is the weekend of the 10th to the 12th July. It will begin on Friday evening with two Plenary lectures, and there will be blocks of sessions over the Saturday and Sunday. These sessions will be a mixture of lectures, discussions and games, and attendees will be able to sign up to a range of different activities over the course of the VCOW. Sadly, you’ll have to provide your own food, but other than that, we hope to recreate the COW experience as far as possible for all attendees. We also hope that VCOW will provide us with some innovative new types of games and allow us all to explore the benefits and limitations of the virtual medium.

Details of sessions available are on the VCOW blog and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Attendance at VCOW is open to the following:

Current members of WD

Anyone who has been a member of WD in the past two years

Guests invited by WD members

The cost to attend is a mere £5 – the Paypal link can be found on the VCOW blog.

Numbers will be limited so book now to avoid disappointment!

If you have questions about VCOW please contact me or leave a comment on this post.

1S12 Long Track radar

Bit of a cheek this - a whole post just for one 1/285 scale model!  But it is a big ‘un. The 1S12 (NATO reporting name ‘Long Track’) was the target acquisition radar for the SA-4 Krug AA missile system. But far more importantly it looks pretty damn cool. This is a C in C model and came in five parts. If it looks a bit squint that’s because I dropped the damned thing on the floor during painting. The (acrylic) paint is Humbrol Grass Green over a black undercoat, painted over with a wash of water with a tiny bit of black in it, a drybush of Vallejo light mud and finally a scoosh of matt spray varnish.