The first documentary on the Peninsula war in 20 years. A new series on YouTube. It's not a talking head but actually going to show the locations of battlefields and places.
Tuesday, 1 April 2025
In Sharpe's Footsteps. . .Why Did The British Fight In Portugal and Spain
Saturday, 22 March 2025
Backing a histroical Kickstarter from Microprose - Task Force Admiral
Task Force Admiral | Limited "First Team" Physical Edition
Only 15 hours to go, so by the time you read this it will be too late.
When I saw it advertised by Drachinifel I decided I had to get it. And you get an old style physical box! I wish I could afford the upgrade to the include the book with doctrines.
I think this was the first Microprose game I ever played on an Amiga 1000: I read the manual cover to cover multiple times. SO MUCH INFORMATION.
Friday, 21 March 2025
Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Australian Enginners and cheap terrain and tanks - Dark Castle Terrain
One of the main reasons I got into Bolt Action is finding a place at Slaves2Gaming that sold figures based on attack on Bardia, as I had a great uncle who was there in the 2/2 Field Park Engineers of the 6th Australian Division.
What they don't have is an "Engineer" unit.Well https://darkcastleterrain.com/ does!
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| Mid/Late war engineers, but they would work! |
They don't work for 1941 Engineer's, but they represent what they are. Currently my only idea is to put a handcart full of equipment next to the unit.I'd really like some men with shovels, wire cutters and Bangalore torpedo's, but I haven't found anyone like that yet. If I add some riflemen to it and drop the mine detectors I can do a squad easily enough.
Video including some of the 2/2nd Field Park Company is here and some war diary's here.
They also do resin desert adobe buildings, and their resin and MDF tanks, terrain and building are cheaper than I can find anywhere else. You have to wait 10 days for it to be made, but I would not mind the wait.
I will need to get some!
Monday, 10 March 2025
New army thoughts after Small Tactics IV
I still need to write up my 3rd battle report for, but of course I've been spending a lot of time adjusting my 1100 point army list following it.
Having two "task forces/platoons" of a veteran infantry in a large squad, a small LMG support squad, platoon commander and a Matilda II did work well. I would like a platoon commander for each with a medic, but also want some sort of HE rounds for enemy in buildings and cover, a FO to get the enemy pinned down or provide smoke cover, and a reserve able to take objectives.
I liked the small Light tank Vickers VIc, but it can't take objective's on it's own. if I has 1250 points I'd get one.
The medic only got 1 save each game, but for the first two games, it allowed me to keep control of an objective! So he was well worth it.
I was very impressed by the trucks that would come in with a squad of SMG infantry to ruin my day, and want one. I can get a Long Rang Desert Group, but can't get a platoon commander for them to be able to snap to and all jump out of a truck if I want a platoon commander with each task force. So I'll put them in a Bren Gun Carrier, which has light armour and can still shoot after they get out. it's not a squad big enough to take a defended objective on their own, but must be used to attack or support another unit.
Total Points: 1097 Order Dice: 14
- Platoon #1
Inexperienced 21
Infantry Section 1x NCO with Rifle , 3x Infantry with Rifle , 1x Infantry with Light Machine gun (requires loader)
Veteran 80
Infantry Section 1x NCO with Rifle , 3x Infantry with Rifle , 1x Infantry with Light Machine gun (requires loader)
Veteran 80
Special Forces Infantry Section 1x NCO with Submachine gun , 4x Infantry with Submachine gun ,Behind enemy lines ,Tough Fighters
Veteran 90
Medic 1x Medic
Regular 23
Forward Observer (Artillery) 1x Forward Observer (Artillery) , 2x Infantry (equipped as modeled)
Veteran 118
Light Mortar Team 1x Light Mortar team
Inexperienced 21
Light Mortar Team 1x Light Mortar team
Inexperienced 21
Bren Carrier 1x Bren Carrier
- Forward-facing LMG
Regular 50
- Platoon #2
Inexperienced 21
Infantry Section (Engineers) 1x NCO with Rifle , 8x Infantry with Rifle ,Engineers
Veteran 126
Infantry Section (Engineers) 1x NCO with Rifle , 8x Infantry with Rifle ,Engineers
Veteran 126
- Platoon #3
Matilda & Valentine Infantry Tank
1x Infantry Tank Mk II Matilda Mk II
- Turret-mounted light anti-tank gun
- Co-axial MMG
Regular 155
Command Vehicle rule (v3)
,Command Vehicle special rule
10
Matilda & Valentine Infantry Tank
1x Infantry Tank Mk II Matilda Mk II
- Turret-mounted light anti-tank gun
- Co-axial MMG
Regular 155
Alternative:
OR, drop the engineers, mortars and FO, get a truck for the LRDG squad, and get a 25 pounder + tow with a platoon commander for the LRDG and upskill the other platoon commanders. I feel like this would be a more interesting army to play. I could put the 25 pounder on a corner to block enemy trucks coming on, and still use it with it's spotter to hit enemy infantry in buildings.
Total Points: 1100 Order Dice: 15
- Platoon #1
Regular 30
Infantry Section 1x NCO with Rifle , 8x Infantry with Rifle
Veteran 117
Infantry Section 1x NCO with Rifle , 3x Infantry with Rifle , 1x Infantry with Light Machine gun (requires loader)
Veteran 80
Special Forces Infantry Section 1x NCO with Submachine gun , 5x Infantry with Submachine gun ,Behind enemy lines ,Tough Fighters
Veteran 108
Medic 1x Medic
Regular 23
Trucks/Lorries 1x 3-ton Truck
Regular 27
- Platoon #2
Regular 30
Infantry Section 1x NCO with Rifle , 8x Infantry with Rifle
Veteran 117
Infantry Section 1x NCO with Rifle , 3x Infantry with Rifle , 1x Infantry with Light Machine gun (requires loader)
Veteran 80
Medic 1x Medic
Regular 23
- Platoon #3
- Turret-mounted light anti-tank gun - Co-axial MMG
Regular 155
Command Vehicle rule (v3) ,Command Vehicle special rule
10
Matilda & Valentine Infantry Tank 1x Infantry Tank Mk II Matilda Mk II
- Turret-mounted light anti-tank gun - Co-axial MMG
Regular 155
- Platoon #4
Veteran 65
Howitzer 1x Light howitzer (25pdr) ,Gun shield ,Spotter
Regular 65
Wheeled Artillery Tractor 1x Wheeled Artillery Tractor
Regular 15
Sunday, 9 March 2025
2nd game at Small Unit Tactics IV - The Red Spy is still determined to capture the briefcase!
I see the briefcase is safe. Tell me, did you happen to kill a red spy on the way here? No? Then we still have a problem.
The Russians are determined to recapture the briefcase!
The 2nd game at Small Unit Tactics IV was to capture 3 para-dropped objectives. They would show up on turn 3, with one the in middle and the other two in a random line direction across the battlefield. The armies were only 850 points in size, to allow 3 games in a single day at The Gaming Arena in Melbourne. The table was again excellent, I want to buy one. My first game was a loss covered here, and my army list here. My infantry is is from the Bardia range from Slaves2Gaming, my tanks from Warlord Games.
I was playing the Russians 1943ish and the terrain looked to be in the Soviet Union. They had one Su-76 (with AT shell), a light tank with autocannon (a mirror to my VIc Light tank), two rifle squad's, an inexperienced light mortar, two MMG's and two assault SMG squads in trucks.
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| The battlefield looking from my left flank, after my first wave has run forward. Russian MMG teams are in the fields and 2 rifle squads in the centre |
I won the dice off and decided to attack from the side that had greater cover. I could see a ruined building and hedges that would provide good cover to take the first objective when it landed in the centre, and some hills I could use for cover for my tanks.
I deployed my two rifle squads in the centre, with one Matty in support, and one on the far right flank, as I hoped to use both hills to their front as hard cover in a hull down position. I was worried about my left flank, and thought I would probably need to bring my light tank on there. I was confident I could take the first objective when it landed, and would need my light tank to possibly get cover for the second. If I could take 2 out of the 3, I win.
The Russians deployed one Rifle squad behind the building and another in the forest, light mortars and MMG's in the fields at the back and a platoon commander behind the forest. The MMG's had good fields of fire, but I think they were too static for battles that needed you to move to objectives. I knew he had 2 trucks full of SMG's ready to run in from the flanks, and his tanks from reserve.
What I SHOULD have done is put one tank on either far flank, in a position to ambush his tanks when they came in on the field, or target his trucks when they came into flank up the roads. A trucks speed on roads means they could get all the way to the centre of the battlefield and the objective that was going to land there, so I needed to stop them before they could get there and offload a huge amount of SMG short range fire. His tanks were not a threat to taking the objectives, only the 2 squads of rifles and 2 SMG squads. They needed to be my priority targets!
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| My rifle and armour run forward to cover the parachute landing zones |
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| I advance to the road and get in soft cover of the bushes and forest |
His light mortar in the fields got pinned by the co-ax machine gun from centre Matty, and being inexperienced, couldn't do much for the first half of the game. I should have left my Matty in a hull down position, I didn't need to advance to be the top of the hill.
I also found once again I didn't need the movement trays, as I get more experience I think I can move my infantry fast enough without them.
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| Target, Tank 20 degrees right! |
His SU-76 came on the road in the back right corner, and spent the rest of the game dueling with my Matilda II there. I got several penetrations but only enough to stun, slow and then immobilize his engine. Being in cover I had the advantage here, though his gun was more powerful and got one penetration but didn't do anything I can recall. I stopped his tank moving, which he later mentioned afterwards then BLOCKED the road for one of his trucks to come on! He didn't need to bring the tank on there, so it was a poor choice to do so.
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| A Matilda II covers the landing zone |
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| Light tank VIc covers the left flank |
I brought on my Light (unpainted) tank on the left - I was very worried about a truck full of Soviet SMG's rocking up on that side. I should have stayed hull down though. I got some more fire onto his squad in the building.
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| The objectives have landed! |
I rolled for where the parachutes would fall and one landed right on my troops on the right! The other landed close enough to the building his rifle squad was in to be able to claim it, though I didn't realize he was close enough till later. I was in a position to secure the blue briefcase.
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| Safe and Sound |
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| LMG squad gets into the ruins |
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| My 2nd LMG squad comes up to support the main objective. Despite being under MMG and rifle fire, my squad in front has had no casualties |
Being in cover and having veteran troops resulted in that I didn't take a casualties until turn 3, half way through the game. His MMG fire in particular was ineffective. Meanwhile his regular rifle squad in the building and trees took many losses. The one in the trees got knocked down to one man left, though his belief in the motherland was stronger and didn't rout from multiple morale rolls.
This really showed how much veteran troops are in surviveability. I think my front line troops need to be always veteran's. Not getting shot is better than trying to save afterwards. Add a medic for another 6+ saving through makes them very hard to move out.
I was also lucky the enemy only had an inexperienced mortar to fire HE and the Su-76 busy fighting one of my tanks. His mortar finally got itself unpinned near the end of the game with the platoon commanders support and was able to put down several shells onto my LMG squad in the ruins, but was only hitting 2 men at a time, which was enough to pin them down though.
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| Dueling with the Soviets across the road |
He brought on his light tank to fight my light tank. I then spent most of the game with it pinned and had to rally it later. I should have stayed behind the hill in a hull down position. At the end I did get some penetrations into his and put his tank on fire, but not get a kill.
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| PPSh's! |
With my light tank busy, and my other tank not in ambush for it, one of his SMG squads roared up the road from the left flank and dropped an entire squad on my face. I was very lucky his other truck failed it's orders roll for two turns!
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| Close range firefight |
I was very lucky my veteran troops survived, but I had 3 squads and the tank available to shoot them back so they got pinned down and took more casualties then they gave out.
I only had 1 man survive from my squad, but I had a medic and platoon commander there to help, while his squad did not.
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| His light tank is on fire! And the crew decided it was safer to stay in the tank! |
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| Here comes in the very late 2nd SMG squad! Too late... |
With the last turn of the game, the 2nd truck finally arrived from my right flank. My Matty on the right could have stayed in ambush, but I knew the truck couldn't get to an objective in time, so kept firing at the Su-76 instead. I'd had my right squad in the forest in ambush for a turn waiting for the truck to arrive, but moved them forward to the hedge on the last turn,
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| The 2nd SMG squad comes out, but too late to matter |
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| Victory for Australia! And my first Bolt Action Tournament win! |
My plan worked pretty well. I was lucky with one of the parachutes landing on top of troops in cover to just reach out and grab it, but he was able to secure the other one from the building. The terrain favored me to hold it, but I think the fields favored his MMG and light mortar to cover them.
My right hand Matilda II was in a good location, but I should have put the other one on the far left to cover the t-junction. I could then have put my light tank in the centre, where it can use it's autocannon better than the Matty's 2 pounder. Looking at the terrain I could have put both tanks on the right to fight his tank, but the one in the centre did do good work pinning down the enemy infantry to it's front. But on balance it would have been better to put it on the far left to deal with his light tank...but he could have always kept it with the building between it and mine. It would have been better to keep it on the left to go into ambush and stop his truck coming down the road.
I need a AT gun or tank on either flank to stop enemy trucks full of assault squads rocking up, they seem to be the best way to take objectives. I can get a truck full of LRDG troops with SMG's, but it's very expensive and needs a platoon commander to quick time them out of the truck, so I'm relying on my 2 veteran rifle squads to do it instead.
Also I kept forgetting to snap-to my Platoon Co. I need to do that! And I need two platoon commanders, 1 for 4 squads was too low I think though in this game all the squads were pretty close to each other so he was able to move around to support them.
I need to paint some flags to show I have captured an objective so it looks better than a dice sitting on it.
I'm not happy with the Warlord Games pin markers, they are too fiddly. I'm ordering some Litko fire,flames and smoke markers for next time - small ones for one point, a medium one for 3 or 5. Like the old Epic Space Marine 3rd edition ones were, which undoubtedly helped designed Bolt Action too.
Having veteran infantry was once again crucial and won the game for me. The centre squad got knocked down to one man, but survived again due to the one medic roll that succeeded and held due to the platoon commander. Meanwhile his 2 regular rifle squads in the building and forest got knocked down to 1-3 men, though they were under as much fire as my centre squad was.
The Soviet player had the better army list, and lost because one of his flanking trucks only arrived on the last turn. If it arrived at the same time as the other one he would have taken both objectives with ease - I was able to focus fire on one for two turns before the other showed up. I should have put both tanks on the flanks in ambush until they showed up - they were more of a threat to winning than the Su-76 was, though it would have done a huge amount of damage if it hadn't been dueling with my tank.
I could still have used an FO more I think than the centre Matilda II...
Coming up - the third game of the tournament - A training exercise with American troops in Bastogne...
Best painted armies I saw at Small Unit Tactics IV
I asked but didn't catch who actually won the best painted army at Small Unit Tactics IV, but here's the ones I liked:
Germans in the mud of Stalingrad
I appreciated spending the time to make the background. All the...mud and grey and grim dark grimnes in the grim dark Stalingrad gets a bit...boring, but it looks like he spent a lot of time on the bases, which I liked.
Polish Cavalry, tankettes and a bear
I wanted to see this army when I was told about it, and there we have it. I asked later and the cavalry did NOT do much of anything, which I am bitterly disappointed at. I wanted to hear they charged enemy tanks (well, armored cars). One day I would like to make a Polish army and make it a cavalry army.
I also liked the clear plastic bases, which would make a lot of sense and not depend on where you're fighting to look good.
Note the bear. They have a bear. I don't know what unit the bear represents, but I hope it got some kills and survived every battle
DAK 90th Light Division with Brandenburgers
It also looks like a great army for my army to have fought against, so I'm sad I didn't get a chance to do so.
The painter Tim commented on Facebook:
Scrolling through FB and hey, that's my army! Was super chuffed to win best paintedIt was a great day of BA, and I'm glad you enjoyed it too. I've found the BA community in Melbourne to be super welcoming. Looking forward to seeing you around - maybe get in that Aussies vs DAK match-up!
This sounds like an amazing army to build and would make a hilarious WW2 movie
Specifically, Leutnant von Leipzig was ordered to take a Brandenburg commando team and begin a reconnaissance effort of today's Niger and Chad to determine if German efforts could indeed be channeled to disrupting this supply line. Lake Chad and its surrounding areas were selected as being the most effective zones of disruption. About 100 Brandenburger troops were made available for "Dora". They were equipped with 24 British military vehicles, 12 40mm armed trucks, 4 British Jeeps with AA MG's, a command sedan, a signals truck, a gasoline and a water supply truck and a small mobile mechanical service truck. All participants had a solid command of either English or French, three also spoke fluent Arabic.
The team departed Tripolis in either June or July of 1942. The convoy drove via Hun and Sabbah bound for Marzuq (an Italian garrison in south eastern Libya). A "Feldflugplatz" was constructed about 35 miles from the town of Al-Qatrun (south of Marzuq). The idea was to deploy a number of refurbished Spitfires there (they were to be flown by Brandenburger pilots). Al-Qatrun was to serve as the primary base of operations. In July of 1942, von Leipzig divided his 100 man team into three smaller teams. He took charge of the first group.
The first group proceeded to advance towards the Tassili plateau in south-eastern Algeria. From there, the Brandenburger's proceeded to build another forward staging base. No sooner had they reached the Tassili mountain region, they were discovered by a French armored unit which immediately opened up fire. Over the course of the next few days, the Germans worked hard to stay one step ahead of the French. The French then proceeded to set up a trap for the Brandenburgers in a small Arab village located about 35 miles from the town of Ghezehida (Algeria).
The British and the French reacted in total panic - they had not expected to see German troops in that part of Africa. Additional French troops, British Colonial troops, special commando units, etc., were now ordered to converge on the Brandenburgers. To better effect their escape, the Brandenburgers now switched over to wearing French uniforms; having buried their German uniforms deep in the sand. The Brandenburgers did something cool and calculated - they drove right up to a French unit and told them that they were one of the many parties sent to the region to catch the dreaded German infiltrators. Because of their French language skills, the ruse worked. The local French commander gave them food and supplies. But then disaster struck. A French commander gave one of the Brandenburgers an order - to the only Brandenburg team member who spoke no French. Von Leipzig quickly took advantage of the confusion, ordered his men to their trucks and escaped with all his men - now bound for the Libyan border again. The French were so dumfounded that they waited until a more senior French military officer had arrived to help make sense of what just happened. Of this team, only four were killed in action (in a firefight with French forces on a mountain top).
The second group under the command of Feldwebel Stegmann proceeded to advance over the Tibesti mountain range in northern Chad and from there proceed towards Lake Chad. Their assignment was to operate in French Equatorial Africa and cause as much havoc as possible. Two days after departing, the team was "attacked" by Bedouins. Feldwebel Stegmann however maintained his composure and ordered every Brandenburger to remain perfectly still. It turned out that the "attack" was a Bedouin test of courage and allegiance. The Tibbu Bedouins also hated the French and they were very willing to help the Germans. With help, the Germans were able to infiltrate the ancient caravan town of Bardai. It was held by only a company sized unit of French troops. It did not take the Germans long to ascertain the fact that a strong contingent of French troops were on their way. A decision was thus made to return to Libya. 14 days later, all German Brandenburgers arrived safely in Marzuq.
The third group under the command of Leutnant Becker was to advance towards the Libyan town of Ghat (south-western Libya) and penetrate southern Algeria. They were to avoid combat situations if possible. After crossing the border town of Ghat, they ran into a village occupied by French forces. Through a series of clever subterfuges, the Brandenburgers were able to create a condition of medical quarantines in the region. This worked, and no additional French forces dared to enter a quarantine area. The local Arab people were willing participants to this ruse, as it made the hated French look as foolish as possible. The third group too returned unharmed to German lines in Libya.
After being recalled from Marzuq due to the British attack at El-Alamein, the Brandenburg commando's reported back that it would take at least a few divisions worth of men to successfully complete the designed mission. On the day that the Brandenburger's were recalled to Tripoli, the promised Spitfire a/c arrived. A few reconnaissance missions were flown, the resulting reports were however not encouraging. But it was too late, "Dora" was then canceled.
This sounds like a Comedy that deserves to make into a movie in the 1970's.
Saturday, 8 March 2025
1st Bolt Action tournament results and initial thoughts of the 1st game
Today I attended my 1st Bolt Action Tournament Small Unit Tactics IV. 3 games where some maneuver was required, using small 850 point armies with low order dice.18 Players playing at The Gaming Arena.
My army list was in the previous post and was a Early War British army list, based on the Australian 6th Division in Libya and Greece in 1941. The army itself is based on the uniform used in the attack on Bardia.
And I won 2 games out of 3!
I was disappointed I didn't get a chance to fight the sole(?) Italian
army or a DAK 90th Light. The Africa Korps 90th Light got the best paint
job vote from me, as both the paint job and the extra effort of having a
short paragraph written about the army and where it came from. There was also a Polish army with lancer cavalry, tanketts and a bear.
I would never win any paint awards, but I really need to write one for myself next time! Wasn't any point as I had a completely unpainted except for an undercoat Vickers VIC light tank.
I also need to get a tray painted up as a diorama of assaulting one of the Bardia defence points to lay the army out.
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| Rommel's elite 90th Light Division of the DAK - an army I did not get a chance to play against to my sorrow |
First Battle: 8th army training
First
game was vs the only other British desert army - 1942 British 8th Army.
It was obviously a training exercise in the desert. I should make some guys with little white flags to run around and mark shots and have clip boards, as this is going to be a common enough occurrence.
The mission was to take 5 objectives out in the middle of the table, but each side starts in a long corner of the table. It was a desert map with 3 very nice MDF buildings (from a company that no longer exists), large nice stone hills (and usable(!) hills from Battlefield in a Box) and some light cover palm tree area's, with a crossroads (also Battlefield in a Box) that's been hit by artillery fire making craters for cover in the centre. A very nicely laid out table to represent a battlefield in Africa (even if the sand was very err Martian red).
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| Egypt, 1941 |
He had no tanks, two 40mm Bofers, more units and 14 order dice to my 9, including a light mortar (that got several first turn hits), and AT rifle (that missed every shot), more veteran infantry than I had and a LRDG truck with SAS armed with SMG's coming in on a flank. Weirdly for a British army, neither of us had a Forward Observer! We both had concluded that 10% of the army in one guy was too much.
I should have taken the FO.
His army list (with Warlord Games 8th Army figures) worked better than mine, and the terrain favored him slightly better, though I choose the side to attack from. The bomb holes and rocks made my two tanks harder to maneuver, and I put one on each flank to try and do something about the LRDG truck I knew was going to show up at some point. However, I didn't put my tanks in good positions to ambush it - I should have put a tank on the far left and right in ambush to stop it. Being LRDG they were going to show up turn 3. I thought the two buildings on my side of the table would make good defensive positions but the one I got in didn't have windows facing the enemy, and the other two story one I couldn't reach in time before being outflanked by his LRDG truck.
After game note: I believe now that LRDG from reserve only help with a =1 to the orders roll to arrive if you're in a LRDG TRUCK, which I don't think he was.
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| The fight for the left and centre. My army is on the right |
I also chose to flank with my light Vickers VIC tank, but that was also a mistake. I ran it from the right up the road, but instead of firing decided to try and engage ramming speed and run down a veteran infantry squad on the objective. Being veteran's, they passed a unmodified morale role (no pins on them) and just got out of the way. I should have shot at them.
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| I have captured 2 objectives on the left of the battlefield (closes to camera) but the OPFOR has just captured the centre one and hold the 2 further down the road |
He did try for ALL the objectives, instead of my plan on just going for 3 on the left and centre, but my units advanced badly and were uncoordinated. On the left I had one large unit, one support LMG, a platoon commander and a tank, and they were able to take and JUST hold it, and broke his assaulting SMG unit, but the large unit and platoon commander got wiped out to one Sargent left in the process. They took both objectives on the left though!
I should have left my inexperienced platoon commander in the building and hid and give out morale bonuses instead of trying to be a hero and get 1 SMG to shoot his infantry.
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| The OPFOR has captured 3 objectives in the centre and right |
My centre attack was a bit of a shambles. My large rifle unit held a strong position in rocks through the game, but couldn't advance against his mirror like unit in the rocks opposite, the Matty didn't do much (though did destroy his centre Bofers) and the LMG support squad got pinned down by his LRDG squad that came in on their flank. I wasted my Light tank coming in on the right trying to run over and uselessly shoot at his larger infantry units when I should have targeted his truck and smaller LRDG team.
I should have focused fire on the LRDG team and truck and killed 3 enemy units instead of trying to take the centre objective. I might have then been able to run with the right side LMG team into the building in front and take the objective outside it's front door.
I found I didn't need the movement templates, in this and the other 2 games, and don't really need them in small games. I can see in larger games being more useful, but none of the small armies I fought had large HE rounds either, so I didn't actually need to be spread out. In all 3 games no one bothered to use a template, but the largest HE round fired at infantry was only 1" anyway.
Warlord Games should just bite the bullet and make HE rounds effect d2-d3-d6-1d6+3 targets IMHO.
His Bofer's soaked up some fire from my tanks but didn't do much - I should have used my tanks co-axs to shoot his infantry instead. Being slow meant my tanks could not maneuver much, but could ignore his Bofer's too with their mediam armour. I do think he needed SOME ant-tank guns, he had enough anti-infantry weapons with his own infantry and infantry support weapons.
Large Veteran Troops in hard cover with a medic and platoon commander are extremely hard to do much of anything about. We both had veteran's in hard cover, he had a platoon CO and I had a medic and they survived to the end of the game with multiple units shooting at them. Now that I think about it, killing his centre Bofers and soaking up their fire with my Matties meant he didn't use his HE rounds on my infantry, and I need some HE to blow up troops in hard cover. Doh, that's what a light and mediam mortar are for!
I should get TWO rifle platoons with 2 squads each (one 9-10 rifles and one small 5 man LMG support team), each with a platoon commander and medic, and maybe an AT Rifle. And a light mortar!
I also found after 3 games I really need to do what everyone else seems to do and get a truck loaded with a SMG squad to come in on a flank. I should get one squad of SAS in a LRDG truck for that, even if it is completely unhistorical to get one for the siege of Bardia/Tobruk/Greek Campaign.
I lost the battle 2 objectives to 3. We both lost one unit - my platoon commander vs one of his 40mm Bofers. He played better and used his army better, though he's played a lot more Bolt Action games than I have. My medic made only one save, but it saved the life of the only man left in a squad, so was well worth it!
Coming up...The 2nd Battle: The Russians are coming for the Briefcase again!
Emergency army list for my 1st Bolt Action Tournment: You go to war with the army you have
To quote one of the worst US SecDef's in history " You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time".
And he stuffed up his own quote, it should be: "You go to war with the army you have, not the army you wish you have".
I couldn't get the energy to finish my two Bren Gun Carriers, so I took my undercoated Vickers VIC,
The plan was for each 9 man rifle unit to advance to one objective, have the 5 man LMG squad in their support, with a Matilda II backing each up. The medic and platoon commander float where they are most needed and the VIC flanks the enemy position.
How it went, will be my next post....
Total Points: 850
Order Dice: 9
| Platoon #2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tuesday, 18 February 2025
2nd Bolt Action game: The Russians are coming for the briefcase
We Must Protect The Briefcase
After securing a briefcase containing secret Russian plans, the men of the Australian 6th Division are now under attack by units of the RUSSIAN ARMY!
Determined to keep the plans, the Riflemen and Engineers of the 17th Brigade and the 2/2nd FIELD PARK COMPANY launch a counter attack to delay the main enemy force.
Along with MATILDA II's of the 7th Armored Brigade and Bren Gun Carriers of the Divisional Calvary, can they stop the Russians before getting overrun by the enormous KV-2 tank that appears on the horizon...
Two weeks ago I played my second game of Bolt Action, my first game at the club Axis and Alers. Parking wasn't too bad, though I got there early as they were just setting up. About 30(!) people playing 40K, 8 playing Blood Bowl and 2 some game someone was play testing. We were the only people playing a historical game.
They have lots of 6x4 tables and others. No food, but all the drinks you want from a bar. It was air conned but got quite humid that night. All the terrain comes in pre-set boxes which is very handy. Unfortunately I got the wrong table cloth - I should have picked a desert one! The terrain was prefect for North Africa/Middle east.
* Note to self- become a member so I can book a table next time.
Neither of us had fully painted armies. I wanted to try out a medium mortar, though the rules changes THE SAME DAY to prevent you using 1 spotter for multiple units...so that plan didn't actually work. Whelp. I need to finish my Bren Gun carriers.
I really need a good way to order my figures in their carrying case. I lost track of what unit was what and just grabbed figures and said which ones they were. I STILL need to paint the rear of figures with the correct colour to go with the right weapon - but I did get paints from Metro Hobbies to do that last week.
We rolled for the mission and table edge, but decided to keep it simple as it was his 2nd game of V3 too, and make it a meeting engagement - points for destroying enemy units.
* Note to self - if the objective is destroying enemy UNITS, shoot the small ones!
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| The battlefield looking North East |
The terrain was the typical North Africa wargame - a village made up of square buildings with some trees, fields and walls. I need to get some of this type of MDF terrain myself. The one building missing its roof was found after the game,
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| Looking west |
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| Australian artillery spotters deploy to the highest point of the battlefield |
After deploying my spotter team the Russians deployed a sniper to take
them out. I should have moved them on with the rest of the army. If I
bring them on immediately they might get taken out or pinned before they
can call in the off board artillery.
I brought on my troops as RUN to get them into the cover of the buildings. I brought on the carriers first...and then discovered that's a stupid and suicidal idea. I should have kept them in reserve and brought them on once I knew where the main enemy thrust was. I could then use them and the squad they carrier to get close to and target small enemy teams.
I'm not sure how the carrier survived the shot of the Large HE gun on the KV-2 - I got lucky and only got stunned. Which come to think of it, I don't think I followed the rules for that. I should check next time.
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| The Australian units and British tanks come arrive on the battlefield, and take immediate artillery fire! |
And now...a plan. I briefly looked at the table. I saw the 3 buildings in the centre and decided to hold them. The enemy would come down the walls of the road in the centre, and be shot at from three sides. One AT rifle would go down the far left to attack the enemy armored car there. The mediam mortar would deploy behind the building on the left. One platoon commander went left but then realized no one else could really follow him. Whoops. One carrier would go down the left road with a tank in support. A engineer squad would go into the large building in the centre with a light mortar, platoon commander, AT rifle and medic. The other engineer squad would go right to the building to their front, with a carrier and LMG squad getting to the walls there. The other Matilda II would come far right (of screen) and support from there.
However, what happened was that the Russians had their own plan and were
in a position to shoot me as I ran forward the first turn.
His armored car had a hull machine gun so was BETTER ARMED than my (for the time) heavy armour! And his heavy KV-2 was in a position to shoot my centre to pieces. I would have been better to stay OUT of the buildings it was shooting at!
Furthermore, my inexperienced Mattys didn't move as that would have limited their to-hit roll to a 6, so they stayed put the entire game. Despite shooting the armored car the entire game, one tank did nothing to it!
* - Do Not Get Inexperienced Slow Tanks!
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| Just before the Russian Artillery hits |
Their artillery spotter fired and got a 5+d6 hit (using the Russian re-roll for it) and smashed my centre - with two direct huts on the squad and AT rifle, hitting nearly everyone twice! I really needed to spread out my forces here, and shouldn't have had so many squads this close together.
To add insult, their sniper shot at my spotter and pinned them down!
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| Aftermath after the Russian artillery strike |
The end result was all my units in the centre were pinned, several had lost men and 1/2 my army was stunned. At least the medic did make his points back this turn!
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| Bren Gun team fires on the enemy |
I got one LMG team deployed out out of their carrier and they were able to get some shots off, but I targeted the SMG squad behind the wall. What I should have done is targeted the smaller platoon command and artillery spotters instead. And I really should have just ran out behind the walls and shot the enemy truck filled to the brim with an entire veteran SMG squad!
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| My centre is falling apart as the Russians assault my troops |
My mortars were shooting MOVING targets, which is really stupid, and did nothing so far. His veteran SMG squad jumped out of the truck and wiped out my small LMG squad in the building next to them.My tanks continued to miss.I got an artillery support call on his right squad...and it deviated away. It did land on the enemy centre squad and platoon commander...and just got a couple of pins.
My one good move and shooting was the Bren Gun team on the right. They got into small walled cover and got one turns good shot off at the squad to the north east that was in the open. However, I should have shot his sniper team instead.
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| Matilda II fires its co-ax towards a Russian squad |
My right hand Matty spent the game trying to shoot its co-ax machine gun at the enemy sniper and his squad out in the open. I got some kills and pins but not enough to cause them a problem. I should have shot the 2 pounder at his sniper and got 2 hits each time!
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| My left is not there and my centre is almost gone |
My left flank Matilda II didn't do anything to his armored car that was shooting my infantry to pieces, my carrier failed a morale test and ran away. The AT rifle to the far left (behind the building to the left) spent the entire game trying to hit the armored car and missing. I should have run them up and aimed for some flank shots.
His elite SMG team came out of the building and shot at and killed more men in the building in the centre. But what really caused causalities was his KV-2 shooting into the building with large HE shells. I would have been better off standing outside! The medic got a few more saves at any rate.
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| Lots of pins on enemy units, but no kills |
On the right I kept shooting his large infantry squads. It caused some causalities and pins, but not enough to slow them down except the one in the open on the far right. But that was his inexperienced squad that couldn't do much else anyway! I should have targeted his small teams, even if they were in cover. My 2nd off-board artillery shot did nothing!
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| End Game |
We'd played for 3 hours and needed to refer to my rule book a lot, so we only got 3 turns. We called the game there, but it was obvious who was the winner. I don't think I killed a single enemy unit, and had lost 4, so it was 4-0.
He played much better, used his army well and despite me having 4 more order dice, held the initiative the entire game. I made many mistakes and got bad luck with my artillery shot and he got good luck, but my deployment, planning and execution were all poor.
I should have deployed one squad to the far left building and then covered a LMG team in the centre one. Put both tanks together, and leave both carriers, the AT rifles and FO off the table until I knew where it was a good place to put them. Despite their inexperience, I should have moved up both of tanks too.
Post battle notes and lessons here: I have a lot to learn.
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