Martlet Games 3 to 5.5

Today Mark and I ran two and a half games of Operation Martlet and it was a great way to learn the finer points of rules. These battles were fought on the second and third tables of the ladder campaign.

For those not aware, TOOFATLardies has released a set of pint sized campaigns that are not only a great deal of playing value but help new players learn the finner parts of the rules. I am a firm believer that gamers that buy Chain of Command should also pick up one of the pint sized campaigns.

The first game we played, was the second battle of the second tier of the campaign. The last battle we fought with scenario number two was a German victory. This second battle, Mark was able to get most of his troops on the board before me, thanks to the pre game bombardment. I saw the writing on the wall and conceded before I lost any of my valuable troops. That is an important part of this campaign system, to remember that there will be times when you need to cut your losses and pull back. I am certain that the battalion command will be mad that we pulled back, but at least I still have some of my platoon left for now.

Battlefield for scenario number two.

The next two battles were fought of this battlefield with the villa and cross roads as the objective. In the first game the British had a strong position on the German left flank placing a section, a forward observer and a senior leader behind the road. A strong force until they ran into the farm house with an mg42 on the second floor and an infantry section on the ground floor.

British section and forward observer fighting from an awkward position. After two phases of receiving machine gun firer the senior leader takes cover while still spouting orders.

The British Senior Commander taking cover while still giving orders.

After a few more phases the British found losses were mounting and they pulled back to regroup. Next up game five. With game five the British launched a combine operation. A mortar barrage came down near two of the German positions covering the attack moving up both the center and the right flanks.

German position in the center of the German lines; watching the approaching British armour and mortar barrage.

 

One of two British tanks advancing on the German position near Fontenay. One of the reasons why I may be leaving Fontenay and prepare for a counter attack.

The Chain of Command Campaign system puts the players in a position where they have to look at the long term and in the case of Operation Martlet the Germans are trying to slow down the advance with limited resources. The British have significantly more assets at their disposal (pesky pre-game bombardments) but have a scheduled to meet and need to press on. 

I can see where our next two game, five and six, will be fought on the third rung of the campaign ladder. Can the Germans old them off, time will tell.

Sd Kfz 13

With only 147 built, the Kfz 13 was still important in the development of German mechanize doctrine. Seen as nothing more than the Adler car chassis with an armoured bathtub on top; it was used in Aufklarungs (reconnaissance) detachments in both the Polish and French campaigns. After these two campaigns the older design was relegated to training and internal security. The open top being defenseless to grenades and the poor off road handling made it more suitable for training and police work. I would not be surprised if a few of these were found on the back roads of the Balkans used by police units. The retro look works well with historical gaming as well as the What Ifs including Dad’s Army (Sealion) and A Very British Civil War.

Now if I was starting out fresh with wargaming I would be playing using 20mm miniatures as many of the vehicles I would want are rare in anything but models done in 1/76 or 1/72 scales. One of which is the Kfz13 until now. After a conversation with Craig over at Gaming Models he was able to build the base Kfz13 model and I heard from him he was working on two other versions, the radio version and one for artillery spotting. This is great for my Germans for Poland and Sealion.

Before sharing the images of the models here are two You Tube videos of these armored cars in action by reenactors.

Here we have the armored cars just primed and waiting for the initial coat of German Gray. There are two Sd Kfz 222s and two Sd Kfz 13s.

 This is a photo where I am trying to test out my new macro lens.

While armed, it looks like it could be a touring car. The MG 34 though, could come in handy for those with long commutes.

Additional resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kfz_13

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/maschinengewehrkraftwagen-kfz13.htm

21st Panzer Divison

In 1944, the elements of the 21st Panzer Division were varied as the standard AFVs of the day were in short supply. Halftracks used were not the normal Sd Kfz 251 but a mix of German weapons on captured French chassis courtesy of Major Alfred Becker. When I was trying to build a small force for TOOFATLardies' Chain of Command I was forced to look at several expensive alternatives, but than I found Craig's resign vehicles from Gaming Models.

His vehicles allows me to have one of this and two of that at a reasonable price.  The four tanks below are for the battles to the east of Caen, and will stand up to any gamer's scrutiny.

Paint Table Saturday

My latest additions to the German Army are a mixed lot for the 12th and 21st Divisions around Caen. I have been trying out at least five versions of German Dark Yellow (Dunkelgelb). While I have had mixed results I am pleased with the over all.

This force includes:

Panzer IVG
2 Panthers
Sd Kfz 250/1
Sd Kfz 250/10

Marder
2 of Sd Kfz P107
Sd Kfz 135/1 150

5 infantry as crew

This is a mix of German originals and French conversions. These will be used next week in a battle west of Caen using Chain of Command rules.

British Paras

I cannot tell you how much I am disliking 2016. I have been away from my blog due to a loss in the family and now help the rest of my family get their lives moving again. So how do I grieve, well I put my energy into writting and I have done dam little of that.

While this is not any great piece I saw this and wanted to share that the Plastic Soldier Company will be releasing these in a few days. It is 144 figures, enough to build three platoons. Very suitable for Chain of Command battles around Caen. I see them fighting my Germans east of Caen soon.