Favorite Books

There are a select few books that are in my library the I do not want to live without and yesterday in a used book shop in York PA I found this, a copy of Peter Fleming's Operation Sea Lion. My original purchase of this is what got me to start my studies of this what-if campaign. The connection to James Bond and that this was a book written before the release of the British knowledge from signal intelligence only came latter. I was young.

My initial copy was found in a used book shop in Ferndale California back in 1986. My new copy was bought for the sole purpose of it having an intact book jacket. Yes I do love this book that much.

Do you have similar books you love?

Battle in the Snow

Before to much more time passes I do want to report on the game played at the club in March. This was a game based on the Skirmish Campaign book for the Winter War that was moved over to Chain of Command. In this I was the over all Soviet Commander (never a good thing) with a partner launching an assault on a fortified reactionary Finish village and amazing of all the plan almost worked.

With the burning buildings acting as an obstruction I held the middle and our open right flank, while my comrade was to support the middle  assault and swing through the woods on my left.

With our Maxim holding the Fins in their trenches on the right and center my first squad headed forward around the buildings towards the capitalist held trenches.

Then the plan started to come apart.

The squad leader on my left was lacking in revolutionary spirit and told me he did not want to leave the woods as, and I quote, "I might get shot". If I had a commissar available he would have been. So with time running away I bounded for the trenches and with quick work and several fallen for the Motherland we took the trenches. As we needed to move on quickly and my coward of comrade still refusing to leave the woods I rolled the dice and came up short by about three inches from leaving the table and winning. I was than halted by the remains of the Fins in a counter attack and them winning two back to back initiatives. In that moment I lost the rest of my troops.

Oh so close to a win...

It was a fun game and well balanced but I can only hope the commander on my left met one of those fine members from the NKVD.

The Troops Have Arrived

Next step for the project, the troops have arrived as well as the bases from Litko. I so love the service from Peter Pig.

Next clue, the rules I will be using for this force come from TOOFATLardies.

5 Stages of a Successful Wargame Plan

Step 1 Have the thought that the plan is brilliant.

Step B I meant for you to attack the "other" left flank.

Step iii We may need to check logistics, a slice of pizza may be in order.

Step d  'Houston, we have a problem.'

Step V Charge!!!

Kearny's Charge, Battle of Chantilly
Not all charges work out

 

Why do I think of Neil Shuck when I see this picture.

The New Project

Second Clue....

Placed an order with Peter Pig and while I did order more figures than I needed (isn't that always the case) I could build this force using only five packs of figures. That is a legal organization based on the rules or official unit order of battle. May even include support units. Not a larger force but it is extremely powerful.

Any guesses?