Cold Wars Report

Another Cold Wars convention has come and gone. Even though there is a lot of room for improvements (this always seems to be the case with HMGS), it is good to see friends that I often only see once a year.

This year I found it amazing that there are six gaming clubs here in Pennsylvania between the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers. Only question is how to use this find for the betterment of the hobby.

Between catching up and chatting with friends I was able to get into three games, each different from the next.

First up was Al’s 1978 Battlestar Galactica were the peace loving Cylons (also known as toasters) were attacked by the Colonials we showed them what for.

The Battle is Joined. I think this is were Starbuck got it.

My Toasters.

That evening I played in Mark’s TOOFATLardies B'Maso! game set in Rhodesia were my forces set up an ambush on a police unit.

 Death in the swale.

Looks like the Rhodesian Police are having a spot of trouble.

It is wonderful what you can do with only two mines.
Lastly Tom Ballou ran a Chain of Command, also by TOOFATLardies, on Saturday for the Lardies that were not able to get into his Friday game. Here the Russians were trying to stop the Germans in 1941 with little success.

Funny thing is that in both Lardy games mines were a big part of the game. Worked in Rhodesia but not in Russia.

My purchases were limited to projects I was trying to complete. These include:

• Items on my painting table
• Néry 1914 not sure what rule system
• Berlin 1945 for Chain of Command
• Poland 1939 for Chain of Command

For the Berlin battle in a zoo I had to purchase a couple of Tigers. I have been able to hold off for 30+ years of gaming to purchase these WWII monsters. Not to bad I guess.

A-1 Skyraider

The recent release of the A-1 Skyraider by Flames of War will be useful and necessary for the American and South Vietnamese forces. But I want to bring up another theater for their use, equatorial Africa.

Introduced by the French, these aircraft are a useful asset to use in COIN actions in and around Djibouti, Madagascar, Gabon, Chad, Cambodia and the Central African Republic.

From http://en.wikipedia.org.

"The Skyraiders had only a short career in Algeria. But they nonetheless proved to be the most successful of all the ad hoc COIN aircraft deployed by the French. The Skyraider remained in limited French service until the 1970s. They were heavily involved in the civil war in Chad, at first with the Armée de l'Air, and later with a nominally independent local air force staffed by French mercenaries. The aircraft also operated under the French flag in Djibouti and on the island of Madagascar. When France at last relinquished the Skyraiders it passed the survivors on to client states, including Gabon, Chad, Cambodia and the Central African Republic. (several aircraft from Gabon and Chad have been recovered recently by French warbird enthusiasts and entered on the French civil register).

The French frequently used the aft station to carry maintenance personnel, spare parts and supplies to forward bases. In Chad they even used the aft station for a "bombardier" and his "special stores" – empty beer bottles – as these were considered as non-lethal weapons, thus not breaking the government-imposed rules of engagement, during operations against Libyan-supported rebels in the late 1960s and early 1970s."

These have a great deal of potential for TOOFATLadries' B'Maso! I am sure they will be added to Daddy’s Little Men’s forces. What do you think Mark?

Photo from…