Washing of Spears April 2018

Rouke's Drift a great 28mm diorama from David P senior and junior in 28mm.  Played out with the Men who would be Kings rules.  I got an absolute pasting from the Zulus despite starting with the mealie bag redoubt in place.  The Zulu players did moan for the first few turns about getting in but once they were in the compound it got pretty sticky

 "The army doesn't like more than one disaster in a day."  "Looks bad in the newspapers and upsets civilians at their breakfast."

Death waits you! You have made a covenant with death, and with Hell you are in agreement. You're all going to die! Don't you realize? Can't you see? You're all going to die! Die! Death awaits you all!

"Fire at will!" "That's very nice of him."

"The Grenadier Guards"

Haven't you had enough? Both of you! My god, can't you see it's all over! Your bloody egos don't matter anymore. We're dead!

What do you know about Zulus? Bunch of savages, isn't it?

If 1200 men couldn't hold a defensive position this morning, what chance have we with 100?

Johnny Reb April 2018

We were using Dave Seniors 28mm ACW figures with a six player battle on a 16'x 5' table.  so easy to fill it at that scale.   The union attacked on both flanks, the Rebs held. Result a Reb victory!

Battle of the State Farm

One of the best Barbarossa battles I have had for sometime, Soviet Defence line.  Mobile defence with 18 BT-5s, 5 BT-7s, 2 KV-1s, 1 t-34 backed with 2 platoons of infantry and their respective ATGs and ATRs.

Battle Defence line with a river cutting through one long and one short table edge with an open flat Soviet left.  Three objectives a hill overlooking the river, a bridge and a state farm.The Germans deployed their initial tank force facing these deployed 4 BT-7s and a T-34 in front of the farm

 The Soviet tanks sat for the first three turns and destroyed most of the Panzer 3s thrown at them.  The t-34 was pinned by the German preparatory bombardment. The tide turned once the German reinforcements started to appear on  turn 3 a pair of 50mm AT Guns. It turned back on turn 6 once the BT-5 company surged on table all on by turn 10

Soviet Gunline

 On the Soviet Right the KV-1 glowered on the only bridge, the Germans deployed one 88 40inches plus and tried to pot shot it until the Kv -1 Suppressed it, at the same time they brought up the second 88 than managed to pin the KV-1 for a SDFZ 222 to roar in and deliver a coup de grace from the rear.

German 88mm on the move

The BT -7s can be seen crossing the bridge in the distance.  the 88 mm was covering this advance with 3 Pz2s until we pulled two ground attack chits for BT losses. One was successful and a passing Stormivik was rolled up with a battery of rockets all 8 were let loss on the 88.  by turn 12 both sides were holding on by the skin of their teeth. However we slipped into defeat when Soviet infantry went over to the attack and were comprehensively punished

German infantry debuss.

Barbarossa - Mud and Blood

A great time has had by nearly all, JP was using cursed dice.  Battle played in deep mud conditions after early autumn rains.  Pictures only of the notable units.

400point Battlegroups for each player.  German JP and young David both panzer division, Russian Mechanised Corp, me, Rifle Division big Livy.  The Germans won an all objectives victory after five turns

The KV-1 lasted the whole game under fire from the Panzer 3s, it spent two of the five turned pinned but KOd a Panzer 3.  the Bt-7s in comparison had less impact.

This table was a sea of mud due to early autumn rains, the mechanised infantry all entered on foot, the red blob is the objective.  I had to send one squad after another running towards the objective while the Germans slide along the top of the ridge to take it.  The Russian support forces tried to pick them off.



This was the real unit of the game for me the infantry gun 76.2mm, with loader team placed right on the edge of the board on turn 2 from the reserves, it never failed to pin down a German infantry squad, half track or armoured car.



Valiant German trucks brave the roads, painted by  Young David, the Germans stuck with road movement before dismounting this kept the order count down.





Autocannon armed Panzer 2s picked off Livy's T-26s and hammered the Russian infantry, again painted by Young David, the panzer on it's side slide off the hill. Below is JPs battle cutting edge

Above Big Livy's platoon commander advanced to contest an objective on the junction but couldn't live through the storm of German fire that took out his platoon.



Bolt Action 1944

My first try of Bolt Action with only the tip of the iceberg that is the Provan family 20mm collection

The Relief of Fort Sogasi

The Men who would be Kings Rules, the scenario is set  in the Sudan using the standard lists but only one officer per player to speed it all up.Scenario, a force of Egyptians are besieged by the forces of the Mahdi, River Arabs commanded by Mullah Dessi.  On the way is a British column their overall Anglo Egyptian commander is Pasha Preston. On  the horizon Osman Provan is hurrying his Beja to storm the Fort

First wave of Beja repulsed

 The British column falls behind when Ensign smith drops the colours due to heat exhaustion the last unit dropping behind, the Indian cavalry hurry ahead

Blue Moon figures

 The Ansar second wave stike the town

Soon it became back to back for  the British discover the rocks are crawling with fanatic Ansar prepare to charge to their deaths.  they are strung out on the march

Peter Pig

The basi bazooks turned back the Ansar leader in his quick move to seize the fort covering fire from their Sudanese unit

The Indian Sowars wreck revenge on the fanatics would dared to ambush from the rocks their discipline allowed them tho charge

The upshot of the initial game was devastating casualties for the Ansar and River Arabs but only one unit of the Relief force made it to the Fort.  We set up for a British attack on a dervish rocky ridge. The Egyptians and British advance, the Dervish using the rocky cover the Beja screaming out into the Guns of the British, this time the Egyptians suffer the bulk of the casualties but the Anglo Egyptians take the ridge.

The Harrying of the North 1069

King William of England marches on  rebellions made by his Anglo-Saxon subjects against him. They have killed his Earl Robery Comnes. He leads an army through the north of England,  burns houses, crops, cattle and land from York to Durham which results in the deaths of over 100,000 people, mainly from starvation and winter cold.  the rebels gather at the Oak Tree Cross ... William has sent a force to smash them.

Played with Hail Caesar rules this battle took 2hours 30 minutes of furious fighting with young David and myself as saxon leaders and JP with Livi commanding the avenging Normans

Norman forces are first on the field surging on the Oak Tree ridge

Old style fighting the Cumbrians at the run surprise Norman Heavy Infantry, a bit of head shaking goes on

At the other end of Oak Tree Ridge Normans clash with the Select Fyrd

Cumbrians take the wood but are in turn hit by Norman knights who smash them

Saxon slingers cower in fear

All the Norman cavalry attacks are replused but their infantry comes on again

Viking allies with Saxon Churls about to be swept away by the Norman's Ally Vikings

The Victors!