Forged in Battle 15mm Das Reich T-34 (Kursk)

Next up are some captured T34s. Adapted by the Germans for their use. Note the addition of schurtzen, additional radio antennas, stowage, and super cool but not added yet German crew figures. A Battle Front miniatures T34/85 in green is included in the pic for size comparison. The Forged in Battle T34s run a bit smaller than BF ones, but the difference isn't noticeable on the table.

More DIY obstacles

This time it is a minefield. Added minefield signs and even a few exposed mines.

DIY Category 4 Barbed Wire

Just finished a testing out a way to make cat 4 wire. Doesn't look too bad. That should stop infantry cold.

Canadian Armoured Recce Squadron Versus German Kampfgruppe

The Canadian continue their push into Holland. As happy Dutch villagers cheered their recce troops entrance into the village the cheers changed to screams of terror as incoming rounds landed. The Canadians quickly realized the war wasn't over yet. 

The Canadian force consisted of a Sqn HQ of 2 Shermans, 2 troops of 3 Shermans and 1 Firefly, 1 Platoon of RAM Kangaroo APCs, 1 Platoon of Infantry, 1 Battery of M10 SPs, a Recce Tp of 3 Stuart Light Tanks, a Hawker Typhoon, and a battery of Land Mattress Rocket artillery. 

The Canadian Land Mattress Battery was ranged in and began laying down fire on the German positions. The Stuart Recce troop advanced under the cover of this barrage while the M10s covered their advance. The careful advance was warranted as Hetzers were lurking in the wheat field. The light armour of the Stuarts offered little protection against the tank killing gun of the Hetzers and soon the Stuarts were all burning wrecks, but they had done their job in helping the force to identify where the Germans were located. 

Burning Canadian and German tanks litter the battlefield.

The Hawker Typhoon was called in to hit them hard with its rockets. This knocked out some of the German armour, but it turned out that this was more than an isolated defensive position. As the Typhoon flew away it report more German armour moving up. started to

As the Land Mattress Battery continued to pound the German positions, German infantry appeared near the M10s and tried to assault them. In the ensuing fight the Germans and Canadians suffered heavy casualties. The Hetzers that survived the Typhoon rocket attack moved to support the German infantry. 

The Germans moved more of their armour up in the center, but the Canadian managed to get some tanks into a position to catch them side on. The German Marder III were no match for the 17 pounder gun of the Firefly. 

With German tanks burning in the fields and the Canadians continuing to advance, the remainder of the Kampfgruppe began to withdraw. As the firing petered out an altogether different sound was heard - the cheering of the jubilant Dutch. 

Russians and British Versus Germans

My mechanized force included 4 Shermans in the Sqn HQ.

Showed up for a game tonight and as a another player's opponent didn't show up I combined with him to form a Russian/British allied army. We were facing a German force of tanks and infantry. Both sides had scattered delayed reserved that they would have to wait for to have all their forces on the table. 

I chose to field an all mechanized force consisting of a Squadron HQ with 4 x Shermans, 2 troops (3 x Shermans and 1 x Sherman Firefly) and a platoon of RAM Kangaroos and a platoon of infantry (1 Cmd, 3 Rifle, and 1 PIAT). The Russian force consisted of T34/85s, T34s, Russian infantry and artillery. 

The British have flanked the German defenses. 

In good old British armoured and Russian fashion we began to rush the German lines. I pushed my forces across a ford in the river to swing round the German left flank. The Russian advanced their armour onto the German right flank while a combined British armoured and Russian infantry assault was put in on the center of the German lines.

The Germans were stunned by the British move across the river and their defensive layout hadn't taken this move into account. It meant the British were able to catch the German defensive position enfilade. As they fired into the flank, the Russian and British combined force in the center launched repeated attacks on the German defensive position. The solid German infantry refused to be pushed out of their positions. 

The German Panzer IVs arrive on the flank of the
British flanking force. 

However, things weren't going as well for the allies on the other flank. It seemed the German Tigers knocked out the Russian tanks as quickly as they could fire. This stalled the allied assault. At this point German reserves in the form off a troop of Panzer IVs appear on the flank of the British flanking force.

Suddenly things weren't looking so good for the allied force. With 4 Tigers holding down the Russian attacks on the left and the Panzer IVs having taken out a troop of Shermans the allies were forced to regroup. 








A few more shots were traded back and forth and the allies decided they would have to withdraw and try again a different day.