Hetzers

Very nice indeed. An option was provided to make them the flamethrower version, but I opted for the tank hunter version - Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer.

Forged in Battle 15mm Hetzers

These just arrived last Saturday. Very detailed. Resin and white metal.

Forged in Battle 15mm German 15cm Nebelwerfer and 10.5cm Howitzer Crews

Working on some crews for my Forged in Battle 15cm Nebelwerfers and 10.5cm Howitzers. Just getting the base uniform cost on tonight. More to follow....

Late War Germans Versus Russians

German Hummels take on Russian armour in a direct fire roll. 

This Flames of War game saw my German armour and panzer grenadiers taking on a powerful combined arms force of Russians. For this scenario we decided to do a random force allocation to simulate the Germans having to cobble together whatever forces they can to halt the Russian advance. 

I ended up with a force that consisted of a Company HQ of 1 x Marder IIIs, 2 platoons Stug IIIs, 1 Battery of Hummel SP Artillery, a platoon of Jadgpanzer IVs, and a platoon of flamethrower halftracks.

The Russian came out swinging. They advanced both their armour and their infantry across the fields. The Germans were ready for them. The Hummels, normally used in the indirect fire role, used their guns in a direct fire role and Russian armour was punished. However, the weak armour of the Hummels could not withstand the return fire from the Russian tanks. Luckily the Russians' aim was off and only one Hummel exploded. 

The German flamethrowing halftracks rain their horrific liquid
onto the advancing Russian infantry.

The Russian commander decided to use his infantry to launch on assault on the village German left flank. To shouts of Urah! Urah! the Russian infantry charged across the fields towards the village. Again the Germans were ready for them. The flamethrower halftracks used their machine guns to engage the Russian infantry. Casualties were heavy, but the Russian kept advancing. As their battered forces closed in on the Germans they were suddenly faced with the a wall of flames as the Germans triggered their flamethrowers. 



Having beaten back the Russian infantry assault, the Germans launched an armoured assault on the right. The Stugs and Jadgpanzer IVs moved against the Russian armour and artillery. Smashing through the large village and swinging around to the right the German Jadgpanzer IVs caught the Russian artillery in the open and engaged them with machine guns. A huge tank engagement took place in the main village and the German commander sent all available armour to it to try and tip the scales in his favour. It seemed German and Russian tanks were exploding everywhere as they tried to out manoeuvre each other for better shooting positions. Even though the Russian had brought some very heavy armour with them, the German managed to knock out many of the Russian tanks. 

In the end the Russian were forced to concede and withdrew from the field, while the Germans prepared their positions for the next Russian attack that was sure to come. 

Flames of War - Russians vs Russians a Detailed Report

As promised a more detailed account of last night's game.

 

My force consisted of 1 Coy HQ (1 X T-34/85), 1 Pl (7 X T-34/85), 1 Pl (4 X T-34/85),
1 Pl (5 X SU-76M), 1 Pl (6 X 120mm Mortars), 1 Pl (3 X SU 85), and 1 X IL-2 Sturmovik)

The PRA's Advance Guard deploy to perform an assault river crossing. 

Civil war has broken out in Russia. The People's Revolutionary Army (PRA) have risen up against Stalin. The Soviet Army has been reeling back under their assaults. The Soviet commander has been ordered to hold the river line and delay the PRA's attack in order to buy time for the Soviet main force to regroup and dig in. 

The 1st Pl of the PRA force approaches the river. Scouts find minefield just across the ford. 

The PRA commander knew he had to strike fast and maintain contact with the retreating Soviet elements, but scouts quickly detected minefields in one of the fords and across the river. This left only a few options to cross the river - The center ford, the railway bridge and the road bridge. The first platoon of T-34s surged forward to force their way across the river. A long range tank battle broke out. While the Soviets fired artillery and rocket artillery at the advancing PRA forces. While some casualties were taken, the impetus of the PRA attack was not significantly slowed. 

As the lead PRA T-34 crosses the river, others erupt in flames.

While the PRA's center attempted to cross the ford, the Coy HQ and SU-76s tried to move around through the village and cover the bridge crossing and bring the Soviet infantry holding one of the objectives under fire. 

Soviet and PRA tanks engage in a long range duel. The PRA forces taking the worst of it.

With the attack in the center blunted, the PRA Adv Gd launches an assault across the railway bridge and moves towards the road bridge. The Su-76s continue to pound the infantry across the river in the town, but not before taking the brunt of a rocket bombardment.

Soviet infantry buy time for their comrades,  but are wiped out by the PRA tanks.

The PRA tanks were slowed up by cratered roads and an infantry attack across the bridge in the town. So the other platoon of PRA tanks began to cross the river using the railway bridge. As they were doing this, the SU-85s and SU-76s kept firing on the infantry and tanks across the river. Occasionally the PRA's Sturmovik appeared and rained hell down on the Soviets. It was able to knock out some tanks and artillery. The Soviet commander now had to start withdrawing units from the table.  

PRA tanks cross the railway bridge and head to their objective. 

The Soviet infantry on the bridge had been taken care of and it was time for the Coy HQ to lead the attack into the objective beyond the road bridge. While the Soviet had withdrawn some units, they still had their fearsome SU-122s on the table. These had been causing consider damage to the PRA forces. The sturmovik was called on to destroy them. He came in out of the sun and his bombs struck home. All the SU-122s were hit. Two were left burning. The brave crew of the last SU-122 managed to knock out 2 PRA T-34s just as they rolled up onto the objective. 

The PRA Sturmoviks hammer the Soviet SU-122s. 

Time was running out for the PRA and it looked like the Soviets might achieve their objective on delaying the PRA advance by denying the objectives to their enemy. The PRA made one final push for the objective in the city and the objective by the railroad bridge. The lone remaining PRA tank by the railway bridge try to use its machine guns to wipe out the last of the Soviet Infantry near the objective, but failed to do so. In the city, the PRA Commander personally led the tank assault onto the objective wiping out the Soviet infantry as they went. Victory looked like a sure thing, but the last Soviet die roll of the game show that Soviets were made of very stern stuff indeed. Their few remaining stands would not abandon their objectives. 

PRA tanks roll onto the city objective, but a lone stand of Soviet infantry and a rocket battery deny them victory. 

A few stands of Soviet Infantry are able to contest the other objective with a PRA T-34

With both objectives being contested until the 9th turn, the Soviet commander had achieved his objective. However, it was a close a game as we have played and it really was right down to that very last die roll for the Soviet infantry in the town.  

Flames of War - Late War - Russians Versus Russians

Yes that's right. Russian versus Russians. The People's Revolutionary Army have thrown off the yoke of Stalinist oppression and have had to turn their tanks and guns on the last remnants of Uncle Joe's stooges. A full battle report will follow.

Battlegroup Rule Book

Picked this up from Plastic Soldier Company and finally had a chance to look into it over the holidays.

All I can is that it looks like a very good set of rules. I will publish a review later, but some things that I really like are; the Battle Rating counters system for morale,  differentiation of suppressing fire and aimed fire, number of orders depending on number of leaders and units, and a campaign is included to get you started.

A real positive for me is that the campaign is Canadian 3rd Infantry Division versus 12th SS Panzer Division in Normandy.

A Change is as Good as a Rest

Played some Mansions of Madness today. We were exploring the ruins of a burnt down mansion inhabited by a mad widow and a Shoggoth. We managed to kill the Shoggoth which is no easy thing to do. Cthulu!

iwata spray out pot

Picked up this spray out pot at the local art store. It really makes cleaning the airbrush and, well, spraying out the last bit of paint a lot less messy.

Land Mattresses Nearly Complete

Just have to add some color to the base and then do the flocking and these will be ready for the table. I painted the rockets as High Explosive Armour Piercing. These are quite the devastating rockets. They were originally made for piercing the armour on battleships!

Strategic Withdrawal Scenario - Germans versus Russians

A different and interesting scenario tonight. In the Strategic Withdrawal scenario after the second turn the defender has to start moving his forces off the board. However, he still has to try and hold two objectives until turn nine. 

The Russians had hordes of tanks and infantry against my small German holding force.

 I placed my Kompanie commander with his Tiger Ace skill on one of the objectives. As he would be one of the last to retire off the table this was a good place for him. His long range anti-tank weapon, his approaches partially covered by minefields, and his HMGs would form the anchor in my defence. 

The Russian quickly attacked across their whole front. The sent T-34s around the flanks of the Germans in hopes of enveloping the German forces before they could escape. However, on the right flank a Jadgtiger emerged out of the mist and began firing. Just as the Russian tankers were absorbing this shock, rounds began impacting on their flank as a Kingtiger drove out of its ambush position.

Meanwhile on the German left flank a large platoon of T-34s attempted to charge around the minefield, but they were met by a Tiger. After a protracted firefight All but one of the T-34s was left burning. 

In the center the Russian Infantry came under fire from a battery of German Hummels. The Russian spotted the German observer team and charged through the barrage to kill the observers. 

Over on the right flank the T-34s burst through the woods and knocked out the entire Hummel battery and then swept around the back of the German position. 

The commander of the Kingtiger knew he could not give up the objective and had to buy time for the other units in the formations to withdraw. A sustained fight broke out. The Kingtiger was hit by everything the Russians could through at it. Even though it was hit many times and Russian infantry attempted to assault it the Kingtiger survived and like a wounded animal struck back against the Russians. Wiping out the infantry that had attacked and knocking out several enemy tanks including a bunch of lend lease Churchills.  

Russian Infantry Assaults the Kingtiger.

The Kingtiger loiters around the objective and is still in the fight.

By this time, the Germans had moved some units off the table, but still needed to hold the objectives. The problem was they were down to a few units. The Russian put in everything they had and managed to knock out the Kingtiger with a lucky shot that forced the crew to dismount and then attacked it with infantry to finally knock it out. The brave crew of the Kingtiger were cut down. The Jadgtiger's crew witnessed the final moments of the Kingtiger's crew, fired a few more rounds into the Russians and backed off the battlefield. 

The Tiger Kompanie commander denied the other objective to the Russians, but realized that he would have to withdraw earlier than plan. 

The Russians were successful in forcing the Germans to withdraw and won the initiative and the day.

Camouflaging My Late War Germans

Hitting my Germans with the airbrush today.

Late War Germans versus Russians

Massed Russian armour prepares to advance.

The Russians continue to advance across Eastern Europe pushing the Germans back. The Germans are struggling to hold back the Russian advance. They can do little more launch local counter attacks, but there is still fight left in them. 

Flushed with the confidence of earlier successes, the Russians drive rapidly across the field.  Suddenly T-34 began exploding as they were hit by flanking fire from Tigers, King Tigers, and a Jadgtiger. 

Despite their heavy losses the Russians did what they do best - continue to push forward. Russian infantry charged forward in a human wave. German artillery exacted a heavy toll on them and then minefields held up their advance. 

Meanwhile, a platoon of T-34s surged through a small forest and surprised the German artillery. The light armour of the the Hummel self-propelled guns was no match for the AP rounds from the T-34s. The German artillery was completely wiped out. 

The King Tiger shows the why it had such a fearsome reputation. 

The German minefields were still holding up the Russians in the center and the awesome strength of the Tigers, King Tiger, and Jadgtiger were exacting a price. The King Tiger was surrounded by Russian armour and infantry. Round after round hit the King Tiger, but it just kept fighting. Russian infantry even did a close assault, but the crew of the King Tiger managed to fight them off. After they destroyed several more T-34s, the King Tiger was finally knocked out. It's crew managed to scramble away. No doubt there is a  Knight Cross in store for that tank commander.

With the Russians continuing to push forward and the Germans having lost their artillery and King Tiger and another Tiger the German commander decided to withdraw his forces to the next defensive position.