Rubicon Shermans for Bolt Action

 Rubicon Models- M4A3 and M4A4 Shermans

 A few years back I bought a Rubicon M4A3 Sherman which I made as a close support (105mm) Sherman. Last week I picked up three more of the M4A4 Rubicon model which can be made as the M4A4, Sherman V, firefly VC Version A or B- so lots of options. The new models will become part of my Free French force for Bolt Action. 

Today I made up the first of the Shermans and was very happy with the kit. Rubicon have excellent detail on their models, clear instructions and the models are easy to put together.

I’ve modelled my Shermans to support my Free French which I will use for both the war in Italy 43-45 or also for the North West Europe campaign and have added French markings to them. 

I can highly recommend both models, my only gripe, and it is minor is that with the M4A4/Firefly version providing two turrets (high bustle and low bustle) and options for the Sherman M4A4, Mk V or firefly why, oh why didn’t they provide the three pieces of plastic required to have the applique armour added to the tank? Instead they give you a template and instructions to use .5mm styrene sheet to reproduce this armour. WTF? Sure I could drive to the nearest hobby store to get some styrene sheet (at least a 200km round trip) or order some online but why, with all the options and pieces included in the kit, couldn’t they squeee in these three pieces? I assume it would require retooling the moulds used on other Sherman models but it seems a rather silly oversight.

Anyway apart from that minor grumble I am very happy with the kits an look forward to fielding them both on the tabletop very, very soon.

Craig

Back to WWII gaming

 Happy New Year and welcome back to my humble blog. 

It has been a while since I played any Bolt Action… a long while, more than five years in fact but have finally dug out my 28mm forces and decided to have a few games. I am using forces I painted up for the Italian campaign and getting used to the rules again playing some solo games.

Kent and I had quite a few games of Bolt Action mainly with first edition which we house ruled a fair bit to mitigate some of the dodgier aspects of the ruleset but had only a smattering of 2^nd edition games under our belts.

I’ve decided to have a few games focused on the Italian Campaign 1943-44 and it is in this area that I think that Bolt action shines- along with the War in the Pacific, both of which I don’t think Flames of War does a very good job of representing.

I have never rated Bolt Action as a tournament game, too many dodgy things that can be exploited in the rules (and the various lists) but played with like minded people in the right spirit with appropriately themed and matched armies (I detect a slight hint of unconscious bias there) it can be a lot of fun and lends itself to solo gaming quite nicely too- that way I am guaranteed to get an opponent playing with a similar expectations of what they want out of the game.

Anyway, I dragged out some of my old terrain the other day and have had a couple of solo games to get used the rules and discovered that I missed World War Two gaming more than I realised so am keen to get a few more games in.

28mm German forces for the Italian Front

My plan is to concentrate on the campaign in Italy 1943-45, which is where most of my Bolt action armies have been themed for. It’s a bit different to the games set in NW Europe  an LW Germany where many players seem to focus an oft neglected sideshow both in the actual war (Rome was liberated 5 June 1944 and D-Day became the world focus the following day) but is a very interesting campaign, with a range of nationalities including Chech, Free French, South African’s Pole, Kiwi’s, Indians an many others along with the usual protagonists. As I said above Bolt Action lens itself quite nicely to this theatre where the terrain was often mountainous and the poor boy infantry slogged their way up the Peninsula. Along with the most well known battles of Salerno, Anzio, Cassino there were many other bloody battles fought in 43-45 as the allies sought to fought their way up the Italian Peninsula. I recall as a young lad of maybe 14 or 15 reading a book on Monte Cassino and being enamoured then spending several weeks scratch-building ruined buildings, preparing then running a game based on the Māori battalion’s attack on Cassino and the railway station- featuring my old Airfix pontoon bridge as well several buckets of fine shingle from my father’s garden path… ah good times.

Free French- manily using Artisan Designs figures. 

I have a bit of a mission ahead, going though old terrain, making some new stuff including some new pillboxes and fortifications.

I’ve had a couple of solo game of Bolt Action to reacquaint myself with the rules and have purchased myself some more Rubicon Shermans to support my Free French (what can I say they are on special) an hope to sort out a small campaign in the near future. I will try ot post a a few updates on this much too neglected these days blog but have made a couple of videos of my first solo games so far.

Battle #1- Free French vs Panzer Grenadiers

Battle #2: Free French vs Panzer Grenadiers: 

My Free French needed some more armoured support in the shape of Sherman Vs so grabbed a few while on special the other day. I have  a wee job ahead of me...

Finally, Jeff Plowman's The Battles for Monte Cassino then and now is an absolute treasure trove for anyone wanting to game Monte Cassino. It is one of my favourite books in my collection and can't recommend it highly enough.

Craig  

BA Free French vs Germans

I've been busy the last few Wednesday's but tonight managed to pop around for  game of Bolt Action vs Kent. Kent showed me his latest unit and I was very impressed by the dynamic basing. I can't wait to see more of his barbarian horde as it is completed. The figures are Wargames Foundry. Fantastic stuff Kent.

We  had a similar game to last time, basically a Flames of War Free for all.
I ran my Free French force:

• 2x 75mm Shermans
• 1x 76mm Sheran
• 1x M10
• 1x 57mm At gun
• 1x bazooka
• 1x Tirailleurs squad
• 1x Medium mortar

Kent ran his stug zug

• 3x stugs
• 1x panzer IV
• 2x Ss squads
• 1x Medium mortar

Turn 1 and I got a run of about 6 dice in a row, not what I wanted at all.

 My 57mm AT gun takes up position near the building, the M10 is hull down near the objective in the foreground.

German infantry advance towards the ridgeline.

The panzer IVa rrives and destroys my commander with its first shot!

Followed by a tug destroying the M10. Turn one and I've already lost half my tanks, this might be a short game...

The stugs advace towards the ridge, protecting the infantry.

End of turn 1 a view from the German positions.

Turn 2 the bazooka creeps forward and takes a pot shot at a stug in the distance, the panzer IV is to the left of the stug.

The victorious stug commander surveys the battelfield, unaware of the danger (bazooka) lurking int the nearby hedges.

The German infantry use the hedges and woods to cover their advance. The infantry in the foregorund maing a beeline across the board towards the bazooka and now undefended objective.

A stug rumbles forward in support.

The panzer IV and stug on the German right silence the 57mm AT gun next. This is not looking good.

At last we ger some revenge. On my righ flank the Sherman uses the building as cover and knocks out a stug. 3-1.

In the centre one stug is hulldown on the hill, the others advancing on the bazooka (who went to ground) in the central hedgerow.

The German infantry advance to flush out the bazooka.

The French mortar again fails to range in on the German infantry.

e
The bazooka is barely visible in this shot- just visible to the right on the German infantry. .

One of the bazooka team is knocked out

Meanwhile on my right flank I destroy the second infantry squad with my remaining 75mm Sherman and small arms fire form my infantry squad.

End result no Germans left on my right flank.

The German infantry have just assaulted and destroyed the bazooka and are now heading to the objective. The stug on the hill has been immobilised by the 76mm Sherman.

The 76mm Shermans luck can't hold and it too is knocked out

End Result. An 8-6 Victory to the Germans. We both captured an objective but the Germans destroyed two more units than I did. Still after the start I had, losing 2 tanks on turn 1, I thought the game was going to be a German walk over but ended up being pretty close and was in the balance right until to the last die roll.

Cheers Kent, it was a good fun game and I look forward to another one soon.

Craig

BA Free French vs Germans

Last night Kent and I finally managed to get a game of Bolt Action in. We both took tank platoons, me a couple of Shermans, an M10, Greyhound a 2nd lieutenant and 2 squads of infantry.

Kent ran 3 veteran stugs, a panzer IV and squad of SS

Somewhere in Southern France, Autumn 1944...

Turn 1- an SS squad advances.

One of my infantry squads has occupied the dormer house

Stugs and the panzer IV lurk nar the central huse, covering the central ground.

And soon have their fist kill, the M10.

 My infantry advance to support the Greyhound.

my threr squd and bazooka race towards the safety of the other building on my left flank.

Free French infantry and SS skirmish in the woods and hedgerows.

 Meanwhile on the left flank the survivor of the bazooka team hunts the stug- my infantry and 2nd lieutenant are now safely in the building.

 The bazooka biits ti

The the distance one of my shermans advances across the German gun line, drawing fire from several tanks which all manage to miss. 3 stugs and a panzer IV vs 2 Shermans, this doesn't look good.

The same "cunning move" from the Free French lines.

His luck runs out the Sherman is hit and catches fire, its turret gets stuck but the crew stick round and rive into the woods for safety.

The Germans are now focusing everything on my right flank..and have fallen for my cunning plan

At the end of the game (turn 6). My infantry on my left flank held an uncontested objective, though I'd lost 3 teams to 1 German I snuck and underhanded victory by claiming an objective (we were basically playing the old Flames of War stand Free for all).

A good gme and though my tanks were outnumbered the game was close, which seems to be the way most games go with us.

I look forward to a rematch soon.

Craig

BA- Free French vs Fallschrimjager

I popped around to Kent's last night for an enjoyable game of Bolt action, enjoyable for me, not so much for Kent thank to some pretty terrible dice rolling with his armoured vehicles.

 I ran
3x shermans
1x M16
1x 2nd lieutenant
2x tough fighter infantry squads
1x 81mm mortar
1x bazooka

Kent fielded:
1x Lieutenant
2x Fallschrimjager squads
1x 105mm recoiless artillery
1x MMG
1x 81mm motar
1x Stug
1x Panzer IV
1x 222 Armoured car

The battlefield- Kent has got some nice new buildings and gaming cloth.

 Turn one the French advance

 The Free French, a mix of Artizan and Warlord Games figures.

 Kent eyeing up my M16 with his panzer IV

 A look down the table on turn 2. Not much to see.

 Stug and panzer IV on the German right flank.

 The Fallschrimjager advance behind the building.

 Mortar observer takes cover in the building.

 Sherman and Free French infantry on my left flank

 Kent is feeling aggressive and throws his infantry forward behind a smoke screen- created whn he failed to register smoke on my Shermaan.

Both Fallschrimjager squads are involved in the counter attack. One is destroyed in the ruined building after defeating my infantry officer when the surviving Germans are counter attacked by my nearby squad. 

 My second squad moves to counter the German thrust- causing several casualties with small arms fire.

 And fomr the gErman perspective.

 The mortar fires despite the stug looming large in the distance.

 Another view down the table, not much to see as the buildings hide the action.

 Kent's very nicely painted LMG team.

 The LMG team is offering covering fire to the rest of the squad- which is currently being decimated.

 Hide n seek around the building on the right flank.

 The Sherman stug slug it out, mostly ineffectively.

 The M16 has moved across to lend a hand on my left flank.

 No so many Germans now.

 The 222 armoured car scores a hit on the Sherman but fails to damage it

 Finally the M16 has a target and decimates the German platoon commander.

Result: A bit of a whitewash, about 5-1. i rolled pretty well but Kent had a pretty disastrous run of dice with his tanks. It was fun to get the dice out again and have a game. I'm back off to Kiribati this weekend so that was my last game until I'm back for good in the new year.

Craig