Burma playtest

 I have painted up a couple of squads of Warlord Games plastic Japanese for Bolt Action so decided to have a little playtest game last night to try out the two armies. I decided to modify the Flames of War hold the line mission for the game and it worked fairly well. 

I only played a few turns and didn't get a result but enjoyed the process and hope to get a full game in one weekend soon using these two forces.

Briish and Indian infantry begin to advance supported my a carrier and Stuart. 

The Japanese lie in wait. 

On the right flank the other tow infantry secions advance though the jungle. 

a bofors gun provides support. Interesting fact at Kohima, the British workshops were being harassed at night by Japanese snipers. Someone suggested using horse blankets which were wet placed to proect from the snipers and these seemed to work. An officer decided this was not effective/efficient so ordered up a bofors gun and they used that to fire at the muzzle flashes and ended the sniper menace. 

The objectives are the two ammo dumps by the road.

A banzai charge vs the Indian infantry. The Japanese were killed. 

End of turn 2 the British approaching the two fords. 

An infantry assualt vs the medium MG covering the left ford. 

Another banzai charge is defeated. 

A view where I called it at the end of turn 3 as it was getting late. 

So there we have it, a fun little game to get the new terrain and mini's out. 

Craig

Warlord Games British infantry kitbashing

 I've been chipping away at my British & Commonwealth armies for the Italian Campaign and also for the 14th Army in Burma. Both forces are built around a combination of the Warlord Games Late War British/Canadian infantry and the 8th Army infantry boxes.

The Forgotten 14th Army in Burma- again a kitbash from the various ranges. Most are in trosusers but there are a few in shorts as well and I've added plenty of bushhats. These guys are painted in a tropical  green uniform. 

Last nights addition- a section of commandos. 

I must say I am really quite impressed with this generation of Warlord plastics- you can combine the arious sets and they hae lots of kitbashing possibilities. There are 6 core bodies but you are able to build a force so that no two figures look the same, for more variety I have also added some greenstuff to a few of the 8th army figures giving them trousers to mix things up even more. 

All up I've painted four boxes (120 figures) in the past few weeks and am planning on getting another couple of sets...  

Craig

Cassino Campaign- Game 4

 A few random updates for the week

Cassino Campign Game #4- Crossing the Garigliano

The forth game in my campaign is completed. the Royal Scots Fusiliers Cross the Garigliano river, Janaury 19, 1944. Cassino Campaign- Game #4- Crossing the Garigliano. to prepare for the game I "needed" some extra British infantry. 

British Infantry reinforcements

I have a platoon of the lovely Perry Miniatures metal  WWII range for the Italian campaign but they are true 28mm and quite slight compared to Artizan Designs and Warlord games figures as well as being a few mms shorter so as a result don't fit that well together so I spent a few days contemplating upgrading hem. II was goinmg ot use Artzan Miniatures but after a bit of online research decided to take a punt and get some of the plastic Warlord Games LW British/ Canadian infantry to add to the ranks.

A video of the figures I painted can be found here: 

I must admit I have been no fan of the Warlord games plastic figures. The first ones I bought a decade ago were crap and a pain in the arse to put together so I gave up on them and stuck mainly to metals- and have not been overly impressed by the Warlord Games metals either.

Although mainly designed for the European Campaign for 1944-45 the kit includes the earlier model helmets and so has potential and truth be told I was pleasantly surprised then they arrived. I had a bit of a two night mission to paint up a box (30 figs) to get them to a table ready standard but got them done in time for the Garigliano river crossing game. I have done one section in Tam o shanters to represent the Scots.

The newer box sets are much better than the old original ones and so I can definitey see me adding some Warlord plastics to my collection. I was so pleasantry surprised that I’ve ordered another box and a box of the 8^th army to kit-bash some kiwi sections for Italy in long trousers- and with thompson SMGs. 

Speaking of which yesterday I popped down to Dunedin for a game of Warmaster and my mate Richard who now has a gaming store down there was kind enough to give me a sprue of 8^th army (I was after some of the aforementioned Thompson submachine guns) so I decided to add some trousers to the figures with greenstuff last night and painted the first batch up. I am very happy with the result and am looking forward to completing the rest of this project soon. 

Fortifictions 

I’ve also completed some fortifications of the games in Italy- barbed wire, minefields, pillboxes and entrenched/dug in markers. A short video of  them can be found here: 

Finally, yesterday as I said earlier I popped down to Dunedin yesterday and had a couple of games of Warmaster with Tiff and Jonanthon which were very enjoyable. Warmaster games look fantastic on table.  

Unti next time

Craig

Some more reinforcements

 Today I built a second MMG pillbox and also a larger blockhouse which can house 8 men for my Italian Campaign for Bolt Action. I am prettty happy with how they turned out. 

I also made a nother Rubicon Sherman V for my Free French so now I can field a troop of three shermans. 

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