AAR: Retimo

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Originally posted 3rd January 2014

Here's the final Whisperin' Al IABSM AAR downloaded from his blog. It's short but sweet, and covers action on Crete during the German airborne invasion.

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AAR: Three for IABSM

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Originally posted 1st January 2014

Those of you who regularly visit VL (bookmark us now!) will know that I love finding and collecting After Action Reports from all over the web. I especially like seeing how other people interpret scenarios that I have either written of played. So I was very happy, yesterday, when I found Whisperin' Al's blog which has several AARs for either IABSM or CDS.

Here's the first batch covering scenarios from the Defence of Calais and Sealion scenario packs. Lovely photographs of well set up tables and nicely painted figures. More to follow.

Coulogne

Coulogne Redux

Rearguard at Pevensey

Leichtgeschultze 40 Recoilless Rifles for the Fallschirmjaegers

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Originally posted 1st January 2014

Some Christmas painting: I've added some Leichtgeschultze 40 recoilless rifles to the Fallschirmjaegers. Thinking about it, I should have used a slightly different yellow for the guns and for the base smock colour; and camouflaged the guns as well. Lesson learnt: laziness always leads to a slight feeling of dissatisfaction!

SAAR: Sanchil & Brig's Peake

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Originally posted 31st December 2013

Paul Scrivens-Smith reports on the game that he and his fellow Lardies will be taking around various shows next year. From the East African theatre, it's the attack on Sanchil and Brig's Peak by 1/3rd Punjabis on 10th February, 1941.

Excellent pictures again!

Japanese Type 94 Tankettes

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Originally posted 31st December 2013

Second, we have the Type 94 Tankette for the Japanese. Typical Battlefront tank model but, again, seemed to fit together more easily than usual. I also like the command figure. The Type 94 wasn't used in the invasion of Malaya and Burma, my usual theatre, but will be useful elsewhere I'm sure. Again, recommended.

Soviet SU-12s

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Originally posted 31st December 2013

More Christmas painting: this time figures from Battlefront's range covering the pre-war battles between Japan and the Soviet Union. 

First up we have the SU-12 battery: Gaz trucks with a 75mm field artillery piece mounted on the back. These are nice models that are much easier to build than others that I have done, particularly in the way that the wheels went on and the gun went together. The Su-12 was used during the Great Patriotic War as well, so great for Barbarossa scenarios too. Recommended.

A WW2 German Field Kitchen

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Originally posted 28th December 2013

The first of my Christmas painting: the German field kitchen from QRF, with a couple of customers from Peter Pig's 'German Infantry Eating Lunch'.

The kitchen itself is really nice: a good cast with plenty of character. The two chef models are horrible, though, no definition to the faces. The Peter Pig figures are exactly what you'd expect: well cast infantry in imaginative poses with the usual open mouths...more appropriate than normal here. 

Useless for wargaming, but absolutely necessary for the serious wargamer, I also like the way the vignette makes it look as if the chef is being taken to task for the quality of his food! 

AAR: Near Chemont

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Originally posted 21st December 2013

A cracking AAR from a scenario from the Blenneville or Bust! scenario pack.

It's scenario 3A: Near Chemont, and the lead elements of an American armoured division are tasked with securing a vital crossroads...

Blenneville or Bust! Reviews

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Originally posted 21st December 2013

Here are a couple of comments that have recently appeared about my IABSM scenario pack  Blenneville or Bust! on the TFL Yahoo Group:

I am about to start Blenneville (which I think is probably one of the finest wargaming scenario books I have ever come across in three decades of wargaming). 

Justintonna 17/12/13

It was only when playing Robert's Blenneville campaign after many years that it hit home how good IABSM is.

Craig Ambler 09/12/13

Most kind, Gentlemen!

AAR: Carroceto Again

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Originally posted 23rd November 2013

Craig Ambler returns to Carroceto to play scenario #15 of the Anzio: Wildcat to Whale scenario pack.

A huge game of IABSM involving masses of figures as the Germans attack the Allied troops desperately holding the town. 

AAR: Green Smoke Marks The Target

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Originally posted 16th November 2013

Topi continues his East Africa campaign with another clash between British and Italian colonial forces.

Looks like some nasty blue-on-blue action!

AAR: Carroceto

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Originally posted 14th November 2013

Lardy Craig Ambler takes a trip to Italy to play Carroceto, the second scenario in the Anzio: Wildcat to Whale scenario pack.

A game characterised by lethal dice rolling:  the British suffering fifty Kills and only three points of Shock. My only question is where I can get dice like that!

AAR: Near Avaux II

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Originally posted 3rd November 2013

Unusually, both my usual wargaming opponents were available in the same week. Last night, Dave and I fought to an epic draw (see below), tonight was Neil's turn. As I didn't have time to set up anything new, we'd fight the same battle as before. Not only that, but I would play the Germans again, and decided to set up in almost exactly the same way as before, looking forward to seeing how the two games would differ.

Well, it was indeed a very different game...

AAR: Near Avaux

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Originally posted 2nd November 2013

Terrific game of IABSM last night. Dave and I fought Scenario #4B from the Blenneville or Bust!scenario pack: Near Avaux. A hugely entertaining clash with the fortunes of war swaying backwards and forwards each turn, and with a truly epic climax!

T-28 Tanks for the Soviets

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Originally posted 1st November 2013

More early war tanks from Battlefront: this time Soviet T-28s. Bad picture, but these are nice little models.

BT-7A Tanks for the Soviets

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Originally posted 26th October 2013

With Battlefront flirting with the Sino-Soviet confrontations in Manchuria just before the "official" start of WW2, they have released a whole new set of early war Soviet kit. Here are the BT-7A tanks i.e. the BT-7 tank with a howitzer rather than a normal tank gun.

AAR: Operation Biting

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Originally posted 25th October 2013

Here's an AAR that's been on my to-do list for some time. John has designed and is playing an IABSM scenario around the Operation Biting raid at Bruneval, where the Paras went in to capture some German radar technology.

A great AAR currently in two parts. You can see the details of the historical raid at the beginning of part two.


AAR: West of Pierrecourt

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Originally posted 20th October 2013

As promised, here is Topi's AAR from playing the first scenario of the Blenneville or Bust! scenario book campaign: West of Pierrecourt. 

To quote his introduction: "Kicked off our Blenneville campaign this weekend. A German panzergrenadier recon unit tries to stop the American machine in the bocage country. 'Greenhorn, this is nothing compared to Kursk' was the German motto, as more and more American troops arrived. Quite a few spoilers to the scenario, so be warned."