I like to trawl the web looking for IABSM battle reports. Here's one I've found from Feb 2014 from the Painted Thumb blog with some lovely figures and terrain!
Click on the photo, below, to see the report here, or click here to go straight to the blog.
One of my purchases at Warfare this year was Peter Pig's new 'Soviet Dancing Group': eight figures, two with accordions, two with balalaikas, and four doing the stereotypical Russian male dancing thing.
Now those of you who have read my previous post about the Gebirgsjaeger heavy mortars, and the unlikelihood that I will ever get them on the table (minimum range 76"!), must now be concluding that I have finally flipped my lid and decided not to paint anything that I will actually use ever again. I mean, when will I ever need to field musicians and dancing soldiers?
Well I'll tell you when: every time I field any Soviet MMGs.
You see, under IABSMv2, MMG teams were almost always crewed by three men; but under IABSMv3, they are almost always crewed by five men. It's a better fit with the durability of MMG teams, but does cause pain for those of us who have all their MMG teams crewed by three figures not five.
Well not any more!
Now my Soviet MMG teams will appear with their existing three crew members, but each will be accompanied by a couple of music-playing/dancing soldiers. Representation of correct crew numbers problem solved!
Here they are: both as a group and so you can see the (nicely sculpted) figures:
Not really a full battle report, but more displaying the pictures of a recent IABSM game that tiger1arnhem posted in the Photos section of the TFL Yahoo Group.
Apparently he had written a full AAR, but lost it all due to technology issues. I feel his pain, and can only repeat the mantra "CTRL+S, CTRL+S"!
Click on the picture to see more:
Those of you who do wish to submit full AARs, whatever size or quality, for IABSM, CDS or Q13, can do so by e-mailing me at the same address as for the painting challenge: adminATvislardicaDOTcom.
I think I'm going to need a bigger table.
With a minimum range of 76", I shall need to put my new unit of German Gebirgsjaeger (mountain troops) Heavy Mortars somewhere out in the garden in order to be able to actually use them in a game!
So why did I bother to buy and paint them up?
Don't know: except for the fact that they are some of the really good Gebirgsjaeger figures from Battlefront - those of you who have read my review of the range (click here) will know that for some reason the Battlefront 15mm Gebirgsjaeger range is neatly divided into two halves: one half being some of the nicest 15mm figures I have ever seen, the other half being one of the worst!
Well, of course I do know why I bothered: it's because they're on the list.
Yes, of course the main reason I have got them is because the IABSM army lists for late war Gebirgsjaeger say that they have heavy mortars as support at Battalion and Regimental level...I've just chosen to ignore the comment that follows stating that they should always be considered as off-table and be actually represented by an FOO unit!
Maybe one day I will get a chance to field them...once the extension is finished!
Here they are:
Not the first game of the new year, but the last game of the last year!
An exciting class between British Paras and German garrison troops in Normandy just after D-Day in June 1944.
Well here's my last entry for this year's painting challenge: fourteen figures making up four bases of dismounted tank crews.
These figures used to come with Battlefront AFV's, and look so much better placed next to an abandoned tank than a 'Bailed Out' marker.
More slightly converted Gebirgsjaeger: this time the two Company HQ Panzerschrek teams.
The chaps actually holding the panzerschreks are originally Peter Pig Fallschirmjaeger figures, with their heads swapped using Peter Pig 'Germans in Caps' heads. I'm pleased how they have turned out.
Exciting news! I have taken advantage of the Christmas break to catch up on the re-loading of content onto the new website, and am pleased to say that all the previous IABSM after action reports are now done. That's a huge library of battle reports to browse at your leisure, many with complete scenario information allowing you to re-play the action for yourself.
To celebrate, here's a new AAR, Pasting the Padre, which gathers together the reports written by James Mantos and the Mad Padre about the same game of IABSM played in November this year.
Click here or the picture to read the report; or use the top navigation bar to go to the IABSM After Action Reports section of the website to see literally hundreds more!
Still working my way through all the models I bought in the Battlefront early-war, half-price sale.
Next off the production line are a couple of SdKfz 221 light armoured cars. These are really nice models that paint up beautifully. Recommended.
I've been a little worried that my Gebirgsjaeger (German Mountain Troops) won't be able to move their equipment around properly, especially in harsh terrain or weather conditions.
Problem solved, however, with eight Kettenkrad (motorcycle tractors) painted up as crewed by Gebirgsjaeger.
I must confess to feeling a touch of pride here as, at time of ordering, Battlefront only provided crews in either the standard infantry helmet or the Fallschirmjaeger helmet, not the cap that most of my existing Gebirgsjaeger wear, so I bought some cap-wearing spare heads from Peter Pig and did head-swaps on half. Not exactly the apex of conversion skills, but more than I usually manage!
The Christmas holidays mean I have more time to finish re-loading all the content onto the new VL website.
I'm still working my way through the IABSM AARs, and great fun it is too. I have done all the scenario pack AARs, and the one-off game AARs, and am now working my way through the TFL Games Day AARs.
I have just finished uploading all the reports from the 2006 Malaya Games Day: a colossal battle involving over a battalion of infantry on either side at 1:1 scale, with the Japanese trying to force their way through the Lardak position, held by British Indian troops.
Click here to go to the IABSM AAR page. The Malaya Games Day reports are in the right hand column, down near the bottom.
Here are a few photos to whet your whistles...
Will the Germans manage to keep their blitzkrieg going by taking the bridge over the Lacôme canal, or will the French manage to check the enemy advance?
Find out by clicking here to read this exciting battle report from France 1940.
The reloading of the site's contents continues apace!
I have now finished re-loading all the IABSM After Action Reports as far as the one-off battle reports up to the end of 1942. That's all the scenario booklet AARs done, and about a third of the one-off games done.
Some people ask me why I bother to try and record every game of AAR about which a battle report has been written.
Well, there are a number of different reasons. Obviously the reports can be source of inspiration: encouraging you when the 'can't be bothered to game or paint' blues have got to you.
On top of that many of the reports are just such good reads: being so well written that they deserve to be published to a wider audience - and here I commend you to Mr Clarke's body of work.
Many reports also have vast numbers of really good photos attached to them: certainly enough to get your hands itching for a paintbrush again...and I know from personal experience that my terrain collection has grown in sophistication just so that my photos look more like those of the masters.
On top of a bit of inspiration, quite a few of the one-off game reports (especially Kev's) give complete game briefings: enabling you to play the scenario out yourself. Ideal if you're stuck for a game to play and (obviously) have played every scenario in my many scenario booklets!
Note also that some of these reports are now only available here on the Vis Lardica site. There are those that have been written specifically for the site, but there are quite a few others that have been lifted (usually with permission!) from sites or blogs that, for any number of reasons, no longer exist. Vis Lardica has become the IABSM archive, and I would like to see that archive as complete as possible.
So, in summary, read and enjoy the huge body of IABSM (and CDs and Q13) AARs that appear here. Even better: submit your own for inclusion. E-mail me at admin@vislardica.com. I'll do all the work: all I need to know is how I get hold of the text and any photos. All standards of work are included!
R
Just a quick note to say that I have finished reloading the six or so WW2 15mm figure reviews into the IABSM Figure Reviews section of the website.
Click here to go there.
The reviews on there at the moment are:
I'll write more when the website is fully reloaded!
I have now finished re-loading all the galleries of my WW2 15mm figure collection.
Very satisfying: and tells me what I've got and, more importantly, where the gaps are...especially with Santa arriving soon.
You can see a list of the galleries here.
On 1st September I posted pictures of the two SdKfz 7/2 German half-tracks that I had painted up in panzer grey for the early war period. Here are the other two 7/2s from the same order, but this time painted up for the mid- and later-war periods in dunkelgelb with camo.
Nice models these: easy to put together, for a change, and satisfyingly chunky.
Another quick bit of painting finished, again loot from the Battlefront early war 3-for-2 sale. This time it's a pair of Soviet T-20 Komsomoleyts tractors.
I only bought one pack of two, as I haven't actually got a specific purpose in mind for them. I suppose they will do as very light artillery tractors or, as they come with two men sitting on the back, as the extra two men needed for my MMG teams, originally based with three crew as per IABSMv2, but now needing five crew as per IABSMv3.
They are quite nice little models, but I don't like the fact that the crew are in old-style "Fireman Sam" helmets rather than the round ones worn by all my other Soviets.
Oh, by the way, for those who didn't know, komsomoleyts literally means "young communists", but I'm not sure why they are nicknamed that.
Over the weekend I managed to finish the first of the models bought in the recent Battlefront 'early war 3-for-2' sale: four Panhard-Schneider PT-16 armoured cars for my 1940 French army.
Nice models that go together and paint up well, and should be ideal for a game I'm planning involving two reconnaissance forces bumping up against each other.
I went to see Fury last night: the new WW2 movie starring Brad Pitt and Shia La Boeuf that tells the story of a Sherman tank and its crew fighting in Germany in the final days of the war.
I’m not going to write a full review, as I don’t want to give away any spoilers and you can read reviews written by people paid to write them in the paper or online, but here are a few notes to justify my hearty recommendation to all Lardies to get themselves down to the cinema and watch it as soon as possible.
I was determined to do the film justice, so went to see it at the IMAX in Leicester Square: highly recommended for any big movie as the sheer size and all-encompassing nature of both screen and sound system completely envelop you in what you are watching.
The film is great. It’s about two hours long, but that went by in a flash. To give you an idea of how much I was sucked into its embrace, there’s a bit where a column of American tanks are driving along a hedge-lined track. One of the tank crews spots some movement in the foliage and the camera flashes on a German carrying a Panzerfaust. I’m embarrassed to say that I exclaimed “Faust!” in quite a loud voice before I could stop myself! I’m not sure the young lady to left of me, who jumped with surprise, appreciated my attempt to warn the tankers of the danger!
The acting is excellent, particularly where Brad Pitt and the other crew members of the eponymous Fury are concerned; and David Ayres, the writer and director, manages to inject real tension into every moment of the film. You really don’t know what is going to happen from moment to moment: who is going to live, who is going to die etc.
I must, however, warn those of you of a delicate nature that the film is visceral in the extreme: it pulls no punches on the horrors of war front.
Now, on to the real question: is it realistic? Am I dooming you to a couple of hours sat in front of a screen shouting “no, no, no” before storming off to rivet-counters-dot-com to express your disgust in a series of blisteringly excoriating posts?
Well, I would say the film is stunningly authentic, but not quite as realistic.
The tanks (including the Tiger and an Easy Eight from Bovvy), uniforms and other equipment, along with the general realisation of the movie, are brilliant. I was transported to Germany in 1945 and, despite my best efforts, couldn’t spot anything out of place. Apparently Shia La Boeuf smokes the wrong sort of cigarette at one point, but I felt that I could forgive him that. Filthy habit anyway.
But, seriously, recommended for authenticity and to see what a Tiger, Shermans and German/US infantry look like in situ on the battlefield. That was probably what I enjoyed most.
As for realism, some bits were a little far-fetched, but no more so than in any other fictional war movie and, more to the point, no more so than many real incidents that one can read about in official, regimental and personal histories. The way to fully enjoy the movie is to remember that, and not to worry too much about, for example, whether one man can run forward into machine gun fire, jump onto the parapet of the trench containing the machine gun and kick the machine gunner in the face, allowing the trench to be taken by the rest of his section. That’s not from Fury, by the way, that actually happened during the original Australian assault on Tobruk…but if you’d seen it in the film, would you have clapped or scoffed?
So, in all, my absolute recommendation to all Lardies to see the film: and at the cinema if possible.
Now those of you who visit this website regularly will know that I am quite a fan of Battlefront figures. I might not play Flames of War, preferring IABSM, but I do buy the figures...lots of them.
Sometimes, however, Battlefront do something which drives me potty...something that is 'beyond a joke'.
Today's 'beyond a joke' is the new Gebirgsjaeger anti-tank rifle team of two figures: one rifleman and one chap carrying what I think is a PzB 38 or 39 anti-tank rifle. The team retails for about £1.50, but I got three of them in the recent 3-for-2 sale which, to be fair, was a very good thing, with a delivery arriving within three days of my order.
From the sublime...
I have previously commented that Battlefront's Gebirgsjaeger are a mixed bunch. Some of them are some of the best figures I have ever seen, and paint up beautifully, but some of them are ghastly shop-dummy manikins that I really only kept to make up the right numbers.
The initial release didn't contain any man-portable anti-tank weapons (no 'schreks, no ATRs) so I was chuffed to bits when I saw that anti-tank rifle teams were finally available.
My joy was short lived. Why, I hear you ask? Well I will let a picture say a thousand words. Here are the two figures from the Battlefront Gebirgsjaeger anti-tank rifle team pack:
...to the ridiculous!
You may notice that they are a slightly different size to each other.
Slightly?
Slightly?
The bloke with the ATR is so short his colleague can see over his flipping head! I mean, was this some kind of joke? Give the shortest man in the unit the biggest gun? It honestly looks like two figures from different ranges or manufacturers, not two figures designed to be fielded together mounted on the same base! What a pile of steaming poop!
I can understand the team being shorter than previous releases (new sculptor etc) but just the new figure? Didn't anyone at Battlefront notice that the two chaps didn't really match each other?
Come on, Battlefront: get your act together!
Vis Lardica is a website devoted to wargaming and military history, with a special emphasis on the company-sized rulesets produced by the TooFatLardies: I Ain't Been Shot Mum (WW2); Charlie Don't Surf (Vietnam); and Quadrant 13 (science fiction). There’s also a lot of content devoted to To The Strongest (Ancients/Medievals) and For King & Parliament (17th Century).
Welcome to Vis Lardica, a not-for-profit website mostly dedicated to the company-sized wargaming rules produced by the TooFatLardies, but encompassing my other gaming interests as well.
If you need to contact me, you can do so at:
vislardica@gmail.com
If you have enjoyed visiting this site, please add a link to it on your own wargaming blog: www.vislardica.com.
