Another cracking game underway at 1st Cops Miniatures HQ up in Snaith.
This is another practice game in preparation for our Seelowe Nord game based on the book by Andy Johnson - Author of historical fiction.
Cracking game on a lovely table and an opportunity to test principals.
All kit and terrain from the collection of 1st Corps
Mercian Miniatures
And here are some more shots from Michael Curtis:
A few photos of The 1st Corps 28mm Eastern Front demo game at The Other Partizan today.
Michael Curtis
The Battle of Kamenewo on 6th Octobr 1941 marked a pivotal moment on the Eastern Front, showcasing the Soviet T-34 tank’s dominance and halting the German advance towards Moscow.
On 6th October 1941, near the village of Kamenewo south of Mitensk, the German 4th Panzer Division, part of General Heinz Guderian’s 2nd Panzer Army, advanced rapidly following the capture of Orei. Their objective was to push towards Tuis and ultimately Moscow. However the Soviet High Command, alarmed by the speed of the German advance, dispatched Major General Dmitry Letyushenko and his 1st Guards Rifle Corps to intercept the threat.
Letyushenko’s force was a patchwork of units, including the 4th and 11th Tank Brigades and airborne troops from 5th Airborne Corps. Crucially Mikail Katukov’s 4th Tank Brigade, equipped with the newly produced T-34 and KV-1 tanks, played a decisive role.
The German Panzer III and IV tanks, under-armoured and out-gunned compared to the Soviet machines, were caught off guard. The Soviet tanks attacked from the flanks, supported by infantry and airborne units blocking the front. The result was catastrophic for the Germans : most of 4th Panzer Division’s armour was destroyed, and advance towards Tula abruptly halted.
One of the standout Soviet tank commanders during the battle was Lieutenant Dimitry Lavrinenko who, with just four T-34s and three KV-1s under Sergeant Antonov, reportedly knocked out eleven German tanks and two artillery pieces in a single engagement. Lavrinenko would go on to destroy 52 enemy tanks in just two months before his death later that year.
The battle was a wake up call for the Wehrmacht. Guderian himself acknowledged the superiority of the T-34, noting that it was the first time his forces had encountered such formidable Soviet armour. The engagement at Kamenewo not only stalled the German advance but also prompted a reassessment of German tank design and tactics.
This clash demonstrated the growing competance of the Soviet tank commanders and the effectiveness of their new armoured vehicles. It was a turning point in the early phase of the Battle of Moscow, foreshadowing the fierce resistance that would ultimately blunt Operation Typhoon.
And here are some more photos lifted from the excellent Don’t Roll a One blog: highly recommended as a source of inspiration.
All figures, buildings and vehicles are by 1st Corps.
Quick IABSM Bash with Woody tonight
Dice and pizza and run out of IABSM rules to test forces and scenario ready for our weekend at the South Yorkshire Air Museum last weekend in November.
Swift German movement under covering fire pushed the strained British Infantry at rear of the gun battery at the Filey Gap into the sea and into a POW cage!
Mercian Miniatures
Neil and I played "Scenario 17: Fauville" from WTHHYBB yesterday. This is the one where US Airbourne come on one end of the table and the German/Georgians come on the other. Yanks have loads of elite infantry, Germans have huge numbers of superior infantry plus some ex- French tanks.
The game started badly for the Americans with Neil's realisation that he had brought the wrong tea chest of figures with him! Back into the car and home to get the Airbourne figures.
This, naturally enough, upset the American figures so much that they spent the first few turns sulking on their baseline, refusing to move on to the table! The Allied Blinds chip seemed stuck to the bottom of our chip bag!
At the same time, the Georgian 5th Platoon suddenly developed the running skills of Dame Kelly Holmes (although not the shoulders: that would have taken many more years of training...and I'm tempted to add the old joke about "or the balls either" but I won't! I was watching her on Strictly Come Ice Dancing and would put her in the ring with Amir Khan any day!) and hurtled into Fauville, occupying a house that dominated the southern approaches. They then spent the next ¾ of the game getting their breath back and doing nothing!
This delay in getting started, and the enemy's 5th Platoon's rapid advance, meant that the Airbourne troops could occupy the chateau, but then weren't sure what to do next. Orders were to take Fauville, but there did seem to be a lot of Germans (well, Georgians in German uniforms) already in there, and this was supposed to be an encounter game, not an attacker/defender game.
The Germans then brought up their mobile artillery, and began firing incredibly badly aimed shots at the Amis Fallschirmjagers. No casualties, but the Yanks realised that if they didn't do anything, and fast, they were just going to get chipped away at from long range until they lost their effectiveness.
A platoon chip followed by an heroic commander chip provided just what they needed, and 3rd Platoon charged across an open field straight into a German column moving to outflank them. With their extra SMG's and elite rating, the US were rolling over 50 dice verses the Germans under 30, and beat them easily: with enemy survivors surrendering and being taken to the rear ("to" the rear, Nick: "to" the rear).
The Airbourne troops then established themselves behind hedges: almost untouched after their efforts. Unfortunately, the German mobile artillery finally got their range in, and started dropping shells on them; the German tanks moved up and started machine gunning them; and the German 5th Platoon finally got their breath back enough to fire shots at them from the flank ie along the line of the hedge.
Continuing their aggressive tactics, Winters himself (orange paint!) led another platoon forward, and charged down a road, round a hedge, and caught another German platoon in the flank. All the dice in Berkshire were gathered up for the US close combat, and the German platoon evaporated!
Unfortunately, this proved to be the high watermark of the US action. Although they now threatened the German mobile artillery, they still hadn't dealt with the tanks, and had got a bit far forward from their support in the chateau. The two Amis platoons were subjected to a hail of fire from all sides, and had to go to ground with heavy casualties.
At this point, the US commander assessed the situation. He had lost about half to two thirds of two platoons, and their bazookas more to the point. The rest of his force was under cover in the chateau, but taking heavy (if largely ineffective) fire from large numbers of the enemy. Two German platoons had been destroyed, but that still left three almost untouched, three tanks, and two mobile guns plus a couple of MMG's. He ordered the retreat.
Although defeated, he could also take comfort, however, from the fact that his sniper (presumably murmuring biblical phrases all the while) had killed three German Big Men and left the fourth one in such a state that he refused to attach himself to anyone, merely hiding behind a house "in case he was needed later on in the game". The other Big Man, in his tank, had welded the turret hatch shut, along with all other ways a bullet could get into the tank!
A great game that the US lost really in the first half an hour. The delays getting onto the table meant that the Germans were able to effectively defend an encounter situation...and if there's one thing I'm good at, it's defending! Significantly, both German platoons that did move towards an attack were annihilated! What was also obvious was how devastating the US Airbourne troops are in combat. With a Big Man and a bonus for SMG's at Close Range, there were some firefights where a section of infantry were rolling 6d6+2 for shooting!!!!!! Without the armour and mobile artillery, the Germans would have been in serious trouble.
Neil, in a massive sulk I might add, was muttering something about Scenario 18 having the same situation but with my troops now attacked in the flanks by another company of US Paras but because he'd had to fetch his Americans, having forgotten them in the first place, we just didn't have time to play on! Shame!
Perhaps, later on, he took comfort from the fact the result was the same as the historical one...but I doubt it!
Robert Avery
The second scenario I did was the second scenario from the D_Day scenario booklet Where The Hell Have You Been, Boys?. Tough sledding, but the Rangers held the line. One German squad got through past the gun near Rudder, but was easily cut down. The rest of the line took heavy casualties but held.
George Gouveia
The Rangers defend the shellshocked landscape in a thin, stretched line. Colonel Rudder's command post is just south of the destroyed guns. They are to hold the Point at all costs.
A German company is spotted moving from the south east. Rangers start to open fire, causing hits amongst the Grenadiers. Luckily the Rangers with some accurate fire take out the advancing German MG42 team. Eventually the Germans take cover in an abandoned trench line. They engage the rangers in a firefight. Slowly the Rangers loses a few men and the Germans slowly start to advance to drive the Rangers to the cliffs. The Rangers hold the thin line.
More Germans are spotted to the West. One platoon of Rangers redeploys to cover that flank. Two platoons of Germans fall upon the Ranger position, and some close combat occurs across the Ranger LMG team, which holds off one assault but falls to the other. A small squad of Germans moves forward consolidating their gains, looking for a breakthrough.
It was then the Colonel Rudder and his HQ open up and knock out the suicidal Germans. Eventually despite heavy losses to German mortars throughout the game, the Rangers hold the Pointe, driving the Germans back.
Well done Rangers, Pointe du Hoe has been held. Now we sit and await reinforcements!
In “Holding The Pointe,” my Germans were on the counter-offensive and looking to push the Americans back into the sea.
With all my forces deployed at the game’s start and all American units under blinds, my Germans began in overwhelmed confusion. This disadvantage made the game play so much more like the actual action in Normandy as German forces scrambled to head-off the Allied attack inland. Rather than focus my attack, I made the poor gamble of splitting myself to chase two sets of US targets. By the time a large force of German reinforcements arrived in the seventh turn, my initial force had gotten chewed-up in a series of stand-off firefights amidst the thick bocage near my original deployment.
My divided force tactics were ultimately my undoing, and I’m certain a more textbook massed attack may very well have giving me a greater shot at victory.
Brooklyn Wargaming
The first D-Day scenario I did was the first scenario from Where The Hell Have You Been, Boys?: US Rangers try to find hidden guns protected by German troops.
Ranger D and E Companies advanced from a trench and took fire from sniper and MG42 from the farm. The Rangers took some hits, drove on, and close assaulted the building, taking out the MG42. They then moved down the road, found the sniper, and took him out.
Then MG42 fire started from the south side as the Rangers advanced down the road. The MG42 causes some casualties, and pinned the advancing rangers, who are trying to spot the hard pavement road where the guns might be.
Some Ranger reinforcements from Company F luckily arrive to the east of the town of Le Guay. This draws the attention of the MG42 for a few turns, allowing the Ranger D and E Companies to advance and run across the road to the left using bocage as cover. They move off the table to the south, find and blow the guns.
Rangers win but the Germans but cost the Rangers 18 men.
George Gouveia
My first game — “Find The Guns” — saw me playing as the defending Germans looking to hold off the Allied advance from Pointe du Hoc with a couple heavy machine guns, snipers and some off-board artillery. One of the remarkable things about IABSM is the vast amount of space represented on the table, making decisions of movement and firing very important. My artillery was also very unreliable, representing some of the German communication challenges come alive. That said, with only a few men at my disposal, I was able to stave off and force the Americans to redirect through constant harassing fire until their reinforcements entered under a blind at my rear. With one of my machine guns and both snipers finally destroyed, the last of my Germans found themselves pinched on two sides of more-skilled US troops who took the game.
Brooklyn Wargaming
Still WIP and …… I know there is not a Martello tower up north but I am no longer calling this Bridlington it is simply my ‘British Seaside Town’. Still lots to do and buildings to add in the background and then more details.
Yes. That is the Iranian Embassy minus a floor . It was always intended to double up as a seaside hotel.
Terrific first day at 1st Corps HQ:
The Germans managed to establish a foothold in Bridlington although suffering heavy casualties. Tomorrow is the British counter attack.
Great fun!
Second day at 1st Corps HQ , Snaith:
The British put in a counter attack to drive the invaders back and recapture the harbour area to prevent second and subsequent German assault wave landings. .
A very even fight took place over nine turns but eventually the Brits pushed the Krauts back into the sea to secure a firm hold on the main and dominating feature of the hotel.
A terrific weekend was had. We sorted out lots of points concerning the forthcoming games weekend at South Yorkshire Air Museum the last weekend in November.
Salutes to Cookie who gets a Mention In Despatches for retrieving 10 x 4 sheets of our terrain base from three lanes of the M5 motorway! ( dont go there !!) . Fusilier Chris for all his efforts especially his ‘sausage surprise’ on Saturday and Sunday mornings! Michael , another Mention In Despatches for 3D printing throughout the last week, into Saturday night and for having no sleep over the next week or two either! Simon , as always for talking sense and sorting out lunch over two days.
Mercian Miniatures
Tomorrow Cooky and I are refighting Market Garden .
This scenario is based on 1st Parachute Brigade trying to reach the bridge at Arnhem. In their way is the blocking force set up by Sepp Kraft and his SS training school troops.
We are using I Ain’t Been Shot Mum rules and dusting off my 20mm collection that I painted thirty years ago.
Marcian Miniatures
This was a fictitious scenario that was based on some units of the 21 Panzer Division moving closer to the Sword Beach landing area than they did historically on June 6th.
A very open area (no buildings) wiith a low ridge in the center of the table, 8th Company and Panzer Grenadiers of the 192 Panzergrenadiers Regiment were tasked with meeting the British advance from Hermanville sur Mer as far forward as possible.
The German player -Sebastian- had a grenadier platoon mounted in U304 (f) halftracks and three S307 (f) self propelled halftracks with PaK40s. There was also a unit of 8cm mortars and two PaK43s offboard for support
They entered from the south edge.
They moved up to a hedge on the back slope of the ridge awaiting the British (H&R models).
Sebastian placed his infantry along another hedge and lateral road below the ridge. The FO for the 8cm mortars was back to the right in the trees. The Platoon CO off to the right with his 37mm armed halftrack covering a road from the north.
John and Jon had the British units consisting of Z company of the King Shorpshire Light Infantry (KSLI) and three troops of three M4s from the Staffordshire Yeomanry and one attached Flail tank
They made short work of the PaK commander who was out scouting in his Kubelwagen and failed to get back in cover quick enough. The gun halftracks had no radios so the CO went out to find the opposition. A platoon of the KSLI came under fire from offboard 88s when they came over the top.
There was a sniper with the unit also.
The Panzerjagers got off the first killing shot. A platoon of the KSLI are pinned by 88s on the right.
Two of the panzerjager halftracks are destroyed but the advancing troop of M4s is also KO'ed. Two platoons of Z Coy are on this flank and one heads south to the woods.
The platoon on this flank was also taking hits from offboard 88 fire. The two troops of M4s cautiously came over the ridge while the flail managed to get bogged down in the center.
One of the U307 (f)s managed to survive this point blank exchange It then turned and fled back down the slope dodging fire from the other Shermans. With an armor factor of 2 it somehow shrugged off two hits!
One platoon was pinned but the other moved down hill and came under fire from the grenadiers along the road.
Sebastian's grenadiers vacated the road position in the face of overwhelming odds and moved back through the woods; but their CO halftrack tried to zoom around the left and was hit and blown up by a PIAT. At this point there were no German Big Men left. The remaining PaK halftrack was also trying to escape from the advancing M4s and had to turn left to avoid the British infantry blocking its flight.
After taking a hit (the fifth overall in the game) from a PIAT that slowed it down, the crew decided its luck was about to run out and bailed to head south through the woods following the fleeing grenadiers.
The sniper also took out a platoon CO.
The 88 fire killed six men in this platoon. The 8cm mortars never did get their fire on target!
This game was one that the Germans could not reasonably win, but presented a plausible action with neither side knowing what was on the other side of the hill.
Overall the Germans lost every Panzerjaeger halftrack and the platoon leader, along with the command halftrack and two Big Men, and four of 24 grenadiers. The KSLI had a total of 20 casualties in its three platoons and one platoon leader killed One troop of the Staffordshire Yeomanry was destroyed by the halftrack PaKs.
A simple game that had some interesting kit for a June 6 scenario.
Mark Luther
This scenario takes place on the south bulge of the Kursk battle on July 12, 1943.
It was part of the counter offensive by the 18th Tank Corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army. The LSSAH's SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment 'T Eicke' and the 3/SS StuG Abteilung along with a pair of Tigers from the 13/ SS Panzer Regiment are holding the hill and village of Andreevka
Lend lease Churchills from the 39th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, infantry of the 32 Motor Rifle Brigade and the 181 Tank Brigade are tasked with taking the position.
The village also has a finger of houses to the right (north)
The German players could deploy as far up to the row of buildings. They can see the Russians moving up the slope below them. We didn't even bother with Soviet Blinds since they would be easily spotted.
William had the Grenadiers and support, which consisted of three platoons with eight sections total; two MMG teams; a PaK 38 and a PaK 40 (both +1 Aces); and two 75mm Infantry Guns. There was also a 4-tube section of 8cm mortars on call. All could be dug in.
Sebastian had the armor of six StuG IIIs and two Tiger Is. There were three +1 tank Aces among the StuGs, and a +2 and +1 Ace in the Tigers.
I put a few T34 wrecks on the table since a previous probe was driven off. The rest of the T34s in the 181 were needed though.
I had a company of eight T70s. The other company of the 181 Tank Brigade had T34s. Unfortunately we were short a player and that company was a no-show.
Sean had a company of eight Churchill Mk IVs. They had a company of riders from the 32 Motor Rifle Brigade which dismounted as they came up to the village. John commanded the infantry They had three Maxim MG teams and four ATR teams in support.
I wanted to get the newly finished Churchill models on the table and this game was the ticket.
No one seemed home William had placed a platoon in town but pulled them back after seeing what was coming his way.
No shots fired or Germans spotted yet.
Where are the rest of the Russkies?
Passing the victims of an earlier attack, they moved along the main east west road.
No doubt about to take fire from the top of the hill and hoping the other company from the 181st come soon.
John's 1st platoon was on the left
StuGs are a bit further back.
At this range the Tank Aces couldn't miss from their hull down spots.
They can cover the road from this position.
And a third takes damage from a StuG.
One is a +1 tank Ace.
William had a MMG team and the 1st platoon in the farm house. The MG team was upstairs and had a good view to the east.
The light tanks become easy meat for the PaKs further up the hill
To make it even harder for the T70s to take on the PaKs, a 4-gun battery of StuGs shows up to their right.
Some of the Churchills and infantry move through the village only to be targeted
Sebastian ran a pair of StuGs out to the center but encountered advancing Russian infantry
The StuGs and PaKs are stopping the light tank company
It took a couple of hits and found itself stalled out too far in front. Russian infantry was working their way around it through the scrubby fields.
Another Grenadier platoon and a MMG opens fire from a copse. We were surprised at how heavy the German presense was on their left.
The German units in the two storey building are forced out and then take hits as they retreat past the 7.5cm infantry guns.
A fifth light tank is destroyed. It looked like the Russians were stymied without reinforcements at this time so we called the game.
Two PaKs and three StuGs stop the advance up the slope
The company CO is knocked out along with three other tanks
One of the Tigers move to get better line on the Churchills while the grenadiers keep up the fire on the pinned Russian infantry
Not going back
John got some troops halfway across the table but needed more fire support. This is the stage that another wave of Soviet tanks and infantry would make a big difference.
I did have those units ready to appear but alas we were short players. So a lopsided affair of a game.
Five of the eight T70s were knocked out. Five of the Churchills were also destroyed and two had turret and gun damage. The Russian infantry had only 17 casualties at this point (out of 64 troopers) so was in decent shape, but one platoon was pinned down on the right and would have to retreat soon.
The Grenadiers lost one MMG team and seven other men. The only damage to the German armor was a StuG out in the center.
The game was designed to have at least one more company of T34s. There was another company of infantry available also. The Germans were lucky to be on the receiving end of an uncoordinated attack.
Mark Lutherr
Earlier this year with Winter Wonder Lard V then creeping up very quickly, Phil and Jen recruited Andy and I to play-test their new I Ain't Been Shot Mum scenario which featured a change of scene for them being set during Operation Barbarossa where a German reconnaissance unit was tasked with capturing a strategically important bridge...
Near the bridge was a Kv-1, unfortunately it had broken down and the crew were trying to fix it by banging it with spanners...
Starmaskaya village was a nondescript little hovel but had a nice church - and a Soviet supply dump.
The German reconnaissance unit, commanded by Andreas von Krähe, aggressively advanced down the main road to the bridge a Schwerer Panzerspähwagen leading the way.
Not realising the Soviets, commanded by the legendary Bolshevik Krasnyy Stiv, were lying in wait!
But before the Soviets could meaningful react Von Krähe gunned his BMW motorbike combinations down the road to the bridge, though some Germans were caught in the rear by Soviet rifle fire.
The Kv-1 crew manfully fought off the first assault by the now dismounted motorcyclists - more than one fascist receiving a dent in his helmet from a quality Workers spanner - but they were soon machine-gunned down.
Heroes of the Soviet Union to a man, their sacrifice for the Motherland will not be forgotten and even as their still warm blood seeped into the soil of the Rodina, their noble delaying action allowed the Soviets to bring up more armour in the form of two T-70's!
Pikiruyushchiy Bombardirovshchik!!! With the German advance stalling on the outskirts of Starmaskaya a dreaded Stuka appeared and rained hell on the defenders inflicting casualties and shock!
On the opposing flank German armour appeared over the hill a second Soviet 45mm 53-K anti-tank gun (Sorokapyatka) engaged the panzers, though it soon fell victim to another Stuka attack!
However despite several of its crew lying dead around it the other Sorokapyatka fought bravely on...
An Sd.Kfz.231 falling victim to the deadly "little 45"!
Meanwhile with the Soviets no longer having any anti-tank capability to protect the other flank, Von Krähe aggressively pushed his jack-booted force forward...
The Soviets on the outskirts of the village put up an valiant resistance against the superior numbers of fascist invaders but were pinned under the weight of enemy fire and eventually pushed back into the village itself.
However with dusk starting to fall and the Sorokapyatka AT gun, now down to just one crewman, taking out a Sd.Kfz.222 (another Hero of the Soviet Union here!), Von Krähe realised he was not going to able to complete his mission despite the crumbling Soviet defence and would have to try again another day (assuming he was not sent to a Strafbatallion for his incompetent failings).
Another fun IABSM game owing a lot to Phil's running of it and Jenny's lovely terrain, it went down well at Winter Wonder Lard V and subsequent Lardy Days were P&J ran it - hopefully I'll get a chance to play the follow up 'Return to Starmaskaya' at some point and remove all traces of the fascist from the Motherland!
Steve
Defence of Calais 1940 fought between the same group of players including 1st Corps, Jerry Cook , Mark Wilson , Vince Noir , and Chris ‘Fusilier’ Keeber.
A very close game with the British Carrier Plattoon and armour creating high casualties to the Germans whilst at Calais the British defenders stood to at their defences and created a narrow British victory allowing British Forces to slip away to fight another day . 🫡
A great weekend , exciting games, awesome kit and fellowship. All of this possible because of our ancestors bravery and their sacrifice. We Will Remember.
Mercian Miniatures
My second game at this year’s Operation Market Larden was a superb looking I Ain’t Been Shot Mum battle set during Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.
I would play the Soviets, advancing onto the table to expel the Germans from Starmerskaya, securing the two bridges over the river in the process.
My plan was fairly simple. With three companies of infantry at my disposal, I decided to advance forward on three mutually supporting axies: left up the railway line, right up the road, and then threading their way through the fields in the centre.
I had two units of armour: a very weak unit of three T-26’s and, later on, five T-28s. The T-26s would also advance along the railway line, and we’d see where the T-28s were most needed when they eventually arrived.
The plan was to advance quickly forward until the infantry made contact, then bring up the armour to help, with each column free to help the others if required. I also wanted to get my one decent 75mm tank gun into a position where it could shoot at anything coming over a bridge.
The first action was on the left hand side of the field, near the railway tracks. #1 Platoon advanced forward quickly, supported by my single T-26 with a proper gun, and ran into a German recce section of three armoured cars.
A shot from the T-26 blew one apart, with another being close enough to get damaged as well. My infantry then swarmed the armoured cars and dispatched them and/or their occupants with grenades and sticky bombs. The only fly in the ointment was that a shot from one armoured car knocked the track off the T-26 so that although it was still operational, it couldn’t move.
Next contact was in the centre, where #2 platoon ran into a strong German position in the town square: a platoon of infantry and a couple of MMGs.
This proved a tough nut to crack, with one squad taking significant casualties (enough to send them flying from the field) before troops from #1 platoon, marching to the sound of the guns, arrived on the Germans’ flank and shot them to bits.
Meanwhile, one of my T-28s had arrived, taking position to cover the bridge at the other end of the road. It was lucky that it did, as a German panzer platoon had just started to cross.
A couple of shells from the T-28 winged their way towards the enemy tanks and was lucky enough to not only hit the lead tank but blow it to bits, utterly blocking the bridge. The ‘corpse’ was also still on fire, so its fellow tanks couldn’t even get close enough to shunt it out of the way. That bridge was firmly blocked, and would be for some time. The rest of the German tanks therefore retreated back to their side of the river and began making their way to the other bridge.
Meanwhile, platoons #1 and #2 had finished off the Germans in the main square and kocked out an anti-tank gun ‘guarding’ the central road. This would prove important later in tne game as I had two T-28’s heading towards that road.
The Soivet infantry then wanted to head over to the far road in order to take out the last German pocket of resistance (another anti-tank gun, another platoon of infantry) but couldn’t get across the square as it was still covered by the last of the recce armoured cars that had retreated away from platoon #1’s advance.
This last Sdkfz-222 proved a real pain to take out: I had to wait several turns until a tank arrived and then the 222 took out one of my HMG-armed T-26s. I needed more armour there!
Back on the elft flank, where the German panzers were now trying to cross the other bridge.
Fortunately by this time I had managed to get another two T-28s onto the table, and fire from them and the original T-26 hit and destroyed the lead Panzer IV.
It didn’t blow up, however, so one of the following tanks managed to push it out of the way…only to be hit and destroyed in turn.
There would be no Panzer IV reinforcements for the Germans!
Back to the right, and I was now in a position to send heavier armour up the central road to deal with the Sdkfz-222.
At the same time, my lead T-28 was now exchanging fire with a German anti-tank gun covering the road, only really surviving because of the intervention of the Soviet airforce who had pinned the gun crew with a strafing attack.
A T-28 then arrived in the main square and blew the German armoured car to bits.
This allowed platoon #1 to advance towards the bridges, and platoon #2 to both advance forward and help suppress the last pocket of German resistance around the anti-tank gun on the right. With another T-28 to help, that wouldn’t be taking very long!
Mindful of the fact that I needed to secure the bridges, I now had infantry from platoons #1 and #2 on the river road, shooting up the last German infantry platoon who had arrived from the right hand bridge after a hair-raising traverse past the burning panzer.
Soon they would be supported by the T-28’s who were just turning onto the river road from the left, past the smoking remains of three Panzer IVs.
Job done!
A great game of IABSM superbly set up and run by Phil and Jen.
I did have the luck of the devil in my initial firing, blowing armoured cars and tanks to pieces with ease, but I also succeeded by keeping the initiative and making my opponent react to my movements rather than vice versa. As ex-army man himself, he was kind enough to say that I had delivered a masterclass in how to play IABSM.
My thanks to everyone for the game: a cracking afternoon’s wargaming.
Brilliant test of the rules as loads of kit in table.
Massive effort by the boys at 1st Corps . Massively appreciated. Great fun as always.
Mercian Miniatures
Towards the end of September 1939, the remnants of the Polish army fighting in the North fought the Germans for control of the city of Tomaszow Lubelski, but their attacks arrived piecemeal rather than as a co-ordinated effort.
This scenario is a brawl in one of the outskirts of the city, where both sides fight for control of the centre of the table, represented by four objectives, three of which have to be taken to get a win. Two are at either end of the main road bisecting the table, and two are in each of the more built up areas.
Things began well for the Poles, and my Blinds were soon dominating the table (the left hand photo, below).
Unfortunately, I had expected more German Blinds to arrive before I could deploy, so had used a Dummy Blind on the left to scout forward. Had that been an actual unit, then I would have won the game almost immediately, as that and the advance of more of my Blinds into the main town would have given me control of the three objective markers I needed.
As it was, when the Germans de-cloaked their single Blind in the centre of the table to reveal their Panzer platoon, I was a bit stuffed: I didn’t have anything on the table apart from infantry and cavalry, neither of which (at this stage of the war) were particularly good at taking on tanks, especially not tanks armed with 20mm auto-cannon!
Almost as bad, the Germans had also advanced an infantry platoon right up to the edge of the main town, forcing my cavalry to deploy on the narrow main street and then shooting this inviting target to significant effect, forcing the survivors to make a rapid retreat into the graveyard!
By this stage I had amanged to get one of my infantry guns into action and had destroyed a Panzer II, but the cornfields were preventing me getting a clear shot off at the others.
Meanwhile, the Germans had taken the smaller village and were moving in on the main town. Cleverly, they were using internal lines to concentrate their forces, whereas I had split mine into two parts…and was now paying the price.
With half my infantry tied up on the other side of the battlefield, I just couldn’t stop the Germans moving in on the main town. Yes, I damaged then as they advanced, but not enough to stop them: there were just too many of them: effectively two platoons and a platoon of medium MGs versus my single platoon, remnants of the cavalry, and a single taczanka!
Meanwhile, I had received a platoon of armoured cars as reinforcements, and was well on the way to finally eliminating the Panzers that had so successfuly held up my southern advance.
This was, however, far too late to make a difference to the battle and, as my men were forced to pull back from the larger town, the Germans captured the third objective they needed and the game!
Well that had been a neat lesson in the tactics of using internal lines and concentrating your forces from the Germans!
I really lost the game the moment I deployed one of my platoons of infantry to the south of the battlefield and was forced onto the defensive there by Rob’s five Panzers. Without those tanks, I would have had three objectives early on in the encounter, but as rushing infantry acorss open ground in the face of mass autocannon fire is not a wise thing to do, they effectively held me up for long enough for the rest of the Germans to arrive and win the battle.
A great game of I Ain’t BeenShot Mum.
Robert Avery
Playtesting our IABSM game for “Operation Market Larden” at Evesham this weekend. The Germans held off the Russians with massive casualties to both sides.
Phil Turner
This scenario was directly from Rob Avery's Anzio: Wildcat to Whale book. It is Game 5 - The Huts, an action that took place January 26th, 1944.
I wanted a basic setup to use as a teaching game. The table is flat. The forces are small with mainly a weak British company from the Grenadier Guards and an attacking company of Germans from 29th Panzer Grenadier Division.
The Brits were overwhelmed and the survivors made it back to the heavy cover.
Mark Luther
We ended the game at this stage since there was no hope of the Brits recovering the Huts. The German MMG team hadn't even been committed and the 2 Tigers were a pretty effective deterent.Final casualties were 29 out of 72 German infantry hit along with 2 Big Men The Grenadier Guards had 14 of the 28 men down.Not the best learning game for Bill P but everyone enjoyed it.
6mm I Ain't Been Shot Mum game played at Gigabites Cafe in November 2024.
Mark Luther
