Save The Brigade - Poland 1939

On choosing the forces for a play-through of my Save The Brigade scenario, I decided that the Warsaw Armoured Brigade would be just the job for the defenders. I've represented its brother unit, the 10th Armoured Brigade ('The Black Brigade') in previous games, so I had the models needed. Whilst this would be an imaginary battle, I also still wanted opposing forces that were at least potential historical opponents. In the end I came up with this...

The Warsaw Armoured Brigade, 3rd week of September 1939

The Warsaw Armoured Motorised Brigade was one of only 2 such units in the Polish Army in 1939, the other being the better known 10th Armoured Motorised Brigade. The Warsaw Armoured Brigade was not fully combat ready when the Germans invaded, but on 5th September it joined Army Lublin and took part in the defence of the Vistula river line south of Warsaw, in the vicinity of the city of Lublin. Later it was ordered further south towards Lvov. 

This completely fictional scenario pits the brigade against elements of 2nd Panzer Division which were also active in the area south of Lublin towards Lvov at the beginning of the 3rd week of September.

Scenario (see previous post for map and detailed conditions)

The Warsaw Brigade must extricate itself from a potential encirclement by the 2nd Panzer Division by leaving its positions in a wooded area and retreating across a river. An armoured train supports the move, under command of the Brigade CO. Game length 10 turns. 6’ x 6’ table.

The Warsaw Armoured Brigade can ignore the 'penny packets' rule normally applied to Polish forces of 1939, but the 'poor combined arms' rule will still be used - it seems their training may have been incomplete. 

Warsaw Armoured Brigade. CO, CV8

Armoured Train 

Bofors AA unit with tow

1st Mounted Rifle Regiment: HQ, CV7 

6 infantry units with ATR upgrade 

2 mg units 

1 mortar unit 

1 37mm ATG unit with tow 

3 transport units (trucks)

1st Foot Rifle Regiment: as 1st Mounted Rifles 

12th Light Tank Company: HQ, CV8 

2 Vickers (47mm) 

1 Vickers (mg) 

11th Scout Tank Company: HQ, CV8 

2 TKS (mg) 

1 TKS (20mm) 

2nd Motorised Artillery Battalion: FAO, CV7 

2 75mm artillery units 

Breakpoint/50% = 16.   25% = 8.   Points 2255.

The brigade deploys in the central wooded area, the train and Bofors deploy across the river. Units must retreat off table via the base edges enclosed by the river. Save 50% of the units for a major victory, 25% for a minor victory.  

2nd Panzer Division (elements) CO, CV9 

Panzer Kampfgruppe 

Ist Battalion, Panzer Regiment 3: HQ, CV8 

3 PzI, 2 PzII, 1 PzIII, 1 PzIV 

IInd Battalion, Panzer Regiment 3: HQ, CV8 

2 Pz1, 3 PzII, 1 PzIV 

Infantry Battalion: HQ, CV8 

9 infantry units with ATR upgrade 

3 mg units 

1 mortar unit in truck 

1 37mm ATG unit with tow 

Artillery Battalion: FAO CV8 

3 105mm artillery units 

Schnelle Gruppe 

5th Aufklarungs Battalion: HQ, CV8 

1 Sdkfz231, 1 Sdkfz221, 1 Sdkfz222 (recce) 

3 m/c infantry units with ATR upgrade 

1 m/c mg unit 

1 37mm ATG with tow 

Kradschutzen Battalion: HQ, CV8 

6 m/c infantry units with ATR upgrade 

2 m/c mg units 

1 7.5cm IG with tow 

Ground Attack Staffel: FAC, CV7 

1 HS-123 unit 

Breakpoint = 21     Points 3440 

Panzer Kampfgruppe arrives on eastern table edge using mobile deployment. Schnelle Gruppe arrives on western two thirds of northern table edge using mobile deployment. Germans break the Polish force for a major victory, or destroy 25% for a minor victory.

The Game

The heart of the Polish position at game start. The mighty Vickers tank company waits on the road.

IInd Battalion of Panzer Regt. 3 attacks the north eastern corner of the Polish position. They were successfully delayed by a Polish 37mm AT gun and the Vickers company.

We only had time for 5 full turns (2 and a half hours gaming). This was the position on turn 3, with the Poles already on the verge of being surrounded by outflanking tanks to the south, and motorcycle and recce troops to the west. The Polish retreat had hardly begun - the command rolls had not been kind.

Only the TKS company managed to get back over the river in the time available.

Turn 4. The armoured train provided effective supporting fire against the light German units moving around the western table edge. In turn it was the obvious target for a couple of air attacks by Henschel HS-123s. In the foreground the German infantry battalion cracks the line of the defending Poles at the edge of the woods.

Conclusions

It was a shame we didn't have time for more moves. None of the victory conditions had been achieved - the Germans had lost 5 units, the Poles only 2. However, after 5 turns the German recce battalion had already cut off the Poles from the wooden bridge, and the 1st Battalion of Panzer Regt. 3 had reached the river not far from the road bridge. The Poles looked certain to be trapped and they were judged to have lost.

The Poles should probably have concentrated on immediate retreat rather fighting a delaying action. Certainly with reasonable command rolls the Germans can get around the Polish position quite rapidly, and the scenario may need tweaking to give the Poles a better chance of victory. Perhaps the German main force could be restricted to arrival only in the northern two thirds of their table edge. Or, with my selection of forces, it might be that simply removing one of the German panzer battalions altogether would make a more equal game. 

Lard Island News - 'Friction' In Wargames

Just a quick post to point readers to a truly excellent and thought provoking article on the 'Two Fat Lardies' blog.

I won't paraphrase the content - go to the link and enjoy. I have to say I have never really looked into any of the TFL rule sets, let alone played them, but recently I have stumbled over articles and comments by these guys that make a lot of sense and make me want to check out their products. If only they did a SYW set! Unfortunately their WW2 set is focussed at company level, which is not my preferred option, but I think with a new edition of I Ain't Been Shot Mum out there, I might just look into whether a purchase might be worthwhile.

Certainly the article itself is refreshing proof that there are still some truly 'thinking' wargamers out there.

Blitzkrieg Commander Scenario: Save The Brigade!

Having developed an idea for my next Poland game, I thought I would present it as a general scenario, then give the details of the game I actually played in a separate post (once I get around to it - don't hold your breath).

The game incorporates ideas from both the 'Pursuit' and 'Encirclement' scenarios in the BKC rulebook. The defenders have a brigade size unit deployed in the central wooded area. I use the term brigade, but this could be any multi-formation battlegroup suggested by the ground available and the WW2 theatre you are representing. The main force of the attacking side approaches from the east, but a lighter, faster moving force has made an outflanking move and attacks from the north. The defending brigade must extract itself from the trap by retreating over the river and leaving the table to the south west. 

The table size is intended to be 6' x 6', based on using 15mm models. In 6mm you could get away with 4' x 4'. The map below gives the table layout. The river can be crossed only at the bridges: the bridge on the main road can take any unit, the minor bridge can only take units on foot or cavalry. BUA = built up area. The game is set on a flat plain with no hills (just for a change - I hardly ever have a table with no hills). A small enclosure and farm are at the centre of the wooded area by the road.

Game Conditions

The attacker has 50% more points available than the defender. Two thirds of his force (in points or units, as preferred) deploy anywhere on the eastern board edge using mobile deployment. The remaining third deploys on the northern board edge between A and B, also using mobile deployment.  I would suggest that no deductions for flank deployment be used. You may want to specify light, mobile or recce units for this flanking force, the details depending on the armies you have available. No scheduled air or artillery is available due to the rapid nature of the advance that has been made.

The defender deploys in the central wooded area. Units must be evenly spread within this area - no bunching towards the bridges for a quick exit! I won't present any tiresome rules for this, but leave it to the gentlemanly conduct of the player involved. The defender may have his non-vehicle units dug-in, but has no other field defences. He has no scheduled air or artillery - artillery ammo is too scarce to be wasted on general bombardments, whilst the rapid advance of the enemy has not allowed scheduled air to be called in.

The attacker scores a major victory if he breaks the defending battlegroup, and a minor victory if he inflicts 25% casualties on the defender.

The defender must exit his units off the table to the south west, via the table edges enclosed by the river. If he manages to exit 50% of his units he has scored a major victory. If he exits 25% he has scored a minor victory.

Game length 10 turns. Attacker takes first turn.

And That's...
...about it. Of course, I will be playing this as a Poland 1939 scenario, so you can bet that the railway has been put in to accomodate an armoured train in support, which isn't strictly in the scenario. Should anyone actually use this set up, they will doubtless incorporate their own tweaks.

I'm off on my hols soon, so it may be a couple of weeks before I get to play the game and post the results. See you then! 

IR6 Grenadier Garde

I have mentioned many times on this blog that I often find painting a chore, and as a consequence what little painting I do proceeds slowly. I only paint when I feel in the mood for a little zen-like escapism, preferably when alone in the house in a nice calm atmosphere (even though I might have Rage Against The Machine playing in the background). And almost never more than an hour at a time. 

Even making allowance for this attitude, these guys have taken a long time coming. In fact, I promised them to myself at the end of this old post, from March 2011. So that's over a year to paint 20 figures. Is this a record?

Alright, a trickle of other stuff has emerged in the meantime, but this remains a remarkable level of slowness. I liked the way the figures looked when I finished the first base (painting by fours is the only way I can make creating a unit bearable), but boredom quickly set in. I either did nothing or painted something else. Losing interest in all aspects of the hobby over the autumn/winter of 2011 didn't help either.

But finally here they are. The picture above shows the battalion as they were in 1745. By the SYW most sources agree the gaiters were black, except possibly when on parade, but I wasn't going to let historical accuracy get in the way of creating a distinctive elite unit. I allowed the officer figure black gaiters as a special concession! As I mentioned back in 2011, this wasn't your usual converged grenadier unit - it was a battalion made up entirely of grenadiers, derived from the unit of 'giant grenadiers' created by Frederick II's father. Hence they all have the same uniform and they have a flag. As to whether they should be called the Garde-Grenadiers or the Grenadier Garde - well, I leave that to the experts. 

Painting is in my usual toy soldier style. Block painting only, using Vallejo and GW acrylic paints with a coat of matt acrylic varnish to finish.

IR6 in Black Powder

I give this battalion the following stats: HTH 7, Shooting 3, morale 4+, stamina 4. Special rules: first fire, superb drill, elite 3+. My normal grenadiers are the same, except they only get elite 4+. I have backtracked on my earlier conclusions and now give all Prussian formed infantry a shooting value of 3, in line with the rulebook.

I have the unpainted figures for a couple of units of hussars waiting, which I suppose I will eventually get around to painting. My cavalry units have the great advantage of usually only having 8 figures. Whether I will ever be able to face painting a full infantry unit again remains to be seen. Maybe a small (16 figure) unit of Austrian grenadiers to finish off that army. But the extra Prussian line infantry I fancy acquiring will probably be bought ready painted from RSM - their prices are excellent and the paint standard quite acceptable. 

I guess this one goes out to block painters everywhere. Keep on keeping on!

Henschel HS-123

Reading through one of my books on the Ju-87, I came across mention of the Stuka's predecessor, the HS-123, and the fact that it had seen service in Poland. A quick bit of internet research showed that although the aircraft had not been entirely successful as a dive bomber (due to a lack of precision in the dive), it had been switched to the ground attack role in which it had been quite successful. What particularly stirred my interest was the information that in Poland, with the Stuka being used in the tactical bombing role (i.e. working behind enemy lines), it was the HS-123 that was more likely to be encountered providing air support on the battlefield. It could use improvised airstrips even more readily than the Stuka, thus operating from close behind the advancing troops. This, combined with the aircraft's rugged simplicity and reliability, resulted in a high sortie rate that the Germans found very useful. The aircraft is also described as being able to deliver its modest bombload with considerable accuracy.

HS-123 artwork showing the aircraft on the Russian front.

This made the aircraft an attractive prospect for use in Blitzkrieg Commander games. I began to feel the need for a little retail therapy. What swung the balance was the information that the aircraft went through the Polish campaign painted in the old thirties-style three colour camouflage. Repainting the aircraft in the latest scheme wasn't considered worthwhile as they were classed as obsolescent and were due for retirement after the campaign (in the end, they were still serving on the Russian Front in 1944). Whatever the reason, here was a funky new paint scheme to enliven my table.

The Model

My first port of call for a 1/100th scale model was Armaments In Miniature, who had supplied my Stuka and Karas models. The quality of the AIM products is unsurpassed, but their HS-123 was listed as a future release, which probably meant it was ages away. However, help was at hand on the Old Glory website. Under their "Lil' Flyin' Fokkers" range was just the model I wanted, at a fairly reasonable price.

I was pleasantly surprised when the model arrived. Although not up to the standard of refinement (bordering on perfection) achieved by AIM models, this was a fine piece of work. Nicely formed parts in resin and metal with no air bubbles or flash, which went together pretty well. Alright, putting the top wing on is a bit tricky, but a glue that allows some fiddle time and a reasonable dose of swearing did the trick. The photos below show the model mostly complete.

There are plenty of internet sources to give details of colour schemes and markings. Appropriate decals are also available from Old Glory, though you have to find your own serial numbers. Mine are entirely spurious and derive only from what I had left over from old kits. The finished model is shown below. The flight stand is home made.

As you can see I like a stand that gives the aircraft a reasonable height over the table - about 12" being my preferred altitude. I don't like those short stands some gamers use, with the aircraft skimming 2 or 3 inches above the playing surface.

The HS-123 in Blitzkrieg Commander

So now I have 3 aircraft units to deploy for my 1939 battles. The BKC stats for them from the rulebook are:

Ju-87B-1:  AT/AP 4; Hits 3; Points 60

HS-123A: AT/AP 4; Hits 4; Points 70

   Karas:   AT/AP 5; Hits 3; Points 80

Pete Jones bases his attack values for aircraft like these on the weight of bombload (he told me so), so you can see where he's coming from - the Karas carried a maximum load of 750kg, the Ju-87B-1 (not the B-2) 500kg, the HS-123 450kg. But wait a minute. The Karas a better ground attack/tactical bomber than the Stuka? Nay, nay and thrice nay! The point of the latter was accuracy, which I reckon made it significantly more effective than the rather indifferent Polish product. And it seems, from all the sources I can find, that the HS-123 rarely carried 450kg of bombs. The centreline hardpoint was usually (if not invariably) reserved for a drop tank to offset the aircraft's poor range. So bombload becomes 200kg (4 x 50kg bombs carried under the wings). Finally, the HS-123 had reputation for taking a lot of punishment, which I assume is the basis for the 4 hits. But the Stuka had much the same reputation. The smaller size of the Henschel aircraft would also count against it here - at least that's how it seems to work with tanks in BKC. 

Not wishing to depart too far from the rules, I'll say the greater accuracy of the Stuka compensates for its smaller bombload. The HS-123 is also usually described as an accurate ground attack aircraft, but this can't entirely offset the small bombload. I'm also unconvinced about the extra hit for the HS-123. Hence the stats I will be using (until someone convinces me otherwise) are:

JU-87B-1: AT/AP 5; Hits 3; Points 80

HS-123A:  AT/AP 4; Hits 3; Points 60

   Karas:   AT/AP 5; Hits 3; Points 80

One might conceivably give the Stuka and Karas attack values of 4 and the HS-123 3, but I like my air support to be effective when it arrives, so I've gone for the higher values.

Bedtime Reading

I always like an excuse for some background reading, so I treated myself to the book by Robert Panek. Except that I now find out it's not released until 15th July, although Amazon said it was available from 28th May and would be delivered on the 30th. This is not the first time I have heard about spurious and optimistic publishing dates on Amazon - something to look out for. If you're pre-ordering, check the expected publication date with the publisher.

Anyway, this certainly looks like the book to get: MMP have an excellent track record with their books on some of the less well known aircraft of WW2. I'll just have to be patient.

Overall then, a nice bit of fun getting the Henschel into my collection. I look forward to using it in action!

Added on 30th November 2012: this book has been put back twice, and is now scheduled to be published in January 2013. Becoming fed up with this process, I cancelled my order.

Maurice - First Impressions

Crikey O'Riley - another set of rules for the 18th century. Here I am with my own set to use as well as Black Powder, which I still enjoy playing and am perfectly happy with. But Maurice has a secret weapon - a free to download 'Lite' version.

I love Sam Mustafa

As you will probably know, this is the chap who gave us Lasalle and Might and Reason. Sam is to be heartily congratulated for going along the path of bringing out a Lite version of the rules which those interested can download for free (along with the necessary cards and a fast-play sheet).

This has the unusual virtue of being good for both seller and buyer. The same thing helped Blitzkrieg Commander become popular a few years back, and provides an excellent chance of creating a good vibe for a set of rules. And with rule sets being £20 or £30 a pop these days, and there being so many of them, you can't just buy a set on the off-chance that you'll love them. So, nice one Sam. A pity more authors and publishers are not so enlightened.

I hate Sam Mustafa

I nearly didn't bother looking into the rules at all when I saw the sub-title. 'War in an Age of Gentleman and Philosophes'. Hmm. One thing that irritates me occasionally about SYW gaming is the idea that this was some sort of 'Golden Age of Warfare' - in fact I think the phrase is actually used in the intro to the original Koenig Krieg rules. Charles Grant senior has much to answer for here. The quaint and whimsical world he created in The War Game seems to have led some gamers to believe that war in the eighteenth century was all about gentlemen on opposing sides inviting each other's regiments to fire first, following which everyone would march off to the nearest town for lunch. I'm confident Mr Grant knew better, and I surely don't need to belabour the fact that this was not the case. The battles and campaigns featured the most appalling slaughter and suffering (to men and animals), and the civilian population had their share as well - Frederick's occupation of Saxony being a case in point. It is generally argued that things were better than during the horrors of the Thirty Years War. Quite true, but this doesn't mean that the wars of the eighteenth century were either particularly civilised or honourable.

Even ignoring the warfare entirely, the period could just as easily (and probably more accurately) be called 'The Age of Injustice and Inequality', or some such. I have a great interest in, and admiration for, the Enlightenment and all it encompassed, but one has to be realistic about what life in the era could mean for ordinary people. As you can see, this is definitely a soap box issue for me.

Anyway, setting subtitles to one side, there is also the issue of pricing. Black Powder was expensive, but when you had the book in your hand you had to admit that £30 was probably reasonable for the physical object itself. Now the introductory deals are over, the Maurice rulebook is £25. Encountering a friend's copy, I was struck by its relatively slim nature, flimsy card covers and thin paper. These are all good attributes if they result in a book costing £15, maybe £18. But Maurice just doesn't have the heft or quality for a £25 rulebook, in my personal opinion. The cards are an additional £12, which is also not cheap, although the cards themselves are of good quality. The two together can be had for £35. Definitely not convinced here.

The Rules

Ah yes, to get to the point. Most reviews of the rules have been positive. On the basis of one game with the Lite version and another with the full rules, I would generally agree. I have no experience of card games, so the gameplay made a refreshing change. Good fun was generally had. Things move along quite smartly and the rules for the basics are simple and easy to grasp. The advanced rules look worthwhile and the inclusion of a campaign system is also to be applauded. 

The main problem so far has been the tendency to have games where half your troops don't do anything at all for the whole game. Being used to Warmaster style rules, I have no objection to some of my troops being able to do little or nothing for some of the time. But Maurice can take this to another level. However, I can see that with more experience with the rules and how to use them to best advantage, this may well change. At the very least, it seems to me that historical deployments and tactics are encouraged - indeed, they seem to be vital.

I am fortunate in having some opponents who have the rules, but no figures. Having the figures, I can provide these and get away with having no rules for the time being. Should the games improve, and I get the knack of bringing all or most of my forces to bear, I may well swallow my pride and invest in a set. Maybe they'll appear on Amazon at a discount.

For a good overview of the rules as our little group has encountered them so far, see my old mate Steve's blog here. If you want a change from the various complimentary reviews, Angus Konstam is far from impressed on his Edinburgh Wargames site (see the fourth battle report down), although I think his comments are misguided.

Definitely one to watch.

Memory Lane (2) - WW2 20mm

I recently stumbled upon some photos of 20mm WW2 games I played in the 1990s, so I thought it would make a 'part 2' post for my earlier trip down memory lane. There are shots of 3 games below, using my good old TSS tiles as the basis for the scenery, tiles which have lasted me now for nearly 20 years.

Game 1

Game 1

At the time these 3 games were played I was using Peter Pig's Abteilung rules, which are surprisingly still on sale. I can't imagine they sell many - even when I was using them I got the impression that I was the only wargamer in the country so inclined. But that was in the days before the interweb when it was much harder to get information about what people were doing. I liked Abteilung a lot, although their production values were low and the proof reading left something to be desired. I was waiting for a second edition which never happened, and then along came Blitzkrieg Commander...

Game 1 again - good old Airfix Shermans.

Game 2

Game 2

Game 2

All this lot got sold off for about £1000 (nice!), which paved the way for buying my Polish collection painted. The North West Europe campaign had got a bit stale after pursuing it for around 20 years. To be honest, I've never really missed the stuff, though I had owned some of it for a long time. I certainly couldn't face painting all the infantry for my new period, so the 20mm had to go if I was to afford professional painting for my new project. I did the vehicles myself though.

Game 3 - my old buddy Paul advancing the Germans

Game 3

The trees (home made) and hedges are still going, as are the village bases cut out from model railway scenic material. Some of those home made trees must be 25 years old now, maybe more. The Bellona bridges you can see in game 2 are also still going - see here (about halfway down the post).

Hope this may stir some nostalgia amongst readers. Funnily enough, Paul has recently gathered a couple of 20mm WW2 Eastern Front armies, so once again the Airfix Tigers and Panthers are back in my life!