Painting Update of Sorts

The house move "boy's toys" shuffling around continues unearthing long lost "treasures" such as these old Games Workshop 28mm Fantasy "Greenskin Orcs" from the Warhammer 'Starter Pack' of yesteryear, purchased one Christmas long, long ago by my good wife (see said "orcs" below). The accompanying 'Empire Troops' have long since been painted and based as DBR/Impetus Renaissance troops. The orcs were more of a painting exercise in 'green'. The "Chopper Boyz" (blades or warband) are all neatly turned out and painted but their supporting "Archer Boyz" (bows) have still only been undercoated and 'greened'. Well to push them on their way to hedonistic heights of completion I gave all the Archer Boyz's 'bone/teeth' bits a shade of the Vallejo equivalent to Citadel 'Bubonic Brown'. A token gesture on my part, sort of ' I have not forgotten you while you are out old friends' before I put them back in the box and back in the loft. My original thoughts were to mount these not individually but according to the DBx system (at least the DBx basing system seems to be a wargaming 'good point' if nothing else) being "warband troops" of perhaps ancient Briton or Gaulish stock for HoTT or Fantasy Impetus (when it comes as I am sure it will). Heck I may even get to paint some Warlord Late Imperial Romans to fight them one day ;)   

Other newly rediscovered treasures included some 25/28mm plastic Teutonic Knights (that will probably be used in my Renaissance armies), albeit horses currently minus their riders (see below). The Renaissance project seems to have stalled as of late, hmm, all depends on how soon I play another game of Impetus down Hartlepool way methinks.

Another find was a bundle of plastic Games Workshop Empire Handgunners (an eBay purchase rounding out at under 50 pence a figure) destined for Renaissance Trained Harquebusiers of Impetus fame under Emperor Maximilian and the like (see below). They remain stalled from that awful "moving house" status. Standing amidst the plastics are a few Wargames Foundry Landsknechts metals in lowered pile fighting poses.

Alas they all but had a brief moment in the light of painting before the chaos of modern family living (and a very curious two yea old) drove them back to the safer refuge of the garage.

Fearless Pierre learns FEAR ...

The morning sun broke through the clouds and greeted the Entente pair of scouts. Again an Englishman and a French man head towards the German lines "a hunting" (see below):

As regular as clockwork the Boche appear, two scouts guarding a two-seater. With battle cries of "Tally-ho" and "Merde" the battle commences (see below): 

The Englishman is fearless and bold (some say too fearless and too bold) diving into the center of the melee without a passing thought to the killing power of modern industrial machinery (obviously a product of the British class based "gentleman's elite" old school system). Pierre meanwhile hatches a cunning survival plan called "come in from the side" (see below):

The Englishman clashed head-to-head with his foe and mutual "greeting cards" (of damage) were exchanged (see blow):

Pierre for all his fancy planning ended up in a similar position as the Yellow Albatross of "Kev" angled across to meet him (see below):

Pierre suffered a far more dangerous outcome. The "rat-a-tat" greeting from the Spandau (courtesy of Killer Kev's Albatross) is met with a resounding metallic ping from deep inside the N17's engine bock, followed by an conflagration of fire, flame and caustic choking smoke. Pierre is left blinded with the Nieuport 17 losing height rapidly and the whole world swirling around the top of his head. Out of control, helpless and with his life flashing before his eyes Pierre fights ingloriously with the controls. The fire fans out and the immediate risk of explosive oblivion seems to have receded.    

Barely managing to level the stricken plane off, the N17 disintegrates upon contact with a small copse of stunted trees, gorse and brush mercifully wet and springy from recent rains. Pierre is flung to a position relative safely amidst the wreckage. The 'Fates' have ordained that this fallen angel to survive once more, even granting him the luxury of falling on the right side of the line. "Nine Lives Pierre" seems to have used a fair few of them up by now. Some five missions to his credit, no kills, but twice 'shot down' and the cruel statistics of war say that the 'third time' usually gets you. Pierre has now earned the right to a "pass" in his commanders eyes to savour a week's respite with Eros in lively Paris, as a stark contrast to his daily dance with Thantos over the Western Front.

A short and not so sweet duel, summed up in a single posting. Still to be continued on Pierre's return from Paris!

A Bit of Quiet Reading

Whilst not a whirlwind at the painting table I have managed to at read put in some quiet reading time. I have completed Rowland White's set of three 1970's and 1980's "small wars" factual accounts (Falklands 1982, Oman 1970's, British Honduras 1971/72). Read in the following order:

Interesting stuff. The Vulcan 607 was food and drink to my interest in the 100 days war, my project would encompass 1/3000 Navwar modern naval and land 1/300 or 1/200 scale miniatures. Aircraft would be probably 1/300 or smaller too (although I have a 1/144 Sea Harrier).

Again Storm Front (Oman) begs for either a full 'deniable war' campaign or 20mm skirmish. I have the impeccable plastic Caesar Miniatures 'Terrorists' and 'other' modern plastics for the SAS and governments "AK47" style troops.

Phoenix Squadron has just ignited my 1970's post WWII interest in things "Naval" (NATO versus Warsaw Pact). If truth be told I was looking for an excuse ;)  

Note to self: Good "colour theory painting post"

http://ordinarygaming.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/color-theory-tutorials-why-didnt-i.html

Video and explanation

Especially useful for fantasy and sci figures when you don't have a uniform guide to go on and have to make it up yourself

Thanks to "The League of Ordinary Gamers Playing Extraordinary games" (see link above)

Stopped by the Weather

The German attack on the right grinds to a halt. With the smoke cover gone the German infantry casualties mount (nine platoons all told), the German battalion command stand even goes down. The gambit of engaging the British "trucks" hurriedly redeploying the 17 pounder battery backfires with the indirect fire missing and being ineffectual. Only through a bitter hand-to-hand close combat in the woods do the German infantry force a platoon casualty on the British battalion. It was a tough bitter attack that in the end came to naught (see below). Oh the senselessness of war!   

Meanwhile the German attack on the left is still very, very menacing. The German attack bleeds its infantry support away, but the Stug IV's and Panther manage to silence (though not destroy) a deadly British 17 pounder ATG support company (how many of these exist as they are quite frightening?). The Panzer IVH battalion looks poised for a breakthrough push (see below):     

Then the weather forecast turns bad. Light rains turn into heavy "Typhoons" as the RAF tactical fighter wing pays Jerry a visit. Note the God-like hands of the FAC (see below):

The rocket firing Typhoons make a big bang or two, disrupting the advance of the Panzer IVH battalion, stalling the German preparations (see below). Despite the devastation from above a second British infantry platoon bites the dust, but again the morale test is passed and the Brits are still up for it.   

Although not a killer blow the prospect of serial air and artillery attacks, backed on by further British infantry/armour reinforcements dent the German counterattacks prospects of success. Attacking well dug in infantry backed with good indirect, artillery and air assets at only 2:1 odds, despite having armour looks too tough a task for the Germans. Interestedly historically it played out to the same outcome, the infantry and armour assaults were beaten off after a limited success (I didn't even manage that!). Good Club game, I made my request for the next assault to go in at at least 3:1 odds ;)

The right hand part of the assault may pay benefit of closer examination as I think the German infantry could get a localised superiority. Sounds like a future solo game for my "man-cave".

The Rumble of German Artillery ... and then the British Return Fire

Right Hand Side German Assault:

With no targets visible (due to a total recce failure) the German artillery brings down SMOKE with covers too companies of German infantry and the battalion command up to the swollen river (see below). On the left a reinforced company of five platoons move to contact with a "known" enemy held wood (again see below):

The covering British infantry platoons take out a German assault platoon as every indirect weapon in the British battalion arsenal comes hurtling at the attacking Germans. The British Divisional artillery assets are then called in to the "crisis point" (see below):  

The result is quite devastating, three more platoons of Germans "drop" (or rather disappear from the tabletop), all for a tiny German toehold is made at the southerly tip of the contested wood. Inside the wood a close combat hangs in the balance. The morale of the German infantry battalion is holding despite the mounting losses. In a desperate attempt to rock the British infantry battalions morale (otherwise all is for naught) the German artillery/indirect assets strike at redeploying British AT guns "in trucks" (which should be "slaughtered" in the open) and cause a heavy 'morale check' (see below):    

German Left Hand Side Assault: 

Another preliminary smoke barrage (one artillery battalion instead of two) and a German infantry company advances supported by a company of Stug IV's (see below, center), a second company of Infantry and Panthers in support can also be seen moving into position (see below lower right):

Immediately the infantry takes "telling fire" from stationary British infantry (see below):

The attack presses on in the face of fierce opposition. Despite the attentions of a support company of 17 pounder ATG the German SS attack crosses the river and goes in (see below top). The situation looks ominous for the British, who despite no losses (yet) see a fresh Panzer IVH battalion enter the fray as the potential breakthrough force (see bottom left below):  

The German attack on the right seems to have stalled but the armoured Kampf Gruppe attack on the left looks promising. In desperation the British commander is trying to contact his flying taxi circuit of Typhoon Jabos and making begging calls for more artillery support.

Next: Weather Forecast "Wet, Windy and Severe Danger of Typhoons"

A Stroll Through The Fields of Normandy (1/300 WWII BGC)

Scenario: July 1944 British Normandy Breakout German Counterattack

The British under Montgomery have used one of their armoured divisions to push hard at the Germans near Caen and have obtained a limited success, a dent rather than breaking through the German lines. The British RTR retires and three battalions of British Infantry (two up and one back) move in and "hold the line". The Germans meanwhile scratch together a armoured SS Kampf Gruppe and a motorised (though everybody seems to walk in Normandy these days) normal infantry regiment for a hasty counterattack. As with the "haste" the vital reconnaissance roll for the Germans (down to "yours truly") is lousy and the attack has to go in "blind".

The Germans line up, the left hand side is the armoured Kampf Gruppe (with one company of Panthers and one company of Stug IV's), backed up with a battalion of Panzer IVH's and no sadly not my toys, they did not make it to the table, yet (see below). The formations had to "hog" terrain (AFV's in reverse slope positions and in cover) to fit within the deployment zone without being spotted:

On the German right hand side the German infantry forms up. Being 'foot-sloggers' and much harder to see they manage to get much closer to the British Infantry positions without being seen (see below). The light brown strip at the top of both pictures is a swollen river marking the extent of the British "push" at the Germans.

With the Germans deployed the British Infantry form two cauldrons of death in front of the German advance (see the defensive position in front of the German armoured formation below). Such is the penalty for fixing the positions of no enemy units with your reconnaissance patrols. Each British Infantry battalion has a company of 17pdr attached and is on-line to the Divisional Artillery and has been "promised" service from the RAF Normandy Typhoon 'taxi-rank' circling the battlefield.   

The German infantry faces a similar situation on the right of the battlefield as the German sees it (see below):

Next: The German artillery opens up, but on what?