Deadly Fallujah – Iraq’s Most Intense Battle (20mm Force on Force)

We have rounds downrange and Marines have been hit!
Join us for the conclusion of our tabletop miniature game of Force-on-Force, set in the epicenter of the Iraq War’s most intense single engagement – the Second Battle of Fallujah (Operation Phantom Fury).

Here is the replay from yesterday’s live stream, where I start building 15mm IDF tanks and APCs from Old Glory … for 1973 Yom Kippur War.

We tediously go over correct correct MG layouts … then I use a wrong MG layout 🙁

And I got some great 3D printed layouts from Butler Printed Models Company.

Rescued these “bargain bin baddies” for about 75 cents a piece.  Fair amount of work to restore them.

Patch broken fenders
Patch broken roadwheels and tracks
New hatches & commanders
New scratch-built AT-5s ATGWs on the BMP-2s
New headlights
Stowage stratch built
New antennae and jacks
New muzzle brakes on the BMP-2s.
Mis of Russian and Ukrainian markings.

Join us for a tabletop miniature game of Force-on-Force, set in the epicenter of the Iraq War’s most intense single engagement – the Second Battle of Fallujah (Operation Phantom Fury).

It’s November 2004, and the US Marine Corps, US Army, and Iraqi security forces have closed a ring around the city of Fallujah, one of the deadliest insurgent strongholds in the so-called Sunni Triangle.  Near the “Pizza Slice” neighborhood of the Jolan District, the absolute heart of this pitiless engagement, a Marine M1A1 Abrams battle tank has been crippled by an IED blast.

Now an aging Marine gunnery sergeant has been given a pair of Humvees and a detached squad of 2nd Platoon, Kilo Company, 3/5 Marines, with orders to get to that crew, evacuate the casualties, and frag the tank before it can be looted by Mahdi insurgents.

Of course, the insurgents know about the crippled tank as well.  Capturing it means prisoners to exploit, technology to sell, and 120mm ammunition to build into more IEDs.

Who will reach the tank first, and can the Marines save their wounded comrades in time?

Here is a replay of last night’s stream, where we work on some of those BMP-2s, BMP-3s, BRDM-2s, and BMD airmobile combat vehicles.

We talk about new Russian tank commander uniforms, plans for some upcoming US Vietnam and IDF Yom Kippur vehicles, and Oriskany gets himself mightily confused about Soviet antitank missiles.

Hey, what else is new?

Join us as we finish up our game of “Seven Days to the River Rhine” (Great Escape Games) set in the events of Harold Coyle’s “Sword Point” novel, imagining a US-USSR conflict in an alternate 1990 Iran.

So far, losses have been steep on both sides.  The Soviet tank spearhead is all but shattered, but honestly the platoon of American M1A1 Abrams has been largely destroyed as well.  With the tanks smashed, it’s down to the Bradleys, BMPs, and even HMMWVs to decide ultimate victory!

Here is the replay from yesterday’s live stream, where we start off talking about and working on modern USMC 15mm miniatures.

How quickly the stream goes sideways, with the topic ranging to Soviet Cold War tank evolution to the disposition of manuever-level fomations in 1980s Germany.

Through it all, however, we do get some miniatures actually *completed* in this stream. 😆

I’ve been having a blast lately “rescuing” and restoring old miniatures and adding them to my “first line” 15mm table forces.

These were old LVTP-7s, rather beat up, with missing turrets and in the old 1970s-80s configuation where honestly they weren’t that useful. I wanted to update them to the newer USMC AAV-7 variant so I could use them in Desert Storm or OIF scenarios from the 90s and 2000s.

Picked them up in a “twenty bucks for the box” buy/swap at the local club.

Join us as we try using the Seven Days to the River Rhine (Great Escape Games) system to recreate a scenario from Harold Coyle’s Sword Point novel, imagining a US-USSR conflict in an alternate 1990 Iran.

The Soviets have sent in three Combined Arms Armies into Iran, a move the Americans must counter with a Rapid Deployment Force quickly reinforced by two further corps. It’s T-80s vs. M1A1 Abrams, BMP-2s vs. Bradleys, Mi-24E Hinds vs. Apaches … but in the Iranian desert instead of the meadows and forests of Germany.

Hold on, only the 5th item in the project page and this never appeared on the front webpage for the site???

Here is the replay of yesterday’s stream where we made some great progress on restoring some Cold War era Soviet armor (T-64, T-72, T-80). Probably going to put these in Ukrainian markings to put up against my large pre-existing Soviet / Russian force. Might make for some mellow listening while working on your own hobby.

A few more table photos from today’s set up of Force-on-Force, Second Fallujah, Nov 2004.

2nd Plt / Kilo Co, 3/5 Marines vs.
“1920 Revolution Brigade,” Mahdist insurgents

Air support from USAF, Blackhawk support from US Army 2/7 Cavalry (engaged to the northeast)

Once again Oriskany Jim sits down with friends of the South Florida Miniature gaming Club at Das Krieg Haus, where played a real knock-down, drag-out game of Mark Ritchie’s Tactical Combat in 15mm. The scenario this time is one of the Battles of Stavelot, Belgium, fought during the chaotic opening days of the German 1944 Ardennes Offensive.

Forward German units have passed through this town but not garrisoned it, allowing American combat engineers and tank destroyers to re-occupy it behind him. Now, when heavier German armor attempts to pass through the town and over the vital bridge they believe is secured, they have a very rude surprise in store for them.

Some table photos from today’s set up of Force-on-Force, Second Fallujah, Nov 2004.

2nd Plt / Kilo Co, 3/5 Marines vs.
“1920 Revolution Brigade,” Mahdist insurgents

Air support from USAF, Blackhawk support from US Army 2/7 Cavalry (engaged to the northeast)

More photos and full battle report video soon to come!

Greetings, all!  Here is the the replay from last’s night’s hobby stream, where we get started on scratch building a little urban terrain useful in MENA (Middle East / North Africa) theaters for 20mm Force-on-Force (Ambush Alley Games / Osprey).

Continuing to chip away at the lead mountain, chewing down on the sudden surplus of 15mm miniatures on hand. Most of these are from a “buy box of old bits” purchase, so conflicts and eras are all over the place. All 15mm / 1:100, though. Also, a fair amount if replacement / repair on some of these.

• x2 T-55 MBTs
• AH-64 Apache (pre-Longbow “D” variant)
• FlakPz IV “Kugelblitz” armored AA vehicle
• German Maultier HT transport
• StPz IV “Brummbär” assault gun
• A-10 Thunderbolt II

Oriskany Jim and Mark Ritchie finish up their game of Battlegroup by IronFist Publishing and Plastic Soldier Company.

The scenario is the Libyan Desert of 1942, where Rommel’s Panzerarmee Afrika is concluding its historic victory at the Battle of Gazala. The bulk of two German panzer divisions and a light division are deep in the flank of the British 8th Army, which is now counterattacking with all its reserves in a frantic attempt to contain the threat.

This final clash comes near a fortified position called Knightsbridge, historically a German victory which marks of the high points of the famed Desert Fox.

Greetings, all! Here is the replay from yesterday’s hobby stream! Nothing galactic, just taking a look at a few completed items and completing one more, a few convention stories, and conjecture about future games and events. Very mellow, perhaps to have on in the background while you work at your own hobby table. Hope you like it!

A few table photos (okay, really video snap pics, so apologies for the slightly poor quality).

From this past Saturday’s game of Seven Days to the River Rhine (15mm) at Das Krieg Haus (South Florida Miniature Gaming Club)

Scale: 15mm
Table 6′ x 8′

Scenario: US vs. USSR in Iran, alternate 1990, Harold Coyle’s Swordpoint novel.

Oriskany Jim and Mark Ritchie square up for a game of Battlegroup by IronFist Publishing and Plastic Soldier Company. The scenario is the Libyan Desert of 1942, where Rommel’s Panzerarmee Afrika is concluding its historic victory at the Battle of Gazala.

The bulk of two German panzer divisions and a light division are deep in the flank of the British 8th Army, which is now counterattacking with all its reserves in a frantic attempt to contain the threat.

This final clash comes near a fortified position called Knightsbridge, historically a German victory which marks of the high points of the famed Desert Fox.

Here is the replay from last night’s hobby stream.

Rants on bad military vehicles, conjecture on Leopards, Challengers, Abrams in Ukraine.

Why “All Quiet on the Western Front” on Netflix actually *isn’t* any good.

Oh yeah, some hobby as well. 😀