Ultramodern Wargaming – Ukraine 2024

Another great game of Seven Days to the River Rhine, adopted for a 1991 Gulf War scenario.

Task Force Ripper, Task Force Shepard (RCTs 1 and 7, 1st Marine Division) driving past al-Jabr air base after the second Iraqi berm.

Opposed by Iraqi 15th Bge / 3rd Arm’d Div and 22nd Bge / 5th Mech Division – Feb 25, 1991 – Kuwait.

Today we’re getting back to our channel’s original focus on modern-era wargaming. Our scenario takes place in the early weeks of the Ukraine War, using modern-edition updates to Avalon Hill’s classic Panzer Leader system.

With their initial efforts to storm Kyiv frustrated at places like Hostomel, Bucha, and Irpin, Russian brigades tried to flank the city from the west or bypass it altogether in an encircling maneuver. One of these units was the 35th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, ordered on 27 February 2022 to take suburb of Makariv, some 50 kilometers west of the Kyiv.

They were met by elements of the Ukrainian 14th Mechanized Brigade, starting a series of assault and counter-assault that would last into mid-March. Is that the result we’ll see in today’s Panzer Leader game?

We’re back to finish up our wargame commemorating the 80^th Anniversary of the Marine landing on Saipan (15 June 1944).

We started this game last week, recreating part of 2^nd Bn/ 6^th Marines’ assault on Red One beach on Saipan, part of Operation Forager in the Mariana Islands.  So far, the Leathernecks have taken one hell of a pounding getting ashore, with almost 50% losses among their LVT-2 Amptracks and infantry platoons.

But now the (surviving) Marines are ashore, and the Japanese are about to learn to their cost just how well-equipped Marine assault units can actually be.  Can the Marines overcome the bloodbath at the game’s outset and secure a foothold on this critical objective?

Almost simultaneous with the famous Allied landings at Normandy, another big invasion took place in the Pacific when 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions hit the beaches at Saipan. This was the opening assault of Operation Forager, the American invasion of the Mariana Islands.

Saipan would stand as one of the true bloodbaths of World War II, with ferocious Japanese resistance surpassing anything yet seen in the Pacific. Saipan sat well within range to launch B-29 bombers over the Japanese homeland, and the Japanese knew it.

This wargame was played on the 80th anniversary of the battle, recreating 2nd Bn / 6th Marines’ landing at Red One Beach. They’re up against grimly-resolved defenders of the 136th Regiment, 43th IJA Division and even some armor of the Japanese 9th Tank Regiment.

Everyone knows about the furious fighting along the beaches of Normandy eighty years ago this week.  Here’s a game depicting one of the key fights behind the beach, using Mark Ritchie’s Tactical Combat miniatures system.

Elements of the British 3^rd Infantry Division and 27^th Armoured Brigade have landed at Sword Beach.  They push inland to Périers Ridge, where meet one of the few real German counterattacks that day.  Kampfgruppe Oppeln of the 21^st Panzer Division wants that ridge back, the ideal high ground from which to shell the British still coming ashore on Sword Beach.  The British, of course, politely disagree.

We’re getting ready for an 80th Anniversary commemorative wargame recreating part of the the US Marine Corps’ landings in the Mariana Islands in June, 1944.  Specifically, we’ll be looking at Red Beach on Saipan, where 2nd/6th and 3rd/6th Marines (2nd Marine Division) landed against 136th Regiment, 45th Division, Imperial Japanese Army.

Needless to say, I’ll be needing some serious LVTs to put my Marines ashore.  These include LVT(A)-1, LVT-2, and LVT(A)-4s.

The majority of these were provided by Blair Fenning Sr. as 15mm 3D prints, which I’m now in the process of painting.

Primed black, then case coated dark green.  So far I’ve worked the tracks, machine guns, mud and sand along the sides, and some basic markings.

Touchups are still to be done, include pin washing and a light drybrush.

Join us as we finish up our 15mm miniature game of “Battlegroup” – recreating part of the Anzio Breakout.

Part of the Italian Campaign of World War II, this engagement took place 80 years ago this week.  Specifically, we’re looking at elements of Combat Command “A”, 1st US Armored Division hitting the “Caesar Line” positions held by elements of 3rd Panzergrenadier Division.