Bob’s Black Bulls 11th Armoured Division.

Above is some appropriate music to keep you all going:

But have to give you quote of weekend during game

Kevin…… Keep the German Reinforcements to what you have built and avaibalble!

Keith ……Bob has an awful lot of Germans in those Boxes

Some fun for those who want to point it some are already deployed

5 Platoons Panzer Grenediers with 4x MG42 on Tripod

4x Hannomags

2 x 222 Armoured Cars

2x Pumas

4x Pak 75

4x 88m pak 30 flack

2x Hornisse

5x Panxer III

3x Hetzer

5 x Stug 75mm

2x Stug 105mm

6 x Panzer IV

5x  JagdPanzer

4x Panther

2x JagdPanther

4x Tiger 1

Not Gerrys 12,000 pts but should keep them occupied for a bit.

Oh and interesting point forgot how much I like Glen Miller , the one thing missing from D-day bootcamp…..

2nd oh! dont forget to check out all the D-day boot camp Content specially the how they built it blogs .

The AEC was destroyed outright,  both the Daimlers had to bail out and completely destroyed by Geman armored units arriving on both flanks. The armoured cars had hoped to be able to reach the top of the Bridge with a tactical move I  order to fire on the Hornisses but dropped short.

In the meantime the Guards recon troop on the right flank had attempted to scout the Church of the Fallen Madonna and had lost Stuart to well placed PanzerShrek team in Church.

A troop of Churchills was quickly ( well as quickly as Churchill’s can sent in support  , who quickly put the chuch under fire including one Churchill CS.

In the meantime the 1st Troop of 15th/18th Hussars attached the central farm buildings , suprising a pak 40 which had changing its facing from the bridge, it managed a snap shot at the approaching tanks but blasted to oblivion by thr returning fire.

We allowed revealed Geman units reaction or opportunity fire o  a skill role ans a -1 to the too hit role.

All being well the 2nd part of Operation Cheltenham will continue on 29th Jan.

At this point the remaining dice were drawn, which allowed sone Jockeying of British units but allowed German Reinforcements to arrive. Pre Game we had maneuvered German deployment markes in similar manner to those used in The Lardies ‘Chain of Command’ Infantry and guns could deply within 8″ of marker, preferably in any available co er, and vehicles at the nearest table edge.

Despite an all day game, a combination of the initiative,  learning or relearning rules , and devising realistic A.I for Germans meant we only got 2 moves completed. The upside is that all the players had fun and want to continue I  a couple of weeks ,which isn’t a problem with my permanent Games room.

Morning Dawned on the 16th June with the Surviving members 504th Glider company (fictional) of the 101st Airborne , set too.

Now little more than a Rifle platoon in strength the company had held the bridge over the River, after being totally mis dropped after hitting heavy flak as they crossed the French coast.

They had survived initial disorganised German attacks , but these were becoming increasingly more intense with the arrival of the Elite Panzer Lear Division.

Their only hope was the news that British Forces were closing in.

They would be Heartened to hear that 3 armoured Suadrons were closing on their position.  Led by Majors Keith ‘Tudor’ Prossett 2nd Grenedier Guards, Kevin ‘By the Book’ Broomhill 15/18th Hussars, and Jo Leftbridge 2nd Fyfe and Forfar Yeomanry , who had advance had the Bridge in Site,

The Guards were to advance on thr Right flank led by the attached 6th Guards Churchill Troops, to secure the high ground at the Church of the Fallen Madona and provide flanking cover on the advance to the Bridge. Likewise the 2nd Fife and Forfar were to advance on the left flank . The 15th/18th were to advance as quickly as possible to relieve the American Airborne boys and secure the Bridge crossing.

The advance started slowly as rhe Recon units threaded the way through the bocage, and were almost immediately slowed when o e of the leading Stuarts was brewed by an unseen anti tank gun. ( actually by a Jagdpanzer the only one ever covering the rear , most had been deployed to attack the Bridge.)

All the players got into the narrative of the game. Although we kept fairly strictly to Historical formations for the British, we allowed the Germans much more free flow in both formations and command, to as ”Keith put it having been action fairy continously for sone 9 days.

To make matters worse a platoon of Panzergrendiers had managed to quietly manoever into one of the buildings close to the Glider troops holding the Southern side of the Bridge. And prepared to launch an assualt, assisted by covering fire from 2 recently arrived Hornisses, who managed to severely maul the American defenders with accurate shell fire.

This was achieved by each side having a command dice for company/squadron commanders. In this case a unit dice  was put on hold for the Panzergrenadirs , when the Command dice was drawn it was rolled with the number of units it could activate. In this case the Hornisse’s were activated by the Infantry’ Co commander to fire followed by a close Assualt by the full platoon of grenadiers.

The Grenidiers charge hone into the lone squad of Glider Troops  and despite covering fire from the Americans on the adjacent building  , the squad was overrun.

In attempt to provide some relief to the Americans, a troop of Inns of Court armored cars raced for the Bridge, but were quickly shot to pieces on the edge of the bridge , by a combination of AT tank gun on the ridge looking over the Southern approach to the Bridge, and Reinforcements of German Assult guns and Panthers.

This bit is very much for Garry who is curious on the mechanics of the game:

1 This game is going to use modified Flames of War rules:

Why , FOW has all those nice cards that do most of the rule work for the player, so they don’t have to wait while the Umpire etc searchs for the rules bit ,once they have had a brief breakdown of the card layout

2 Modifications I will be using a different initiative system:

Why

a)… Im not a big fan of I go you go , never have never will 

b) its not a standard 2  player game, as the sides are asymmetrical, the majority of players will be playing British ,  Who will have  to work round the  inequality in armour , but will have to use numbers and tactics to prevail.  The Germans will be an Umpire controlled A.I, 

The ideas is to use a modified Bolt Action initiative system , I could have gone down the ‘I aint been shot down method of cards, but that is a bit cumbersome and takes time to organise. So the plan is it to put a dice in for  each unit – Green for British – Grey for German as an example but also put in a different coloured dice for their command units. On  drawing the dice the player can decide whether to activate on its draw or hold it back (place on unit ) till a command dice is drawn. The command dice will be activate a no of units up to its level , either from units with dice or not . The idea is a commander can then launch co-ordinated attacks , which he would not be able to do with just random dice drawing , but without the card sorting of IABSM, and should be a bit more freeflow.

Spotting

Most of the German units will begin concealed in position and not not on table till they open fire , to give more of the for of war, But the British will need to use their Scout units as well Scouts. to spot concealed Germans

Dont want to make it complicated, but will get players to role for spotting and will probably work out  as to hit with modifiers

-1 light vehicle-Towed gun /Large vehicle partical cover

-2 Infantry -light Vehicle/Towed gun  patial cover 

-3 Infantry partical cover 

-1 to above if buttoned up tank etc

As its umpire led above can be modified as req:

A.I

I have a reaction table that I originally developed from the old Pony Wars for use in my Hammers Slammers games which I will use.

German reinforcements will be rolled for each move, still some kinks to be sorted on this but, quikc idea is use two d6, with any double rolled mean that reinforcements are not immediately deployed  but ars stacked up until another double is rolled and then they arrive on next move:

More modifiaction will appear as req on day , one advantage of umpire led game, will post on post game report.

Well all this effort ( plus Pnzer Lear to come) had a purpose, the 1st attempt at  Big all Saturday Game, so here is Operation Cheltenham,  a mix of Goodwood and a Bridge to far.

A bad miss jump has put elements of the 101st Airborne  including Glider Borne 57mm guns , right on top of the main bridge that crosses the La Pugh River  at the small town of Cesse Piett. It is now D+10 , and the original company of 101st is down to little more than 1 platoon of effectives and 1 sole 57mm gun after repeated attacks from the Pazer Lear Division. Ammo and rations are running out.

Luckily they are in the avenue of advance on elements of Both 11th and Guards Armoured Divisions who are within a mile of relieving the hard pressed Americans. But battle hardened Elements of the Panzer Lear lie  between them and embattled Americans, with Reinforcements expected at any moment

Photo shows initial deployment of 15th/19th Hussars on the Left in Cromwells,  2nd Fife &Forfars in Center with Sherman, 1st & 2nd  Grenedier Guards on Right with mixture of Churchills ( 6th Guards Tank Brigade) and Shermans ( Guards Armoured Division)

Not forgetting the Recon, I have done most of a Recon Squadeon, mainly M5 Stuart’s but also a few of the new Chaffee’s for really late War.

The armoured car Regiment is not forgotten, either units of the Inns of Court Regiment, consisting of Daimler Scout Cars and Armored cars beefed up by sone of the Battlefront exclusives with a staghound and AEC’s.

Apologies for the slipped road, it moved when I was moving the lighting lamp and didn’t notice till.I was editing photos.

Hopefully be another update tomorrow with my Carrier &MMg  Platoons

The part of project that has taken the longest so far. Beginning with the 75th Anti Tank Regiment.

Firstly the Self propelled guns in the form of Achilles M10’s and Archers.

The Towed Anti tank gun are a mixture of Battlefront and PSC models, the 17pdrs are Battlefront but the Morris Towing vehicles are PSC,.I do like to have the TOWs for my guns and had these in the PSC 25pdr set.

The 6pdrs are PSC as they came with the Lloyd Carrier.

Been a few weeks since last update, but I have Been Beavering away at this project. I have been motoring through painting stages but have been slowed down by applying decals which seems to have taken for ever.

Anyway I finished another Milestone for the 11th Armoured,  my 15th/19th Hussars Squadron is now Finished.