Fall In 2018

Steve Umbrell and I drove down to Fall In at the Host in Lancaster, PA.  This was the first Fall In I had attended (it usually falls astride my wife's birthday and I had to receive special dispensation to attend this year).  I ran the Battle of Oravais, 1808 between Sweden and Russia.  This was the largest battle of the war with about 5000+ troops on each side.  After a play test I had adjusted the objectives for each side in an attempt to get the Swedes to operate in a more aggressive posture.  This worked and resulted in a minor Swedish victory.  The actual campaign and battle ended with a Russian victory and resulted in Finland become a Russian province.  Unfortunately I was so caught up in running the game that I failed to take any photographs.  I remedied that error with the other games I participated in, two games run by Tom Garnett as part of a Peninsular War Campaign set in 1808.  The French must breach the Ebro River line.  In the first game I played the Spanish, in the second the French.  It's good to be French.  I also played in a Prussia versus Saxon 1813 game run by John Snead and took photos of the Battle of Champion's Hill (ACW) and another 1813 Saxon versus Prussia contest.   


Champion's Hill.  The photo shows the vice which caught the Rebs between three union fires at the angle of the fence and stream.  After surveying the terrain I would have pulled the Rebs back to the hill - beyond the far tree line and defended in depth from that location.  Easier said than done of course. 

A close up of the bloody angle. 

The first of the Peninsular War games defending the Ebro River Line.  The French approaching the Ebro, attempting to cross at the ford on the left.  Our Spanish militia garrison the town. 



The French were mostly conscripts and Spanish Militia would make them work hard to dig us out of our sacred land. 

The Spanish grenadiers come down from the reverse slope to face off against the French crossing the river.  This was a mistake in hindsight.  They were defeated and Spanish Army morale broken.  It was a challenge to play the Spanish and as long as your expectations were in line with historical reality, it could be fun.  Indeed it was in this case. 

I learned my lesson and was the French in the second game in the campaign.  We had moved down the Spanish side of the River to the next town and encountered a line of Spanish set behind a ridge to the left of the town pictured above.  The French quickly swept the Spanish off the ridge using a combined arms attack of cavalry and infantry and artillery.  Pictured above is a spoiling attack launched by the Spanish cavalry as the French pursue the remnants of the Spanish infantry toward the town and off the table. 

My best troops were two Polish battalions who didn't get into the action until the final turns, smashing the Spanish behind the walls in the orchard on the right of the picture.  A major French Victory was achieved against a well played Spanish foe.  It was good to be French. 

1813, looking from the Saxon camp towards Yorks advancing Prussians. 

The game gets under way.  Weather played a role in this one.  Heavy rain kept the effectiveness of the  musketry to a minimum.  I ran the Prussians at the top right or Prussian right flank.  We should have spent a few more turns softening up the Saxons before launching our attacks.  We paid the price.  Tony, who commanded our left flank was more judicious in his approach and ended up doing better.  Good job Tony.

A final shot of the first Spanish game showing our militia dug into the town.  The smoke denotes a fire started by French artillery fire.  My militia were unable to get out of the town section on their initial attempt and over 50 were roasted in the flames. 

Another Saxon versus Prussian clash I watched unfold before running off to another game.  The Saxon's are poised for a counter attack. 

Fort Devens Museum Game Day 2018

Our annual Fort Devens Museum Game Day, held the third Saturday of October each year, was another successful event for the Museum.  We had four games, A pulp WWII wherein Nazi occultists sought to summon a monster to England through the gates of the netherworld at Stonehenge.  They battled with a group of archane allies who sought to stop them.  A second game featured a what if WWII naval game with an encounter between the Tripitiz and USS Washington and others.  An ALDG Ancients demonstration game using figures from the 100 years war and a great WW1 Trench War game.

Invasion of Greece Battlefront WWII at the Hobby Bunker Game Day

The Hobby Bunker and Battle Group Boston held their annual Game Day on Saturday August 25, 2018.  Steve Umbrell and I ran "the Invasion of Greece, Germans against Australians and British using Battlefront WWII rules."  This is a WWII version of the Fire and Fury rule set and makes for excellent gaming and historicity. Dave Soucy and I took the Germans and Steve and Mike Paine the Commonwealth Forces (defenders).  The Commonwealth forces set up using hidden markers and the Germans rolled onto the board from the west.  Victory Conditions were to take the hill and exit road to the south and destroy 50% of your opponents troops. 

The hill and road exit as the action begins



The German Plan was to roll up the British left flank on the hill with a mixed force of tanks (tank fright is a negative modifier to morale for the Brits) and infantry while the remaining tanks kept the British Armor occupied. 

Proust! Dave and I formulate our evil plan.

Dave's Command in the German center and left flanks

A view from behind Dave's crew.

Peter's troops prepare to roll forward.



Battlefront WWII has a neat spotting mechanism which kept the British on the hill hidden until we neared there position.

 

 

Dave fired Smoke to cover my advance on the trench line.

A Boise anti-tank rifle and machine gun occupied the trench.

Under cover of the smoke my half tracks brought my  infantry up for a close assault in coordination with the tanks.



 The British 2 Pdr Anti-tank gun took out two of my PZIII's before I cleared out the western section of the trenches.  Dave was cautiously advancing and spotted the British Armor east of the road.  He engaged them at long distance and began to move forward.

The British Armor

Another shot of the three troops of Armor.

Dave advances his armor.

Back on the hill the advance to roll up the trench line continues. 

Support vehicles spotted as the German's crest the hill

The tanks push back the Boise Anti-tank unit and take out an infantry stand.

The Bren Carrier is destroyed.

The 2pdr destroys 2 of my PZIIIs as the Boise gun and truck perish.

The action continues with Dave pinning the British armor and the roll up on the hill moving along but paying a bloody toll to do so. Mike Paine was making us pay for each inch we gained.

Roll up the line

taking out the 2 pdr and the next couple of units in the trench.

Steve detached one of the armored units to move to support the hill.  Dave sent his tanks around behind the British Armor and began to chew them up.

Steve advanced closer to the Germans.  Not a good idea.

The Panzers advance continues

Combined arms pressure the infantry along the trenchline.

Steve's armor arrives on the hill in time to slow the German advance there, but his remaining armor is destroyed by Dave. The hill would be taken in the four turns remaining and the British were already over 50% casualties.  Mike and Steve put up a fierce fight, but superior German armor created a historical outcome.  A German Victory.

A great time was had by all. 

Bavarians in review

I have been assembling a number of Bavarian troops for the various 1809 and 1812 Battles I have in mind.  These troops uniforms have always attracted me.  The figures range from Front Rank to Hinton Hunt to Old Glory in 25 and 28mm.  The artillery begin the parade of figures.

 

 

 

The Infantry and one unit of Dragoons.  Bavarian Light Infantry in Green

 

 

 

Hinton Hunt Units pictured above.  Not as large as the others but still nice.

 

 

 

I can now field two divisions of Bavarians with supports.  I add in another mixed German Allied and French Division and I have Marshal Joseph Lefebvre's Corps in 1809.

 

Maryland Militia units added to War of 1812 collection

I added two units of Maryland Militia to my War of 1812 collection.  These boys were painted by Steve Keyer and have doubled for Virginia Militia in my recent Battle of Craney Island.