IABSM 2

Club last night and nothing to take except some dice and a measuring tape, Dan had agreed to umpire another I Ain't Been Shot Mum WWII game, this time it would be larger than the last game and hopefully some things wee now better understood.

This time I had drawn the Germans and stood on the defensive with two platoons supported by some MMG's, a PaK 38 and a StuG III, Simon had one full company with a Sherman troop and a Carrier troop to attack with, I was told there was another company in reserve but luckily this did not appear. My forces were to be forced from the table, so I split them all along my defense line, like my War and Conquest games on Sunday I could not give in to my normal tabletop aggressiveness. The British tanks sped down the right hand road and flanked my position, I should have given them a nasty surprise as my StuG III was supposed to turn up on their flank, but I had misheard my instructions from Dan and it was on the other side of the battlefield, duh.

Opening moves with blinds.

Where is the StuG when you need it.

As sighting rolls were made and troops turned up my MMG's began to take casualties and I lost two of them, I had not wanted to show my hand with my two platoons so they took the brunt of the enemy fire from both tanks and infantry. Dan was unsure of how Overwatch worked so it had been dropped which was bad news for me the defender as I had to sit and take some punishment before reacting. I got some satisfaction from brewing a Sherman with my panzerschreck team but they died soon after from return fire. Simon then moved his Firefly until it could shoot at the StuG and PaK, I got quite a few hits on the Firefly but nothing they could not brush off, no one did very well in that duel. I had also hit the two remaining tanks with mortar fire, but again they mainly ignored it apart from closing hatches.

The are actually in the second floor of the building.

 

While this was going on the British had now shown their hand and were managing to put some heavy casualties down on my platoons, my own men always felt on the back foot but despite this Dan declared a British win although I had not really been moved from my opening positions. I have my lawyers mounting an appeal.

This time the game did flow better and it went along quite well, but Overwatch is required for defenders, I also think we were getting to grips with the whole command and control mechanics, I have no problem playing the game and would like to try out some proper scenarios but I would not add it to my repertoire as I have enough to get on with at the moment.

On the home front I have completed the extra support squad for the Volksgrenadiers and only have an LMG team to finish, I also quickly put the finishing touches to some farm animals to use as scatter on my miniature battlefields.

  I have also managed to build my three new Rubicon kits, the Jeep was straightforward, the schwimmwagen a bit fiddly around the back seat with the folded canopy, it is a nice little model, I normally would not put the machine gun on it but it just looks good, on the table it will simply be the commanders car not a mobile gun platform. I have now given the British some anti-aircraft firepower with the Crusader AA, a lovely model and very simple build. I will prime these pieces tomorrow along with my last troops for the moment (two SS LMG teams) and probably have them done in a week or so.

I was called 'useless' in the PO yesterday by some young punk as he exited having got no joy due to his attitude, I waited six years to get my own back on one customer and about four for another, I can wait this one out too. Sadly I thought up all my best come backs driving to the club, far too late to calm me down.