Konigsberg 2: The Girls School

 My return to the club this week, it ended up a Chain of Command game with Stuart rather than Muskets and Tomahawks, we did an early war scenario from the Blitzkreig 1940 book, I was the bad guys and Stewart was the bad guys, sorry, the French. I had to blow up two culverts in the French sector of the table. 

A busy night.

Goodies.

There was not a lot to write about I'm afraid, there was a brief firefight in the centre of the table and I forced the French to fall back and lowered their morale, but I took a fair amount of casualties and as time was getting on we settled for a draw, neither of us going to achieve anything in the time available. I did my usual and prepared everything only to leave behind NCO figures and some markers, I do need to buck up. Nevertheless it was good to get back to the club, which was quite busy, and I picked up some 3D prints which Stuart had done for me, as usual I was very pleased.

This brings me to Matt and I's second game in our Konigsberg campaign, I was defending the said Girls School while Matt had to cross a lot of open ground in order to eject me. Matt took a Pak 40 anti-tank gun and a MMG as support and had a free PzIV, I had a HMG, a tank hunter team and a free T-34/76. 

Open terrain.

Matt started with a double phase and soon all his men were deployed and on overwatch, I could not afford to show even a helmet on a stick so decided to wait, this decision was almost the end of me. Nothing happened for a while then Matt got five double phases one after the other, my men's morale was holding but mine was plummeting, thankfully Matt only moved one team during this time and ran for the buildings, I could do nothing. He closed off one of my Jump Off Points and suddenly he had an opportunity to again move his team and close off the other two as they were all very close together in the school grounds, I panicked, I was staring defeat in the face and not one Russian had turned up. Matt being a gentleman and having travelled for a fight did not want to end the game this way but such is wargaming.

Drainage ditch.

German firebase.

I suddenly remembered I had a Command die, I ambushed his team before it could move, the close range fire from the HMG wiped the luckless German team out, I breathed more easily. Soon Matt again sent a team towards the school, I did not hesitate this time and the Comrades turned up, I did not need another fright. A large firefight developed but I took far less casualties than I expected. I also managed to pick on the small panzerschreck team to further downgrade the German morale.

PzIV in ambush camo.

With the threat of the anti-tank team gone I now brought my T-34 on to the table and set it up to, hopefully, begin to pick off the Jerry MMG with no interference from the PzIV or the Pak 40. Although both sides in this game had tough decisions to make in order to win, the pendulum now swung in favour of the Russians, they were happily ensconced in their buildings and despite the amount of fire coming their way were they were weathering the storm. With a squad down and the T-34 out of sight of German anti-tank assets Matt decided to withdraw. A wise move.

Using smoke grenades.

Stalwart defenders.

There are two Konigsberg campaigns and they are very, very different, we are playing the 'new improved' one so although the Russians have won or rather put the victory total back to the beginning we will move on to the next table, the town of Metgethen where we will be fighting over a very different battlefield, it has almost no open ground and is covered in buildings and woods. The Germans are putting a lot more effort into this push with sixteen support points

Late to the dance.

Once again I got a nice surprise as Matt handed me a 3D print of an A9 Cruiser tank for my growing collection of Early War British vehicles, I had originally only wanted a tank and an armoured car. I now have four tanks and an armoured car, I also have a beautiful Lanchester armoured car which I now realise was not used in France so I will pass that on to Robert for his Far East forces. I am still waiting a decal sheet for the new vehicles from the Netherlands.

Morris CS9 and A9 Cruiser.

I was hoping to get on to painting up the SYW figures I received but I am being held up by the new vehicles and also now 'need' some odds and sods for WWII. 

Mapping continues, the Battle of Fribourg 1644, the Boer War and the Russians in 1812, at some point I will also be back on the streets of Berlin 1945 and the Indo-Pakistan war.

The LMF has taken a fright recently, I have spent on books, the latest being 'To Save an Army' after watching the author talk on WW2TV and my Illustrator licence has gone up £30, not bad really and I need it. I obviously have too much money as I have, against my commonsense pre-ordered the overly expensive Bolt Action V3, will it be the same as V2, one big change then cut and pastes yet still ignoring the pleas for an index, probably. But I play it along with Chain of Command, I will not be buying any of the army books as I know what WW2 forces look like and if not I can Google it, or wing it being an historical player and not a tournament player.

 

Still nothing on the entertainment side, I have not watched 'The Boys' season whatever as, like most good shows, it seems to have lost the plot, a shame. I caught up with 'Kin' about Oirish gangsters in Dublin, being a BBC piece Dublin is 50% non white and women rule the roost in the gangs and the Turkish cartel, of course they do. It is fairly violent and overly foul mouthed, I could have done without it to be honest but pickings at the moment are slim.