Achtung Panzer!

 Today it was back to Chain of Command and our Abbeville campaign, this is the second phase and now the Germans are attacking. This scenario was to be 'Blitzkrieg' as per the 1940's Handbook, Matt had twelve support points against my eight, at first this looked pretty good for my put upon BEF but it was not to be. The British support could not be brought on the field until they had gathered two Chain of Command dice, twelve rolls of five, this restriction severely curtailed what I could use against the enemy and was frankly really bad news. Matt as usual had a cunning plan and he turned up with a PzIV and a Pz35(t) against my Boys anti-tank rifle so I would at least cause them to repaint the scratches if I hit.

Matt could have simply ran his tanks along the road and off the table, but he preferred to make a game of it in true gentlemanly fashion. He brought a couple of squads on in the large wood which covered most of one side of the battlefield and I met him with two of mine, I played aggressively despite hearing the clank of tank tracks and shot up one of his squads and brought down a Senior Leader. The Panzer IV turned up to support the Jerry infantry and I tried a couple of times to catch it on the flank but missed each time, but no matter it was not dealing out a lot of hurt and my infantry continued to pick on the second enemy squad who had advanced while the other withdrew. My shooting was much better than Matt's and his morale fell.

The second panzer now turned up and tried to motor down the road but again luck was not with Matt and the driver was having trouble getting the best from his engine. A good volley now hit the remaining squad and I captured a Jump Off Point so German morale fell to three, despite having a double move Matt could do nothing to change the fortunes of war and he called his attack off.

I had got off very lightly in this combat having fought it with only two squads while the third remained off table and my support had no chance of turning up until about midnight. Matt played like a gent and suffered for it as his attack just couldn't get off the ground. We talked afterwards and with the likely hood of three German tanks or four armoured cars turning up in the next game there was no chance of the British stopping a run for the table edge, so we decided Matt would win the next game and we will move on to the next table. Another difficult one for the poor British but with its own problems for the Jerries. This Abbeville has at least given us better games than the previous one.

I finished my American support troops a day or so ago, one more squad to go.

Tomorrow I will be heading north of The Wall to Leith as I volunteered to help Yarkshire Gamer Ken Reilly out with his award winning Italian Wars game of the siege of Forli at Claymore on Saturday. I have to be there by 08 double oh so it will be a long day for yours truly. A couple of my Grognard friends are making an effort to pop by. I don't expect to buy much but if I can find some stuff for my Yanks then I might get rid of that fiver I always take to shows

Mate Robert has been viewing my blog rants over the past years while continuing to recuperate from his recent knee surgery and to help him sleep, He has chuckled at View From The Window and given me stick for not putting a label on my wargaming journey through life so that he can find them easier, if you have missed these they are now under Why Wargaming, I am hoping to update this series with number 9 at some point soon.

I suspect the next post will be all about the Italian Wars. 

Rollicking Rolica

 A quick trip to Penrith this morning in lovely sunshine to hide away underground playing wargames. Matt had set out a larger table than usual for the Napoleonic battle of Rolica, I confess I don't know a lot about Napoleonic campaigns apart from a very basic idea. Despite my admiration for Napoleon himself. Matt explained that his French were sitting on a hill which was heavy going for the British to climb and then presumably assault. 

The battlefield.

The French.

My cavalry.

I had forces at the bottom of the hill ready to go while reinforcements would arrive around turn 4. I decided that I would attack the French left and try to overwhelm them while my cavalry and light troops would threaten the right, my centre would march forward and see what happened. As I reached the slopes I was slowed down and began to take casualties, you can shoot or move so it took time for me to get my men into a position where their numbers would count. My cavalry and light troops were doing a sterling job on my left and drove the French cavalry from the field and began to turn the enemy flank.

My left flank.

My cavalry move forward.

My centre advances.

Although my battalions were taking a thumping they managed nevertheless to stay in line and soon more Frenchies were fleeing. I had also now got an attack column on my right into position to assault the crest of the hill, despite everything these brave fellows also routed their opponents. My reinforcements now turned up and I sent them towards my centre, just in time as I lost a couple of battalions here, once again I managed to get an attack column into position only for it to be beaten by some Swiss as they charged down the slope in an attempt to halt the British advance.

Stalwart redcoats.

Chase them off lads.

My right about to crush the French left.

By this time the French left and right were almost non existent and my cavalry were now in the French rear. I turned everything I had against the remaining enemy infantry and another attack column swept away the Swiss, one French regiment remained but could not stand against several redcoat brigades. Matt handed over his sword.

The French right threatened.

More British arrive.

At them lads!

The tables had indeed turned, Matt destroyed me a few weeks before with my own dice, this time however lady luck wore a red coat and I pulled off some nice morale throws which kept my initial brigades in the fight and wore down the defenders. I was more than chuffed. Another excellent game in the Dungeon on a lovely table with beautiful figures. The rules were Valour and Fortitude which Matt enjoys, especially for larger games than Rolica. Next week we will be in the Bunker and back in 1940's France, it has been a while since I had Chain of Command on the table.

I am almost finished the book on Alexander and I have to say he doesn't come across well, the amount of times he promises mercy to forts or towns only to murder the populations once they surrender is quite horrific. I think by the time he returns from India he seems to be losing his mind, at least that is what the author seems to be implying.

I have been hit by the nostalgia bug and looked out some photographs of my time on HMS Sheraton, a minehunter. We were on our way to Gibraltar for deep sea sweeping trials (we could sweep as well) and stopped off at Portimao in Portugal. You can just see the bottom of the black Sandeman's Sherry logo which we used in one pic, the other we had just been to a local vinyard and we are carrying bottles of rose, most of which did not make it back to the ship.

Great day out.

Me, centre back.

Gunnery practice.

I have had my first treatment and spent a relaxing ninety minutes being 'filled up'. 

ECW Braddock Down

 Another week another game. I was invited down to Erik's for an ECW refight of Braddock Down with all his usual attention to detail. The scenario was for an historic action fought in January 1643 and on arriving there was once again a beautiful table set up, I noticed some new troops as Erik's collection continues to grow, they were on my side and we all know how new troops behave.

Anyway I was Parliament and was deployed on a hill facing the Royalists on another hill across a valley, I had an artillery train but it was only just leaving the town of Liskeard and would take quite some time to reach the front line. I could withdraw and meet the artillery or I could simply attack before the Royalists used their numbers to outflank me, I chose the latter.

The Royalists in the background.

Parliamentarian position.

Close up of the Royalists.

Erik had not expected such an attack and I got off to a good start, I sent one reserve regiment to my left and the other to my right along with cavalry to support. My dragoons lost a fight with some Royalist dragoons but I then swept these away with my cavalry, the enemy cavalry looked like they would accept my challenge but decided not to and kept withdrawing from danger. I had now moved a foot regiment to the right but this turned out to be a bad decision as Erik continued to funnel everything into the fight in the centre.

I move forward into the valley of death.

Shot flies.

I seemed to have the advantage in numbers on the edge of the valley and sent two Royalist regiments running for home, however more turned up and I had taken some quite severe casualties by now, but my boys held on. I am unsure now what exactly went on as I forgot to take pictures in all the excitement, but my tactical genius was now the end of me, as my men pursued down the hill they found themselves with enemy on both flanks, I was undone, the pendulum had swung. I was preparing for an early tea.

Things looking dodgy.

My cavalry victorious.

The end.

Two moves later my right wing cavalry had swept away a second unit of dragoons and the Royalist cavalry, riding down their artillerymen in the process. They now threatened the Royalist centre but it was too powerful and they instead turned on the Militia on the hilltop, sweeping these away as well, bravo! But it was not all going my way and I was reduced to the cavalry and one foot regiment. As the enemy closed in my infantry led by my commander in chief put up a stalwart fight while my horse manouvered to threaten the Royalist hedgehog. My guns had now arrived but proved useless while my mounted troops could not feasibly frontally attack the enemy, I called a halt as my last foot regiment collapsed and fled.

Now they turn up, too late.

A very good game, luck was almost even, Erik threw 6's a few times when he needed them and I managed three or maybe four snake eyes at the wrong time. Victory swung too and fro a couple of times and I was pleased overall with my performance, moving the infantry to the right was a bad decision I think it was still a good move to attack. An excellent little game and it was a pleasure to play it.

Nothing on the horizon yet for next week although I believe a trip to Matt's might be on. I am continuing with the Yanks and have completed another squad, the third is now on the tray. I will do what I can with them as I am still a bit busy with the last maps for the Atlas, 14+ to go and around 140 finished.

I was wrong about Alexander: God, King, Man, I thought it was a biography, it is more about his taking the Persian Empire, nonetheless it is a good read with some very interesting snippets spread throughout. Alexander captured 2,500 tons of gold when he took Persepolis, and there was enough left when the Romans took Macedon to cease direct taxes on their citizens for one hundred years. The oldest dirty joke was also found written down but the author fails to share it, and then there was the "A man walks into a pub with a dog" the punchline however is lost to us. Fascinating stuff.

I almost forgot that I took along Matt's super dice to Erik's hoping to have an easy time of it, yes, you are right, they didn't work. Matt is now looking for a discount should he buy them. 

I start systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) tomorrow, not over the moon about it but no alternative is available and they cannot cut anything more from my liver, I have fingers and toes crossed that I do not suffer badly from side affects, so, onwards and upwards.

Crushed

 I am still coming down from the great surprise ACW weekend. I was supposed to venture north to Penritha and a Napoleonic game with Matt but I am having a real hard time with our World Beating NHS and could not take the chance of missing an important phone call in the depths of the Dungeon so I offered a game in the Bunker (which is not underground).

I didn't have a huge amount of time due to real life so settled once again on the battle of Ceresole 1544 which is easy to set up and as Matt wanted a larger game than our last one so I jiggled the OOB a bit. Matt arrived attired in suitable summer gear but without dice or measuring tape, I have plenty of both so sorted him out, something I was to regret later. Matt took the army nearest the door so became the French commander, I was the Spanish. Now although the French have the edge in this battle it didn't seem like an overwhelming edge so I was happy enough.

Imperials left, French right.

Imperial lines.

French left, Imperials right.

As battle approached my troops showed a reluctance to get to grips with the enemy, my skirmishers and artillery were less than enthusiastic and merely played at being warriors and for the most part stood still or could not find a match for the cannon. My light cavalry went forward without arquebus support and were destroyed by the French light cavalry tout suite as the Frenchies say, they continued to pursue the remnants off the table for the rest of the game. My infantry painfully slowly moved forward but not before my right wing was crushed, again my light cavalry was destroyed as were some skirmishers and my aristocracy.

Matt's die rolling simply could not be beat, if I got four or five hits Matt countered with six to eight, and my average was two, I knew I should have offered that chicken up, I have won only one Italian Wars game since I put the troops on the table, how long does 'new troop syndrome' last? 

Imperial camp.

Get a move on lads!

The French move forward

The Swiss looking for a fight, in the background.

One group of Gendarmes had flung themselves at a Neapolitan pike block and against all the odds eventually routed it, the other bunch of Neapolitans later met the French infantry and also ran. The Spanish on my right came up against one of the Swiss units and, yes, were cut down without mercy, my Landsknechts whom I had wanted to throw at the Swiss were still way behind. Before too long I only had the Landsknechts left, one was trying to move to defend my non existent right flank while the other went head to head with the second Swiss block. again they were cut down and routed. My whole army had disappeared in quick fashion and one of my commanders had been taken prisoner. One small block of Landsnechts now faced the might of the French army. 

Neapolitans about to be charged.

 

Neapolitans about to be rode down.

Imperial centre about to crack.

Matt has paella for dinner in the Imperial camp.

 

I normally do a map for these battles but looking over the debacle that had just happened the drawing would only consist of French units. Matt's die rolling had been nothing but spectacular, he offered me a king's ransom for the dice but it was no deal. As usual I actually changed my dice near the end but it did not save me. Crushed!

I am being left in Limbo by the NHS so have nothing planned for next week, although Matt is away if I knew what was happening I could organise something but as of this moment I can't.

I have finished Goldsworthy's book on Athens and Sparta, not a great read for me, it is a broad history and not simply a military history so if you are looking for that this book is not what you want. It was also fairly wishy washy with a lot being described as maybe or might or we don't know, fair enough but there was also a lot of repetition, I got it early on that hoplites could be stopped by city walls for instance and didn't need to be told this time and time again. I found it disappointing, maybe I was looking for something different.

'Alexander: God, King, Man' I knew was good from the first chapter, I didn't find myself falling asleep after a couple of pages. The two battles which have been covered already were far better described than the book above and I found myself googling them to find out more. Alexander comes across as a chancer when fighting battles (I have always thought this) and the Persians perhaps just a tad unlucky? The Greek mercenaries at the Granicus did not fight against Alexander and expected therefore to be captured and ransomed, he killed them all, or nearly them all. I can certainly recommend this one.

 Nothing much on the telly these days, I caught 'Obsession' which is being hailed as a marvellous kick in the teeth to Hollywood but I gave up, I just couldn't empathise with the main character or his girlfriend and why do they have to film everything in the dark, put the bloody lights on. I was caught out by 'Sugar' on Apple (I think), Colin Farrell (now he played Alexander as well) stars and is pretty cool as a private investigator driving a beautiful blue corvette, my wife caught the sting in the tail, it was lost on me. But will it have legs, who knows.

 My family north of the border were of course rooting for Scotland in the World Cup, I took the opposite view and knew they would be home on the next plane, but I also take the view that I would rather England win than be beat by foreigners, I am therefore a turncoat, but it was all played out in good humour online helped by Photoshop. In reality I would not watch a sport if you tied me to a chair and superglued my eyes open.

Never.

Now you're talking.