Game List - July to December, 2002 | |
| Jul 6 - Blue Sky Rules are Back | Oct 5 - Carrier Attack Reprise |
| Jul 13 - More Aircraft Shot down in Flames | Oct 12 - Sink the Ark Royal |
| Jul 20 - Somewhere in the Pacific | Oct 19 - No Game Celebrate our anniversery |
| Jul 27 - WWI & WWII Air Combat | Oct 26 - No Game |
| Aug 3 - No Game | Nov 2 - Kursk |
| Aug 10 - Battle of Gallavan's Creek ACW | Nov 9 - Target Rhiems France |
| Aug 17 - Atlantic Crossing | Nov 16 - Command Con IV |
| Aug 24 - Japanese Bomber Mission | Nov 23 - KampfGruppe Peiper Attack at Stoumont |
| Aug 31 - Peterson's Assault ACW | Nov 30 - WWII at McGarrity's |
| Sep 7 - North Atlantic and North Africa | Dec 7 - KampfGruppe Peiper Mini Campaign |
| Sep 14 - No Game | Dec 14 - No Game, Christmas Party |
| Sep 21 - No Game | Dec 21 - No Game Party at Joe's |
| Sep 28 - Attack on the Saratoga | Dec 28 - No Game, Just Conversation |
One of the games we frequently played when we played at Tom Sparhawk's was the Blue Sky Air Combat Rules by John Stanoch. Tom had a wide variety of aircraft from all theaters of World War Two. He ran two campaigns based in part on these rules, Coral Sea and Battle of Britain. He also ran great air games at several local cons and at Cold Wars 2001 and this year at Historicon 2002. Else war in the site are lots of information ranging from painting nose art on B17's, laying out a hex grid on a 5' x 10' ocean and running a bomber convention game. After purchasing the planes and spending a lot of time painting them we ran into a problem with the bases. It was the cost for thirty or forty bases to play the games with. We pooled our money again and I sent off an order last fall. When I hadn't heard from the supplier I sent an email asking about the status. I received a reply saying that he had not received the order in the mail and that he had not been getting mail as his post office was at the anthrax ground zero. Further we was doing part time work at the WTC site working on the injuries of the rescue and recovery workers. Because of this he said he had little time for mail order etc. I responded for him not to worry about games and thing that what he was doing was more important and I could wait. After January 1, 2002 I sent an inquiry about making an order. The supplier's response was he was waiting on his suppliers to send him a new batch of bases and lucite sticks. In April I asked him about his supplies and he said he had everything wee needed. I sent in the order and waited. A month went by, I email a question and the response was he had not gotten the letter. He had moved two weeks before and his post office was twenty five miles away, because his old one was still closed (remember the anthrax). The post office delivered my letter a week later (five weeks in transit) and I received the order 10 days later. I want to thank John Stanoch (my supplier) for his patience with this customer. I would like to commend John for his work at WTC. Thanks John. On to the Games Joe Shaffer and I played three games tonight. I won't go into a lot of detail about the battles. Because of the fast pace and number of moves in each game it would be far to difficult to give a move by move narrative. --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------Got out the planes again and played Blue Sky. It was a fighter sweep this time with the forces approaching for opposite ends of the table. German: 1 ME410 (lost) 2 TA152 (both lost) 3 BF109G (2 lost) American: 3 P38J Lightnings (all lost) 2 P47D Thunderbolts (1 lost) Good game with somewhat evenly matched forces. The ME410 was knocked out early and then a ME109G and later TA152's. The P38's were able to turn inside the TA152's and take them on but the 152's guns (5 d10's) hit the Lightnings hard. At the finish there was one BF109G and one P47D game was called as a draw. --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------We all took a road trip to Pat McGarrity's and played a WWII 25mm skirmish game between US Marines and Japanese Island defenders. The Japanese had two squads and several medium machine guns, at CHI70 tank and 70mm artillery. The US Marines had 4 squads artillery, mortars and an M3 Stuart tank. The game was very tense with the Japanese initially concealed and the Marines walking into the ambush. The American objective was to take the landing strip the Japanese had just completed. A Japanese sniper wounded a Marine noncom and was in turn hit from a different squad. The battle see-sawed back and forth. A close assault by a Marine squad with a flame thrower cleared out a Japanese bunker on the right side of the Japanese line. As this occurred a Japanese officer, shot with his pistol, from the over of the jungle, two Marines. On the Japanese left, Marines slogging through a swamp had a harder time. One squad was eventually destroyed while another successfully repulsed a Japanese Banzai attack. By this point the Americans were down to a squad and a half. An ambush attack on an unsuspecting Marine squad moving though the Japanese line couldn't make up for the destruction of the CHE70 tank by the M3. Americans would need to come back tomorrow with a larger force to take the enemy runway. Victory Japanese, Moderator Pat McGarrity, Rules G.I. --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------Played two different games tonight, both were air combat. The first was Blue Sky a German vs British fighter combat over Northwestern Europe in 1944/45. Germans had 3 each, TA152 and BF109E, and a pair of ME410's with a FW190D. The British had 3 each of Spitfire II's, Mosquito IV's and Typhoon. The air battle was hard fought and it took awhile but the Brits won the battle. German Losses: 2 TA152, a FW190D, 2 ME410 and 2 BF190E. British Losses: 1 Mosquito, and one Typhoon (A probable, it was last seen flying away from the battle on an erratic course.). Victory British, no Moderator. WWI Air Combat Dan Willey then brought out a World War One air combat game he designed Called "Shoot that Fokker" With 1/300 planes and pre-planning for moves we picked up the rules very quickly. The French hard three Niuport 73 fighters, the Germans, meanwhile, had three Albatross fighters. We played about 15 moves of a 25 move game, The French lost two planes to aborts because of fires. The Germans lost none. Victory German. It was a good game and we will definitely ask Dan to bring it back. He said the more players the greater the fun with this particular game. We had six and had a great time. --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------A repeat of a previous scenario we have played in the past. This one played out pretty much with the same results. The Germans were unable to get through he American armor and sink any of the US capital ships. THey did early damage to the BC Alaska and were getting to the BB Iowa. But is was too little and too late. The torpedoes launched by the German ships produced no hits while the 16" shells from the Iowa sand the Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and severly damaged the Prinz Eugen. All in all a disaster for the German Navy. One consoling factor was the ability of the US Navy to sink its own destroyers. The Americans again sank one of their own DD's. Four of the five times we have played this scenario the Americans have sunk at least one of their own destroyers though collision or their own torpedoes. Victory: American No Moderator --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------Four Japanese Chotai consisting of six Betty's and six Nells escorted by four Zeros were intercepted by flight of eight British Spitfires and Hurricanes. It was a disaster for the British and their American allies, who tried to support the failing RAF. The Japanese were able to get one Nell and four Betty's through with the loss of one Zero. The Allies lost fifteen of sixteen fighters thrown at the Japanese air armada. Victory: Japanese No Moderator. ------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------A Union Corps of two divisions were holding the heights overlooking a small valley. With the corps was reserve artillery. A Confederate Corps with three divisions were to attack the Union position and advance a brigade up a road that went through the Union position. The CS strategy was to attack the Union right flank with two divisions. The third division was to arrive later in the battle. The CS brigades advanced across the valley taking advantage of natural cover and skirmishes out front. Long range Union artillery did little to slow the assault on the Union position. A Rebel cavalry unit which lost a stand to a 30# parrot rifle moved down behind skirmishers for protection. Some Confederate artillery set up on a small hill and exchange counter battery fire with three batteries of Union artillery each doing very little damage to the other. The confederate division on the left behind several regiments weakening it's assault on the Union Right. The other Confederate division moved up in good order pitting three CS brigades against 2 Unions brigades. The US 6th Division commander attempted to counter this by shifting two of his brigades over to counter the Rebels. An abortive charge by two CS regiments were thrown back with heavy losses. A counter charge by a US dismounted cavalry regiment routed several more CS regiments to the Confederate rear. The CS commander on the Confederate right stopped to regroup while the Commander in the right prepared his assault. Counter battery fire between forces destroyed three Rebel batteries while the Union lost only two gun of a 6# battery. The Confederate General continued his assault without artillery support. A short exchange of rifle fire preceded the Charges by the Rebels. The first set of charges were with 4 regiments against the position and were thrown back with heavy casualties. The next assault was with six regiments against three Union regiments and a battery of 6# smooth bore cannons. The battery failed a fire of charge but was able to fire double canister into the flank of a charging Rebel regiment. Subsequently the crew abandoned their gun when they were unable to hold any longer. Seeking protection of a supporting infantry regiment. The infantry did yeoman work through back every charge made up the hills by the Confederates. At this point the Confederate reinforcements, arriving on the battlefield, came under Union artillery fire and the lead regiment of the column routed to the Rebel rear to the cheers of the Union gunners. As this occurred the gunners could hear from their right the cheers of "Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg" by the Union infantry as the Confederates retreated back to their lines. Victory: Union - Moderator: None. --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------We played two games tonight one in the North Atlantic and the other in North Africa. Convoy Action in the North Atlantic We started the evening with a new game. Submarine, starting with Avalon Hill's game Submarine and using miniatures, in this case 1/2400 ships we played out an attack but two U-boats on a convoy of twelve ships and six escorts. Using dummy ship counters at a ratio of 2/1 the Germans came in from in front of the convoy on each side. The escorts had a little trouble locating and holding the subs with their sonar. They learned quickly to for one or two escorts moving slowly could find the submarines and direct the attack by the other escorts. The attacking escorts then had to figure out how to lay the best depth charge patterns to sink the U-boats. This all took time while the German U-boat commanders figured their systems out within a couple turns. The torpedoes began pretty quickly real and dummy. The torpedoes sank four ships, three freighters and a tanker and damaged another freighter. The escorts did finally get their act together and were able to sink one of the submarines. Victory German, moderator Terry Callahan We had a good time and everyone enjoyed themselves and we will play this again. I intend to host a game of Submarine at Command Con IV using a double blind game system. Will be play testing that in the next month or so. More on that later. Massacre at el Alatash Oasis After the cold of the North Atlantic we got out the French Foreign Legion and North African Tribesmen. The Legionaries were encamped at an oasis there were three squads a machine gun and a 75 mm gun. The tribesmen had four groups three dismounted and one mounted. The mounted and two dismounted attacked from one side while the third dismounted group attacked from the rear. This group also had a Lewis machine gun. The group in the rear was the first to engage the French with minimum casualties to both sides. The mounted unit charged an opening in the French line but drew up short of hitting the French line. French fire was ineffective and hittting only one of the tribesmen. The other two dismounted units moved into position to attack. The next turn saw charges by all the tribesmen and withdrawal (retreat) by the French to ruins behind the oasis. A trail of bodies indicated where melees between the charging tribesmen and the beleaguered Legionnaires took place. One of the tribesmen units was slow to the attack and was accused of hanging back deliberately, another suggested that they were just looting the French dead and bayoneting the wounded. The French, in the ruins, repulsed a charge by one of the tribesmen units and awaited the next charge. The game was called at this point. The French had 10 figures or so while the North African Tribesmen had around 40 left. It would take a little time for the tribesmen to get organized but a push at weak point on the French line in the ruins would spell the final doom for the French Foreign Legionaries. Victory North African Tribesmen. Moderator Joe Shaffer, Rules was Sword and the Flame. --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------We Played Blue Sky tonight with a Japanese air attack on a US Navy Carrier Task Force. The Japanese attacked the CV Saratoga, being escorted by the Battleship South Dakota, Heavy Cruiser New Orleans and the Destroyer Selfridge. The Japanese attack with eight Kate torpedo bombers and 10 Val dive bombers. The bombers were escorted by four Zeros spit evenly between the flights of bombers. The Vals came in at High 6 and the Kates came in at Low 2. The "Sara" put up 10 Wildcats, 6 F4F3's and 4 F4F4's. The Americans went after the torpedo bombers with six fighters and the bombers fell quickly. The Kates never got within AA range before being shot down. A lone Zero fighter was able to make it back home. Three Wildcats were shot down by the Japanese bombers and fighters. Up above the dive bombers were having a better time against the fighters. One American fighter was shot down right away evening the odds just a little. Only 2 bombers were lost to fighters on the approach. But as they made their turn toward the carrier AA fire opened up taking out in quick succession the remaining dive bombers and a Wildcat that happened to get caught in the crossfire of AA from the task Force. Victory American, no moderator. This was the first time we had used planes against ships in a couple years. I had forgotten not go easy on the attackers against 10 fighters and really blew it on the ships in the task force. Putting the BB South Dakota in was a real mistake. its AA is rated as a "2" meaning everything get a hit. I'll change it the next time. --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------We played an Eastern Front scenario tonight. It was a meeting engagement between German and Russian armored forces. We used Kamfpgruppe Commander rules and 15mm scale. This was a familiarization game to iron out the rules Joe will be using at Command Con IV. The game came down to a tank dual between opposing battalions. The Russian, taking advantage of terrain moved a battalion down each flank and a small force up the middle. The Germans were forced by wooded hills to squeeze through the middle and spread out. To take on the oncoming Russians tanks. On the German left, a company of PzVI Tiger I's accompanied by mixed PZIV's climbs a ridge on the left flank to counter the Russian's flank move. The ridge was significant in that it lowered the ranges of the tank battle to point blank for both sides. This eliminated the Tiger's long range strengths and the battle resulted ion a blow for blow slugfest. In the end, the PzIV's saved the flank. The exchange was hard for both sides. Three Tigers destroyed vs. nine T34's. It was at this point the remaining PzIV's came under attack from across the valley. The Russian had lost a company of KV85's and KV100's in the open spaces of the middle of the valley. German loses were two PzV's. The remaining Germans and infantry moved into the wooded hill on the right to await the Russian advance. The Russians forced the German infantry and armor back and destroyed two more PzV's and a PzIVH, pushing the German's back. When it looked as if the German right flank would break, the remaining PzIV's in each side of the valley attacked the flanks of the Russian spearhead. The Russian commander lost six T34's in rapid succession. This ended any hope for a Russian victory and stopped the Russian advance. Victory German. No Moderator --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------In getting ready for Command Con, we played an bomber mission over France 1944. We used White Star / Blue Sky rules set of the Blue Sky Rules. The scenario as an Eighth Air Force mission on the rail yards at Rhiems France in may 1944. The mission consisted of two six-plane groups of B24D's and a separate group of six B17E's . The groups were escorted by two P47's, P51's and P38F's respectively. The German defenders put up two BF110C's two FW190's and a few BF109's. The German's strategy was to attack two groups ignoring the high group of B24's escorted by the P51's. Little damage was inflicted on the American bombers for the first few turns. The Germans though lost three fighters in quick succession. Then the German fighters found their mark and two B24's exploded when their Bombs Bay /Fuel lines were hit. The P47's were able to beat off the German fighters and when the planes reached the turn point there was one German defender left. No bombers were lost after the two earlier losses. The second leg of the mission for the American Bombers would be deadlier than the first leg had been. The Germans received fresh planes and pilots, four BF110C's FW190, BF109 and a JU88C. The Germans changed tactics and concentrated on the B17E Group with devastating results for the Americans. P47B';s had joined the group as escorts. The Germans began with a salvo of rockets launched from four different planes. Highly inaccurate the rockets slammed into the formation with devastating results. Only one of the salvos missed its target the other three staggered the group of six B17's damaging 4 of the five six planes. The Germans settled down to a battle of attrition as the bombers flew on. The escorting P47 were downed in the early going and as the other groups watched helplessly as B17 after B17 went down in flames. The two other groups seeing what was in store pushed their throttles forward and diving to pick up speed attempted to distance them selves from the German. The German fighters did not notice this tactic until it was almost too late. They were able to catch one of the groups as they approached the target. Turning away from flak at the last minute. The bombers having braved the Lufftwaffe's best and a weak AA defense attempted to drop their bombs. The first group was assigned to patter bombing and as the lead plane went over the target the group dropped their bombs. The Lead planes bombardier missed the target completely and 72 points of damage chewed up some farm fields instead of the rail yards. The remaining group was unable to drop their bombs on the target due to the group's attempts to avoid flak and fighters. Victor German No Moderator --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------We all attended and a few of us presented games at Big Muddy's Command Con IV at Jefferson Barraks, St. Louis, MO Here is a link to the convention reports. Command Con IV I will update the page as I get more after action or game reports from other people. --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------We restarted the KampfGruppe Peiper Mini Campaign tonight. The Americans are dug in around Stoumont Belgium on December 19, 1944. Peiper has moved through Stavelot and now advancing west towards Stoumont. The Americans have an infantry battalion supported by antitank guns, artillery and two tank platoons. The Germans have all of Peiper's command. Included in that command is a battalion of panzergrenediers, a company of Tiger II's and a couple companies of PzIV's and PZV's and supports. Peiper has an overwhelming advantage in fire power against the US force. Most of the evening was spent getting back up to speed with the rules and setting up the table. Once set up we got in a couple hours of playing before calling it quits for the night. Peiper had moved up and at 0700 attacked the American positions as shown in the map. An infantry company on each flank and armor with a company of infantry in support in middle attacked the Amereican position. Rough terrain prevents armor from being used on the German right. An American forward OP was attacked and destroyed, the survivors retreating back to the US lines. An ATG got a PzIVH before it pulled out. A bazooka got one hit on a Tiger II, he's getting ready for another shot. The American's moved up two platoons of Shermans to counter the German Panzers and exchange of gun fire left the Germans with three fewer panzers. The difficulty for both sides with the visibility. It varied from 1" at the beginning of the game before sunrise. After sunrise fog is moving in and out varying the visibility from 2" to 12". It's making the battle very difficult for both sides being able to see one turn and not the next. As we finished up for the evening the American were beginning to pull out seeing that they had little chance of standing against Peiper's force. Moderator: Terry Callahan Situation Map 0800 19 Dec 1944 --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------We played G.I. with a West Front scenario. An American infantry platoon reinforced with a squad of engineers, two .30 Cal light machine guns and 80 mm mortar section. In support was a platoon of M4A3 Sherman tanks and a M8 Greyhound armored car . The objective was to capture and occupy an French farm house that was being used as an artillery observation post for the Germans. The OP was protected by two squads of Falsrchmjagers, supported by a medium machine gun, a section of 81 mm mortars, a Skdfz 251/ 37mm atg, and a Marder. The American approach through the bocage was tedious as infantry preceded the armor down the roads keeping the tanks etc. out of the fields. The American sent two infantry squads with 30 Cal LMG with the Platoon HQ, and three Shermans and the M8 up the right flank along a road. In the an Artillery OP with M3 half-track called down a barrage of 155 mm artillery fire on the farm house. The platoon's third squad and the engineer squad moved across an open area in some light woods. No resistance was met until a sniper took a couple of shot at the Americans approaching on the American right. Both shots missed and since no more were forth coming it was assumed that the sniper moved to another hiding spot. Two American's walked up the road ahead of the M8 with the two squads deployed in the fields beyond the hedge row on either side of the road. A squad emerged in to the right had field and was almost across it when a German LMG and rifle fire dropped two of the American's the rest opened up and moved up to assault the Germans dug in along the hedge row. This assault resulted in the loss of the squad and several of the Germans in the hedge row. The two scouts on the road came under fire from the rest of the German squad that had deployed behind a rock wall on the left side at the cross roads. One American was hit while the other GI direct the M8 Greyhound to machine gun the wall. A burst of 50 cal HMG hit the Germans killing three of the Germans paratroopers. One of the Germans hit was readying a panzerschreck aimed at the M8. More fire suppressed on of the remaining Germans. The Americans set up their LMG to flank fire the Germans behind the wall while a squad readied for as close assault on the position. The Germans opened up on the US LMG killing both machine gunners. But the M8 opened up again killing another German and an American follow up close assault drove off the remaining Germans. It was at this point a round of 37 mm ATG from a German half track barely missed the M8. The M8 returned fire with it's own 37 mm gun. A second shot but the German HT knocked up the M8. A M4A3 Sherman pushed the disabled American vehicle out of the way and pulled up far enough to shoot at the German HT. Another Sherman pulled into the cross roads and turned its turret toward the German Half track. After the HT was destroyed it turned it's main gun towards the German position dug into the hedge row on the right. A HE round drove the Germans out of their positions into the field now covered by American bodies. The lead Sherman was able to get another round off and destroyed the German half track. The spectacular explosion also hit the German sniper who was working his way around the fight. At this point the remain Falshrinjagers realizing they were out numbered, out gunned and surrounded surrendered to the Americans. As the Americans turned left and began to move up the road another group of Germans opened up at point blank range into the American infantry. Miraculously no one was hit. The quick reacting GI 's laid down suppressive fire into the hedge forcing the enemy down until one of the tanks moved up and began to machine gun the hedge row also. The Americans then coordinated their attacks while moving a BAR gunner up to flank the Germans from the end of the hedge. The remaining German was seen pulling back into the woods. The OP had moved up to a rock wall to gain a better view of the battle field and the artillery targets. A German MMG in the woods opened up and killed the unit in one burst of gunner fire. At this point the MMG team realized they were also surrounded and did no further actions. After clearing out the paratroopers behind the hedge row the American Shermans moved up to a cross roads and facing down the road toward the farm house and towards the woods east of the farm. The infantry moved up behind the tanks. The lead Sherman looking down the road saw several American infantry men on the other side of the farm house. As they saw a couple infantry men go down from gun fire the tank moved up and put a round of HE into a farm out building destroying it. The building housed the sniper pinning down the Americans AND the German forward artillery observer. At this point the German's pulled back their remaining forces. The American units linked up with the squads on the left flank. The fight in the woods had been hand to hand and losses were at about 50% for the two squads. On the rights the Americans had lost one complete squad. The only armor loss awas the M8 armored car. The Germans had lost all their infantry support, the MMG team was captured later attempting to return to their lines. The Germans were able to pull back the Marder and 20 MM AA. Victory American. Moderator Pat McGarrity --------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to table of contents ------------------------------------------ |
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