6d6 WWII p.2: Big Battle Totensonntag Game!

OK, so this wasn't the best-planned report, ever. The main problem being that I completely forgot to take any pics at all, which often happens when I run a game - just too focused on it.

In any event, will try for a post here that shows some of the challenges of running a big game and is related to the last post. Thanks to Steve over at Sound Officer's Call for his pics and write-up, which really helped during a busy pre-Christmas season!

Managed to show up just a few minutes after a few of the other guys who were bringing figs. We got into our greetings right away - it was great to see the guys after such a long time! Some of them have been busy with good tasks - work, caring for elderly parents, doing charity work as a storm trooper [pew-pew-pew!] or with the fire department - and it's a reminder that we are always getting away from something to exercise our minds and our little lead men when we show up to game!

We then hit the task of organizing forces and setting up the table, which went quite quickly. In not too long, this:


became this:

The table is pretty amazing...it's just wood [you can see the wood grain, but it looks a bit like wind-swept stand] but the paint and texture looks astonishingly desert-like. Each end of the game was trimmed 6" as it is an 8x4 table, not a 3x9' table. The extra foot in depth wasn't necessarily a major problem, but it does change how quick units get into the game. I kept the center scenario the correct width of 3' as I didn't think it would make much difference on the two flank scenarios. 

According to 1HW, this meant that the Scen #4 attacker started 6" closer, while the reinforcements for the defender were 6" farther away. This distorts the arrival times by not quite a turn. The Scen #16 didn't matter as it was a meeting engagement and both had a bit farther to go. should've used the extra foot of space as set-up space, and then marked the table edge at 3 feet deep so Units entered exactly as per the scenarios used. I then should've taken the full foot off Scenario #16 as it didn't really matter - they didn't need the width. So the scenario spaces would've been 3x3, 3x3, and 2x3.

Lesson 1: be careful with table dimensions that may distort important aspects of the scenario like the turn attacks or reinforcements get going.

The Reading of the Rules. I toyed with the idea of a QRS. However, the rules are only 3 pages anyway, and it didn't seem worth the effort. It took about 20 minutes or so, and of course wasn't 100% absorbed. However, I did note as the game progressed that players did in fact seem to remember parts of what was said and were able to find their way around with the rules themselves, or even help each other. Below, me as "talking [shiny] head".

Above, Scenario #16 up close, with #15 then #4 in the distance. Brits left, Germans right.

I placed Steve and Dave against people who'd never played so their previous experience with the rules would help, and on opposing sides. Scenario #4 had neither player with any experience with these rules, so I figured I'd be needed there most, but they actually did quite well for themselves. 

One problem was that I had left some of my reminders in the scenario special rules, but they didn't apply for this game. This confused some of the players even though the correct special rules were repeated for thier specific Units below.

Lesson 2: make a very clean copy of the scenario special rules, and do it well in advance!

Scenario #16: Advance Guard. This ended up as 4 crud platoons, 1 Mortar Platoon [25pdrs], 1 Crud CS [Close Support]. But I'm uncertain that the CS tanks were differentiated in all the hubbub. 
Lesson 3: Double-check that your friends set up the forces correctly and the players know what they have.

This was played twice, once by Brian and Butch, and once by me and Butch. The first game was won by the British. The Italian advance got onto the hill but in the ensuing firepower contest the British won.

Game #1, Brit view. British spread out 4 Crud platoons, with AC's on the road and 25pdrs to rear. Italian ACs are on the hill [they were shot off it]. 


Game #1, Italian view.Two Carri platoons to left backed by Infantry, Mortars and ATGs. One problem was that the Italians didn't dig in soon enough, I think. It makes them a tough nut to crack for the Brits who are penalized for lack of HE rounds on the tanks.


The second game, I played the British and confidently dashed up the hill, getting my armored cars on it to spot the enemy and follow up by deploying my entire force off the road a turn ahead of the Italians. I then fought them as they stood, concentrating firepower at every opportunity. Towards the end - I had two Crud platoons left and held the hill, game over! But, I decided to go for 100%. I advanced to wipe out the last Italian Unit, their 75/27 Howitzers, Mortars. In the end, it came down to just a couple of die rolls but I managed to lose my final Crud! So 1-1 on this end, and the scenario seems quite balanced. Lots of opportunities to try different tactics here, definitely deserves some more play in the future.

On the British left, the remains of 7th Armoured Brigade dashed forward in Scenario #4: Take the High Ground. Below, a nice shot of the 4 Honey platoons advancing and facing off against the German reinforcements and their objective. Steve does a nice recap of their play, which included no less than THREE games! I wasn't able to follow it all closely, but they seemed to have done pretty well with figuring out the rules and having fun.


The center was Scenario #15: Fortified Defense, a really great scenario that I will definitely play again and again. It is definitely a game that goes to the 15-turn limit, as the attacker gets to "refit" his force by removing what's left of it at any time and then re-entering the entire force in new shape! In effect, a complete second wave. The Defender has two solid "fortifications" which are Towns in terms of game mechanics. 

I misunderstood the "Additional Weaponry" special rule, which gave both towns some extra fighting ability. In the scenario it says they get a d6 of shooting and - in the early periods of rules [Pike and Shot and earlier] - melee as well. I interpreted this to mean two full Units, which became 25pdrs backing the "garrisons" of an Infantry Unit each. HOWEVER, this also gave the 25pdrs 7 Hits that had to be shot away before they were removed while the scenario rule says that the additional weaponry are destroyed once the garrison Units are eliminated. Below, Infantry Unit garrison backed by second Mortar Unit - 25pdrs.

So in effect the "additional weaponry" adds a d6 of shooting to a unit in the WWII rules, but is destroyed with the garrison Unit, and the entire force has only the 15 Hits of one Unit in the original rules [but I gave it 30, in effect]. So for WWII it functions as a sort of "double dice shooting ability" but no extra hits and no extra range. 

Obviously, the 25pdrs made the defense a bit tougher as it was a 12-8 battle, in stead of a 12-6 battle [albeit two defenders have double-dice in shooting]. This was a bit balanced by the fact that the "towns" were not full fortifications. I played them as "encampments" that gave Dug-in to any unit within them, which is allowed in my version of the rules, anyway - it just takes one turn.

Lesson 4: Make sure you read the scenario rules carefully - preferably, play it out a couple times ahead of the main day!

Below, the result of the extra firepower: attacking Germans taking lots of Hits from the defense. It should be noted that my version gives ATGs and Tanks a Long Range of 24".

This was compounded by the deployment of the Germans, which was very spread out, so it was harder to concentrate firepower. And this was compounded by the South Africans rolling a bunch of crazy rolls, including needing all 6's to hit and getting 3 in one roll!

Below. The German second wave. It has more infantry who are supposed to be mopping up what the Panzers have left. South Africans have only lost 2/8 Units, however!

The center game went for the duration. Between the additional Units and the second-wave re-entry, Scenario 15 is going to go 14-15 in turns most of the time, I think.

Overall, 6 games were played in three hours, an average of two a player, which meets the OHW goal of being able to play twice, typically. The victories were a pretty even split, altho I'm not sure about the result of the third Scenario #4 battle.

The players all seemed to have a good time. I was especially pleased to get both a good turnout and lots of Units on the table, as we hadn't played in a long time - a few years, at least! This reminds me of some great comments made at the Gen. Pettygree Blog [LINK] about big games. Sometimes a big battle is just the thing to get creative juices flowing, and provide a creative high point. It reminds me I need to do more painting, altho I've been doing a lot of designing, playing, and basing [especially of medievals]. But the lead mountain has not been dented much lately, and I do enjoy the creativity of painting.

Lesson 5: Sometimes, bigger is better, and a game is "too big to fail" for FUN even if it isn't run perfectly!

"Tanks for the memories" all who came out and played, I hope we get some games in sooner rather than later!

Designing Big Battle Totensonntag Game: 3 scenarios, 10 Steps

Presviously, I posted in my medieval blog about designing and then running a large "One-Hour Wargames" medieval game. In the past during the Flames of War era, we used to throw big games occasionally at the FLGS. Sometimes it would be Tanksgiving, and other times I set up Sidi Rizegh battles for 6-10 people with thousands and thousands of points a side. By the end, there'd be burning Cruds and Honeys EVERYWHERE!!! And we had lots of fun, which is what gaming is supposed to be about.

So, been meaning to not only present my WWII rules, but to get together the local gang who quit FoW together. Been a few years since some of them played. Some sold off all the stuff they had, others have it buried in a closet somewhere. This seemed like the right way to get people together and show them something I'm pretty excited about and really enjoy playing. Spearheading the effort and full of encouragement was Steve from "Sound Officer's Call", who has been leading the charge for "The Quest for the Holy WWII Rules".

First, a large game is like a party.
This is really different from a 1-1 game, and hosting skills will need to be used.

Second, shape the game around the attendees and the miniatures they can bring. 
Take your number of respondents, divide in half, and plan the basic game around those people. In my case there were ten people contacted, and I got 5 who said they'd make it, 4 maybes and 1 no. So I planned for 6 people as I could play - or not.

Third, decide on an historical battle, if possible.
People who do historical minis usually are big history fans - they'd rather re-fight something that actually happened than a fictional scenario, no matter how plausible. This was a little different from the medieval battle. For that one, I didn't have a specific historical scenario in mind. I just came up with a plausible historical scenario [securing a series of hills to further invest a castle that was off-board] and put three "One-Hour Wargames" side by side for a 3x9 board. I wanted to set up the same size again based on respondents - I was almost certain we'd have 6 people or more show up. If we had 5 I could play, and if 4 I'd just host. This time I went historical and dug around and found good info on Sidi Rizegh HERE, and decided it would work perfectly.

Fourth, do the research so you can present the battle in an interesting fashion.
I read all of the posted material and article, and decided that November 23, 1941, aka  Totensonntag or "Sunday of the Dead" was the right battle for Sidi Rizegh this time around. Totensonntag was the major counter-attack by Afrika Corps against the British 5th South African Brigade south of Sidi Rezegh [up the escarpment] supported by various bits and pieces of disorganized Brit tank regiments. 

At first, I was tempted to do the morning battle, for which I had several scenario ideas:

'The Sidi Rezegh Battles 1941' by J.A.I. Agar-Hamilton and L.C.F. Turner, published by Oxford University Press, Cape Town, 1957

but the main battle was a real humdinger, so I went with it!

Fifth, don't do a sideshow if you can do the main show!

Here is the map from which I got the basic idea:

'The Sidi Rezegh Battles 1941' by J.A.I. Agar-Hamilton and L.C.F. Turner, published by Oxford University Press, Cape Town, 1957

From this, I zoomed in on what looked like the best battle setup:

Given the map scale, a 3-mile wide battle will fit nicely into the center where "B ECH" is in the bottom of the South African camp [dotted line]. 36" is a mile in the scale I use for these rules, 1" = 50 yards [or meters].

There'd be a main drive up the center by 15th Panzer Division at 5th S. A. Brigade, with Italians on the left confronted by what was left of 22nd Armoured Brigade [Cruds!] and British 7th Armoured Brigade bits attacking from the right. This was ideal since I have a load of Italians, and could shift the battle a bit to the left if some of my Germans didn't show up due to real-life issues around this holiday season.

Sixth, keep the figures available in mind as you choose your scenarios.

I then played around with my "One-Hour Wargames" scenario cards, picking out different ones and flipping them around, turning them, changing angles, etc:

As is often the case, I liked the scenarios I picked but needed to invert them [do a mirror image] for them to make better sense on the battlefield, or to alter them a bit. I decided on the following as being true to the historical account, as well as interesting:
WEST. Scenario 16, Advance Guard. A meeting engagement of equal forces [6 Units] - sharp and sudden - between Ariete and 22nd A.B, fighting to hold the center Town.
CENTER. Scenario 15, Fortified Defense. Attacker must take both towns [black squares] against up-armed equal force [6-units], BUT gets a total refit of his force as reinforcements [so 6 Units, then 6 more]. This was perfect for the overwhelming Panzer attack up the middle, and the two fortified towns would make good encampment areas for dug-in units.
EAST. Scenario 4, Take the High Ground. Attacker must take hill against an equal force, but only 2 defending Units start on the Hill. The rest enter as reinforcements from the West edge. A good and simple attack by 7th Armoured Brigade against the flank of the German Panzer attack - it caused them some alarm, but never threatened to stop their advance.

Just one thing to emphasize here. I don't think that the OHW rules need to be confined to the strict parameters of the OHW scenarios. However, the scenarios are pretty carefully thought out, and work well the vast majority of the time. This makes it wise to consider using them "as-is" a few times so you get an idea of reasonable victory conditions given the timing, forces, distances etc. Push the force 6" farther apart, and the attacker will need another turn! 

So something to keep in mind as you plan you own historically inspired games. I think most historical situations and accounts [especially ancient accounts] are so limited that it is impossible to know exactly what happened. The best thing to do is to fit the history - as best as it can be known - into a scenario that you already know works, modifying it a bit as needed.

So from this, I sketched out some ideas.


Then I did my alterations, inversions, etc.


Then I did a more detailed and specific map, using square paper to keep the details right.

Unfortunately, I ended up with the hill 6" too far back on Scenario 4 to the right. Oh well...

I then made notes on the initial six forces I'd use for the three battles. I included reinforcements for people who showed up late and decided they wanted to play.

Seven, plan to accommodate everyone who might make it.
Have plans for people who don't make it [especially if they've figures you need!] and for those who show up at the last minute. Remember that they could be doing something else, and that the most  important thing is to have fun - pushing figs and dropping dice!

Eight, provide rules and force lists a few weeks in advance and invite feedback.

While I did put the rules out a few days in advance, I wasn't able to get all the forces figured. I still had some people who weren't certain they'd be there, and I even had Bir-el Gubi as a backup in case only my British forces showed up to fight my Italians! This isn't a bit deal as I've at least 3 full forces of Italians, and a force of Cruds for the Limeys.

I did get some feedback from the guys about the rules, so made some more clarifications.

Nine. Pack everything up a day in advance.
If you leave it, something will happen and you'll end up rushing, and rushing means broken figures! I had everything packed and was tinkering with the force lists at the last minute. I should've done that a few days earlier, also.

Ten. Make sure that Home-6 is on board with what's going on.
Yeah, cause she could put arsenic in your coffee, shred your suits, or other even worse things, like stomp on your figures, right? Remind her, if there's a problem, that you could have a worse hobby - a boat or a plane - or hang out in bars and strip clubs blowing money and acting stupid. Also, it's nearly impossible to meet attractive women playing historical miniatures, so you can't get into that sort of trouble, either. Overall, it's a pretty harmless, nerdy hobby, which she should know, but you may have to occasionally remind her. Just don't spend the grocery money on figures or rules!

OK, I hope these ten steps give you some help in case you want to throw your own game some time!

Next up, we'll talk about the Big Day itself - but Steve beat me to the punch with a "Sound Officer's Call" post, so I'll be posting something that isn't reduntantly repetitive soon.

One - Hour Wargames WWII Batrep: #8 Melee, p.1

Well, it's time to give the WWII rules a try. While they are written well the mechanics seem very limited and I'm dubious of their historical "feel".  Overwatch / opportunity fire, and suppression / pinning are basic tactical results sought on the modern battlefield and these are not present in the design.  Conversely, the IGO-UGO and accumulating Hits mechanics seem to lack the dynamic interaction of this period.  But my policy is to give them a play or two RAW, seeking to understand the present design better and articulate what I don't like. 

Not to mention the fact that NT has proven me wrong before, so it's worth showing some humility!

I decided to pick a scenario I already know well and have played several times.  #8 Melee is a "grab the center objective" scenario with sequential reinforcements as shown below: 

My changes are to make the objective a pass, put it closer to the center of the table, add a small hill at the Attacker entry point, and to angle the battlefield on a longer table [3x4']. 

I'm using my best figs and terrain as I want the game to look good, even in playtesting. 

Cruds will roll!  The force is _not_ in accord with that which NT has in his force matrix on p.64, but it's what I have available.  Tank heavy, yes, but not an atypical desert force.  In the front right is the command troop, front left is the support platoon of two howitzer-armed Cruds with the 2iC.  Then three platoons of regular old Cruds, and to the back right a platoon of motor infantry with 15cwt trucks.  Yes, the infantry are borrowed from the Italians, haven't finished my motor platoon yet.  All are Old Glory except for the resin 1-piece trucks, and the two howitzer tanks, which are all Battlefront.  For purposes of this match-up, the howitzer tanks will be mortars.

Italians take the field.  A mortar platoon in the back [75/18 Howitzers], ATGs in front of them [ATRs actually], two infantry platoons [one with trucks] and two tank platoons [M13/41 tanks] to the left rear.  This is not a legal force in the p.64 matrix, it'd need one more infantry platoon exchanged for any of the other three.

How to put onto the table?  As the rules call for a 4-6" frontage, I could do two stands at 4x2", but I think three at 6x2" looks better.  With the rulers, you can see that stands deploy well on that frontage for a wargame - still hopelessly close together for real life!

So, aside from the force composition, which is short on infantry in both forces [3-4 infantry platoons are the norm] we are very close to what NT has prescribed.  Since both sides have extra tanks and less infantry, I'm hoping that it all cancels out in the end.  Also, these forces are a bit more representative of a desert battle I think, where a lot of offensive action and reinforcements are mobile armor forces.

What happens next?   Tune in to p.2 and find out!

Paper Bags and Cardboard Boxes

The title of this post probably requires some explanation.

The British tanks were part of a somewhat unique design journey in the 30s.  The Brits had a light cavalry role in mind for their tanks so armor was sacrificed for speed and maneuverability.  Unfortunately, like so many peacetime military projects, thorough development wasn't conducted and many serious problems weren't worked out in time for the war, such as bad transmissions and a track system that allowed the vehicle to get around as well as a horse.  The tanks were also designed to fire on the move with an unusual floating arrangement for the 2pdr gun  which is reflected in the Tally-Ho! special rule.

For 1939 they weren't great but they were not that bad.  I find them extremely dangerous to Italians in EW, perhaps not to the French.  Of course, they were laughable next to the T34, but then again everyone's tanks were except maybe the French, so nothing unusual there.  I think the best opinion on them is from Robert Crisp [Brazen Chariots author]:

     "...we had been equipped with ancient A10s and A13s, and even some A9s dragged out of various war museums and exhibitions.  They were ponderous square things, like mobile prefab houses and just about as flimsy.  By far their worst failing was their complete inability to move more than a mile or two in any sort of heavy going without breaking a track, or shedding one on a sharp turn.

     Of the 60 odd tanks 3R.T.R had taken to Greece at the beginning of the year, not a half a dozen were casualties of direct enemy action.  All the others had been abandoned with broken tracks or other mechanical breakdowns.  They littered the passes and defiles of Macedonia and Thessaly, stripped of their machine guns, but otherwise intact.  They were of no help to the enemy; no other army would have contemplated using them.  I like to think of them, even now, furnishing some sort of chilly, overcrowded dwelling place for a family of homeless Greek peasants.

     Whoever was responsible for the design of British tanks in between the wars ought to have a considerable weight on his conscience."  p.5-6.

Amusingly well put!  In Flames of War the A9 has FA1 and only the later models upgrade to bullet-proof FA2, but the A10 becomes Slow in consequence and it isn't until the A13 that a Fast FA2 tank is in British possession.  Unfortunately, their special rules make even the A9 a bit pricey and the A10s and A13s get into German cost levels, while the Crusader is nearly as expensive as the MkIII [a much better tank in FoW IMHO].  

The officially designated light tank was the MkVI B & C.  It was basically a Bren Carrier with a closed top and turret.  In Flames of War, however, it is nearly as good as the main battle tanks, but cheaper and with guns almost as useful as they've high RoF and FP5+ which makes them handy against infantry and guns.

In any event, they are a lot of fun to play and use - damn the history and the rules!  Their weak armor resulted in them getting the nickname "Paper Bags & Cardboard Boxes" at the FLGS [this may be Gary A's funniest comment of all time].  The paper bags of course are the light tanks, while the cardboard boxes are the 'heavier' cruiser tank series.  If nothing else, the cruisers have a heavier light gun to bolster their "heavier" claim.

Pictured below in all their glory are my Cardboard Boxes.  9 A13s in the back, A10s front left and A9s front right.  They are all Old Glory Command Decision miniatures from when BF had theirs OOP about 8 years ago.  They are nice models, the only irritant being that the A9s and 10s have fixed hatch covers for the turret. so no open hatches with commander without some custom work.  One A9 has the first attempt at Caunter:  

Closeup of the A9s:

And of the A10s, two converted to Close Support [CS] tanks.  Since the rest have "No HE" I consider them essential in every force with their 3" howitzers and FP3+, plus the template they can drop, or else the company has nothing but MGs to fight infantry and guns:

and the A13s:

As for the MkVI light tanks, these were bought from Peter Pig when BF had them out of print, and they are lovely little all-metal models.  They had nearly no flash and were cast from strong clean metal.  I got them cleaned and primed and now they're awaiting their Caunter scheme.  However, they also have fixed hatch covers and I haven't the energy to cut some off at the moment.  The B is in the front with the larger gun.  There were very few Bs in the desert, they were used as 2iC tanks in infantry tank companies I believe, the vast majority were Cs:

and more MkVI C.  The pic's a little dark, but it shows the excellent crisp details:

There you have it - Early War British Armor in all its glory.  All the tanks played an important part in the victory over the Italians in Operation Compass.  By Operation Crusader, the MkVI were nearly gone and relegated to scout roles.  The remaining A's were all destroyed with the 8th Hussars at Sidi Rezegh, where the Panzers pretty much went right through them at one desperate point in that lengthy battle.  I doubt their loss was regretted by the few crewmen who survived...

It's Crud-a-licious!

The Crusader Armoured Squadron in all its glory.  OK, they can't spell 'armoured' but then again, they can't get their tanks to go a day's march without breaking down, either.  All part of the fun!  Pictured is the HQ front left [differentiated by two crew figures] with the Crusader CS 'close support' tanks next to them.  Note that nearly all tanks are Old Glory Command Decision tanks, with the CS tanks and the spare tank next to them being BF.  The BF are noticeable for the spare fuel tank that is cast directly onto the rear.  The OG one is separate and glued on [correct and better looking, but sometimes fragile].  Also worthy of note is that the third tank in each platoon is a 6pdr Crud III from MW.  Apparently I opted for the flexibility to have some of them in the army.  In EW they can just be ignored and played as regular Crud I's and II's.

The HQ of CiC and 2iC.  I figure the pensive looking fellow gazing ahead must be the CiC and the fellow looking at him for orders must be the 2iC.  That sort of 'story in the diorama' is a big part of the fun for me.

The Close Support 'CS' Cruds.  They're armed with a 3" howitzer whose most noticeable features are the ability to Tally Ho! [move with full RoF 2] while shooting dug-in guns and infantry with Firepower 3+.  Aside from that, they're useless with Anti-Tank 5.  Well, they're dangerous to halftracks, MkII tanks and uhm, actual desert rats, I guess.  Still, they're important to the company and IMHO the first thing any bunch of guns and infantry should try to knock out.

Of interest to modelers is the difference between these Battlefront castings and the Old Glory ones.  Both have sculpting and casting strengths and weaknesses, and depend on taste [or budget - the OG ones are less than half the price I think].  The barrels I made myself with plastic rods from Plastruct.  In real life the barrels are hard to tell from the 2pdrs, but I wanted to have a clear difference so I and opponents could tell.  Just seems fair to me.

Typical platoon of two Crud II, one Crud III with 6pdr [note the flat gun mantle compared to the 2pdr guns to the left].  Personally, I'm very satisfied with how the Old Glory models came out, and overall prefer them to the BF castings.  Also, as an old-time gamer I just like the heft of metal.

The original paint job got messed up with a poor washing job.  I forget what I did to rectify it exactly, but after being too disheartened to deal with them for about a year, I actively sought advice at TMP, BF and WWPD, as well as a couple of guys at the FLGS.  The net was that I hand painted them with Vallejo Dark Sand, sprayed them all with Testors gloss finish, THEN applied a GW Devlan Mud wash [or Gryphonne Sepia...but probably Devlan].  Special thanks to Butch S for sharing how he does all his desert Limeys.

With the tanks basically painted, they just need some wear marks, baggage, sand drybrushed on, decals, aerials with pennants, and the crews painted.  Whew!  Quite a lot of work for a squadron that historically probably only lasted 20 minutes in heavy action with Ariete.  But more on that later.  Meanwhile, we can appreciate that the Crud represents the pinnacle of British cruiser tank design, and therefore the sleek appearance should dissuade us from discussions of mechanical reliability or the power of its gun, the lack of HE and shortage of MGs.  Quite a lot, really...!

EDIT: 01/04/2020
It's been a while, again, and time to collect info on 22nd Armoured Brigade Cruds. I will be sticking with my original plan of using the Cruds, plus some Grants, as a Gazala [CLICK] and Alamein squadron with a rifle motor company, and reserving my Stuart Honeys and my Old Glory Command Decision Desert Rats [CLICK] for 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards.

At Gazala in June '42 22nd Armoured Brigade was composed of:
22nd Armored Brigade: Brigadier W. Carr

2nd R.G.H. Tank Regiment: Lt. Col. Birley

3rd C.L.Y. Tank Regiment:Lt. Col. Grafftey-Smith

4th C.L.Y. Tank Regiment:Lt. Col. F. Arkwright

2/31st Motor Battalion

H. F. Joslen 

• Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.

has the brigade composed as follows:

2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars – 03/09/39 to 16/09/42
3rd County of London Yeomanry – 03/09/39 to 16/09/42
4th County of London Yeomanry – 03/09/39 to 29/07/44

1st Battalion, the Rifle Brigade, Motor Battalion - 07/42 to 08/45

Nov 41 – Jan 42, Unit fender markings, white on red background.
Crusader:
71 HQ,
40 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars,
86 3rd CLY,
67 4th CLY.
Red Stag on white unit badge.

Gazala: Feb 42 – Sept 42, back to Nov 41 serials. Stag unit badge to July '42,
desert rat from then, as it took over from 4th AB as 7th Armoured Div's armoured brigade. When this would have been painted on, who can tell? The 8th Army was on the verge of collapse as it retreated to Alamein!

8th Army tank composition on line here [CLICK]RGH, 3rd-4th CLY war diaries here: [CLICK]
13th July 1942, strength return was 7 Grants (all B squadron) and 25 Crusaders. 

End July B squadron "refitted with cruisers" (presumably Crusaders). 

August '42, Grants returned with 2 Grant squadrons (including B) and one "light" squadron of Crusaders.

First Post! Why 15mm North Africa WWII?

This blog will hopefully document the completion of  projects begun almost ten years ago - WWII desert forces for Flames of War in 15mm.  I think it was v.1 that got me started with the desert forces.  Most of the models weren't even made by BF at that point, and I had access to an Old Glory discount, so most of my models are Old Glory Command Decision pieces.  So the first question in my mind for a blog is always - WHY?

Well, when I was a kid someone gave me "Brazen Chariots" by Robert Crisp, the South African crickater and journalist.  It had an impact with its vivid first-hand account, personal details, odd events, and honest evaluation of both his own performance and that of the 'higher-ups'.  Ever since, I've loved the Stuart "Honey" and his book.  

As for Flames of War, well, v.1 was "the" WWII miniatures game,10-15 years ago, and it certainly packaged WWII and made it playable. There were some brilliant mechanics, like relating Unit quality to Fire - it is easier to inflict damage on green troops than veterans. By imitating the Games Workshop model it brought WWII from the back of beyond, behind ancients and horse & musket, to a very popular period. 

Unfortunately, by imitating the GW "Evil Empire" approach in terms of both gaming and marketing, thru v. 2-3 and now 4, they also created the same monster mix of power-gaming, special rules and units and drastically increased prices - and trying to force tournament players to purchase their stuff. Also, there continues to be a lack of realism that could be easily fixed, like no overwatch, etc. When I read Frank Chadwick's "First Battle" boardgames like "Team Yankee" and "Blood & Thunder" it's all so easy to correct. So like all Games Workshop games...Flames of War is dead to me now!

Still, there's lots of reasons to play this theater of war, if not Flames of War, anymore:

• Interesting opponents and match-ups!  DAK don't fight like RE don't fight like 8th Army.  Each has their own play style, strengths and challenges.
• Wild variety of equipment!  And if you're British, loads of it is on your side. If you're German, you capture lots if it at one point or another.
• Tons of information, inspiration and great history in English.
• Painting goes from very simple to very unusual camo and it's all historical.
• Plenty of great models.
• "War without Hate" as Rommel said.  As ugly as WWII often is, the desert war was without much of the horrors against civilians and generally the two sides respected each other and the rules of war.  Pretty much the polar opposite of the Eastern Front and the Pacific War.
• The British Army alone fielded more national varieties in the desert than most nations fielded in the entire war.  The Italians also had some unusual units and equipment.  It's a front and time that's almost without standardization, and nearly anything can be fielded historically.
• My local area has loads of 15mm North African armies.  Since I have both British and Italians, it's easy for me to get an historical matchup.  

So basically, this is a no-brainer.

PROJECT GOALS

I've made a few attempts to finish my desert armies, but I keep buying more and don't sell unpainted stuff off so haven't gotten anywhere close - and I don't have any DAK yet!  If nothing else, I need to finish two complete sides so that I can host desert games with people who don't have any and want to try it out, and also so that I can demo with people and play either Axis or Allies historically [not a fan of blue-on-blue training games, really].

Period & Theater

My favorite battle is definitely EW with Crusader.  It's a knock-down drag-out fight between two evenly matched opponents and there's plenty to game here.  There are great MW fights at Gazala and the early Alamein battles, too. But they represent the end of the 'classical' desert war as the strategic situation turned against the Axis. It becomes more of a Mediterranean Theater as the US and British invade from the West.

So it's all good, but I need to focus on Crusader at least for now.

Companies The original project somehow became a Crusader [Crud] Squadron and a Carri Compagnia. This despite the fact that the Stuart Honey is one of my favorite tanks.  I dimly remember using playtest EW lists and my first forays into making desert terrain in the basement of the house I had with wife #1.  With the divorce, house sale, and all those transitions the armies suffered severe neglect. Also, I didn't like the CD Stuarts much, so swapped them with someone. Eventually, I got the very lovely BF Honeys but have to get going on them - a bit daunted by the Caunter camo, actually!

Round 2. Eventually I got into playing again and did some more work.  I finished a bunch of Italian platoons that were official in MW FoW v.2 rules, even playing a tournament with them. 

THE Tournament.  My only tournament play, it was memorable for a match against a Russian infantry company with KV1 support, and the guy was really mouthy!  He basically dismissed any thought of losing as soon as he found out I fielded Italians.  Because since the Italians lost the war they should lose the game...?  Of course, I won the game.  I ignored his KV1s and instead focused on wiping out his infantry with loads and loads of MG dice, including those occupying a town.  Then I circumnavigated the board at high speed and seized an objective from his depleted army.  I think the hilarious thing about the "heavy tank mentality" is the gamers who assume that since they bought an unbreakable object that they simply must win.  The fact that FoW is a game based upon a point system, even fights, and carefully constructed missions seems to have been missed by them. Anyway...tournements and Flames of War thankfully in the past.

Round 3. More personal eventfulness lead to more neglect.  A second wife, a second house later, I was turning my attention to the Crud squadron - long overdue!  All went well until I was trying an ink wash with the models, and they game out way too dark.  Very discouraging.  Then job messiness had us relocating near my wife's family and job.  So the Cruds went back to the box with their problematic paint job.

I resurrected the Italians and did enough additions to them to field an Italian Compagnia Bersaglieri that was mostly driven by loads of gun teams and infantry with some tank support [tankette support, quite often]. It helped that a FLGS did an EW league and I was able to get the occasional game in there. Once I showed up with 17 platoons and had the opposition ready to quit after set up - he didn't really appreciate how poor most of the Units would fight, BUT FoW doesn't penalize shooting by low quality troops - they are just hit more easily, so you have to push them hard. Anyway, the league was somewhat hit or miss and the store difficult to work with, and v.3 was making FoW ever more complex.
Round 4.  Finally, I finished the paint job on the Cruds, cleaning, priming and basing some support platoons, and even playing a few games borrowing or substituting Italian gear as British.  Then...another move for a new job.  All back in the box, months in storage, spring and summer hiatus from FoW and most wargaming.  


Round 5. Tally-ho!