Weird World War 1 behemoth

It has been a while since I've paid any attention to the Weird World War 1 British army. However, finally another leap forward, with the MkIV behemoth completed. The kit was an Emhar Mk IV female tank. The pose is necessary to try to keep the model within the parameters of the behemoth base size.

Here are some of the stands completed so far: the behemoth flanked by a pair of shooters, the magician, and hero to the front, the God to the left, and a re-animated 1914 horde unit to the right, with the Sopwith Camel aerial hero to the right rear.

So the army now stands at 50 points completed.. this is going to be a 72 point army ready for Big Battle HotT. There is a BE2c airboat to be built, and then, well we'll see.

A time of heroes: French napoleonic in HotT

And with a roaring 'boom', the napoleonic HotT army is basically done.. well the fighting core of it, to 72 points. Not wanting to spend too much time painting figures (this was, after all, an exercise in making use of surplus figures otherwise consigned to sit in a box unused), I decided to make double use of the French artillery based for Volley and Bayonet. As they will need to continue to serve in that context, I made a couple of simple sabot bases to give the guns the correct HotT frontage when in use in the HotT environment.

The French artillery

Sabot bases

So this is the army basically completed to 72 points. Well, actually there is more than that, dependent on how many columns/behemoths I choose to use.

Swiss allies

And some Irish line infantry as well

Those Grenadier a cheval of the guard/knights

Hero General.. Bonaparte himself

And some of the infantry bases configured as columns/behemoth

The army doesn't have as may heroes as it may, and I will await the right inspiration to create some napoleonic steam punk type flyers and an airboat. That's all about spotting the right 'thing' to use, or the right opportunity. I have a plan in my mind that involves table tennis balls and mesh to create balloon flyers... we'll see.

For now, it's back to the Weird World War 1 British, and then a couple of 15mm DBA armies that have sat unpainted in the box for 6-8 years...

Re-discovered figures. an army build quick win

Prompted by Andy's quick fire Napoleonic HotT army, I re-discovered a pile of surplus figures left over from a wonderful Gerard Davey gift (his own surplus figures IIRC). The bulk of the figures created a large Volley and Bayonet army, but there were some figures left over. What better idea than a heroic napoleonic French army. So, here is the first phase of the project completed. There are still more figures to go, and plans for some more 'fantasy' elements yet to come.

The army so far

Old Guard - blades

Two line infantry columns - behemoths

Hero General-- the 'ultimate hero'?

Riders on the left, knights on the right

Shooters at the front.. 'legeres'

Hordes.. conscripts.

My question on the HotT Yahoo group about classification of French line infantry prompted a great discussion, with a range of ideas. Our intention is NOT to fight napoleonic era battles. We use Volley and bayonet for that. But it seems that using French line infantry as spears, or behemoths, could do the business.

Our aim is to fight fantasy battles. This is an era of heroes with weird (almost .. but not quite .. steam punk) devices. The devices are yet to come.

I suspect the plan is clear.. another Big battle HotT army, but a 'quick win because the figures are pretty much all painted already. Just some sorting of bases, a wash to give some depth and job done.

A "quick win" in army building - a French Napoleonic army ...

Hmm, Andy sprung a surprise on me, with his re-purposing of some painted British napoleonic figures for HotT.

It made me realise that I have a heap of painted napoleonics which I'd thought surplus to requirements, having built the VnB armies I now use. So here are some of the figures.

Already based, and deserving of some TLC on the bases, and with the application of some washes, will be eight bases of blades. Ah, those French columns.

Then there are the Legeres which will do as shooters.

And soem Gendarmes of the Guards as knights (there are some Cuirass as well, but they ned horses painted) and soem knights as riders.

I have a spare figures of Napoleon which I'll rebase as a hero, and maybe a spare artillery gun.
And the infantry in greatcoats will suffice as hordes. So, this might be a quick win HotT army to match Andy's British napoleonics. A very colourful combo.

I'll post some photos of the finished product. In the meantime, progress on the Weird World War 1 British has been suspended..  I really am a wargaming butterfly, or a goldfish .. or .. well, you get the idea...

More Spearhead, notionally in France 1940

Our experiments in playing Spearhead with 20mm figures and models continues. In Spearhead everything should be based on bases 1.25" square. This creates more accurate combat frontages, and troop densities.  The issue is the size of vehicles. Vehicles in 1/72 obviously don't fit on bases 1.25" square. This means that individual models, representing troops of 3-5, vehicles occupy a disproportionately large area on the table surface.

In our last game we played with a scale multiplier of 1.5X. This meant that vehicles were closer to the right densities, although correspondingly infantry on the standard 1.25" bases occupied too small an area. Even though we played on a larger table area, it wasn't 1.5x the standard 6'x4' area that we usually use. Therefore troops moved further, action was joined much sooner, weapon ranges were longer and so more of the table area could be dominated by fire, and the opportunity to develop the game more fully with manoeuvre disappeared as you were on your enemy far too soon.

This time we played with the standard ground scale (this is what we do normally with our 20mm Great War Spearhead armies anyway).

The game was set in 1940, probably in France. Jim defended with a British infantry division defend list, two infantry battalions supported by A13s drawn from an Independent Armoured Brigade, and the divisional artillery. He also had a battery of the Corp 4.5" for counter battery work. Andy and I attacked with two Motorised infantry battalions from the Schutzen Brigade, and tanks from an armoured regiment, all from a Panzer Division. They were supported by divisional 105mm guns, with some 150mm for counter battery work.

The British left flank in defence.

The British right, with three A13s occupying a small piece of high ground

 Jim had taken the opportunity to keep three stands hidden (an option for the defender in the scenario generation system). What were they, and where did he have them deployed?

Andy opted for a heavy armoured thrust on the German right, with a Schutzen battalion in the centre

He gave me an infantry heavy battalion  with the medium tank company cross attached. I had to take the town on our right!!!

Ambush fire claimed one of the Pz IV platoons

The Schutzen battalion in the centre is engaged early by the British armour, supported by a battery of 25pdrs

I try to push the attack on the German right

The 2pdr AT platoon in support of the British left destroys a second Pz IV platoon

The 25pdrs come down hard on the Schutzen battalion in the centre, with lots of suppressions, but fortunately not too many losses

 There is a vicious counter battery battle going on too, with Royal Artillery, and German field artillery, all taking casualties.

The armour supporting the German right is completely neutralised, and the German attack stalled. I start to withdraw after heavy casualties.

Jim's hidden stands were three A13 troops, deployed behind the dominant ridge in the centre. They move forward and threaten both German flanks.

The battle in the centre continues

I continue the firefight on the right, using a battery of 105mm guns, and the battalion;'s 75mm IG to bring pressure to bear on the British

Jim pushes his previously hidden armour forward in support of a company of his centre infantry battalion

Andy manages to change orders for his armour heavy battalion (with a company of infantry cross attached) and swings them around into the flank of Jim's defence

The Panzers put pressure on the British defence with their threat to the British flank

More pressure

The action appears to pivot almost 180 degrees. My forces on the German right are too weak to threaten the British counter attack through the centre

Even with my losses I am still pressuring Jim's left, using my supporting artillery and the infantry gun section

The British counter attack reaches it's high tide. The German flanking movement has become too strong and the British have little choice but to withdraw

Another great game. We agreed that reverting to the standard ground scale allowed the game to develop. There was more tactical nuance for both sides.

Our conclusion is that despite the outsized vehicles, the standard ground scale gives a better game.

More Northern France 1940 action

Northern France, 1940, and the BEF continues its attempts to resist the Wehrmacht's assaults. This was the second WW2 Spearhead game Andy had played, and this time he opted to command the BEF forces.

Using Keith McNelly's Scenario Generation System, I'd created a British Armoured Division Defend list, and a German Panzer Division Attack list. There were errors in my lists, as I realised a little too late, in particular, I'd taken two British Armoured Regiments at half strength when the system normally allows reduced strength units that have had no more than a third of their fighting stands removed. However I guess as we are the authors of our own scenarios, this was OK.

In this game I layered in artillery, with both sides having access to divisional artillery, and both having corp level guns available for limited counter-battery work.

The battlefield, with BEF defending from the left, the German forces attacking from the right

 Andy deployed one battalion forward holding the most advanced objective, with a second kept back on another objective on his right flank. He was expecting a flank march against his right (German left). He deployed an armoured squadron on his left guarding the bridge which was another objective. The other armoured regiment he kept in reserve off table behind his right flank, again because he was expecting that flank march against his right.

My plan as the German commander

My plan:

1. Central thrust with two infantry battalions attacking the key objectives in the centre, supported by the heavy tank company
2. A flank march on my right, timed for the third turn, using one of the two light tank companies (I was in error here as the entry point put the company out of command radius for the regiment
3. The second light tank company kept in reserve behind my left flank

The BEF second battalion holding the right flank deployed back in anticipation of the flank march

Initial German advance onto the table

The reserve light tank company

The advanced BEF battalion holding the forward-most objective.

 This illustrates perhaps Andy's greatest error, in deploying his battalion largely in the open. Attempting to defend against a well supported German battalion was always going to be difficult in that situation.

The BEF left flank armoured regiment deployed on one of the two left flank objectives

The action opens against the forward most BEF battalion. This is 'ambush fire' as the BEF were previously unlocated, and the Germans lost one platoon, and suffered several suppressions

Turn 2 and the German heavy tank company takes fire, but suffers only a suppression from the British armour's ambush fire.  Andy's die rolling seemed to be up to its usual standards (whew). With the British armour unsupported with infantry I push the advancing infantry onto the hill to apply pressure on the British armour.

 In this second turn, the BEF brings one of its 25pounder batteries into action in support of it's forward most battalion. It causes no casualties, but is promptly located by German counter battery 150mm guns, and both stands are destroyed. Similarly however one of the German 105mm batteries is located and Andy brings down CB fire from his 6" guns. One stand is destroyed, and another suppressed. Not a good day to be a gunner, apparently ...

Action heats up against that forward BEF battalion which takes artillery and small arms fire

The heavy tank company is fighting in support of the infantry, but is engaged by the British armour

The British armour is facing the heavy tank company, and is under pressure form the advancing infantry. Two stands are destroyed by the advancing infantry, and one by the heavy company. The A13s have certainly taken the heat of their own infantry, but at huge cost

Two A13 stands destroyed and another suppressed

The German flank march has arrived ...but on the opposite flank to that expected by Andy

At this stage the British counter-battery fire destroys the remainder of that German 105mm battery... ouch!!

The British armour fails its morale check and begins to withdraw for 2 turns. It takes flank fore form the German light company, but suffers no further casualties

Andy commits his armoured reserve, and manages an order change for his right flank battalion.....

However the action has heated up for the British infantry, with heavy casualties, resulting in another failed morale check. 

The position is lost for the BEF, and withdrawal is ordered. The game ran only five turns, far shorter than either of us expected. The artillery dual was fierce. Andy's unsupported armour on his left, perhaps deployed with a view to trying to hold more objectives that his force was capable of, was a critical issue, as was the infantry deployment in the open.

However, that said, beer was drunk, sausage rolls were eaten, and many more laughs were had. Combine that with pushing cool looking figures and vehicles around the table using one of my fave rules sets, and that's a damned fine evening.

Oh and .. thanks Keith, the SGS yet again delivered the goods... a great game.