'It ain't what ya got, it's the way that you use it'

Arriving recently in the 'mailbox' were copies of three books by Pritt Buttar eastern front in WW2: 'Between Giants' (the Baltic states in WW2), 'Retribution' (the Soviet reconquest of the Ukraine in 1943), and 'Battleground Prussia' (the Soviet conquest of Prussia in 1944/1945). I finished reading 'Between Giants'' the other day, and am now into 'Retribution'.

Putting aside the usual criticism of Buttar's books (the lack of quality maps - I've read his four books on the eastern front in WW1 and they suffer from the same shortcoming), I enjoy his writing. It is accessible, and if you have any sort of spacial memory at all (not me!!), the action can still be followed despite the lack of maps.

Completion of the first book, and my reading only a short way into the second, has left me with several thoughts. 

The first is this: Buttar describes quite a lot of the action down at the battlegroup level, where from a German perspective (for example) the forces might involve a panzer battalion, a PzGr battalion, or an infantry regiment, and supporting artillery and AT assets. These actions match the level at which Keith McNelly's Scenario Generation System pitches the command levels and action. We fight these actions using Art Conliffe's Spearhead rules set, and the size of the actions, and also the sorts of scenarios it generates, really are a good fit. The sorts of outcomes that Spearhead, and the SGS, seem to produce, also seem to match much of Buttar's descriptions. You can find Keith's system here.

The second thought is this: I am fascinated by the number of times that Panzer Division recon battalions are used as 'firefighters', being thrown in to block Soviet breakthroughs, and the effectiveness that they appear to have had. Often these battalions are backed up with additional divisional AT and artillery assets, and often it seems that the impact of the artillery in itself is very significant. I guess one reason for the use of the recon assets is their mobility, which makes sense. Looking at the SH OOBs as they evolved you also see the gradual enhancement of combat capability with more powerful weapons in the Pamzer Division recon battalions. However I suspect it is the mobility that is the issue. 

Here is an AAR of an eastern front game in which Keith showed the usefulness of that mobility, even when these units lack significant 'hitting power'.

And here is an AAR of a France 1940 game in which Keith successfully used his German recon assets to 'shape' the battle and negate the advantages of the better quality French equipment.

Neither of these games saw the recon used in the defensive role that Buttar describes, but they do show the truth in the old saying 'it ain't what ya got, it's the way that you use it'.

On the Iberian Peninsular

This week, an adventure on the Iberian Peninsular, a small fictional scenario using 2000 point armies, the game played using the Volley and Bayonet rules. We played using Jon's 6mm armies, French vs Spanish.

Not a full AAR, but.a selection of pictures. The game began with aggressive attacks from the Spanish on each flank, and concluded with the French ripping apart the Spanish right flank and centre. It was one of those games where the end came about very suddenly. A great game!!

 

The Battle of Alexandria 1801 (sort of)

Last week Jon and I played a second game based around Napoleon's campaign in Egypt. It was very loosely based around the Battle of Alexandria 1801 (very loosely). I played the French, Jon played the British, all fought using Jon's 6mm armies (Heroics and Ros miniatures).

The French are depicted on massed bases, the British on linear bases. All cavalry are on linear bases. Jon added a couple of interesting scenario rules: one unit (the highlanders) was allowed to charge disordered French cavalry, and another was always cavalry secure. The unit if camels amongst the French cavalry would cause disorder amongst any British cavalry within 2". These rules were designed to model actual events that took place during the battle. The British were supported by some gunboats (those same models that Jon made a few weeks ago to support the French against th Mamluks)

The view from behind the French army, at deployment. The British are deployed on a ridge line at the top of he photo

British infantry deployed in a redoubt on their right, some ruins behind.

The British line on the ridge

French cavalry

More French cavalry

The French force included a couple of battalions of very heavy (siege) guns that came up on the French left along the road to Cairo

The French cavalry masses to work around the left of the British line

Jon re-deploys several British regiments to protect the left against the French cavalry

French assaults go in against the British line

That's a Brigade of converged grenadiers!!! M6 Shock, take that!!

The attack on the left end of the British line succeeds, but..

The grenadiers' assault in the centre is repulsed

More attacks go in..

The British right comes out of their positions amongst the ruins to attack the French left

The French attack against the line is stalling but ..

And the French left is struggling... and ..

The French cavalry manages to get around the British left, and routs all of the British cavalry.. the British rear is exposed. This is ab\n absolute 'dog's breakfast'

The French left is under constant attack now

But the British rear is in chaos

The game ended a little prematurely.. weeknight games need to be shorter (work the next morning, and all that) and while we thought his was a smaller game, it could have done with another couple of turns. We were pretty certain that whomever won, it would be a pyrrhic victory. For my money, I felt that the British just had that little edge to make it their victory.

Fascinating how M6 and M6 British on linear stands (and at 2 strength points) made this once more a very different game, as did the linear cavalry. However another great game.. Volley and Bayonet never disappoints.

Battle of the Pyramids

I hadn't gamed with Jon for ages, so we set up a rendez-vous in his games room. Jon set up a scenario based around the Battle of the Pyramids 1798, using his 6mm figures and the Volley and Bayonet rules, as the French under General Bonaparte attack the Mamluk army. Jon's Ottomans doubled as the Mamluk forces.

Jon''s source map for the battle

The view from Cairo across the Nile, the Mamluk army on the left, the French on the right

The French gunboats supporting the French.. more on these later

I thought Jon had bought these form an English manufacturer.. nope, these are scratch built.. outstanding work, Jon

Mamluk infantry attacks the French

We had run out of time by the time the Mamluk infantry bashed several holes in the French position

The Mamluk cavalry had battered itself into submission with several attacks around the French flank. However the Mamluk Sipahi lancers were untouched and ready to exploit the holes that their infantry had create din the French defences.

An outstanding gam n a different theatre. As we played on a work night we were limited for time. Next time....