World War 2 in 20mm: A nostalgic view (4)

This is the fourth and last part of my WW2 wargames nostalgia series in which I feature the accumulated German forces. The core of this army was a collection I bought from friend Scott who had built the base of a later war German army. 

I had mentioned that little if any of this kit has been used on the table. I realised that wasn't quite true, as I have been playing a few Crossfire games using the infantry of the various nationalities. I rate Crossfire as one of the best systems I have ever played - innovative, fast paced, giving a semblance of similarity to real world action that I've not seen in any other wargames rules. That said, I'm not very good at the game .... oh well.. and of course anyone is entitled to enjoy any rules set they like. 

 

In Spearhead terms, that's a regiment of infantry, and also an armoured (Gepanzert) infantry regiment.

 The collection contains equipment for early, mid, and late, war options.

Late war armour... this stuff really has never been out on the table under my command

Scott did a lovely job of this camouflage pattern

Mid and late war kit, Pz III's and IV's, and a range of StuG's .. oops, a gun barrel is off...

Air support - an Airfix Stuka. The canopy needs some repair work there.

Early war armour, including some PzI's. In Spearhead we found close assaulting enemy infantry was a good use for them, provided there was of course no enemy armour around which took priority under the SH target priority rules

The early war equipment has seen some limited table use .. see the AAR here and here

An additional box of sundry 'bits' .. again, never seen action on the table.

I began wargaming in 1971 with good friend Pete. This whole 20mm WW2 thing began at that time, with the first Russians assembled and painted that year. It's hard to think that it's been over 50 years of hobby'ing, with all of the painting and modelling challenges, and all those games. Some have been wonderful, some less pleasant. I'd have to say that 'less pleasant' I've found to be best defined by the nature of the opponent, not the nature of the outcome of the game. I've played bad losers, and bad winners, both equally repugnant. I played an opponent in a national competition who, on losing the game to me, through an entire bag of dice across the hall and stormed out. I'll bet more than a few of us will have equivalent memories to that. The people I game with now don't fit into either of those categories. They are simply good friends whose company I enjoy as we push miniatures around ever better looking table tops, often with a beer and a sausage roll. Some games even include collaboration as we see a move the opponent could make to our detriment, and share that with them Alastair, an opponent in a game just last night, did exactly that, twice. 

I've a few years of 'gaming still in me (well that's the plan). Continuing participation in a hobby that goes back to my childhood keeps me young in mind and spirit. As a secondary school Principal I kept a selection of Matchbox die cast military vehicles on the shelves in my study. They were there to remind me daily of what it was like to be a boy, to remind me of the fun and laughter, the insecurity, and the uncertainty, of adolescence. They reminded me of the constant need for empathy when dealing with the many troubled 'teens that I worked with daily. Similarly my 20mm WW2 collections remind me of all of these things, of what it was to be a boy filled with the prospect of a life ahead. Nostalgia is great, in moderation.

Hopefully as I grow ever more curmudgeonly my friends will remain tolerant of me. We all have our failings and our foibles. It's healthier and more useful to focus on what we have in common than on what could divide us, and to practice kindness, all in the spirit of good fun .. isn't that a great formula for life?