A Modern Wargame

    My wife and I are getting ready to go camping. I wanted to get at least one more game in before taking off.  One site I like going to is boardgamegeek.com . On this site Peter Belli has many games that he has modified to use miniatures with. He uses Memoir 44 with modern miniatures. He will use 1/72 plastic figures with Galoob Micro Machines miniatures.  I have many of the Micro Machines and have wanted to play a game using them.

  I used ONE HOUR WARGAMES for the scenario. The chosen scenario is number12: AN UNFORTUNATE OVERSIGHT. The Blue general has been told to hold a strategic bridge. He has neglected to patrol the entire river and has missed a ford. The Red army general is going to exploit this mistake.  I have reversed the colors in the game. I wanted to use my Airfix NATO figures and  modern Russian infantry.  The Blue army (NATO) has 6 infantry units and 2 artillery batteries. The Red army (Russians) have 6 infantry and 2 armor units.

The Blue army is massed around the village. The Blue engineers have deployed a mobile bridge.  The Red army has a tank unit supported by 2 infantry units to assault the bridge.

On the Red army's right they have deployed a tank unit supported by 4 infantry units to seize the ford and outflank the Blue army.

The Red tank unit crosses the bridge, leaving it's infantry support behind. It suffers a hit from anti-tank fire from the infantry in the village. The other tank unit can be seen at the top right of the picture.

The Blue army is trying to deploy one battery to slow the Red's advance on the right. Artillery fire has forced the tank unit from the village.

The Red tank unit charges down the road and trys to take out the artillery battery. The Red infantry unit on the far left has forced back one Blue unit and starts to cross the bridge. The tank unit on the upper right is pushing a Blue unit back.

The Blue army starts deploying their other battery. The tank unit in the town has been pushed back. The Red infantry crossing the bridge suffers heavy losses as the Blue infantry counterattack.

The Red infantry starts forcing back several Blue units.

The Red tank unit in the village is finally eliminated. The Blue infantry trys to close on the other tank unit.

The Blue artillery fire forces the Red tank unit back.

The Blue army starts to attack the Red force at the ford.

The Red infantry is starting to clear the village, but have suffered heavy losses.

The Red army falls to 50% strength and must fall back.

After the fact I realized it would be a hard win for the Red army. To try to capture the village held by infantry , especially with both sides being even with units, was going to be a hard slog for the Reds. Also, the range I used for the artillery  gave them control of just about the entire board. I should have given the guns the range of anti-tank guns instead of field artillery.  Thinking of the game this morning, the Red army should have used their tanks as artillery to shell the village before attacking into it.  The rules used were Bob Corderys' Memoir of Modern Battle.

Battle of the Bottleneck

     Somewhere on the Peninsular, the British army is retreating. A British Brigade made up of a light infantry unit, 4 regular regiments and an artillery battery is tasked with stopping the French advance. The British general finds a bottleneck, with the road running between  heavy woods and a large lake.

    The French general, with a division of 2 light infantry units, 4 regular infantry regiments, and 3 cavalry regiments is tasked with opening the road for the rest of the army.

     This scenario is number 24 from ONE HOUR WARGAMES. Both armies have more units than the given scenario. Blue units cannot enter the woods. The French goal is to clear the road, the British to block them. The rules used were Command & Colors: Napoleonics.  I didn't use movement cards; all units could move during their turn.

British Army on top, with their light infantry in the woods; French army on the bottom. The French general has posted all 3 cavalry regiments on the right flank with the goal of flanking the British left flank.

The French light infantry assault the woods, but are driven back.

The French cavalry starts around the lake. One British regiment guards that flank.

The French skirmishers drive back the light infantry in the woods.

The British infantry drives back the French Dragoons.

Another view of the dragoons retreat.

The French continue to push forward on the road.

The British infantry form square, but still suffers losses.

Another infantry regiment comes up to reinforce the British left flank. Their volly fire breaks the 9th Hussars.

The British on the road forces back two French regiments.

Both British regiments are in square now and although suffering heavy casualties, have stopped the French cavalry.

The French infantry now tries to outflank the British infantry.

The French continue to lose more in their assault on the woods....

.... but make advances along the road.

The Dragoons are once again routed. The 9th Hussars are swinging wide around the British squares.

One British square forms into line and their fire continues to drive the dragoons farther back.

The British lose one unit to the French Hussars and another infantry unit is lost by the woods.

The French troops keep sliding around the woods.

The British battery is attacked from three sides. A third infantry unit is eliminated. The British, now at 50% strength , must retreat.

Another enjoyable game. If I continue to use C&C:N rules, I must give them more study. I didn't read up on infantry in squares before the battle. Hopefully I played them right.  I also have to pay more attention to unit strength. All French cavalry should have 4 pieces, not three. Luckily this wasn't an issue in this game. 

Shiak-Brookshire War: Battle of Twin Bridges

        My gaming activities took a serious blow this week as I was hit by a nasty bug making the rounds in the school system I work at.  Last weekend I had a three day weekend, where I had the goal of getting three games in.  My last post was on the first game. I managed to get the second game in before the bug laid me low.

        The Shiak army has used the relative peace to reorganize their troops and look for a weak spot in the Brookshire frontier. Their scouts report that at one point on the river-border, the defensive forces are all militia; and although there is a brigade of cavalry, they have just been raised and shouldn't be a problem. The Shiak command decides on a night march with the goal of seizing the bridges before the Brookshire army realizes what's happening. They dispatch 6 infantry units (two of them light infantry) with two artillery batteries.  They know they are up against two cavalry units supported by six infantry units.

The Brookshire army is on top of the picture, the Shiak army is on the bottom. 

The Brookshire general, realizing that without guns the Shiak army can just pummel his army from a distance, orders his cavalry to charge. 

The Shiak artillery fires, trying to break the charge.

Meanwhile on the Shiak right, the two light infantry units storm the bridge.

The Shiak rifle unit looks suspiciously like Barnaby's Rifles, the famous Brookshire rifle unit.

The Brookshire cavalry, made up of a unit of dragoons and a unit of hussars, hit the Shiak infantry.....

....and puts both units to flight.

The Brookshire infantry in the woods force the rifles back.

The Shiak infantry reform and counterattacks. The artillery fire drops into the middle of the dragoons, causing heavy causalities and forcing them back. On the upper right infantry exchange fire across the river.

On the Shiak right, the artillery fire drives one Brookshire unit back. The rifles storm over the bridge, followed closely by the Zouaves.

The Brookshire cavalry regroups and continues their attack, while two infantry units cross the bridge.

The Brookshire infantry attack the rifles from three sides and wipes them out!

The Brookshire cavalry overruns both shiak infantry units. The Shiak infantry engaging in the firefight in the upper right ia also getting the worse of the fight.

The Zouaves now take the brunt of the fire, losing 75% in short order.

The Shiak army beats a hasty retreat.

This scenario is from ONE HOUR WARGAMES: scenario 3: Control the River.