Next Club game: Gettysburg, Saturday, 4/27/13

The next game of the IU Confict Simulation Club will be this Saturday, 4/276/13, at noon in the Indiana Memorial Union Building, the Persimmon Room, on the beautiful Indiana University campus.
It will be a Volley and Bayonet game of the three days of Gettsyburg.
Come join us if you are in the area.

Red Actions Scenario: Defense of Rail Station #1703

I just found this scenario that we played in September, 2011. The AAR is a post on this blog from that time. It is designed for the Perfect Captain's Red Action rules; my rules of choice for the Russian Civil War. This is the only game I've run with two armored trains.

 The Defense of Rail Station #1703 White Players Briefing:
Two days ago, the front was 30 miles to the West. Today there is no real front; most of the army is routing to the East. Isolated groups are making a stand where and when they can. This is one of those stands. An armored train is on it's way to aid in our defense and assist our escape. Expect the enemy from every side.
 Whites
 Irkutsk Hussars
Three cavalry squadrons of three stands
76.2mm Field Gun

 7th Inf Rgt
 Three companies of White Conscripts, each of 5 stands
One machine gun detachment

33rd Inf Rgt Three companies of White Conscripts, each of 5 stands
 One machine gun detachment

HQ Company One company of White Cadets, four stands
Two 76.2mm Field Guns
One machine gun detachment
The armored train, “Victory”

 Red Players Briefing: Our forces have defeated the enemy in a major breakthrough yesterday. Seize Rail Station #1703 and cut off their retreat. It is lightly held.

Reds
47th Cavalry Rgt
Two companies of three stands of Red Army Cavalry Squadrons
One Tchanka

13th Cavalry Rgt
Three companies of three stands of Red Cossacks
22nd Cavalry Rgt Three companies of three stands of Red Cossacks

2nd Bn, 57th Infantry Rgt
Three companies of 4 stands of Red Regulars
One machine gun detachment

3rd Bn, 57th Infantry Rgt Four companies of 4 stands of Red Conscripts
One machine gun detachment

Armored train  "Victory"


 All White units set up within 12" of the buildings, except their Armored Train, which enters on turn one from the railroad at the top of the picture. The Reds enter along the edge of the table at the bottom of the picture. There are three buildings on the table. The side that controls two of the three is the winner. Playing time is four hours. None of the vehicles parked near the buildings are operational. The Reds did not know this in my game.

A Give Away at Loki's

Here's another cool give away, this time at http://napoleonicwargamingadventures.blogspot.co.uk/ First prize is painted figures; I think I will pick Bavarians when I win this one. Have a look, it's a great blog.

Gettysburg AAR

This year at the Origins Game Convention in June, my friend Jim will be GMing two sessions of Gettysburg using Volley and Bayonet. He and I did this exact game at Origins in 2000. In addition, Jim's wife is teaching a two session class on Gettysburg later this month. As part of that class, the students will have an opportunity to participate in our Gettysburg game as well. In preparation for this, we played the game at his home as a play test.

The Gettysburg battlefield, looking North

Heth's Rebel Div on the right, Buford's Cav on the ridge, and Union I Corps moves up to support

 In all the games of this we have played, the key to the rest of the battle is what happens on McPherson's ridge. If the Union can hold long enough, they will hold Culp's and Cemetary Hill's and be in a great defensive position. If the Rebs can brush aside Buford's cavalry, and the I and XI Corps, they will hold the high ground and win. In this game the defense of McPherson's Ridge was very good. Heth's Division of the Army of Northern Virginia moves onto the board in a long marching column. They attacked Buford one brigade at a time as they came out of road column.

 

 

2nd Div of I Corps faces the Rebel advance from the north edge of the table.

 The other avenue of advance for the South is from the north. The Union XI Corps faced this threat and stopped it.

Union XI Corps takes a stand just south of Gettysburg

Near the end of the first day

 By the end of the first day, the Union I Corps has retreated south between Seminary and Cemtary Ridges. The XI Corps is standing just in front of Culp's Hill, and on Cemetary Hill.
The confederates will be at the foot of Cemetary Hill, but it's not enough.

Hardtack among the snacks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Last turn of July 1, 1863

The Union line

I Corps holds the Union left on Little Round Top

Rebel Assault

 Longstreet's Corps arrives during the night turn. As it was moving up, the Rebel II and III Corps threw themselves at the Union line one more time; to no avail. Although Johnson's Divsion make head way, it was stopped.

Brady wearing a Hardee Hat

Union I and III Corps attack the Rebel right

 By the time Longstreet is up and ready to attack, his two divisions are  the only intact units in Lee's army. If the Union can knock them out, the game is over. And that is what Brady and I did; we attacked Longstreet and overwhelmed him.

9AM, July 2, High Tide of the Confederacy

 One Rebel brigade briefly advanced onto the crest of Cemetary Hill before we threw it back.

Longstreet's Corps gives way.

This is one of the classic scenario's. Have fun every time I play in it.

Pictures Found and a Good Giveaway

Russians defend burning Smolensk, 1812

I have just found photos from games played last year. I'll be posting some AAR's in the near future. Smolensk and Novi with Volley and Bayonet; the Christmas Day Attack, a Command Decision game.

Also, Ian over at The Blog With No Name is having a great series of giveaways. Hop over and have a look.

US Artillery battery defends Bastogne

Command Decision; Guest AAR

 My friend, Richard sent this AAR of our game yesterday. The pictures are mine.


We had a really good game Sunday with the Americans schooling the Germans in the art of war.  American commanders were Mike and Jim, German commanders were Jeff, Richard, Brady and Jonathon.  The game got off to a late start (around 12:30 or so) and we had to end around 4:30, so we barely got into the beginning of Turn 4 before having to pack it up.  I've drawn up a sketch map of each turn - more or less, and only very generally - which is attached as a PDF to go along with this:
After Action Report: Operation Franz (U.S. Operation Springtime), as told by Feldwebel Schultz, KG Fraz HQ motorcycle recon
“Yes, Herr Generalleutnant, the Americans have broken through on our left flank despite Oberst Burnett’s best efforts.

At the outset of the battle, a veteran American infantry battalion assaulted and rapidly overran the surviving members of a Volksgrenadiers battalion of company plus strength initially suppressed by U.S.interdiction and harassment artillery fire.The impetuous American assault drove the Volksgrenadiers out of their foxholes and back toward the destroyed town.  That unfortunate VG battalion’s StuG.assault guns were unable to assist, and the American infantry – supported by a fast-charging armored reconnaissance force of M5A1 Stuart light tanks and Greyhound armored cars - rushed toward the rubble and an open door into our rear.  Our reconnaissance forces – SdFfZ 250/1’s and 250/9’s as well as a heavy reconnaissance armored infantry company were probing from the left of our “at start” positions, but reacted to the surprise attack quickly.

However, the racing American light armor ran into our advancing PzKw IV’s and a quick but brutal firefight ensued outside the town on our right while the American infantry advanced into the rubble of the town, finishing off the surviving Volksgrenadiers. Three Stuarts and a PzKw IV brewed up as the StuG’s and our reconnaissance troops maneuvered to get into the fight. The Panzergrenadiers accompanying the PzKIV’s also rushed to assist, maneuvering around blocking forests. The American infantry battalion had nothing between it and a breakthrough but the rubble of the town and our kampfgruppe HQ troops while the light armor tied up our Panzers.

Perhaps too late, our Panthers and their two Panzergrenadier companies arrived at the left of the rubbled town, slowing the American infantry assault and destroying the American armored cars that had swung over to engage and delay them.  The reconnaissance 250/9’s plunged into the American positions supporting the infantry attack as the Panzergrenadiers and StuG’s maneuvered to support them and take the Americans in the rear.  Suddenly, our far left flank was seriously threatened by the rapid advance of American Sherman tanks and accompanying armored infantry up the road.  The Americans had successfully drawn our attention and the bulk of our forces to the fight around the rubbled town on our right.  Weakly guarded by PAK 40 ATG and the heavy reconnaissance armored infantry company, our left was open.

Despite the American infantry’s ineffective attack on our HQ troops behind the rubbleof the town, our Panzergrenadiers’ gun halftracks and infantry counterattacking also had little effect.  Our Panther company and one PzKw IV company advanced to support the StuG company now turning to face the new American threat on our left.  Our SdKfz 250/9’s managed to silence the American 57 mm ATG with their concentrated 20mm fire, but all hope was lost when a second American combat group with nine Sherman 76’s and an armored infantry company advanced into the battle, reinforcing the American push at our weak left flank.

Seeing that there was little to no hope of stopping an American breakthrough (for even if we could stop the American infantry battalion pushing past the rubbled town, we had no hope of stopping all of the American armor and infantry at the far left of our line), Oberst Burnett sent me to you with warning, these dispatches and his sketch map of the battle.”

Advance of the Stuarts and Greyhounds

zInitial infantry positions; Germans dug in on left, US just out of picture to the right.

Results of the fire fight between Stuarts and Pz IV's

Rolling to victory

Shermans press the German right flank

German flame thrower attacks; and misses

 


 

Command Decision AAR, Meeting Engagement

My friend, Richard, has been assembling 15mm German and US forces for Command Decision. At the last meeting of the IU Conflict Simulations Club we played a meeting engagement game.

Both sides moved on, deploying recon elements. The US plan was to attack on the left with armor and hold the right with an infantry battalion. The Germans moved their armor on and advanced across the table. Both sides settled in at extreme range and started rolling for ones.

By the end of the game the Germans had advanced further across the board so we called it a marginal victory for them.

A good game; most of our group understand the rules and our next game will be CD with the Americans attacking.