Bolt action AAR somewhere in northern France 1944

 Excuse the  additional post but I've got a backlog of posts ! Des came over for a game and we decided on Bolt action as we haven't played it in ages and I've built a load of terrain for it . We went with Des's figures, his US troops assaulting a town defended by an SS force. I set up the table as a French town and then we added some more hedges  and a couple of fields. The objective was to take the big building ( town hall maybe?) and/ or inflict the most damage  by our usual cut off time.

The buildings are a mixture of mine and Des's although he's passed his onto me as he hasn't got room for 28mm terrain, there's a new building in there, a modular factory that I haven't quite finished yet but couldn't resist adding in it's mostly finished state together with the previously seen factory scatter terrain, I'm still finishing off his terrace/ row houses and have got to finish their garden/ yards yet. Des set up from the church square back except for his forward observer, his mortar team in the factory an infantry squad behind the church, pak 40, sniper , command in the objective and medium machine gun and another squad by the terrace. I  had four five man squads, a sniper, a medium machine gun and a M4 Sherman. I think it was just under 500 points each. We played on a 6' x 4' board up the long way. Des set up first and i took the road on my right and hugged the right side of the board as I advanced. Des had expected me to advance up the parallel road and had set up his pak 40 to cover that, his forward observer snuck into the church my chaps moved up and my Sherman on a road was able to advance to the entrance of the ruined factory and hit the mortar team with it's hull machine gun, giving them a casualty and a pin and decimating the squad caught in the open in the square with HE and coaxial machine gun.  Unfortunately for Des he hadn't brought any antitank weapons apart from his pak 40, his sniper took out one of my squad leaders, I assaulted the church and with odds of five to one failed to inflict a casualty and lost a man, the Sherman moved into the factory giving the mortar team another casualty and pin and opening up on the medium machine gun in the square, having previously withdrawn his other squad into the town hall Des now moved them out. I couldn't move my medium machine gun through the rough terrain so I took them down an alley and left them to cover the road from cover. I tried again at the church and lost another casualty and advanced across the road in front of the factory with most of my other units agter eliminating the medium machine gun , one of the  squads took casualties and pins from Des's pak 40, his mortar lost another casualty and gained a pin. Des sent his lieutenant and team out of the town  hall to lead his troops in a counter attack and got shot by the medium machine gun together with his team and the sniper and his assistant took out the remnants the first squad that was shot and we called the game as we'd hit time. I ran out the winner, I'd only lost a few casualties whereas Des had lost units , We've sorted out the next game of bolt action which will see Des's Germans against my Soviets, their first outing having been painted in 2017 early 2018, better late than never!

All the best 

Iain 

AAR Pike and Shot War of three Kingdoms/ECW 27

 We had another game at the club of Pike and Shot using the one hour wargame scenario Encounter with a hill in the middle and variable unit arrivals, twelve turns and eight units each, John had a later Oxford army and I had the Eastern Association. Whoever held the hill at the end of twelve turns would win.

I managed to reach the hill first but lost most of two pike and shot units leading the remaining units becoming a broken battalia.  My next battalia arrived and I kept a lively fire up on Johns regiments on the hill causing one regiment to rout and it was only the skilful rallying by their battalia commander that kept them in it, my cavalry arrived as did his in turn ten , unfortunately John had to leave and in spite of having possession of the hill he only needed to lose one unit and there were a number that were shaken plus I had three fresh pike and shot regiments at the bottom of the hill, so we called it a draw and I packed up, great fun but it will be more Valour and Fortitude Napoleonics at the club next time!

All the best

 Iain 

Valour and Fortitude second game Napoleonics 43

 We had another game with Valour and Fortitude, this time Ben took Des's Anglo Portuguese/ Brunswickers and I was the French, my limbers were in a better state, needing basing and a lottle final finishing but otherwise pretty much done, so no need for an intrusion from the Lord of the rings into this game!

I got the first go and managed to occupy both towns and the central wood and move my heavy cavalry towards Bens right flank, he formed square with his first Portuguese line unit but the Brunswickers behind the hedge stayed in line. Ben charged the town held by the Italians with his light dragoons supported by the rifles in the woods, jthe Italians were supported by a unit in the central woods and the end result was the demise of the light dragoons. 

On my next go I seized the high ground unlimbering my gun and moved another artillery unit up to the hedge supported by an infantry unit.

My cuirassiers supported by the dragoons cleared the hedge with ease attacking the Brunswickers in line and were anhihilated! That wasn't in the script, the Brunswickers were well supported and Ben rolled high and I rolled low but still trying to work out how best to use cavalry!

In Ben's go he shot mostly, nobody died.

In my turn I withdrew my dragoons  and then charged the unit at the bottom of the hill, we drew but as I  was attacking downhill he lost and as it was an infantry unit and one of its supports  was cavalry he automatically routed!

Ben shot up the battered unit that had led the assault and they failed their test and routed now it was my turn to test all units from the brigade within six inches which I  failed, inflicting a hit on each unit, ouch!

Next go I shot at the Brunswickers from the town, achieving little and supported by the hussars my last infantry unit on the hill charged the Coldstream guards who had already taken some casualties from musketry and once more a British unit was routed. With that the game ended as we had hit the arranged time with a slightly surprising French win, which was nice!

Another great fun game and we are already planning a large Christmas game when my brother in law comes over from France, although this time he wants to command Austrians, which I'm sure I can accommodate, although I could do with more French line infantry, I could also do with  more Austrian grenadiers, hussars, artillery, Landwehr oh and maybe grenzers, by Christmas and it's already November! The French limbers are now completed and will get a post of their own, somewhere down the line!

All the best 

Iain