A New Year; Same Old Points (23rd January)

A long break and returned again

 As you'll no doubt notice, the last post on this blog was away back in May of last year. This is mostly my fault. With University studies getting me distracted, and working a full time job over the summer, it didn't leave much in the way of time for writing up events. But that all changes now, I have returned with a vengeance and will get out a full report on time, every time.

The Flames of War Scotland team return to Common Ground Games

 All change, except not

 Battlefront announced at the end of last year, that the points for Late-War Tournaments would be changed to a rather intriguing and controversial 1420. (You can read the full article here). With this new points value expected to test the resolve of players who have a list set in stone, I was excited to try out new and interesting forces. But, alas, the Scottish players are a fickle bunch and didn't want to be dropped in the deep end straight away, so we put it to a vote, and the old fashioned 1750pts won out, but only just.

 So, with the points and date set, we were all ready for a new year of gaming.

Again, apologies for lack of pictures from the late game, but when I get playing the camera is set aside for a little while.

New Faces

 Originally, we had a prospective ten players lined up for this Late-War Tournament; but unfortunately, the weather, call-offs and no-shows dropped this to five. But, never one to be put off by low numbers, we ploughed on regardless.

David Forrest is the first of two players to make their debut into the tournament scene this year. David has been ever present on the Flames of War Scotland Facebook group, but work and life had kept him away in the past, so it was a pleasure to finally see him along this time round.

David is using a Schwere Panzerjagerkompanie from Bridge by Bridge.

 David's force consisted of a Panzerjagerkompanie from Bridge by Bridge, with StuGs being the mainstay, while the hitting power of Jagdpanthers, 88's and Artillery rounded out his force.

 Gavin Turner was brought along by David. Being a completely new player, he wasn't given the harshest baptisms of fire, but with a few experienced players around to assist, we ensured that Gavin would be taught this time, rather than ground into the dirt.

Gavin was using a 101st Parachute Division list from Market Garden

 Starting out with a Fearless Veteran list might be a wise choice, to give the army more survivability on the field, but we'll see if it holds out for him. Add in a platoon of British Shermans packing Fireflies, it should be a daunting force.

 Michael Byrne is slowly becoming accustomed to the tournament scene, and returns with his US 9th Armored from Bridge at Remagen. The mix of Easy Eights, Jumbos and a small platoon of 105 Shermans gave this list a look of balance as it seemed to have all it wants to take on a variety of targets. With a singular Super-Pershing kicking about to add some fear factor.

The mixture of Sherman types always makes for interesting results

 Greg Fyfe is now an old hand at tournaments, having attended them for a little longer than I have, and almost ever-present at the ones now being run at Stirling. A common gripe from Greg over the years was the lack of Veteran lists for the Soviets, despite the addition of 'Hero' lists from Desperate Measures, the Soviets still went the entire war without true Veterans (Ignoring Spetznaz Platoons), until Berlin Digital treated us to Veteran cavalry, Engineer Sappers and a Recce Company. So, with these new lists, he fielded a Hero Cavalry Regiment.

Veteran Cavalry charging in with T-34 support makes Greg's list

And finally, yours truly. I always love trying out new toys, and for this event I had in mind some really fun little toys to use in the form of Wasp PPP carriers and Land Mattress Rocket Launchers. Alas, I had ordered them a little too late, so they weren't available for the day. Instead, I went with another unit type that I've only fielded once in a friendly game, and only as a supporting platoon. Comets...

The firepower of a Panther, the speed of a Cromwell and the armour of an Easy Eight make this tank amazing.

Round One: Surrounded

Bye: Me

 With five players, naturally someone was going to have a bye. Usually, I would have stepped aside and allowed a round robin between the other players, but I wanted to get some games in with my Comets. I did however elect to take the first round bye to allow the others to get settled into gaming.

Greg vs Michael
Gavin vs David

 Greg took on Michael, while David and Gavin faced off against each other to allow the two a softer start to the tournament. I spent most of the time sitting between the two tables, glancing either side and manning a rulebook.

Michael's Shermans await to attack on Greg's dug in troops

 In the game between Michael and Greg, the US tank company were attacking dismounted, dug in cavalry. With the presence of a daunting hill in the middle of the table, Michael had a tough job of getting to Greg's lines. Early on, a vineyard made for tough going on the platoon of 105's to the north, bogging a couple down, while the others navigated towards the hill. To the south, the recce slipped into the forest, but alas a bogged down M8 made the platoon a target, while trying to sit and lift Gone to Ground on some of the softer targets.
 A brutal use of 120mm mortars blunted the armoured advance, in a horrible display of dice-rolling, two Easy Eights were knocked out by the light artillery, and with the SU-85M's rolling up to the edge of the forest to put some hurt on the rest of the platoon, the south flank attack from the Americans crumbled.
 On the other side of the table, the Stuarts came rolling in, ready to assault into the mortars to extract some vengeance, but some sly positioning from the T-34s meant the defensive fire drove them back and sent them fleeing.
 It was looking pretty grim for the Americans as each attack broke down and units broke off, while the dug in Soviets held on for dear life, denying an important platoon kill.

 The game was called as the Americans were forced into a company command check, and the CiC was no longer on the field, with the 2iC also out of action. And that was that, a 6-1 to Greg and a strong start.

Dismounted cavalry assaulting Recce? Sure!

 On the other table, Gavin and David were still getting to grips with some of the ideas of the game. But with me sitting out, I was more than happy to offer advice to both sides. give them ideas of how to use certain units and get the game away from an old fashioned 40K shoot-em-up.
 The start of the game involved a heavy gun line of StuGs and Jadgpanthers pounding away at the dug in Paras, while the Wirbelwinds tore into anyone foolish enough to raise their head above the foxholes. With the instruction on how to fire smoke, the US troops started making the Wirbelwinds and Jagdpanthers less effective, but there was  still an imminent threat.
 On the other side of the table, the Paratroops broke out and went after the Artillery. The 105s almost caught short by the advancing troops, losing a few of their number to light mortar and machine-gun fire.
 As time was called, the Germans hadn't made enough ground to take an objective, so the game was called as a 5-2 win to Gavin.

++Lunchtime++

It's hungry work commanding and fighting

Round Two: Dust Up

Bye: Michael

The old favourite, Dust Up, was rolled for round two. The mission always gets a groan of dislike from veteran players, but it's not a bad little mission.

Me vs David
Greg vs Gavin

So, with me now in the gaming, I had less time to look over the game between Greg and Gavin barring the very end. So it'll be a little stunted, I'm afraid; but first, my own game with David.

 Dust Up is one of the few mission in the game that can be won in the first turn. It's not fun for either player when this happens, but I can guarantee that if it happens to you, you will probably never suffer the indignity of it again, knowing what you know.
 Unfortunately for David, he wasn't aware of this, and so began the lesson. I placed an objective as close as I could to my own deployment area, on top of a hill, within 4" of the flat land, so my Comets could immediately jump the 16" onto it first turn. David's closest until was about 15" away, leaving him high and dry to contest first turn, and the presence of the hill blocking line of sight to my attacking force.

 I did immediately extend the hand for a game well played, but I didn't just pack up and walk off. Despite teaching the lesson of watching your objectives, I still wanted a game, and it wouldn't have been much fun to David if I'd done that and then buggered off for a coffee.
 So we carried on, ignoring the taken objective and playing out the game as normal.

 My Sherman OP managed to bog itself down, as I was silly enough to try to roll it through a forest, despite it being gone to ground and concealed if it had just sat slightly behind the front of the woods. More the fool, I.
 The speed of the Comets showed as a platoon of them rushed down the side of the table a speedy 32" to take position behind a forest and out of line of sight of all nasty guns, while the commander led the other one forward from the objective. My two platoons of infantry and Daimler Recce were held off table for some immediate effect when they show up.
 The German artillery got off some shots onto my Comets, but they only managed to bail one out. I rolled a platoon of them through the woods to the south of the ruined monastery and fired off some rattling machine-gun fire across the walls to little effect.
 Finally, David brings in some reinforcements in the form of a pair of Jadgpanthers. The fear of these weapons made me wary. Despite the slight increase of armour on the Comets, the shots go through automatically at short range, and the one-in-six chance of a bailed result at long range was not worth the gamble.
 Ignoring them was the best option, as the Sextons threw a repeat bombardment into the monastery knocking out the observer and pinning down the infantry, as my CiC rolled himself into the artillery huddled in the corner. The failed counter-attack roll and with nowhere to escape to, the guns went down and at that point, we called it a game.
 The Jagdpanthers were mostly disappointing for David, only managing to knock out a pair of Comets, and being rather ineffective against the Sextons, bailing two and doing not much else. But, the list is promising and David has the makings of a good player; good humoured and a really good sportsman.

The Jagdpanthers make an appearance, tickling the Sextons for little effect

On the other table, Greg's cavalry were put into action against Gavin's Paras. In this case, the cavalry went on the attack, I only caught it from the last few turns, but what I did see was cavalry doing horrible things on the charge, bazookas reminding tanks not to get too close and an objective being hotly fought over.

 There was a ring-around-the-forest going on near the objective that would finally end the game.

The cavalry assault into the Paras who knock out a couple of T-34s

 The Paras nobly try to hold back the assaulting Cavalry, but to no avail as they over-run the objective and take the day without a lost platoon. A convincing 6-1 to Greg, but signs of good gamesmanship from Gavin.

Round Three: Hold the Line

Bye: Gavin

 The final round put Greg up against myself and Michael's armored were put up against David's Heavy Tank Hunters. Unfortunately, there are no pictures from this round, as I was heavily involved in my own game, and didn't get much chance to see Michael and David's game.

 With my own force being tank heavy, Greg's cavalry were smart to leave their horses behind and dig into defensive positions for this one. At the start of the game, Greg was a little down on the set up, claiming that it would be over very quickly, with my Comets ready to poise and run straight over his defensive lines. Luckily for him, he was fielding a pioneer platoon and slapped down a minefield across the main approach, bordered by the table-edge and a large hedge.
 First turn, my recce moved up to the hedge to spy on the dug in dismounted cavalry, lifting their gone to ground and allowing the Sextons to put some pinning on them, a platoon of infantry charging down the middle to prepare for a second turn assault.

 That decision to charge infantry at the double almost proved to be a costly one, as a small platoon of 45mm guns popped up from behind a wall and let loose into them. With their AT 8 not going to trouble the Comets much, the infantry bore the brunt of the fire, pinning them down with a torrent of hits. Luck must have been on my side, however, as only two bases failed their saves and the infantry breathed a sigh of relief... for now.
 My assault went in, but a few lucky round reduced the effectiveness of the attack, with only a single hit on the defenders, who rose up and wiped out the platoon in return. Not quite what I had in mind, maybe I'll take Commandos next time, because there were an awful lot of '2's' rolled in that assault.
 Regardless, the 45mm guns were crushed beneath Comets as they rolled over the walls and into position, the other platoon coming round atop a nearby hill to offer supporting fire. 

Greg's SU-85M's and dismounted cavalry from his first game against Michael

 The game was still there to be won, but with the appearance of the 85M's, it looked a little bleak as they opened fire into the Comets... for no hits, and the subsequent return fire knocking them out and sending them packing for the hills, I had once again been spared a horrible fate.
 By now, things were getting desperate on both sides as assaults went in, were beaten back and units were whittled down. A brave attempt to assault through a building (avoiding Faustnika defensive fire) resulted in an impressive three bogged Comets. Sensing the capture of these, I positioned my other infantry platoon to within counter-attack distance and awaited the assault.
 And it did come. A platoon of sappers throwing themselves in, but the top armour of the bogged down Comets proving too much for them, as they held on and the infantry poured into the fight, beating back the sappers and chasing them off. Then came some dismounted cavalry, causing havoc amongst my men, but again I held on, with British Bulldog keeping my forces in the fight, as they too were chased off. Subsequently passing the platoon morale checks to keep them on the table added insult to injury for Greg.
 A final, last ditch attempt from some cavalry to get my Comets off the initial objective failed as the assaulting platoon fell completely to defensive fire.
 A very hard fought 5-2.

 On the other table, alas, I didn't see much, but it sounded like a fun game as Michael ended up eventual 5-2 winner there too.

Michael's Stuarts from game one left burning from their assault on the heavy mortars

Final Scores and closing points

The StuGs roll off, with their job done for now.

 And that was that for the first Scottish Tournament of 2016. With a very big thanks to Gavin and David coming down for the first, and hopefully not the last, time. The final scores for all were:

1= Me - 14

1= Greg - 14
2= Michael - 9
2= Gavin - 9
3- David - 5

*- Players with a Bye are awarded the best losing score possible (3 points)

 We come to the end, and with plenty on the schedule for this year, including Team Yankee, Great War and the Nationals again, I'll have plenty to talk about. So thanks for reading, and see you next time.

Scottish Nationals (16th - 17th May 2015)

Our first two day event

 Back we go to Common Ground Games, quickly becoming the home of Flames of War in Scotland. This time we're here for the first two-day event we've run in a long time. We've had a nationals before, away back in 2013. That day was a resounding success, and I was hopeful we'd be able to emulate it just a little.

 We were supposed to be running an Early War tournament with 1550pts, but were worried that the era and points would have meant a poor turn out (Early War is still a little less played up here. See my previous report). So, after quite a lot of negotiating and compromising, we were granted leave to run a Late War 1750pts tournament, with openings for Early War should any player be interested enough to play.

The Players and their forces

 On the day we had twelve players enter, myself included. This doesn't sound much in the grand scheme of things, but we were proud of the turn out for our first attempt. In no particular order, here are the players and the forces they were using.

Greg Fyfe - Engineer Sapper Battalion (w/ Red Army Support) - Red Bear (Revised)

HQ - Inzhererno-Saperniy Batalon HQ - w/ Komissar Team - 60

 Combat - Inzhererno-Saperniy Company - w/ Warrior Recce Pioneer Lt. Ivan Zablotny - 450

                 Inzhererno-Saperniy Company - w/ Pioneer Supply Truck - 405

Support - Tankovy Company - 8 T-34 obr. 1942 w/ coupla - 310

               Tank Killer Company - 4 SU-100 - 310

               Artillery Battalion - 4 122mm obr. 1938 howitzer - 155

              Anti-Aircraft Machine-gun Platoon - 3 DShK AA on trucks - 55

1745

Greg's Inzhererno-Saperniy Batalon with added barbed wire and minefields

 Richard Hardy - Light Self-propelled Artillery Regiment (Guards) - Red bear (Revised)

 HQ - Samokhodno-Artillyeriyskiy HQ - T-70 - 25

Combat - Assault Gun Company - 4 SU-122 - 170

Assault Gun Company - 4 SU-122 - 170

Assault Gun Company - 4 SU-122 - 170

Assault Gun Company - 4 SU-122 - 170

Weapons - Assault Gun Reconnaissance Platoon (Red Army) - 195

Assault Gun Sapper Company (Red Army) - w/ Pioneer Supply Truck - 125

Anti-Aircraft Platoon - 3 DShK AA on trucks - 55

Support - Flame Tank Company - 3 KV-8s - 180

Tank Destruction Company (Guards) - 4 57mm ZIS-2 w/ 1 PTRD anti-tank rifle - 175

Guards Rocket Mortar Battalion - 2 BM-1-12 Katyusha w/ 5+ crew w/ 2 37mm obr 1939 gun - 155

Air Support - Limited Il-2 Shturmovik - 200

1750

Richard's Legkiy Samokhodno-Artillyeriyskiy Polk (Guards)

Alistar Grant - Medium Self-propelled Artillery Regiment (Regular) - Desperate Measures

HQ - Sredniy Samokhodno-Artillyeriyskiy HQ - T-34/5 obr. 1944 - 70

Combat - Medium Assault Gun Company - 5 SU-85M - 365

Medium Assault Gun Company - 5 SU-100 - 390

Weapons - Anti-aircraft Platoon - 3 DShK AA on trucks - 55

Tankovy Company - 9 T-34/85 obr. 1944 - 535

Motostrelkovy Company - w/ 2 Maxim HMG - 180

Heavy Mortar Company - 6 120-PM-38 Mortars w/ Observer -155

1750

Alistair's Sredniy Samokhodno-Artillyeriyskiy Polk

 Phil Dalbeck - HG Panzerkompanie - Fortress Italy

HQ - Hermann Göring Panzerkompanie HQ - 2 Panzer III N - 130

Combat - HG Panzer Platoon - 2 Panzer III M, 2 Panzer III N - 280

HG Panzer Platoon - 2 Panzer III M, 2 Panzer III N - 280

HG Panzer Platoon - 2 Panzer III M, 2 Panzer III N - 280

HG Panzer Platoon - 1 Panzer III M, 3 Panzer IV H - 350

Support - Schwere Panzer Platoon - 2 Tiger I E - 430

1750

Phil's Hermann Göring Panzerkompanie

Keith Martin-Smith - Panzerkompanie - Blood, Guts & Glory

HQ - Panzerkompanie HQ - 2 Panther G - 260

Combat - Panzer Platoon - 3 Panther G - 385

Panzer Platoon - 3 Panther G - 385

Weapons - Assault Gun Platoon - 3 StuG G - 195

Assault Gun Platoon - 3 StuG G - 195

Support - Anti-aircraft Gun Platoon - 4 Wirbelwind - 150

Aufklarüngs Platoon - 180

1750

Keith's Panzerkompanie

William Burns - Kampfgruppe Hummel - Bridge by Bridge

HQ - Kampfgruppe Hummel HQ - 2 Tiger I E - 290

Combat - Hummel Schwere Panzer Platoon - 3 Tiger I E - 435

Hummel Schwere Panzer Platoon - 2 Tiger I E - 290

Support - Schwere Panzer Platoon - 1 Königstiger - 345

SS-Rocket Launcher Battery - 3 15cm NW 41 - 120

Pioner Platoon - 180

Luftwaffe Flak Platoon - 1 88cm FlaK 36, 2 2cm Flakvierling - 90

1750

William's Kampfgruppe Hummel

Michael Byrne - Tank Company (3rd Armored Division) - Bridge at Remagen

HQ - Tank Company HQ - 1 M4A3E8 Easy Eight, 1 M4A3E2 Jumbo - 265

Combat - Tank Platoon - 1 M4A3 Sherman (Late), 2 M4A3E8 Easy Eight, 1 M4A3E2 Jumbo - 495

Heavy Tank Platoon - 2 M26 Pershing - 400

Weapons - Sherman Assault Gun Platoon - 2 M4A3 (105mm) Sherman - 125

Light Tank Platoon - 4 M5A1 Stuart - 185

Support - Armored Recon Platoon - 2 M8 Armoured Car, 1 Recon Jeep, 1 Mortar Jeep - 115

Battleworn Rifle Platoon - w/ 2 replaced bazooka - 165

1750

Michael's 3rd Armoured Division

Chris Walsh - Tank Company (7th Armored Division) - Blood, Guts & Glory

HQ - Tank Company HQ - 1 M4A3E8 Easy Eight, 1 M4A3E2 Jumbo - 235

Combat - Tank Platoon - 1 M4A1 Sherman, 2 M4A3E8 Easy Eight, 1 M4A3E2 Jumbo - 415

Tank Platoon - 1 M4A1 Sherman, 2 M4A3E8 Easy Eight, 1 M4A3E2 Jumbo - 415

Weapons - Sherman Assault Gun Platoon - 3 M4 (105mm) Sherman - 155

Support -Cavalry Recon Platoon - 1 M8 Armored Car, Mortar Jeep, Recon Jeep - 90

Armored Rifle Platoon - 225

Armored Field Artillery Battery - 3 M7 Priest HMC, 1 M4 Sherman OP - 175

Air Observation Post - L4 Grasshopper AOP - 40

1750

Chris' 7th Armoured Division

Laurence Kettle - Rifle Company (2nd Infantry Division) - Devils Charge

HQ - Rifle Company HQ - 15

Combat - Rifle Platoon - 210
Rifle Platoon - 210

Weapons - Machine-gun Platoon - 4 M1917 HMG - 130

Mortar Platoon - 4 M1 81mm Mortar - 110

Ammunition & Pioneer Platoon - 185

Support - Intelligence & Recon Platoon - 1 .50 cal Recon Jeep, 3 Recon Jeep - 85

Anti-tank Platoon - 3 M1 57mm Gun (Late) - 100

Towed Tank Destroyer Platoon - 4 M5 3" Gun (Late) - 195

Towed Tank Destroyer Platoon - 4 M5 3" Gun (Late) - 195

Field Artillery Battery (155mm) - 4 M1 155mm Howitzer - 275

Air Observation Post - L4 Grasshopper AOP - 40

1750

Laurence's 2nd Infantry Division

David Cuthbert - Airlanding Company - Market Garden

HQ - Airlanding Company HQ - w/ Bagpiper Team, w/ 2 PIAT - 110

Combat - Airlanding Platoon - 220

Airlanding Platoon - 220

Weapons - Airlanding Anti-tank Platoon - 4 OQF 6pdr Gun (Late) -  165

Airlanding Mortar Platoon - 2 ML 3" Mk II Mortar - 75

Support - Airlanding Anti-tank Platoon, Royal Artillery - 4 OQF 6pdr Gun (Late) -  165

Airlanding Anti-tank Platoon, Royal Artillery - 4 OQF 6pdr Gun (Late) -  165

Airlanding Field Platoon - w/ Pioneer Supply Jeep and Trailer - 450

Airlanding Light Artillery Battery, RA - 4 M1A1 75mm Pack Howitzer, Medium Battery -  180

1750

David's Airlanding Company

Bil Sheil - 6th Armoured Division - Road to Rome

HQ - Armoured Squadron HQ - 1 Sherman IB (105mm) - 130

Combat - Armoured Platoon - 2 Sherman III, 1 Sherman III, 1 Sherman IIA (76mm) - 370

76mm Armoured Platoon - 4 Sherman IIA (76mm) w/ .50 cal AA MG - 495

Weapons - Recce Patrol - 3 Stuart V w/ AA MG - 160

Support - Rifle Platoon (Indian) - 3 Sherman Kangaroo APC, Ghurkas - 275

Field Battery (SP), Royal Artillery - 4 M7 Priest HMC - 295

Air Observation Post - Auster AOP - 25

1750

Bill's 6th Armoured Division

Mark Nisbet (Me) - Rifle Company - Nachtjäger 

HQ - Rifle Company HQ - 30

Combat - Rifle Platoon - 180

Rifle Platoon - 180

Weapons - Anti-Tank Platoon - 4 OQF 6pdr Gun (Late) -140

Mortar Platoon - 4 ML 3" Mk II Mortar - 120

Pioneer Platoon - 85

Support - Machine-gun Platoon - 4 Vickers HMG - 140

Tank Platoon - 1 Churchill VI, 1 Churchill VII, 1 Churchill IV (Late) w/ Applique - 360

Tank Platoon - 1 Churchill VI with Applique, 1 Churchill VII, 1 Churchill IV (Late) w/ Applique - 360

Infantry Anti-tank Platoon (SP), Royal Artiller - 2 Archer - 140

1745

Mark's British Rifle Company

Round One - Dust Up (Saturday: 1000 - 1230) 

 A classic, a little like Marmite to some, to begin with. Dust Up always has it's critics and those that love it, due to the way the game begins a little unsteadily because of the Delayed Reserves, but once things start arriving, it begins to get tense as platoons rout, new ones arrive and positions are fought for over the various objectives.

 Due to the imbalance of Axis to Allied players, the idea of Red on Blue was scrapped for the weekend and any opponent was fair game. So with twelve players and no seeding available anyone could play anyone first round. And the draw was as follows:

• Greg Fyfe - Laurence Kettle
• William Burns - Chris Walsh
• Keith Martin-Smith - Phil Dalbeck
• David Cuthbert - Bill Sheil
• Richard Hardy - Michael Byrne
• Alistair Grant - Mark Nisbet

 These battle reports will be incredibly spotty as, naturally, I was playing in my own game and had only cursory glances at the other tables, and pauses to take pictures on passing. So instead, enjoy some pictures of some of the first round match ups.

In the dim light of morning (and poor lighting) the players begin their games

I will comment that Phil is a newcomer to the game, and that his first round pairing was probably the most difficult he could have faced, the baptism of fire against Keith, reputed to be a rather skilled player. And that was reflected in the result and time taken to complete the game.

Phil's Panzers fall one by one as the Red on Red battle swings heavily one way

 My own game was a little more balanced, both Alistair and myself are on about equal footing in terms of the game.It came down to a few lucky dice rolls and some poor planning on my part for the game to result in a draw. In a turn, Churchills assaulted into his heavy mortars, pushed them off the objective with what seemed like no possible way to be ejected. Unfortunately for me, Alistair had luck on his side, as he rolled his SU-100s round, requiring 6's to hit on the Churchills and managing to knock two out. The platoon commander in his Churchill VII deemed the situation too dangerous and fled the field, denying me a win.

After seeing what happened to the other platoon, these Churchills decide the cover of the buildings to be safe

Results from Round One:

• Greg Fyfe 1-1 Laurence Kettle
• William Burns 4-3 Chris Walsh
• Keith Martin-Smith 6-1 Phil Dalbeck
• David Cuthbert 3-2 Bill Sheil
• Richard Hardy 5-2 Michael Byrne
• Alistair Grant 2-3 Mark Nisbet

 The most surprising result from Round One would have to be the 1-1 draw between Greg and Laurence. With Greg playing such an offensive attacking force against a defensive gun line, the casual bystander would have assumed heavy casualties on one side or the other.

Lunch Break (Saturday 1230 - 1330)

Lunch time on the Front Lines

Round Two - Hold the Line (Saturday 1330 - 1600)

  After the results of Round One, the field was split a little more with a few players racking up good points while others languished on one. Using the Battlefront Nationals Rules, it was an impossibility to roll another Fair Fight mission, so with Dust Up, Encounter and Free-For-All removed from the missions list this round, it came up as Hold the Line as the next mission to be played.
 From experience, Hold the Line can be over very quickly, or it can slog on for a long time. It's a mission with very little middle ground. The attacker can either take advantage of the defender's diminished force, or they can dither, allowing the defender to reinforce and hold them back. So with that in mind, this was the draw for Round Two:

• Phil - Greg
• Laurence - Michael
• Bill - Alistair
• David - William
• Richard - Keith
• Chris - Mark

Phil's Panzers assault the hill in an attempt to dig out the Sappers

 So, it came to be that I had a tough task of defending against a heavily armoured tank company with some big guns hidden in the mix to put a little fear into my usually impervious Churchills. The sneaky, but quite smart tactic of sitting a 2iC in a Jumbo to soak hits on platoons would come into play here, especially with each platoon also containing a bullet-magnet Jumbo.
 After set-up, Chris went for a refused flank attack on one of the objectives near a wood and some tree lines. He placed his Grasshopper AOP and rushed his recce forward to try to push back any potential ambushes. Unfortunately, a bad placement for the AOP allowed my Archers to spring an ambush from the woods and some 6pdrs to reveal themselves in a tree line.

The Archers open fire from the Forest, while the 6pdrs get off some shots from the tree line, picking Shermans off

  This was my first outing using Archers, and in the last game, the Command tank was picked off, leaving the other high and dry, but in this game, the appearance from Ambush combined with being Concealed Veterans allowed them to dominate the melee, racking up all three Jumbos and some Shermans to their name. They even managed to fend off an assault from some determined American GI's through the woods, With one surviving and combining fire with a nearby Rifle/MG team, it seemed like an impossible task to pin down the assaulting infantry, but with all dice coming up 4+ they somehow managed it. The game soon ended, as his CiC had hopped to a Jumbo, and was bailed out as he was forced to take a Company Morale Test. With me only losing my platoon of 6pdrs, and having the 9 platoon rule in effect, it came out as an emphatic win in a game that in the second turn I almost gave up on.

 Elsewhere there were less draws and more resounding wins one way or the other.

Bill's AOP lets his artillery know exactly where Alistair's -34's are hiding

 Results from Round Two:

• Phil 1-6 Greg
• Laurence 6-1 Michael
• Bill 1-6 Alistair
• David 6-1 William
• Richard 4-3 Keith
• Chris 1-6 Mark

  With the two most renowned players facing off in this round, it was no surprise the game was so close between them. While the other results show massive victories for one side over the other.

Round Three - Hasty Attack: (Saturday 1600-1830)

 Hasty Attack is a mission I have only ever played once, and the result of my previous game of it was almost identical to my result here. As you'll see from the draw, I had little chance against my opponent, though if I could do it all over again, I would reconsider my set up and choices. The was the attacker can split the defender, and then make one side of the table utterly useless is frustrating for the defender. No doubt many people reading this will be able to recall a time they held firm against an attacker in this mission, but in my own experience, I have always been thoroughly over run due to the stretch the attacker can put on the defender.

 And so, the draw for Round Three:

• Michael - Bill
• Phil - Chris
• William - Greg
• Laurence - Alistair
• David - Richard
• Keith - Mark

 And so you can see, I had the pleasure of facing off against a horde of Panthers. With very little in the way of AT that I could effectively bring to bear on the mass, I set my lines and prepared. Naturally, Keith set his objectives either side of the table, meaning I had to commit a platoon to each, at least, giving me a Churchill platoon to cover the middle of the table and the Archers in Immediate Ambush. The game was set, the Archers appeared and the line of Panthers advanced.
 When they got close enough, they put shots into the Archers, bailing one through the luck of them being Concealed and Gone to Ground. The other shots trying to dig up the infantry covering the Objective. When the Archers returned fire, the result was disappointing. Three out of four hits, two penetrating hits, the other being stopped by armour and only one destroyed, amounting to a sum total of nothing.

 Long story short, StuGs arrived in reinforcements, the Infantry were over-run in assault despite doggedly resisting Panther assaults. The Archers were destroyed and I received no reinforcements of my own.

 A thoroughly disappointing game

The line of Panthers and StuGs prepare to advance on my positions and a mere three turns later are victorious

 Elsewhere, Phil's Panzers came up against Chris' Tank Company, David and Richard fought to a close game and Bill racked up a narrow loss against Michael.

 Sadly, I didn't take many pictures of the last game of the day, partly through disappointment and partly through getting the results collated and preparing everything else for the next day.

 The scores for Round Three and standings at the end of Day One are as follows:

• Michael 4-3 Bill
• Phil 2-5 Chris
• William 1-6 Greg
• Laurence 6-1 Alistair
• David 3-4 Richard
• Keith 6-1 Mark

Standings

1. Keith Martin-Smith - 15
2. Greg Fyfe - 13
3. Richard Hardy - 13
4. Laurence Kettle - 13
5. David Cuthbert - 12
6. Mark Nisbet - 10
7. Alistair Grant - 9
8. Chris Walsh - 9
9. Michael Byrne - 7
10. William Burns - 6
11. Bill Sheil - 6
12. Phil Dalbeck - 4

*Tied scores are put into alphabetical order and are not reflective of relative standings

And so, the players parted. Most were lucky enough to go home to their own bed, while this intrepid writer booked in to a local hostel and collapsed to rise again the next day, refreshed and ready to battle.

Sun rises over Stirling to being a new day

  We lose a man

 Sadly, Phil had to drop out of the tournament with some matters, and thus on the Sunday, we were bit eleven, meaning that the Bye system was to be implemented. I have found that a fair way to score a bye is to award the player the best loss they could achieve. For some, they might grumble that they were guaranteed to win the next game, while others give a sigh of relief to have been awarded such.

 For the next round, the Bye came up for... Me. So, that gave me time to sit and take a few pictures.

Round Four - Fighting Withdrawal (Sunday 1000 - 1230)

 Fighting Withdrawal. My own personal thoughts on this mission is how hard it is on the attacker. With proper objective placement from the defender and cunning withdrawal tactics, it is a very difficult one for the attacker to win. So, naturally, I put up an offer: Anyone who was attacking and managed to win would get a drink on me. And so the draw was as follows:

• Keith - Laurence
• Greg - Richard
• David - Chris
• Alistair - Michael
• Bill - William

 I spent a bit of time at the Soviet on Soviet game; Greg against Richard, and I was glad I did. The game was highly entertaining right from the start and continued to be until the end. In Richard's first turn, he called down a three-flight of IL-2's, outside the range of the DShK's and right on top of a cluster of Greg's T-34's as pictured below.

The most tempting target you will ever be likely to see

 Of course, the dice Gods are fickle beings, and despite Richard getting a good amount of hits, the other Soviets must have welded titanium to the top of their tanks, as only one went up and two were bailed out. However, that was not the tone of the game, as eventually the SU-122's came rolling over and around the hills, decimating all in their path. A last ditch assault by the Sappers could have turned the tide of the game, but it was just not to be as Richard stormed to the win, and meant I owed him a drink!

The British Paras give the Americans a daunting line to assault

  One other game resulted in an attacker win; Keith narrowly overcoming Laurence by throwing Panthers at the flank objective to push him off, but not before taking a few platoons of casualties in the process. The rest were all quite close, but inevitability came out, with the tank charges halted in their tracks (No pun intended).
 And so, the results of Round Four:

• Keith 4-3 Laurence
• Greg 1-6 Richard
• David 5-2 Chris
• Alistair 6-1 Michael
• Bill 2-5 William

A break for lunch before the final game of the weekend

Round Five - Breakthrough: (Sunday 1330 - 1600)

  And so, with only myself knowing the actual standings and everyone else putting together the positions with their mathematical skills, the last game to come up was Breakthrough. I do like Breakthrough and have been on both sides of the game on numerous occasions. With many players taking the same tactic when defending; that of getting some infantry close to cover the objectives turn one and holding on for dear life. Once again, I was playing so it's mainly my game I will report on.
 Bill Sheil gets the Bye to have a well deserved rest. Apologies in advance for no images of Round Five, I was distracted.

• Keith - David
• Richard - Laurence
• Alistair - Chris
• Michael - William
• Greg - Mark

  I have a tiny problem with the way Pioneer Supply vehicles use their minefields or barbed wire emplacements, and this came up during set up for my own game. As defender, I set my infantry to move onto the objectives in turn one to establish a good defensive position. However, during Greg's set up, he had barbed wire to place from his Pioneer Supply Vehicle, and the very careful start position my infantry had, suddenly got blocked by a mass of barbed wire. It seems they sent a blind man to survey the field before hand. Complaints aside, this actually meant the game was a lot closer that it could have been.

 The T-34 horde came rolling down into position, supported by the SU-100s covering from a nearby hill. The sappers infiltrated and prepared to storm onto the objectives. Luckily for me, I had supporting HMGs and Mortars, and with the sappers sitting out in the open, they were soon subject to a devastating bombardment and barrage that took a good toll on their numbers. The elation was short lived though, as the T-34s rolled into the dug in teams and rolled over them, wiping out the HMGs and sending the mortars falling back with only two of their number remaining.

 I comfortably covered one objective, while the other was  free from contention, by a matter of an inch. My reserves rolled into position and fluffed completely as the Churchills couldn't put a dent into the weaker side armour of the SU's. The Archers on a hill decided they were fed up being anti-tank guns and turned themselves into mobile pillboxes, advancing on another platoon of sappers and opening up with their AA MGs. They were far more effective in this role than they had been in two of my prior games.

 With the sappers taking heavy fire, Greg had to get them moving or dig them in. He elected for the latter, and even with a Pioneer Supply Vehicle reroll, the sappers couldn't break the earth. The T-34s, Artillery and other sappers combined to wittle my other platoon of rifles down and out, leaving the objective to be taken by Greg. I had one turn to dig him out, as they only go live on Turn Six.

 And so it happened that I took the game. Greg had left a Maxim HMG back to offer supporting fire. Unfortunately, he was close enough that my Churchills could assault him, and assault they did, wiping him out, ending the combat and forcing a platoon morale check on his sappers on the objective. Even with Ivan Zabolotny and his 2+ motivation, the sappers fled, thus leaving nothing in my half of  the table in Turn Six and ending the game in my favour. A close one and definitely the most memorable of the weekend for me.

 And so, the Round Came to an end, and the results tallied and collated. So, without further ado, the results and final standings:

• Keith 2-5 David
• Richard 4-3 Laurence
• Alistair 3-4 Chris
• Michael 6-1 William
• Greg 3-4 Mark

Final Standings for the Scottish Nationals 2015

1. Richard Hardy - 23
2. David Cuthbert - 22
3. Keith Martin-Smith - 21
4. Laurence Kettle - 19
5. Alistair Grant - 18
=6. Greg Fyfe - 17
=6. Mark Alexander Nisbet - 17
8. Chris Walsh - 15
9. Michael J. Byrne - 14
10. William Burns - 12
11. Bill Sheil - 11
12. Phil Dalbeck - 10*

*Awarded 6 bonus points for sportsmanship

 Congratulations to Richard for winning, and to everyone else on their placements. As you can see, there was very little between positions all the way up the table. The final standings were very much determined by the last game, with any of the top four able to clinch top spot with a resounding win.

 Thank you all very much for reading, and thanks to Steve Fettes of Common Ground Games for hosting, lunch and being there earlier than usual to let us in.
 Thanks to the Battlefront Staff for the support given to the Tournament in the run up and finally thanks to everyone who took part and hopefully you'll all be back next time.

 I leave you with a few pictures from the day.

SU-85M's cover the objective from the advancing Americans

British Riflemen take cover in a wood, the nearby objective safely contested

Tigers from Kampfgruppe Hummel stalk through a wheat field

Early War Tournament at Common Ground Games (17th January)

A change of pace

 The Late War era is very popular up here in Scotland, with many clubs not even considering playing any other (G3 included). Which is why January's tournament was decided to be Early War; out of the comfort zone for most of us, and taking all the shiny toys away to be left with poor armour, pea-shooter guns and having to rely on tactics never considered before.

 Only four brave souls, six if you include myself, and my good lady who had come down for moral support and to see what we strange men do on our Saturdays away in Stirling, made the journey out after some call-offs, but fun was had none-the-less with Richard Hardy, a well known tournament player joining the fray for the first time.

 You'll have to excuse the writing in this post, the tournament was two weeks ago and I've forgotten most of what happened beyond the results.

The Forces!

Norm's Panzers. Note that the flags do not contain swastikas.

 There were three Allied players and one Axis this time around (Had I joined in, it would have been four Allies). 

We'll start with the Axis, and we have Norman again fielding a Mittlere Panzerkompanie. A mixture of early-model Panzer IIIs and IVs, supported by a decent sized platoon of Panzer IIs made this a force to be reckoned with on the day. 

Next up is Greg, fielding a Soviet Strelkovy Batalon from Barbarossa. A break from his usual T-34 horde, this list is similar to the ones Greg used to play a few years ago. With the addition of some unarmed sappers hiding in his ranks, you'd think Greg was expecting to come up against tanks. KV-1s in the list ave him some staying power too.

Alistair's T-35s take the field

Alistair also opts to field Soviets, this time with a Light Tankovy Batalon from Rising Sun. The addition of the monstrous T-35s to this list makes the 'Light' part of it seem a little off-balance, but with a small horde of T-26s to make up for it, the army looked a decent one.

Finally, Richard brought along some British Divisional Cavalry from Blitzkreig. His Light VI Bs looking quite amusing amongst the larger tanks of his opponents. As expected his painting was top notch and really made his force stand out.

Round One

•  Greg was drawn against Norm
•  Richard Faced off against Alistair

 Norman's Panzers proved a little too aggressive for Greg as he was over run for a score of 2-5. His Soviets unable to stop the advance of the Germans as they rolled into his lines. The KV-1s were largely ineffectual, as one spent half the game bailed out.

What looks like a strong defensive line is rolled up by Norman's Panzers

 On the other table Alistair managed to pull two points from Richard, mainly due to his T-35's and their ability to just not die in the face of fire. As expected, Richard took the game.

The Light VI B's hug a cornfield, their MGs not much use

Round Two

• It was a clash of the Soviets as Gregg faced Alistair
• Norman took on Richard in a 1940 classic

Such a tempting target for artillery. Shame the chances went calling.

 Greg managed to fit an entire Strelkovy Company into a vineyard with his sappers in an attempt to slow down Alistair's tanks, and it worked as four assaults from various models of tank were beaten back. Alistair's Conscripts proving not to be confident enough as Greg took the game 5-2. Alistair's SU-12's could have wreaked havoc on the cluster of infantry in the field too, but poor rolls to range in meant the horde were unmoved.

 

I firmly believe that Alistair would have taken the match had one of his T-35s not been bogged on the edge of the field when assaulting.

Slowed by the train tracks, Norman's Panzer IIIs trundle into position

Norman was left cursing his luck as he had to attack the Brits, due to Richard taking 18pdr artillery. And it soon showed as with 9 platoons, and Norm only managing to knock one off before having to quit the field, meant that the game went 6-1 to Richard. 

An ambush of 2-pdr guns in the first turn knocking out Norman's Company Commander was surely the cause of the poor result. 

Round Three and Results

• Greg was left to face off against Richard for the top spot
• Norman took on Alistair, still in with a chance to score highly

The 18pdrs put paid to Greg's KV-1 assault

Greg's brave KV-1's might have won him the game in the first few turns had he realised something; 18pdrs are equipped with turntables. In fairness, he should have checked his opponent's army list, but on the other hand, Richard's 18pdrs weren't modelled with turntables, so had I been playing, I would have made the same mistake. Regardless, Greg set up an assault into Richard's infantry and naturally he equalled the AT of the shot on the run in, leaving him two conscript attacks from his tanks. Richard counter-attacked and drove him back, capturing one of his tanks. 

Gregg was unable to press the objectives much, but did manage to knock out three of Richard's platoons. Of course, using the 9-platoon rule, this meant the game ended 5-2.

Norman's Recce bravely hides in the farm

On the other table, Norman made short work of Alistair's tanks, only being slightly irked by his T35's and their ability to survive a beating. Being veteran, Norman took advantage of cover plenty to make it almost impossible for the Soviets to return fire. And soon enough the continued pounding of 5cm guns drove the Red Army back to their starting positions.

Alistair did come close to knocking out a platoon, as Norman forgot to move them, but the remaining tank held firm for the win. 

Despite a score of 6-1, the result on the other table had already decided the winner,

 And with that the results were in:

1. Richard's Divisional Cavalry - 16pts
2. Norman's Mittlere Panzerkompanie - 12pts
3. Greg's Strelkovy Batalon - 9pts
4. Alistair's Tankovy Batalon - 5pts

 Richard's reputation held true, as he went unbeaten with scores no worse than 5-2. Norman edged into second with his large win in the last game.

 So, that was our first foray into Early War, and feedback from the guys was positive, so we may return to this era sometime later in the year. By which point, I'm hoping the attendance picks up again and we get a decent amount of guys on the tables throwing peas at paper tanks!

 As always I leave you with some of the pictures from the day.

A Light Mk VI B covers an 18pdr from a potential flanking move

Panzer IIIs move out, watching their backs at Soviets are about

The Stuka bails the KV, which spent half the game trying to get working again

The pale light of winter shines down on the T-26 horde as they advance onto the table

Mechanised Aces Turn Two, Week Five

Turn Two a Disappointment, But Allied General Gets Kudos

General Byrne's Shermans advance through the bocage

 Sadly Turn Two was not as well attended as Turn One, with call-offs, no-shows and interruptions hampering play. Plaudits must be paid to Messrs Cameron and Hamilton of the Axis side for their continued attendance to keep up appearances, and also to General Byrne of the Allies for making a good effort for attending, despite an interruption last week he knuckled down and faced off twice last night.

Earlier Weeks have been poorly attended, with myself missing last week, and the game that was played between Oberst Cameron and General Anderson. The post-action report indicates that the game was closely fought, with the result going right to the wire, and ending with a win for the Axis.

Byrne's GI's Left Sore From Puma Scratches

Iain's Ace sacrifices himself to prevent Michael seizing the objective early on

 A mass-advance from Michael's GI's with supporting Shermans was cut off by some nasty ambushing from Iain's StuG's and Pumas. The nippy Panzerspah platoons able to encircle and pick off the Shermans leading to a win for the Axis.

 In this game too, Iain utilized Bogward demolition vehicles, to decent effect, knocking out quite a few teams from the manor house. The house was a perfect fire-base, given the American-placed objective was within 4'' of it.

The Bogwards almost level the Manor House

Ambushing StuGs picked off a few Shermans, with some half-tracked AA guns brought in to pile the pressure on the hapless GIs in the Manor.

The game was soon over as the only team remaining on the table was Michael's Ace. A decent enough tactic, but with the speed and firepower of the Pumas a little too much to take, plans will have to be made in Turn Three to deal with them.

Nisbet's Hungarian's Repel Massed American Assault

My Pioneers take up position in the church, the objective just behind the steeple to the right

 Michael then continued gaming, taking on my own Hungarian force. The mission didn't change much, with only one ambush instead of two. I had positioned my pioneers in the ruined church on the hill after Michael had placed his objective within 4'' of it. I imagine his intention was to rush to the church and dig-in to make it tough to get him out.

 His Shermans were taught a lesson in ambushing as two PaK40's almost took out an entire platoon from ambush, and in the following turn drove off his other.

Michael's GI's set up the charge

 Michael's GI's almost made a name for themselves when, massing firepower from his half-tracks and ground troops he managed to pin my pioneers (despite needing 6's to hit), the ensuing assault was brutal with my platoon diminished to a team and command. Thankfully they had my Ace to whip them back into the fight, only killing two teams in return, but that was enough to make the Americans fall back. A turn later they tried again, but this time they were pinned by defensive fire; impressive given that I only had 5 dice for it.

With a trio of Zrinyi's rolling up from reserve, and one making it's Schurzen save from a bazooka things were looking grim, and were finished up by a well-placed PaK40 shot coring the American Ace's Half-track, failed passenger save and subsequent Warrior role leaving him out of action. With no Company Commander holding them together, the Americans retreated, wondering what language those weird Germans in the church were speaking.

That speck of green in the distance is a Sherman... was a Sherman

Mechanised Aces Turn One, Week Four and Turn Two Week One

Field Reporter Is A Muppet, Sources Confirm

 No pictures once again, and one of the reports seem to have gotten damaged. So, here is Week Four:

Stubborn Defence Finally Crumbles

 A determined defence by Gordon's Panzergrenadiers finally crumbled under the constant assault of Norm's Cavalry Troop. The low of the game coming when an assault when awry from Gordon's Ace, five hits resulting in five failed saves.
 Pride was salvaged when one of the Recce Platoons was taken out, but it was too little too late as the Germans folded.

N█████ ████ ██ ████ C████

 █████ █ ████ ██████████ ██ ███████ █████ █████ ████ ████ ███  ████ █████   ███ ██.█████ ███ ██ █ ████ ██ ███ ███ ███ █████ ████ █████ ████.

Week One, Turn Two Is a Blowout

 With no-one turning up for the advertised Week One of Turn Two, the game was called a bogey.

That's all for now. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and have a wonderful New Year!

 

Mechanised Aces; Turn One, Week Three

Field Reporter Doesn't Learn Lesson, Has To Improvise!

 Yes, despite last week's failing to remember my camera, I did exactly the same thing this week. Thankfully, Gordon had his phone out. Pictures supplied by Gordon during his game.

 Annoyingly, I returned home to find my camera exactly where I'd left it so I wouldn't forget it...

Speedy Puma Snatches Victory!

The 'Clown Car' Half Tracks stand ready to unload their many passengers

 On table one this week, we have Murray's Armoured Rifle Company facing off against Iain's Panzerspah. The Pumas spending the first part of the game wedged into a corner and a couple of them knocked out by an exchange of fire from the 37mm guns.

 The last turn of the game however, victory was sealed as a sneaky Puma used the road to zip a mighty 24'', firing off a parting shot at some infantry before Stormtrooper-ing onto the Objective. Unfortunately for Murray, nothing was near enough to contest, never mind push the plucky Puma from taking the win.

A victory for the Axis in Game 1

Second Chance Not Taken As Cuthbert's Airlanding Wins Again!

The Panzergrenadiers get that sinking feeling as they face down a mass of Tetrarchs

 In the middle table Gordon's Panzergrenadiers took on David's Tetrarchs in a rematch of last week's encounters. A few lessons had been learned, but alas not enough, as Gordon's PaK38's were left high and dry on a flank while his Panzergrenadiers abandoned a secure position to try to lure David's tanks into a trap, a move which ultimately led to the game being taken by David again.

 The Hoff's cousin is off to an inauspicious start, but I'm sure that once he gets a few more toys on his side of the field, the games will be a bit closer than these recent ones have shown.

A victory for the Allies in Game 2

Newcomer Dalbeck Overruns Hungarian Defence Line

And in my own game I faced off against new player Phil. The game was mainly a training exercise to show the various mechanics and workings of the game, but that doesn't excuse the poor showing my Hungarians produced, with Szazados Termichen facing a very serious court marshal.

 Phil's force (Sadly unpictured at this moment in time), is a Cavalry Recon Company from the 2nd Division. The platoons are composed of a pair of M8 Greyhounds, a .50cal Recce Jeep and a very annoying Mortar-wielding Recce Jeep. It was the combination of the Recce saves, and the better Firepower of the mortars that led to my force being chipped away at until finally it succumbed, despite some decent return fire from a pair of badly placed PaK40s and the infantry.

A victory for the Allies in Game 3

Note: Usually G3 closes for the two weeks over New Year and Christmas, but this year, we've been allowed to hold our nights. So, we're still running on the 23rd and the 30th. It may not be as busy, but I'll be in the field as usual, reporting the results.