Against the Blitz!

Michael and Tim painted new planes for Blood Red Skies, so it was time to put them on the table. We have added my Polish Hurricanes and some other planes and created a large game.

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SCENARIO: Tim Chant
UMPIRING: Tim Chant

SCENERY: Michael Schneider, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Tim Chant, Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

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LUFTWAFFE

(Alasdair, John, Michael, Peter)

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5

RAF

(Bartek, Campbell, Fred, Tim)

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2. The game.

In our game, German bombers were tasked with bombing a small factory located on the banks of the English Channel, while the RAF's objective was to prevent this. Our plan was for our Spitfires and Mosquitoes to engage the bombers' escorts, allowing the Polish Hurricanes to deal with the bombers themselves. As a result, our faster aircraft moved forward and quickly initiated a skirmish with the fighters. Tim's Spitfires promptly engaged Alasdair's Focke-Wulfs. Both sides managed to land a few hits, but it was the British who successfully shot down the first plane, a Focke-Wulf. Subsequently, my Hurricanes joined the battle, causing the squadron of German fighters to retreat. This left Alasdair's bombers without adequate protection.

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During the battle, the Mosquitoes attacked Michael's Focke-Wulfs. Since Michael had his ace with him, he had the advantage, which was evident in the outcome of the battle. The Mosquitoes were outmaneuvered and one of them was shot down. However, this engagement drew the fighter protection away from the bombers, allowing my Hurricanes to take advantage of the situation. They were able to shoot down one of the Heinkels. Unfortunately, the game had to end at this point. The RAF had better results and ultimately won the game.

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3. Links.

MICHAEL:

SESWC:

to be updated soon

FLICKR:

Omdurman 1898.

A while back, I painted a large number of Mahdists and now I'm excited to put them to use. I've selected a scenario from the Black Powder supplement: Blood on the Nile. It's set in Omdurman 1898, where the Egyptian-Sudanese brigade defended itself against a large number of attacking Mahdist troops.

SCENARIO: Omdurman 1898 from Blood on the Nile supplement.
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Campbell Hardie, Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

UNITED KINGDOM & EGYPT

(Andy, Peter)

Egyptian Brigade

General MacDonald (10)

4 x Egyptian Infantry

1 x Machine Gun

British Brigade

General Wauchope (8)

4 x British Infantry

1 x Machine Gun

MAHDISTS

(Mike, Michael, Tim)

INITIAL FORCES:

Commander (8)

3 x Mahdists Warband with Spears

1 x Mahdists Warband with Rifles

REINFORCEMENTS:

2 x Commander (8)

9 x Mahdists Warband with Spears

3 x Mahdists Warband with Rifles

2. The game.

This game depicts an episode from the battle at Omdurman, where General MacDonald's Egyptian-Sudanese brigade faced a large Mahdist force. With support from the British, the brigade held its ground. The scenario is focused on the arrival of reinforcements and their role in the combat. For more details, please refer to the supplement.

The Mahdists started the battle slowly, attacking the Egyptians with single units instead of using their full force to potentially cause panic in the enemy lines. The Egyptians, for their part, did not form a square formation to receive the enemy, which would have made them vulnerable to defeat. However, the Mahdists did not take advantage of this opportunity. Additionally, the British forces were hesitant to join the battle, and time was running out for Mahdists.

The British forces arrived on the battlefield to support the Egyptians. Subsequently, the Mahdists launched a large-scale attack. The Egyptian battalions were gradually destroyed, but the Mahdists also suffered significant losses. One British battalion was destroyed as well. However, this marked the end of Mahdists' victories. The Egyptians and the British ultimately emerged victorious, but both sides suffered heavy losses: the Egyptians lost 3 battalions and a machine gun, while the British lost one battalion. The Mahdists lost 8 warbands.

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/918024183688247

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720320268987

Pludraki 1764.

Another game with rules created by Michael, the Seven Years. Michael also developed a scenario for this game, inspired by the events in Pirna in 1756. Then I made some modifications to the scenario, allowing the use of my miniatures, and we adapted it to the times of my fictional Second War of Polish Succession.

SCENARIO: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

SAXONY & POLISH-LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH

(Bartek, Tim)

Saxon Division

1st Infantry Brigade

3 x Grenadiers (Elite)

1 x Light Gun

2nd Infantry Brigade

3 x Musketeers (Large)

1 x Light Gun

3rd Infantry Brigade

3 x Musketeers (Large)

1 x Light Gun

Gun Battery

3 x Medium Guns

Polish-Lithuanian Division

1st Brigade

2 x Levy of Nobles Cavalry (Poor)

1 x Skirmishers

2nd Brigade

2 x Levy of Nobles Cavalry (Poor)

2 x Uhlan

1 x Skirmishers

PRUSSIA

(Michael)

1st Infantry Brigade

1 x Guard (Elite)

2 x Grenadier (Elite)

2 x Medium Gun

1 x Skirmishers

2nd Infantry Brigade

1 x Fusiliers (Veteran)

1 x Musketeer 

1 x Medium Gun

3rd Infantry Brigade

2 x Musketeer

1 x Medium Gun

1 x Light Gun

4th Infantry Brigade

2 x Musketeer

1 x Light Gun

Gun Battery

2 x Heavy Gun

1st Cavalry Brigade

1 x Cuirassier

1 x Dragoon

2nd Cavalry Brigade

2 x Hussar

1 x Skirmishers

2. Introduction.

After winning the battle of Psiekiszki, the combined Saxon-Polish forces reached Kraków. They waited for the arrival of the Austrian contingent, but when it didn't happen, they decided not to waste time and headed for Warsaw. On the way, they took the royal insignia from Wawel Castle. An elective Sejm was to be convened in Warsaw, where Frederick Augustus (as August IV) was to be elected king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Prussian army blocked the road at the Ford over the Szreniawa River near the village of Pludraki (I made up the name of this village. It doesn't actually exist.). Despite the unfavourable weather (drizzling rain), the Polish-Saxon forces decided to cross the river. During the night, Polish peasants constructed a bridge across the river to enable some of the forces to cross to the other side. Regrettably, the Prussian commander had anticipated this and made preparations for such a situation.

3. The game.

Michael designed a challenging scenario for the game, making it much more interesting. Firstly, there was heavy rain throughout the game, so each firing unit had to check if its charge had not gotten wet. For cannons, this meant losing one charge (each cannon had 6 charges), while an infantry unit lost all ability to shoot for the entire game. The check was done with a D6 roll - 1-3 meant failure, and 4-6 meant success. Additionally, each infantry unit that crossed the river automatically lost a charge and had to undergo a drowning test, where rolling a 1 resulted in losing one level. This test also applied to cavalry. The main objective of the game was for the Polish-Saxon side to prevent the loss of the royal insignia, which were located in their camp, and to destroy as many enemy units as possible. Bonus points were awarded for transferring artillery to the other side of the river.

The battle started with Polish nobles attempting to charge across the bridge, but they were met with Prussian artillery fire and had to retreat. The retreat dampened our spirits, and we chose to take a more cautious approach.

Our initial failure emboldened the Prussians to launch more aggressive attacks. Their light cavalry crossed the river with the intention of attacking the Polish nobles, but they fell into an ambush. The Prussian forces were attacked from the flank by Polish riflemen, resulting in the destruction of a unit of Prussian hussars. Following this encounter, both sides began to act more cautiously.

The Prussians attempted to cross the river again, this time with their heavy cavalry. However, just after they crossed, they were attacked by Polish uhlans, compelling them to retreat back to their side. The high water level of the Szreniawa prevented their annihilation, as the Polish cavalry hesitated to pursue them further.

The Prussians attempted to cross the river but were met with accurate fire from Saxon cannons. Despite the large number of soaked cartridges, the Saxon cannons remained accurate, unlike the Prussian cannons, which were extremely ineffective. The Prussian infantry suffered heavy losses, and one grenadier unit was destroyed. On the other flank, the Polish riflemen drove the Prussian jaegers across the river, resulting in the end of the battle. The Prussians did not destroy the Saxon-Polish army, which were unable to cross the river and would have to find another way to reach Warsaw. The outcome was a draw, with the Saxon-Polish forces inflicted greater losses on the Prussians. The war continues, and now it is time for the Austrians to take action.

Casualties.

4. Links.

MICHAEL:

https://meneken.blogspot.com/2024/08/polish-war-of-succession-very-wet-affair.html

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/913400760817256

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720319976860

'O' Group: Ishun, Crimea, 1942.

I must admit that it's been a while since I last played any games from the TFL/Reisswitz collection. They used to be quite popular, but not so much anymore. I was happy to accept Andy's invitation to play one of these games. I have never played 'O' Group before, so it was my first time encountering these rules. These rules allow us to play really large-scale battles, and if we use smaller scales like the 6mm scale we used, the battles can be huge.

SCENARIO: From Supplement
UMPIRING: Andy Valdez-Tullett

SCENERY: Andy Valdez-Tullett, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Andy Valdez-Tullett

1. Forces.

SOVIET UNION

(Bartek, Michael, Peter)

Battalion HQ:

HQ

82mm Mortar

FOO

Naval Infantry Company

CO

3 x Infantry Platoon (3 x Infantry Section each)

Maxim MMG

Infantry Company

CO

3 x Infantry Platoon (3 x Infantry Section each)

Maxim MMG

Infantry Company

CO

3 x Infantry Platoon (3 x Infantry Section each)

ATG Platoon (45mm ATG)

Light Tank Platoon (2 x T-26)

THIRD REICH

(Alasdair, Fred, Mike)

Battalion HQ:

HQ

80mm Mortar

FOO

Infantry Company:

CO

3 x Infantry Platoon (3 x Section each)

MMG Platoon

2 x Infantry Company:

CO

3 x Infantry Platoon (4 x Section each)

MMG Platoon

AT Platoon (1 x PaK 36)

Light Tank Platoon (2 x Pz38(t))

Medium Tank Platoon (1 x Pz IV)

2. The Game.

Andy used a scenario from the rules supplement depicting the struggles on the Eastern Front from 1941 up to the Battle of Kursk. This scenario showed the battles between the Germans and the Soviets in Crimea in 1942. The Soviets were assigned to defend a line based on a road, two villages, and a factory. The Germans initially attacked head-on, which resulted in heavy losses. They then changed tactics and launched a systematic, concentrated attack on the Soviet positions, which proved to be more effective. They eventually broke through the centre of the Soviet forces, but the Red Army was able to regroup and defend the breach. On the left flank, there was a small tank duel that ended with the German tanks being stopped. Ultimately, the Germans failed to break the Soviet defence, although they inflicted high losses, and each subsequent attack posed a threat to the Soviet positions. As a result, the game ended in a draw.

Now, as usual, let's talk about the rules. The game is a level lower than my favourite Rapid Fire. However, you can still easily depict large battles. Like other products from David C.R. Brown, it includes a lot of tables, which may seem intimidating at first, but they become very helpful after a while. The rules are intuitive and after just one evening, especially the last rounds, we were already able to play independently without Andy's help. These rules certainly deserve our attention.

3. Links.

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720319795089