Goose Green 1982

 This is a scenario that I have been wanting to do, at an appropriate scale, for quite a few years. 

 It is very closely based upon that scenario appearing in the 'Command Post Quarterly' - the old Command Decision magazine, in the 'Compendium 1-3' edition of 1995, edited by GDW's Greg Novak. Command Decision however, would not be my rules of choice in this regard. 

Mid-battle, with British Paras having taken multiple Argentinean positions on the crest lines

The scenario is superbly written however, with all sorts of nuances (including provision for British Recce unit, armed with Stirling SMGs, who swapped them for Argentinean SLRs at first opportunity, during the battle, amongst other British units who preferred the auto-fire variant).

 The article/scenario ' Goose Green - New Orleans with Assault Rifles' was penned by none other than Frank Chadwick.

The scenario is of course based upon the assault by 2 Para at Goose Green on May 28th 1982, during the Falkland Islands campaign (with notice of the advance given out rashly, by BBC Radio, the night before). 

I used a very exciting variant of my favourite 'Field of Battle: WW2' - of which more to say in later posts. 

I mean yes, they look good - but these bloody hexes literally took 'years' to sort out...Airfield and Goose Green at far left of picture - but most of the fighting will be on the ridges in the centre.

A great scenario, with asset management being a key feature of this variant - including choosing when to use mortars and HMGs - and the difficult assaults on Argentine positions, becoming a key feature of the battle. 

Having laid out some 'water feature' for the Shipwreck game, I planted my hexes along it to illustrate the coast along Goose Green

Features included Goose Green, Darwin and Bocca house, with Argentinean companies both emplaced and acting later as reinforcements from the south in terms of 'walk-ons' and airborne (via helicopter but staying well away from British movements). 

A view looking south-east across the Argentine defensive foxholes, toward the airfield and Goose Green itself

Determined progress, punctuated by defenders' MG assets

B Company makes its way toward Darwin, whilst A and C Cos take the ridgeline on the British right

The battle develops into a full battalion attack

Argentine reinforcements arrive at the airfield. The cardboard was lovingly cut to suit at the last minute, when I discovered my old airfield model, with authentic tarmac, had been lost...

Attempts to reinforce the hill positions will be for naught - the British are moving too fast, and making early gains, despite heavy casualties

Part of Argentine 12th Infantry Regt - well ensconced along the ridgeline

B Company, on the move toward Darwin

Savage close assaults all along the Argentine defensive positions

Argentinian infantry makes it to Darwin, but is likely to be outnumbered unless they re-take the hills

Multiple close assaults go in

A bloody affair...

the battle for Darwin - 2 Para takes the well defended heights, at great cost. Luckily, a turn of dedicated infantry close assaults really paid off for them, as Argentinean defences simply caved in.

By the time Argentine morale runs out, the British are ready to move, rallied, and intent upon moving straight into the airfield...it's all over.

 A great little scenario, with many ways it can play out...

'Kynda Surprise' : Modern Naval action, with 'Shipwreck'

 Finally getting Martin Bourne's 'Shipwreck' rules to the table, with a short, yet cracking game, with Soviet Sovremenny and Kynda cruiser/destroyers vs US Arleigh Burke and Kidd class guided missile destroyers.

All minis are old Davco 1:3000. 

A pre-planned, radar-directed launch, of Soviet Pipe-Cleaners

 Now I tried a test play or two, and reasoned that if the Soviets could get a bearing on the US ships, their heavy missiles could do significant damage - the problem in the bigger game was that the Soviets had great trouble actually detecting the US ships before they had launched Harpoons (which are pretty devastating). 

HA! The yanks have pipe-cleaners too!!!

Turn sequence is very subtle - and I made early mistakes assuming that there is one round of combat in the combat phase before moving to next turn - actually this can go on for as long as missiles are in the air and shots are fired - my confusion perhaps stemming from me seeing on p.16 that 'guns' had six rounds of combat, when actually it's explained on p.7. An ongoing combat 'phase' actually makes the game move along seamlessly (and makes it very brutal if you miss a detection or two).

There is also a plethora of modern (80s) naval info for the uninitiated in the rulebook - right down to how missile radars basically work. I am sure much of this is supplanted by now, but it was all very interesting. These rules are from 1999 but still worth supporting. 

  

Guided Missile Cruisers - Harpoons aplenty. Painting courtesy of 'contrast paints from the evil empire'. I know, I know, I hate giving them money too - but I hate painting more!

 Game sequence is:

• Movement - 3" until contact made then 5" (though with a long combat phase, this can be decisive)
• Ship repairs (sometimes you don't get to do this - especially if whacked by multiple harpoons!!!) 
• Detection - set active or inactive radars - again , be careful what you wish for...
• Combat Turn - phases...'continues until no more missiles/aircraft making attacks' - and there is a neat sequence for what attacks when...
• Request Air Support.

Lovely ship stats - with weapon loads, AA and Anti ship, arcs of fire - which can be more important than you think, outlines for damage control and helicopter data...all available on the 'wargames vault' download site

Ranges also play a big part in terms of detection, as do helicopters - the eyes of the fleet, especially so here where the US player managed to get the drop on the Sovs, seeing them early, and launching early when info got through (it would appear by the rules that helicopters, bar one, don't get data-link). 

•  Very Short - 4 miles - or 4" at 1" to 1 nautical mile
• Short - 4-12
• Medium 12 -25
• Long 25-85
• V Long 85-150 (the harpoon's big advantage)
• Extreme 150+ 

US ships launch Sea Kings

The extra US chopper gains some advantage with radar spots on the Russian task-force, despite attempts to shoot them down

The Soviet helicopter? Not so lucky...

Missile launch. We used a radar 'on' counter in the detection phase, turned to show status after placing, to eliminate the need for notes per ship

That's a lot of ordnance flying toward them, even as the Soviets have real trouble detecting anything yet, they'll know soon enough

"uhhh Komrade Keptain...I think vee hev a problehm!"

Sovremenny goes down fast

An extremely nice game when you get the hang of it - very suggestive of both the difficulties with detection, and potential for destruction with modern naval. Excellent! 

'28 years later' ...and not the zombie version

Far from being a post related to the recent movie based on the waaay back '28 days/months later' skits, previous chat related to naval and 'Shipwreck', reminded me of the 1:3000 Navwar 'Moderns' (1980s) that I purchased 28 years ago...aaand painted yesterday.

A USN Battle-Group. Painting the eyes on the captains on their bridges, was a nightmare...

Now granted some work to do on the bases (including some labels), but once more, contrast paints work their wonders.

Not a painted deck

For anyone without their glasses on, who thinks I painted that deck detail on the carriers! - thanks, but they are printed on paper and stuck on. 

1980s Soviet Naval 'Aircraft Carrier Group', led by Admiral Kuznetsov

Pics include US: OHP Frigates, Nimitz, Spruance(s), Knox, Kidd and Bunker Hill. Soviet include: Kiev, Admiral Kuznetsov (currently at the bottom of a dock in reality, being scrapped), Udaloy, Berezina, Kresta, Sovremenny, Kynda and Kresta classes.

It's not rust Komrade!

A game of 'Shipwreck to follow. Now I have to find the ww2 ships that I bought 20 years ago also; Nimitz is calling too... 

Proper wargames packet art

WW1 Naval with 'When Dreadnoughts Ruled the Seas' ...and paper ships...

A quick game of these superb little ww1 naval rules with Steve. I have had WW2 and modern ship lying gathering dust for ages, but now WW1 - so I purchased a handy download of 'top-down' ships from 'Topside Minis' - which are excellent, and nicely detailed.

 

The Scharnhorst would not last long thanks to a '12' on the torpedo roll

 I based everything, including ship cards on 5mm black foam-board, and used pins as markers on the cards. All worked well. We used Coronel 1914 for this one, but larger games with multiple players should be straightforward enough.

 

 

The rules 'When Dreadnoughts ruled the seas" were originally released by Brian Dewitt in 2010 and then re-jigged by Battlebox Studios / the great guys at Little Wars TV more recently. 

 

There is also a Russo-Japanese version, which the LWTV guys have played and reviewed/presented on you-tube (below)

 

For the 270 degree arc of fire on turrets, we simply used the 'reverse' - as finding 90 degrees and sticking it on the 'back' of the turret to gauge firing arc seemed easier. Guns were mainly CS/Cruiser main guns and secondaries - the 2ndrys only ever do hull damage - but quite well as it turned out. A great little game - and very cost effective when combined with printed miniatures.

'Jazz Hands'

 

The turn sequence is elegant, such that:

• Initiative
• Side A move 1/2
• B move full
• A second 1/2
• B fire
• A fire
• Torpedoes (simultaneous - and rarely hit - but when they do!!! oh boy!)
• etc. 

Now if this reminds you of the X-Wing turn sequence - yep, I thought so too, and funny enough X-Wing came out 2 years later. The turning arcs (sized by ship class) are also a little reminiscent of X-wing, except internal rather than external arcs. I am sure any similarity is purely coincidental..although of course opposing move/firing mechanisms, and turning/flying arcs like this go right back to 1970s SPI stuff, so who knows?

Getting closer...

 

German light cruisers - who managed to be both annoying and deadly (one torpedo shot each) throughout the game.

GAHHH!!! as torpedoes take down the Scharnhorst before it gets a shot off...

 

Heavy cruisers - lethal at close range - to each other at least - but hull boxes and turn sequence choices (if you get initiative) have a beautiful game-play element all their own. The German ships had better firepower, whilst the British vessels could take more hits. A nice trade-off for a great scenario.

   

German heavy cruisers get..too close...

  

More deadly torpedo action...this time in the Germans' favour, but altogether too late for their fleet

 

Last stand of the Gniesenau

 Of course, this has prompted me to start reading some of the stuff that gathers dust on the bookshelf...  

Purchased in 1999; opened today ...what a great looking set of rules.

 

...with a fantastic scenario book so far...

also of course...Nimitz is in the pipeline