Foy-Noville 1945

Using the next level down of the Field of Battle hack (Goose Green had bases as platoons) - where one base is a squad, and maneuver elements are platoons/companies, we tackled the 'Foy-Noville' scenario - free at the 'Little Wars TV' website - written for Crossfire and of course featuring the famous attack on Foy, made famous by 'Band of Brothers' - both book and TV adaptation.

...some unexpected close assault action in Foy

   Great rules - sequencing and covering fire that gives a real ebb and flow of battle, with many surprises and a tight narrative.

German defences: 9th SS with armour in the centre of town, with Volksgrenadiers...and yes, not snowy enough

Easy company make a direct approach - and interestingly, I Company make a flanking move to their right (not a big company - more a platoon strength unit - but manages to do very well...and not around the back of the village this time...)

I Company flanks the 'building with the caved in roof'

Easy take plenty of casualties, stumbling into a minefield

Intense fire from the buildings, with heavy HMG assets

The flanking move by I Company works! ...initially

Easy Company start getting pushed back, quickly reduced in strength in the open...some make it to their right flank to support I Company

That Panzer IV has its engines revving for something - adding to infantry fire from the Volksgrenadiers - who have managed to flank Easy Company!

Remnants of Easy and I Company close assault the right of the village...

...in a fairly bloody action...

They manage to take it ...but

...a turn of initiative and close assault comes across the street from the German units straight into the shattered remnants of Easy 

with armour in support

Outside Foy - both sides are now deploying reinforcements - the side that gets to the town first will win the battle...

...as I Company retreat to the churchyard - after having been forced out of the town sector

US reinforcements however, have not only managed to move more quickly, G Company have ambushed the advancing German reinforcements in the flank, and in the open...hitting their morale deck hard"!

REmnants of Easy Company seize their chance, and ambush the German armour

..and it's all over - as the German's morale deck is tipped, and they fail their morale roll when it comes...another great game...except...more snow needed.

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!