Another Christmas bash with the guys, and a dusting off of the modern Sabre Squadron rules.
These were published a few years ago, have some echoes of WRG 80s sensibilities - combined with modern D10 systems, and still give a good game.
The scenario, prepped by Stephen, was roughly based on a Command Decision scenario for the Battle of Chinese Farm (which we've covered before), then bath-tubbed to the 1;1 armour scale of Sabre Squadron.
Some excellent terrain from Steve - as the sun goes down across the sands...
Another great game, and with superb 12mm models and kit from the guys' collections.
Israeli units on the start-line - a company of infantry and a company of armour
Lovely M48s
Egyptian units defend the ridgeline to the left of pic, the river represents the irrigation ditches at Chinese Farm; Israeli units will attack across the open ground, albeit with some cover for infantry due to folds in the ground.
...some lovely terrain on show for the BUA
T55s - in hull down position - not something we see a lot of...
Egptian units in the wadi/irrigation ditch
Though not particularly dangerous looking, these 4x Egyptian Sagger ATGW units would create absolute carnage. Lessons learned re. blinding them with smoke and/or suppressing them with MGs...
I mentioned the Sagger carnage, right?
T55s, at the ridgeline, will not last long - facing accurate Israeli long range fire
Infantry in the ditch - remember - these are 12mm scale
Israeli units take a lot of damage from the T55s however, before countering strongly
On the Egyptian left, Israeli units are being stymied by Sagger fire, while making some inroads on the right
The Israeli left - where a concerted attack goes in, but Recoiless Rifle fire, and surviving T55s firing at long range - with the addition of re-routed artillery missions, make a massive hole.
A lott of brewed up T55s
Though by the same token, Centurions are not faring well either, and now dismounted Israeli infantry comes under fierce artillery barrage, pining them for several desperate turns...
...will the same thing happen on the Israeli left?
30mm AA gun takes out infantry in the open...
Some Egyptian reserves, having a cigarette...it was 1973, it's allowed...
The attack on the Israeli right halted...
...and on the left, supressed harshly with artillery and RR fire
By game end, the Israeli attack had run out of steam, with some units stuck, and others withdrawing - though the Egyptians had also lost 75% of their tank force. Saggers had made a massive difference.
A very good scenario, and Sabre-Squadron gives a good game. It doesn't have the glitz perhaps of '7 days' but certainly covers all the bases that a modern set needs.
(I have been looking for an excuse to get 'Rock the Casbah' on a blog post for so long now...)
This game fell hard on the heels of the previous 1914 game, and though dealing with rules published by the same company, deals with the very different 'Seven Days' modern version, which, to be fair, is very well written and explained, and VERY playable.
As usual at Steve's bunker, the battlefield is superb
This was another Attack/Defence scenario 200 (ish) pointer for the Soviet attackers; played without the cards.
The models were 3d printed editions from Butlers Printed Models and the Plastic Soldier Company Soviets that came out for the Battlegroup Northag rules last year.
Soviet Units begin to move, using cover as they can, knowing that the defending Leaopards will be where they least expect them
Ahh...here's one of them now
One lucky tanker makes it across the wheatfield
This platoon is a little more cautious
German defenders at the crossroads
Easy...easy...
Soviet dismounts
inching toward the high ground
Soviet dismounts dash across the road toward the chemical plant
If they can take this position, they can flank the crossroad objective
But Leopards love to do that old 'shoot and scoot' thing
The Soviets start to move on their left now
...as infantry assaults through the warehouse section of the chemical plant
NATO satellite footage
Small numbers of Germans...but they have MILANs
...just like that, as a BRDM pops from cover and is killed before it can shoot its Sagger load...
MILAN discipline is nothing if not effective
Soviet Sagger teams lose their wheels
A German Jaguar now shows itself and begins to take kills amongst the T-64s
...there are dangerous gaps in the cover...which the German MILANs exploit
But some accurate T-64 fire takes out the Jaguar
Soviet infantry desperately assaults the German infantry dug in, in the woods
bloody fighting ensues, but the Soviets carry the position
...with cover fire from the T-64s on the high ground
...even taking out a Leopard at long range
German defenders at the houses around the crossroads objective
bloody fighting at the woods
BTR covering fire
T-64s taking kills even now
Germans at the crossroads still
We didn't manage to get finished, though still a genuinely entertaining set of rules, with much to like. This set, in particular, does not appear to suffer from the degree of rules queries that we might see in 'Iron Cross' and '1916', though.
