No Blitzkrieg Tonight: Bloody Bucket (2c/3)

We were able to connect yesterday to play another game in our Bloody Bucket campaign.You will remember from our last game that the Germans had taken Table 1 and had decided to Blitzkrieg Table 2, this was their second attempt to take the table. This time they came down the road rather than from the south as they had done from Assembly B at the beginning of turn 2.

As it was I still had a choice between the Probe scenario or the Attack and Defend scenario. I went for the Attack and Defend but for some reason I played the Patrol Phase, as if I was playing the Probe. I am not sure why I did this but it was the first of several bad moves in the game.

Sturm Platoon #1

CD 5 Green FM10

1 SL
3 man rifle grenadier team

1 Sturm Squad w/JL
1 LMG Squad w/JL 

JL

Supports

MMG Team

SL

Engineer Team
Sniper

PGB

American Rifle Platoon

CD 5 Regular FM 10

2 SL's w/ Bazooka Team

3 Rifle Squads w/JL

Supports

Extra BAR

2x Entrenchments

0.3 MMG team
3x Barbed Wire
Sniper

Well as you can see I have an excellent set up JOP's (green), that is if I was playing the Probe. I am half way down the long axis already and all I would have to do is push one team off the western edge to win. For Attack and Defend it was sort of hopeless as to get any cover I had to use my JOP on the eastern edge, cut the barb wire and run to the entrenchment or get into the house. Since I was approaching from the road, I could of easily placed my Patrol Markers in such a way that I would of started in the house and at least one of the entrenchments! Must be losing my mind.

Anyway, not much use to dwell on it, I popped my Sturm Squad west of my central southern JOP, and then foolishly dropped a LMG team and an engineer team off  just south of the barbwire. I failed to cut the wire, so was stuck on in the open. I was relying on my pregame barrage to stop the Americans from entering the fray, but in 2 phases they had everything down, destroyed my 2 teams in the open and my FM dropped from 10 to 5. I withdrew. It was probably one of the worst games I have played.

The Summing Up: Battle 3/Turn 2

Americans no losses

German Sturm Platoon #1 lost 5 dead and 3 wounded.

Campaign Tracker

Germans

Men's Opinion -2 

Overall Commander Outlook Affable (+1 FM)

Americans

Not tracked

So on to turn 3, I rolled up a 6 so another Sturm Platoon (3), so positions are as follows at the end of turn 2.

German Force Position
Sturm Platoon 1 on Table 1
Sturm Platoon 2 at Assembly Point B (but may still move)

Sturm Platoon 3 at Assembly Point A (entered at beginning of turn 3)

Here are some photos from Pierre-Yves.

FIW Buildings

 

Next up in solo testing of new rulesets is Muskets and Tomahawks v2. Myself and my friend Iannick have played a number of games with our FIW figures, but always in summer or fall kit. My image of this war is small units trudging through the snow. I have quite a bit of winter terrain and a mat for my WWII gaming, the buildings I have are a 20th century and 1/72 scale. My figures for FIW are 28 mm so I felt I needed a couple of buildings.

These 2 buildings are actually from Najewitz Modellbau's ACW collection but they looked OK for FIW. I had to scale them up, and I used Wood PLA to print them. I find the Wood PLA gives a nice effect. Once printed these buildings were washed with GW contrast paints and then drybrushed with acrylics. It seems to work, they were then winterized. I am happy with the result. I would like to find a log building as well as some fencing to add to the collection.

Next on to a playtest of the rules.