The President stood, looking out of his office window, shortly after receiving the good news about the latest battle with the Uwandan dogs. He stared out across the Presidential Garden, and could just faintly hear the sound of the engine, as he watched the first of the Soviet Mig 23 interceptors land at the airport on the other side of the capitol. Though his air force would not be receiving them, a least not yet, they would be available to stop Uwanda's control of the air.
In an hour, he would leave for that same airport to greet the Soviet paratroops arriving in their blue berets. He very much liked the blue berets. The President considered that he too needed paratroops of his very own, such that they might also sport the blue berets.
The President smiled. He had been told that he had a beautiful smile, and today, it was quite grand. Today was a good day, far better than yesterday, and tomorrow would no doubt be better yet!
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Sunday, February 16, 2020
AAR35: The Turning Point?
The battle for Objective 41 marked the point of the last significant Mugabian resistance before Uwanda made a run the enemy capitol. If the force at Objective 41 were destroyed, there would be only the Mugabian Presidential Guard left to protect Mugabia, a well equipped, but untested force.
Uwanda had been aware of near involvement by Cuban forces on at least two prior occasions, and their presence at Objective 41 caused no great concern. Uwanda knew that the Cubans would significantly strengthen the Mugabian defense, but it was believed that Uwanda's air power could overcome any advantage offered by the Cubans.
Mugabia Forces
1x HQ w/ 1x Truck, 2x GAZ69
31x Infantry sections in trucks, 1x Inf Btln
2x ZU23/2 with truck
4x ZPU4 with truck
6x 120mm Mortar with truck
Cuban Forces
1x HQ w/1x BMP1, 2x GAZ69, 1x truck
10x T-55
10x BMP1
1x BRDM2
Uwanda Forces
1x HQ in 2x Saracen
8x Vickers MkIII
11x Firefly
26x Saracen with Infantry, 2x Mech. Inf. Companies
2x Saladin
4x M7 Priest
Mugabia deployed its infantry in multiple layers of defense, again hoping to draw Uwanda into a soldiers' fight. Once the Cubans arrived, their forces were worked in to offer overlapping fields of fire and standoff capability against the long ranged Uwandan armor.
A Strikmaster flew over Mugabian forces prior to the attack, spotting some of the enemy positions and noting the Cuban armor. Mugabian AA guns opened up on the intruding aircraft with no effect.
The Uwandans scouts advanced from the high ground southwest of the village, spotting the leading edge of Mugabian forces after some effort. The Uwandan main force advanced in two groups, the first on the same high ground as the scouts, and a second force consisting of Firefly tanks and Saracen APCs coming up the road, then shifting south to join the attack to the south of the village.
The Uwandans hoped to get a concentration of fire, allowing them to quickly overrun the southern forces and then turn north against the remaining enemy forces. Vickers tanks would offer an over-watch from the high ground with their 105mm guns, while the infantry supported by Fireflies at closer range would churn through the Mugabians.
As firing began, BMPs in hull down positions engaged Vickers tanks with Sagger ATGMS, killing two in the first volley, then adding more as Mugabian heavy mortars offered some cover to the BMPs.
The advance was not moving forward as favorably as expected, so Strikemasters were called on earlier than intended to keep the northern Mugabian forces honest, and inflict some damage. Uwanda's second force pushed up the road, eventually taking a few long range losses to Saggers and T-55 cannon fire.
The Uwandan's on the high ground advanced, exchanging fire with the BMPs, one of which was knocked out early. The others survived due to their hull-down positions exposing little of the vehicles to enemy fire.
As the Vickers tanks took losses on the high ground, the Fireflies began taking fire on the road, forcing them to move off-road to the south. As they advanced, they continued to take some fire from the north side of the road, both from T55s, and BMPs. Additionally, they started taking fire from the southern portion of the enemy forces.
The Fireflies attempted to return fire, but were at the limits of their range, and couldn't penetrate the thick hides of the T55s , even when they did score hits.
All the while, the ground forces were repeatedly supported by the eight Strikemasters assigned to the battle. Unfortunately for the Uwandan forces, the jets failed to inflict much damage with their bombs, failing on at least five occasions to have any effect on T55s within the blast of well placed bombs.
Uwandan morale remained strong despite the losses, and in time the southern Uwandan force scored enough hits on infantry and BMPs to force the first line of Mugabian defense to fall back. This ultimately worked againstf the Uwandans, as they simply took more losses before morale failed, and the withdraw took place.
By this time the withdrawing Uwandans were starting to be flanked from the north, with no Fireflies remaining, the northern-most infantry company continued to take losses; while, the southern withdrawal was covered to some extent by the Vickers Mk. IIIs. The southern force was continuously harassed by heavy mortar fire, though took no additional losses.
Uwanda's last action was to send in a flight of four Strikemasters, in which three well placed bombs destroyed a single squad of infantry, and a second Strikemaster was shot down by Mugabin AA guns.
Mugabian losses:
1x AML90
1x ZPU4
7x trucks
5KIA
6x WIA
Uwandan Equipment Captured:
2x Firefly
1x Vickers Mk.III
1x Saladin
Cuban losses:
1x T55
3x BMP1
6x KIA
10x WIA
Uwanda Losses:
11x Firefly
5x vickers Mk. III
6x Saracen
1x Saladin
25x KIA
23x KIA
2x Strikemaster
2x Strikemaster damaged and out of action
_________________________________________
The results of this battle are not a great surprise, though the lack of damage inflicted by the Strikemasters was somewhat less than I anticipated. I expected that the Fireflies would find themselves at a terrible disadvantage, and they did. And the Vickers' thin armor was exposed, not that any other tank of the era would stand up well to the Saggers, but they didn't stand up to the T55s either. The advantage of their long range 105mm guns was negated by the fact that they could not see their enemy at long enough range to take advantage of it.
In retrospect, if the Uwandan forces had attacked from the high ground to the northwest of the town, they would have probably made better use of their longer ranged guns, but I found the idea of closing over that open ground with the Uwandan infantry too intimidating, allowing myself to overly influenced by the inability to bring them into action in earlier battles.
The Saggers were a problem that the Uwandans had no answer for, and their forces carry no equivalent weapon. The largest remaining Muganian force is the Presidential Guard, which features many T55s, and though it doesn't have BMP1s, it is equipped with BRDMs with Saggers.
In any event, an interesting point has been reached in the conflict, and I'm not sure where it will go from here, Time to consult the the dice.
Objective B41 is at the extreme right on the map above.
Objectives B6, B21, B22, B29, and B30 are currently occupied
by Uwanda's forces.
Uwanda had been aware of near involvement by Cuban forces on at least two prior occasions, and their presence at Objective 41 caused no great concern. Uwanda knew that the Cubans would significantly strengthen the Mugabian defense, but it was believed that Uwanda's air power could overcome any advantage offered by the Cubans.
Uwanda's view of the battlefield looking east. Uwanda's main
force attacks from the rise lower right, with a second force
entering on the road.
Mugabia's view looking west, prior to deployment.
Mugabia Forces
1x HQ w/ 1x Truck, 2x GAZ69
31x Infantry sections in trucks, 1x Inf Btln
2x ZU23/2 with truck
4x ZPU4 with truck
6x 120mm Mortar with truck
Cuban Forces
1x HQ w/1x BMP1, 2x GAZ69, 1x truck
10x T-55
10x BMP1
1x BRDM2
Uwanda Forces
1x HQ in 2x Saracen
8x Vickers MkIII
11x Firefly
26x Saracen with Infantry, 2x Mech. Inf. Companies
2x Saladin
4x M7 Priest
Mugabia deployed its infantry in multiple layers of defense, again hoping to draw Uwanda into a soldiers' fight. Once the Cubans arrived, their forces were worked in to offer overlapping fields of fire and standoff capability against the long ranged Uwandan armor.
Mugabian forces deployed in and around the town.
A Strikmaster flew over Mugabian forces prior to the attack, spotting some of the enemy positions and noting the Cuban armor. Mugabian AA guns opened up on the intruding aircraft with no effect.
The Uwandans scouts advanced from the high ground southwest of the village, spotting the leading edge of Mugabian forces after some effort. The Uwandan main force advanced in two groups, the first on the same high ground as the scouts, and a second force consisting of Firefly tanks and Saracen APCs coming up the road, then shifting south to join the attack to the south of the village.
The Uwandans hoped to get a concentration of fire, allowing them to quickly overrun the southern forces and then turn north against the remaining enemy forces. Vickers tanks would offer an over-watch from the high ground with their 105mm guns, while the infantry supported by Fireflies at closer range would churn through the Mugabians.
As firing began, BMPs in hull down positions engaged Vickers tanks with Sagger ATGMS, killing two in the first volley, then adding more as Mugabian heavy mortars offered some cover to the BMPs.
The fight begins as BMP1s open up with their Sagger ATGMs
The advance was not moving forward as favorably as expected, so Strikemasters were called on earlier than intended to keep the northern Mugabian forces honest, and inflict some damage. Uwanda's second force pushed up the road, eventually taking a few long range losses to Saggers and T-55 cannon fire.
Uwana's Air Force destroying mostly shrubs and trees.
The Uwandan's on the high ground advanced, exchanging fire with the BMPs, one of which was knocked out early. The others survived due to their hull-down positions exposing little of the vehicles to enemy fire.
As the Vickers tanks took losses on the high ground, the Fireflies began taking fire on the road, forcing them to move off-road to the south. As they advanced, they continued to take some fire from the north side of the road, both from T55s, and BMPs. Additionally, they started taking fire from the southern portion of the enemy forces.
Both of Uwanda's forces taking more damage than they were dishing out.
The Fireflies attempted to return fire, but were at the limits of their range, and couldn't penetrate the thick hides of the T55s , even when they did score hits.
The Fireflies finally score a couple of hits, but have taken a beating.
Uwana's southern force has almost advanced enough to dismount infantry.
All the while, the ground forces were repeatedly supported by the eight Strikemasters assigned to the battle. Unfortunately for the Uwandan forces, the jets failed to inflict much damage with their bombs, failing on at least five occasions to have any effect on T55s within the blast of well placed bombs.
Uwandan morale remained strong despite the losses, and in time the southern Uwandan force scored enough hits on infantry and BMPs to force the first line of Mugabian defense to fall back. This ultimately worked againstf the Uwandans, as they simply took more losses before morale failed, and the withdraw took place.
Mugabians falling back to their next line of defense.
By this time the withdrawing Uwandans were starting to be flanked from the north, with no Fireflies remaining, the northern-most infantry company continued to take losses; while, the southern withdrawal was covered to some extent by the Vickers Mk. IIIs. The southern force was continuously harassed by heavy mortar fire, though took no additional losses.
Uwanda's forces in retreat.
Uwanda's last action was to send in a flight of four Strikemasters, in which three well placed bombs destroyed a single squad of infantry, and a second Strikemaster was shot down by Mugabin AA guns.
Uwanda's last gasp, Strikemasters trying to cover the withdrawal
of their counterparts on the ground.
Mugabian losses:
1x AML90
1x ZPU4
7x trucks
5KIA
6x WIA
Uwandan Equipment Captured:
2x Firefly
1x Vickers Mk.III
1x Saladin
Cuban losses:
1x T55
3x BMP1
6x KIA
10x WIA
Uwanda Losses:
11x Firefly
5x vickers Mk. III
6x Saracen
1x Saladin
25x KIA
23x KIA
2x Strikemaster
2x Strikemaster damaged and out of action
_________________________________________
The results of this battle are not a great surprise, though the lack of damage inflicted by the Strikemasters was somewhat less than I anticipated. I expected that the Fireflies would find themselves at a terrible disadvantage, and they did. And the Vickers' thin armor was exposed, not that any other tank of the era would stand up well to the Saggers, but they didn't stand up to the T55s either. The advantage of their long range 105mm guns was negated by the fact that they could not see their enemy at long enough range to take advantage of it.
In retrospect, if the Uwandan forces had attacked from the high ground to the northwest of the town, they would have probably made better use of their longer ranged guns, but I found the idea of closing over that open ground with the Uwandan infantry too intimidating, allowing myself to overly influenced by the inability to bring them into action in earlier battles.
The Saggers were a problem that the Uwandans had no answer for, and their forces carry no equivalent weapon. The largest remaining Muganian force is the Presidential Guard, which features many T55s, and though it doesn't have BMP1s, it is equipped with BRDMs with Saggers.
In any event, an interesting point has been reached in the conflict, and I'm not sure where it will go from here, Time to consult the the dice.
Sunday, February 9, 2020
The Cubans Will Fight (15mm African Imagi-nations)
Castro had sent advisers to Mugabia almost two years prior to the outbreak of the current war, and they had indeed improved the quality of the Mugabian forces that they had trained. They might have done more, but President Mpepo-Mfuko had been careful to only allow the most loyal units to be trained.
Colonel Kiambu was so pleased to see the arrival of the Cuban Colonel at his headquarters, that he actually smiled, a very rare occurrence. He greeted the the Cuban, Colonel Ramirez, and invited him to sit down.
The Cubans had already formally announced that they would help Mugabia in the fight against Uwanda, but this was the first instance of Cuban forces formally deploying for battle. Ramirez's force was small but formidable, built around a company of T55 MBTs and a company of infantry mounted in BMP1s.
After exchanging pleasantries, the two officers discussed integrating the Cuban forces into the defense of Objective B41, the next obstacle in the path of the Uwandan advance. While the Cubans would make up only about a third of the total force, they represented a disproportionately large portion of the total firepower available.
The morale of the Mugabian troops grew appreciably, after seeing the Cubans arrive. They were particularly impressed with the Cuban tanks and personnel carriers. Mugabia did have T55s, but few Mugabian soldiers had seen them, as most were reserved for the Presidential Guard. The Mugabians had not seen the BMP before, as the the BTR60 was their most capable APC.
The discipline and professionalism of the Cubans was similarly impressive. With such an ally, how could they possibly loose?
____________________________________________
In Uwanda, the news of growing Cuban involvement came as some surprise. Mostly because the Democratic Republic of Mugabia was a dictatorship with very little communism. That Castro would be so supportive of furthering the revolution in Mugabia seemed unlikely.
Despite the news being bad, most of Uwanda's leadership was not overly concerned, as Cuban forces in Mugabia were small in number, and for the most part, spread thinly across various training centers.
Still, there was a minority of Uwandan officers that saw this as a very unwelcome development, as there was a growing sense that Uwanda did not have the operational reach to achieve their objectives, and the addition of even a small number of Cubans would make that reach just that much shorter.
Colonel Kiambu was so pleased to see the arrival of the Cuban Colonel at his headquarters, that he actually smiled, a very rare occurrence. He greeted the the Cuban, Colonel Ramirez, and invited him to sit down.
The Cubans had already formally announced that they would help Mugabia in the fight against Uwanda, but this was the first instance of Cuban forces formally deploying for battle. Ramirez's force was small but formidable, built around a company of T55 MBTs and a company of infantry mounted in BMP1s.
After exchanging pleasantries, the two officers discussed integrating the Cuban forces into the defense of Objective B41, the next obstacle in the path of the Uwandan advance. While the Cubans would make up only about a third of the total force, they represented a disproportionately large portion of the total firepower available.
The morale of the Mugabian troops grew appreciably, after seeing the Cubans arrive. They were particularly impressed with the Cuban tanks and personnel carriers. Mugabia did have T55s, but few Mugabian soldiers had seen them, as most were reserved for the Presidential Guard. The Mugabians had not seen the BMP before, as the the BTR60 was their most capable APC.
The discipline and professionalism of the Cubans was similarly impressive. With such an ally, how could they possibly loose?
____________________________________________
In Uwanda, the news of growing Cuban involvement came as some surprise. Mostly because the Democratic Republic of Mugabia was a dictatorship with very little communism. That Castro would be so supportive of furthering the revolution in Mugabia seemed unlikely.
Despite the news being bad, most of Uwanda's leadership was not overly concerned, as Cuban forces in Mugabia were small in number, and for the most part, spread thinly across various training centers.
Still, there was a minority of Uwandan officers that saw this as a very unwelcome development, as there was a growing sense that Uwanda did not have the operational reach to achieve their objectives, and the addition of even a small number of Cubans would make that reach just that much shorter.
Friday, February 7, 2020
The Traveling Chinese Artist
A little off topic tonight.
I first encountered him, when I was maybe eight years of age. He had a temporary display of paintings at The Hub department store in Steubenville, Ohio. To my young eyes, he was an older Chinese man, an artist who captivated me with his amazing finger paintings of various blossoms, plants, scenes and tigers. Oh my, the tigers were truly fantastic pieces, haunting, eyes following you, whatever your vantage point, ready to leap out of the canvas at any moment.
The Hub in its own right was an interesting thing. A big city department store in a small Midwestern town, with stores in other cities around the state, and maybe beyond. As I understand it, the store actually leased departments or floors out to larger department stores such as Macy's and Gimbels, and whatnot. It featured a range of mid to upscale product lines, and in my case was a source for some of the more interesting toys of the 1960s and early 1970s.
For a period in the early 1970s, I believe in the late summer, each year a traveling artist would display his water color finger paintings and offer them for sale for a couple of weeks at the store. He would set up an easel and paint while at the store, talking to passers-by and prospective buyers all the while.
When I first encountered him, I had recently started painting with acrylics, and had never seen finger painting taken to an art form. His paintings were wonderful and very inspiring to me. As a result, I spent quite some time watching him paint, noting his method, the consistency of the paint, etc.
He in turn noted my interest, and began talking to me, already understanding that I had more than a typical child's interest in painting and art, and took some time to share more detail about his method and style, conveying his passion for what he did, and inspiring me to paint and create. He explained that I had a gift, discussing the shape of my hand and fingers as being an indication of ability, and leaving me with enduring inspiration to pursue my artistic interests.
He also shared how he came to be an artist, which is one of the reasons I share this story here. He had been a soldier in China, and fought against Japan. I remember him as being similar in age, or just slightly older than the WWII veterans that I new as a child, and so I'm guessing that he fought in the second Sino-Japanese War starting in 1937.
During a battle, his unit was overran and he was captured by the Japanese, ultimately being held in a prison camp for some time. He described being held in some sort of cell or space with masonry walls and described how he started finger painting pictures of prisoners and guards on the walls using water from puddles and dirt from the floor.
The Japanese noted his paintings, which were apparently quite good, and he was given paint and ordered to paint a portrait of the commander of the prison, which as I remember it was given to the officers wife as a gift.
After some time, the Japanese started killing the Chinese prisoners. He was made to paint portraits of the various officers, and occasional high ranking visitors of the prison. In time there were few prisoners left, each being kept alive, because they served some purpose to their keepers. In the end, he survived the war because of his ability as a painter, eventually made his way to the United States, and decades later, inspired a little boy on his path to becoming a professional model builder.
He was one of several major sources of inspiration during my life, and I think of him from time to time, wishing I had opportunity later in life to learn more of his art, and his history. I don't know his name, but if by some chance, you do, or think that you might have come into contact with him, please share your experience (and maybe his name).
I first encountered him, when I was maybe eight years of age. He had a temporary display of paintings at The Hub department store in Steubenville, Ohio. To my young eyes, he was an older Chinese man, an artist who captivated me with his amazing finger paintings of various blossoms, plants, scenes and tigers. Oh my, the tigers were truly fantastic pieces, haunting, eyes following you, whatever your vantage point, ready to leap out of the canvas at any moment.
The Hub in its own right was an interesting thing. A big city department store in a small Midwestern town, with stores in other cities around the state, and maybe beyond. As I understand it, the store actually leased departments or floors out to larger department stores such as Macy's and Gimbels, and whatnot. It featured a range of mid to upscale product lines, and in my case was a source for some of the more interesting toys of the 1960s and early 1970s.
For a period in the early 1970s, I believe in the late summer, each year a traveling artist would display his water color finger paintings and offer them for sale for a couple of weeks at the store. He would set up an easel and paint while at the store, talking to passers-by and prospective buyers all the while.
When I first encountered him, I had recently started painting with acrylics, and had never seen finger painting taken to an art form. His paintings were wonderful and very inspiring to me. As a result, I spent quite some time watching him paint, noting his method, the consistency of the paint, etc.
He in turn noted my interest, and began talking to me, already understanding that I had more than a typical child's interest in painting and art, and took some time to share more detail about his method and style, conveying his passion for what he did, and inspiring me to paint and create. He explained that I had a gift, discussing the shape of my hand and fingers as being an indication of ability, and leaving me with enduring inspiration to pursue my artistic interests.
He also shared how he came to be an artist, which is one of the reasons I share this story here. He had been a soldier in China, and fought against Japan. I remember him as being similar in age, or just slightly older than the WWII veterans that I new as a child, and so I'm guessing that he fought in the second Sino-Japanese War starting in 1937.
During a battle, his unit was overran and he was captured by the Japanese, ultimately being held in a prison camp for some time. He described being held in some sort of cell or space with masonry walls and described how he started finger painting pictures of prisoners and guards on the walls using water from puddles and dirt from the floor.
The Japanese noted his paintings, which were apparently quite good, and he was given paint and ordered to paint a portrait of the commander of the prison, which as I remember it was given to the officers wife as a gift.
After some time, the Japanese started killing the Chinese prisoners. He was made to paint portraits of the various officers, and occasional high ranking visitors of the prison. In time there were few prisoners left, each being kept alive, because they served some purpose to their keepers. In the end, he survived the war because of his ability as a painter, eventually made his way to the United States, and decades later, inspired a little boy on his path to becoming a professional model builder.
He was one of several major sources of inspiration during my life, and I think of him from time to time, wishing I had opportunity later in life to learn more of his art, and his history. I don't know his name, but if by some chance, you do, or think that you might have come into contact with him, please share your experience (and maybe his name).
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
AAR34: The Big Clash (African Imagi-Nations)
His very presence indicated the importance of the upcoming battle to his men, General Mnyama would lead the fight directly. Word had spread among the troops about how devastating the Uwandan forces had been, reinforced by the fact that they were already this deep into Mugabia after only four days.
The General inspected the emplacements built by his men. They had worked hard, and he was proud of them. He had been born for this, to lead men into battle and do what man did best... War! He had no doubt that he would win this battle, for he was General Mnyama. It was his destiny to be a great soldier, a great general, and in time, a great president.
The battle for Objective B30 is probably the most important battle to date, and certainly the largest, involving approximately 150 vehicles between the two forces.
Mugabian Forces:
HQ: 1x BTR152, 2x Jeep
Tank Cpy: 10x T34/85
2x Inf Cpy: 21x BTR152 w/18 Inf Squads
2x Inf Cpy: 21x Truck w/18 Inf Squads
3 Recce Sec: 2x BRDM2, 4x AML90
1 Mortar Btty: 6x 122 Mort. w/truck
ADA: 2xZU23/2 w/Truck, 2x SA9
The Mugabians are set up along the western edge of the town with multiple lines of defense intending to draw Uwanda into a tangled and costly infantry fight. SA9s are on the rise south east of town. The mortars are set up to the northeast of the town. The Mugabian HQ is set up in a large two story building in the center of town.
Uwandan Forces:
HQ: 2x Saracen
Tank Cpy: 13x Firefly
Tank Cpy: 8x Firefly
Tank Cpy: 8x Vickers MkIII
2 Inf Cpy: 26x Saracen w/24 Inf Squads
1 Inf Pltn: 4x Saracen with 3x Inf Squad
1 Inf pltn: 7x Saracen with 6x Inf Squad
Recce Pltn: 5x Saladin
ADA Pltn: 4x M42
Arty btty: 4x 105mm How. w/truck, 1x UC
Arty Btty: 4x M7, 1x UC
Aircraft
2x F5E
2x F5A
8x Strikemaster
The Uwandans attack from the west edge of the table, broken into two forces. The first consisting of the Firefly company and the short Infantry company attacked south of the main East/west road towards the Mugabian main line with the intent of drawing in the Mugabian forces.
The second Uwandan force, consisting of the two full infantry companies and the Vickers MBT company attacked through the rough ground north of the main road, generally north of the stream, planning to circle around the town to the north and cut off any retreat.
A reserve force consisted of the short Firefly company and the remaining infantry platoon
The Battle
The attack started more or less as planned, with Saladins searching for the Mugabian lines. To the south both sides found each other at about the same time, with the Saladins taking mortar fire, soon after reporting contact with the Mugabian line to the south. It took somewhat longer for the center and northern recce elements, but both eventually found the Mugabians.
The initial Uwandan force attacked south of the main road, lead by the Fireflies, witch began taking fire from T34/85s at around 1000-1200 meters. The T34s scored a few of early hits tracking and destroying Fireflies, with only a single loss. The advance continued until the forward-most Mugabian infantry were able to score their first hit with an RPG.
Over the next several turns, the Shermans took a beating while while destroying few infantry and another T34. Artillery was called for, but had little effect. Eventually the reserve was sent bounding down the road at maximum speed, and a flight of Strikemasters were called on to try to silence the t34s.
As the first Strikemaster lined up its bomb run, the SA9s both launched a single missle at the pair. The first strikemaster was critically hit and went down somewhere east of the town. Additionally, one of the second pair of planes was damaged by a ZU23/2, and the second of the lead pair was damaged by an SA9 after dropping its bomb, which did destroy some infantry, though not the intended T34.
All of this time the northern force advanced, somewhat slowly, but mostly without menace. Unfortunately this left the southern force to take its pounding, as the T34s had outstanding luck for quite some time. Just as the southern force was about the break, the reserve came up the road, and saved the day, at least for awhile.
T34s started to take losses, as did Mugabian infantry. More Fireflies were also hit with some destroyed and others tracked. The Northern force made contact with the Mugabians, finding that they had not been drawn off, and started taking a few losses of its own.
To the south, the Mugabians simply ran out of T34s, before the Uwandans ran out of Fireflies, and the remaining Uwandan armor started to kill Mugabian infantry, forcing the Mugabians to pull back. The northern force benefited from the advance of the Vickers MBTs, whose modern 105mm guns finished off the northern T34s without loss, and then began to pick on the Mugabian infantry along the main north/south road.
Meanwhile, the three Fireflies that had destroyed a small number of enemy infantry in the center of town, noticed the activity on the big two story building and relayed that they thought they had found a Mugabian command center. Shortly afterward, both Uwandan batteries squarely hit thier target for the first time all day, silencing the Mugabian headquarters, which began an avalanche of chaos for the Mugabians.
General Mnyama was mostly pleased with the battle so far. The Mugabians had inflicted significant losses, and if his infantry could withdraw in an orderly fashion, while maintaining the figh. Maybe the Mugabians could possibly bleed the Uwanadans to a stop.
Just as the general commanded his mortars to move fire to the Uwandans to the North, there was a tremendous sound of thunder, and then the world went dark...
As the Mugabians to the north began to fall back, Uwandan aircraft appeared from the north, leaving potholes in the road and withdrawing Mugabians. Other aircraft hunted down the relocating BRDMs and destroyed them, though one did fly directly over a ZU23 and take damage from it.
By this time the battle was over, retreating Mugabians were shot to pieces and many were captured. Both sides had a similar amount of heavy equipment destroyed. The difference came in loss of men and captured equipment, where Uwanda was much to the good. Still, Uwanda's force would be much harder pressed to win a second battle of this size.
When the general came too, there was a Uwandan medic crouching over him, telling him not to move. He was in the rubble of his headquarters building, and immediately felt terrific pain all over his body. The medic tried to comfort the General, who bared the pain as best he could. After a moment, the pain began to subside, "the medicine must be working"' he thought. The medic looked up and shook his head, as the General became confused, not understanding why he heard his mother tspeaking to him. The general's face softened, he smiled slightly, and closed his eyes for the last time.
The curious thing about this battle is that it was almost a Uwandan loss. The southern attacking force was at the breaking point with the early loss of Fireflies, and barely made their last morale roll, before the reserve force arrived.
In the end though, the Mugabian infantry had to get inside of 600 meters range of the Uwandans to have any affect on them, and they just couldn't quite hold on long enough to get into range before taking casualties and being forced to fall back.
Once the HQ and the general were lost, everything fell apart. The general afforded a morale bonus that held the Mugabians together prior to that. At the point where they needed it the most, they lost it, and then lost everything.
The Vickers Mk IIIs performed better than I expected in their first outing, never actually being hit by anything. They outranged the few T34s that they encountered, and then diced up retreating infantry and APCs. I feared that their thinner armor (than the Centurions that they are replacing) might result in some loses, but it didn't happen.
The loss of the Mugabian General was one of those surprises that happen in games like this. I roll up leaders for the various units, most are average and yield no advantage by their presence. By chance, he was a superior leader that gave his troops a number of advantages through his presence. Given some of the other things going on in the game, his loss probably eliminates what might have been an interesting story line farther into the campaign.
Losses were as follows:
Uwanda Losses:
10x Firefly
6x Saracen
3x Saladin
1x M42
1x Strikemaster jet
25 KIA
25WIA
Captured from Mugabia
20x trucks
16x BTR152
2x ZU23/2
81 POW (48 WIA)
Mugabia Losses:
10x T34/85
9x BTR152
2x BRDM2
3x AML90
2x SA9
1x truck
2x GAZ69
I need to get back to the strategic map, and figure out what is next. There are several things going on that may soon come in to play, so it should be interesting to see where the campaign heads.
The General inspected the emplacements built by his men. They had worked hard, and he was proud of them. He had been born for this, to lead men into battle and do what man did best... War! He had no doubt that he would win this battle, for he was General Mnyama. It was his destiny to be a great soldier, a great general, and in time, a great president.
The battle for Objective B30 is probably the most important battle to date, and certainly the largest, involving approximately 150 vehicles between the two forces.
Objective B30 is to the right of center on the map above.
The Uwandan view, looking East
The Mugabian view, looking west, with trays of Mugabian equipment
and infantry on the table edge
Mugabian Forces:
HQ: 1x BTR152, 2x Jeep
Tank Cpy: 10x T34/85
2x Inf Cpy: 21x BTR152 w/18 Inf Squads
2x Inf Cpy: 21x Truck w/18 Inf Squads
3 Recce Sec: 2x BRDM2, 4x AML90
1 Mortar Btty: 6x 122 Mort. w/truck
ADA: 2xZU23/2 w/Truck, 2x SA9
The Mugabians are set up along the western edge of the town with multiple lines of defense intending to draw Uwanda into a tangled and costly infantry fight. SA9s are on the rise south east of town. The mortars are set up to the northeast of the town. The Mugabian HQ is set up in a large two story building in the center of town.
Uwandan Forces:
HQ: 2x Saracen
Tank Cpy: 13x Firefly
Tank Cpy: 8x Firefly
Tank Cpy: 8x Vickers MkIII
2 Inf Cpy: 26x Saracen w/24 Inf Squads
1 Inf Pltn: 4x Saracen with 3x Inf Squad
1 Inf pltn: 7x Saracen with 6x Inf Squad
Recce Pltn: 5x Saladin
ADA Pltn: 4x M42
Arty btty: 4x 105mm How. w/truck, 1x UC
Arty Btty: 4x M7, 1x UC
Aircraft
2x F5E
2x F5A
8x Strikemaster
The Uwandans attack from the west edge of the table, broken into two forces. The first consisting of the Firefly company and the short Infantry company attacked south of the main East/west road towards the Mugabian main line with the intent of drawing in the Mugabian forces.
The second Uwandan force, consisting of the two full infantry companies and the Vickers MBT company attacked through the rough ground north of the main road, generally north of the stream, planning to circle around the town to the north and cut off any retreat.
A reserve force consisted of the short Firefly company and the remaining infantry platoon
The Battle
The attack started more or less as planned, with Saladins searching for the Mugabian lines. To the south both sides found each other at about the same time, with the Saladins taking mortar fire, soon after reporting contact with the Mugabian line to the south. It took somewhat longer for the center and northern recce elements, but both eventually found the Mugabians.
Uwandan Saladins of the "northern" force look for their enemy.
The initial Uwandan force attacked south of the main road, lead by the Fireflies, witch began taking fire from T34/85s at around 1000-1200 meters. The T34s scored a few of early hits tracking and destroying Fireflies, with only a single loss. The advance continued until the forward-most Mugabian infantry were able to score their first hit with an RPG.
The Uwandan "southern" force begins to take losses.
A Mugabian T34 can be seen smoking on the road near the town.
Over the next several turns, the Shermans took a beating while while destroying few infantry and another T34. Artillery was called for, but had little effect. Eventually the reserve was sent bounding down the road at maximum speed, and a flight of Strikemasters were called on to try to silence the t34s.
The Ugabian reserve force has started up the road, and air support
has been called in.
The Strikemaster was hit by the second of two SA( missiles.
All of this time the northern force advanced, somewhat slowly, but mostly without menace. Unfortunately this left the southern force to take its pounding, as the T34s had outstanding luck for quite some time. Just as the southern force was about the break, the reserve came up the road, and saved the day, at least for awhile.
The Uwandan reserve force attacks from the road.
T34s started to take losses, as did Mugabian infantry. More Fireflies were also hit with some destroyed and others tracked. The Northern force made contact with the Mugabians, finding that they had not been drawn off, and started taking a few losses of its own.
Mugabian forces starting to be overrun.
The Uwandan northern forces closes with the first line of Mugabian defense.
To the south, the Mugabians simply ran out of T34s, before the Uwandans ran out of Fireflies, and the remaining Uwandan armor started to kill Mugabian infantry, forcing the Mugabians to pull back. The northern force benefited from the advance of the Vickers MBTs, whose modern 105mm guns finished off the northern T34s without loss, and then began to pick on the Mugabian infantry along the main north/south road.
Meanwhile, the three Fireflies that had destroyed a small number of enemy infantry in the center of town, noticed the activity on the big two story building and relayed that they thought they had found a Mugabian command center. Shortly afterward, both Uwandan batteries squarely hit thier target for the first time all day, silencing the Mugabian headquarters, which began an avalanche of chaos for the Mugabians.
The plume from Uwandan artillery hitting the command post can
be seen in the distance.
General Mnyama was mostly pleased with the battle so far. The Mugabians had inflicted significant losses, and if his infantry could withdraw in an orderly fashion, while maintaining the figh. Maybe the Mugabians could possibly bleed the Uwanadans to a stop.
Just as the general commanded his mortars to move fire to the Uwandans to the North, there was a tremendous sound of thunder, and then the world went dark...
As the Mugabians to the north began to fall back, Uwandan aircraft appeared from the north, leaving potholes in the road and withdrawing Mugabians. Other aircraft hunted down the relocating BRDMs and destroyed them, though one did fly directly over a ZU23 and take damage from it.
By this time the battle was over, retreating Mugabians were shot to pieces and many were captured. Both sides had a similar amount of heavy equipment destroyed. The difference came in loss of men and captured equipment, where Uwanda was much to the good. Still, Uwanda's force would be much harder pressed to win a second battle of this size.
Mugabian infantry attempting to escape. Most were captured or killed.
When the general came too, there was a Uwandan medic crouching over him, telling him not to move. He was in the rubble of his headquarters building, and immediately felt terrific pain all over his body. The medic tried to comfort the General, who bared the pain as best he could. After a moment, the pain began to subside, "the medicine must be working"' he thought. The medic looked up and shook his head, as the General became confused, not understanding why he heard his mother tspeaking to him. The general's face softened, he smiled slightly, and closed his eyes for the last time.
A final view from the Mugabian perspective.
_____________________________________________The curious thing about this battle is that it was almost a Uwandan loss. The southern attacking force was at the breaking point with the early loss of Fireflies, and barely made their last morale roll, before the reserve force arrived.
In the end though, the Mugabian infantry had to get inside of 600 meters range of the Uwandans to have any affect on them, and they just couldn't quite hold on long enough to get into range before taking casualties and being forced to fall back.
Once the HQ and the general were lost, everything fell apart. The general afforded a morale bonus that held the Mugabians together prior to that. At the point where they needed it the most, they lost it, and then lost everything.
The Vickers Mk IIIs performed better than I expected in their first outing, never actually being hit by anything. They outranged the few T34s that they encountered, and then diced up retreating infantry and APCs. I feared that their thinner armor (than the Centurions that they are replacing) might result in some loses, but it didn't happen.
The loss of the Mugabian General was one of those surprises that happen in games like this. I roll up leaders for the various units, most are average and yield no advantage by their presence. By chance, he was a superior leader that gave his troops a number of advantages through his presence. Given some of the other things going on in the game, his loss probably eliminates what might have been an interesting story line farther into the campaign.
Losses were as follows:
Uwanda Losses:
10x Firefly
6x Saracen
3x Saladin
1x M42
1x Strikemaster jet
25 KIA
25WIA
Captured from Mugabia
20x trucks
16x BTR152
2x ZU23/2
81 POW (48 WIA)
Mugabia Losses:
10x T34/85
9x BTR152
2x BRDM2
3x AML90
2x SA9
1x truck
2x GAZ69
I need to get back to the strategic map, and figure out what is next. There are several things going on that may soon come in to play, so it should be interesting to see where the campaign heads.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Slow Start for the New Year
While I had all sorts of big ideas about building, painting, and playing over New Years and through January, I've mostly been working long hours and fighting with the flu for the last couple of weeks. As a result, not much has happened on the gaming front.
I have managed to get a couple small terrain projects done for 6mm Africa though. I finished a bunch of stands of trees, and made some stands of bushes. These will help fill out my table little faster, and the bushes will make set-up and clean up faster and easier.
The trees are from the Woodland Scenics with small bits of foliage clusters mounted on flocked styrene bases. I might still need a few more stands, but will see in the next battle, which I might try this weekend if I'm feeling up to it.
The bushes are Woodland Scenics clump foliage mounted on flocked styrene bases. I had just been using loose clump foliage for the bases, but it was a pain to clean up, plus tended to get caught in tufts of smoke and cling to tanks during movement, so this should fix those problems. I'll probably need more, but again, the next game will give me an idea of how much more to make.
The only painting I've been able to do is to base coat a few of the wonderful Army's Armies Chieftains and Scorpions that I picked up before he sold the line. I'm hoping that Scotia gets them in production soon, so that I can add some more armor and infantry to my forces.
The M60A2 to the left is one of my own models. The Chieftains are beasts, making the M60 look kind of small. I'm still not sure if I'm putting the black camouflage on them or not, as I can't figure out when it went into use, and most of my battles will be in the 1977-1982 time frame.
I have managed to get a couple small terrain projects done for 6mm Africa though. I finished a bunch of stands of trees, and made some stands of bushes. These will help fill out my table little faster, and the bushes will make set-up and clean up faster and easier.
The bushes are Woodland Scenics clump foliage mounted on flocked styrene bases. I had just been using loose clump foliage for the bases, but it was a pain to clean up, plus tended to get caught in tufts of smoke and cling to tanks during movement, so this should fix those problems. I'll probably need more, but again, the next game will give me an idea of how much more to make.
The only painting I've been able to do is to base coat a few of the wonderful Army's Armies Chieftains and Scorpions that I picked up before he sold the line. I'm hoping that Scotia gets them in production soon, so that I can add some more armor and infantry to my forces.
The M60A2 to the left is one of my own models. The Chieftains are beasts, making the M60 look kind of small. I'm still not sure if I'm putting the black camouflage on them or not, as I can't figure out when it went into use, and most of my battles will be in the 1977-1982 time frame.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Thoughts and Observations, Old and New
I guess this is my annual review post, though maybe a little less to the point than in other years.
The Old
Looking back over 2019, I spent a lot of time not getting much done. It started out well enough, with a surge of post apoc games, but I got caught up in casting early in the year, and then CinC's pseudo-closing launched my 6mm Cold War project prematurely, and that was pretty much the year.
I bought and painted a ton of Cold War hardware, and researched my brains out, trying to set up the OBs and TO&Es for my target Cold War hot dates. The project consumed 90 percent of the gaming time through the year, but has yet to yield a game. It did result in a mix of much factual data, a little frustration, and the realization that I will have more fiction than originally intended in my earlier 1950s and 1960s Cold War games.
One thing that came out of all my research was the realization that my 1958 games will be set around a scenario very different from the originally anticipated traditional onslaught of the red tide. Not sure exactly how it will manifest yet, but WWIII in 1958 is going to look different than my pre-conceived notions had lead me to believe. Researching the Cold War has been an absolute blast though. A strangely nostalgic journey, very eye opening at times, and really, changing my world view a bit.
I finally got 6mm Imagi-Africa rolling, but it took a year or more to do a couple of month's work, so the real calendar continues to pass faster than the game calendar, which is kind of backwards. The game has taken on a somewhat different personality than I originally expected, which is cool, but has resulted in more time adding miniatures and terrain, and less time playing than I had intended.
Otherwise, our Star Fleet Battles campaign is still creeping along, very enjoyable, just not as frequent as we would like. I still can't figure out how to force the Hydrans to fight a proper fight with my Lyrans, and stick around long enough to take real losses. Probably the most curious thing, is how tactical victories have shown themselves to often be strategic losses, and how often we both seem to feel that the other side has won a given battle.
Maybe the biggest single take away from the last year was that I just didn't find time to play nearly as often as I thought that I would. I've really got to change that.
The New
I want to get my post-apoc gaming going as an intermittent thing between the larger campaigns, but I need to finish more bits to make that happen, and just keep getting interrupted, running out of supplies at the most in-opportune times, and most recently brought to a screeching halt by one of the cats.
I discovered a couple of days ago, that one of the cats got downstairs on my table, knocked over my paint water, and then stepped on my still wet pallet from applying a wash on my post-apoc diner. The result was a chaotic spread of dark brown feline footprints all over my table and supplies that were setting about, and the diner model itself. The diner was about 80 percent painted, now it is about 10 percent painted. Could have been a lot worse, and only the second time in 25 years that something like this happened.
Anyway, I need to get a few buildings done, and a couple more factions completed, and things should start rolling again.
The Cold War will roll forward. My wife got me a number of 6mm miniatures to fill in some gaps in vehicles and buildings for Christmas. The buildings in particular will help me to address my biggest shortage, which is the terrain for Cold War Germany.
I've been getting the bug to do some WWII gaming as well, and think I will squeeze in some 1940 stuff this year. This should involve mostly playing, as opposed to building. Going to have to clean some dust off of some stuff though.
SFB and imagi-Africa campaigns should move along more smoothly. I might add a few Klingon ship models to facilitate a few more miniatures games there, and may need to add the occasional bit to Africa, but don't see a lot of building in the nearer term for that campaign either.
No doubt many periods will continue to be neglected in 2020; colonials, fantasy, Vietnam, Soviet-Afghan, Arab-Israeli, etc. My palet just fancies too many flavors. I do think that my near-future/alien invasion project may get off the shelf later in the year. We'll see, but I've been itching to paint my "grays" for some time, and have a lovely idea for their conveyance, such that they might pay Earth a visit. They will no doubt come in peace.
My first scheduled game is in a couple of weeks with an old friend. We'll be playing a 15mm Cold War battle set about 1978. We'll see how it goes.
As always, big plans, too little time. Hope everybody had a great 2019, and has an even better 2020.
The Old
Looking back over 2019, I spent a lot of time not getting much done. It started out well enough, with a surge of post apoc games, but I got caught up in casting early in the year, and then CinC's pseudo-closing launched my 6mm Cold War project prematurely, and that was pretty much the year.
I bought and painted a ton of Cold War hardware, and researched my brains out, trying to set up the OBs and TO&Es for my target Cold War hot dates. The project consumed 90 percent of the gaming time through the year, but has yet to yield a game. It did result in a mix of much factual data, a little frustration, and the realization that I will have more fiction than originally intended in my earlier 1950s and 1960s Cold War games.
One thing that came out of all my research was the realization that my 1958 games will be set around a scenario very different from the originally anticipated traditional onslaught of the red tide. Not sure exactly how it will manifest yet, but WWIII in 1958 is going to look different than my pre-conceived notions had lead me to believe. Researching the Cold War has been an absolute blast though. A strangely nostalgic journey, very eye opening at times, and really, changing my world view a bit.
I finally got 6mm Imagi-Africa rolling, but it took a year or more to do a couple of month's work, so the real calendar continues to pass faster than the game calendar, which is kind of backwards. The game has taken on a somewhat different personality than I originally expected, which is cool, but has resulted in more time adding miniatures and terrain, and less time playing than I had intended.
Otherwise, our Star Fleet Battles campaign is still creeping along, very enjoyable, just not as frequent as we would like. I still can't figure out how to force the Hydrans to fight a proper fight with my Lyrans, and stick around long enough to take real losses. Probably the most curious thing, is how tactical victories have shown themselves to often be strategic losses, and how often we both seem to feel that the other side has won a given battle.
Maybe the biggest single take away from the last year was that I just didn't find time to play nearly as often as I thought that I would. I've really got to change that.
The New
I want to get my post-apoc gaming going as an intermittent thing between the larger campaigns, but I need to finish more bits to make that happen, and just keep getting interrupted, running out of supplies at the most in-opportune times, and most recently brought to a screeching halt by one of the cats.
I discovered a couple of days ago, that one of the cats got downstairs on my table, knocked over my paint water, and then stepped on my still wet pallet from applying a wash on my post-apoc diner. The result was a chaotic spread of dark brown feline footprints all over my table and supplies that were setting about, and the diner model itself. The diner was about 80 percent painted, now it is about 10 percent painted. Could have been a lot worse, and only the second time in 25 years that something like this happened.
Anyway, I need to get a few buildings done, and a couple more factions completed, and things should start rolling again.
The Cold War will roll forward. My wife got me a number of 6mm miniatures to fill in some gaps in vehicles and buildings for Christmas. The buildings in particular will help me to address my biggest shortage, which is the terrain for Cold War Germany.
I've been getting the bug to do some WWII gaming as well, and think I will squeeze in some 1940 stuff this year. This should involve mostly playing, as opposed to building. Going to have to clean some dust off of some stuff though.
SFB and imagi-Africa campaigns should move along more smoothly. I might add a few Klingon ship models to facilitate a few more miniatures games there, and may need to add the occasional bit to Africa, but don't see a lot of building in the nearer term for that campaign either.
No doubt many periods will continue to be neglected in 2020; colonials, fantasy, Vietnam, Soviet-Afghan, Arab-Israeli, etc. My palet just fancies too many flavors. I do think that my near-future/alien invasion project may get off the shelf later in the year. We'll see, but I've been itching to paint my "grays" for some time, and have a lovely idea for their conveyance, such that they might pay Earth a visit. They will no doubt come in peace.
My first scheduled game is in a couple of weeks with an old friend. We'll be playing a 15mm Cold War battle set about 1978. We'll see how it goes.
As always, big plans, too little time. Hope everybody had a great 2019, and has an even better 2020.
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