Soviet 12mm WWII Pocket Army

My second WWII Pocket Army is now complete and it pretty much mirrors the German force in content.

9 x Rifle Sections (a company)

1 x 82mm mortar platoon

2 x 45mm A/T guns deployed

2 x Maxim machine guns

1 x observer and radio

2 x SU 122 self propelled gun

Above -  the rifle sections are on 45mm x 20mm bases, with 6 figures per base. this one just has 5 as the flag adds a bit.

This is the basis of a mid-war Soviet force and over time I will increase the infantry element to battalion size, so that it fits with both the Rapid Fire rules and ‘O’ Group rules.

The figures are very nicely sculpted 12mm in hard plastic from Victrix, the two vehicles are SU 122’s (ABOVE), which are 3D prints from Anschluss Wargames and the pair of anti-tank guns are metal from pendraken. 

One of the advantages of this scale and period are that the forces are relatively easy and quick to paint, so these ‘starter’ sized forces can be expanded alongside painting other things.

(ABOVE) As with the German force, I like to have something at the front of the anti-tank gun bases, so that their barrels have something to rest on, protecting them from handling and being dropped! here I have used a ‘fallen tree’ which has been formed from part of a plastic tree frame that Woodland scenics sells.

(BELOW) The mortar teams have positioned themselves behind a wall, which I cut (outside in fresh air because of resin dust) from a section of 10mm resin wall made by the wonderful Battlescale and sold by Pendraken.

Anyway, I now have the beginning of my two Pocket Armies, so time to get some action to the table. I have been researching some actions that involved the SU 122. 

Keep an eye out at the Commanders site (link below) as more content is added for these fellows. I have some Soviet lorries on the way to me, so that I can create a motorised platoon.

https://commanders.simdif.com

German WWII Pocket Army in 10 / 12mm

Having sold off the 20mm (1/72) WWII stuff last year, I have been buying the bits to put some 10 / 12mm (1/144) forces together.

In the first instance I am going for a German mid war starter force - a new ‘Pocket Army’. 

WWII can pass across the painting table at surprising speed compared to other periods and so it makes for a good quick project to fit in between other bigger projects, that you sometimes need a rest from!

Anyway, kampfgruppe Schmidt is ready for action, comprising as follows;

9 x Infantry bases (6 figures per 45mm base)

1 x Mortar base (with 2 mortar teams and an observer)

2 x HMG bases (1 HMG per base)

1 x OBA observer team (radio operator and observer with field glasses)

2 x PaK 40 bases (75mm anti-tank guns and crew)

1 x HQ base (Horch car and two officers)

3 x StuG III vehicles.

1 x Opel truck

The infantry, mortar and HMG and OBA observer team are Victrix hard plastic figures from their German Infantry pack costing £30, but there are still enough figures left to do quite a few more bases … perhaps even another company of infantry if I get a little creative.

All the vehicles are from Anschluss Wargames. They are resin and the StuG’s cost £3.75 each, the Horch car cost £3.50 and the Opel truck £3.25

The Anti-tank guns are metal from Pendraken Miniatures, costing £3.20 for the pair.

So for around £50 a flexible WWII Pocket Army can hit the table, for say just over £100 plus associated postage for the two small forces.

I have tried to base these so that they can fit into both rural and urban scenarios, but I am not sure that I have achieved that as much as intended. The problem is that if the base goes too dark, you visually ‘lose’ the figures in them. I had to add some light turf (a sort of dusting) to brighten these, but I think that has left them a bit ‘messy’.

Although the Horch car is based, that was really just to create a HQ scene and for this project, for now at least, I am generally not going to base the vehicles. The advantage of basing would be the raising of the vehicle so that they look right next to the based infantry, but I think un-based vehicles sit better on a variety of terrains - we shall see!

The infantry bases each represent a rifle section, so the nine base gives a company of three platoons, a fairly perfect size for my own rules, rather small for ‘O’ Group and also on the small side for Rapid Fire Reloaded scenario books that I have, though the ‘head count’ on the bases might make for a better visual for Rapid Fire games. 

In any case, it is just a starter force and it will be easy to introduce other bases and broaden the versatility.

My intention now is to do a mirror force for the mid-war Soviets. I will look to add a 7th figure to the infantry bases to represent bigger platoons and see what that looks like and probably run one of the platoons with three sections of sub-machine gunners.

After which … ‘Attack on the Rail Station’ and others beckon! 

Progress can then slow down a bit, perhaps a platoon of Hanomag half tracks for the Germans and a truck platoon for the Soviets, before turning to either a British / commonwealth or American force for another ‘Pocket Army’.

I will be adding updates on these Pocket Armies over on my COMMANDERS site at;

https://commanders.simdif.com/dear_diary.html

Joy - the new Rapid Fire Reloaded booklet is out

Through the letterbox today ..... the newly released RF Reloaded module, 'Brothers in Armour'.

As the cover says, this is giving us four 1944 scenarios for the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry.

The first thing I checked out was scenario size and all four come in on a 6x4 table ..... THANK YOU!

This is an A5 sized booklet with 40 pages including the covers and is presented on very heavy, high quality, paper - it is just lovely and an excellent addition to the expanding 'Reloaded' line-up.

Those who have had the previous booklets, especially the one on Crete will recognise the layout, though I do feel that this volume has a certain additional lushness to it with excellent photographic support.

The introduction tells us that the booklet was inspired by James Holland's book 'Brothers in Arms', which offers a detailed history of the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (SRY) tank regiment, late war, in northwest Europe.

The four scenarios presented have been taken from the book, which are described as;

Scenario 1 - Inland From Le Hamel D-Day 6th June 1944.

Scenario 2 - On To Ruray 26th June 1944.

Scenario 3 - The Battle for Gheel 11th September 1944.

Scenario 4 - Assault on Prummern 18th November 1944.

Looking through the orders-of-battle, there doesn't seem anything particularly onerous here and I think I can do most of it from my current modest collection. I don't mind using a few proxies, though I quite fancy adding a couple of  Sexton SP guns anyway (for scenario 1).

I will be using 1/72 (20mm), though I can see this being popular with all the main scales. 28mm would likely need a bigger table, while 15mm and below could reduce the table size. The new Victrix 12mm range could cover this, with jeeps and Jagd Panthers available from Pendraken as indeed would be the entire order-of-battle.

I can also see some 'O' Group fans adopting the booklet.

The back of the booklet and its rear page conveniently gather all of the tank / gun stats needed.

The format of the scenarios take their usual and familiar Rapid Fire 'look'.

We get background, followed by deployment and special rules, followed by the map and finally the orders-of-battle.

Above - This is a two foot by two foot section of the map from Scenario 2. I have telescoped in to preserve the books copyright. The blue dotted line denotes the limit of German initial deployment.

Above - Again, a telescoped view, into one of the order-of-battle pages, with a style very familiar to Rapid Fire fans.

All told, this looks to be a very playable volume and an excellent addition to the series. I like to buy these from Richard and Colin at war-game shows to support the show circuit, but I have become such a fan of the books that I pre-ordered it as soon as they announced it.

I understand that they will have a trade stand at Partizan (Newark) in May and at Phalanx (St. Helens) in June.

I have just realised that I have the James Holland 'Brothers in Arms' book on my shelf, so that should make a good pairing of scenarios and book - excellent.

Resource Section.

My sister webspace ‘COMMANDERS’  showcases the various figure and boardgame systems that I am enjoying and gives a flavour of where current projects are up to. Link.

https://commanders.simdif.com

Defend the engine shed and a new project.

New project? Well it is a flirtation with the Rapid Fire Reloaded rules. Having had a couple of trial games with ‘Rapid Fire Reloaded’ last week, largely with blank bases, I liked it enough to do some re-basing of the infantry, gather some terrain and to build a couple of low level scenarios for the 6’x4’ table with 1/72 models.

This post is going to look at the parameters of the project, discuss the rules and look at our first face to face action with them.

If any of this interests you, please use the ‘read more’ tab. 

1944 - Henri’s Farm

This is a quick throw down scenario on a 4’ x 3½’ table with 10 / 12mm figures, intending to test my own rules, in particular the indirect fire rules.

We again have a setting around Henri’s Farm, with its stables and workshop (these are my newly acquired Battlescale resin buildings, just rotated off the painting table yesterday) defended by a German platoon (3 rifle sections) and a medium machine gun.

To their rear in the small woods they have an 80mm mortar and to the right, a platoon of 3 panthers have just entered the scene, intending to move to the ploughed fields to dominate the open views their front!

Viewed from the British side.

This was coinciding with a British attack against the farm. Two infantry platoons from C Company have orders to infiltrate the woods and then assault the farm. They have a MMG for immediate support, plus a platoon of 4 Shermans (75mm) moving up the left flank for direct heavy fire support.

Both sides have one off-board artillery fire mission.

Henri’s Farm, stables are on the left. The MMG is in
the workshop on the right.

1100 hours - the assault goes in. The Panther crews can see a couple of the Sherman tanks, they fire and unbelievably both miss (rolling 10’s is an auto miss). The Shermans scurry to put the farm buildings between themselves and the Panthers and start to pump shells into the stables.

1120 hours (3 turns later) - the British infantry have got to the wood edge and their volume of fire, with Sherman support, causes 3 of the 4 German bases in the farm to become pinned.

The Panthers probe forwards threatening the
British infantry in front of the farm.

1128 hours - the German mortar takes out the British MMG.

1140 hours - an event is rolled and the British get an air strike, which they use against the Panthers, without success. They bring down an accurate off - table artillery strike onto the stables, which is very successful, removing one infantry section and pinning another. To add to the defender woes, the Sherman’s relentless fire on the stables removes the remaining pinned German infantry section in that building from play.

A rifle section and MMG are in the workshop and their fire takes another British section, both sides now have their morale levels sitting at just 2.

With the stables clear, 1st infantry platoon race forwards
to enter the farm and the Shermans move around the farm,
trying to engage the Panther tanks.

1146 hours - with the stables clear, the Shermans cautiously skirt the farm to get flanking positions on the Panthers, but the Shermans go momentarily out of command (bad roll) and it gives enough time for the Panthers to respond and hit 2 Shermans. One brews, the other is stunned!

The Shermans are roughly handled by
fire from the Panthers.

Subsequent fire from the Panthers destroy the remaining 2 Shermans and the British morale level plummets below zero, causing remaining units to test for retreat.

Enough bases fail and fall back, that the attack loses its entire momentum and at 1156 hours, the game is called.

The Germans remain in control of Henri’s farm and the British suffer a costly repulse.

Conclusion

Quite a fun and quick game, but I am left feeling that my ‘fix’ with the rules of having units activate by ‘group’ and the targeting of ‘groups’ by indirect fire, remains a little awkward to implement …. back to the drawing board!

Resource Section.

My sister webspace ‘COMMANDERS’ is being re-configured to showcase various figure and boardgame systems that I am enjoying and gives a flavour of where current ongoing projects are up to. Link.

https://commanders.simdif.com