O Group - Arras 1940 Scenario updated to 1944.

 

Because the Club had it’s AGM this month I decided that it would be easier to use a scenario that did not require huge amounts of terrain. I looked at this one and remembered the fun we had playing in it’s correct format. However, all my toys are 1944 onwards. So, using my spreadsheet skills, I updated the equipment to what I have. As it is 1944, I had to give the British a few extra toys (aircraft) and both sides had unrestricted mortars, and the artillery was more balanced for the period.

O-Group has become a firm favourite battalion-level game with
several members of the club and Steve has developed his 15mm collection around them. 
https://toofatlardies.co.uk/product/o-group-rule-set/

The British launch a surprise attack which catches the Germans with their trousers around their ankles, so to speak.

The games started in the usual manner with combat patrols (CP’s)being deployed all over the place by both sides. After a couple of turns the British decided to convert their CP’s, to physical platoons on the table. The reason being to shoot away the German CP’s thus preventing them from deploying. Pretty sound you would think, but the victory conditions were to inflict three FUBARS (12 Sections) on the Germans. This was all in the briefing handed to the players.

From turn 4, the Germans were able to dice to reinforcements. So there appeared on the German left

flank a pair of StuGs. Now this had the effect of forcing the British to bring on their armour. Consequently, there appeared on each flank a pair of Cromwell’s. This caused the Germans to attempt an artillery strike. No luck. Those damned radios!!

Eventually the Germans managed to deploy on CP’s and infantry actions took place with exchanges of killed sections. The Germans kept trying for their artillery strike and eventually it happened, with a vengeance. Rocket attack that incorporated two Cromwell’s and an infantry section. The first Cromwell was damaged, the second, after some great saving throws only had shock. As did the infantry platoon.

This carnage upset the British so they called in an airstrike. From the cab rank in the sky a Typhoon appeared and attacked the two StuGs. As with the German artillery the result was mixed. One Stug was destroyed whilst the other only received one shock. 

From their reinforcements the Germans the received two PzIV’s and a Flak 36 88mm. Eventually the British managed to inflict a FUBAR on the Germans. There followed a series of exchanges between the remaining StuG, plus the 88mm and the British remaining armour. This then forced the British to bring on the Churchill’s they had kept back. They pushed forward on the right flank. On the German right flank there appeared the two PZIV’s 

Time was running because of the AGM. The battle was called as a German victory as they prevented the British victory conditions.

We then retired to the pub, as all good wargamers should. There was an exchanged of emails later when all the things we had missed were highlighted.. As we hadn’t played for nearly 12 months, we didn’t do too bad. We do have a couple of games planned so hopefully they will be better. Any omissions or errors were down to me. It was my game.

My thanks to Bob and Vince, our Germans, and Steve M and Matt, our British. The game was played without fisticuffs or handbags being wielded, and I enjoyed the power of the umpire despite the errors.

Steve L

Tank versus Tank action with Achtung Panzer!

 

One of the best aspects of being in a club like the Devon Wargames Group is that we are a club that is definitely among the 'early adopter' group, a term so beloved by marketing managers across the various retail sectors, but an aspect of the club that means if there is a new or relatively new set of rules out there we are likely to see someone bringing it along for a game.

So it was that one of our younger club members Charlie, and one of our not so younger members, his Dad, Jack, offered to host a game of 'Achtung Panzer!' launched by Warlord Games last year, a World War II tank combat game using 28mm scale models and focusing on platoon-level engagements.

To quote the Warlord Games folks when describing their new game system;

'Achtung Panzer! is our brand-new game of in-depth 28mm WW2 tank combat that lets you fight exciting close-quarter battles in dense terrain, and experience the effectiveness of armoured fighting vehicles and their crews in WW2, with enormous customisability and a rewarding campaign system.

You’ll control a small number of tanks, and using a unique initiative order system do battle through heavy terrain on the tabletop. Detailed spotting and destruction mechanics will require you to first identify your targets, then line up the perfect shot before you fire. The action and event card system ensures that no two games are the same, and the linked campaign system allows you to see your crews and tanks progress over the course of numerous battles.'

Now as a bit of an 'Old Grognard' who in my fifty-two years in the hobby has seen just about most things in wargaming, I try to vary my diet of games now and then, just to make sure 'I'm down there with the kids and keeping it real', and of course to sit down to a lovely table, terrain and marvellous collection of WWII vehicles in 28mm or should I say 1/56 scale, is always a pleasure, and so I prepared to see what Warlord Games had come up with this time with their new tank game 'Achtung Panzer!'

I don't usually play WWII in the larger scales, having in my own collection a large selection of 15mm tanks and infantry from Battlefront, mainly set up for Western Europe 1944-45, and I have used them using I Aint Been Shot Mum (IABSM), and occasionally Chain of Command (CoC), both from the Too Fat Lardies.

More recently I sat down to have a go with a more recent Lardy incarnation, and similarly scaled for small tank actions, 'What a Tanker' (WaT), and I have to say that these tank on tank rule sets probably inspired by the online 'World of Tanks' game have not really grabbed my enthusiasm in that I probably prefer more of a simulation, all arms set of rules like CoC, where infantry and anti-tank capable troops keep the tankers on their guard among the close terrain of NW Europe in the later years of WWII.

However, putting all my pre-conceptions to one side I decided to see what sort of game could be had with 'Achtung Panzer!' and paid close attention as Charlie explained the basics to our group of rookie tank commanders as we prepared to battle it out among the houses and hedgerows of a typical Normandy hamlet circa 1944.

As you would expect from Warlord, the game comes with some nicely produced components to compliment the vehicles and terrain of your table with an example of one of the vehicle status cards above and some of the chance cards each tank commander can hold and play when the opportunity presents, but always with the threat of a counter card held by ones opponent.

The game sequence is driven by a series of chit draws determining which particular model tank can activate to move and fire, and we managed to play two games during the day with the first game very much on the 'learning curve', with myself commanding a Panzer IV alongside another such tank, a Panzer III and StuG IIIG, facing off against an assortment of Allied types including a Sherman, Cromwell, Sherman Firefly and Stuart.

Both sides were tasked with controlling a small village between our lines, and so with the Panzer IV's attempting to get into a covering position it was left to the StuG and Panzer III to get into the village, whilst the Allies seemed content to sit back on their ridge line and take pot shots at manoeuvring German tanks in the fields below their ridge overlooking said village.

Not surprisingly the Firefly drew most German return fire, forcing it to reverse into cover to make repairs allowing the lighter German tanks to use the respite to get in among the buildings to lay claim to controlling the hamlet.

In our second game we had the German force fielding some big cats including Tiger and Panther alongside the Panzer IVs and with the Allies attempting to storm our position on a ridge as they looked to present multiple targets in the hope that one of them would be able to close for a fatal flank shot.

The German big-cats won the day though smashing up the advancing Allied armour with a few tense moments of card play and dashes between cover to spice up the play, before the Germans got the drop in the important exchanges of fire.

So rather than giving a detailed blow by blow account of Achtung Panzer! I thought I would offer my very personal impression of the game, very much similar to that of What a Tanker, in that these games are much in vogue at the moment along with skirmish games in general; with it seems a new generation of historical gamers less inclined to build and field big collections of miniatures, requiring the time to play the larger battle, with all its added complexities of command and combined arms tactics, but rather the low-level skirmish game focussed on the minutia of which armour piercing shell to stick in the breach and how good is my driver at performing a high speed reverse.

So what's wrong with that you might say, to which I would reply nothing, if you enjoy that kind of game, combined as here with the terrain and vehicles to compliment play, and that said, I enjoyed this break from my normal diet of play, but I don't think Achtung Panzer and other similar offerings have enough nutrition to satisfy my personal hunger for historical simulation, similar to the choice between a MacDonalds and a gourmet three course dinner with wine.

If nothing else, WWII land warfare generally marked a return to combined-arms warfare, where infantry, artillery and armour worked best when brought together in combat teams, specifically arranged in quantity for the task at hand; and with the array of anti-tank capability in the hands of the poor bloody infantry, the tanks tended to often enter battlefields, as seen above, like shy debutantes stepping onto the ball-room dance floor, only too aware that that hedgerow in front could easily be shielding a Panzerschreck or PIAT team waiting for their opportunity to cause absolute mayhem.

Thus the infantry screen for such armoured advances were a necessity, whilst the armour, proof against machinegun and most artillery, particularly the more common mortar round, offered the infantry heavy support in the face of such threats, often being used to shoot the infantry onto the target such as a large wood or village.

There are of course occasional actions that come to mind where this type of tank v tank engagement with the occasional anti-tank gun on the scene was an event and actions such as SS-Unterscharfuhrer Ernst Barkmann at what became known as Barkmann's Corner and SS-Obersturmführer Michael Wittmann at Villers Bocage readily offer themselves as potential historical scenarios playable with these rules. 

During the brave engagement often called "Barkmann's Corner", 

SS-Unterscharfuhrer Ernst Barkmann pictured, destroyed approximately 

nine Sherman tanks and many other various vehicles with his lone Panther tank.

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen5.htm

I can easily see the attraction of these 'Tank Heavy' games and for Warlord in particular, with models to sell, the rules make perfect marketing strategy, and I rather hope they prove to be the entry-drug required to attract a new generation of wargamer into the historical gaming arena, and in due time a desire to replicate the history that these sort of games should inspire further reading to produce.

So in closing, I think Achtung Panzer! is a well produced game of tank versus tank action that gives a tense skirmish 'knife fight' of a game playable to a conclusion in a few hours of play, but for the WWII aficionado perhaps just a light interlude to their normal gaming and to the new student of WWII warfare a set of rules and game that should hopefully encourage further exploration into other rule sets that produce an equally fun game with all the complexities and challenge of combined arms warfare that WWII tanks were but a part.

Thank you to Jack and Charlie for my first game of Achtung Panzer! and to Stephen, David, Nathan and Owen for the fun we had trading APDS among the hedgerows.

JJ

Devon Wargames Group & Devon & Dorset Regimental Association 80th Anniversary VE Open Day

This Thursday, 8th May, will be the eightieth anniversary of Victory in Europe Day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8th May 1945, marking the official surrender and end of all German military operations.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill waves to the crowd at Whitehall in London
as they celebrate VE Day (Victory in Europe) on May 8th, 1945.

As part of the run-up to the commemoration this week, the Devon & Dorset Regimental Association invited the club to participate in their open day this weekend at our club venue, the Whipton Institute, by hosting a game capturing the involvement of the Devonshire Regiment in the final campaign to liberate North West Europe in 1944-45.

The Gold Beach sector on D-Day and the village of Ryes, captured by the Devonshire Regiment.

The county regiment had two of its battalions the 2nd and the 12th participate in the D-Day, Normandy landings, and so Paul and Lawrence, who represented the club, offered to host a game illustrating an action carried out by one of the battalions, the 2nd Devons, who landed at 08.15 on June 6th 1944, D-Day on Gold Beach as part of 231st Infantry Brigade, 50th Division and, following a disrupted landing schedule, made its way inland to assault and finally capture the village of Ryes at about 17.30 that day.

The club has a keen interest in the history that lies behind many of the games we like to play that, as well as being a fun way to socialise with friends who share that interest, can also serve to educate a wider group of folks who might not know much about the hobby or indeed the areas of history we portray in our tabletop encounters.

Thus occasions such as these, where we are able to join with other like minds keen to celebrate and commemorate important historical dates, is another opportunity to show what we do in the hobby, that is a rather unique way of illustrating history.

As well as participating in the public open day, Paul and Lawrence also raised fifty pounds for the Devon Air Ambulance, our local charity, courtesy of the folks at the Devon & Dorset Regimental Association, which will aid the great work that the Air Ambulance does to bring rapid assistance to those hurt on the county roads each year.

Thank you to the Devon & Dorset Regimental Association for the invitation to participate in their public open day, and for their generous charitable contribution and to Paul and Lawrence for putting on their representative game in grateful memory of the Devons who gave their lives that culminated in the victory in Europe so others can enjoy the freedoms we have today. 

Raid on a Munitions Dump - 02 Hundred Hours.

Overview

02 Hundred Hours is a skirmish wargame focusing on night-time raids in World War II. Inspired by classic war movies as well as historical events, battles are fast paced with roughly 10-20 models on either side.

https://greyfornow.com/pages/02-hundred-hours

Three of the four players were new to the rule system, and once the table was laid and the mechanics explained, it was time for the teams to formulate their plans. The mission objectives for the game were to set explosives on armoured vehicles and supply dump, and to take a German officer prisoner.

Infiltration was via either long board edge (left and right sides of picture above) and exit was to be to the left hand side through the trees.

One munitions dump was in the barn, guarded Gendarme pairs who patrolled the area including cutting through the trees.

All other objectives were in or to the front of the farmhouse, again with Heer sentries patrolling. Three dog units were also on roving patrol to begin with.

The commandos split their forces, bringing on a single pair through the trees to target the tanks…

whilst sniper, bren-gun support and both officer characters came on by the rocks on the opposite long edge.

A first approach to the rear of the farmhouse by an officer resulted in a dead dog handler, having been put down by a silenced weapon before he could raise the alarm.

However, a German officer on the lower floor saw an attacker shortly afterwards and killed him outright by shooting through the window.

By this time the alarm had gone off, and the defenders decided to drive all of their resources towards the farmhouse, which was where the main thrust of the attack seemed to be.

The second allied character - a sergeant with extra hand-to-hand abilities - successfully entered the farmhouse via the backdoor, surprising the pistol-toting officer within.

Several rounds of hand-to-hand combat ensued, with a second German officer supporting the first with an SMG.

Still the sergeant battled on, his particular set of skills causing several ‘trauma’ events on both Germans. At this point it felt like the entire game was taking place in the ground floor of one building, with both sides wishing for ‘character’ counters before the other side could attack! Eventually though the poor sergeant paid the ultimate price, being gunned down having used up his action chits early on in the round but not winning the fight outright.

Such a valiant action bought time for another team of attackers to set demolition charges by the tanks, in a hope of salvaging a minor victory by achieving at least one objective. The last minute production of an axis ‘event card’ made the explosives blow up immediately however, killing the demolition team at the same time.

At this point it became clear that the mission was not going to yield any further successes, and the remainder of the attacking force withdrew without further loss. The defenders had succeeded in repelling the worst of the attack, resulting in a minor victory for the Germans.

More importantly, we all had a good laugh at the nail biting moments, and everyone enjoyed the game. Indeed, one player claimed to be a ‘convert’, vowing to procure a set of the rules for himself. Job done, in my opinion. 

Gus Murchie Memorial Christmas Game 2024 - What a Tanker!

The close of another year of wargaming in the Devon Wargames Group, sees the club celebrating all that's best in our hobby by gathering for our final meeting of the year with our club big-game, the Gus Murchie Memorial Christmas Game, named in honour of a former club member who passed away far too early and who epitomised the passion and full-on love for wargaming.

Those of us who knew the man would also know that Gus joins us in spirit whenever we get together for a big-game; and I know that he, being a keen WWII buff, would have thoroughly enjoyed this year's effort.

Our rules for the game were What a Tanker! (WAT) from the Too Fat Lardies which is unashamedly a fun take on WWII tank combat and a perfect set of rules for use with the large club game we intended, where all participants were engaged in the day playing together rather than our more normal menu of multiple different games.

The cats are herded as Mike R. lays out the set-up and play arrangements for our multi-table, six player-teams, 'What a Tanker!' Xmas game.

However organising a big-game in a club now with some forty full and associate members who may want to attend and play takes a bit of organising in terms of getting the terrain and figure collections together from club members, to sorting out whose coming and then organising the play arrangements, with this aspect of the annual Christmas gathering referred to jokingly, but emphasising the organisational skills required, as 'Cat-Herding'.

As we all know 'Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man' and step forward Mr Mike R. who put his hand up at the October Club AGM and volunteered to take on the task to herd the cats for this year's game, with some help from veteran WAT players such as Nathan and others, and as was proved, 'A Volunteer is worth Ten Pressed Men' with messages on the internal club forum flying back and forth sorting out who had what, who was bringing it to club, and who was playing, together with a full briefing on arrival, sorting all the attendees into Allied and Axis tank teams, each of three players commanding a tank on the table, that saw us sat down playing in next to no time.

Forum briefing was very helpful in laying out the game plan as illustrated in the sample below by Mike setting out the plan together with help from Nathan and Mark and giving an idea of what went into it beforehand:

'. . . There will be a mechanism (a random selection mechanic tbc) which will mean that if you have a powerful tank (e.g. Panther) you will only get a fixed number of kills with it before you need to change it in a central pool for another tank at random (could still be another Panther, I suppose).

Victory points - as per Nathan's most excellent suggestion - will be based on the points value of your kill. So, if two 12pt Shermans decide to gang up on a 19pt Panther they could get those points for their faction between them, for instance.

Tank dashboards will be pre-filled, and damage tracked on a dice. That way the dashboards can be re-used all afternoon. To make use of the dashboards, each player will need to bring a tape measure, at least 10 dice and four counters (these can be tiddlywinks, buttons or whatever).

A list of which tanks need to be brought by those who have offered will be posted in the next couple of days. (I'm on it, Mark C!)

I will try and arrive by 0930hrs on the day. If I'm late, or anyone else gets there early, we need the pool table as the 'tank pool' (pun inadvertent - see what I did there?!) and four 6x4 tables set up around the hall, please.

There will be an O Group meeting at 1050hrs at which time people will be allocated to their teams. First game (teaching) will kick off 1115hrs. Should be done by 1300hrs. Break for 30 mins, then resume by1330hrs or before, for games of about an hour each. Aiming to be done by 1630hrs. . . '

The terrain and models available from club members meant that we had enough stuff to populate four very different six foot by four foot tables, with three being played on at any one time, and tank models to spare to allow players, having lost a vehicle to have the choice to respawn onto the table with a randomly selected new vehicle or keep the one they had lost previously.

The play on each table was overseen by Mike who called out the time remaining to play as the respective teams attempted to grab points for their respective alliances by knocking out enemy vehicles of getting within six inches of the objective point at the close of the game, before getting an overall state-of-the-game sitrep from Mike and then relocating to a different table against different opposition to start another game.

Thus we all participated in three separate games, but all part of the one setup, enjoying our usual Xmas fare of seasonal snacks and cakes brought to the club by members to keep body and soul together as play commenced after a stop for lunch.

 

As you can see here the Allied and German tank pools were organised such that a player losing their vehicle and opting for a random change could simply roll a die and collect their new vehicle from the pool according to the result, placing their former vehicle in its place.

Like me, not everyone was familiar with WAT, but the mechanics of play are fairly intuitive in terms of rolling dice to decide what the options are for ones vehicle from the menu of manoeuvring, spotting and firing choices and the various exchanges of die results on offer to come up with the perfect combination of manoeuvres to create that perfect fire-solution, as players manoeuvred among the various pieces of terrain to shoot without being shot at.

Hey Paul, do you think that's possible?

Fortunately the club is blessed with several veteran's of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, including the World's oldest tank unit, the Royal Tank Regiment, that invented tank combat from its inception on September 15th, 1916 at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on the Somme, and so we could turn to Paul to rule on any contentious decisions of play.

Whilst not a game pertaining to be a close simulation of tank warfare in WWII, WAT does produce a fun experience capturing some of the tense cat-and-mouse affairs of big tanks stalking one another amid close terrain, all be it without those darned-pesky infantry types getting in the way with all that new-fangled anti-tank capability.

It was interesting to see how commanders of lightly armed, but bigger gunned tank destroyers or indeed the odd Sherman firefly, hovered on the back of the table as their better armoured compatriots sought to close on the enemy, attempting to get into those preferable side on positions, whist the tank-destroyers indulged in their shoot and scoot tactics of popping over slopes, firing and retiring in the same move.

All this careful manoeuvring produced some excellent photo opportunities as the players were induced to opt for the tactics their historical counterparts were forced to use in reality, tactics not always seen in higher command level games, with multiple model tanks cruising across open ground on the table in majestic lines, track to track, instead of the shy debutantes that was a more characteristic way tanks normally presented themselves on a very dangerous battlefield..

Needless to say our day rolled by with much laughter and banter, as the club enjoyed coming together as one, simply rolling dice and having fun.

As our game reached a conclusion with the last three games finished we got a final sitrep from Mike that, unsurprisingly to those of us driving Shermans around on a table full of late and mid-war German kit, showed an overwhelming victory for the German teams, and all that was left to do after packing away the terrain and models, was to wish one and all a very happy Christmas and to look forward to another club year in January.

Thank you to Mike R who I know has received fulsome applause on the day and on the club forum for pulling our game together and to all the members of the club who took part to create the very fun day we had to end our year on.

The club extends season greetings to all that follow our activities here on the blog, and would wish everyone a very Happy Xmas and Peaceful New Year.

See you in 2025

JJ