Suggest an Army

OK so yesterday I put forth a "bonus goal" for the year.  I have some Russian bits and pieces painted and a bunch of unpainted infantry lead.  So I am looking for ideas for a Late War Soviet Army.

I have 5 T-34 tanks

I also have 3 SU- 57s I really like these models so I would like to incorporate them

I also have two 45mm AT guns, three Stands of HMGs about 1 painted platoon of infantry and about 3 platoons of unpainted infantry. Finally I have 5 Lend-Lease M3 Light tanks. I am thinking a tank company would be my best bet but I am wondering if any one has some other suggestion.

Projects for 2012

Being a typical war game hobbyist I am usual have a number of projects going on. Also being a bit of a procrastinator I am doing my list of goals and projects for 2012 at the end January rather than the beginning.

So without further adue here we are
Personal Goals:
1) attend a convention.  Believe it or not this is something I have never done.  I am planning to go to Huzzah in Portland ME.
2) Participate in a FOW tournament. this is linked to the goal above.
3) Run a Black Powder war game/tactical exercise  for Regiment Saintonge.  This is something Steven and I have talked about for a long time as a way to give people and idea of what they have to deal with as commanders in terms of tactics and derision making.

Painting Goals:
1) Finish My Free French Tirailerurs Senegalese and Decourverte de combat force for FOW
2) Paint at least 3 more units of Napoleonic French before Huzzah.
3) Paint up my Gebirgsjagers for use as a German Infantry force in the late war league.

4) Paint more 7YW and WAS 15mm to reduce my "lead debt" resulting from large number of these figures bought or received as gifts from Robert Burr.

Reading Goal:  find good books on the Eastern Front (WW II) and Napoleonic wars to improve my knowledge of these conflicts. Please give me your recommendations.


Bonus Goal: Find some use for my FOW Russians either field a Russian army or find a buyer.

That should be a good set of projects, maybe not a years worth but it should keep me busy.

Free French Vs. Stutzpunkt

My brave legionnaires were once more called upon to assault an Axis fortified position. This as a new FOW V3 mission called counter attack you can get the another view of it here: http://ajs-wargaming.blogspot.com/2012/01/australia-day-ew-north-africa.html.

As you can see our forces deployed at almost knife range. AJ had several powerful bunker and a good defensive force but there was another objective he had to go after that was out side his position.

Turn one I was able to use smoke to naturalize his 88 Bunker and recon moves got my Australian cavalry carrier platoon on the objective. The fine French VB took out the 2cm AA bunker to my front. After a few game I have to say that killing bunkers is not that bad if you can get in range of them and you have a descent fire power.  My French vets with VB grenade launchers have been very successful at this if they can get in Range! (German and British Light mortars with at 16" range would be even better). 

AJ counter with his Panzer IIs and so the hilarity began... as Axis and Allied tanks tried desperately to kill each other but never got better than a bail.  AJ would kill my Aussies but the Free French H39 tanks and Panzer IIs would bounce shot after shot off each-other turn after turn.

I did try a right hook with my Legion sappers but though my initial attack was successful driving off AJ's command team HMG fire and bad save kill more than half my men and the legionnaires took cover behind the hill. My 75s took out the 88 and would spend the rest of the game bouncing shells off of Panzer IIs.  I love the French 75 but as a tank kill by bombardment it leaves much to be desired.

Both company commanders were kill and both of us forgot to treat them as heroes something every one in the group needs to remember. AJ and I agreed to call the battle a draw as the time was approaching mid night and I had work in the morning.

For sale posting for a friend

 A Friend of mine has to sell some figures.  He has most of a Polish armored infantry company 1st Free Polish. Here are some pictures of his tanks.

A "Brutal" night of gaming

Got in two games with AJ last night.

The first game consisted of my 1750 Panzer Force leading with its chin and getting leveled by AJ's Australians. In three turns of play I lost all of my Panzers and my Pioneers in return I killed AJs Staff team... that's all!

The second game was my FF Legion against AJ's German "tobruk" force. I will post more about this game latter but as I have not had a chance to down load photos and didn't get to bed until almost 1am. There were two main lesson from this battle. The First is that 3 Panzer IIs cannot kill 3 Hochkiss H39s and vices verse.  The 2nd is that Fortified companies and "corner" missions are a bad combination.

Panzer Company 1500 pionts

Above is my Panzer company  1500 points including transports, recovery vehicle, bailed out tank crews and two objectives. My Panzer IVs were fetured recently but here are some of my other platoons.

My reading of history tells me armor needs infantry suport but Flames of War may not work that way still I have my platoon of pioneers.  They are only rifle teams but the comand has SMG and they can carry three Flamethrows.

 My most important suport platoon a battery of 10.5 CM howitzers.  They are good at digging out infantry and can kill tanks even Matildas (with the help of a little luck).

My Panzer IIs this platoon is suprizingly effective they have numbers and a gun with a good rate of fire.

Escalation League Encounter 1500 Points

Chris and I were both a little sick of the Big Push mission so we rolled randomly and got Encounter (number 2 in your rule book).

I started with two platoons on the table. After much consideration I put down my 10.5 cm and my Pioneers each on one the objectives I had to defend. This was probably not the right choice...

Chris Deployed his massive 25 pounder battery and an infantry platoon.

The first several turns consisted of artilery 'sniping' at each other and rolling for reserves.  Chriss go the better of both.

He took out my guns one at a time and got his Universal carries and an infantry platoon on before I got my fist platoon of tanks.

I was able to take out his universal carriers but that was a poor trade for a battery of 10.5 cms! It was a t about this time that Chris brought on his two Matildas! Not good for me!

I tried to launch and attack with my Panzer IIs and Panzer IVs and even managed to route one of his infantry platoons.  The retribution of his Matildas and 25s was swift and I was soon Tankless. At this point Iresorted to some questionable command arrangements (that seemed right at the time but on refection are probably not correct in the rules) to try and get some men over to the second objective but it was 10:30 PM so I conceaded.

Good Game Chris I thought it was like July or something then I walked out into the snow!