From the Shed: Winter Chechens.

A quick post… I had been rather pleased with the winter bases on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. figures I recently finished so I churned out a handful of Under Fire Miniatures 20mm Chechen fighters.

The range has been sculpted wearing fairly substantial jackets and coats so it isn’t too much of a stretch to put the on winter bases. I went for a mixed of woodland and urban camo for them.

I really like how they have come out. I think some of the heavier support weapons on similar winter bases would look really good.

 

Cheers,

 

Pete.

Something of an update.

I’be been a bit quiet on the blogging front recently and that is due to my upcoming megagame eating up all my hobby time. The playtesting and writing is over just now got the production side of things to do…

… I have been getting in the odd game here and there. Tonight was a playtest of some Vietnam mods to 5core Company Commander that Evan is working on ( sorry no pictures). The game before that was my Chechen game- the scenario needs tweaking before we play it again but it looked good- and I did take some pictures:

A establishing shot of the table- a road that needed to be cleared going through heavily wooded ground.

Some of my Chechens dug into and ambush position.

A Russian Vodnik armoured car enters the table.

Covered by the guns of the AFVs the Russian infantry begins to advance.

As is usual I took loads of photos at the start but then got wrapped up in the game and forgot to take so many. Still endless photos of my Chechens being gunned down by 14.5mm MG fire wouldn’t be a great reflection on my gaming skills now….

 

I was doing some reading on the battles that Army Group Centre was in in 1942 on the Eastern Front late in bed the other night and the thought occured to me that I wasn’t enjoying the book… that got me thinking it was perhaps because it was translated from Russian as I’ve never enjoyed reading any book that has been translated from Russian. Whether it is a history book or Dostoevsky and regardless of who the tranlator is they have never sat well with me. Have any of you noticed this?

 

One more thing of note: I did play in one of those ‘Escape Rooms’ that are very popular at the moment. Basically you are looked in a room and have to solve various puzzles against the clock to win, ours (I went with some of the Pennine Megagames crowd) was submarine themed- that got my vote straight away. We escaped with over 10 mins to spare so we did quite well considering there were lots in our team who’d never played before. Good fun and I’d do one again. No photos from that either as they don’t want to spoil the surprise for subsequent players. The link to the company’s web page is here.

Cheers,

 

Pete.

Some heavy metal comes forth from the Shed.

These were the last  of the 1/72nd vehicles that brought me up to my total for the quarter- see last post.

First up a Dragon Models M103 heavy tank. A great kit to build, and the single colour paint job went well too. Serving from the fifties to the early seventies it will make an interesting opponent to my IS3s.

A Model Collect TOS1, basically the Katyusha from WW2 updated with Thermobaric warheads and mounted on a tank chassis, in this case a T72. They first saw operational testing in the Soviet war in Afghanistan then further use in Chechnya.

Last but not least we have an S and S models Jagdpanzer Kanone in resin, I acquired this one from ebay a while ago. Seems like the tank hunters design lived on a bit longer after WW2, the 90mm gun of its was a rmed with soon became obsolete; the chassis were converted to carry Anti tank guided missiles instead.

This trio should make for some interesting additions to my post war games.

 

Cheers,

 

Pete.

The two games of last week.

Last week I managed to get a fair bit of gaming in so I thought I’d post them up.

Firstly Evan and Bill came over to mine for a game set in Chechnya played using my modern take on the Two Hour Wargames system. As it was a small scenario- a Russian truck has got stuck in a bad part of the area so a squad has been sent out to escort them to safety while two small groups of Chechens move in for the kill- we played it twice. However the pictures are from the first game only. Game 1 saw Bill and I take on Evan’s Chechens, while game 2 saw Me take on the role of the Chechens whilst Bill reprised the Russians.

A view of the table from the Chechen entry edge.

Again but from the Russian side- the green radio truck was the objective.

Russians advance to rescue their comrades.

The truck crew hide in the recently fortified abandoned house.

The Russians spread out as they close on their objective- passing between two wrecks.

However the Chechens have moved up to blocking positions.

The first attempt for theRussians to leave the safety of the ruins met with disastrous results.

Long story short- a PKM is a powerful asset in any fire fight.

However some good shooting from Bill’s Russians even things up a little.

However Evan responded by moving up with grenades…

With predictable results. The first game was a clear win for the Chechens.

The second game was a little more balanced- both side took heavy casualties but couldn’t finish each other.

Secondly I went up to chez Evan on Sunday for a WW2 skirmish using NUTS!- this time a troop of three British Shermans has been isolated in a forward position and have to hold out until the infantry can move forward to support them, meanwhile German tank hunter teams close in. I played the Germans whilst Evan took on the Brits. It was also a chance for us to try out the rather nice large hills he has been making.

The table Evan had set up- the Shermans set up in the walled farm and their reinforcements entered on the far edge.

The set up positions of the Shermans- trying to cover as much ground as possible- there were a few dismounted crew men covering the blind spots.

A German tank hunter team moves forward.

A STUGIII moves forwards to duel with the Sherman Firefly- unsurprisingly it came off worse. Due to the random deployment of the Germans I went with what I had rather than trying to reposition and expose a flank.

On the positive side my Panzerschreck team found its target and brewed up a Sherman.

Whilst redeploying to meet the threat of the PanzerSchreck the Firefly looses its commander to a well placed K98 bullet.

Then the same Firefly had its tracks shot out by a PanzerFaust. We called the game there as the Britis infantry were advancing on to the table. My attacking infantry had taken heavy losses but had KO’d on Sherman, immobilized a second and killed 2 other crewmen. A close thought game that swung back and forth.

Given real life stuff… blah blah… you know the story… I’m massively behind on posting up my battle reports so I’ll drip feed them out based on whim so watch this space.

Cheers,

Pete.

More bits from the Shed… broken a century with Russians and Argentinians

… been a productive month this April, painted over 100 20mm figures.

Here are a few bits:

First up a Under Fire Miniatures Soviet sniper- quite pleased with how this one turned out- she wasn’t speed painted like everything else I do.

A batch of MJ and Liberation Argentinians for the Falklands War.

Lastly, a bunch of Liberation and Under Fire modern Russians. This makes a 1 to 1 company of them I’ve got finished for my long running Chechnya project.

http://www.underfireminiatures.com/index.htm
http://mjfigures.co.uk/
http://rhmodels.yolasite.com/

Cheers,

Pete.

More bits from the Shed.

I’ve had a burst of productivity- not as sustained as I wanted but something is better than nothing in my attempt to reduce the lead mountain.

First up is a Dragon 1/72 NeuBauFahrZug ready for an action in Norway (I’ve no real plans for a Norway game, well hadn’t I suppose):

Then there is aBT42 to support my small Finnish forces for the Continuation War. It is an old WW1 ear British Howitzer shoe horned into a new turret on the old Russian BT chassis.

Now for something more modern… a group of Chechens I got from Under Fire Miniatures.

Also one of each of their packs of generic militia:

And finally a quick paint job on a Hornby house I picked up cheap:

Cheers,

Pete.

A Chechen Village AAR.

Based on the previous weeks comments of too many tanks and not enough infantry I worked out a Russian assault on a Chechen village, no doubt located in the mountains of the south of the area.

Chris and Evan again too the Russian side while Brian took on the job of defence.

The game table, the Chechen player had to prepare for all round defence.

Russian Briefing.

Date: Early 1995.
Location: Chechnya.
Situation: Your reinforced platoon has been tasked with clearing out a village on the flank of a regimental level attack. Expect a prepared defence.
Initial Deployment: Enter on any road, you may enter on foot or mounted.
Victory Conditions: Clear the village of Chechens.
Special Rules: All men have 2 fragmentation grenades each. RPGs have 3 shots. Engineers wear body Armour. T62 has 6+D4 each of HE and AP and DAv smoke.

Forces:

1- Rifle squad: 2 NCOs REP 5 AKs, 2 Gunners REP 4 LMGs, Gunner REP 4 AK and RPG, Gunner REP4 SVD, 4 men REP3 AKs, BTR80.

2- Rifle squad: 2 NCOs REP4 AKs, 2 Gunners REP4 LMGs, Gunner REP3 AK and RPG, 5 men REP3 AKs, BTR80.

3- Rifle squad: 2 NCOs REP4 AKs, 2 Gunners REP 4 LMGs, Gunner REP3 AK and RPG, 5 men REP3 AKs, BTR80.

4- Support squad: 2 NCOs REP4 AKs, 2 Gunners REP 4AKs and AGL, 2 Assistants REP 4 AKs, 3 men REP3 AKs, BTR80.

5- Engineer Squad: 2 NCOs REP 5 AKs, 2 Gunners REP4 LMGs, Gunner REP 4 AK and RPG, 5 men REP4 REP 4, BTR80. D4 disposable LAWs.

6- T62: TC REP 4 and 3 other crew REP 3.

Chechen Briefing.

Date: Early 1995.
Location: Chechnya.
Situation: A Russian assault on your village is expected, you are prepared to repel this assault on your home.
Initial Deployment: Set up anywhere on the board.
Victory Conditions: Keep control of the village at the end of the game.
Special Rules: One building may be booby trapped (1st figure to enter rolls as per mine), 1 command demo charge may be hidden (activated by the command squad within LOS) use demo charge stats. All men carry 1 fragmentation grenade. Each squad has D4 molotov cocktails. There are 4 RPGs to be assigned as wished.

Forces:

1- Command group: Leader REP5 AK, 2ic REP5 AK, Gunner REP4 LMG, 3 men REP4 AKs.

2- Infantry squad: Leader REP5 AK, Gunner REP4 LMG, 4 men REP4 AKs.

3- Infantry squad: Leader REP5 AK, Gunner REP4 LMG, 4 men REP3 AKs.

4- Infantry squad: Leader REP4 AK, Gunner REP3 LMG, 4 men REP3 AKs.

5- Sniper: REP4 SVD, has the attributes Marksman, Quick reflexes, Stealthy.

Brian plotted the positions of his forces, he favoured a robust forward defence, an all or nothing strategy. The Soviets decided on a pincer, entering the table on the roads on the two long edges.

Upon entering the table Evan’s Soviets have a very messy melee in the woods with the Chechens. Casualties are heavy on both side with both units pushed out of the wood.

BTR80s attempt to flank the woods. Evan intended to set up his two AGLs on the big hill.

On the other side of the board Chris makes good use of smoke to cover his advance.

In a near suicidal rush the Chechens enter the woods for a second time.

The gamble pays off, the Russians are pushed back and a Molotov Cocktail takes out a BTR80.

Chechen’s move out of cover to engage the Russians. Sadly against the 14.5mm Machine Guns they don’t fare very well.

Slow and steady were Chris’ watch words as he winds his way into the village.

Chris’ infantry take cover after reaching the centre of the village.

After clearing out the RPG team the BTR80 goes forward to meet up with the T62.

Soviet forces enter the village. Her the game was finished as Brian conceded. The Russians though bloodied have moved into his village, the booby trapped house and IED were not able to be triggered and his forces were scattered.

There was a different set of lessons to be drawn from this game. From my perspective as umpire I need to do more prep before the game. A set of maps for all players would speed up play greatly. Both for the defender to plot his initial placements and the attacker to show intended points of entry and lines of advance. Need to get get sketching before the next game.

Game wise, molotovs proved to be very powerful in built up areas, very useful for filling in the space underneath an RPG’s minimum range. The Engineers with body armour proved to be quiet resilient too; another aspect of the rules that could do with playtesting. As for the scale of the forces being used everybody agreed it was at the upper limit of what is practical given space issues, so that at least gives me something to work with.

All figure, vehicles and terrain were from my collection.

Cheers,

Pete.

Battle of Grozny- 1995. AAR. Part 2.

Right enough of the briefings and paperwork on to the more fun stuff- pictures of the game:

The table as seen from the Russian entry point. They were to follow the road up the table and then to the left.

From the Chechen positions just before play. Behind the large ruined building you can see the jeep full of reloads.

RPG team in position on a roof top to fire down on the weaker top armour of the AFVs. The tiddlewinks represent RPG warheads.

One of Brian’s RPG teams. The orange marker indicates an improved warhead type.

Evan’s teams cover the road.

Chris’ RPG team in position on a roof top to fire down on the weaker top armour of the AFVs. The tiddlewinks represent RPG warheads.

The first Russian units enter the board. BRDM2 in the from followed by two T80s with a BTR70 bringing up the rear.

The BRDM2 fell to an RPG but then Brian’s Chechen was killed by follow up fire.

The BTR and T80 push forward, you ccan see in the top right the remains of the RPG gunner- Brian did however manage to recover the RPG.

The BMD2 arrives on table with a dismounted section arrive on the table, MG fire quickly makes them seek cover in the building to the left.

Evan’s teams bear the brunt of the Russian return fire. Fortunately the worst result is only a stunned.

The state of the street by turn 5. Firing on to the tops of Tank armour is the most effective way to destroy them. Also the tank’s barrel is unable to elevate high enough to return fire.

Same scene from the other side of the table. The road is beginning to get very clogged with burning vehicles.

A rifle squad exits a BTR80 to try and clear some of the Chechens from the ruins.

They quickly become pinned down in a withering MG crossfire and begin to take casualties.

The ever industrious Chris works out he can use the pulley to shuttle RPG warheads up to the top floor. Beats running up all those flights of stairs.

The road is getting blocked, the Russians need to find a new way forward.

Another BRDM2 tries to lead a T80 and BMP2 through the ruined buildings but they all fall, like those that went previously, to massed RPG fire into their top decks.

At this point with road truly clogged and time drawing on we decided to call the game. Brian proved to be the best Chechen commander taking out the most vehicles and men, partly due to positioning well forward.

The vehicle stats seemed to work well. A few adjustments need to be made. Like keeping over penetration in for RPGs/HEAT rounds, they are simply destructive otherwise. More faults will be ironed out in due course when we have more tank v. tank games.

I thought that the game also worked pretty well as a (very) rough representation of the attack into Grozny. What worked in real life, massed RPG fire and shooting onto the top decks of vehicles, worked well here. The low quality of the Russian troops and a lack of coordination didn’t help them either.

All figures and vehicles were from my collection: Under Fire Miniatures, Liberation and S7S for the figures, Liberation, S&S as well as Revell plastics and die cast for the AFVs.

Cheers,

Pete.

Battle of Grozny- 1995. AAR. Part 1.

As I mention in my holiday post I’ve been working on some stats for post WW2 vehicles for the 2 Hour Wargames rules to allow us to play NUTS! games set from 1945 to the modern day. It took a fair while to get a basic stats list but once I had a workable list I wanted to play test them. So last Monday’s game was the first test….

One of my long time interests is in Russian military history as well as counter insurgency/ asymmetrical warfare, accordingly I decided to put the 2 together and run a game set in Chechnya; loosely based on the rather disastrous Russian attack into Grozny in 1995. As the real life battle was so one sided I ran the game as a co-op: three Chechen players (Brian, Chris and Evan) whilst I ran the game (basically consisting of shovelling Russian units up the table to their doom).

The rules used were NUTS! 2, with the insight test from CR3.0 bolted on. To speed play we did our groups usual trick of just rolling reaction tests against the group leaders REP.

Each player was given the following briefing:

Chechen Briefing.

Date: January 1995.
Location: Grozny, Chechnya.
Situation: The Russia are attacking our city with a large ill advised armoured push. Inshallah our ambush teams will defeat them. Sadly RPG rounds are limited so have been rationed until it is certain this is the main push by the invaders.
Victory Conditions: Kill as many Russians as possible, destroy as many Russian vehicles as possible.
Initial deployment: Set up your team as you see fit up to 4′ away from your board edge. The resupply Jeep must be positioned with the consent of all players, it contains unlimited reloads.
Special Rules: All men carry 2 fragmentation grenade each. When re arming with RPG warhead 1 man can carry 4. Roll a D6 at the start of the game on a 5-6 you have 2 improved RPG warheads.

Forces:

Roll a D6 per man: 1- REP3, 2-5- REP4, 6- REP5.

Leader 1 with AK.

Leader 2 with AK.

1 Gunner with PKM. Fires as MG34, no loader needed.

1 Gunner with RPK. Fires as BAR, no loader needed.

Gunner with RPG7, 3 warheads.

Gunner with RPG7, 3 warheads.

Gunner with SVD, figure regardless of REP has marksman attribute.

1 man with AK.

As mentioned in the briefing there was a GAZ jeep full of reloads for the RPGs. If they ran out of warheads they had to think about their own resupply. I added this in to give the players something else to think about in what would have otherwise been a mainly static defensive game.

The opposition for the Chechens were provided by a set of pre- loaded PEFs and a few special rules from this list:

Umpire notes for Battle of Grozny.

Game uses pre loaded PEFs. Three enter the table on turn 1, on subsequent turns roll a D6- 1-4 1 extra PEF, 5-6 2 extra PEFs.

The Russians will advance down the street firing on targets as they see them.

Roll a D6 per vehicle, and a separate D6 per dismount element if applicable:
1-4 REP 3, 5-6 REP 4. For APCs/IFVs roll a D6 on 1-4 squad carried internally, 5-6 squad is on foot next to vehicle.

Tanks and BMP1 cannot fire at targets higher than second floor.

Full destroyed units can be recycled back into the pot.

1. T80 with ERA.

2. T80

3. T72

4. T62

5. BMP1 with a squad of 8

6. BMP2 with a squad of 8

7. BMD with a squad of 4 (+1 to the die roll when determining REP)

8. BTR80 with a squad of 8

9. BTR70 with a squad of 8

10. BRDM2

The list of vehicles isn’t meant to be particularly historically accurate but rather to get as many differing types of AFV on the table for play test purposes. Each different PEF was recycled through the game until I had exhausted that particular type of model from my collection.

Coming next Part 2- Pictures from the game.

Cheers,

Pete.