"Beeilt euch, schnell, die Tommys sind da!"

Tuesday this week was the last chance in the school summer holidays for William to join Phil and me for a game here in GHQ, so as a treat for him I laid on a WWII game set for D-Day, 6th June 1944...

The dawn of D-Day... the Allies first wave approaches Dagger Beach (fictional of course). The objectives are :-

1. Clear the beach and establish a beach head, for a (very) minor victory.

2. Clear the Germans from the most forward ruins along the 'Rue de la Plage', for a clear minor victory.

3. Drive inland and clear the town of  'Pendeux', for a major victory; "La Libération est proche! Peut-être, Peut-être pas?"

Starting position for the Allied landings on Dagger Beach  prior to the initial offshore bombardment. Phil and William took command of the Allied landing force leaving me to take charge of the German defence forces. I should say at this juncture that I can't recall ever winning a game set around D-Day as the Germans...perhaps this time? Shall we see how things turned out?

Supported by a second surviving Sherman DD and a Sherman Flail Tank Major P.J.Robinson sends his men forward to neutralise the central German anti-tank gun emplaced at the end of the sea wall. German fire is heavy but ineffective!

Supported by the Sherman DD which survived to reach the beach troops of the South Staffords under LtCol W.D.'Lucky'Watkiss rush forward to seize their initial objective. Once more German fire proves ineffective. 

On the Allied left the cunningly camouflaged anti-tank casement is struck by the 'Flying Dustbin' fired from the Churchill AVRE and knocked out without firing a shot!

The German troops manning the sea wall defences and serving the emplaced anti-tank gun at the sea wall's end are not the best and must have been stunned by the initial Naval bombardment as they fail repeatedly to register any hits! You may be seeing a pattern emerging here? 🎲

Back on the Allied right the surviving Sherman DD knocks out the second casement enfilading the beach head. In the centre troops hurry to attempt to neutralise the Tobruk and clear a way through the surrounding wire, all the time under enemy fire from all around. Men fall but their comrades press forward.

Having knocked out the anti-tank gun in the left casement the Churchill AVRE makes short work of the sea wall. The South Staffords surge forward to engage the stunned survivors before they can recover!

The Sherman Flail Tank breaches the wire, taking advantage of the very poor performance by the anti-tank gun crew! Heavy Allied fire is beginning to take its toll on the defenders.

The South Staffords decide to bypass the stubborn Tobruk defenders, leaving it to the Royal Engineers and their Flamethrower team! The last remaining strongpoint along the beach head falls as survivors surrender!

Having neutralised one Casemate the Sherman DD makes light work of the open anti-tank  gun emplacement. The wire is breached and despite their losses the first troops in this sector are off the beach!

The survivors from the sea wall fall back beyond Rue de la Plage and take up positions in a once Grande Maison now reduced to rubble. It's not all over yet despite early Allied successes.

All is not going smoothly though for the Allies on their left as the ruins of  Raunslie-les-Bains, another hamlet along the coast road, are occupied by dug in troops of a higher quality. Hastily they try to contact their supporting inland artillery. Sadly the local Maquis have destroyed the phone lines in the area! 🎲

German reserves make slow progress towards the front. Conflicting reports from the beach area are confusing as to where the break out is most severe! It would seem that Bikelbürger is being found wanting!

At German HQ confusion reigns with communications disrupted and refugees beginning to block vital roads. The early Allied success in establishing their beach head has put the Germans on the wrong foot.

Congestion in and around Pendeux is not aiding the German command in managing its response to the ongoing fighting at the front. Morale is crumbling first around the Grande Maison ruins and then at Raunslie-les-bains.

Casualties streaming from the front line to casualty clearing stations add to the disruption faced by the Germans in responding to unfolding developments. It seems that the Allies have established a viable beach head [a very minor victory remember] and are driving inland to clear the built-up areas along Rue de la Plage [a clear minor victory]. If German Morale collapses widely then Pendeux may be liberated!

The 120mm mortar battery proved ineffectual when communication was finally established from the hard pressed defenders...

While the 150mm battery was never called into action despite repeated efforts to establish contact... 🎲🎲🎲

Well, there you have it, another German defeat. I found it hard to throw anything above a 3 right through the game while Phil and Will were more successful with the dice! Especially failing to inflict significant initial losses and later to contact artillery supports made the fight for the infantry doubly difficult. The rules were Rapid Fire Reloaded which William got to grips with under Phil's patient guidance! We all enjoyed the game I think, though William probably the most in besting Grandad, again...

"But screw your courage to the sticking-place!"*

 As promised in my previous blog posting, here are the two completed bases of mercenary crossbowmen! The pavaise proved more time consuming than I had anticipated which together with waiting on the delivery of the LBMS transfers caused the delay in their completion.  The figures are a mixture of the venerable Citadel/Wargames Foundry late medieval range and the contemporary range from Perry Miniatures. Despite the slight disparity in styles and height I do think that they work OK together. {Of course you are free to differ there!} The bases are from Warbases, who else?

Next to stagger across the painting desk and endure the agony of the brush of doom will be my fantastical friparies if all goes well.

*The "sticking-place" refers to the point where a crossbow's string is pulled to its maximum tension by a wooden screw, ready to fire. From the Bard's Scottish Play.

Boom!

Due to waiting on the LBMS/Victrix pavaise transfers being delivered by Royal Mail I've been progressing the Light Artillery piece and crew figures I sourced via Ebay. The base of the figures are marked Grenadier, not a brand I'm familiar with. The sculpting style is bold and clear which, coupled with my new spectacles, has made painting them quite a straightforward process. To the set I've added a spare figure from the Wargames Foundry medieval artillery crew blister pack as it seemed to me that it fitted in nicely with the overall look of the base ~

I should be able to showcase the two bases of mercenary crossbowmen in a day or so once I can process the pavaise to finish up the bases. Keep an eye out for them, if the project still holds any interest for you of course.

"This brawl today...shall send, between the red rose and the white, a thousand souls to death and deadly night."

Since completing the second retinue for Warwick in my Wars of the Roses project my output of completed units has inevitably rather tailed off as I await delivery of some LBMS pavaise transfers from Victrix. So I thought I would set out the whole collection in a scenic setting on the tabletop battlefield here in GHQ in the hope that it may inspire me to set to with paint and brush, showing renewed vigor! As an aside I thought you dear reader might enjoy seeing them too. Firstly, my Yorkist force ~

Followed by my gallant Lancastrians ~

The collection utilises figures from a number of manufacturers: Eureka Miniatures, Perry Miniatures, Wargames Foundry, Steel Fist, Crusader Miniatures,  Athena Miniatures, a Partizan freebie, and Grenadier, via Ebay. The standards and banners are mostly by Pete's Flags, supplemented by Freezywater and one homegrown set! I had hoped to come across one or more of the Perry Plastic box sets' flag sheets, but no luck there. The bases are from Warbases of course.

Still queuing in the old Lead Pimple are two bases of mercenary crossbowmen - see above re pavaise transfers, another Light Artillery gun & crew, not forgetting my fantastical fripary and Vignette bases. That leaves me to tackle six bases of Knights/Mounted MAA, and two Army Command Stands. Phew! Luckily Phil is helping me with the mounted figures by painting the horses for me at "Mate's Rates"!!! So there you have it: not quite the thousand souls yet, but a decent number to be going on with... for now at any rate!

"I was the chief that raised him to the crown, and I’ll be chief to bring him down again."

As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry I had decided that Warwick would be represented by not one but two Retinues of infantry. The first you have already seen but now I have completed the second and can offer them here for your perusal and, hopefully, some feedback. The figures are mostly from Eureka Miniatures, supplemented by a couple of Perry Miniatures and Crusader Miniatures figures ~

This completes the total of eight retinues of Bill, Bow and Command, each of about 24 figures which I had planned at the outset of the project, for about 192 figures. In addition of course I've painted a unit of pike, two of Handgunners and three of Men At Arms, alongside two light artillery pieces and crew figures for about another 54 figures/pieces. Not to mention several clumps of arrows positioned between archers! That's roughly 250-ish figures since I put brush & paint on the first figure back in early June. By my usual standard output of two figures a day that's rather impressive, at least to me if no-one else.

I'm left now with two bases of mercenary crossbowmen, using figures from Wargames Foundry and Perry Miniatures supplemented by a few pavaise from the later - though I needed to order up some LBMS transfers for the latter. I mentioned that I'd received some old Grenadier figures I purchased through Ebay, a light artillery piece and crew, to which I've added a figure from the Foundry artilleryists pack, so they will be next in the queue. There remain then my vignette and a couple of friparies, plus the handful of Mounted figures including the Army Commands! I still hope to finish by the end of September, all being well, for a first game in October. 

Davide 'Il Robusto' Bicclione

A brief respite from the Wars of the Roses for you gentle reader, as much as for me, you and I have certainly earned it! A while ago I received one of Wargames Illustated Giants in Miniature sculpted by my son Matthew, Giovanni of the Black Bands. I found that somehow I'd already got one, so I passed one on to Phil for our Italian Wars project. Well, to my surprise he painted his up and it duly appeared on his blog! Put to shame I decided I best tackle mine then ~

As you can see he'd not win any prizes but I'm confident that he will do his duty admirably, serving as anything from an objective marker, to acting as a victory point in the game, even as a Champion! Time will tell...

"Clifford, I say, come forth and fight with me!"

The latest base/element of figures to pass across my painting desk and endure its time under the brush of doom before mustering into the Wars of the Roses collection in GHQ is a group of Men At Arms, in this instance representing the Household of Thomas, Lord Clifford. They carry his heraldic banner as at the first battle of St Albans courtesy of Freezywater Flags, the first occasion I've used one of their products.As usual their base is from Warbases, textured with the usual Woodlands Scenics ballast mix and dressed with static grass and foliage ~

The figures of course are from Perry Miniatures with the addition of a single Crusader Miniatures figure to act as the banner bearer. As Norm commented on an earlier entry that my basing is quite economical in respect of figures I thought a bird's-eye view might be appropriate to show 8 figures on an 80x60mm base ~

Next up should be the last of the Yorkist retinues, the second one bearing the colours of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. That would have left just two bases of mercenary crossbowmen to complete this part of the project if I had not ordered a handful of figures through Ebay ~ including a Light Artillery piece and crew figures, a Medieval Bishop for a vignette I have planned, and a few...well, its a whimsy so you must wait and see.

"Warwick... proud setter up and puller down of kings."

Despite the lingering after effects of last week's lurgy I have finished the first of two planned Retinues bearing Warwick's colours.  The figures are a mixture of Eureka Miniatures and Perry Miniatures - both from their Wars of the Roses and European ranges. The standard and banner are from Pete's Flags and the bases from Warbases as ever. My regular reader has no doubt noticed by now that none of my figures in livery bear any heraldic badges. It's been a conscious decision on my part as neither hand nor eye are up to such extensive fine detail and decals are sadly a very limited range. I'm hoping that at 75 folk will be kindly disposed to cut me some slack there and turn the proverbial blind eye!

The Eureka Miniatures archers you will have seen many times before in other of the Retinues I've featured as the project has moved forward, with the Perry Miniatures billmen coming as I mentioned from their European armies range. I thought that given Warwick's association with Calais and its garrison it was quite reasonable to assume his forces might evidence a more continental look around the edges. Anyway. As a preview here are my Yorkists posing before Blandings Castle, home of Earl Emsworth's ancestors you may recall ~

With this retinue completed there is a clear sight of the finishing line for the foot part of the project ~ one retinue, one MAA and two bases of mercenary crossbowmen are prepped, spray undercoated and in the painting queue atop my desk. I would hope {DV} to have managed all of those by the end of the month. Then it should be on to the far smaller mounted element and finally the main Command stands for both armies.

Denique Triumphus Haztrubal Bicca!

Phil came over on Tuesday for our usual weekly tabletop battlefield run out. This week he'd requested a Hail Caesar game and we settled on a Punic Wars encounter between Coronus Cunctator and Haztrubal Bicca. It turned out to be a brisk encounter over 5 Turns in about an hour and a half.  Brisk even by our standards of late! Phil took on Coronus Cunctator and yours truly Haztrubal Bicca. As you've come to expect now, a photomontage carrying you down into the action, though a rather brief offering by our usual standard ~

The view from behind the Carthaginian starting line. Haztrubal has deployed his Veteran Lybian infantry in his centre with his elephants to the fore accompanied by Light Infantry skirmishers. His Spanish are to his right and his Celtiberians to his left.

Coronus has the Legio VI and the Allied Etruscan Legion in his centre, clearly intending to push through Haztrubals centre one the Velites have dispensed with the elephant threat. His left has all his Roman cavalry screened by Cretan archers and Balieric slingers. His right has mainly Light Infantry and cavalry stiffened by a Celtic warband.

With the initiative in his hand Coronus pushes Legio VI forward to engage the elephants while his left wing skirmishes with Haztrubal's Spanish. The Etruscans don't move, perhaps intimidated by all the pachyderns. 

Despite the Etruscan's lethargy Legio VI press confidently forward to close with the enemy. Surely the Velites will make short work of those lumbering beasts and their supports?

On Coronus's left the Roman cavalry drive back their Spanish foe causing much disorder in the accompanying Infantry. This is compounded by the fire of his slingers and archers.

The elephants stamp all over the Velites and crash into the Principes. A short and bloody fight transpires and the remnants of the Principes flee!

Amazingly on Haztrubal's right his Spanish cavalry survive the Roman's onslaught and begin to push the enemy back.

Legio VI are broken by the battle-mad elephants and the survivors flee the field! Suddenly Haztrubal senses the fates may have decided in his favour!

The Elephants are free to turn in on the flank of the embattled Etruscan Allied Legion, pinned as they are by Haztrubal's Southern Italian Allied hoplites.

On Coronus's right it has all gone to pot! The Celtiberian cavalry smash into and over his lightl Infantry skirmishers and drive back his Numidian cavalry!

It's all up for Coronus in Turn 5 as the Etruscans are first driven back and then destroyed by the hoplites supported by the Lybian veteran Infantry. 

A first win for Haztrubal and the Carthaginian army since they were brought into being during Lockdown. The game was short and brutal, for which I must truthfully praise the 'dice gods who smote Phil's dice most delightfully!!!! Still great fun followed by a bacon sarni, coffee and fruit cake. After all, we all surely remember the old maxim: an army marches on its stomach!!!