On the workbench - November 2013

Crumbs, are we that far through the year already. Well after a week away down in Deepst Devon, just off Dartmoor I had better get back on with my annual targets, so it has to be work on my Saracens. Having inspected the figures the intended army will just be a modest force, to be added to as I find suitable figures, Turkoman/Arab horse archers being the biggest gap, so my Tartars and Parthian lights will have to cover their absence to start with. So my plan looks like:

• Three 16 man units of spear armed foot
• Three 16 man units of foot archers
• One 4 man unit of horse archers
• Two 6 man units of Ghulams
• Plus commanders

In addition I'll also work on

• Three Airfix Cromwells
• The two  DAK Lorraine Schleppers with 150mm
• A pair of 2pdrs on Portees and a matching dismounted pair
• A US Radio truck, I was much taken by Phil's version at the D-Day+6 game so I'll be adding one to my forces converted from the Airfix GMC.
• Plus other remnants that seem to be encroaching on my workspace

The radio truck

US half tracks

Having escaped from the South West just before the storm hit, I returned home to complete this trio of M3 half tracks by Plastic Soldier. Although nicely detailed and easy to assemble I'm not sure if I'll buy any more for my US forces. The biggest issue is that they are markedly larger then the Airfix and Italeri models I already have in my collection.

It's nice to have crew provided but these are also on the large side and don't fit all that well if you want a packed vehicle. I didn't bother with the rear stowage as it just makes an oversized vehicle even bigger and also replace the tarpaulins with one made of green stuff after I realised how poorly the provided ones was modelled.

For those interested here's a comparison with the Airfix model

D-Day+6 - the other sectors

Apart from the adjoining sectors I had little knowledge of the progress of the game in the other sectors. Overall it was an Allied win.

The pictures are in order of play rather than sector

An attemped panoramic view of the table

Don attempting to organise us

Western sectors (US)

101st paras advancing (they were on my left and we could provide shirt range support to each other if possible

US 2nd Armoured approaching Caretan

While their HQ hides itself away from harm

Armoured infantry entering Caretan, the scene of much street fighting

Artillery supporting 6th FJ REgiment opens fire on Caretan

17th SS Panzer Grenadier division deploying to confront 2nd US Armoured Division

All quiet in the 452nd German Infantry Division v's 29th US Infantry Division sector

2nd Panzer artillery deploying

And their PAKs

Panzer Lehr storms forwards

12th SS Panzer Division v's 3rd Canadian Infantry Division

21st Panzer Division v's British 3rd Infantry Division

From the 3rd Divisions perspective

Canadian 3rd Division

British 50th Infantry Division

British 7th Armoured

Confrontation down the Trungy to Quesnay Guesnon road

Plenty of tucks for the US 29th Division

2nd US Armoured

View of the table from the Eastern end (Germans to the left

Caretan, it was in two sectors, for the Allies the problem was the river/canal on the northern side restricting access

Units of 101st Airborne moving up to the west of Caretan

a footbridge comes in handy

6th FJ regiment struggling to attack Caretan, Artillery from 91st Airlanding in support

German 352nd Infantry v's US 29th Infantry

2nd Panzer under pressure

A couple of views of the whole table during the lunch break



Another view of the 101st Airborne

Blazing shermans from 2nd Armoured, but they held the line

29th US Infantry pushing forward into enemy territory

D-Day+6 - Upstairs

AS well as our game in the main room of the Giant's lair in Plymouth, a local group of Rapid Fire gamers set up another part of the battlefield for a game so other passing gamers could participate. I didn't get chance to follow the action, but here are a few pictures of their table during setup, etc.

D-Day+6 - 82nd Airborne sector

I've split the pictures from the game into two, firstly from my table, and then the rest. Obviously my sector was my prime concern, but overall I started with good intention to record as much as I could, but as the day wore on i took less and less as my attention focussed on the fighting in my sector.

I've split the pictures from the game into two, firstly from my table, and then the rest. Obviously my sector was my prime concern, but overall I started with good intention to record as much as I could, but as the day wore on I took less and less as my attention focussed on the fighting in my sector.

Given my slow movement as I almost entirely had foot infantry was to seize as much ground as possible with my mobile elements and attempt to follow up and consolidate with the rest of my forces as soon as possible.

The Allies won first turn, so my Reece headed up my eastern flank, they were not to have a good day as they would be totally wiped out.

In hte east I sent my Glider Infantry support company out in front to seize La Motay. Meanwhile most of the rest of my Paras worked their way across the flooded ground onto the table.

The Germans are being cautious, so my the end of my second move I have my artillery set up. However it is on road as there are no gaps in the hedges and I have no AFVs to create some (point to ponder)

The advance elements of the Glder Infantry have reached La Motay

German (French) armour advances upon Picauville, which my Recon Company has occupied. Please excuse the missing river Douve (A planning issue, resolved with masking tape)

Marders prepare to cause me some pain, deployed near Amfreville

My precarious position at La Motay, Gueutville to their rear is still unoccupied by the paras, who are now struggling through hedges after crossing the flooded ground

Deployed artillery and Glider Infantry advancing to support the advance elements at La Motay

Those pesky panzers continue their advance

Traffic jams on the road past Cauquigny

A German (French) half track and Pak40 in Pomt l'Abbe

German armour menaces the isolated Recon Company at Picauville

The recon company was totally wiped out, but the 1st Para Batalion arrives just in time.

Realising their position was a bit to exposed to counter battery and mortar fire a battery shufffles along the road to a better position

From here on I didn't take pictures, the action became more intense and the Germans manage to force their way into the northern halves of La Motay and Picauville. But they weren't strong enough to pust on further, but similarly I didn't have the forces to eject them either, so I draw was the result in my sector.

Biggest regret - not having taken a picture of the three KO'd German tanks, it took a lot of effort.

Thanks to Don my German opponent for a great game, played in the right spirit.