Big game - Husky 1943 - part 2 Gela

This post is more detailed as it involved the table I was fighting on. I commanded the 26th RCT defending the town of Gela itself.

The eastern end of our defences, I like the little touches like the stone covered well.


The town of Gela


Lots of German armour deploying


Advancing on Gela, supported by a small unit of pioneers, my company out in the forward positions feels very vulnerable


In the east Panzer grenadiers advancing


US forces moving up to take a critical road junction


Italian armour hiding in the vineyards so the German armour suffers from the naval gunfire


German armour herding the paratroops back towards Gela.


The Tigers arrive in the east.


Once a German aircraft successfully drove off all five of the Cruisers supporting the landing the Italians decide to attack


A bunch of fez-headed Italians burst into the centre of Gela, they didn't last long, but achived their aim of forcing the US troops hiding in buildings to reveal their positions



Italian armour attacking along the road, ignoring all my attempts to stop them with bazookas


Folks getting excited about the fighting in Gela, note the large Italian motorised forces struggling to manoeuvre.


But one tank in the main Italian Armoured force (R35s) was hit by a bazooka at last and the rest ran off the table




I lose one of my Stuarts to one of the myriad of Italian flamethrowers


Boom, there goes on of the Tigers!


Position in the centre at the end with the German armour still failing to move forwards

Unfortunately we ran out of time, but by the end the US had achieved the majority of their objectives.

Big game - Husky 1943 - part 1

Just back from an exhausting and very enjoyable weekend with the Society of Gentlemen Gamers refighting the early battles from the Invasion of Sicily in 1943.

Firstly views of the tables before being cluttered with all the figures, etc.

Lentini (The table I was responsible for providing the terrain for)








Primasole bridge




Gela, (The table I would be fighting on)
















Waterloo, the "alternative" big game

A pair of Marder IIIs

Marder III or Sdkfz 139 as it is the version armed with the rechambered Russian 76,2mm gun. These are two of the three in the lovely Plastic Soldier Company box, the other is already assembled as a Sdkfz 138 with the Pak40 and will be painted up for the Eastern front.

Nice to get the parts to make either of these or the 38t, I just need to decide how to use the spare bits, perhaps a Marder II with the guns? Does anyone know if/where the old 38t turrets were emplaced?

Ligny - planning

Despite the big game being only two days away, my thoughts have turned to the 1815 refight of Ligny to be held at our local Gauntlet show on the 5/6th July

Having worked through accounts of the battle and reviewed my available troops I have decided to concentrate on the action in the western 2/3 of the battlefield, where the Prussian I and II corps faced off against the French Corps commanded by Vandamme and Gerard, plus of course the Imperial Guard and Milhaud's Cuirassiers.

The approach will be similar to that used two years ago for Leipzig, where a Black Powder brigade replaces a Division (or Brigade if Prussian). This means that French divisions will be represented by three line infantry battalions, plus a small (half) battalion of skirmishers. The Prussian brigades are larger and will have four line infantry battalions plus a small battalion of skirmishers, but the overall quality is the same due to around a third being Landwehr. Almost all Cavalry divisions will be three units. The big advantage for the French (who have to attack) in this sector is they have almost double the number of guns available.

Last bits for Lentini

Hurrah just completed the last bits I need for the big game with only 5 days to go.

In the front the bits I needed to complete my US forces for Gela. A crew for a captured Italian gun for my Rangers, a USN OP team to call down fire from the offshore cruisers/monitors and a pair of Bofors (sould be 37mm, but I used the Airfix Bofors with head swaps for the crew.

On the right are some Italian pillboxes for Lentini for when I want to re-run the game later plus some extra olive trees in the background.

Lentini - final test

I put down the cloth for the game and followed my plan (rather than the pattern drawn on the patio) with complete success. I didn't bother laying down all the walls so it will look a bit more cluttered on the day. I'm also making another dozen olive trees to fill in some gaps.

The obligatory overhead shot, which will complement the plan


View from the Allied 5th/50th Division approach


View from the Axis end


The approach for the commandos, across the marshes with the steep bluffs on their left flank.


Villasmundo


Overview of the northern end of the table, plenty of orange and olive groves around Lentini


Melilli approach (5th Division) Highway 114


Sortini approach (50th Division)


View from the west (beware of the Triffids)


Northern end


Southern end


It's all now neatly packed away ready to transport to the game next weekend.

Lentini - town bases completed.

I'm reusing my existing Italian/Mediterranean buildings, but my existing town bases were the wrong size as they were originally made for the SOTCW Salerno game.

Left Lentini; right Carlentini




Left Mellili; centre Villasmundo; right Sortini. Both Mellili and Sortini are only partly on the table or I would have had to make them bigger.




Hopefully with the better weather I will be able to do a full rehearsal of laying out the completed table.