IABSM AAR: North of Caen

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I was browsing the 'net, as one does, and came across David Burden's excellent blog Converj. 

On there was an equally excellent account of his first game of IABSM: a solo game split across four or five posts and using the North of Caen scenario from the rulebook.

I hope he doesn't mind (as I haven't found a way of e-mailing him) but I've merged his posts into one AAR for you all to enjoy.

Click on the pic below to see all, and make sure you visit David's blog to see the other good stuff on there.

Coming Next Tuesday: Blitzkrieg in the West: The Low Countries

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Just in case people were wondering why it's all still been a bit quiet on here lately, it's because I'm still working hard on the series of Blitzkrieg in the West theatre books for I Ain't Been Shot, Mum.

The French and BEF handbooks are already available from the TooFatLardies website, and I'm pleased to announce that the handbook covering the Low Countries - Belgium and the Netherlands - should be available to buy right after the Easter Bank Holiday weekend i.e. Tuesday next week, 3rd April.

The handbook is 88 pages long (bigger than either the French or BEF books) and contains two separate sections: one on the Belgian army of 1940, and one on the Dutch army of 1940.

The Belgian section contains 16 separate lists covering everything from the Active divisions through to the Cavalry and then on to the Chasseurs Ardennais and Border Guards. There's also a section on the forts and bunkers positioned along the Belgian border.

 
 

The Dutch section contains 17 separate lists covering everything from the First Line divisions through to the Light and Peel divisions through to the three independent brigades, the cavalry and the various territorial commands. There's also a short section on defending the airfields and another on the defence of Rotterdam.

Both the Belgian and Dutch sections contain a lot of background information, so the handbook should be useful for players of other game systems as well.

So don't buy that extra Easter egg: save your money for Tuesday morning and a trip to the Low Countries!

Late War German Infantry Squad

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What with real life and working on the IABSM early war theatre handbooks (the Dutch and Belgian handbook is out at the end of the month:  almost broke me!) I have had no time for either painting or gaming so far this year.

So I'm quite pleased to be able to post that I've finally managed to finish the first of nine late war German infantry squads, shown here on a custom-made sabot base from Warbases:

The figures are Plastic Soldier Company in 15mm.

Just think: only another eight more squads to go. At this rate, the company will be finished sometime in 2019...not a very good showing for this year's painting challenge!

IABSM AAR: Over the Hill

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Here's a great looking battle report from the Devon Wargames Group, playing the Over the Hill scenario produced as a free PDF download by Rich Clarke the author and co-partner of Too Fat Lardies during the early incarnation of the rule set and easily converted to the latest version of the rules.

The scenario along with others is available to download from the Lardies Yahoo Group, which is well worth joining if you are interested in the best WWII Company level rule sets available!

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Toofatlardies/info

Click on the pic below to see all:

IABSM AAR: Lucky Shot!

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One of the great things about the IABSM Facebook page is that it encourages people to post a few photos and comments about their games, even if they don't have the time to write up a full AAR.

Sometimes, however, all the various bits and pieces posted on FB about a particular game add up to what is effectively a full AAR: a group effort if you like!

Mike Whitaker, for example, posted a note about an incredibly lucky shot in a recent club game: an Elefant spotted despite cover, distance and the weather, and then dispatched by a single shell from a 17pdr, despite a considerable difference in Strike and Armour values.

The German player, Gary Martin, then replied:  giving an outline of what happened in the rest of the game. Put the two together, and Lord Salisbury's your uncle...

Click on the picture below to see how I've stitched the various posts and pictures together into an AAR.

IABSM AAR: Near the Niemirov Ferry

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Here's a quick battle report from Ioannis Pavlidis, take from a recent post on the IABSM Facebook page.

It's 1941. A unit of Soviet soldiers has fallen back in disarray in the face of the overwhelming German assault. The German spearhead has now moved on, leaving a force behind to mop up the battered Soviets, who have fallen back to an abandoned barracks not far from the Niemirov Ferry crossing.

Click on the picture below to find out what happened.

Late War German Panzerschrecks

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The good news is that I've finished the first draft of the Belgian Army handbook for IABSM v3. That should be out in a combined Belgian/Nederlands pack on 1st April, following the BEF handbook which is still on track for publication on 1st March.

The bad news means that all the research and writing is severely cutting in to my painting time. All I have managed to finish this week is three late war German Panzerschrek teams for my Aufklarungs Kompanie.

Nice figures from The Plastic Soldier Company, but it's going to be a long haul to finish the main body of the infantry!

Blitzkrieg in the West #1: The French Now Available

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When IABSM v3 was published, two late war handbooks quickly followed:  Battle for Liberation and Vpered Na Berlin. I am very pleased to say that today sees the publication of the first of the v3 early war handbooks: Blitzkrieg in the West #1: The French.

The handbook is 73 pages long, and covers the French Army from 1939 to the fall of France in 1940. It has twenty-nine force listings in it, all looking at core company structure and then the possible battalion, brigade, regimental, divisional and higher level supports. It also has a guide to rating your French forces, and a comprehensive armoury.

Available only as a pdf from the TooFatLardies website, Blitzkrieg in the West #1: The French costs £8.40.

Handbooks covering the BEF, the Belgians and Dutch, and the Germans follow one per month in March, April and May this year.

Blitzkrieg in the West #1: The French contains the following lists:

Infantry Divisions
Infantry Company
GRDI Cavalry Squadron
GRDI Motorcycle Squardon

Motorised Infantry Divisions
Motorised Infantry Company
DIM Motorcycle Company
GRDIM Motorcycle Squadron
GRDIM AMD Squadron
GRDIM AMR Squadron

Independent Tank Formations
Independent Tank Company (R-35, H-35, D-2 or fCM-36)
Independent Tank Company (FT-17)

Colonial Infantry
North African and Foreign Legion formations 

Light Cavalry Divisions
Cavalry Squadron
Mechanised Dragoon Fusiliers
Dragoon Mixed Reconnaissance Squadron
RAM AMD Squadron
RAM AMC Squadron
RAM Motorcycle Squadron

Cavalry & Spahis
The Cavalry Squadron

Corps Reconnaissance Groups
GRCA Cavalry Squadron
GRCA Motorcycle Squadron
GRCAm Motorcycle Squadron

Light Mechanised Divisions
Tank Squadron
RDP Mechanised Dragoon AMR Squadron
RDP Mechanised Dragoon Fusilier Squadron
RDP Mechanised Dragoon Motorcycle
RD AMD Squadron
RD Motorcycle Squadron

Reserve Armoured Division
DCR Heavy Tank Company
DCR Light Tank Company
BCP Fusilier Company

First of the Late War Germans

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One thing I don't have in my WW2 collection is any late war German infantry. Yes, I've got Fallschirmjaeger in camouflaged smocks, but no men in a mixture of feld grau and Zeltbaun.

Until now, that is.

My self-bought Christmas present this year was a PSC company of "Normandy infantry" and their heavy weapons support in 15mm, the first of which I painted this weekend just gone:

I've decided that I'm going to use the figures to build an Aufklarungs Company to go with my already-bought-and-painted SdKfz 250's. I'll then pad that force out to make a full Grenadier company.

Now after painting a company of British Paras in their Denison smocks, I did vow never to paint another camouflaged smock again, but painting these chaps wasn't too bad.

For a start, these are first PSC infantry I've painted: a nice change from the Battlefront and FiB Poles I've been concentrating on recently.

Secondly, these are lovely figures: well posed and with plenty of clear detail to work with. I'm not sure I like the kneeling chap in grey with the binoculars - he looks a bit tall to me - but the others are cracking.

Technique was simple. Undercoat in black, then paint the base colours including the basic tan for the zeltbaun. A very light wash brings out the detail, then highlight and paint on the little green and brown stripes that make up the camouflage. I might have highlighted the greys a bit too strongly, but 15s always look a bit better if a bit over-exaggerated.

I wouldn't say I'm looking forward to painting three platoons worth plus the other supports (about another 100 figures) but the first ten weren't too painful and seem to have turned out quite well.

IABSM AAR: Operation Sealion: Tally Ho!

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Here's a battle report from a game I played in last weekend, using the Tally Ho! scenario from the Operation Sealion scenario pack.

The report is not written by me, but by Dave...who had the unfortunate task of referring a game in which I was participating. John and Mark played the Brits trying to re-claim a small corner of the UK for Queen and country; I played the dastardly Hun seeking to expand the Third Reich over England's green and pleasant land.

Click on the pic below to see how it all turned out...

IABSM AAR: Operation Compass #03: The Invasion of Egypt

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Although just being published now, this AAR covers my last game of 2017.

It's the Libyan/Egyptian border in September 1940, and the Italians have finally got their act together and invaded. A huge column snakes its way down the desert strip towards Egypt. In their way are the Coldstream Guards and their supports.

Find out how the Italians did by clicking on the picture, below.

IABSM AAR: Whitaker on Tour!

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Last Friday, The Centurions Wargame Group played host to fellow Lardy Mike Whitaker, who volunteered to run a demo game of IABSM. The game was held at The Source Comics and Games in the Twin Cities.

A company of infantry with armor support on each side provided an afternoon of great entertainment. Click on the pic below to see all.

IABSM AAR: The Dukla Pass (Poland 1939)

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On 8th September 1939, German Gebirgsjaegers moving along the Carpathian mountain range bumped into a unit of Polish Border Protection Corps mountain troops near the Dukla Pass. After a short battle, the Poles withdrew, leaving the pass open for the Gebirgsjaeger to continue their advance.

That was the background to scenario #39: The Dukla Pass, taken from my just-published scenario booklet, The September War, Part 2: another thirty of so scenarios for IABSM covering the German invasion of Poland in September 1939.

The game would involve both sides wrestling for control of two objectives, with victory going to side that controlled both objectives on any appearance of the Tea Break card.

Click on the picture below to see who triumphed in the two games we had, and why one of them ended in a Steward's Inquiry!

IABSM AAR: September 2 #58: Jablon

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Whilst I'm waiting for the go-ahead to publish my latest scenario pack, The September War, Part II, giving you another thirty early war scenarios covering the invasion of Poland in 1939, here is a battle report from one of the play-test games.

It's late September, and a mixed bag of Polish troops are holed up in the village of Jablon. They want to slip away over the border, but there's a fast-moving column of Soviet tanks and infantry heading towards them. They'll have to hold out until nightfall...

Find out if the Poles held off the Red Army hordes by clicking on the picture, below, and don't forget to keep a tenner of your Christmas money back to buy the pack once it's out!

IABSM AAR: Pestszentimre (easy for you to say!)

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Here's another great battle report from Mark Luther. This time the action is in Hungary, 1944, near the town of Pestszentimre: giving Mark a chance to roll out his new Hungarian figures.

Click on the picture, below, to see all:

Following up on Monday's post about Part 2 of the September War scenario pack, I'm pleased to say that that is now finished. Huzzah! 

Just waiting for Big Rich to sort a few details out, but it should be available at the end of this week...so keep a few of those Xmas Pounds/Dollars etc back for a last minute present for yourself. Should work out at about a tenner (£10 or about $13) for another thirty Poland 1939 scenarios, just under half of which involve the Soviets.

Exciting!