Vancouver Salute 2015 Stalingrad!

Ok, definitely gonna have to get more organized - this is a retro post from last years Vancouver Salute 2015. This was a joint effort with John Atchison and myself using his beautiful Stalingrad terrain and Schwere Kompanie rules. Minis were all Battlefront products.

The scenario:

Operation Hubertus 

Stalingrad, November 11 1942: Pioniere Bataillon 389, reinforced with Pioniere Bataillon 162, attack to the left of the Red October Factory and attempt to reached the bank of the Volga. In their way the 118th Rifle Regiment of the 37th Guards Rifle Division, is determined to stop their effort!

We played on a terrain mat I made from canvas and acrylic caulking. It worked well and was transported in a rolled up tube that somehow made it as carry-on for my plane ride to Vancouver!

German tanks and Pioneres attacked the Soviets who were strung out in various strong points in the factory area.

Pioneres group up for the attack, supported by Flammenwerfers.

More Pioneres. Smoke em if you got em!

sMG units took up positions to suppress the Soviets.

Infantry gun support was positioned to attack any stubborn positions.

A sIG 33B trundles up the middle of the German attack.

Many Soviet Guardsmen took up positions in the Rail yard, close to German Starting positions.

Some of John's beautiful terrain!

Soviet Mortars became critical in disrupting the heavy German support units

 First turn is busy for the Germans in an all-out attack!

The first Soviet unit to die was a sniper that took his toll as the germans crossed the street.

The Feldwebel states the obvious '...Hes up the stairs...shhh..."

 Soviet tank reinforcements drive into the side of the German armor Schwerpunkt. German infantry begin a frenzy of tossing smoke!

German bring up their secret weapon, Mr. Faust...

The 24th Panzer is not having a good day...

In all, a great weekend of gaming. Thanks to the players and especially John Atchinson for his spectactlar terrain!

Cheers!

Troy

Vancouver Salute 2016 Smolensk!

Hey All!

Finally got around to posting a few pictures of John Atchison and my game hosted at Salute 2016 in Vancouver this year. We used Schwere Kompanie rules and a mix of PSC and Battlefront 15mm minis.

The Background: Smolensk, July 1941:

 Realizing that the first Western Front was shortly going to cease to exist, the Stavka committed virtually its entire strategic reserve to the Minsk-Smolensk-Moscow axis. Stavka realized (even if Hitler didn’t) that losing the Moscow region would potentially result in losing the war, and wholly expected the Wehrmacht to pursue this objective before the autumn of 1941. Consequently they realized that the ‘Battle of Smolensk’ was critical and assumed its outcome would determine if an offensive against Moscow could continue.

On July 6^th, the 5th and 7th Mechanized Corps in conjunction with the 44th and 69th Rifle Corps, elements of the 2nd and 4th Rifle Corps, and the 4th Airborne Corps. attacked with over 2 000 tanks. It developed as a meeting engagement with the 3rd Panzer Group’s 39th Panzer Corps and the 2nd Panzer Group’s 47th Panzer Corps. In five days of fighting the 7th, 12th, 17th and 18th Panzer Divisions defeated and decimated the 5th and 7th Mechanized Corps and supporting rifle forces, and continued their advance on Vitebsk and Orsha. The 5th and 7th Mechanized Corps lost 832 tanks, many personnel and much heavy equipment in the battle, withdrawing in disorder eastwards across the Dnepr river.

The idea was to have light German forces occupying former Soviet defensive positions and for the Soviets and German main forces to attack from off map.

We adjusted the force composition during or three-game playtest-by-fire but overall we used:

For the Germans:
1 x StuGIIIB
1 x 2.0cm Sd.Kfz. 10/4
2 x Panzer IIF
2 x Panzer IVE
3 x Panzer IIIH
Two Platoons of 1st Line Infantry with Light AT/INF gun and MG support

For the Soviets:
3 x T-26S M39
5 x BT-5 M34
3 x T-34/76 M40
A full Company of 2nd Line Infantry with MG and AT rifle support. 

First some poses...

Battlefront plastic T34/76 M41 - backdated to M40.

Fenders thinned and rounded, saw, grab handles and lights removed...added weld seams, turret roof ventilators, tool boxes, wooden blocks, spare tracks, hull headlights, shovels and tow cable.

The front drivers hatch and the rear engine hatches are wrong but I was in a rush...with a deadline...

Battlefront Resin BT-5's...

Extensively reworked with a smattering of scratch-building.

PSC Plastic Panzer III's...with a BF commander...oh the horror!

Action Shots...

Casualty Markers & German Armor

Hey All!

Finished up some vehicle crews and KIA markers along with a Panzer II and a Sd.Kfz 10/4 2 cm Flak.

The crew figures dragging their wounded leg are actually the same figure - with a head swap and a re-carve of the german uniform into the denim overalls for service to the Motherland. 
The Germans casualties are scratchbuilt from spare figures, as is one of the Soviets. All are mounted on CAN pennies - which are now getting harder to come by as they have been deemed worthless...

I'm thinking these will be either used to mark squads that have suffered a casualty or to pretty (really?!?) up the battlefield to mark a spot where a unit was KIA'ed.

I added grass tufts with a home-made static grass applicator. The store-bought one is brutally expensive and you can make one out a dollar store fly swatter (really!).

The Panzer II is one of two I'm working on with a few scratchbuilt items.

I replaced the barrel and added some rivet detail.

I added a crate, tarps, and helmets to complete.

 The Flak-track 2 cm gun mount was rebuilt though it is still kind of poorly detailed, I decided that enough was enough. and moved on. I see I neglected to paint in the wheel bolts in the rush to get the pics up (Really...)

I added a loader from another blister and did a head swap.

 I re-did the screens on the drop-down sides but should have used a less fine mesh. Meh...

New barrel and rivet detail finish it up.

Cheers!

Troy