German Panzers vs Italian Infantry in Dust Up

Italians advance on the hardened Germans

This weekend the Duelling Grounds in Toronto held a Nationals preparation event. So it was 1500 EW without allowing Japanese.  I am not a big fan of early war so I basically raided my various armies to see what I could cobble together and settled on German medium tanks. My first game was against Jay and his Italian Infantry.

Big Willie's Panzers
OC and 2IC in Panzer IV Ds
2 x Panzer IV Ds
2 x Panzer IV Ds
Full Armoured Pioneer platoon with supply truck
2 x Nebs
2 x 8-Rads
3 x 2 cm SP AA trucks

Jay's Italians
OC and 2IC
Full infantry platoon
Full infantry platoon
Barsigliary (sp?) platoon
Engineer platoon
4 x AT guns
4 x mortars
4 x 75mm guns
4 x 100mm guns
2 x AA trucks

Set Up

Objectives are in the field far right and on the road right of centre, by the bend in the road centre of the picture and behind the building far left

Panzer Pioneers vs British Infantry in Encounter

Utter devastation around the objectives as the Brits Keep Calm and Carry On!

My final game of Op HUSKY 2016 (180 MW) was against Carsten and his British 8th Army, Infantry. We were placed on the desert table which is awesome, because I have a soft spot for fighting in the desert. I always find that in encounter I often try and push to hard, ie before the reserves arrive. Something I think I'm going to need to do more is wait for reserves and then push hard.

Big Willie's Pioneers
OC and 2IC
Full armored pioneers
Full trucked pioneers with supply cart
Weapons pl with 2 x MG42 and Mortars
2 x Panthers
4 x Marders
2 x SP AA guns

Carsten's Brits
OC and 2IC
Infantry platoon
Infantry platoon
3 x UCs
HMG platoon
AA platoon
4 x 25 pdrs
3 x Shermans


Set Up

Objectives are far right above the house, top  right by the hill, mid left behind the houses and bottom centre by the hill

Panzer Pioneers vs Finn Infantry in Hold the Line

Finn Infantry is the wall that breaks the German wave

My Game 2  of Op HUSKY 2016 a 1850 MW tournament was against Stormtrooper Nick and his Finns. Nick is always a tough as nails opponent who is also a great dude so I was looking forward to the game. I was playing a mechanized force and Nick was playing Infantry so I would have the difficult task of trying to dig out his fearless veteran infantry.

Big Willie's Pioneers
OC and 2IC
Full armored pioneers
Full trucked pioneers with supply cart
Weapons pl with 2 x MG42 and Mortars
2 x Panthers
4 x Marders
2 x SP AA guns

Stormtrooper Nick's Finns
OC and 2IC
Full infantry platoon
Full infantry platoon
Pioneers platoon with supply vehicle
3 x Hvy mortars
2 x PaK 40s
3 x T34s

Set Up

Objectives are in the river just above the bridge and far back left by the woods

Panzer Pioneers vs Canadian Infantry in Breakthrough

Panthers annihilate flanking Shermans

Stormtrooper Nick put on a tournament at Gamezilla Fredericton, it was a 1850 MW tournament. In homage to Op HUSKY the Allied landings in Sicily, the tournament was called Op HUSKY. This was a warm up event for me in preparation for the NATC 2016. Although not playing the exact same army I made it as close as I could. My first game was against Brandon and his Canadian Infantry, straight out of Italy. I was playing my German Panzer Pioneers supported by Panthers and the first mission was Breakthrough.

Big Willie's Pioneers
OC and 2IC
Full armored pioneers
Full trucked pioneers with supply cart
Weapons pl with 2 x MG42 and Mortars
2 x Panthers
4 x Marders
2 x SP AA guns

Brandon's Canadians
OC and 2IC
Full infantry platoon
Full infantry platoon
Commando platoon
4 x HMGs
4 x Mortars
8 x 25 pdrs
2 x 17/25 pdrs
3 x Shermans
3 x Universal carriers
Hurricane support

Set Up

Objectives are by the farm house far right and by the woods middle back

USMC vs Iraqi Republican Guard in Dust Up

Devil Dog tanks open up BMPs like tin cans!

My second game of Team Yankee was against Storm Trooper Nick and his Russians who we are calling the Iraqi Republican Guard. This was going to be the first game that I was able to play with my now fully painted (although I haven't finished the decals) USMC with it's latest additions of both an air component and newly upgraded M1A1 tanks (although all tanks in this game are representing M1s). This was also the first chance for us to use the newest Battlefront terrain in the form of the oil tanks and the factory. We decided on 100 pts and rolled up the mission Dust Up randomly.

Big Willie's USMC
OC in M1
4 x M60s (representing M1s)
4 x M1s
Half strength infantry platoon
4 x VADs
2 x Cobras
2 x Harriers (representing A10s)

Stormtrooper Nick's Iraqi's
OC in BMP2
10 x BMP2s infantry platoon
4 x BMP1s
4 x BMP1s
10 x T72s
4 x Gophers
2 x Shelikas
6 x Carnations
4 x Hinds

Set Up

Objectives are just above the scotch glass on the left, centre left soviet marking, cross roads on the far right and behind the Mosque

German Armoured Pioneers vs Russian Mixed Tanks in Encounter

The night was lit up by the burning hulls of Russian tanks!

My sixth and final game of the NATC 2016 (MW 1650) was against James and Russian mixed Tankovy. The mission was Encounter which meant I was going to be attacking a ton of Russians be it infantry dug in, small tanks or rockets. James was the first player I've ever played against that had enough rockets firing to actually use the devastating bombardment template. That thing is a physiological weapon it I've ever seen one.  We were paired on the desert table, which means it was going to be easy to see each other the whole time. This game also marks the 100th battle report that I've done for Covering Fire!

Big Willie's Pioneers
OC and 2IC
Full Armoured Pioneers
Half Trucked Pioneers
Armoured Mortars
4 x 7.62 Marders
2 x 8-Rads
2 x 2cm SP AA trucks
2 x Panthers

James Mixed Tankovy
OC in T34
7 x T34s
10 x T26s
10 x T26s
8 x Katushkas
Infantry platoon
Anti-tank rifle platoon
AA platoon

Set Up

German objectives are far right by the the oasis and top right by the village ruins and Russian objectives are left by the hill and just off camera slightly further left 

German Armoured Pioneers vs British Armoured Cars in Pincer

Iconic German Panthers vs British Artillery in the snow

My fifth game of the NATC 2016 (MW 1650) was against Roger and his beautifully painted British Armoured Car squadron. The mission was Pincer which meant I was going to be attacking veteran British Guns who were dug in and hidden in the many woods Also, it was on a snow board where everything was going to be moving a slow going speed.  Good thing is it would slow down Roger's cars more than my infantry.

Big Willie's Pioneers
OC and 2IC
Full Armoured Pioneers
Half Trucked Pioneers
Armoured Mortars
4 x 7.62 Marders
2 x 8-Rads
2 x 2cm SP AA trucks
2 x Panthers

Rogers Armoured Cars
OC and 2IC in Humbers
Recce ptl light
Recce ptl light
Recce ptl heavy
Recce  ptl heavy
3 x Shermans
4 x 6 pdrs AT guns
8 x 25 pdrs with observers and battery commander in Stuarts

Set Up

Objectives are in the woods far right and in the woods back right by the building