Operation Citadel-ish

In the mood for getting some kind of game on the table, I flipped, well, scrolled, through, my copy of One Hour Wargames and realized I could treat scenario 8: Melee as a suitable substitute for Grossdeutschland's attack on Cherkasskoye in July, 1943.

Regular readers may recall that I fought this battle as part of a campaign last year.

Panzer and Tiger units from GD advance in front of PzGrenadiers.

Elements of Soviet 199th Guard Rifle Regiment protect the hill, while others advance to meet the fascist invaders.

GD Panzer IVs were completely destroyed but GD recon unit and additional PzGrenadiers arrive to press the attack.

Two AT batteries of the 67th Guards Rifle Division reinforce what remains of the 199th.

Assault lead by Pz Grenadiers supported by recon and Tigers (off camera)

The Soviet left flank collapses under the weight of GD's advance.

Recon foolishly leads the charge to eliminate the last of the defenders.

The Soviets lose Cherkasskoye at great cost, while GD losses are minimal.

I used improvised rules based on my Division Squares: Simple WW2 Combat on a Square Grid but converted to grid-less.  The biggest changes, besides using a ruler, were that I left out leaders and artillery. 

Obviously some of the specifics of the scenario didn't match my original from last year - which I tried to base on research - the Soviets weren't dug in, there was no artillery barrage, and there was no village, but honestly, it was close enough and just as enjoyable.

Austria Inches Closer to War

I can't say the progress on these is substantial, at least not visibly. Inwardly though, I decided to let go a little of my perfectionism (well, attempts at) and embrace the "the best is the enemy of the good" mentality. There are a couple of sloppy spots that I will have to fix for my sanity, but the rest stays as is. 

They do need a gloss finish though, of course. However, I need to figure out basing first. I was all set for 2 figures on a 2 inch square, like my WWII Eastern Front collection. But then I saw them just singly on the table and I felt nostalgic for the simple early days of my own wargaming where individual figures and 1:1 ratios were all I knew.

This could be a fun Fistful of Lead force or One Hour Skirmish.

 So I'm not sure which I'll do yet. Maybe 1"x2" bases, so I can fake 2" squares?

Bayonets properly shiny. Figures based this way are suitable for Trench Hammer, Portable Wargame, Crossfire, etc.

 

I do try to make each collection provide  a different experience. More to think on regarding that.

Island Hopping or Rebasing the PTO

No gaming afoot but I did get inspired to rebase my 1/72 Pacific Theater figures.

Originally they were individually based on U.S. pennies but now I'm basing them on foamcore, for use in Crossfire, Blitzkrieg Commander 1st ed., The Portable Wargame, my Morschauser Modified Modern rules, my various grid games, etc.

I have between 40 and 50 figures for each side (painted around 10 years ago and gamed with very often for a time)- so more than enough for my current small multi-figure base games.

The proof of concept batch.

I liked the light I was getting, so another one of the same batch.

More figures on bases. Perhaps they are fighting in winter? Nope, just haven't painted the bases yet.

Finally, not exactly gaming related but certainly tangential. I acquired a copy of The Legacy of World War II in European Arthouse Cinema by Samm Deighan. I've known Samm for over a decade now and I have been eagerly awaiting this book since I first heard whispers she was working on it, many years ago. By the way, lest you feel like you might be hoodwinked into some affiliate link, the link is to the Google book preview rather than to Amazon for a whole host of reasons.

Cheers to you all  - I have been popping in to read your blogs whenever I can. I've been swamped with multiple efforts on multiple fronts (and enjoying all but the ones involving my day job) and your posts keep me connected to the hobby, inspired, and itching to play. 

I do hope to get a game in tonight or this weekend - a board game perhaps or maybe toy soldiers. We'll see what hand fortune deals us!