Finally managed to finish my Austrians (Armies in Plastic WWI Germans) - all the bits that were bothering me have been retouched and a suitable gloss applied.
The scenario is based on a actual historical event - three Austrian stormtrooper assault patrols burst out of hidden tunnels in the snow to surprise lightly held Italian positions. Ideally the Italians would have a machine gun on the table as they did in real life, but I am awaiting mine from England, so it will be awhile yet.
In the meantime, two Italian rifle sections and their "leader" stand watch or mostly just complain about the cold and the incompetent fools who think this icy section of rock is worth protecting.
The eyes! The eyes! (they freak me out) |
As the first units of Austrians reach the trench, another assault patrol bursts forth from a hidden tunnel. (Another unit I classified as a Bombing section)
A struggle ensues for control of the trench but the Italian infantry on the right give a good accounting of themselves, driving off two of the Austrian units.
The Italian infantry on the right raced down the trench and close combat ensued. After forcing them back, the Austrians closed to assault again but it was not enough and the Italian defenders were victorious.
These troops are a specialist type of their own but are not directly accounted for in the rules. For German stormtroops the rules suggest making most of the sections Bombing units and so that's what I went with (After all, the Austrians were trained by the Germans).
The Alpini are Dulcop and were not painted by me - I just painted their bases (well some of them) to match my preferred green. They will do for now, but they will eventually get some paint. I'm also not set on the basing I used here - I may move to 2 figures on a 2" square like I use for WW2.
Speaking of, painting, getting the Austrians done and on the table has inspired me to get back to painting. I will either extend my Austrians - possibly with some ordinary rifle infantry (assault patrols often led the way for regular army units) - or some of my unpainted Bersaglieri.
Glad to see these figures in a game. Your terrain is simple but an elegant solution . I look forward to seeing more of your games with these figures.
ReplyDeleteI find great inspiration in the look of your games, so thank you!
DeleteExcellent report John! The Austrians look great in gloss and your terrain really evokes the Austrian frontier! Some Bersaglieri would really add another element to your Italian army, they were bad-asses! I can't wait to see them!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I have Alpini, Bersaglieri, and Arditi figures for my Italians - oddly, finding generic infantry has proven difficult (I have extra Bersaglieri who will have their feathers removed).
DeleteCongratulations on finally getting this project going.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It was about time wasn't it?
DeleteSimple and effective scenery - I had a similar ex army surplus camo snow cape for terrain (which I foolishly lent someone and sadly it was never returned)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mark! I had almost given this cape to someone else myself! Thankfully, I held on to it. That said, I see it for sale occasionally still for around $10 usd.
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