6mm Moderns- Israel and Britain on the attack...

So, another 6mm Moderns game was had on Friday, with us testing the new attacker/defender mission which had been tried last week and perfected (somewhat)over the week.

The scenario was simple, the Israelis and British were seeking to push through the lightly held Egyptian border guards, to recapture the Suez. But waiting behind the front lines were Jordanians and Egyptian Mechanised formations, made up of T-72, Chieftan and M60 battle tanks!

On table for the Egyptians were three rifle companies, one heavy (120mm) mortar company.

The forces which were trying to push the front were three Israeli Tank companies of M60 tanks, which were supported by a Warrior Company from the Scots, which were supported by a trio of Challenger 1 MBT from the Scots Guards. On the right flank, the Queen's Dragoon Guard (QDG) were ready to engage on the right flank.

The centre of the Allied battle line.

The QDG on the right flank, deployed in a protective wadi.

The battle was immediately joined by the Israeli Recon moving at high speed straight up the road, and opening fire upon the enemy roadblock. The fire was unsuccessful, but the infantry were forced to put their heads down. The QDG moved forward in the protective cover of the wadi, one Sultan APC was torn apart by a Sagger AT missile from one of the infantry formations.

In spite of the fire, the Scimitars were able to reap a terrible toll on to the centre infantry company, breaking the formation.

The Egyptian response was to send in a Crocodile (Hind-D) gunship onto the lead M60 formation. The AA fire was ineffective, the Hind's fire was ineffective and everyone involved was left confused as to what actually happened!

Pushing their advantage, the Challenger 1's advanced at double time to form a position alongside the M113's in the centre of the table. One Challenger was rendered inoperable by a Sagger hit to it's right hand track, the other two pushed forward and fired onto the centre company with their heavy weapons.

The lead armoured elements of the Egyptian and Jordanian forces were held up by H&I fire (or got stuck stopping at the pub or something) and were stalled for the first turn off table.

The Israeli M60s sought to push through the gap created by the British, but were stalled by damage to the road by the Hind strike, one company were stalled, but the other two were able to push forward to support the M113s.

The RAF Harrier's rolled in on the Crocodile, destroying it utterly with cannon fire. There were two MiG's attempting to catch the Harriers on the hop, but to no avail, the Harrier pilots were well up to the challenge, and were able to avoid any damage.

The defenders wrested initiative from the allies, dropping heavy 120mm mortar rounds onto the M113s and the two remaining Challengers. Both Challengers were rendered inoperable (yes, I failed 3 3+ saves from 3 dice rolls. Refer to previous outings with Challengers for more of this) and two M113s were destroyed.

The Black Watch raced forward in their Warriors, engaging the enemy infantry blocking the road. Casualties were light (Jas rolled amazing saves), but when the M60 tanks engaged the infantry, supported by the Black Watch, the casualties were far more extreme.

With the road now clear, it was time for the breakthrough. Except for that one sticky wicket, provided by the entire armoured reserve arriving...

Wave after wave of heavy tanks appeared, pouring fire onto the Israeli battle tanks. The Israelis did give as good as they got, dealing damage to the enemy T-72s, in spite of their losses.

It was at this point that the QDG elected to clear the nearby summit entirely of life. Using a Sustain Fire action, pouring on 30mm Raden, Swingfire missiles, GPMG and throwing an operations table, the recon formation was able to totally wipe out the defending infantry, without a single infantry man left to explain what happened.

The Egyptian and Jordanian tanks were beginning to take their toll onto the Israeli armour, with multiple formations of tanks being suppressed and destroyed. But, the weight of fire returning onto the tanks from the Israelis also began to toll- the T-72 lost half their number and broke under the weight of fire.

The final turn began with the initiative again with the attacking Israelis and British, who sought to punish the lead most company of enemy tanks, which was M60s. First, a company of Israeli M60s fired upon them, then the QDG moved forward to occupy two of the three forward objectives, then proceeded to knock out an M60 with the 30mm Raden on a Scimitar (lucky ish shot with a High Velocity 30mm), which broke the formation.

From here, it was a matter of the Jordanians and Egyptians having to recapture strongly held objectives, which they just couldn't do. One after the other, their tank formations were suppressed or destroyed, their main highlight being their Chieftans and 120mm mortars were able to force the Black Watch to break, but the Israeli M60s did not let up, knocking out the remaining enemy units to activate, the ZSU, the T-72s, all were destroyed before they could inflict further damage.

The last act of the game was two MiG-29s freshly rearmed for ground attack rolling in onto the Queen's Dragoon Guard. Naturally, the RAF were there to intercept...

And rolled in, first firing Anti-Aircraft missiles, then their 20mm cannon. Catching them as they flew through the canyons, the Harriers rolled no less than 5 hits!

And the MiGs passed their saves. All of them. On a 5+. God Damn pink dice!

But with that, the MiGs shot and failed to kill some Scimitars. On the whole the QDG were rather miffed about the whole ordeal, but they did claim two objectives thus winning the game...

Another game of Moderns done, another interesting mission. I am happy with a lot of what we have got at the moment, there are a few list things that need to be checked and balanced, but it is my fault that those haven't been done. Our new mission worked great, so no we have TWO missions to play! I will poke the guys with a stick until they think of a third....

We (I) have decided it needs a cool name, so Conflict 1989 is what I have come up with so far, it suits the lists we have made etc, so I think it works!

I will finish my school reports tomorrow, then I need to look at my Masters FOW army. Because that is next weekend! So it might be a FOW based week next week. Then again, usually when I say that, random stuff happens. So stay tuned...

CP

6mm Moderns- A Comparison of Abrams

My 6mm armies are growing rapidly, the 6mm counter on the right ticks ever higher, but what of the miniatures themselves?

So, here is three different company's take on the M1 Abrams.

The three competitors....

GHQ, Heroics and Ros and Scotia-Grendel

First up, GHQ.
Cost? Around $2.50 NZ per tank. Which for a 6mm tank gets pricy fast, but the quality is about what I expect from BF in 15mm scale. Most of my armies and miniatures are from GHQ, because I don't mind paying that bit more for quality. The unbuttoned crew look awesome, along with the cupola MGs.

All in all GHQ is the best in quality, hands down. But expensive, and very annoying how they only sell in packs of 5 tanks!

Next up Heroics and Ros
So H&R. Immediately you notice that the details are not as crisp, the turret is tiny and it is unpainted. Well, the paint is my fault, but the rest is with H&R!

I have used H&R miniatures to plug gaps in the GHQ range, things like specialist AA weapons, or howitzers (H&R come with crew, GHQ don't). My whole French army is H&R actually, and they look good.

A whole lot cheaper than GHQ (around $1 per vehicle), but in comparison, don't buy their Abrams!

Lastly Scotia
What to say here. Yes there is a fair layer of paint on the top (not done by me), but still, there are NO details on the model. There are barely any roadwheels on the tracks!

So, by far, the worst in the Abrams competition. But, the Scotia range is the best of the three, and I can honestly say that their AAVs are as good as GHQ's models. Which is tough, because it is hard to know if you would get this lump of lead, or an actual model.

Make your own choice, but the GHQ miniatures are consistely good, H&R is pretty consistently ok, and Scotia have some brilliant models, just not the Abrams! With GHQ running at twice the price of the others, maybe I will take the risk a couple of times to see what I get...

Till next update,

CP

6mm Moderns- A French holding action in Southern Germany

Last weekend I managed no less than two 6mm Moderns games. I forgot my camera for the first game, but it was a victory to the US. The USMC's official write up is here. The US Army correspondents didn't make it to the battlefield apparently, but the USMC guys got a good write up done.

As for the second game, Adam and I had a quick 1500 point each throw down, to try out a new mission that had been boiling around in my brain for the last wee while.

I was running part of the French 6th Light Division, which was tasked with holding the line in Southern Germany. The initial defensive line was covered by Armoured Cars and infantry.

The Armoured Cars in a wood

The Company of Foreign Legion defending the line of advance over the bridges.

The Soviet advance was quick and bloody- the armoured cars and infantry were immediatly assailed from the air by two Hind-D attack aircraft, the Man Portable missile in the Foreign Legion company was unable to draw line of sight onto the helicopters, meaning they could rake the armoured cars with ATGM, rocket pods and their nose mounted heavy cannon. Needless to say, the armour of the AMX-10RC was insufficient to stand up to such a heavy bombardment, their only saving grace came from the concealment from the woods.

With them distracted looking up, the Guards Motor Rifle Company advanced in line ahead of them, seeking to push the river crossing in their amphibious vehicles.

One AMX-10RC was still composed enough to fire, dutifully destroying an enemy vehicle with the 90mm gun. However, one destroyed from a company with 10 vehicles was never going to slow the Russians down, as they pushed forward to the river's edge.

The Foreign Legion sought to more securely capture the bridgehead, to deny quick access to the other side for the enemy heavy T-72 tanks.

However by pushing forward they opened themselves up to return fire from the T-72, which was ruthless in the extreme. The few survivors pulled back into the cornfield to await reinforcements.

The Chasseurs were set to reinforce the pickets of defenders, but they were too far away to influence the battle immediatly.

The Soviets claimed initiative, quickly sending their Motor Rifle Company over the river, to destroy the last of the AMX-10RC.

It was at this time that the first formation of AMX-30B2 tanks arrived from their staging area, immediatly put in to battle. They opened fire on the enemy Recon BMPs, destroying them outright.

But return fire was quick in coming from the enemy T-72, who could now push themselves over the bridge, opening up on the lightly armoured French vehicles with their heavy main guns. The Hind-D rolled in on them as well, losing one of their number to a Roland SAM, but when the smoke cleared, there were only three remaining AMX-30 in the company.

The Second company of AMX-30 rolled on behind the first, firing their cannon at the T-72, causing no less than five of the heavy soviet tanks to erupt into a ball of flame. The remaining two tanks moved behind the cover of the bridge to protect themselves.

The final French reserve arrived in the form of three VAB Mephisto ATGM launchers, which immediatly engaged the large Motor Rifle Company, registering further hits on the company.

But it was not long before the weight of Soviet Air Power began to toll, the Su-24 aircraft rolled in onto the lead company of AMX-30B2, destroying them outright, the Hind-D rolled in onto the second company causing a full half of their number to be destroyed. The remaining T-72 engaged the remaining company with their cannon, destroying even more. The remanents of the foreign legion were mopped up by the Motor Rifle Company, and the three VAB Mephisto, all that was left attempted to stem the advance, but the damage was done. The Soviets had claimed the bridgehead, and with enough numbers to force their advantage.

Smoking wrecks, but a captured road through...

This was a cool game. It was a chance for us to try out a new Attacker/Defender style of mission, which really made the game interesting. My garrisons tried to hold off the whole soviet army, before the AMX-30s could come on to save the day. As it was, it was too little, too piecemeal and they got picked off as they arrived. Credit has to go to Adam for totally smashing me with his Air Support!

I do not miss the Crocodile.....

Another game friday, where I will flesh these rules out a bit more. I need to paint my Masters army, plus have a lot more 6mm that I want to do. And need to write reports and do the work thing.

Busy!

Also, 40,000 people have looked at this blog (or one person has 40,000 times), so thanks very much for reading, I hope you have found something you liked!

CP

Epic Moderns- Israeli Incursion Repulsed!

It had been a long time coming, but it was time to break out the 6mm Moderns again!

This time it was a full 4000 points of Israelis against a defensive force of Soviets.

The Israelis had invaded one of the (many) Soviet client states, the invasion led by one of their heavy armoured formations based around numerous M60 tanks, and under the cover of the IAF.

To counter this massive armoured thrust, the Soviets sent a large detachment of Naval Infantry, supported by T-72 tanks. Also attached were elements of the 3rd Guards Tank Regiment, One full company of T-72s, three companies of T-55, with a mechanised company in BMP-1s in support.

A leading tank company was deployed forward in the centre, with two Recon platoons in BMP tracked vehicles holding the urban area on the Soviet right flank.

The opening blasts of Soviet Artillery and Air Support ushered in the battle, causing few casualties among the enemy Anti-Aircraft and Tank formations.

The Israelis were quick to respond, causing massive casualties among the lead tank platoon which had adopted the forward position in the centre. Thankfully for their supporting companies they had managed to cause a smokescreen to protect the tanks advancing behind them.

The lead company was annihilated by the combined fire of two Israeli tank companies, TOW equipped M113s.

The IAF made their force felt first onto the Soviet artillery, a flight of F-16 aircraft equipped with missiles destroyed the entire artillery battery, then two flights of AH-1 Cobra gunships unleashed punishing fire onto the Naval Infantry company destroying their supporting tanks and some of their transports.

The return AA fire was totally underwhelming as all aircraft were able to escape.

It was at this point that Nicholai Valivesky and his BMP recon units sought to push the advantage, deciding to stall the massive formation of Israeli Paratroopers outside of the city, lest they get inside the protective walls. Valivesky brought his guns onto the enemy anti-aircraft units, destroying multiple enemy AA vehicles.

Vengeance was quick in coming, the full force of the paratrooper company was unleashed onto Valivesky and his men. Merkava tanks, Paratroop infantry and heavy armoured personell carriers destroyed the small unit, but crucially their advance was stalled outside of the city.

Return fire was enacted for Valivesky from a full Guards Armoured Tank Company of 10 T72 tanks, destroying first the enemy Merkava tanks, then beginning to systematically destroy the enemy transport, stranding the paratroopers outside the city limits.

The T-72 tanks supporting the Naval Infantry joined in the firing at the Paratrooper company, totally destroying the enemy transport. By this time, weight of fire had begun to toll onto the paratroopers, and once a third tank company, this time of T-55s joined the firing at the paratroopers, the paratrooper company was totally destroyed.

The Cobras rolled in onto the tanks, but to no avail, the damage was done. A full tank company of M60 tanks attacked the T-55s at close range. The Israelis were hampered by the close in fighting among the buildings, while able to destroy the lead T-55 tanks, they were quickly flanked and overwhelmed by the so called inferior T-55 vehicles.

The area outside of the city was filled with smoke and burning wrecks of tanks. Somewhere, in the centre of the smoke was Valivesky and his 4 BMPs.

With the end of the Paratroopers and their supporting Tank Company, the road was clear for the Naval Infantry BMPs to rush forward and claim the enemy Blitz objective.

With that, the battle was won for the Soviets. The Israelis engaged into attacks to attempt to push the Soviets off the objective, but the Soviet tank forces were too strong, and the Israelis were unable to recapture the objective.

Another really cool game of Moderns, I think our best yet! Our rules are coming along really well, little tweaks left now and it will be great!

CP

Defensive Action around Al Tuck

Following the successful withdrawal of the 2nd Armoured Cav Regiment from Al Tanf, the Warsaw Pact sought to extend their advantage over the Coalition, pushing their tanks further forwards into the US and Israeli controlled zone.

Opposing this combined Syrian/Iraqi/Russian force was elements of the US 1st Armoured Division, along with supporting elements from the 82nd Airborne division.




Elements of the US Force arrayed ready to engage

The WarPac tank units took up positions around Al Tuck, unaware that over the crest of the berm waited the 1st Armoured Division, sitting inside their M1A1 Abrams MBT and M3 Bradley FV, engines running, fully aware of what was over the berm.

Not one to wait around for the WarPac to claim the initiative, the Americans engaged the enemy T-72 companies first with MLRS and followed up with TOW missiles from the mechanized company from the 1st Infantry Division. 8 T-72 were quickly knocked out through the firepower, the DPCIM missiles from the MLRS causing widespread panic and damage to the unprepared enemy armor.

The WarPac sought to answer the artillery fire with their own mortars, dropping heavy 120mm shells down on the mech infantry hunkered down in a wadi, running the length of the board.

As this was happening, the FAC Blackhawk began bringing in M109A6 Paladin 155mm shells down on the second T-72 company, the plan being to deprive the enemy of its large calibre Anti-Tank weaponry, by prioritizing the T-72 over the poorly armed T-55. As the heavy shells rained down, large primary and secondary explosions could be seen in the targeted area.

The light HMMWV vehicles from the Recon team sped forward to claim the initiative, using their TOW missiles to wreak further havoc onto the hard pressed companies of Syrian T-72 tanks.

It was clear at this point that there was not just Syrians and Iraqis opposing the 1st Armoured, as a Mil Mi-24 Hind rolled in above Al Tuck, raking the light M55A1 tanks deployed in support of the 82nd Airborne with heavy calibre cannon fire. One Sheridan immediately burst into flames, it's light aluminum armor no match for the heavy calibre bullets. The other Sheridans were forced to bail out, their crews hiding in the nearby buildings.

The FAC brought in two F-14 Tomcats from the Jolly Rogers squadron in to intercept the Hind, which was quickly dispatched with a Sparrow missile.



Two Syrian MiG-29's came in low over Al Tuck, their low flying seemingly defeating the US AWACs system. However in their desire to avoid radar detection, they were engaged by the 82nd Airborne's MANPAD assets, their Stinger AA missile team were able to destroy one of the enemy aircraft. The F-14s, upon being bounced by the now lone MiG, quickly rolled up and out, engaging the MiG at the low altitude, destroying the MiG for no losses of their own.

With so many tanks opposing the 1st Armoured, all aircraft were placed on station, prepared to attack. An E-6 Prowler, in it's Wild Weasel configuration fired two HARM missiles at enemy radar guided AA systems, but the missiles were only able to destroy a T-72 which was shielding the Zeus AA system. The Prowler on it's low flight out was picked up by the Zeus, forced to evade with damage, and then it was hit by an Alamo missile, fired by a lone Iraqi MiG, which had avoided the Navy's CAP.

The gas turbines on the M1A1 tanks roared as their throttles were opened, stabilized 120mm cannon firing accurately on the move. Bravo Company engaged the Iraqi T-55 tanks ahead of it, using what little concealment there was to destroy 5 of their number as they closed with the enemy. Charlie Company opened up on the move against the T-72 tanks identified by the FAC as being Russian, destroying 4 of their number. Abrams tanks, left behind from Ghost Company of the 2nd ACR engaged the enemy recon elements, hidden in a wadi.

Dog Company, 82nd Airborne were currently in possession of buildings in Southern Al Tuck. With enemy mechanized troops nearby, they seized the initiative, pushing forward through the city, to form a strong forward defensive position.



Two companies of enemy T-55 tanks took the bait against the lightly armed scout troops in HMWWV vehicles, opening fire upon them. The HMMWV's quickly retreated behind a berm, in the knowledge that their sacrifice had brought the enemy into an artillery "kill zone". As soon as the T-55s sought to push forward their advantage, 155mm shells from the Paladins came crashing down on them, which combined with the fire from Bravo Company caused heavy damage to the enemy formations.



Charlie Company's advance was met by a bold advance from the Russian Naval Infantry company, who sought to engage the Abrams tanks in close range firefights. One Abrams was rendered combat ineffective through a 76mm shell jamming the right hand track of the vehicle, another was destroyed outright from a missile hit, later identified as an AT-3 Sagger.

With an imminent threat ahead of it, and with clear orders to move forward, the Abrams commander called in a danger close bombardment from the MLRS missiles, which came in at full effect, destroying much of the enemy company, reducing their combat effectiveness to nil in one barrage.

Charlie's Abrams saw the advantage and took it, roaring past the now ineffective Naval infantry at full throttle, seeking to turn the enemy forces by engaging their vulnerable rear elements, engaging the enemy mortars with machine-gun and 120mm HE rounds.

The 82nd on the left flank in Al Tuck were forced to defend themselves against an assault by the Iraqi mechanized formation, which sought to push them out of their strong position in the buildings. Their assault was met with a wall of fire from the well positioned Dragon ATGMs and LMGs, causing crippling casualties onto the mechanized formation.

The F-14's, still on station rolled in to push the advantage that the 82nd had just won, rolling in to strafe the enemy formation with their cannon. Further damage was caused onto the now fleeing Iraqis, their vehicles becoming a twisted mess. The Iraqi MiG-29 again reared it's ugly head, but Dog Companies MANPAD team was more than up to the challenge, destroying the MiG before it could engage the Tomcats.

On the right flank, Bravo was being pushed hard by the sheer weight of numbers that the enemy possessed, it was not long before there were multiple disabled Abrams, with shot out optics or thrown tracks as they were forced to maneuver on the shifting sands to form a refused flank. the nearby hill, Hill 214 was covered with the burning wrecks of Iraqi T-55s, but there were still more roaring through the Wadi's, seeking to move past the Abram's roadblock, and push into the wadi where the company from the 1st Infantry were deployed.



The Scout Company on the far right flank periodically popped out to fire it's now lone TOW missile at the tanks, as well as Mk 19 Grenades at the T-55s, which were now speeding away from their position. More T-55s were knocked down, but still they came at the Bradley Company.

The Bradleys had not been idle however, they had been engaging T-72 with TOW, engaging the PT-76 and BRDM of the Naval infantry with Bushmasters and TOW, and when they realized their position was tenuous, they sought to again steal the initiative. Driving forward rather than back, the Bradleys used their superior mobility sticking to the higher ground beside the wadi where the lead company of T-55 were deployed to engage Charlie's Abrams. The Bradleys caught them by surprise, engaging them with 25mm Bushmasters at nil range, causing 5 destroyed T-55s. It was when further companies of T-55s began racing towards the Bradleys, main cannon firing that the Bradleys did withdraw, pulling their vehicles back to a more secure defensive line.

By this time, the heart had gone out of the enemy. The battle was littered with burning T-72 and T-55, and no small number of American vehicles. Victory had come at a cost, but the WarPac push had been neutered and turned back. Al Tuck, was safe for now.

So, that's another game of Epic Moderns done and dusted! It was a whopping 4500 points per side, and I took on the armies of John, Andy and Adam with a combined force of 4500 points of US. So I got to have all the toys! Which made me happy. Was a very interesting game, we learned a lot about artillery, about Abrams and about destroying enemy tanks.

I still can't roll armor saves on an Abrams, even when it is a 4+ reroll! But then again, my MLRS barrage on the Naval Infantry was ridiculous, it was 13 hits from 13 dice, on a 4+! So I certainly can not complain. As ever, the game was super fun, I learned a lot about what I want to do. The Americans have a hard road to go to get objectives, they need a bit to go their way! It is not impossible, but just hard.

The meta-game for our system is shifting, AIr is becoming less of a big factor as Air Defense on both sides improves. It will be interesting to see what fills the gap.....

The Russki's posted a report here

I have been doing lots of random stuff on the painting front of late, will have to post something soon.

CP

6mm Moderns: Holding Action at Al Tanf

Last Friday, we had another game of our Epic Moderns game, rather than using the freshly completed British, I was running a US force.

At 1730 Zulu time, lead elements of the US 2nd Armoured Cavalry Regiment along with elemnts of an Israeli Reserve tank company. The units were engaged by a numerically superior mechanised force, identified as being Iraqi and Syrian origin.


Overflight by a recon bird, showing a Syrian T-72 tank company


Overflight identifying an Iraqi MiG-29 fighter

Ghost Company of the 2nd ACR deployed within Al Tanf itself, with elements of the 82nd Airborne deployed defending the nearby airfield. In supporting positions were the Israeli armoured units, which were deployed in covering positions behind berms.

Ghost Company immediatly surged out of the town, using their superior mobility and fire control systems on the Abrams tank to engage the command T-72 company, causing the lead 3 tanks from the company. Further supporting fire from the Bradley's TOW missiles caused further casualties.

The first of the Israeli Tank companies attempted to surge forward and fire, but were to slow to prepare their tanks, and were unable to fire before the enemy T-72s engaged them, causing damage.

The M551A1 Sheridans from the 82nd Airborne used their Shillelagh missiles against the already damaged T-72 company, causing two further destroyed T-72s and breaking the company. Unfortunatly for the M551s, in their hunt for missile kills they lingered too long in one place, and were engaged by enemy tanks, destroying all three lightly armoured vehicles.



Word of the onrushing Syrian and Iraqi armour had reached higher command, and it was time for the Israeli Airforce to show it's might.


In roll the F-16 and Cobras

The Air support rolled in onto the enemy mechanised company, causing multiple destroyed transports and infantry.

The Syrian and Iraqi ground forces were well equipped with Air cover, three MiG-29s rolled in onto the Cobras and F-16s destroying all of the Israeli air support with Alamo Anti-Aircraft Missiles.

The airfield guarded by an understrength company of the 82nd Airborne, deployed in the nearby wadi. Two companies of Iraqi T-55 crossed a nearby berm, engaging the infantry with both cannon and machinegun fire. The 82nd returned fire with the few Dragon ATGMs they had, destroying few of the enemy vehicles.

The Israeli reseve tank company equipped with uparmoured and upgunned M60 tanks engaged the lead T-55 vehicles, causing damage to the first of the enemy tank companies, breaking the company.

It was now that the F-14s scrambled from the USS Roosevelt from the Jolly Rogers squadron arrived on station, using their 20mm cannon against T-55 tanks. This marked the return of the Syrian MiG-29 flight, who shot down one of the Tomcats. The second Tomcat dispatched the first MiG through a Sparrow missile shot, before closing in and destroying the second by closing and firing with the 20mm cannon.

A third MiG, this time of Iraqi origon dropped out of the high cloud, seeking to strafe the Israeli tanks. The F-14 had remained on station after intercepting the other two MiGs, rolling in after the final MiG, dispatching it with a Sparrow missile.

Ghost Company 2ACR further engaged the lead T-72 company, destroying it outright with fire from the M1 Abrams and M3 Bradleys.

Return fire began hitting the buildings around Ghost company, accurate artillery fire and direct fire from the undamaged T-72 company. Three Abrams suffered damage to their tracks and running gear, causing them to become immobile. Ghost was forced to destroy them with the 120mm cannon on the remaining Abrams, before withdrawing from Al Tanf.

Meanwhile, the 82nd were being hard pressed by the Iraqi armour, who were seeking to assault through the 82nds position. Between LAW and Dragon anti tank missiles, the 82nd were able to inflict severe casualties onto the assaulting armour, before falling back first over the airfield, before making a fighting withdrawl into the nearby high ground.

The remaining Israeli armour was by this time fighting valiantly for survival. Despite casualties, the Israelis pushed forward, causing casualties on the Iraqi armour, covering the 82nd's withdrawl.

The defense of Al Tanf had given the coalition forces valuable time to establish a defensive line further south, but left the town of Al Tanf in the hands of the combined Syrian/Iraqi army.

It is expected that there will be a further push south towards defenses along the the so called Shiryan Line....

So, another super cool game of Epic Moderns. But unfortunalty us Westerners just didn't have enough stuff on the ground to cope with the hordes of enemy vehicles. Not sure how we are going to cope with that just yet, but we will have to figure out something before our next game, defending the Shiryan Line! Also of note, that

Syrian Television has issued it's report also

CP

6mm Moderns- Recon in Force

Last night was game two of our Epic Moderns rules. The Syrians and Soviets commanded by John and Adam were pushing further into Israeli territory following their last victory. As they pushed further forward, they encountered a defensive line manned by Jason's Israelis and my Americans.

I was running

Armoured Cav Company- 4 M1A1 Abrams, 6 M2 Bradley, 1 M6 Linebacker, 6 infantry, 1 stinger
Light Scout Company- 10 HMMWV, 4 HMMWV TOW
US Naval Aviation- 1 F-14A Tomcat


Which sure doesn't look like much....

The plan was simple. Armoured Cav would anchor the right objective, the HMMWVs would be up on the left hand objective on overwatch, ready to launch large amounts of TOW missiles at any enemy movement. Maverick in his F-14 would orbit looking for any enemy aircraft to shoot down. Cunning right?


The Humvee swarm capture the objective!

So, turn one, and the Soviets have the initiative. Clearly the element of suprise is with them and their 30 T-72 tanks. The first company of T-72 come roaring forward to engage the Armoured Cavalry. As they activate, the HMMWV company fires off it's four TOW launchers, causing no less than 4 T-72's to explode! The Israeli paratroopers fire their Dragon missiles also, but to no effect.

However the T-72s fire at the Armoured Cavalry platoon, causing two Abrams to make a 4+ save... which they fail. Uh oh.

The Syrians seize the initiative, rolling the next company of T-72s in behind the first, free from overwatching TOW missiles, they fire again at the Armoured Cavalry, scoring 5 hits (9 shots, hitting on a 5+) The 5 hits mean two Abrams have to roll a save of a 4+.... which they fail. The remaining 3 hits get allocated to Bradleys, all of which explode.


So... that would be no passed saves then?

With that, most of my force is now destroyed. And it didn't even get to do anything. Sigh. One day I will get to do something with a MBT....

The Merkava company which was occupying the nearby hill opened up with it's cannons, 9 shots hitting on a 2+ (for sustaining) and only managed 5 kills (that is four 1's). Desperate for kills, the Israelis bring in their F-16 geared for a ground attack roll, only for two MiG-29's to drop out of the sky to intercept!



The two MiGs loosed off a couple of missiles, only for them to be defeated by a combination of skilled flying and chaff from the F-16. Unfortunatly, all the ducking and weaving on the part of the F-16 caused it' bombing run to be unsuccessful.

With the two MiG's intercepting, it was time for the F-14 to enter the engagement!


Heading right into the danger zone...

The F-14 caught both MiG's on the hop, quickly dispatching them both with Sparrow missiles!

It was at this time that the HMMWVs were under heavy attack from the enemy troop carriers, their heavy MG's inflicting a heavy toll. With all of the NATO air support otherwise occupied, it was time for the Crocodile to spring it's attack...


Do you guys hear that ominous thump of rotors?

Casualties suffice to say, were extreme. The Humvees were now broken, and getting the hell out of there!

The Israeli Cobras were engaging the third company of T-72's, causing casualties not only with missiles, but one with a 20mm cannon!

By the time turn 2 rolled around, the west were back on initiative. The Merkavas immediately engaged the lead T-72 company, causing further casualties and breaking the company. Utilizing the air superiority gained last turn, the Cobras retained the initiative and roared in, engaging the second company of T-72, causing further casualties and putting the formation one casualty above break point.

The Syrians saw the need to press the advantage against the Israeli infantry, sending the T-72 in against them, engaging them in a close range firefight. The combination of cover and armour on either side meant casualties were light, until the Israelis forced the T-72 back, which caused no less than 3 casualties on combat resolution; which broke the formation!

The Armoured Cavalry seized their advantage (as much as 4 Bradleys can seize anything), firing TOW and Bushmaster cannons into the broken formation of T-72, destroying the remainder of the formation, as well as seizing the objective.



The Israeli infantry regained their lost ground, capturing the enemy blitz objective. This action would not go unpunished, as the all too familiar thump of five heavy rotor blades began to be heard in the distance.

Luckily for the infantry, the F-14 was on station, searching for more Anti-Aircraft kills. As soon as the Crocodile appeared, a Sparrow missile sought it out exploding nearby. However a Hind is a tough bird, and the F-14 drew in close, switched to guns and destroyed the Crocodile.


The Tomcat then proceeded to return to base and buzz the tower.

The Israeli F-16 continued the crippling fire on the remaining T-72 formation, causing further losses.

For the final turn, the game had swung drastically. From a very poor start, the West kept the initiative, and used it to send a full formation of Merkava against the enemy Motorised Rifles. Between the 120mm cannon and the multiple machine guns, casualties were immense amongst the Russian Guards, forcing them back from the objective. The F-16 rolled in once again, destroying two enemy recon vehicles which were lurking near the objective at the back of the table. The F-14 rolled in onto the formation of T-72, strafing it with guns, causing another destroyed tank. The Armoured Cav lost the last of their vehicles to enemy Recon fire (Saggers and 30mm cannon will do that), but left the infantry on the objective.

So, with that, the game ended. Victory was had! The count was 1-1 between Red and Blue team.

The Tomcat was just awesome, but it did roll very well. Still, 3 Anti-Air and one Anti-Armour kill is pretty darn cool!

One day I will pass an armour save, and get to use a MBT. One day.....

Next game will have a bit more stuff, I am waiting on a big GHQ order to finish off the British and Americans, so once I get them done, I will do a big whole army shot etc.

Back to painting,

CP

6mm US Naval Aviation

While starting aimlessly at the shelves of Lord of the Rings product at one of my local stores yesterday, my eye was tempted over to the plastic model kits. They were where I first started, my first two kits were a F-4 Phantom and a Bristol Bulldog biplane.

But that wasn't the reason for the post. The reason is that Tamiya had a 1/350th scale box of US Navy aircraft! So I quickly snapped it up, and after giving them some paint last night, here are three fixed wing aircraft to cover my US Armoured Cavalry Regiment.

First up, an EA-6 Prowler. An electronics warfare airframe, the Prowler is tasked with jamming enemy radar, gathering intelligence on enemy AA defenses and also destroying enemy SAM sites with HARM missiles (anti-radiation missiles, which home in on radar signals). Will I use it in our games or Epic Moderns? Maybe. I wouldn't mind making rules for 'Wild Weasel' strikes (anti-SAM), but they will be in the future.



The next two aircraft are both F-14 Tomcats. The US Navy's multi-role fighter, equipped with a variety of Anti-Aircraft missiles and can also be equipped with ground attack weapons. I was young the first time I saw Top Gun, but the F-14 has stayed with me as one of my favorites! These two aircraft have been painted in the scheme of VFA-103, the Jolly Rogers, who acted as interceptors for strike packages in Desert Storm. One aircraft was lost, to a SA-2 missile. They also claimed the Tomcat's last kill, an Mi-8 Helicopter.



And a close up of the Skull and Crossbones on the tail...



The actual Jolly Rogers scheme



So, not bad looking at all for a few bucks! Apologies for the bad photos, the skies are dark down here in NZ. The pack had a few more aircraft in it, I will pass a couple on to one of the locals, and might turn one or two of the others into objectives.

Epic Moderns game tonight, I am thinking that the Tomcats might have to make an appearance...

CP

6mm Moderns- First Battle in Lebanon....

Well, finally everyone has caught up with me and my 6mm moderns, so much so that we are in the midst of writing and adapting Games Workshops' Epic rules to suit modern armies!

With much list frothing going on over the past two weeks, some speed painting and some general smack talk going on, it was time to have our first test of the rules.

The game was British and Israelis against Soviets and Syrians, 1000 points per force.

I was running...

Mechanised Company (42nd Black Watch), with 3 attached Milan Sections
Tank Troop- 3 Challenger 1 (Royal Scots Dragoon Guard)
1 AV8b Harrier from the Royal Navy

So... 3 activations, 13 Warriors, 3 Challengers, a load of Infantry and the solitary Harrier.

Add that to Jason's force of Israelis being a Merkava Company, an Infantry Company in M113s and an F-16, and it looked like alot of stuff.

However, the War Pac brought

3 Companies of T-72, 1 Company of Mechanised Infantry, 3 Zeus AA tanks, Sagger armed scout vehicles, Recon tanks, a Hind Gunship and a DESTROYER. So... we were horrendously outnumbered and outgunned.

Uh Oh.


The Russian flank ready to advance

With our superior initiative, we planned to hit hard and fast, hoping to deal big damage to the enemy forces.


The Israelis claim forward objectives, only to come under fire from T-72s



The Black Watch advance, engaging enemy Recon and T-72 tanks with their Raden and Milan


Raden Cannons wreak havoc on BMP-2

It was at this point that the Destroyer began to make it's presence known, unleashing a vicious barrage of SAM missiles at our incoming Aircraft...


So many targets, pity you are dodging missiles...

The Israeli Mechanised Infantry on the Left Flank suffered heavily under T-72 bombardment


Boom go the aluminium bath tubs!

But soon enough, the Merkava Company arrived and showed off what they could do...


Revenge!

The Royal Scots Dragoons had been observing the battlefield from afar, taking in all the sights. Unfortunatly, they themselves were spotted by a marauding Crocodile...


It's got HOW many Rockets?

And, for the first time (ever) a Challenger was lost to enemy fire!

The Harrier came streaking in, seeking vengance and loosed a sidewinder at the Hind....



Only to have the missile have no effect!

The Challengers upon losing a single tank, became instantly broken and never did anything further in the game. Sigh. Which is something we are going to tweak in the rules!

The Black Watch were engaging not only T-72 tanks, but also a full Soviet mechanized infantry company by this time, Radens and Milan pumping out fire at full force...


And being shot back, a lot

The Israeli Merkava Company suffered tremendous casualties from the enemy T-72 tanks (Jas and I didn't actually pass an armour save with our tanks. 6 of them. On a 4+. Sigh) which left the Black Watch even more unsupported!

Proving that when the going gets tough, the Scots get angry, they proceeded to engage the enemy tanks with all their firepower, getting good results! Destroying multiple T-72 with Milan ATGMs, and even destroying one with a Raden!


Ok, so we destroyed five, that still leaves... more tanks than we started with. Oh.

The Syrians on the left flank captured all the objectives, the Israelis suffered too many casualties to counter their advances, leaving the Warsaw Pact in charge of the battlefield!


The battlefield with a whole lot of burning stuff

Casualties on all sides were immense, the Harrier was shot down (eventually) by SAM missiles, the Black Watch lost almost half of their Warriors, as well as most of their Milan ATGM teams, as well as the Challenger 1.

So for the much vaunted Air Superiority and Tank Superiority, neither did the west any good! Bit hard to claim superiority when they die just as quick as the T-72....

All up, a super fun game. And actually not many big things to tinker with rules wise. I need to give some more thought to army composition, but I like having problems to solve. And I sure as anything have my work cut out for myself when I am outnumbered 3 to 1 by guns which can vapourize my tanks!

Finishing the last of my 6mm British tonight, then will crack into the Americans...

CP