Shiloy Tshernez, the Spanish Blue Division in Russia, 17 January 1942

Shiloy Tshernez, the Spanish Blue Division in Russia, 17 January 1942

Uploaded a compilation of photos to YouTube from a game using a scenario adapted for use with Bolt Action wargame rules by one of my regular gaming buddies, Carlos. 

If you click on the video image below it will open in a new window

The scenario that Carlos adapted was written by Richard Baber and can be found on the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers (SOTCW) :  It's really worth taking a look, well researched and easily playable.

https://sotcw.co.uk/shiloy-tshernez-the-spanish-blue-division-in-russia-17-january-1942/

As always, we used 20mm (1:72 & 1:76 scale) figures, vehicles and scenery, and it was gamed using a sand table.

The scenario is  based on an actual action fought by elements of the Spanish "División Azul" ski company  on a combat reconnaissance patrol,  reinforced by 40 Latvians from the German 81st Infantry Division. Moving through snow, eventually coming to Shiloy Tshernez. The Spanish and Latvians tried to outflank and surround the village and to converge from all sides.

A good well-balanced scenario, and a game well played, thanks to fellow gamers who played this scenario, Carlos, Alejandro and Juan.

Jungle Incursion Game

Last Saturday I got together with a good mate Iván, who's been a gaming buddy of mine for many years. Unfortunately we hadn't been able to get a game in together for quite some time until now.

Iván said he'd like to put together a scenario and I did the part I most like, setting up the gaming table.

The scenario consisted of a Chindit type operation, two groups entering the table with a mission to locate a bridge being constructed at some point on the far edge of the table.





It's the first time the sand table's been used for a jungle setting and ended up consuming practically every plastic plant, tree, shrub, and palm I own.

We were originally going to game using the Bolt Action rules, but as Iván was bringing his young son to game too, he put together some simple rules to accompany the scenario.



There were various points of interest that had to be reached before the bridge could be located, and each point coincided with an event occurring based on a pre-prepared table and dice throw.

Some of the events meant an encounter with indigenous jungle dwelling tribesemen, discovery of important information, an encounter with crocodiles when crossing a swamp, a Japanese patrol that had to be avoided at all costs, discovery of a compound with allied prisoners being used to build the bridge thanks to information from one of the tribesemen, recovery of airdropped supplies, and finally the location of the objective that had to be blown.



Iván used a "gamemaster" roleplay style together with the simplified rules so his son could take full charge of one of the Chindit groups.





An encounter with local indigenous tribesmen, looking suspiciously like Revell Sioux warriors



One of the dangers lurking in the swamps.



A Japanese patrol through the jungle.





One of the groups locate prisoners thanks to help from the tribesman and overcome the guard.



The guard's companions (drinking sake in an Airfix Jungle Outpost) hear the commotion and sound the alert.



One of the group separates and leads the liberated prisoners away to safety



The two groups meanwhile locate the objective and begin the attack. A firefight ensues, the guards are overwhelmed and the Chindits place their explosives and BOOM !



The Chindit commander celebrates victory !!!!

An entertaining afternoon, the roleplay style and simple rules meant a fast, smooth and enjoyable game, The young lad had a whale of a time, which is the most important and is what memories are made of.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures, I should have taken more, but at the time it wasn't feasable. I had in my mind ideas about maybe taking reposed shots and put together a more detailed report or story, but no doubt I'll end up sidetracked... too many projects :-)

By the way, I´ll finish by giving a plug for Iván. He's an illustrator for board games and has also designed and produced his own boardgame based on Nelson's failed attack on the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife here in 1797. You can see some of his work on the links below :

https://ivancacerescruz.tumblr.com
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/103459/ivan-caceres
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/235362/santa-cruz-1797

El Alamein railway station skirmish game - Bolt Action

Covid restrictions have been limiting the amount of games we've been playing lately, and this game had been planned before Christmas but the local authorities here ramped up the restrictions on people from different households from meeting up and so we had to cancel. 

Now restrictions have been eased up slightly here on a regional level, and so four of us were able to get together again for this game. This was a skirmish scenario put together by my gaming buddy Carlos, German forces attacking with British and Commonwealth forces defending

We used Bolt Action rules. The game was played on a 1.60 x 1.20m sand table 

The British and Commonwealth forces were made up of a HQ, 2 x infantry squads, a Vickers MMG, 1 x 25 pounder, 1 x Matilda and a Boys AT rifle team. 

Attacking German forces consisted of a HQ + medic + FO in an Sd.Kfz. 250 hafl-track, 4 x motorised infantry squads transported in 2 x Opel Blitz & 2 x Sd.Kfz 251s + 1 off table mortar and a pre-attack bombardment. 

The Commonwealth troops started the game dug-in hidden, their positions noted down by the allied players. Allies also had hidden minefields covering the ground in front of the railtrack. 

German objective, cross the railway line and neutralise allied defensive positions

 

Germans group before beginning their advance towards the objective

 

Artillery shells fall

  

 

 

 A Matilda crosses the tracks, takes aim and shoots at the leading half-track.

  

 The first casualties are taken and the remaining troops dismount and hunker down.

 

 Indian troops with a Boys AT rifle shoot but miss miserably, and reveal their position in cover behind concrete filled oil drums.

 

 Another hit from the 25lb gun. this time on a lorry trying to ferry troops to the front along the left flank

 

 

 Aussies manning a Vickers open fire on the dismounted infantry.

 

 More British and Commonwealth troops start revealing their positions as they open fire on the advancing German infantry

 

 The Germans continue their advance and a half-track crosses the railway line, revealing a hidden group of British troops who are quickly mown down with fire from the vehicle MGs.

 

The half-track now supported by a Panzer III also having crossed the railway track, dismount and charge into the railway station and in bloody hand-to-hand combat overcome the allied troops inside

.  

 More Germans arrive and the the Commonwealth players decide that enough is enough and concede victory to the Germans.

   

 The game played out well, it was well balanced and the Commonwealth players were hindered by adverse weather conditions, a haze in this case, the result of an unfortunate die throw, which reduced visibility considerably and allowed the Germans to advance without suffering too many casualties.

Operation Barbarossa - Bolt Action Skirmish Game in 1/72 Scale

Pictures of another recent scenario with three of the regular crew (Alex / Carlos / Juan). In the game we kept distancing measures in place, and face coverings when necessary.

The game was a skirmish operation roughly based on / around the time of Operation Barbarossa put together by Carlos, composed of a small mobile force of German Panzergrenadiers supported by a couple of Stugs. 

Russian infantry were defending a small village and as the game progressed they received increasing support from BT-7s.

 

 Germans start moving in towards the village

 

 

 
The Russian commander looks out at the oncoming enemy.

 

 

 A political Commissar in the meantime keeps to the rear to "persuade" any dubious Comrades to hold their ground.

  

The Germans continue their advance 

 

Mortar shells come raining down on the awaiting Russians.

 

Bolt Action rules allow you to add medics. In this case the lovely Svetlana made an appearance to help out the boys under mortar fire.

 

 German squads arriving on foot through a small wood reach the outskirts of the village.

 

Stug surfing ! On the road into the village, a StuG tears down the road loaded with a squad of improvised tank riders.

 

 More BT-7s make an appearance. 

 

The Germans on foot who reached the outskirts have a tough time out in the open and stack up more and more casualties. 

 

The Stug surfers dismount but pay a high price, the Russians holed up in the houses practically decimate them in a hail of gunfire

 

Another BT-7 enters the fray and causes a lot of headaches on the Western flank. The fast-moving tanks get in behind the Stugs and disable both vehicles.

 

Meanwhile the remaining infantrymen are pinned and the German player decides enough is enough, he can't win this time so he concedes he's fighting a losing battle, and the victory is given to the Russian player.

 

The Commissar looks on at the retreating Germans - this time he hasn't had to persuade anyone to stand their ground.

 

The game was difficult for the Germans, too much ground to cover and probably not enough forces for the attack - but who said battles were fair ? 

In any case, we were thinking of maybe tweaking the scenario and playing it again sometime. The Russians didn't really do much apart from just shoot every turn in a static defence and the arrival of four BT-7s sealed the fate of the Stugs. 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and as always the only victims in this battle were just little toy soldiers. 

Keep safe and in the next update we'll try and maybe get some photos up of a pre-Covid colonial game played back in February, or some photos of a few Airfix US Paratroop conversions