UN/AU Peacekeepers for Syrda or other gaming in Africa - 6mm moderns

While vaguely planning and preparing for a campaign set in the troubled modern (early 21st century) Syrda and neighbouring regions, I painted these United Nations/African Union peacekeepers using GHQ Vietnam-era US troops for which I currently have no other use, a set of APCs that were on special from GHQ, and one of the Mil Mi-8 'Hip' helos that were originally intended for my Team Yankee 6mm East Germans. I also experimented with designing some of my own printed paper terrain: a hesco barrier wall and a couple of shipping containers.

UN/AU patrol checks on a village in the 'neutral zone.'

Paper shipping containers and hesco barriers I designed and printed myself.

The UN/AU motorised infantry platoon deployed around an 
H-POD.

US Vietnam infantry and Ratel-20 APC from GHQ miniatures.

Mil Mi-8 for transporting emergency aid, local patients and UN VIPs (Heroics & Ros).

Syrda Beach Rescue Part 3 - 6mm Team Yankee* the terrain and LCUs

This article shows some of the terrain and components that were custom-made for the Syrda Beach rescue mission.

Dyrnah Beach: I made 4 feet of beach using items from Bunnings and Spotlight: sand/stone-coloured vinyl tile cut into four 12x4" sections for the beach, thin transparent plastic 'tablecloth' sheet, painted varying shades of blue acrylic house paint underneath for the water, and Selleys to help join and blend the two components and form waves.

US Marine Landing Craft Utility (LCUs): My gaming mate did a fantastic job of hand-crafting these LCUs for the Marines to land their non-amphibious armoured vehicles (the M60s, LAVs and HMMVWs). After careful research, he made these by hand out of card and hand-painted them. They feature individual crew members and moving ramps: he really put in the effort on these models.

Dyrnah city and the Clinique Chirurgie Dyrnah hospital: Dyrnah city is composed of printed cardstock high-rise buildings, shopping malls and paved roads from Just Paper Battles on Wargame Vault, and my own middle eastern/north african village buildings and palm trees made from Weetbix boxes, vinyl tiles, Selleys, pipe cleaners and various house paints. The hospital sign didn't turn out so well, but it is magnetised, held up by another magnet inside the building so the building sign can be changed for different scenarios.

Dyrnah city at the height of the battle.

Magnetic hospital sign.

Syrdan State TV broadcast tower: The TV broadcast tower was the US Marines' secondary objective for the scenario: if they destroy it they can temporarily block Syrdan government propaganda and temporarily prevent the Syrdans broadcasting any interview that might be filmed between Syrdan officials or the President and a captured US Marine Forward Observer being treated at the local hospital.

The broadcast tower was made from toothpicks, with card struts, held together with Selleys and card brackets on a base of balsa wood and vinyl tile, with a paper terrain service shed.

The service hut is actually a rooftop component of a Just Paper Battles high-rise printed terrain set. The miniatures are all GHQ.

Syrda Beach Rescue Part 2 - 6mm custom Team Yankee

In Part 2 of the Syrda Beach Rescue mission series, we fought through the US Marines hitting the beach in their attempt to rescue their comrade from a local hospital before he is made the subject of a coerced propaganda interview. We tried out version 2 of my own house-ruled version of Team Yankee.

The Scenario

During Operation Sun Tears, LT Ingram, the Marine FO/FAC was badly wounded and captured by Syrdan militia. He was rushed to one of the best hospitals in Syrda, the Clinique Chirurgie Dyrnah, for surgery.

The Syrdan authorities moved quickly, planning to exploit the propaganda value of their prize. Once he was sufficiently patched up, the Marine would be participating in a televised interview on the Syrdan national afternoon talk show, broadcast internationally. He would be explaining himself and apologising for American's unprovoked aggression against Syrda before President El-Bad himself:

"And how did you find your stay at our hospital Lieutenant?"

"Ah... yes sir, it was a very pleasant stay thank you Mr President, and I will add that I am incredibly apologetic and grateful to you, Mr President, and the medical staff and the Constitutional Republic of Syrda for saving my life with their remarkable skills and extraordinary medical facilities, which are beyond anything I have seen in American hospitals."

- (How the interview was going to go).

It would be a major propaganda blow against the Americans for sure. There was just one problem: the Marines knew exactly where LT Ingram was being taken: a hospital right next to a beach. The Marines had to move quickly though - once the POW's location was confirmed, they had a few hours before the TV interview. As the air battle above the beach turned momentarily in the Syrdan's favour (see Part 1), Marine AAVs and LCUs ploughed their way through the waves to the beach.

Table setup - Syrdan forces are deployed as blinds (coloured counters).

Missile strikes and elite raiders

Two Tomahawk cruise missiles, accurately targeted, landed on the Syrdan Patriotic Forces militia headquarters in the city, pinning them in place, inflicting light casualties and destroying several of their trucks. While this was happening, Marine Force Recon teams infiltrated the TV broadcast tower, spooking a nearby Syrdan mortar platoon, which fled the area. They quickly rigged the tower with plastic explosives and demolished it, but were quickly attacked and killed or dispersed by Syrdan T-55 'Enigma' tanks.

Marine Force Recon destroy the TV tower as Syrdan tanks close in, achieving their secondary objective and foiling LT Ingram's interview.

The Marines land

Marine AAV-7s arrived on the beach and made their way inland, deploying one platoon into the wooded area near the beach to assault Syrdan machine gun positions. A second Marine Recon team, which has sneaked into position atop a high rise building, began calling in naval gunfire support, inflicting damage on Syrdan militia and a platoon of 'Iberrani' Syrdan foreign legion troops which had entrenched themselves among the palm trees between the wooded area and the city.

The Marines land.

AAV-7s (GHQ miniatures).

The Iberrani infantry are hit hard, losing most of their trucks to naval gunfire (GHQ miniatures infantry, CinC miniatures trucks).

Syrdan air force MiG-21s streaked in along the beach, strafing and dropping dumb bombs, pinning the dismounted Marines but otherwise causing little damage. "Where is aviation?!" Marines were asking (see Part 1 about where Marine air support went).

Syrdan MiGs streak in (Scotia Grendel miniatures).

Strafing the Marine AAVs.

Marine armour lands, Syrdan reinforcements show up

Marine LCUs showed up and deployed USMC M60s and LAVs, backed with anti-tank and FO HMMVWs. With the Syrdan President in the area, Syran mechanised forces from the 84th Brigade were nearby in a QRF role and showed up almost immediately (I rolled a lot of 6s for Reinforcements and got almost everything in Turns 3 and 4). Syrdan T-74 Asad tanks rushed to cover the beach while BTR-70s, led by their battalion commander in his off-duty truck, raced along the road to reinforce the militia garrison in the city.

My opponent's amazing hand-made LCUs with tanks (from GHQ miniatures) aboard.

More Syrdan troops arrive (CinC BTR-70s and an Heroics & Ros flatbed truck).

Infantry combat

The US Marines eliminated an Iberrani DShK position, but as the second platoon continued rolling forward in AAV-7s, the vehicles were hit by RPG fire and destroyed, with many casualties among the Marines aboard. The surviving Marines fought on, pouring down fire against the enemy from behind an embankment.

US Marine armour and infantry anti-tank weapons successfully engaged and destroyed three Syrdan T-74s and T-55s without loss to themselves, and the Marine riflemen and naval gunfire took a heavy toll on the Iberrani infantry platoon.

Result

However, with the Marines still pinned down on the beach, the full Syrdan force in position in the town and guarding the hospital, it looked like a rescue of LT Ingram was not going to be possible without a lot of heavy fighting. (Also an entire gaming club of 40K players was starting to arrive for their nightly league, so it was time to wrap up the battle). The US Marines quickly and professionally fell back to rearguard positions and the LCUs returned to extract them, covered by gunfire from the US Navy.

While the embarrassing interview of the Marine POW was not going to happen, the unfortunate Lieutenant remains in Syrdan custody.

US Marine armour landing via LCUs.

Notes on the rules and scenario

Overall it was a reasonably good game. Visually it was great. My scenario rules though could have been better - the Marines needed more forces (including their air support) and the Syrdans should have been poorer quality (perhaps). However, the Syrdans did get very lucky with reinforcement rolls and my opponent could have been more aggressive (in the Hit the Beach scenario, the attacker really needs to start his attack early and go in hard and fast while he has the numerical advantage).

The modified Team Yankee rules we were using had some good aspects (specialised Marine Force Recon units and the use of blinds for initial deployment). Team Yankee shooting and assault rules themselves are simple and effective.

However, Team Yankee is not really designed to reflect very significant qualitative asymmetry between opposing forces, rather near-peer opponents. In fire combat alone, in Force on Force for instance, skill decides who fires first, how good a unit is in defence, and how good it is in attack (and their are four skill levels and various other nuances too). Whereas in Team Yankee, skill only affects how hard a unit is to hit. For this reason, I am considering up-scaling Force on Force for 6mm company-level battles rather than continuing with altering Team Yankee to have Force on Force characteristics. Will see how that goes.

Syrda Beach Rescue Part 1 - AirWar C21 6mm

We recently tried out a highly customised wargame scenario to continue the Syrda vs. the West narrative thread and provide an opportunity for my gaming friend to try out his new 6mm USMC armour (which I painted for him last year). To match our collections, we have now set the confrontation as occurring in the mid-late 1980s. This monster of Frankenstein game involved:

• a modernised Hit the Beach scenario from Flames of War Version 3.
• the main ground combat scenario using my own heavily modified Team Yankee rules including dice-draw unit activation, overwatch fire, and off-board artillery.
• customised force lists including Syrdans based on East Germans and Iranians and US Marine Recon special forces based partly on the Kampfgruppe Pieper Grief Kommandos from Flames of War Version 3.
• a two-part rescue/sabotage mission including unique special forces units (US Marine Force Recon).
• all conducted over some newly made terrain and with awesome custom-built USMC Landing Craft.
• and prior to the main game, an initial 2-v-2 AirWar C21 dogfight to determine who has localised air superiority and the ability to launch air strikes during the beach assault.

As a result, the game report is split into several parts. The game (two games really) took a little while, probably 1 hour for AirWar C21, 2.5 hours for the ground combat, and about 2 hours either side and between for setup, discussion etc.

The game highlighted the future possibilities for comprehensive multi-level fun with 'layered' scale gaming, or 'games-within-games' where players can 'zoom in' on one part of the action and play that bit through before continuing with the rest of the scenario/campaign. For example, a Battlefleet Gothic campaign, and during the space battle, 'zooming in' to resolve a dogfight with Aeronautica Imperialis, or covering a boarding action with 40K, a teleport raid with Killzone and a planetary assault with Epic 40K or Legions Imperialis. This warrants further discussion in its own article at a later time.

2,000 Feet Above - Syrdan Air Force MiGs versus USMC Harriers

MAJ "Shooter" Dunkin and his wingman LT "Wildcard" Powel of Marine Attack Wing VMA-231 'Ace of Spades' piloted their AV-8 Harrier IIs low over the water as they approached the town of Dyrnah on the Syrdan coast. In just about 30 minutes, the Marines of 26th MEU would be landing there, and "Shooter" and "Wildcard" were to provide the air cover.

MAJ Dunkin and LT Powel approach the Syrdan coast, as bogeys approach.

At that very same moment, two MiG-21s of the Syrdan Air Force's 80th Fighter Squadron, the elite 'Dust Falcons' were sweeping in to intercept, tipped off to the American incursion by long-range search radar. CAPT Samy and his wingman LT Akhmed, callsigns Saqr 1 and 2, were among the most experienced pilots Syrda had to offer (though that wasn't saying much to be honest).

The Marines and Syrdans spotted each other and immediately began manoeuvring to try to get the initial advantage in the head-on engagement. Saqr 2 accelerated straight at his opposite number while Saqr 1 attempted to gain space to the left to set up to flank the Harriers. Both launched or attempted to launch radar-guided AA-2 missiles (which all either missed or failed to lock on: unsurprising, given their poor technical qualities). "Shooter" and "Wildcard" decided to close the distance and one launched a single AIM-9 Sidewinder at Saqr 1 (Samy) who narrowly managed to dodge it.

Syrdan MiG-21 (Scotia Grendel miniatures) and USMC AV-8 Harrier (GHQ miniatures).

MAJ Samy drops flares and break-turns to dodge a Sidewinder missile.

Next, "Shooter" and "Wildcard" both lined up on Samy and "Wildcard" opened fire with his 20mm cannon, severely damaging the Syrdan flight leader's engine and airframe. Akhmed, remembering the Western air combat films he had seen as a boy, attempted (and miraculously pulled off) an Immelmann manoeuvre, which put him on the tail of "Shooter" Dunkin's Harrier. He launched a pair of IR-guided AA-2s (which of course missed) but followed up with a long burst with his 23mm gun as MAJ Dunkin attempted and failed an evasive manoeuvre.

LT Akhmed saw hits, flashes, and pieces falling off the American jet, then all of a sudden a huge explosion engulfed the Harrier. No chute was seen. MAJ "Shooter" Dunkin received a sombre toast in the galley that evening.

The remains of MAJ Dunkin's Harrier plummet toward the sea, wreathed in smoke.

The remaining Harrier pilot, "Wildcard" Powel elected to split and head for the carrier, while CAPT Samy's attempted to nurse his severely damaged MiG back to base. LT Akhmed attempted a sharp turn to pursue the remaining American but failed to properly manage his energy and stalled, flat-spinning toward the deck. Working furiously through his procedures, he just managed to regain control and ease the MiG back to level flight under 200 ft from the sea. However, he had missed his opportunity for a second go at the enemy.

Result

The result for the Syrda Beach scenario is that Syrdans have achieved short-term local air superiority and 80th Fighter Squadron will be able to launch air strikes on the Marines as they land at Dyrnah.

Syrdan propaganda will be loudly announcing and no-doubt exaggerating the extent of their aerial victory, and LT Akhmed will gain the title (if not the skills) of a heroic 'ace' (his near-fatal stall will not be discussed!)

Notes on the rules and scenario

AirWar C21 is quite fast to play, easy and intuitive. Energy management is crucial (if you're manoeuvring, you really should be accelerating whenever possible). If you have a good shot lined up on the enemy go all-in (long bursts with guns, ripple-firing missiles) so as to not miss the opportunity.

Re. the scenario I attempted to balance the Marines and Syrdans by giving the Marines higher-skilled pilots and better (though fewer) missiles and the Syrdans more missiles (AA-2s are pretty poor). However, in the random skill allocation the Marines rolled sub-optimally. Considering US forces would realistically put much more resources into achieving air superiority over an amphibious operation, and also that it was my opponent's first ever game of AirWar C21, the Marines should have had more advantage (more missiles, and more guarantee of better skilled pilots).

Rue du Dr Poulain - Chain of Command, France 1940

 We had the first half of the first battle of our second Chain of Command France 1940 campaign today (called it part-way in due to time constraints).

A German motorcycle recon platoon supported by a platoon of three Sdkfz 221 or 223 armoured cars has attacked the southern section of Montmedy and has gained a foothold across the bridge into town. Two British platoons from D Company, 12th Derwent Light Infantry, with a pair of OQF 2 pounders and at least one Vickers machine gun are holding the crossroads, despite taking some heavy fire. They have inflicted casualties on one German section and destroyed one armoured car, but it remains to be seen if they can hold on...

Soldiers from 18 Platoon fire at the Germans (Peter Pig miniatures).

The overall situation. Many of the British Junior and even Senior Leaders are wounded.

German armoured car (Battlefront miniatures).

OQF 2 pounder from the 68th Anti-Tank Regiment finally got a penetrating hit on an Sdkfz.223 (Old Glory miniatures).

The Dreadknight: Venerable Grand Cruiser - Battlefleet Gothic Part 5

The final ship on the Battlefleet Gothic Astartes Chapter Fleet painting queue was this incredible custom-designed, 3D printed Grand Cruiser.

(3D printed custom-designed files).

Lore

The Dreadknight was an imperial Grand Cruiser which came into possession of the first of those Astartes who would much later become the Falcon Guard, and has been bequeathed to that Chapter as a Venerable Grand Cruiser. This is all said to have occurred during the Heresy, in fact.

The Dreadknight (which may not have been the ship's original name) seems to miraculously survive countless battles over the millennia, always somehow returning to the hands of the Falcon Guard. The ship forms the core of the Rearguard Division of the Chapter Fleet, under the command of Fleet Master Tribulon Viy.

In-Game

I am currently using this ship as an Avenger Class Grand Cruiser because I cannot ignore the 20(!) firepower broadsides, but I have the weapons refit options to change it to a different class if I find this rather blunt instrument is not working or is not fun enough. The ship has fought in one battle so far, and while it didn't really have much opportunity to get stuck in in its intended role as a line breaker, I'll give it another chance. There are some very interesting alternative classes of Grand Cruiser, including carriers, lance ships and long-range variants that could add flexibility to my fleet. However, the Dreadknight will remain, for now, an all-big-gun battleship toting close-range energy carronades.

At the same time, I also painted the last of two old, unwanted 40K Space Marine figures picked up for $1 (one dollar) at a Canberra games show years and years ago. I might as well put him here, in the colours of the 8th Cohort (8th Company):

(Citadel Miniatures).

Hammer of the Workers - Soviet tanks sent to aid the Manchester Commune

Zvezda miniatures are greatly missed. They were very affordable, available and easy to put together, but have become are scarcer and scarcer after the last few years (for obvious reasons).

Modern armoured support, at last(!) for the workers of Manchester and Sheffield

In the months leading up to the crisis of legitimacy of 1937-38 and the present internecine conflict, the Soviet Union managed to ship in reasonable amounts of military equipment and supplies to support the workers' communes being established in and around the central and northern industrial cities of Britain. Included with this materiel were several contingents of modern tanks, several of which were equitably allocated to the Manchester Commune to enable its bold onslaught along the Mersey Corridor.

The Manchester peoples troops, and their Sheffield Workers Militia comrades, now at last have tanks which should be more than a match for those of the Royalist Army forces and the hated BUF. They will no longer have to rely solely on collections of ancient Renault FT-17s that were just sitting around apparently. They now have fast BT-5s and even an unstoppable T-35 (somehow they smuggled it into the Tyne and brought it west by train with a tarp over it I suppose). A multi-turreted tank like this operates like a platoon in itself and I think it warrants a specific Chain of Command scenario.

BT-5 and T-35 of the Manchester Workers Army on an approach march to the front (Zvezda miniatures).

BT-5 closeup.

The terrifying steel monster that will lead the advance through Royalist lines.

Closeup of the T-35 with a simple Manchester bee emblem. (I really need to put more effort into cleaning up mould lines as I'm not presenting the model at its best).