Penbroke Docks Pt 2

The are some more photo's of the battle.

My section pulling out after being out flanked

Matt's section which wouldn't die, so winning the game for the Anglican League.

My counter-attack.

Our reinforcements

Our air cover. It failed.

The Zeppelin!

Ian's march to victory.

My counter-attack gets stopped.

Ian's command goat.

Battle of Pembroke Dock

Matt and I went up to Stafford for a game put on by Ian and Neil at the Midland Wargames Centre.

The table, with 1 of the beaches at the top.

My HMG was in this house covering the other beach

Some of the landing troops.

Our pilot getting ready for a mission.

BUF commander.

A great days fighting. The 2 landing beaches where covered by HMGs, mine did a lot of damage to Neil's troops as he landed. I reduced 3 sections to 4 men each.Matt then got up the cliffs and my section had to pull back or get cut off. My HMG then got blown out of the manor house.Ian had an easier landing at the other end of the table. After that it was a good old knock em out fight across the table.The Midlands Wargames Centre is a great place and would be a very good location for a 2 day big game.

From My Work Bench

4 Royalists

 I've been putting the Easter break to good use by finishing some figures. 4 for my Royalists, 3 BUF boy soldiers, 1 Musketeer IWI and 1 warlord.
 The Royalists are 3 Empress and 1 Musketeer, all 4 have had head swaps. The Musketeer figure is a Black and Tan figure which didn't fit in with any of my units. So a quick head swap and a repaint, now he can be added to the Royalists.

3 BUF boy soldiers

 The BUF boy soldiers started out as Brigade Games Chinese, all 3 have had head swaps using Gripping Beast French Marines heads. Gripping Beast heads are a bit smaller than Empress so look better on these figures. They started out with Mauser rifles, but as you can see I've changed 2 for Lee Enfield's and 1 for a Tommy gun. The Enfields make the figures look smaller, so add to the 'boy soldier' look. There are some photo's of the Brigade figures next to some Musketeer elsewhere in my blog.

1 Warlord and 1 Musketeer

The last 2 figures are untouched, I was going to do some weapon swaps, but in the end just wanted to get them finished as they are going on to ebay.

2nd Battle of Bagdworth

As I didn't get a result the first time I fought this game, I put it on a second time with the Leighton Buzzard club. 

The fighting centered around Badgworth Court which held out for most of the day.

The main table, looking towards the A38

It was a good game. The Anglican's talked themselves in to defending the walls of Badgworth Court and not the trenches. They did put an HMG to cover the T junction, but didn't support it. As they tried to pull the HMG back the crew were killed.
The Royalists then knocked out the Rolls Royce armoured car. That put the Anglican League on to the back foot and they never recovered.

Royalists advance past Badgworth Court, as their Boys AT gun fires at the Rolls A/Car 

Soon to be dead Rolls A/Car

 Nick arrived late and bought on some Anglican League reinforcements but couldn't stop the BUF/Royalist advance. Steph couldn't hit the BUFs tank as it moved in front of the court. The tank then smashed it's way in followed by some infantry.

Nick's Anglican reforcements

BUF enter Badgworth Court

 At the back of the court the Royalists charged in and a mass punch up followed.
All the players enjoyed the game and they are now 3 new VBCW armies being planned in the club.
This battle ends my north Somerset campaign for the time being, the next game will be in the south between Crewkerne  and Yeovil.

Royalist/Anglican League punch up

A Great Book, Thanks Mum

I went down to Somerset a couple of weeks a go to see my Mum and Godfather Dick. My Mum has been a great supporter of VBCW from beginning helping with a lot of the background stuff, ideas and recipes. She is now doing WW2 cooking demo's at the Glastonbury Rural Life Museum. Mum has been reading 'Somerset V Hitler' Secret Operations in the Mendips 1939-1945. This is a great book, for those interested  both VBCW and Home Guard/ Operation Sealion. It is full of first hand accounts from both the Home Guard and the Auxiliary's.
The Auxiliary's where the British Resistance Army set-up by MI6 to attack an Invader in the rear from hidden bases. Somerset had the second biggest Auxiliary unit in the country.
The Book also has a section from the Mendip Company Home Guard War Book, telling how they would stop the German army advancing from Wells to Bristol up the A37. This could be used by a wargamer for a fact based Operation Sealion game.

Templates and Tokens

2 of the Templates and some of the Tokens

I asked Martin at Warbases to make me a set of templates for 'Went the Day Well?' out of MDF. He emailed me back to say He could do them in clear plastic and coloured acrylic.
They are great, custom made and in 7 DAYS!

An Evening Game At The Tring Club

The table, BUF attacking from top right, Frank Wilde top left, Royalists bottom left.

The weekend at Evesham was a bit of a disappointment so it was nice to put on a game for the Tring club last night. I carried on the story from the Evesham games with the BUF/ Royalists attacking the village of Badgworth. The fluff was as follows:

After 7 days of fighting the Anglian League are on the back foot and in need of a victory. The fighting is now around the village of Wedmore and the surrounding area.  Badgworth is the last hamlet controlled the Anglian League which overlooks the A38 one of the major roads though Somerset.

The Government is launching an attack from the A38 and the levels. The only problem is the on-going bad feeling between the BUF and local Royalists.

Royalists

As usual you have drawn the short store straw. Your attack is across the levels and your armoured support keeps bogging down. Your orders are to capture the T junction to the right of the village and cut it off from Wedmore.

You will not give any support to the BUF. The other militia is that of Frank Wilde, you get on well with Him and his men. You will support Frank during the battle.

BUF tank tries to run over the Anglican League Vickers HMG and gets beached.

BUF

The Royalist have been forced on you again. You have given them the hardest start point. You plan to rush the Anglican League positions and capture both T Junctions before the Royalists can get out of the rhynes. You are also being supported by Frank Wilde and his militia. You get on well with Frank and his boys. You’ll give him any support He wants.

Frank Wilde

You’re caught between a rock and a hard place. The BUF and Royalists have not made friends and you are in the middle. Thankfully you get on with both sides and they like you. You just want to get the job done and go home.

Plucky/mad Anglican League attack the tank

Anglican League

You are 1 of 2 platoon commanders in Badgworth. You need to keep hold of the village so you can try and stop any government movement up and down the A38. Your forces are short of sandbags so you have had the locals make gabions, like the old civil war.

The players were new to the Went The Day Well? rules but soon picked them up. The Royalists struggled through the rhynes and Frank did little to support the BUF. The Anglican's should have been able to take advantage of this but failed due to poor deployment. The BUF's tank made fast progress up the road, but beached itself on a hedge for 3 moves! It was then attacked by 2 members of the Anglican League.

We ran out of time just as things were getting interesting so had to call it a draw.

the rules worked well as did my house rules and everyone enjoyed the game. Rolll on the next one.