US Paras: Light Machine Gun Section

I've taken the plunge and finally decided to get myself a company-plus-supports of US Paras.

I think it was watching Band of Brothers again that did it: it was either the Paras or early war Poles, and somehow seeing Dick Winters and co. charging round Normandy and onto Germany tipped the balance.

It also means I'll be able to play the multitude of available scenarios involving US Airborne forces using the proper figures!

Here are my first efforts: the Light Machine Gun Section: 

The figures are from Forged in Battle: I decided I needed a change from Battlefront and Peter Pig, and so decided to give FiB a go. It's not a conversion though: I've only got the machine gunners, above, and a single platoon of infantry so far. We'll have to see how the first platoon paints up before deciding which manufacturer will have the privilege of providing platoons two and three!

Uniform-wise, they are portrayed in the drab uniforms worn for D-Day. I think this provides a more iconic image than the more green gear worn later on in the war. You'll note that I have painted on the eagle insignia: I did try using those teeny-tiny transfers, but they proved too fiddly to manage, despite Model Dads video tutorial.

Right:  on to the first platoon now...

IABSM AAR: Hauts-Vents

Brooklyn Wargaming have some fantastic IABSM AAR on their website, which can be reached by clicking here.

They have generously agreed that I can add them to the Vis Lardica site so, for your enjoyment, here's a battle report from the end of last year featuring a game set near Hauts-Vents in France, 1944.

Click here, or on the picture below, to see the full report.

If you have an AAR for one of the TooFatLardies company-sized games (IABSM, CDS, Q13) do feel free to submit it for inclusion to admin@vislardica.com. No need for anything fancy: just a few pics and words, or even just pics or words, will do.

And if you've enjoyed this AAR and any other bits of content on the site, please comment, like or, if you own your own website, put a link to Vis Lardica on that.

Cheers

R

IABSM AAR: West of Pierrecourt

Here's the third and, for the moment, final AAR from The Wargaming Addict played on a wargaming engine as opposed to the tabletop.

This time the Addict picks a scenario from the Blenneville or Bust! scenario pack, set in Normandy: the opening game involving the clash of two recon forces just west of Pierrecourt.

Click here or on the picture below to see the whole report

IABSM AAR: The Road From Fort Capuzzo

As those who follow this blog will know, I have recently painted a squadron of plastic British A13 cruiser tanks from Zvezda in desert colours. I was naturally keen to get them onto the tabletop, so invited my regular opponent, Neil, round for a battle.

I'd determined to use one of the two 'all tank' scenarios from the Operation Compass scenario pack (written by me and available to purchase from all good retailers: well, here and the TFL main site!) so carefully printed off the pages we'd need for Scenario 10: The Road From Fort Capuzzo.

It wasn't until I'd laid out the terrain and turned to getting the figures out that I realised that Scenario 10 doesn't feature any A13s: just A9s and A10s!

No bother: the newly painted tanks will have to wait their turn as my BEF tanks demonstrate what they can do re-tasked to the desert.

So click here or on the picture below to see what happens when Rae Leakey and his tank squadron drive towards the road from Fort Capuzzo in December 1940: an interesting game that takes place up in the blue in the dead of the night...

Rae Leaky up in the blue in the dead of the night

Rae Leaky up in the blue in the dead of the night

IABSM AAR: North of Caen/02

Here's the second of the three promised IABSM AARs from The Wargaming Addict.

Keen to make up for his previous performance, the Addict plays the same scenario again, but this time with very different results.

Click here or on the picture below to see another great battle played out not on the tabletop, but on the Battleground Engine.

 

All this posting of AARs has made me quite jealous for a game: lucky I have one tomorrow night!

Oh, and I'll update the painting challenge this weekend too.

IABSM AAR: North of Caen

Although I have occasionally played computer wargames or wargames moderated by a computer, I have primarily always been a wargames who games on the tabletop with figures, dice and a rulebook.

There's something immensely satisfying about pushing lead around a tabletop loaded with brilliant terrain, and nothing beats the feeling of dice in the hand ready to roll just what you need!

Tabletop gaming, however, does require an awful lot of room.

I, for example, have only recently reclaimed my wargaming room from its sabbatical as a 'kids playroom', and so am very familiar with the effort involved in having to clear the living room, set everything up, and then put it all away before the house can resume normal function.

The Wargaming Addict has apparently solved that problem with the use of the Battleground Gaming Engine. You can visit his site by clicking here, or more simply read the AAR describing his first foray into non-figure gaming using IABSM from December 2013 by clicking on the picture, below.

Interesting stuff...with two more AARs to follow over the next week or so.

IABSM AAR: The Ponte Grande Bridge

Martin981463 posted some great photographs of a recent IABSM game onto the TFL Yahoo group, but Yahoo being Yahoo, the pictures came out in all the wrong order and without the captions.

Here are the pictures again, carefully organised into a gallery, and with captions included.

Click here or on the picture, below, to see the storyboard unfold: enjoy!

IABSM AAR: Skirmanevo

Another amazing AAR gallery from Mark Luther. This one dates from 2008, and features the battle of Skirmanevo on the eastern front in November 1941.

There are over 85 photos in the gallery (I know, I've just spent three days captioning them all!) and although 6mm might not be my thing, you've got to say they look fantastic.

Click on the photo, below, to see them all.

Skirmanevo Before The Storm

Skirmanevo Before The Storm

IABSM AAR: Refresher Game/02

A quick IABSM AAR from Mike Whitaker from his excellent blog "Trouble at T'Mill" as an understrength company of Germans tries to hold out against an amis attack.

Mike's blog also contains a great article on passwords and the need for online security: well worth reading...and I'm just off to change all mine!

Click on the picture below for the AAR, or on the link above for Mike blog as a whole.