WOW!!! Has it really been almost a year since I posted?

Why yes it has.

Just because I haven't posted doesn't mean I haven't been busy. Aside from the usual real life getting in the way I had several distractions from my planned projects the past few months (read...."year").

I would post pictures of these distractions but the "upgrade" to windows 10 doesn't have a driver for the Sony Handicam which all my digital pictures are taken with. So I have several picture series of projects and distractions on a camera that I can't get anything off of. "Upgrade" indeed.

So until we figure that one out it's up to the iPhone to be the camera and an AAR.

WargamesVault had for sale:

So this go round mini-me and I are going to be following someone else's rules. These are good simple rules. They make for a pretty quick game and not too complicated. It has stats for some of the more common WWII tanks, based mainly on the North Africa campaigns. It also has a few scenarios and for our initial game we (I) chose Hellcats at the Bulge.

I don't have any Hellcats so we substituted 3 M10 Wolverines and an M4 Sherman. The opposing side was to be three trucks, three Pz IV and a Tiger I. Since I don't have any Tigers we substituted a Panther and instead of Pz IV I used Pz IIIs just because.

Terrain - snow Dec 1944:

Victory conditions:
German: advance three vehicles across the table from NE to SW.
American: destroy at least four German vehicles.

Initial deployment:
Germans in the NE:




















Americans in the SE:

Americans go first and split their force. Two Wolverines head straight to the convoy while the other two units head for town to cut off the route.

The Germans put the pedal to the medal and speed up the road.

They can only go as fast as the Pz. IIIs which just happen to be the slowest vehicles in the group.

Turn 2 much of the same. Everyone still out of range.

Now the two Wolverines have pulled within range, the Panther takes off the road to meet them.
The first American shot goes wide, the second aims for the convoy and hits a truck.

But the Panther scored a hit. Note the damage bead next to the M10 on the left.

Turn 4 the first Wolverine hit beats a hasty retreat while the other aims for the damaged truck in the convoy. He scores another hit, destroying the truck, but also takes a hit, the Panther still unscathed.

Meanwhile the convoy is still speeding up the road and the other American units have taken up position in the town.
The Wolverine taking cover behind a boulder scores a hit on the lead Pz III.

The trailing Pz. IIIs fire on the Sherman but both miss.

After knocking out one truck the M10 gets cocky and goes straight for the Panther and scores a hit!

The Panther returns fire does more damage. ( each tank can take 3 hits before being knocked out and there is no provision for ramming damage)

Back in the town things are getting hot at close range.

One Pz. III has pulled off to try and flank the Americans and another of the trucks has been damaged, but they're so close to making an escape.

Turn 6?:

The Wolverine evens the score on the panther and makes for cover behind the building but when the Panther comes around...............

KABLAM!!!!!

That's two vehicles destroyed by the Americans!

Back in the town, one of the trucks has sped off to safety and the German tanks close in to do as much damage as they can. The M10 gets caught in a cross fire but the Sherman is able to get the kill on the panzer coming around the corner. That's three!

At this point I have to go for the win. I run the truck (second vehicle) and one of the tanks (third vehicle) off the end of the table before the shooting phase to achieve the scenario goal. But we still fight past the end. Because it's FUN!

I move the last panzer in and take out the Sherman. Mini-me determined that it was an ammo rack hit - note the turret on the roof. The Wolverine that took the first hit of the game has made it back in support, fires a shot but misses.

I back up behind the wreckage for cover hoping to outlast the M10 before his buddy the Panther killer arrives.

And even though ones always miss......

A six always hits!

So that was lotso fun.

I'm going to try really hard to update the blog more often. If I can figure out how to get the pictures off the Sony I'll have a lot of stuff ready go.

Until then I'll have to start over with the photo documentation.