UBoater658 Wargaming

 And the war begins with a true bang - Soviet Tactical Nuc missiles and Air Strikes across West Germany.  This is a different type of war than conventional. In this environment, combat units cannot concentrate for standard attacks and become targets themselves - instead, they move close enough to their target, but not too close, and attempt to deliver a nuc blow that prevents retaliation. My current play thru is a somewhat unique case with starting the war with tac nucs, NATO has no air yet, and all US/UK units/HQs except 1 starting out of Tac Nuc range. The Soviets can selectively move forward and try to destroy (all) the US/UK units in range before they can respond.  If Tac Nucs started after a turn or more of conventional war then it would probably be an even exchange and therefore maybe cause players to reconsider before starting. But if a side could orchestrate the current situation - surprise/mainly unanswered tac nuc attack it could be tempting. So the priorities of the WP/Sovie

I am resuming a playthru I started a little over a year ago of Microgame Design Group's NATO 1961 game: http://microgamedesigngroup.com/N61.html From the game's website: "NATO 1961 is a simulation of the potential for war in Germany, covering events that could have led to World War Three. Players assume the roles of President John F. Kennedy and the NATO powers or Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and the Warsaw Pact general staffs. Confronted with the crisis, players can manage the conflict at a limited level or escalate it to a full-out nuclear war between the Superpowers." The game uses the escalation system that is used in MDG/Kerry Anderson's other games during the Cold War - Korea and Cuban Missile Crisis. The system adds 2 more developed phases/mechanics normally not explored in detail in other WW3 games.  The first is an extensive pre-war period starting with the crisis in Berlin in early 1961. East German refugees were streaming into the west through West

 I downed my first Soviet Bomber! Unfortunately, I did not use an ideal method. I collided with it... At the beginning of the turn, I thought I would have to go past the rear bombers because of speed and follow the lead, or I needed to pop up to stay behind them and do another diving attack next turn. But looking at my movement options I found I was just slow enough to stay behind a bomber and at 0 range in their blind spot and my max firepower. Collisions never happen that much anyway... I was wrong. Luckily my other flight member dodged a collision with his range 0 bomber. I was told I successfully bailed out, so I can fly another bullet plane... err Fiat again. Message from JD: "Art collides with bomber 7 and will have to bail out. Both Fiat 2 and Bomber 7 destroyed. Short game for Art as he demonstrates one reason for not going for range zero shots and tempting fate!"

Here are the last 2 turns of the scenario on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3gScZD2QyGU Both turns were relatively static - mainly exchanging fire. But ultimately that was enough for a German major victory. End of turn 13 - mainly focused on securing current VP hexes from US counterattack and causing more casualties to get over the major victory VP threshold. The artillery was set up now and could contribute to the fire on the final VP hex. About 5 points short at the end of the turn.  Turn 14 and the biggest news was the Infantry north of the final VP hex undisrupted so after the Artillery and Engineer fire was able to assault again - this time causing 166 US casualties. This was enough to put the VP count above the major victory level by a healthy margin. After the German National Anthem played, then I was able to see ALL the US forces. Then I realized I only won because of US/AI incompetence - against a human opponent things would have been different...

Not a lot of movement as we come to the end of the scenario. Setting up for the final assault on the last VP hex. Here is the link to the YouTube video of turns 11 and 12: https://youtu.be/VwC9JKKyjXI End of turn 11 - move German Infantry and a handful of Panzers to the Woods north of the final VP hex. Both US units in the final VP town were disrupted by fire so I decided to take chance and assault them with infantry and panzers in the woods to the north. While they did not take the hex the casualties they caused were shocking. Probably due to both US units being disrupted and the infantry unit still in travel mode. But the German infantry was disrupted also so no follow-on assault is possible until it recovers. Therefore I take another chance and move the Div HQ forward to try to increase the odds. End of turn 12: And thanks to the US casualties from the assault, the Germans are at a minor victory level. Maybe the German's just need to hold on until the end...

0600 Turn - The main focus is setting up to capture the remaining VP hex while holding the line everywhere else. Beyond the now 3 US Inf Bns lurking in the southern woods, a new one appeared to the west of the remaining VP town. Not good for my upcoming assault. YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZuQHpdfIBrY End of US turn 10 positions

 In this turn, I am able to close in and get a point-blank shot but... I'll leave it to JD's summary: T3 Summary: The trailing two bombers pull up sharply, hoping to force a fly-by of the Fiats. Fiat 1 blows by and gets hit by defensive fire, but Fiat 2 closes in on the leader of the third bomber flight and stitches the bomber's fuel tanks without effect. Bomber 9 fires on Fiat 3 but misses. The other six bombers continue diving at high speed for the deck as the trailing, and still out of range, the 2nd Fiat flight starts turning to line up the bomber stream

 Just finished and submitted for final review a VASSAL Module for the upcoming S&T 338 issue - Russian Boots: "Russian Boots is a two-player wargame simulating the Russian conquest of Central Asia during the 1850s to 1890s. There are two opposing players: Russian Empire and Khanates." https://shop.strategyandtacticspress.com/mobile/Product.aspx?id=39083

Following my Flight Lead diving on the rear flight of SB2's. Lead tucks in above and behind the leftmost rear SB2, while I just stay on his wing. We both get a shot off (but mine was not as good given my position). My Lead's shot is devastating - 6 hits/multiple critical - and the SB2 is going down in flames. 1 down 8 to go... Maybe I can just stay on my Lead's wing and watch the show 👀 The other 2 SB2 flights are off the image in front and the second Fiat flight behind us. 

Turn 9 is posted on YouTube. The good news is I think I got the sound levels set right between the mic and system/game sounds. https://youtu.be/aMED6K9WJ40 Some good things for the Germans also happened in the US rear. First, the Artillery unit on the road in front of the Hetzer was disrupted w/Artillery which was then followed by an assault by the infantry which destroyed the remaining guns - woohoo! The German Inf Bn then started advancing to the final objective while the Hetzers dug in. Then the German Engineer, though disrupted, was able to finish off the remaining US Artillery in front of them with direct fire.  In the north the German units mainly focused on digging in, while the Artillery unit on the road made it to Roth, just in range of the final VP hex Schonberg. Time to setup...