UBoater658 Wargaming

 Learning the rules - so had to do the initial KPA attack 3 times to get it right. Version 1 - traditional move/combat: https://youtu.be/rLHOS_lwYZ4 Version 2 - include overruns: https://youtu.be/CaHYMscK69o Version 3 - overruns and contested ZOCs: https://youtu.be/IdLkSLnv3UY

 This is the start of a series on Microgame Design Group's MacArthur's War: "a simulation of the Korean War, simulating the historical campaign as well as allowing for what could have happened if MacArthur had been given the go-ahead to launch attacks against Communist China." This video provides an introduction to the game as well as an overview of the rules. https://youtu.be/OAu7fFa2xNk

Ney tries to push the Coalition back on the right flank in order to get a buffer between the lines and Quatre Bras. The French also try to push the Coalition forces out of the woods on the left flank to remove the threat to their lines of communication. https://youtu.be/PHaSIXCxxMQ The Coalition then attempts to surround and attack the French 6th Division on the edge of the woods outside Quatre Bras. If successful this would decimate the French and put the Coalition in a strong position to retake Quatre Bras. Unfortunately for Wellington, the attack is repulsed... https://youtu.be/Sa7Cf-9B1WQ

Ney decides to go ahead with a full assault on Quatre Bras with the bulk of his forces - except a horse artillery unit that moves into the woods to occupy the flanking British Infantry. WIll Ney succeed or should he have moved around the flanks instead? Success! And Wellington retreats to the north. https://youtu.be/dmeILxADK6k While Wellington was unceremoniously booted out of Quatre Bras, he has a constant stream of reinforcements coming the rest of the day and Ney does not. So he maintains his goal is to stay close and as more forces enter start looking for opportunities to flank the French and counter-attack when possible. Ney seems to be on the defensive now? https://youtu.be/VS6wRvMbnTE

Kellerman wakes up and brings up the rest of his cavalry corps, and Reille's Corps surrounds and storms the Chateau... successfully! https://youtu.be/KXLiVqwuE4k Wellington concentrates at Quatre Bras with Picton, while the flanks are weakly screened. Just buying time for the reinforcements to arrive... https://youtu.be/1FoyncJLDZM

The last entry was Warsaw Pack M+2 and things were looking very bleak for NATO. West Berlin had fallen, The Soviets had overrun Northern Germany after paving the way with Tac Nucs. Hamburg was surrounded and isolated. The Soviets had plenty of Tactical Nuclear delivery units/HQs, while the US/UK had been decimated. So NATO had 3 choices: 1. Continue the fight with its inevitable end in sight. 2. Offer a Cease Fire, which the Soviets would probably ignore, and end up surrendering. 3. Escalate the conflict to setup the US's remaining strong point - over 1300 bombers... So the US decided to do a counterforce strike to take out the Soviet strategic Nuclear assets - a handful of ICBMs and bombers - the Golf SSB's were untouchable (!?). https://youtu.be/7WZedxjRWrk Unfortunately due to the size of the US Counter Force strike the collateral damage caused enough civilian casualties, as well as taking out the Soviet command control systems, to cause the collapse of the Soviet Union. But...

 The WP assault continues, although less tactical nucs were used and all airpower saved to defend against NATO airpower. https://youtu.be/IPzYt-sQPt4

Coalition Phase of Turn 1. Reinforcements moving up, will they be in time? A good bombardment result against the advancing French infantry. https://youtu.be/D4sHgHVXp_Q

 Posted the turn 1 French Combat phase. The French were relatively successfully capturing a Corps Commander,  eliminating one Coalition unit, and pushing another back. Was able to illustrate a number of rules in my quest to learn the system. As I learn/understand the rules better the turns should go faster. Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/7q6lZky_9bI Here is the situation at the end of the French player phase:

 In preparation for M+2/next turn following the WP Attack, I discuss a number of topics: 1. End game triggers 2. Victory Point Calculations 3. Short term strategy 4. Long term/escalation strategy Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/NAdhqwHG3HA Here is a picture showing the start of the siege of Hamburg:

OSG's Library of Napoleonic Battles - it's time to learn the system. I picked up a few intro games (single battles) over the past few years but never played any of them. A few months ago I was looking at/reminiscing over the old SPI Napoleon's Last Battles. I reviewed the Decision Games remakes - I had actually made a VASSAL module for them of the 2nd Edition a year ago. This lead me to OSG and Kevin Zucker and I decided if I was going to get into the series I should start with the 'latest'. https://napoleongames.com/pages/library-of-napoleonic-battles This was about the end of last year and OSG was having a sale and I picked up Napoleon's Last Gamble (NLG - Waterloo Battles) and Napoleon against Russia (NaR). This should be enough battles combined with my 2 intro battles to keep me busy. I also had invested in a number of computer Napoleonic Battles from JTS/WDS which I may start playing in parallel - although these are at a more tactical level.  https://wargam...

 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

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. 

Things are starting to slow down - but the game is only at the halfway point. Still concerned about the number of US Inf Bn on the board. Since I can't break down my Bns, I only have 6 Inf units and 1 Eng Bn to cover all the ground and VP locations. In the north, things are a bit static. Just trying to keep the US units engaged and disrupted if possible. So exchange of fire and an assault against a dispersed stack of Inf. It looks like in the US turn they pulled 1 Inf Bn off the line and replaced them with Greyhounds. Where is the Inf Bn going? The main event is in the US rear. I had to leave one of the Inf Bn behind to screen Blejaff/50VP from the 2 US Inf Bn to the east. Then sent the Hetzers and the other Inf Bn up the road to try to clear a path to reinforce the attack on the final 150VP hex. Finally, the Eng Bn are trying to finish off the US Art Bn on the road to close up on the 150VP Hex. But then I noticed something about the road the Engineers were on... the US Engineers h...

Just joined another online/PBEM game of Buffalo Wings II refereed by the man himself, JD Webster. Total of 6 relatively new players so a learning scenario. The scenario is 6 Finnish Fiat G.50's chasing a group of 9 Soviet SB2 bombers that just attacked their base. The players are flying the 6 Fiats chasing the SB2's flown by JD. While it may seem like a turkey shoot - my I-16 in a previous game was shot down by defensive fire of these same type of bombers.  In the image below my leader (F1-Lead) has moved and as one of his wingmen, I am matching his move. F3 is the other member of our flight and has not moved. F4-Lead is part of the other flight of 3 Fiats, the other 2 are off-map to the NW. Need to do this run not too fast and overshoot, or too slow and get chewed up in the defensive fire. Just going to follow the lead for now.

Been offline busy but back again now. Here is turn 6 of the PC Bulge starter scenario. I have made great geographic progress, but as you will see there are so many US Inf Bns popping up. With only 6 Inf units myself, I am feeling really outnumbered. Also, only halfway thru the game and I have all the VP hexes except one. It will be a bear to capture but after I do am I supposed to go over to the defense and let all the US Inf run freely? Going to probably slow down the push for the last VP hex and see if I can grind down the US. In the south/rear, the German's finished off the broken US Inf Bn and then assumed defensive positions around the VP hex Blejalf to see what the 2 US Inf Bns do. The Engineers moved up the road to the last major VM hex Schonberg to see what was on the road - a US Art Bn in travel mode. The Stug Bn moved into the woods to the NE of the VP hex to seal if off from reinforcements. Finally, the Hetzer's occupied the abandoned trenches on the main diagonal ro...