Fire and Fury Games' Battlefront WWII HISTORICON 2005

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HISTORICON 2005

There were lots of Battlefront events this year, and I took many photos, although I didn't get all of the events. If anyone has photos of the events I missed, send them to me and I will add them to this page. I want to thank Pete Landry, who contributed lots of pics that are interspersed herein.

Mukdi

Development of the Regimental Fire and Fury proceeds, and one of the events we tried was the Battle of Mukdi, which pits very good British and Sepoy forces against a horde of colorful Sikhs and their allies. In our game (and in history), the British attacked furiously. After some tense moments in the center and left, the game was decided when the British right wing cavalry broke their Sikh opponents and poured into the rear.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
The Sikhs	Hordes of Indians await the attack.
The British	The British infantry await their attack orders.
British Infantry	Some British Infantry.
A Sikh Cavalry Horde	The Sikhs had some huge units.
On the Attack	The entire British force moves out in one big line. The waiting Sikh artillery initially caused some casualties.
Crisis in the Center	The British hit the Sikh Artillery positions in the center.
Forming Square	On the left, the Sikhs launch a cavalry charge, but the Sepoy infantry they target form a quick square.

Al Gaspar's Point du Hoc

When we were setting up for Saturday, an edifice took form in the entry hall that put most of the terrain setups to shame. This was Al Gaspar's scenario of the Rangers assault on Point du Hoc at D-Day. He uses Battlefront:WW2 with 10mm figures to refight his battles and has put on demonstrations at the Smithsonian (to our friends abroad, this is our National Museum). For those few of you who are not familiar with this battle, the Rangers were given the task of clearing out coastal batteries that could enfilade Omaha Beach. They were nominally positioned on top of imposing cliffs, but when the Rangers conducted their daring assault, they found the batteries empty. However, when the Rangers moved inland, they found and destroyed the battery of 150mm guns that had been redeployed inland for safety. Pictures do not do true justice to this terrain board. He has done similar displays at previous conventions. Here are some links to other sets of pictures of his earlier games:
Fall In, Omaha Beach are the last dozen photos.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
From the Ocean Side	The cliffs were considered immune to attack, but the Rangers have other ideas.
An overall view	Pete Landry took this picture of the cliffs.
The Left Flank Beach	A view of the left flank of the assault.
The Right Flank Beach	A view of the right flank of the assault.
From the German Side	Most of the important fighting took place inland from the cliffs.
The Rangers hit the beach	The landing craft drop off the assaulting forces.
The terrain inland	Most of the important fighting took place inland from the cliffs.
Mounting the cliffs	The Rangers mount to the top of the cliffs.
The scale of the terrain	The same situation seen from the side, which shows the size of the cliffs in this custom-made terrain board.

Remember The Alamo

Rich H., Mike Pierce, and Ron Perillaman (?-please correct me if I this last name wrong-it was what was in the catalog) first put their Alamo game back in the mid-1980s, and it has been a favorite of convention goers whenever it appears. It is a massive game with hundreds of figures but extremely simple rules. The objective of the Mexican forces is to completely wipe out the Texans, and they have 3 waves to do it with. Each wave is defeated if/when all of the Mexicans run away or are killed, which happens very quickly in the first wave, less so in the second, and usually not in the third wave. All the Mexican casualties return for the next wave, but every Texan casualty is permanent.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
Proud Papas	Mike, Ron, and Rich pose for the camera. When the Alamo was first put on in the 1980s, a local newspaper printed a similar photo, but there was more hair and less girth :-).
The Palisade and Chapel	Texans await the onslaught from the stronger part of the fort.
Another Angle	A view from another angle. The Mexicans assaulting the Palisade (to the right) quickly evaporate, but the ones from the left are nearing the wall. Incidentally, our other perennial visitor from abroad 'English Bob' is the one with his head seemingly bowed in prayer to the top right of the picture, which is appropriate for a Mexican commander at the beginning of the first wave.
Reaching the Wall	Throwing up their ladders, the assault columns prepare to mount the wall to engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Another view	The columns converge on the fort, but the chapel and palisade are holding their own.
Over the top	If the Mexicans gain the wall, the resulting attrition combat will weaken the defenders for the subsequent waves.

Pete Landry and Mike Sincavage's Gembloux

Thank you Pete for these pics. Gembloux was a battle which showed that properly handled and positioned French troops could stop the Blitzkrieg. Those of you who love your Panthers and JS-IIs should try Blitzkrieg-era games. The short ranges put a premium on maneuver and tactics.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
Setup	I believe this adopted into battle from a SkirmishCampaigns scenario.
German approach	Mk IIs already burning!
German approach 2	Germans ignoring French Somuas in rear
French take advantage	Somuas flank attack
Battle rages	Combat on the outskirts of the town
They aren't supposed to do that!??	Somuas in German rear
The price of battle	Smoking wrecks everywhere!
German final push	German final push
French holding Gembloux	In the actual battle the Germans were stopped cold at Gembloux, but events on the rest of the front rendered this action moot.

John Rigley's China Game

John put on a 3-way game involving Japanese, and two types of Chinese. He modified the BF-WW2 rules to allow 3 sides. I didn't get many pictures (John-do you have some you want to donate?), as I arrived at the convention late on Thursday. Unfortunately, the Japanese players decided they didn't like the game and, instead of turning their forces over to someone else, had their figures retreat randomly for a couple of turns and then left the game, ruining the experience for the others.
John also developed a Beer and Pretzels 'Moby Dick' game which was a surprise hit of the convention (unfortunately I don't have any pictures, I was too busy playing-John, do you want to donate some?). The object of the game was, not surprisingly, to kill the White Whale, who moved randomly around the board. The players each controled a whaleboat and competed against each other to see who could inflict the most damage. As the rowers fell out of the boat, everyone was cheering on the hungry sharks. The mechanics meshed perfectly and everyone had a great time.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
Chinese Collide	The Communists and Nationalists fight it out over the target village. The Japanese have childishly packed up their toys and left.
Another View	Another view of the battle.

Steve Keyer's Hungary Game

Steve is promoting his 'Legions East' figure line that will include many of the minor allies on the Ostfront. This scenario pitted a very good Hungarian recon force (albeit dismounted) against Russian remnants scattered across the board. The Hungarians marched up both sides of the board (which was probably a mistake) and ended up engaging almost all of the Russian groups. The result was a narrow Russian victory. I am developing this scenario and should have it ready for download.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
Hungarians move out	The Hungarians deploy from the V at the left of the map and move toward the various objectives
Assault on the village	Light Tanks take on the forward defenders of the village. The tanks were unable to capture the village, but did clear out the defenders in the muddy field.
The map from the Russian side	A view of the whole battlefield. There is a gun in the bunker on the right that was a constant nuisance to the attackers througout the game.
Hungarian Engineers catch up	The light tanks got ahead of their supporting infantry, but a Hungarian engineer force caught up and assaults the ruins on the right flank.
Engineer Assault	A continuation of the previous situation.
Assault on the Village 2	Supported by the tanks and the AA vehicle, Hungarian infantry goes after the village.
Moving up	The Hungarians move forward. Attrition is starting to take its toll and Russian armor makes its appearance.
Clearing the left woods	A Hungarians infantry company clears out Soviet naval troops. Steve said after the game that the Hungarians managed to hit all of the defenders. A more concentrated attack might have bypassed some of them.
Stalemate	This is about the final position. The Hungarian attack has pretty much run out of steam and both sides stare at each other.

Kokoda Redux

Steven Lee put on the next of his Kokoda series (I am waiting for the scenario-hi Steve). In this one, both sides attack with the Japanese attempting to force the Australians out of their positions at one end of the table, while the Australians return the the favor at the other. The game at the convention was a hard-fought draw.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
Setting up	This game featured some of the BFWW2 'grognards' like Pete Landry (blue shirt), Kurt Kramer (red shirt), and Mike Sincavage (not in photo).
Japanese prepare their attack.	The Japanese prepare to assault the Australians across the open terrain.
Japanese attack.	The assault forces charge the trench line.
Australians attack.	At the other end of the board, Mike Sincavage's Australians prepare to attack a Japanese hill position
Struggle for the hill.	The Australians go in while Japanese reinforcements struggle through the Jungle.
More Struggle for the hill.	Japanese and Australians clash on the hilltop.
Both sides organize.	The Australians have taken the hill, but the Japanese are still in the fight.
Breakthrough	At the other end of the board the Japanese smash through the trench line.
Another view.	Another view of the Japanese breakthrough.

Pagoda Hill

Mark Hayes developed this scenario of a famous battle in Burma, where the Commonwealth forces had to clear out the dug-in defenders of Mandalay. He ran this twice, and the photos here are an intermingling of the two games. This scenario develops as two separate battles. The Commonwealth forces need to clear the hill and also break through the ancient city wall. I want to thank Pete Landry for some of these photos.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
Overall view	The scenario's namesake rises in the background, while the city wall is to the lower right.
Different angle	Looking at the map from the pagoda side.
Yet another angle	Another view.
Assault on the hill	Commonwealth troops, assisted by armour, move up the hill.
Commonwealth attack	Same situation as the previous photo.
Commonwealth attack	Same situation as the previous photo.
Assault on the wall	The other group of Commonwealth troops, backed up by tanks and a big artillery piece, prepare to attack the city wall.
Another view	The wall attack begins.
Clearing the bunkers	The fight for the hill top rages.
Defending the wall	The Japanese defend the wall.
Mark mediates	Mark Hayes (right) helps resolve the attack on the hill.
River crossing	Commonwealth troops cross the river to get to the wall.
Fight for the hill continues	Another view The other group of Commonwealth troops, backed up by tanks and a big artillery piece, prepare to attack the city wall.

Saipan

Pete Landry (who provided some of the pictures) put on another Pacific game. The Marines coming ashore at Saipan encounter stiff Japanese resistance, aided by wayward American airpower. Your not-so-humble webmaster (Jim Baker) was the U.S. overall commander. While we made some progress in the center, we did not push hard enough on the right flank to knock out the bunkers. This scenario is a tough slogging match for the Marines.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
Getting ready to land	The Marines prepare to land. The beach area is divided into 3 sectors, with objectives behind each.
From the Japanese side	A view of the landing area from the Japanese side. I explain the rules.
Resistance from the start	The Japanese guns have the beaches zeroed in, and artillery fire lands before the Marines can move out.
First Contact	The Marines encounter the first Japanese outposts just of the beach.
Moving Up	Supported by Amtracks, the Marines move up.
Right Flank in trouble	The right flank runs into stiff resistance.
Moving up in the middle	The units in the center overwhelm individual Japanese units.
'Japanese' Airforce	Calling for air support was chancy. Not only were there no good targets, but there was a significant chance that the airplanes would attack friendly forces. We called for it 3 times, and the Japanese controlled the strike twice.
Left Flank moves up	The left flank got to the railroad quickly, but ran into stiff resistance when it moved beyond.
Second Wave	The USMC second wave arrives.
Japanese Armor Counterattacks	Several light tanks move up into the village on the right flank. They were able to knock out the Amphtracks, forcing the USMC to send some Shermans to help.
Japanese Main Line	The USMC center force comes up against a dug-in Japanese force.
Moving up on the Left	The left and center force attacks the village.
Armor Support	Shermans land in the second wave. The Japanese had some tanks which were able to handle the Amphtraks, but the Shermans were another story.
Fight on the Right	The Japanese forces on the U.S. right flank proved to be extremely tough.
Fight on the Right 2	A different angle.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
Scottish and English Bob	Two friends form "Across the Pond" have been regular visitors to our conventions, sometimes staying with Richard. "Scottish Bob" (standing), introduced Rich to Haggis after we introduced him to scrapple (just revenge). "English Bob" is preparing to play in the Pagoda Hill game.

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