On the Workbench: HMS Warspite, Italian Destroyers, Torpedo boats and Floatplanes.

This past week has been rather busy with real life intruding on my hobby! The latest battle in the Operation Nostalgia campaign is now underway and will be reported on in due course. With the end in sight for my WW2 1/600 aircraft painting project I discovered I did not have the particular green I needed for the camo on the JU52's. There has been a delay of a few days until new supplies were delivered but I took the opportunity of painting a few more 1/3000 scale ships in the downtime.

A couple of planes were completed however -

2 Supermarine Walrus Floatplanes were completed. Strictly speaking they were not needed in the campaign, but it does now give me the option to field them as 'snoopers' when launched from cruisers.

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On The Workbench: Fighters, Bombers and Transports

A big push on painting 1/600 WW2 aircraft brings the current painting project near the end with just Ju52's and a couple of Walrus Floatplanes left to complete.

The state of my increasingly messy workbench a couple of days ago before some of those planes were finished. Also in sight are various 1/3000 and 1/1200 ships that I have begun prepping ready for painting as soon as the aircraft are finished. The intention being to complete all the ships required for Operation Nostalgia.

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Operation Nostalgia: Map Moves Day 2 move 5 & Air Raid on Maritza

The weather at the start of move 5 was fine as a result air operations would resume. As this was the final move before nightfall, and with all 3 Arados available, they all took to the skies to resume their designated patrol areas. A reminder -

Aside from patrolling the sea on the lookout for allied ships or aircraft formations, those that passed over islands not occupied by Axis troops were instructed to check for any signs of enemy activity. In this instance Kasos is the only island where British commandos had landed. Aside from daily checks to establish if they had been discovered through intelligence, each time an Arado passed over them they threw a D6 and if a '6' result they would have been sighted. Neither of the 2 Arados passing over Kasos spotted any activity.

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Operation Nostalgia: HMS Triton attacked by Italian Corvettes

Having resurfaced following it's escape from an attack by a German Arado floatplane, the submarine, HMS Triton sights 3 Italian Corvettes bearing down on them. The weather has turned stormy with a force 7 sea state giving the sub crew confidence that they can successfully evade their attention.

Scale = 1/3000th

Models = Tumbling Dice

Rules = General Quarters 3

Table Size = 4'6" x 3'.

This is another small action but one in which I can further explore the submarine rules in GQ3. On to the action:

The 3 Italian Corvettes in line astern sight the Triton as they are in turn sighted by the sub.

HMS Triton on the surface sights the Italians.

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On the Workbench: US, British and Italian Aircraft

With this batch of aircraft complete the end of this particular aircraft painting project is in sight. All are 1/600th scale from Tumbling Dice.

6 Italian SM.79 "Sparviero" medium bomber completes the Italian aircraft for Op Nostalgia. They will be used as torpedo bombers in the campaign.

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Operation Nostalgia: Map Moves Day 2 Move 4

The situation at the end of Move 4 -

This move saw the return of stormy conditions and therefore all aircraft are grounded. Several Axis ships have returned to port for refuelling and repair. 

Having evaded the Arado floatplane, the submarine, HMS Triton (red 5), resurfaces and continues to move towards the sighting of Blue 6. As it approaches Anafi, it's lookouts spot 3 Italian anti-submarine Corvettes (blue 8) bearing down on them. 

NEXT: Triton's fight for survival. 

Operation Nostalgia: Arado Floatplane v Brit Submarine

This was always going to be a quick action and so it proved! Having scanned the rules I am using for this campaign I settled on Action Stations which provided for dice rolls for each weapon firing and thus a little more detail.

The Arado stats varied between GQ3 and those contained within Action Stations and Bag The Hun rules. Principally that in GQ3 the Arado is equipped with Depth Charges whereas the other two list it's ordnance as 2 x 110lb bombs. On checking my books and online there is no reference to depth charges so I am going with the other two. Which is unfortunate for the Germans in this action.

The Arado is also equipped with two front facing 20mm cannons and an LMG. There are also 2 rear LMG's which cannot be used for straffing.

HMS Triton has a 4" deck gun but no AA armaments. On to the action:

On seeing the Arado closing on them, the Triton immediately crash dives. It is clear though that the German plane will get in at least one attack. As it approaches the submerging submarine the Arado opens up with it's 20mm cannon and forward machine gun. Hits are scored but only superficial damage caused.

As the Arado passes overhead it drops both light bombs. They straddle the sub and one is dangerously close but neither hit.

By the time the Arado has circled preparatory to another straffing run the submarine had submerged. The Axis forces were now alerted to the fact that an enemy sub was operating within the Aegean.

That has to be the shortest AAR I will ever write not helped by the absence of AA weapons on the sub! Placed into the context of the campaign though it adds to the story of how it is developing.

NEXT: Map Moves

Operation Nostalgia: Map moves Day 2 Move 3

The situation at the end of Move 3 (2nd Daylight move) on Day 2:

The weather continued to be fine so good flying conditions.

The Axis forces gained no intelligence this move on the whereabouts of the main allied fleet. An Arado floatplane however spotted a British submarine on the surface (more of that later).

For the allies intelligence revealed that blue 6 was a group of small escort vessels. Details were transmitted to their submarine in the area, HMS Triton (red 5) to investigate.

With regard to map movement, the remains of the Cyprus invasion fleet (red 3) continues to limp home to Limassol with the submarine U515 (blue 4) lurking not far away. The main Allied fleet (red 1 & 2) continues to make progress.

Allied aircraft are taking a break and assessing their losses and damage before launching another strike.

For the Axis forces, an Arado floatplane spots HMS Triton on the surface. It immediately transmits its position. As a result, several Axis vessels with anti-submarine capabilities are directed towards this location.

Triton has yet to make it's move but before it does it will have to contend with an Arado intent on sinking it.

This game is so easy to set up I thought 'what the hell', I will play it on the tabletop. This is one of the beauties of campaign games in that you get to play actions you would not normally think about playing as they are simply too small. To make it more interesting I will pour over the various rules I am using to see which would be best suited for such a small action.

NEXT: HMS TRITON RECEIVES UNWELCOME ATTENTION!

Kingmaker Campaign: Battle of Ludlow and Map Moves

With my son, Jack, free today we took the opportunity of continuing the Kingmaker campaign.

The battle of Ludlow was fought using the Kingmaker board game rules rather than fought on the tabletop. With the heavily outnumbered Greystoke there could only be one result which the game confirmed. He was quickly defeated.

This was bad news for me with only Stanley, Pole and Howard now under my control. As Jack continued to consolidate his hold on the south of England I focused on the north. With more Nobles joining both our forces I took the opportunity of moving my forces into York which I now owned and took control of Richard Duke of York. With an Archbishop present I held a coronation crowning him King.

This spurred on Jack who captured London and Henry of Lancaster. He also quickly took control of Margaret of Anjou and Edward of Lancaster now having the whole of the house of Lancaster in his possession. He was not as yet in a position to Crown Henry. He also had two Yorkists, George Clarence and Edward Earl of March. He had them both executed.

Percy, Earl of Northumberland, declared for Jack in his fortress at Alnwick Castle. With Neville, Earl of Warwick, joining my forces, it was clear that I had to purge the north of opposition. I drew an embassy card with the King travelling to Ravenser on the Yorkshire coast. This put a slight spanner in the works as I now had to split my forces to provide the King with an escort.

Pole, Duke of Suffolk, took command of the main force, and with Neville, Earl of Warwick, and Howard, Earl of Essex, laid siege to Alnwick Castle.

The overall situation at this stage in the game. 

  A closeup of the siege at Alnwick Castle.

Normally we would have played out the siege as per the boardgame rules. However, we decided that it would be fun to play this one out. With my total of 260 points to Jack's 200 (Percy's 100 + 100 garrison) I would have won in the boardgame, but not so sure now!

You may be wondering why Percy and Neville have so quickly reappeared having been killed off earlier in the game. That's my fault. Whenever I have a pack of cards in my hand I automatically shuffle them without thinking. That is what happened here! Their offspring were clearly all to keen to get back into the fray.

There will be a delay before I can get this onto the board. I will need a castle! Leven Miniatures looks favourite. Almost certainly new figures will need to be painted. So onward to:

NEXT: THE SIEGE OF ALNWICK CASTLE

Operation Nostalgia: Bombing Raid on Cattavia, Rhodes

Flying out of Cyprus and approximately one hour behind the American raid, are a squadron of Douglas Boston bombers escorted by a squadron of Hurricanes. Their target is the airfield at Cattavia at the southern end of Rhodes. As they approach the island they are intercepted by a squadron of Italian Macchi MC200 Saetta fighters who had been scrambled as a result of the earlier attack by American planes on the airfield at Maritza on Rhodes.

The Hurricanes would have to fight off the Saettas to make way for the bombers to get through.

Table size = 6' x 3'9"

Scale = 1/600 (Tumbling Dice models)

Rules = Bag The Hun 2 (General Quarters 3 for the bombing raid)

Orbats:

British

12 x Hurricane IIC
12 x Douglas Boston III

Italian

12 x Macchi MC200 Saetta (late)

The British bombers escorted by Hurricanes benefit from the sun being behind them. The red counters on the section leaders indicate that they are presently 'bogeys' meaning they have yet to be spotted by the Italians. The rules allows for dummy 'bogeys' to be placed but as I am playing this solo I have not included them on this occasion.

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