Red berets on the way

On their way !! :-)

Assault on St Fiorente, France 05 Nov, 1944

Comrade James here, with a Batrep from my latest game of Bolt Action. I played the Cancon/MOAB Bolt Action TO ,Blair, at Bolt Action on Tuesday night, as part of his preparation for the Bolt Action GT at the end of November and my prep for CanCon in January.
My Germans consisted of:
HQ Capt with AR and assistant(Feldwebel) with AR (Veteran)
2Lt (Leutnant) with AR and assistant (AR) (Regular)
1 6-man Vet squad, 2 ARs, LMG,PzFaust, 2 Rifles ,SMG and NCO with SMG (Veteran)
1 7 man Vet squad, 3 ARs, 4 Rifles, PzFaust, and NCO with AR (Veteran)
1 6 Pioneer squad with 3 SMGs, Flamethrower and Rifle,NCO with SMG (Veteran)
1 5 man Volksgrenadier squad with 4 ARs, Rifle, PzFaust and NCO with AR (Inexp/Green)
1 LeIG 18 (75mm Lt Howitzer) (Regular)
1 Sniper team (Veteran)
1 Medic (Veteran)
1 Horsch Hvy Field Car (Veteran)
1 StuH 42 (Med Howitzer, 9+ armour SPG) (Regular)

Blair had his Brits, using the Vengeance special rule (bonus to morale when enemy within 12 inches) His list consisted of:
2Lt Tipplewink and Sgt with SMGs
1 Free Arty Forward Observer
1 FO Air (Biggles)
3 8 man rifle sqds with LMG and SMG armed NCO
1 Flame thrower team
1 Lt Mortar
1 25lbr with Spotter (Medium howitzer)
1 Staghound Armoured car (Med AT)
1 Tetrarch lt tank (Lt Howitzer)
1 Sniper team

Both forces had reports of enemy movement in the town of ST Fiorente, France, and were ordered to close and destroy the enemy (Maximum Attrition)
As the early morning sun pierced through the shattered windows of the derelict cathedral in the centre of town, the crack of a snipers rifle shattered the peace....

The rumble of a Diesel engine and squeaking tracks heralded the arrival of the German Stuh 42, its howitzer trained towards the reported position of the British sniper team. As the first round smashed into the lower wall of the Old Raoul's house, the first wave of German infantry ran into cover of the wooded hill behind the house.
A British STaghound raced into the centre of town, taunting the German SPG crew, its lt gun bouncing off the hull of the STuh but scaring the crew inside.
Just as the STuh was turning its big gun at the Staghound, a mighty roar of aero engine preceded a whoosh of AT rockets, as a Brit Typhoon ground attack aircraft swooped in from the west and destroyed the Stuh in a flurry of armour piercing rockets.....

The German infantry and light howitzer nearby the STuh barely had time to register the attacking aircraft before an artillery barrage pounded their positions......The German Captain hurried his remaining infantry teams onto the western side of the main road into town, hoping to sweep through the ruined cathedral....

The Brits had other ideas and moved up into solid defensive positions, their Bren guns opening up on the German sniper hiding in the ruined building, finally silencing the German crackshot....

With the only German armour a smoking wreck, and the light howitzer crew cowering behind their gun shield, the STaghound proceeded to dominate the centre of town as the British infantry, 25lbr and light mortar team poured it on to the hapless German infantry, one squad being wiped out by a combination of concentrated fire and a charging Staghound as they raced across open ground towards the perceived safety of the cathedral ruins...

The Germans didn't give up however, and the Pioneer team loaded into the Horsch Heavy field car raced up to Old Raoul's garden wall and offloaded , the flame thrower team proceeding to set the old farmers house alight, killing the British sniper and flamethrower teams who couldn't escape the flames in time..

But as the Pioneers were wiped out to a man, the German Hauptman decided discretion was a better part of valour, and that the Third Reich would definitely be better served if he and his men retreated.....

Great fun game, 3-2 in the end, and it was great to see some new models in action. Blair is a great opponent, and we both were able to give our respective lists a great run through.

Wadi Rum

One of the places I visited in Jordan recently was Wadi Rum, The Valley of the Moon, a very impressive set of canyons and mountains about an hour from the city of Al Aqaba and not far from the border with Saudi Arabia.

Well known for its for its relics of prehistoric human culture and its Bedouin inhabitants in more recent centuries, it is perhaps most famous in Western culture as the location where the British Army officer T.E. Lawrence (aka "Lawrence of Arabia") stirred up the Arab Revolt to destabilise Ottoman Turkey during WW1.

Wadi Rum is where Lawrence spent much of time formulating his plans and waging a guerrilla campaign with irregular Arab forces.  It is also where much of the 1962 movie was filmed, as I was able to visit several filming spots.  As you can see it is a remarkable spot and these are some of my pics from my jeep safari which included sunset viewing and dinner at a Bedouin camp.  A wonderful visit.

More Man Cave Adventure pics of other places to follow, but I wanted to post Wadi Rum for a certain follower who I know loves this place.

A Gathering of Fuzzy Minds

Like the Goon Show - but not as funny!

As reported by the erudite Dux Homunculorum here, we got together this week after a long hiatus, which was fantastic.  The much anticipated beer, gaming shopping, chatting and German food (mostly but not all in that order), whiled away a most pleasant evening indeed.

The afternoon also paved the way for us to plan some gaming opportunities over the next month - probably more accurately described as further opportunities for me to demonstrate my effects at a gracious manner in defeat!

The Dux also presented me with this wonderful set of miniatures, being the Scotland Yard force for In Her Majesty's Name he painted for me while I was away.  Thank you again kind Sir, and look forward to seeing them take down some of Her Majesty's enemies in due course!  See more great pics of this force at The Dux's blog here.