Ambush Alley

The British attempt to assert local dominance by sending in an armoured column. The Taliban have other ideas and bring some serious firepower to bear, as well as setting up roadblocks and IEDs along the route.

The British column (comprising a Viking, a Warrior and a Land Rover WMIK) turns into the main market area of Garmsir.



First fireteam disembarks from the Viking (with marksman in tow) to take post on a small house. It engages in a firefight to clear the compound next door.



The British are flanked by a large group of Taliban in a small wood as they turn into the town centre



The WMIK joins the section from the Warrior in clearing the copse of trees through the archway



British take compound, clearing it with fire and then taking to the rooftops.
They do have a lucky escape. As they exited the small house to enter the compound an IED went off (just in front of the Warrior too) but it was a dud and the only damage done was one camelbak water carrier burst (or so the squaddie said)



Remnants of Taliban resistance on the British left are hunted down by the WMIK and supporting section



British progress is slow. The column is taking its sweet time about the advance, being very cautious about possible IEDs around the corners.



As a British fire team shuts down a hotspot, a crazy pair of Taliban (a PKM weapons team no less) rush the woods to put point-blank fire into them. They catch the British off balance and inflict a casualty.



"We just rolled over an IED, didn't we"
[I've moved the Warrior for this photo - it was literally placed on top of the IED!]

4D8 vs. 1D6 - only one outcome possible. Yes, you guessed it. Warrior survives with a bump and a scratch underneath!



The Warrior starts to rock-and-roll, catching the last major Taliban team in the centre of town in an alleyway. Some exchange of fire (again, the Warrior is lucky that the RPG fire is inaccurate) results in a much depleted group of Taliban.



That same group of Taliban are next picked upon by the WMIK, but they give as good as they get and the WMIK is immobilised and the crew bailout. One of the crewmen is killed in the next firefight, by a Taliban group which has just arrived from the outlying poppy fields.



What happens next is not their finest hour. A fireteam attempt to breach a house, in which the trigger man setting off the IEDs has been spotted. The first attempt fails, as the door appears to be locked and barricaded from the inside. The second attempt fails due to an unwillingness to close (the squaddies are sure the stairs are booby-trapped)



The Warrior's attempt to protect the flank doesn't go well - it meets a roadblock which it fails to push through - it's stuck in the middle of an alleyway for a minute.



When finally the house is assaulted, the IED team does a runner and escapes!
With none of the column off board and several fatalities, this is a marginal Taliban victory

*Apologies for the highly original scenario name - I will try harder next time!

Charlie Foxtrot

An American Chinook has gone down outside Garmsir due to enemy fire. The crew and on-board sniper team have evacuated the area and have made their way to the outskirts of the town. All forces in the local area have been scrambled to intervene as there is no QRF available.

The Viking approches the farming hamlet the aircrew is heading for - all seems quiet in the area



Marine snipers cover the aircrew - a marine and an airman have been seriously wounded in the crash and this is going to seriously slow them down



The SAS team in the area quickly drive their SUV up to one of the small houses and occupy the rooftop



British firing line at the compound wall takes casualties - but it is dissauding Taliban from advancing to cut off the aircrew



One group gets around the back of the small ridge line and pursues the Aircrew, trading fire with the Marines but inflicting some casualties. One airman is killed and another severely wounded



The brave marine snipers decide to buy the aircrew time by making a stand and engaging forces behind them as well as back at the main compound to the south



Supporting its section, the Viking has left its rear armour facing a newly arrived RPG team. Thankfully it escapes any harm and returns fire from it top-turrent machine gun



The hunted become the hunters as a suppressed (and escaping behind cover, thinking they are safe) Taliban unit is approached by the sniper team, who put them down in short order


Large Taliban force tries to cut off withdrawal. They avoid the house as it's on fire since the beginning of the action.



The aircrew (one unhurt airman with an M240 who manages to drag it and his two wounded comrades) reaches the SUV and are told to drive it (the keys are in the ignition) to safety



More reinforcements arrive at the orchard - along with an ant-tank RPG team, this group can seriously harm the exfiltration



SAS clear the trees - though the large group had withdrawn already to engage a British fireteam. This intense firefight results in one British death but the Viking and SUV make it safely past (the airmen using the Viking as a shield)



SAS are surrounded. According to plan. Though their uncommon valour did not extend to assaulting the compound across the way to take out the anti-air gun responsible for the chopper's shooting down.



The SUV is shot through the engine block in a miraculous snapshot by a lone Taliban sniper, but the airmen are able to get inside the Viking and escape.

A close-run thing, but victory in the end for the British.
You may have noticed that I used my Vietnam downed aircrew in this scenario, but hopefully I won't be pilloried for it!

Person of Interest

At short notice, wrote up and ran a Force-on-Force campaign  at Leprecon at the weekend.

Intelligence assets have identified a senior Al-Qaeda figure hiding out in Garmsir. A cordon has been thrown around the area, and a platoon of Royal Marines has been sent in to capture the person-of-interest.

Technical approaching town speeds ahead of group of fighters as news of British approach hits radio



DShk overlooks Poppy Fields through which main British advance is expected. This is worrying, but they fail to react to a British fire team racing across open ground in time.



Taliban hold firm, occupying compound and outlying wall - the heavy machine gun team have been wiped out from the lower level of the compound



Taliban occupy Tomb to engage British flanking attempt. The British dog team survive a torrent of fire from the smaller house and race behind a rocky outcrop. The GPMG team intervenes to suppress the Taliban group.



British fireteam in centre of village spots Taliban leader about to escape in technical. The Toyota takes a lot of fire from both sides and crew are beaten back from .50 cal. This team is slowed down as Lieutenant Cockburn was shot and wounded as they exited the poppy fields.



British surprised by sudden assault as Taliban erupt from tunnel nearby. The close combat results in serious wounds for one Royal Marine.



Last ditch attempt to delay pursuit fails as point-blank RPG fire hurtles harmlessly over British heads!



British forced to open fire on Taliban leader as he legs it, and though they fail to capture him, Taliban have been swept aside in this area.

Huey Crash Survivors

Just to keep things ticking over 'til Leprecon this weekend...

These figures are from a set by Britannia, very nice details and some great personalities in there.

Downed aircrew retreats after making contact



Down to his 9mm - time to deploy some uncommon valour!



Viet Cong stalking through the jungle



I also have the guts of an armoured cavalry platoon. More VC and NVA to balance the project. I'll have to pick up some Vietnamese buildings and maybe some paddy fields too.

Encampment and Gatehouse

Part one of my Project Build for 2011 is some Renedra tents and a resin gatehouse of unknown origins.

These will be used as a backdrop for a Thirty Years War skirmish, but they'll come in handy for many periods.

The Encampment (with some 28mm Dragoons for good measure)



Close-up of Tents



The Gatehouse



Close-up of walkway



Towers with defenders taking aim



Overhead shot



Nice and easy to start off, I've some figures to get working on for the next part...

Battle of Vimeiro

On Thursday I headed out to my first gaming session since mid-November. Good to get back into things: a few pints, catching up, some discourse on the imminent election and even a game!

Played the third battle from the core scenarios - Vimeiro, 21 August 1808.

Four days after Wellesley’s initial clash at Rolica, General Jean-Andoche Junot, with an army of 14,000, attacked the Anglo-Portuguese army of 17,000 troops. Junot wanted to defeat the invaders before reinforcements could arrive by sea. The battle of Vimeiro began with three brigades of French advancing to take Vimeiro hill and the town, while a fourth brigade had swung right to turn the British left flank.



The French right flank advances on Ventosa - their cavalry and artillery assets do not get involved and British superiority here is established.



French light cavalry cover the advance on the left, in between the Maceiro and the hills overlooking Vimeiro



The opposing lines clash; British artillery on the heights has been withdrawn due to lack of ammunition, and this makes the French advance easier (though by no means easy)



French combined arms on its right flank force British out but the lack of infantry does not allow them to hold on



Cold Steel! The heights overlooking Vimeiro are taken by the French by the bayonet!



Though making a creditable comeback from 4-0 down, it was a case of too little, too late. The final score was 6-3, though I reckon I might have managed to get to 5 had my light cavalry not been shelled to pieces by the steadfast gunners outside Ventosa.
My initial action at Ventosa wasn't very well executed (though the British accuracy in the long-range fire as I advanced was shockingly good!), and I reckoned my best chance was to quickly move to the left and centre to avoid further losses there.
It almost worked and my attack in the centre may have gotten my opponent a tad worried...

Great to return to C&C Napoleonics after a long absence and definitely one I feel will grow on me as I play more of it.