Sharp Practice: Accompagna il carro!

Just before Christmas Steve asked if we could play some Sharp Practice as he hadn't had the opportunity to play many games so Andy offered to lend him his Spanish and umpire, allowing me to dust off my Italians...

Andy decoded we should play the Escort Duty scenario from the rulebook with the Italians trying to escort a strangely empty looking wagon to safety! It entered a strangely quiet table along with two columns of brave Italian Fucilieri from the 4° and 5° Fanteria di Linea.

Their right flank protected the rather dashing Volteggiatori of the 1° Reggimento Fanteria Legger commanded by Tenente Baresi.

And on the left Primo Corporale Zoff with his line Volteggiatori who advanced swiftly through the orange trees.

With no sign of the enemy the Fucilieri marched down the road with the strangely empty wagon...

As Primo Corporale Zoff pushed his men forward to scout out any enemy ahead.

As did Tenente Baresi on the other flank.

Then ahead of Baresi's Volteggiatori a flash of sky blue - Teniente Estiércol and his Cazadores!

Tenente Baresi ordered his men to open fire but they failed to hit the Cazadores.

The Spanish return fire was equally ineffective with not one Volteggiatori touched.

Then behind the Cazadores the infamous brown-coated Fusileros led by Teniente Fuego arrived!

Suddenly behind Baresi's men El Vibora and his Guerrillas appeared amongst the vines that the Volteggiatori had clearly failed to scout properly!

In typical Guerrilla fashion the treacherous Spanish opened fire into the backs of the Volteggiatori...

The Volteggiatori were Shocked, but Spanish musketry skill left something to be desired!

On the Italian left Zoff halted his men...

And ordered them to engage the advancing Fusileros. One sharp round of fire from the Volteggiatori saw a Spaniard fall dead!

The Light Infantry Volteggiatori turned about face and fires a volley at the pesky Guerrillas...

Killing one and wounding their black-hearted leader El Vibora!

Tenente Baresi then sent his men in with the bayonet but the Guerrillas manage to just outpace the sharpened Italian steel as they fled!

Meanwhile Capitano Rossi instructed Sergente Bergomi and the 5° Fanteria di Linea to continue escorting the strangely empty wagon to safety whilst he and the 4° Fanteria di Linea formed an attack column to see off the brown-coated Fusileros!

Faced by a column of Italian martial might, Teniente Fuego snapped his Fusileros into line.

Whilst Teniente Estiércol and his Cazadores moved behind them in a desperate attempt to cut off the escaping wagon with its escort.

Then behind Fuego's men Capitán Manzanas and his blue coated Fusileros arrived...

Whilst in the vineyard El Vibora and his men were finally despatched!

Teniente Fuego ordered his Fusileros to open fire on the Italian column...

And a devastating volley ripped through the pride of Tuscany...

But surely their sacrifice will not be in vain as Sergente Bergomi and the 5° continued to escort the strangely empty looking wagon down the road passing the junction.

With brave Italian zeal Capitano Rossi ordered the 4° Fanteria di Linea in with the bayonet! Al Doppio!

A fierce bout of fisticuffs ensued and rather shockingly the Fusileros, despite losing many men themselves, pushed back the Italians! Che mucchio di merda!

Never mind the 5° Fanteria di Linea were now marching resolutely to safety, their flank screened by Primo Corporale Zoff with Volteggiatori.

Capitán Manzanas detached one group of Fusilero from his formation to plug a gap on Teniente Fuego's flank and they opened fire on the 4° Fanteria di Linea...

This proved too much for some of the Italian Fucilieri and one group broke and ran...

Whilst another was forced back, with Capitano Rossi falling wounded. A lot of 'Bad Things' happened here and the Italian Force Morale took something of a hammering...

Meanwhile Teniente Estiércol and his rather sneaky Cazadores got themselves into a position to fire at the 5° Fanteria di Linea...

And a lucky shot (from a Spanish point of view) wounded Sergente Bergomi!

Not only does this see the Italian Force Morale fall to a worrying 2 (Sergente Bergomi was a popular man) but as a wounded level one leader I could now only activate the 5° Fanteria di Linea on a flag - which with my Force Morale so low I no longer had! Mamma Mia!

Tenente Baresi and the Volteggiatori of the 1° Reggimento Fanteria Legger fresh from despatching El Vibora moved swiftly to engage the flank of the Spanish Fusileros...

Their fire hitting Teniente Fuego who fell to the ground wounded! 

Now following the orders of Capitán Manzanas the brown-coated Fusilero to fired again at the remnants of the Italian attack column piling more Shock on the survivors...

The now recovered Capitano Rossi abandoned the 4° Fanteria di Linea in a desperate attempt to reach the 5° and get it over the line to safety...

However his mad dash is in vain as the Spanish poured yet another volley into the remaining Fucilieri of the 4°...

Another group breaks and is forced back resulting in the Italian Force Morale hitting zero!

Well where did that all go wrong? :D 

Clearly I wasted points on troops I didn't use at the expense of leaders I needed. I did not need four groups of the 5° Fanteria di Linea to escort a wagon and having them led by a level one leader was a big risk which failed. That said the effectiveness of the Spanish musketry was something to behold and I still can't quite get over those pesky brown-coats beating off an attack column! There is another vendetta now against them - vengeance will be ours!!

The major disappointment though was when I checked just how close I was to achieving the mission objective... :-(

October War: Israeli Sho't Kal Tank Company

For a recent Seven Days To The River Rhine game with Phil, Jenny and Andy I decided that I needed a second company of Israeli Sho't (Centurion) tanks to join my existing one, so after a rummage in my drawers(!) I found several spare GHQ models. For the most part they are Sho't Kal variants though the eagle eyed may spot the odd Sho't Meteor which I am not losing any sleep over.

As per back in 2014 the models were painted Vallejo Medium Grey over a black undercoat, then washed with Army Painter Strong Tone ink, before being drybrushed Medium Grey.

Seven Days To The River Rhine: Ask The Sand Of The Sinai...

 Ask the sand of the Sinai, 

 Which blood irrigated it? 

Is it the blood of my nephew and relative? 

 Or is it that of my friend?

Teslam El Ayadi (2013)

Back to 1973 and another Seven Days To The River Rhine (7DTTRR) 6mm October War action, this time an encounter battle with the objective for both sides of a deserted village to be seized and held.

A platoon of Egyptian T-55's move towards the village with an infantry platoon in BMP-1's following close behind.

More cautiously the Israelis sent forward a recce platoon of AMX-13's to check things out.

The T-55's pushed forward and spotting some enemy Sho't tanks opened fire...

One Israeli Sho't was hit, the shot bouncing off but inflicting a Morale marker on the tank.

More Egyptian tank fire saw one of the AMX-13's brew up! A good start for the Egyptian Army!

An IDF infantry platoon then entered the fray advancing on the village in their vintage M3 half-tracks.

Followed by a solitary Magach 5.

A second platoon of Israeli Sho'ts then arrived.

One of the AMX-13's popped out of cover...

To take out an Egyptian T-55...

Before reversing back into cover!

A section of Egyptian infantry in their BMP-1 almost manage to reach the village first with the remaining T-55's moving up in support.

Unfortunately one of the IDF Sho't's spots a BMP...

And slams a round into it. Killing not only the BMP but the infantry inside.

Getting their range in another Sho't opens fire...

And destroys a second T-55.

One of the infantry BMP's fires it's cannon-mounted Sagger...

And takes out a second AMX-13!

The second platoon of Sho't advance and fire...

Destroying the BMP, though this time the infantry manage to evacuate the burning IFV.

The remaining BMP-1 of the first Egyptian infantry platoon fires its Sagger...

And takes out an Israeli Sho't tank!

Meanwhile the first of the M3's has reached the village and a section of IDF infantry disembark into one of the houses. 

At this point the Egyptian attack appeared to have stalled with the sole surviving T-55 taking cover behind a building.

Hold on comrade! A second platoon of T-55's has arrived (well some of them)...

One of them slamming a round into an Israeli Sho't!

The remaining M3's advance towards the village in an effort to secure it...

As another Sho't is hit. Again the round bounces off but the crew are shaken and take a Morale hit.

Unfortunately for the Egyptians the same happens to one of their T-55's.

At last the Egyptians get a toehold in the village themselves, a BMP-1 de-bussing a section into a house on the outskirts. The IDF however have managed to get a second M3 into the village - and a Sho't.

One of the newly arrived T-55's opens fire on the Israeli armour but misses...

The lucky Sho't picks an easier target and fires...

Brewing up another BMP-1, although again the badly shook up infantry manage to escape the burning vehicle...

The Sho'ts start to reign supreme again...

With their accurate shooting taking out a BRDM-2 equipped with Saggers.

And then using the same pop up technique employed by the AMX's...

Take out a second BRDM!

More Egyptian infantry reached the village...

As one of the remaining T-55's opened fire on a Sho't moving around the village.

The Sho't was hit, this time its crew abandoning their tank as their Morale broke.

It was a short lived success for the Egyptians as another Sho't opened fire...

Taking out one of the remaining T-55's that had poked its nose out of cover.

More IDF infantry poured into the village, their small arms fire concentrated on one of the Egyptian squads who started to accumulate Morale markers.

Sweeping past the burning Egyptian armour one of the Sho'ts moves forward and fires...

Destroying the last of the Egyptian tanks.

Followed by a colleague who delivered the coup de grace...

Slamming a 105mm round into the last of the BRDM-2 w. AT-3 battery.

Another good game of October War Seven Days To The River Rhine which, despite the Egyptian defeat, proved very enjoyable and swung back and forth until the Gods of Wargaming favoured the Israelis this week.