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• Skirmish at Pearl River - 25mm ACW Brother Against Brother Rules General Grant sent a regiment of infantry and a section of artillery to the Pearl River to protect his northern flank against rebel attack during the Vicksburg Campaign. The Union had two squads on picked duty along the river when rebels came over the hill and down the road. A call to the rear brought out the rest of the regiment and the artillery section. The Confederates got 3 squads down to the bridge in good order. While waiting for the rest of the regiment to get into position on of the squads took a casualty. When it activated later it drew a charge card and raced over the bridge into the Union squads. A second squad took off too in hoped for support, possibly an early rout of the federal was hoped for. Reality was different as both squads suffered devastating fire and melee from the Union squads. This ill fated attack would haunt the Confederates later. The Rebels settled into a battle of attrition and got good position on the Union left. A few well placed volleys and there was no Union left. On the Confederate left Union artillery was doing the same to the Rebs. The Rebels sent a charge as a last ditch try and stopped short of a squad in the road that devastated the lead squad. The second squad took it hard from the left and from a round of canister, leaving gray bodies laying on the ground. Union Victory. Moderator : None
  • Union
    • Joe Shaffer
  • Confederate
    • Terry Callahan
    • Warren Peterson
• Day on the Farm - WW2 20 mm skirmish GI Rules A three squad American patrol was checking an area that had seen some fighting the day before. As they came through the bocage a burning Sherman M4 was in the road ahead. Soon three more were found in a field along side the road. It was at this point that a German LMG opened up on the squad in the field. The fire was apparently coming from a farm house up ahead. Some casualties were taken. The head quarter squad coming down the road looked around the disabled Sherman and saw a PZVIe Tiger sitting in front of the farm house. Several SS tankers were standing on the rear of the tank. A burst of MP40 fire cut down the assistant bazooka man. The Bazooka man did fire but the tankers only casualty looked up from their apparent work. More fine from and around the house brought the Americans attention back to the German infantry. The American 1st squad concentrated its fire at the attic of the farm house routing the LMG team. Down on the ground the HQ and 2nd squads began to poor heavy fire on the Germans on the ground. After a couple of rounds the Germans there broke and ran. Defenseless the SS tankers jumped down deserted their vehicle. When they looked back a fifth column of black smoke was rising into the sky. American Victory. Moderator Terry Callahan
  • German
    • Warren Peterson
  • American
    • Joe Shaffer

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Played two games, Disaster at Savo Island and 2nd Battle of Guadalcanal. Rules: Ship Base 3 - Computer assisted naval rules. We modified our past rules with the addition of having to plan five turns ahead before contact and three turns ahead after. Worked very well.


• Disaster at Savo Island: The Japanese have sent a Task Force to destroy the landing fleet anchored at Tulagi and off Lunga Point at Guadalcanal. The US Navy split its force in three parts to cover the entrances to what would soon become know as Iron Bottom Sound. Both forces had difficulty seeing each other until the ranges were down to less than 12,000 yards. The Japanese opened up on the Southern force letting the Americans know they were there. Both side exchanged gun fire but doing little damage. The battle turned into a general melee with collisions and firing at ranges down to 500 yards. The American destroyers launched their torpedoes in the general melee at this point of the battle. This was the deciding factor as all the American Torpedo spreads inflicted devastating damage to the Japanese cruisers. The Americans lost the heavy cruiser Chicago and the destroyer Bagley, which was unlucky enough to get in the way of a Japanese cruiser and be cut in half. American Victory. Moderator: None
  • American
    • Joe Shaffer
    • Terry Callahan
  • Japanese
    • Warren Peterson
• Second Battle of Guadalcanal. Japanese Task Force of 3 cruisers, and the battle cruiser Kirishima and several destroyer groups were sent to bombard Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. The American had two battle ships , Washington and South Dakota with four destroyers. Having radar gave the American force an advantage of opening up on the enemy at 30,000 yards while the IJN had to wait until 15,000 ranges. By the time the IJN guns could bear their advantage in numbers was considerably less. A salvo of Japanese torpedoes missed their marks except one which hit the bow of the Washington doing only minor damage. The Americans lost all four destroyers while the Japanese lost three cruisers and several destroyers before retiring. The Kirishima was on fire and adrift as the rest of the Imperial Japanese Fleet retired. American Victory. Moderator none
  • Japanese
    • Warren Peterson
    • Joe Shaffer
  • American
    • Terry Callahan

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Played two games tonight. Both eastern Front assaults. Rules: G.I


• First game Russian assault on a village.
  A Russian battalion moved up to assault a German held village. Made up of two platoons of T34C, a platoon of SU85's a couple T70's and an infantry company. The Russians moved down the right flank putting all their weight on one side. It turned out to be a disastrous attack. A lone 75mm Pak40 held up the column long enough for a platoon of PZ V's to move onto the battlefield and take up positions in the village. After running off a green squad of Germans in the woods the Soviet tanks moved in to engage the Panthers. When the firing ceased there were eight burning and abandoned Soviet tanks and the Germans without a scratch. At this point the Russian commander figured it would be easier to face the NKVD behind them than the certain defeat in front and retired from the battlefield. Victory German. Moderator none.
  • German
    • Warren Peterson
    • Joe Shaffer
  • Russian
    • Terry Callahan
    • James Price
  
  
• Second Game A German Infantry assault on a Russian held ridge.
  The German had a two PZIIIN and a StugIII and a platoon of infantry supported by four mortars. The Russians had heavy machine guns in bunkers, anti tank rifles, two squads of infantry and a JSII tank in support. The battle developed very slowly as the Germans moved in scouting the woods and ridge. A artillery bombardment disabled one of the PZIII's slowing the left flank's attack down. A duel with the JSII left the Russian tank smoking destroyed. A Russian squad tried to move up and out flank the Panzers but were ignored as they were not a factor in the battle developing on the center. In the center a green squad was sent up to recon the woods across the road and met with another bombardment and fire from the woods. The exposed Russian defender then had communication problems while the German mortars dropped a continuous barrage of shells on the exposed center position, pinning the defenders as another squad moved up. On the right repeated shelling and machine gunning of the HMG bunker gained goods results when the occupants retreated. With the way open on the right flank the Germans began to press forward. When after intense fire the center Russian squad broke and ran and the Russian commander figured it was time to pull back and establish a new defensive position. German victory, no moderator.
  • Russian
    • Warren Peterson
    • Joe Shaffer
  • German
    • James Price
    • Terry Callahan

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Played two games tonight. WW2 Atlantic Naval Battle and ACW Skirmish


• First Game: Atlantic Crossing WW2 Naval Rules: Ship Base III Practice game for Big Muddy's Command Con in November (gratuitous plug). It's August 1945 and the War in Europe continues. To end the war The US is sending two atom bombs to England to be dropped on Germany. The Germans intercepted information that a secret weapon is on the way to Germany in a US Naval Task Force made up of the BC Alaska, CA New Orleans and the BB Iowa and a few escorting destroyers. The German Navy sends out the Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Prinz Eugen to sink the American Ships. Because of a freak in atmospherics both forces radar were inoperative. The ships made visual contact at less than 13,00 yards and an ensuing melee quickly developed. The American destroyers were in ASW deployment the capital ships in line as were the Germans capital ships. The Alaska taking hits in quick succession from all the German ships slowed and pulled out of line. The Iowa and New Orleans gun fire was effective on the Prinz Eugen which also slowed. The destroyers Powell and Benham launched torpedo high speed attacks on the Germans ships. A miscommunication from the American flagship had the US task force turn INTO the German fleet closing the distance. The Benham crossed the Powell's torpedo track and took a hit sinking in minutes. The Benham's torps hit the Tirpitz and a spectacular explosion ensued when a magazine exploded and destroyed the ship in an instant. The Americans corrected their course and began pulling away from the slowing Germans ships when another course change by the Cushing and Iowa cause a collision between the two. The Cushing received the worst of it and sank. At this point American gun fire singled out the Scharnhorst and pummeled it into the sea. The Prinz Eugen with fires forward and aft, slowed to 10 knots could not keep up with the departing US ships. The Atom bomb was successfully delivered to England. Winner Americans No moderator.
  • German
    • James Price
  • American
    • Terry Callahan
    • Joe Shaffer
  
  
• Second Game: Skirmish at Bailee's ridge. Rules: Brother Against Brother 25 mm ACW
  A small force of Rebels held the pass through the Blue Ridge. They were to delay a Union advance long enough to allow Gen. Lee's army to pass. The CS force was 4 squads and one 12 pound Napoleon, US force was 8 squads and two 10 pound parrot rifles. The Union army worked their way slowly along the flanks avoiding the road down the center. The US slowness was to be their undoing at the end because they did not capture the objective in time to cut off Lee's army. Confederate victory, no moderator.
  • Confederate
    • Joe Shaffer
  • Union
    • James Price
    • Terry Callahan

Practice Game for Pat McGarrity's Command Con Game Normandy 1944 Rules G.I. Also an unusual Friday evening game.


• American advance in the Contenin Peninsula against a German strong point. The battle developed slowly as cautious Americans scouted the supposed German positions. After some initial skirmishing and artillery fire the Americans pushed forward across the whole front. The loss of a Sherman and a M36 slowed the battle some. A heroic attack on a the German LMG position by a lone M5A1 Stuart turned the battle on the American left. Dodging 88 and panzerfaust fire it took out the German positions and led the attack. On the right the a American brought to bear 8 30 Cal MMG's against the German held farm pinning the German spotter and infantry. A brave German Captain stood up and called in artillery fire on the US attackers. Walking the artillery barrage to his left caught a squad of infantry and a squad of engineers in the open. American luck held with only 2 light casualties. A German PZIVH fired on the Shermans, concentrated fire by a M36 though took out the threatening Panzer. The Americans were determined to pry the Germans out and stop the barrage moved to the left to escape the incoming barrage. At this point a round of 75 mm HE slammed into the farm house. There were thirteen figures in the house along with the 75 mm round. Thirteen 20 sided dice were rolled, the results were: Seven rolls between 1 and 5 (KIAs and heavy wounds), five rolls between 6 and 15 (1 light wound 4 morale checks) and a 20 (nothing). Four of the five subsequent morale rolls failed, the resulting squad morale roll failed too and the Germans force fled the house. It was at this point the Germans gave up, both flanks having been lost. Winner: American Moderator: Pat McGarrity
  • German
    • Joe Shaffer
    • Matt Sherman
  • American
    • Terry Callahan
    • Kelly Richie
    • Dave

Meeting engagement 25mm Brother Against Brother Rules.


• Union and Confederate forces out foraging ran into each other near a farm house and a battle ensued over the baked apple pies the farm wife had just taken out of the oven. Though the Rebels gained the inside of the farm house they could not hold it. The Union company in the back yard could not take and hold the house either. A draw, no moderator.
• Union
  • Joe Shaffer
• Confederate
  • James Price
  • Terry Callahan

American assault on a German occupied hill and house.


• An American recon company assaulted a German held position. The Germans held a hill and house over looking a road the Americans had to use. After some movement the Americans attacked on both flanks of the hill first on the left and then the right. THe Right was supported by two M5A5 Stuart tanks and on the left a section of 60mm mortars. American Victory, no moderator.
• German
  • Joe Shaffer
  • Warren Peterson
• American
  • James Price
  • Terry Callahan

I attended Big Muddy's Command Con Friday and Saturday Nov. 17 and 18. I played a mini Civil War campaign based on the early war attempt by the Union to capture the Mississippi River and Island No.10. The game used both land and water engagements. The Union failed to take one of it's objectives and lost the game, I did have fun even though I lost. I ran two naval games "Atlantic Crossing" and "Battle of Leyte Gulf", both fictional engagements. I have done an after action report for "Atlantic Crossing which turned into an exciting game. Pictures of the event can be found at Cory Paris' site Command Con Pictures There are sevral pitures of the "Battle of Letye Gulf".

Played two new games tonight. The first was Silent Death, a space game the second Mein Panzer, 1/300 micro armor.


• First Game: Silent Death
  Each Player had four ships and had to gain access to an orbiting lab get the code for a new warp drive and escape the board before being reduced to atoms by the other players. The ships being different types and the playing space being pretty small led to a fast and furious game. Pat lost a ship and had two others damaged in the first turn while the other players had only light damage to their ships. On the second turn Pat docked with the Lab and had his ships hit hard again. Terry's best pilot was lost, to a critical it, while lining up his ship to blast two of Warren's ships. On the Third turn more ships were hit and Pat having gained the warp drive code left the Lab and the table winning the game. We all felt this game will be back especially when we get a bigger playing surface covering the whole table. Winner Pat McGarrity, moderator Warren Peterson.
  • Players
    • James Price
    • Terry Callahan
    • Joe Shaffer
    • Pat McGarrity
    • Warren Peterson
  
  
• Second Game: Mein Panzer
  The second game was meeting engagement, American armor and German armor. The American had a medium tank battalion with a platoon of M36 Jackson Tank Destroyers. It was up against a company of German Panzer IVH's and a platoon of Jagpanthers. THe usual result of such engagements occurred here too the Americans suffered heavy losses but the Germans force was eventually reduced to 3 tanks while the American still had better than a company of medium and light tabks and four M36 Jacksons. We all felt the damage table need a little refining to reduce it's lethality but with defined scenarios and mixed force including infantry, artillery, etc., we would use this rule set again. American victory, no moderator.
  • American
    • Joe Shaffer
    • Terry Callahan
    • Warren Peterson
  • German
    • James Price
    • Pat McGarrity