3mm Miniatures

Panzer – WW2 Eastern Front

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WW2 Eastern Front game using GMT’s Panzer rules. 3mm Pico armor stands and a 1 inch hex grid terrain cloth were used in place of the map and counters. This was a simple tank vs tank meeting scenario to familiarize the group with the rules.

Germans

Russian T34/76s occupy woods on the left, but are mostly out of range for their guns.

Early firing favors the Russians, but eventually casualties mount on both sides.

We played 8 turns in about 2.5 hours.

Spearhead – Eastern Front 1944

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WW2 game using the Spearhead rules and 3mm (Pico) figures.

The Belostock Offensive was part of the third and final phase of the Belorussian Strategic Offensive of the Red Army in summer 1944, commonly known as Operation Bagration. The Belostock Offensive was part of the third, or ‘pursuit’ phase of Operation Bagration, and was commenced after the completion of the encirclement and destruction of much of Army Group Center in the Minsk Offensive.

The scenario was the counterattack that was launched by the 19th Panzer Division against the Soviet 50th Army on July 23rd, 1944 near Grodno.

Russian artillery deployed. They rarely answered the phone.

German mechanized infantry sweep around the right.

Massed tank battle when Russian reinforcements enter on the German left flank.

German fire reduces the defenders of the two occupied villages. The village on the left was taken without opposition.

Two Russian brigades (one of T34s, one of SUs) have broken and left the field.

The initial Russian forces were able to deploy in two of the three objective villages. The third village was out of command range. German armor advanced on the German left, expecting the Russian reinforcements on that flank, while infantry attacked the center village and mechanized infantry advanced unopposed on the right. After about 4.5 hours of play, the Russians still had toeholds in the two occupied villages, but no reasonable hope of keeping them or retaking them when lost.

Spearhead – WWII East Front

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a game of Spearhead with 3mm miniatures from Pico Armor. The scenario was based on part of the German counterattack around Kiev on December 5, 1943 – specifically the 48th Panzer Corps vs. the 1st Tank Army and the 18th Army.

Starting setup. The hexgrid is not used for these rules.

German motorized infantry dismounts and advances on the northern objective village.

A tank battalion of Pz IVs attempts to outflank the village.

On the southern flank, Russian tanks and PzGr head into the woods.

On the southern flank, the heavy tanks duel while other Russian tanks advance against the PzGr.

We played for about four hours, by which time only a portion of one objective was taken by the Germans.

Operation COBRA – Speadhead AAR

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WWII game at the Dogs of War shop using the Spearhead rules and 3mm miniatures from Pico Armor.

The scenario took place on July 29 in Normandy, during Operation COBRA. It involved a failed German counterattack on the eastern side of the U.S. breakthrough, and was historical for the most part. The 2nd Panzer Division and the 275th Infantry Division vs. the U.S. 35th Division and CCB of the 2nd Armored Division.

The 275th Infantry Division was added to the German OB to make it more of a contest. The 275th was in 7th Army reserve when COBRA opened, it did not play a big part in the battle as it was in poor shape at that time. This game assumed it was in better shape and had been moved to the east for rest.

Starting positions. US 35th Inf Div on the right, German 275th Inf Div on the left.

The 2nd Battalion of the US 35th Div moves up using the road in the foreground. The 1st Battalion is in the distance.

2nd Battalion infantry deploys from trucks on the road.

The 2nd Battalion forms an infantry line as tanks of the 2nd Pz are seen approaching. The 1st Battalion advances in the background, preparing to assault German infantry in the woods. .

Tanks of the 2nd Armored Div move into the open center of the table. German tanks (MkIV and MkV) take cover in the woods.

The 1st Battalion assault goes in but takes heavy casualties.

Casualties to the US 1st Battalion cause it to break, and the other US units also take significant losses. With the Germans having suffered few losses, the US advance is stopped.

Operation Perch – Speadhead AAR

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WWII game at the Dogs of War shop using the Spearhead rules and 3mm miniatures from Pico Armor.

The scenario was set during Operation Perch, the British attempt to take Caen, and involved the attack by the British 51st Division out of the Orne River bridgehead on June 12 – 13, 1944. The scenario assumed that the initial British attack was more successful than it was historically, i.e., that the German defensive line had been broken and the British were advancing into more open terrain in their drive on Caen.