The Guadalcanal campaign of WWII featured air, land, and sea battles from August 7th, 1942, until the Japanese evacuated their forces on February 7th, 1943. One of the first actions of the campaign involved United States Marines seizing the Henderson Airfield on Guadalcanal.
United States Robert L Ghormley 11,000 Marines (Initial invasion of Guadalcanal)
Japan Isoroku Yamamoto 1,000 Garrison Defenders
Wargame Bolt Action or other similarly scaled WW2 Game 2 Players US forces 2,000 points, no armour should be taken Japan 1,000 points, with heavy point defense and a free air observer
The US forces must use beach landing forces; all troops should arrive in landing craft, and there should be a beach with an airfield just beyond.
The Japanese should defend the airfield to the last man as is historic; only when the last defender is killed can the US hold the airport. Darkness is in 7 turns; if the battle is not won, Japanese reinforcements may arrive.
The Battle of Kursk in 1943 remains the largest tank battle in history. The front line was over 1,000 miles long, and the fight itself lasted seven weeks. 3.4 million soldiers from both sides participated, with 10,000 tanks and 35,000 pieces of artillery.
The battle took place in two key areas. The North near Bolkhov, and the South around Kharkov. The center of the field bore a striking resemblance to the Battle of the Bulge. The offensive started out as a German operation. We are going to take charge of the Soviet counterattack.
Order of Battle Germany Gunther Von Kluge 941,000 Soldiers 3,253 Tanks 9,467 Guns 2,110 Aircraft
Wargame any 6mm Game like O Group or Baccus 6mm Rules. You could also go up to 15mm with Flames of War. You want the game to incorporate Airstrikes, artillery, armour, and infantry. Player 2-20. This game is designed for many commanders in different areas, divided as you see fit, you could even put an umpire to work here. Models Needed, as many as you want, literally. I doubt many people own 1,000 tanks, let alone 10,000 Table Size: The game can be played in two ways. You can use the above campaign map with different sectors and fight battles in the various sectors, changing terrain for each sector battle. Or you can put as much of the fight as you want on a single table (best in 6mm or 2mm). Fighting Battles. The Soviets should have about 20% more units on the table, in terms of points, than the Germans.
Campaign Map,
Units should be able to move 2-3 squares, depending on the road situation. Discuss with your opponent. Air support will only be available within 5 squares of the airbases marked.
Objectives The Soviets want to retake the marked cities on the map. The Germans want to hold their ground.
Part of WWII that is frequently ignored is the northern engagements between Finland and the Soviet Union. While Finland was not supportive of Fascism or any of the other parts of the Nazi regime. They followed a simple doctrine. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Soviet Union had taken large swaths of Finnish land in previous years, and Finland wanted them back.
The Battle of Tali-Ihantala started on June 25th, 1944, and lasted until July 9th.
Finland C.G.E. Mannerheim 100,000 Soldiers Several Armoured Divisions German Luftwaffe Detachment
Soviet Union Leonid Govorov 150,000 Soldiers 6 Tank Brigades 10 Artillery Regiments
The opening hours of the battle involved a Soviet Artillery bombardment and a hard push along the edge of Lake Leitimojarvi. This is where we will have our game.
Wargame Rules, Command Decision, Bolt Action, Flames of War 2 Players 6×4 Table Forces Needed: Finnish and Soviet forces in your chosen game. The Soviets should have 50% more troops than the Finns. For Bolt Action, we will use 1500 points for the Soviets and 1000 for Finland. Terrain should be an interesting area with pine forest, clearings, and a large lake.
Set-Up
Finland should be in a defensive position with its forces holding each side of the lake. An objective marker should be placed somewhere on the Finnish side of the lake. The Soviets should be off the table, preparing to assault the Finns’ position. The Soviets will get an artillery strike before the first round of the game.
If the Soviets end the game with one objective, it is a tie; if both objectives are achieved, it is a win.
September was rough. I refereed 36 soccer matches in 5 states and 12 cities. I was a soccer referee from Thursday to Sunday every week. I have two more weeks of intense officiating.
This week, starting Thursday, I referee two matches two hours away. (4 total drive hours). Then I drive six hours for a single game (10 total hours). I drive four hours for another game (14 total drive hours). I’ll drive two and a half hours for the final match. (16.5 total drive hours) followed by a three-and-a-half-hour drive home. (20 total drive hours)
I will referee from the time I get to each site until the time I leave, a total of sixteen hours. Over the weekend, I will work 36 hours, sleep in hotels, and recover for the next day. I should clear about $2,500 for the weekend making everything ok.
This means I have been unable to play games or hobbies to my usual extent. I did accomplish a ton of things, though.
A. Used Warlord Army Builder to create every list to complete the Stalingrad campaign. Their army builder is switching to 3rd edition, and I want to game in 2nd.
B. Completed a game of DBMM (battle report to follow)
C. Painted the Following Models (70 total)
Soviet airborne (Happy with)
Base German green brown vallejo primer Zen idf Israeli desert sand vallejo primer Wash earth shade Hats contrast skeleton horde Guns contrast black. Drybrush silver Base Vallejo russian mud Terrain static grass landscape series Yellow flowers
Soviet Guard Squad (Not happy with)
Base german panzer grey primer Zen nato green primer Sponge on vallejo model air dark brown Wash camoshade Vallejo diorama European thick mud Terrain static grass green Autumn leaves
Soviet Infantry Base (medium happy with how they turned out) Base German red brown primer Zen russian green primer Wash camo shade Dry brush model air gunship green Vallejo diorama European thick mud Terrain static grass green Yellow flowers
German Infantry Squad (very happy) Base black primer Zen grey primer Base vallejo German field grey Drybrush light grey Vallejo thick mud russian mud Tan static grass Army painter swamp tufts
I also camo airbrushed a German Tank. It was my first attempt at doing something like this and I wasn’t super happy with it. My color ended more red than brown as intended. (also why I didn’t bother with the pilot or paiting the tracks or any detail work)
Yesterday, I received a massive haul of miniature plastic from Amazon. The Stalingrad 2-player set from Bolt Action. Wow, there is a ton of toy soldiers in this box. Here is what Warlord Games includes.
Ruined MDF factory
Barmaley Fountain
5 resin craters/shellholes
3 resin barricades/rubble
3m of barbed wire
Sd.Kfz 139 Marder III
T34/76
Soviet Sniper team
56 plastic Soviet infantry
42 plastic German Army infantry
Also included were a couple rule and scenario books, build instructions and some unit cards to ease play, some decal sheets and damaged vehicle markers.
The contents of the box were as advertised. Although the sprews were not bundled together and my German and Soviet troops were thoroughly mixed together. The resin pieces were nicely covered in bubble wrap for protection. The MDF securely covered the bottom of the box. My biggest complaint came from the items in the box not fitting tightly. Part of the mixing of factions but it also caused several torsos for the German winter troops to fall from the sprew and just be loose in the box. I was a little annoyed that there were 6 sets of winter Germans but 4 sets of Winter Soviets and 2 sets of regular.
One of my favorite parts of Warlord Games models is the clearly labeled sprew. Each section had German Infantry (winter) or Soviet Weapons clearly stamped into the sprew. Something very consistent across all Warlord Games lines. Compared to a Games Workshop or Atomic Mass Games this is really helpful when leaving a project and returning to it weeks or months later.
Best Parts of the Box
Terrain. The MDF ruined buildings are way more sturdy than you would think. The resin barricades are nice, and the fountain is cool. I wish there was a little more elevation or platforms in the buildings.
The scenario book is nice and unexpected. The scenarios are designed to be used with the box and is a nice touch.
Worst Parts of the Box
German unit variety, no HQ’s or MMGs, or Flamethrowers. A huge miss here that I think really hurts the new player. Especially the lack of a machine gun when that is a German special rule.
Soviet Winter/Summer split. I get having all German units as winter garb, but the Soviets should have followed suit instead of being split.
Building instructions. I play a ton of Games Workshop, and their instructions are typically easy to follow. These were not especially for the infantry.
Packing quality. The items need to be secure in the box. They just do.
Who is This Box For
While typing this review, I have to say this is my biggest question mark. It is not good for the New Hobbyist; the instructions are far from clear and instead of saying piece one glues to piece two etc it gives you a sprew with torsos legs, arms and weapons and says glue together. I think someone brand new to the hobby would really struggle with this product. It kinda seems designed that way as well because it is a battlefield in a box and the included scenarios are very simple.
The Stalingrad box set is also not good for new players. On the Bolt Action website, you are encouraged to build a platoon with MMGs, Snipers, Anti Tank teams, mortars etc. This box doesn’t include any of those. No artillery, no HQs it is just infantry. I think this is a real miss for Warlord because it seems like this is a box that is designed to be open and play for two players.
Stalingrad is also not a great box for returning veterans of Bolt Action. Generally you buy two boxes of 30 troops each, a tank and the weapons teams when you are starting out. I have I think only needed more than 60 infantry twice playing Bolt Action. One was a simulation of D-Day on a 20ft long table with 10 players and 3,000+ models. The other time a friend wanted to do a Thin Red Line style game where half the Soviets didn’t have guns and they simply rushed the German entrenched lines. Long story short, most seasoned players don’t need gobs of riflemen.
Verdict
I have a tough time recommending this box to anyone. If you want the MDF buildings and could use the troops or have someone split them, go for it. If you are really into Stalingrad, by all means. Otherwise, I would have to suggest a pass. There are better options for your money. Even the terrain, you can just go on Etsy and buy what you need fully painted for less.
The opening battle in the Stalingrad Campaign is the Last Bridge Over the River Don. The main objective is for the Soviets to hold the bridge while their force retreats and then blow the bridge. Game is on a 6×4 table with a river running north to south. In the middle of the river is a small bridge. Eastern side of the bridge has a small village. Western side has a few hills and balkas.
Soviets can attempt to blow the bridge. The objectives give 2 pts for each soviet unit to cross the bridge, and the Germans get 1 pt for each destroyed unit and 5 if the bridge is intact.
For terrain, I intend to use my Kallistra grass hexes as a base with assorted hills. I have a river from Tabletop World. It should sit nicely down between hexes. The river is 6″ wide, however, and if that doesn’t work, I have a neoprene river set and a few bridges that should work nicely. I need about 10 small buildings for the town where Dwarven Forge City Builder should also fit in nicely. I have 3 or 4 buildings for variety that are a high quality cardboard including a church that will make good variety.
Here is the Soviet T34 on the bridge. This will work well.
The army lists are below. Both lists are 1167. I don’t have a good reason for picking this number.
Germans
1167
Gates of Stalingrad
Leutnant
50
Regular
Here infantry
90
5 Rifles 1 LMG 1 Loader
Regular
Panzgrenadier
97
5 Rifles 1 LMG 1 Loader
Regular
medic
30
Veteran
artillery forward observer
100
1 AR
Regular
Heer infantry
110
7 Rifles 1 LMG 1 Loader
Regular
heer pioneer
77
1 Rifle 4 SMGS
Veteran
mmg
50
Regular
medium mortar
60
add spotter
Regular
flammenwerfer
50
Regular
sniper team
50
Regular
Anti-tank rifle team (removed)
Regular
50mm pak 38
75
Regular
Sdkfz231
100
Regular
Panzer iii Ausf E,F
140
2nd MMG
Regular
Sdkfz 7 halftrack
44
Regular
Sdkfz 7 halftrack
44
Regular
I based the German list on what an advancing army might look like. Mechanized infantry with early war armor support. Decent equipment. I could have made the squad sizes a little larger which would have brought me up to 1500 pts, as well as a few trucks, but this should make for a decent fight. I think the game plays well at 1250 to 1500.
Soviets Don Volga
Rifle Squad
0
12 Rifles
Inexpierenced
2nd Lieutenant
50
SMG
Regular
Veteran squad
85
3 Rifle 1 LMG 1 Loader
Veteran
Rifle squad
56
8 Rifles
Inexpierenced
commissar
15
SMG
Inexpierenced
assault engineer squad
80
5 SMGs
Veteran
rifle squad
81
7 Rifles 1 Flag
Inexpierenced
rifle squad
49
7 Rifles
Inexpierenced
veteran squad
103
4 Rifles 1 LMG 1 Panzerfust
Veteran
Mmg
35
Inexpierenced
Dshk heavy machine gun team
49
Inexpierenced
Sniper team
50
Regular
Dog mines
26
Inexpierenced
Tank hunters
20
Inexpierenced
Medium mortar
35
Inexpierenced
Light mortar
24
Inexpierenced
45mm antitank
46
Inexpierenced
Ba20 Armoured Car
52
Inexpierenced
T-34
156
Inexpierenced
Truck
31
Inexpierenced
Truck
31
Inexpierenced
Truck
31
Inexpierenced
Truck
31
Inexpierenced
Truck
31
Inexpierenced
The soviet list is based on an army in full retreat. Supplies and such were not a huge issue at this point of the war. I was happy to give them full equipment. The soviet army was very experienced at this point as well which I reflected in the list.
Initial Impressions
Reading over the rules, it seems like the Soviets have a real challenge. You have to get as many units over the bridge as possible and still blow the bridge. The initial turn the fuse is lit you have a 1/3 chance of blowing the bridge. The next turn its 50/50 and 2/3 the following turn. You don’t want to blow it early because it costs you points, but you can’t wait till the last turn either. Although the game does continue until the bridge blows or the charges are defused. The way the reinforcements work for the Germans I want the bridge blowing turn 6.
Also I wouldn’t consider this a good introductory scenario for those new to Bolt Action. It is a pretty complicated fight with many rules and deployments.
Hobby Items
First and foremost getting the two forces fully painted. I have about 3 weeks from now util the floors are completed and I have a game room back. That easily should be enough time for 50 odd infantry and a couple vehicles. Right……. right. My Germans are largely complete already. Maybe 10 models. The Soviets need around 40.
I need to paint the river. It shouldn’t take too long. It is nicely textured. I have 10 pieces that are 9″ long and 5″ wide, 8 curves, a large stone bridge that is just wide enough for a t-34. There is also a mill somewhere which would be cool to do eventually. I think there are 4 river battles and it is a terrain feature in 3 more. I may also try the resin thing where I fill the river with resin to create a water effect.
Other hobby items. I will most likely 3d print a building or two. They will need painted. I also need to paint a few hedges that I have 3d printed.
Next time should be some painted models progress, after the weekend.
stonewalljackman 