A Fool And His Money ...

... are soon parted, but I just could not resist forking out £1.50 for a toy-soldier set from a pound shop in Watney Market, which is just off Commercial Road in East London.

"Armed Forces - give infinity happy memory to your childhood"

The set is made in China and imported by Kingstar International of London E12.

The contents

The infantry are 40mm scale, ie 1:43, and I guess the guardtower is similar, but clearly the tank and especially the helicopter are not.

It is quite possible I will be able to use the tank for an Airfix Battles scenario, and maybe the infantry (one of the green men is quite useful in being armed with an anti-tank launcher).

All in all, a fun set.

Airfix Battles: Scenario 2 (part five)

The situation at the start of round four

ROUND FOUR
I ditched my interrupt card and drew ... another interrupt: rapid retreat. Not very helpful.
We rolled for the initiative, with Wald winning 3-1 and choosing to move first.
*He ordered his captain and veterans to fire at my snipers, and rolled three 6s. That meant the unit lost half its men and had to take two morale tests. It passed one test but failed the other, meaning that it, like my infantry squad, is now pinned.
*I played my one command card to try to rally my infantry squad. The roll failed, so I played the valour counter to roll again, but again failed.
*Wald advanced his machinegun section to shelter behind the fence on the edge of Colonel Parker's square.

The Americans still have a numerical advantage but both units are pinned in the open

ROUND FIVE
My new command card has the dropping-lead special order, which can only be used for vehicles.
*Wald won the initiative and opened fire with his machineguns on my infantry squad, scoring four hits. The squad had to take two morale tests and failed them both. Since it was already pinned, the unit routed (and is therefore removed from the table).
*I used my command card to successfully try to rally my snipers. Having done so, I used the card to get them to fire at the German machinegun crews. They scored two hits, and the Germans were not allowed saving throws as the hits were both natural 6s. That meant two morale tests - the Germans passed one but failed the other. Wald played the valour counter to re-roll the failed test, but failed again, and so the remaining two machinegunners are pinned.
*Wald successfully rallied his machinegun crew and opened fire on my snipers. Even though there are just two machinegunners left, the rules state that two is enough to fire both machineguns, so Wald rolled eight dice, easily wiping out the three remaining snipers and so winning the scenario.

Nothing can stop the Germans capturing Colonel Parker

AFTERTHOUGHTS
Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. I seemed to have everything sown up - then the German machineguns sprung into action with deadly effect.
Of course the luck of the dice can always play its part in game such as Airfix Battles, but I did not think I was especially hard done by in that regard.
One mistake I certainly made, I believe, was to place my two pieces of cover too far from the centre square. It meant my men were in open ground as soon as they approached the centre.
Wald, on the other hand, placed his cover further forward, and his men were able to make good use of it.
However, my opponent said that during the game he wondered if he should have put his pieces of cover a square further forward, the idea being that, with his aggressive style of play, he could have rushed his men to the centre of the battlefield knowing they would then be behind cover.
I am not sure about this, as cover in my half of the battlefield would have been likely to be at least as useful to my men.
Considerations of cover aside, the turning point was surely when I lost my captain and so was reduced to having a single command card.
In any event, it was a victory for my opponent, which leaves us with one win apiece in Airfix Battles.

Airfix Battles: Scenario 2 (part four)

The situation at the start of round three

ROUND THREE
We dealt the new command cards. I received a hit-the-deck interrupt, which in this scenario can only be used when a unit with A-OK morale suffers a hit while in the open, and three special orders: dig in, on the double and mechanised assault.
We rolled for initiative, and this time Wald won.
*Wald's captain and veterans fired at my men with Colonel Parker, scoring three hits. My men are behind cover and so got saving throws - but I rolled three 1s. They needed to take two morale checks, and ended up being pinned, just like my infantry squad.
*I used my on-the-double order to try to rally the captain and the one surviving veteran, but could only roll a 3 - one shy of the score needed.
*Wald ordered his machinegun section to fire at my captain and veteran. We suddenly realised we were not sure how machineguns fired (the rules do not have a play-through of a battle to show how things work). In the end we agreed each machinegun - the section has two - rolls four dice. They would normally need a 5 to score a hit, but being crackshots they only need a 4. They actually scored four hits, but since my combined unit has only two men, this counted as two hits. My men are behind cover, but neither saving throw worked, so the captain and the last veteran were killed. Fortunately for me, this scenario does not end with the death of a captain, so the game goes on.
*I played my dig-in order to try to rally the pinned squad, but again came up one pip short.
*Both Wald's surviving units have already received orders this round, so it is my turn again. I used the mechanised-assault order to advance my snipers and fire at Hauptmann Wald and his veterans. I scored two hits, one of which was a 'natural' 6, which means Wald does not get a saving throw for that hit even though his men are behind cover. The other hit was saved, however, so only one veteran fell.
This brought the round to a close except, because the Americans have lost their captain, I am only allowed one command card in my hand, which means I have to dispose of one of my two interrupts. I do not need to think about which one as I will anyway dispose of the other one at the start of the next round in the hope of drawing an order card rather than an interrupt one.

Colonel Parker cuts a lonely figure again

Airfix Battles: Scenario 2 (part three)

The situation at the start of round two

ROUND TWO
We drew our command cards to get our hands back up to five. One of my new ones is a fire interrupt; the other three have special orders: rapid advance, on the double and mechanised assault. Their functions can pretty much be deduced from their names.
Next we rolled for initiative. I won 3-1 after a 1-1 tie.
*I decided to move first, and played the on-the-double command to send my infantry squad forward two squares and then fire at the Germans in Colonel Parker's square. Before they could fire, however, Wald played his stay-frosty card, allowing his captain and veterans to fire at my squad. They scored two hits, which meant my squad had to take a morale check. It failed, so I played the valour counter (this is given to the player who loses the initial dice-off to decide who gets to choose whether to deploy first or second) to re-roll the morale throw. Unfortunately I failed again, so my squad is pinned, which means it cannot fire this turn (and Wald now has the valour counter, which he can use to re-roll a die or a set of dice).
*Wald used a command card to try to rally his pinned pioneers. He failed, played the valour counter for a re-roll, and failed again.
*I used the mechanised-assault order to move my snipers forward one square and then fire at the pinned pioneers. The snipers got the two hits required to finish off the German unit.
*Wald used the sweeping-advance order to first of all get his captain and veterans to fire at my squad. They scored two hits. I played my it-ain't-so-bad interrupt to cancel the two kills, but the squad still had to take a morale test, which thankfully it passed with flying colours (I rolled a 6). Wald used the second part of his sweeping-advance order to send the machinegun section nearer the centre of the battlefield, thus ensuring it had edge cover between it and my units.
*I used my rapid-advance card to send my captain and veterans into the centre square, hopefully to rescue Colonel Parker, and then fire at Hauptmann Wald and his veterans. I scored two hits. They were entitled to saving throws for being behind cover, and both succeeded.
That ended the round as all units on both sides have received orders.

End of round two ... my Americans have captured the objective and now need to hold it against the badly depleted Germans for two rounds

Airfix Battles: Scenario 2 (part two)

The starting position looking from behind German lines

ROUND ONE
I discarded my dropping-lead command card to give me +1 on the initiative roll. Hauptmann Wald stood pat. I lost the roll 4-5, but the +1 meant a tie, and so we rolled again. The second time is without modifiers, but I won 4-3.
*I chose to play the first command card. I would have loved to call in an artillery strike but, thanks to the edge cover, my captain did not have line-of-sight to any of the German units. Instead I used my lightning-strike card to give a basic order, advancing the captain and veterans one square so they could shelter behind the edge cover directly in front of them.
*Wald also played a lightning-strike card, but with rather more aggression than I managed. He used the two extra movement squares to send his pioneers directly forward, crossing rough terrain and finishing in the centre of the battlefield where Colonel Parker is (they could reach the centre as there is no penalty for crossing edge cover).
Before he could shoot at my snipers, which he can do as part of the lightning-stroke command, I used my fire-interrupt card. This allowed my snipers to shoot at his pioneers, getting +1 for being crackshots  - and they certainly were as all them scored a hit. Not surprisingly, the pioneers failed their morale test, but did not have to retreat, being only pinned.
This gave us a problem that does not seem to be covered in the rules, or at least is open to more than interpretation. One rules states: "You cannot give orders to a unit that is pinned until it succeeds at a rallying test. In addition it cannot fire or move or assault using interrupts. However, it can use other interrupts"
That may seem clear enough, but consider this: the pioneers already had orders to advance and fire. Their move was interrupted by my playing an interrupt card, and under Interrupts is stated: "If you want to use an interrupt card, ask your opponent to pause their turn, then resolve the card. Put the used card in the discard pile. Your opponent then continues their turn from where they paused [my underlining]."
We had quite a discussion on this, in the end deciding that the spirit of the rule is that once a unit is pinned, it has to rally before it can take any offensive action.
*It was my turn to issue an order, but all I had in my hand of command cards was an interrupt, which can only be used during the opponent's turn, and my artillery-strike command. In theory I could have used that to bring artillery fire down on the surviving pioneers, but that would be a somewhat questionable decision considering they are occupying the same square as Colonel Parker, so I decided to pass.
*Wald and the veterans advanced to shelter directly behind the cover in front of them.
*I called in an artillery strike on Wald and his veterans. It scored one hit, which was not negated by the saving throw for being behind cover.
*Wald gave a stay-frosty card to his captain and veterans. The card will allow them to fire during my turn at a unit of mine that moves.
That brought round one to a close.

The battlefield at the end of round one

In terms of casualties, I am clearly winning - but Wald's aggressive play has given him the objective, ie the centre square containing Colonel Parker, and he will have won if he can hold it for two rounds. So it is far from obvious, at least to me, who has the advantage.

Airfix Battles: Scenario 2

WE have decided to have another go at the boxed game Airfix Battles, this time playing the second scenario: Rescue The Colonel!/Hunt Down The Colonel!
It is June 7 1944 - the day after the first scenario in which the Germans suffered a comprehensive and very quick defeat (http://timspanton.blogspot.com/2020/04/airfix-battles.html).
This time I have pushed my two wargames tables together so I can make a 7x5 grid of 10in squares, in the centre of which is the badly wounded American Colonel Parker.
I am a captain and attached to me are four veterans armed with sub-machineguns and grenades. Also under my command is a squad of infantry armed with rifles, light-machineguns and two bazookas, and a unit of six crackshot snipers.
My job is to get to Colonel Parker in the centre of the battlefield and hold that square for two consecutive rounds, after which I will be relieved (apparently!).
At the other side of the battlefield is Hauptmann Richard Wald, which is something of a surprise as I could have sworn he died in the bloody ambush that ended scenario one.
Anyway, Hauptmann Wald, as I have agreed to call whoever it is, has attached to him four veterans armed with assault rifles and grenades, eight pioneers armed with sub-machineguns, and a section of four men armed with a pair of MG34 machineguns.
His mission is to find Colonel Parker and see if he has orders or other useful intelligence, which will require the Germans to hold the central square for two consecutive rounds.
The colonel, who is too injured to move, is surrounded by rough terrain.

Overview of the battlefield with a lonely-looking Colonel Parker in the centre. The Americans will enter from the left, the Germans from the right. The playing area consists of 35 10in squares, with some out-of-bounds ground nearest the mantelpiece 

In addition to the set terrain, each player gets two pieces of edge cover - so-called because they go on the edge of two squares - that we place before we start deploying our troops.

Close-up of the centre of the battlefield with the edge cover added

I chose to put mine where they would give cover to riflemen while still letting the riflemen fire well beyond Colonel Parker. Hauptmann Wald put his nearer the colonel and asymmetrically.
Next we deployed our units. I put the snipers in the centre, with the captain and veterans to their left and the infantry squad to their right.
Wald hugged the left of the battlefield (from his viewpoint), with the machinegun section on the extreme left, followed by himself with the veterans and then the pioneers.

The view from the German end of the battlefield

My view of the German deployment

My five command cards are:
1) Dropping lead, which is irrelevant as it only affects vehicles (but it can still be used for giving basic orders).
2) Artillery strike - this seems rather powerful.
3) Lightning strike - allows a unit to move two extra squares and then fire.
4) Fire interrupt - lets a unit fire during the enemy's turn.
5) It ain't so bad interrupt - allows a unit to regain two shot men.
As usual I will write up the battle turn by turn.

Airfix Battles (part two)

My opponent chose to command the Germans, sinking his persona into that of Hauptmann Richard Wald, apparently a bilingual resident of Alsace conscripted into the German army following the Fall of France in 1940.

We each received five command cards - used for activating units - and I won the dice-off for deployment, choosing to be first to deploy a unit, not that it mattered much as we both deployed conservatively with the combined unit of captain and veterans sandwiched between our respective squads.

Both sides deployed

To avoid confusion, ID counters are added so it can easily be seen which unit on the table corresponds to which unit card.

Looking at the Americans with their unit cards and the smaller command cards

The Germans with their unit and command cards

Note that although each player has four unit cards, there are only three units on each side as the captain and veterans have to combine to form a single unit.
Since I won the first-to-deploy dice-off, Wald gets the valour counter. This can be used to re-roll any one of his dice rolls he does not like. Once Wald has used it, the valour counter will pass to me so I can re-roll any one of my dice rolls, and so on.
As usual, I will be writing the game up turn-by-turn.
TURN ONE
Wald won the dice-off for initiative and moved both squads forward one square - terrain restrictions prevented them moving further forward.
My five command cards consist of an interrupt (they can only be used when the opponent is moving) and four orders: mechanised assault, infantry assault and two rapid advances. I used one of the rapid advances to send my left-hand squad into the wood.
Wald advanced his captain and veterans along the dirt road so they regained being in line with his two squads.
I used my mechanised assault card to give a basic order. This can be done with any command card, and in scenario one the two possible basic orders are move or fire. I chose to advance my right-hand squad so it is behind the white house.
All three of Wald's units have received orders this turn, so he has to pass.
I used my infantry assault card to give a basic order, moving the captain and veterans off the dirt road and directly behind my right-hand squad. This ended the turn as my play value is three - meaning I can use a maximum of three command cards in a turn. As it happens, the turn would have ended anyway at this point as all my units had received an order.

Situation at the end of turn one

TURN TWO
Both players start by drawing enough command cards to bring them back to their hand value - the number of command cards you have at the start of a round. I drew an interrupt and two orders: lightning strike and infantry assault.
We diced for initiative, and this time I won. I used the rapid advance card to occupy the white house with my right-hand squad, which was then able to fire their rifles and light-machineguns at the German captain and his veterans. My squad is at full strength, so I got to roll 10 dice - one for each man - plus one extra die, which represents the greater firepower of American squads. I needed to roll a 5 or 6 to score a hit. Much to my surprise, and Wald's consternation, I rolled six 6s, meaning the captain and the veterans were all killed. Since the captain is worth three stars, and the veterans one star, and victory goes to the player who gets three stars, I had well and truly won.

Game over

AFTERTHOUGHTS
Wald looked suitably sheepish at what transpired.
I tried to console him by admitting I had been extremely fortunate with my dice rolling but, as he pointed out, advancing in the open against troops armed with automatic weapons is not exactly the brightest use of resources.
Since this was both players' first go with Airfix Battles, it would be challenging to give a review on such a short experience. But, perhaps strangely, we both thought the game felt very promising - in some ways the quick and brutal resolution gave a sense of realism, rather than leaving us deflated.
One thing is for sure, however - 5in squares are not big enough for Army Men. If we, and we probably will, play another scenario, I will set-up both my wargames tables, enabling me to use a seven-by-five grid with 10in squares. Since a 10in-square has 100 square inches, compared with 25 square inches for a 5in-square, this will give four times as much space for each square.

War On Error

HERE is a fun find - well I think so, anyway.

Pack of six Army Men erasers

I came across this £3.99 pack of erasers while browsing today in Blackwell's bookshop in High Holborn, Central London.
In time they may serve as an elite commando squad, perhaps operating behind enemy lines with instructions to rub out a high-ranking Tan general.
For the moment they are helping my Prussian jäger band to guard my collection of wargaming books.

Green is the colour...guarding is their game

The erasers are made in China for the London-based Mustard, who seem particularly po-faced - each pack comes with a predictable swipe at American foreign policy and a warning: "This is a novelty item and not a toy." The erasers are not for children under 14 "due to small parts, choking hazard."

D-Day Scenario - The Battle (part four)

TURN FIFTEEN
Tan's infantry killed my remaining three soldiers, and I failed to successfully roll for reinforcements.
TURN SIXTEEN
The leaderless Tan unit, after one turn of halting, now chose to flee, but there were plenty of other Tan infantry closing in on the command post (he has to capture it with infantry by the end of Turn Twenty to win),
I again failed to get reinforcements, despite a +3 modifier.
TURN SEVENTEEN
More of the same.
TURN EIGHTEEN

Tan's troops captured the command post, and I yet again failed to get reinforcements, meaning Tan had won with two turns to spare.

Tan troops capture the now-undefended command post

AFTERTHOUGHTS

I hope I have managed to convey some of the excitement we had playing the battle.

The outcome seemed unclear until almost the last turn. Indeed, had I been able to roll more Green reinforcements towards the end, I might well have held out.

Yes, the rules are relatively simple and there is a lot of dice throwing. But then again, we were playing with plastic Army Men, not trying to create a realistic WW2 simulation.

And when you throw a lot of dice, the luck tends to even out, although I do think I was unlucky with reinforcements. My opponent, you may not be surprised to learn, was of the opinion that the luck did indeed even out.

Were my tactics sound?

In the run-up to the real D-Day there was argument among the German high command as to the best strategy: a) commit as much force to the beaches in an attempt to stop the Allies landing, or b) keep a strong reserve to hit back before a full bridgehead could be established.

The former plan had the disadvantage of spreading troops rather thinly, while the latter plan had the disadvantage of making it easier for the enemy to land.

Since in our scenario Green knows exactly where Tan will land, perhaps I should have put all my infantry on the beach.

If anyone else runs the scenario, I would be fascinated to learn their results.



D-Day Scenario - The Battle (part three)

TURN TEN
Tan continued to advance his infantry, including those in the Jeep. His tanks fired at my anti-tank rifleman, but the shots fell short.
It was only after completing his turn that Tan realised he could have moved his tanks backwards to keep out of range of my anti-tank rifleman.
There was more bad news for him when my turn-starting throw, now getting a bonus of +2, brought more reinforcements, and this time a tank!
My tank immediately swung into action, knocking out a Tan tank, but my anti-tank rifleman could not emulate this success.

A Tan tank burns in the distance

TURN ELEVEN
Tan reversed his surviving tank and sent the Jeep forward half a move to be almost alongside it, where it disgorged its infantry unit.
The other Tan infantry continued advancing, except for the two runaway riflemen who, after one turn in which they halted, ran through the sea to the very edge of the table.
Tan's tank killed a rifleman from my infantry reinforcements after again missing his primary target of my anti-tank rifleman (the Tan tank did not have line-of-sight to my tank).
But his tank survived another turn as it was missed by both my tank and my anti-tank rifleman - still within range as Tan had sent his tank in reverse instead of turning and fleeing, which would have covered more ground despite the arc of turning.

Tan's Jeep has rushed infantry to support his remaining tank

TURN TWELVE
Just as Tan, as he admitted, feared he was running out of time to win, he pulled off a double-whammy - his tank destroyed my tank, and his forward infantry unit killed my anti-tank rifleman. Once again I was without armour-killing capability.
I did not even come close to getting reinforcements this turn, and my infantrymen failed to score a single hit on the Tan infantry.

Smoke billows from three of the four tanks, while in the background the Tan Jeep is picking up another unit of infantry

TURN THIRTEEN
Tan's tank killed two of my infantry, and another two fell to small-arms fire. My only consolation was that his two runaway riflemen exited the table.
Just a shotgunner remained of my reinforcements, and his morale test forced him to halt well out of range of Tan troops. Two Green riflemen and a sniper hiding behind my knocked-out Jeep failed to score a hit.

Desperate last stand behind the knocked-out Jeep

TURN FOURTEEN
Tan killed three more of my men, leaving me with just an officer and a rifleman from Unit Land and  a leaderless shotgunner from the reinforcements.
However my officer, charging down from the command post, killed a Tan officer and a rifleman while my remaining rifleman killed the same unit's sergeant, meaning it was without leadership.

Green bodies litter the battlefield as the Tan hordes close in

To be continued

D-Day Scenario - The Battle (part two)

TURN SIX
Tan's lead tank fired at and destroyed my green-coloured emplacement (it was therefore removed from the table as a destroyed emplacement no longer provides cover), claiming the life of my Unit Land sergeant in the process. But amazingly none of the three surviving members of Unit Beach - the officer, sergeant and sniper - were hit by Tan infantry.
I came agonisingly close to getting reinforcements, throwing a 4 and a 5, which with the +1 bonus applicable on Turns Five to Nine left me two short of the required score.
But my Unit Beach men performed heroics, killing no less than five Tan infantry - mainly thanks to deft use of sub-machine guns.

Close-up of the bloody action on the beach

TURN SEVEN
Tan's final wave - an infantry unit and the Jeep - entered the water.
His tanks fired at Unit Land, but without inflicting casualties. However, the officer and sergeant of Unit Beach were both gunned down.
The remaining Unit Beach infantryman - a sniper - had to test his morale, getting a halt-but-can-fire result. Alas, his aim was shaky.

The view from the command post offers Green little hope unless substantial reinforcements arrive soon

TURN EIGHT
We realised this turn that we had failed previously to give a morale test to a Tan unit that was down to two riflemen. We gave the test this turn and the men promptly turned tail and ran into the sea.
Tan's tanks improved their recent poor shooting somewhat by claiming the life of a Unit Land rifleman. The sniper of Unit Beach joined his comrades in meeting his end.
But there was some good news for me - I received reinforcements, in the shape of an infantry unit. Too little, too late, I expect, but definitely a glimmer of hope.

Green reinforcements enter at the top of the hill

TURN NINE
Tan's tanks, not surprisingly, concentrated their fire on my newly arrived anti-tank rifleman, but succeeded only in killing a sergeant advancing next to him.
Tan's two runaway riflemen continued running into the sea.
His Jeep picked up a six-strong unit of infantry, no doubt preparatory to rushing them to the frontline.
My new unit advanced towards the tanks but without the anti-tank rifleman coming within range.

Bird's-eye view from above the Green position

To be continued

D-Day Scenario - The Battle

FIRST, some technical information.
The battle will be fought lengthways on a table 6ft by 2ft 6in (183cm by 76cm). The sea and beach are made of coloured tissue paper from Ryman, and the slope of the land has been created by piling magazines and two boxed games.
I will be writing up the battle turn by turn.
As host, I have given my opponent the choice of sides, and without much hesitation he chose Tan, saying: "Since it's D-Day, Green must represent the Germans so naturally I want to be on the side of the liberators of La Belle France."
While I set out my fortifications and troops, my opponent, who from now on I will refer to as Tan, left the room to work out the order in which his troops would arrive.
MY PLAN
I placed my tan-coloured emplacement as close to the water's edge as allowed and manned it with a sniper and anti-tank rifleman from what I will call Unit Beach. The rest of the unit I spread to either side, ready to catch as many of the Tan as possible while the invaders are helpless in the water.

The view from the sea

I could have placed my other infantry unit on the beach as well but decided a defence in depth would probably hold out longer.
I aimed to send my tank forward from the get-go while keeping Unit Land's anti-tank rifleman in my Jeep, ready for quick deployment at the appropriate moment.

The view from the command post, with the Jeep and its occupant, the Unit Land anti-tank rifleman, hidden from enemy line-of-sight

TURN ONE
Tan's first wave consisted of an infantry unit and a tank.
The tank fired at my beach emplacement, but rolled a 2 - a miss.
I advanced Unit Beach towards Tan's infantry, except for the sniper, who stayed behind the emplacement, and the anti-tank rifleman, who bravely headed for the Tan tank. My tank rushed forward its maximum move distance of 12".
Thanks to having advanced, the two right-hand riflemen of Unit Beach were within short range of the Tan troops, one of whom was killed. My other Unit Beach rifleman and the sniper fired at long range, but both missed.
My tank was not quite within range of the Tan tank, and in any case its line-of-sight was blocked by a friendly rifleman (you must have direct line-of-sight unobstructed by friendly troops in order to fire, but note that barbed wire does not block line-of-sight and does not count as cover - it is merely an obstacle to infantry and Jeeps).

The front line at the end of Turn One, with one Tan infantryman lying prone in the water

TURN TWO
Tan's infantry continued to wade through the sea but the tank halted. It fired at my anti-tank rifleman, but missed to the right. The shot never-the-less claimed my left-wing rifleman.
My Unit Beach officer, sergeant and shotgunner continued moving towards the Tan infantry, and my anti-tank rifleman towards the Tan tank.
My tank again advanced 12", and it opened fire on the Tan tank at long range, but missed.
My rifleman fired, with the extreme right one scoring a hit. Since he was equidistant from two Tan soldiers - a rifleman and the sergeant - I diced again to determine which was the casualty, and it turned out to be the rifleman.
My sergeant opened fire with his sub-machine gun at short range, killing the Tan sniper and officer.
My officer opened fire at long range, killing the enemy anti-tank rifleman.
My shotgunner opened fire at long range, but missed. My anti-tank rifleman likewise missed the Tan tank, and my sniper - also firing at long range (incidentally, distances are measured base to base) - missed the sole remaining Tan rifleman.

Carnage in the water at the end of Turn Two

TURN THREE
Tan's first-wave infantry at last reached the beach, His tank ignored my front-line infantry and headed up the beach towards my tank (where movement is on more than one surface, eg water and beach, measure for whichever surface predominates for that unit's movement that turn).
Tan's second wave landed - both infantry units.
Having reached the beach, Tan's much-diminished first wave of infantry killed two of my riflemen but his tank had no luck against mine.
My tank closed within short range of Tan's but threw a miserable 1 (my turn-starting rolls for reinforcements had been similarly lacking in success) and my anti-tank rifleman also failed despite getting within short range of Tan's tank as it moved up the beach.
However, the last three Tan infantry of the first wave were all killed this turn.

The second wave of Tan troops has disembarked into the sea. In the middle-distance my anti-tank rifleman has just missed the Tan tank from point-blank range

TURN FOUR
Tan's tank struck a major blow for the invaders by accelerating up the beach and destroying my tank.
With my tank out of action, I sent my Jeep and its anti-tank rifleman from Unit Land at full speed towards the Tan tank.
My other anti-tank rifleman followed the Tan tank as closely as possible, but was at long range. Frustratingly, I threw a 5, which would have been good enough for a "kill" at short range.
Three of the Tan second-wave were killed in the sea.

Smoke billows from my tank. In the background my Jeep can be seen passing the green-coloured emplacement

TURN FIVE
Tan's third wave entered the battle, consisting of an infantry unit and a second tank (there where no shotgunners left in the pack, so we used a fourth rifleman to make up the unit's numbers).
Tan's tank continued its success story, reaching dry land and destroying my Jeep together with its anti-tank rifleman occupant.
Tan's second-wave infantry staggered ashore but, despite their overwhelming advantage in numbers, only managed to kill two of the five remaining members of Unit Beach. Alas, this included the anti-tank rifleman, meaning I had no troops left capable of destroying the Tan tank!
I "only" needed to throw 11 on two dice for reinforcements to appear this turn, but I was nowhere near.
The only movement I made was to move two Unit Land riflemen to take advantage of cover provided by the wrecked Jeep.
Firing claimed a Tan sergeant.

The beach and sea are swarming with Tan invaders

To be continued

D-Day Scenario For Plastic Army Men

BATTLEFIELD & TROOPS
The battle area is divided into sea, beach and land, with Green defending against an invasion by Tan.
Green's forces: 1 tank, 1 Jeep and 2 units of infantry, each: 1 officer (sub-machine gun), 1 sergeant (sub-machine gun and grenades), 3 riflemen, 1 sniper, 1 anti-tank rifleman, 1 shotgunner.

Infantry unit (left to right): officer, sergeant, three riflemen, sniper, anti-tank rifleman and shotgunner

Green's fortifications: 1 command post, 1 green-coloured emplacement, 2 sections of green-coloured barbed wire, 1 tan-coloured emplacement and 2 sections of tan-coloured barbed wire.
The command post should be positioned at the rear of the high ground. The tank starts next to it.

The basic battlefield, looking from behind the command post

The Green player then positions the green-coloured fortifications anywhere on the land, and the tan-coloured fortifications anywhere on the beach, except that the tan emplacement cannot be within 6in of the sea. He then deploys his remaining troops anywhere, but again not within 6in of the sea.
Tan's forces disembark from landing craft (not depicted) and have to wade or drive through shallow sea before reaching the beach. Tan has 2 tanks, 1 Jeep and 5 units of infantry. They arrive in pairs on the first four odd-numbered turns.
Tan should write down the order in which his troops will arrive. He does not show this to Green until after the battle, when Green can check to make sure the planned order was followed.
Mechanism: Tan enters his first two units from the sea edge on Turn One. Once they have moved, they may fire.
Then it is Green's turn. Green begins each turn by rolling two dice. From Turn Five he adds 1 to the dice total, from Turn Ten he adds 2 and from Turn Fifteen he adds 3. Each turn Green scores 12 or more, he receives reinforcements, with a 50:50 chance of a unit of infantry or a tank entering the battlefield from the narrow, land edge of the table. Once a tank has arrived as a reinforcement, any other reinforcements will be infantry.
COMBAT RULES
MOVEMENT
...............In Water...On Beach...On Land
Infantry      3"                4"               6"
Jeep            9"               12"             18"
Tank          6"                 8"              12"
The upward slope of the land is too gentle to affect movement.
Jeeps and tanks can reverse at half-speed.
A Jeep can carry a unit of eight infantrymen. It takes half a turn for infantry to get in or out of a Jeep. They cannot fire while in the Jeep but can fire on the turn they leave it.
BARBED WIRE
It takes two infantrymen a complete turn to make a section of barbed wire passable. They cannot fire that turn.
A tank can cross a section of barbed wire without penalty, and will make the barbed wire passable for all other troops.
Neither infantry nor jeeps can cross barbed wire unless it has been made passable.
SMALL-ARMS FIRE
(Infantry in the sea or a Jeep cannot fire or throw grenades.)
Infantry armed with a rifle, shotgun or sub-machine gun always fire at the nearest enemy or enemies (unless the nearest enemy is invulnerable, for example a tank, or a soldier behind cover at a long enough range to make a hit impossible). The one exception to this is a sniper, who can fire at any enemy in his line-of-sight.
A rifleman can fire at one target in a turn. An infantryman armed with a shotgun or a sub-machine gun can fire at two targets providing they are within 1" of each other.
First work out the range.
...................Short Range...Long Range
Rifle                  0-9"                9-18"
Shotgun             0-2"                2-4"
SMG                  0-3"                3-6"
Roll one die per firing, needing the following minimum scores to register a kill.
...................Short Range...Long Range
Rifle                  5                     6
Shotgun             4                     5
SMG                  3                     4
If the target is behind cover, subtract 1 from the die roll.
If the target is a Jeep and a hit is registered, roll again: 4-6, Jeep immobilised; 1-3, an infantryman being carried in the Jeep is killed - dice to see which one (if there are none, the hit is discounted).
GRENADES
A sergeant can fire his sub-machine gun or throw a grenade.
If he throws a grenade, mark the intended point of impact up to 4" away.
Roll a die to decide the actual point of impact: 5 or 6, on target; 1, it was thrown 1.5" further than intended; 2, 1.5" to the right; 3, 1.5" short; 4, 1.5" to the left.
Dice for every infantryman within 1" of where the grenade lands, a 4 or more being fatal. If the infantryman is behind cover from the centre of the blast of the grenade, subtract 1 from the die roll.
If a Jeep is within 1" of where the grenade lands, a 5 or more puts it out of action. If there are infantry in the Jeep, dice for each one, a 5 or more being fatal. If the Jeep was behind cover from the blast, subtract 1 from each die roll.
ANTI-TANK
An infantryman armed with an anti-tank rifle can fire at any solid target, ie a tank, Jeep, emplacement or command post, needing the following minimum score to destroy the target.
......................0-3"...3-6"
Tank               5       6
Jeep                4       5
Emp/CP          3       4
TANKS
A tank can fire at a solid target or at infantry.
When firing at a solid target, it needs the following minimum score to destroy the target.
.....................0-18"...18-36"
Tank               5           6  
Jeep                4           5
Emp/CP          3           4
(A destroyed emplacement no longer gives cover but the command post continues to do so even if destroyed.)
(Infantry sheltering behind a solid target that is destroyed are individually diced for, a 6 being fatal. If in a Jeep that is destroyed, 5 or 6 is fatal.)
When firing at infantry, mark the intended point of impact of a high-explosive shell (or the centre of an arc of machine-gun fire) up to 36" away.
Roll a die to decide the actual point of impact: 5 or 6, on target; 1, it landed 4" further than intended; 2, 4" to the right; 3, 4" short; 4, 4" to the left.
Dice for every infantryman within 3" of where the shell lands, a 4 or more being fatal. If the infantryman is behind cover from the centre of the blast of the shell, subtract 1 from the die roll.
If a Jeep is within 3" of where the shell lands, a 5 or more puts it out of action. If there are infantry in the Jeep, dice for each one, a 5 or more being fatal. If the Jeep was behind cover from the blast, subtract 1 from each die roll.
MORALE
An infantry unit whose officer and sergeant have been killed must dice at the start of each turn.
5 or 6: behaves normally
3 or 4: cannot move but can fire.
1 or 2: runs directly away from the enemy and cannot fire. Any figure that leaves the table edge cannot re-enter.
Note that the crew of a tank and the driver of a Jeep are not separately catered for - they live or die with their vehicles.
VICTORY
Tan has to capture the command post, or its ruins, before the end of Turn Twenty.
SOLO VARIANT
The player takes Green and dices, ideally using an eight-sided die, to determine the order in which the Tan forces arrive.

Combat Force - Contents

THE pack has a pretty reasonable variety of poses - certainly enough for a fun game.

But while the figures look like traditional plastic Army Men, they are by no means indestructible. In fact, the plastic is remarkably brittle, as I discovered when trying to straighten one rifleman - he simply snapped at the ankles.
A tyre had also broken off the green Jeep, but that shouldn't be a problem that a spot of glue cannot fix.

50mm and all that!

IF you have ever tried buying toy soldiers in a toy shop, you will probably know it isn't as easy as it sounds.
I have lost count of the number of times I have visited Hamleys in London's Regent Street only to find "the world's largest toy shop" has none in stock.
Yes, Hamleys has "collectible toy soldiers," but these are in reality expensive model soldiers - lovely to look at but well beyond the budget of most wargamers.
The picture is much the same when I happen upon a toy store abroad. Last month I was in the upmarket Bavarian spa town of Bad Wörishofen. It has a well-equipped toy store spread over four floors, but again there were no toy soldiers. OK, perhaps that's not so surprising in modern Germany, but it was still disappointing.
I thought the same was going to happen this month with a visit to Jersey in the Channel Islands. While wandering in the capital Saint Helier, looking for a decent cup of espresso, I stumbled upon a promisingly large toy shop, only again to be frustrated.
But the next day - yesterday, in fact - I found a second toy shop, Bombola in Don Street, and bought the bag below for a very reasonable £5.99.

Green and tan WW2 Army Men

The figures are approximately 2in tall, so just shy of 54mm scale, while tanks and jeeps are to a somewhat smaller scale, as is traditional with this sort of plastic toy soldiers.
They are made in China, of course, but distributed by the Lancashire HTI group.
I will open the packet and tally the exact contents when I get back to London, but I am leaning towards working out a D-Day scenario for their first battle.