WWI - French Assault of German Trench system - Nivelle Offensive 1917

 

The battle played out over two nights. First night, late start as the French\Germans had to do planning before we could truly begin. We played two hours after that and got in all the preliminary bombardment (3 days) and 3 turns. We then finished (or nearly finished) on the second night and got through 5 more turns. This is a long battle report and I hope you make it the end!

WWI French Assault

Tanker's Tuesday: FT 17

On 31 May 1918, the German army launches a sudden attack near the Forest of Retz near Ploisy in the north-east of France. It is the last year of World War One, and the Germans are desperately trying to beat the Western Allies.

A British blockade is crippling the German economy. Those back at home are suffering shortages of fuel and food. The German Empire faces starvation and defeat.

As the French units at Retz try to resist the onslaught, they are joined by reinforcements. Among them is a new tank: the FT. Compared to the giant, lumbering British tanks that have been used with mixed results for the past 18 months, these are tiny. There is only room for two people inside them.

But they are remarkably effective. The 30 tanks rushed to this battle help to push the Germans back. The tanks only stop advancing because the accompanying infantry cannot keep up with them.

At the site of this action, a century later, there is now a plaque, commemorating the first use of what is arguably the ancestor of every modern tank. The tiny FT is a paradigm of far-sighted design.

And it owes its existence to an unlikely pairing: a pragmatic artillery officer and one of France’s most renowned carmakers.

FT 17

Tanker's Tuesday - The Big Guns of War

Artillery has been a primary weapon of war since before the Napoleonic Era. Several countries have developed and built artillery systems, while artillery itself has been continually improved and redesigned to meet the evolving needs of the battlefield. This has led to a multitude of different types and designs which have played a role in the history of warfare and continue to be a significant factor in modern combat.

Tanker's Tuesday: Tankfest 2018 - Bovington UK

Madasahatta Campaign

Eric Knowles was one of the pioneers of British wargaming, and his recent death marks the passing of one more member of that small group that made British wargaming what it is today. This book is dedicated to his memory, and particularly the Madasahatta Campaign, the long-running First World War Colonial wargame campaign that he ran

Madasahatta Campaign

Mars in the Movies: A History . . . Now With Endless Possibilities: The Great Martian War: 1913–1917 (2013)

Mars in the Movies: A History . . . Now With Endless Possibilities: The Great Martian War: 1913–1917 (2013): What an audacious, perfectly clever, and perfectly realized project. Waves and waves of Martians! The beast King Kong in R...

Tanker's Tuesday: The Devil's Coaches Documentary

Tanker's Tuesday: Tankfest 2017

Tanker's Tuesday : Tanks and the Great War

Castle Wolfenstein Part III

A further idea on the setting, going with an alternate WWI, A younger Red Skull is working on reanimating the German dead as well as a few other projects in this secluded castle (and surrounding area) . He must be stopped at all costs! 

I Still have to get the undead German packs from Rebel and Slave to Gaming to do my steampunk zombie conversions!

Tanker's Tuesday : German WWI Tanks and Armored Cars

A long and difficult start

While the British and the French were prompt to built their first operational tanks, the German high command was doubtful at best of their capabilities. That was until mid-1917 when came the successes that proved any well-coordinated attack using tanks in a proper way could break through and create havoc in rear lines. They had some reasons not to urge tank production. First, infantry, like the stürmptruppen (elite assault squads) were a simple and much cheaper way to achieve this breakthrough, as they had shown on many occasions throughout 1917 and particularly during the 1918 spring offensives. The military blockade also played a role, limiting the abilities of an already exhausted industry to produce enough materials and manpower to build swarms of tanks, reducing the chances to launch tank offensives at full force. There was also repugnance for this new “dishonorable weapon” as stated in propaganda and newspapers, coming from the ancient and very deep traditional ways of the Aristocratic Prussian officer, that dominated both the head of staff and the Kaiser himself.

WWI German Tanks And Armored Cars

Tanker's Tuesday: Strangest Tanks in History

 

Utmost Intimidation: The Power to Terrify - First World War Tanks

In the first part of this series we saw some strangely-shaped armored vehicles from the first idea of a tank to real-world pre-WW1 war machines. The 1900s were perhaps the most fascinating period in tank history as nothing on the engineering side was "cast in stone" yet and the resulting shapes were wildly unpredictable. It was a time of experimentation, shifting ideas and a constant flow of prototypes. Now we come to the point in history when all this frightening potential had to become a sinister reality and a race to the top "number of casualties" from a particular machine...
Read more at http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2012/05/strangest-tanks-in-history-part-2-first.html#rJ8DEcBQD4rdc0T4.99

Dark Roasted Blend.

WWPD: Wargames, Board Games, RPGs, LCGs, and more!: Great War; Great Once Again!

WWPD: Wargames, Board Games, RPGs, LCGs, and more!: Great War; Great Once Again!: For those who are interested in the Great War , the last few years has seen a boom in all sorts of media and games that highlight the bloo...

Latest from Shouting Into The Viod

Another couple of models arrived on my doorstep from Shapeways today.

3d printing is just like magic to me (because it's mysterious and I don't know how to do it myself).

First up is my VSF Steampunk Battle-Tricycle, which is in an indeterminate scale. I show it here next to a couple of HäT 20mm British Zulu Wars figures; it would probably work with figures up to 28mm if you could find one to fit in the cockpit.

15mm Flames of War Trenchline System

 

Included in the box: • 2x ‘L’ trench sections. • 2x ‘R’ trench sections. • 2x ‘I’ trench sections. • 2x ‘Y’ trench sections. • 1x Packet of GFS001 Green Grass GF9 Grass. • 1x Packet of GFS017 Meadow Blend GF9 Grass. Suitable for use with 10 - 15mm. Sculpted by Jason Buyaki

The GF9 Static Grasses Included in the Box Set

Tanker's Tuesday: - WW1 Uncut: Dan Snow - BBC

Megablitz and more: Somme enchanted evening

 

 

Megablitz and more: Somme enchanted evening: A couple of weeks after the Somme game reported here earlier I ran a cut-down version at the Sheffield club.  Why cut-down?  Two reasons:...

The First World War in France

The First World War in France

World War I French Aircraft

 

 

Listing of all aircraft deployed by the nation of France during World War 1 with history text, performance specifications and photograph images.

WWI French Aircraft

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

 

 

 

 

 

I had many happy weekends spent here as a

kid, and it's still going strong!

http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/