This was a WWII battle using the Rapid Fire rules- not my favourite historical period to game in (I much prefer my Old West, Dark Ages and ACW!), and I know very little about it, but the other guys love it and have a huge collection of various fully-painted armies in 20mm, so I cheerfully turn up to roll some dice and frustrate Andy with my complete ignorance of the period!
Me: "OK, I'm firing my MG at your guys."
Andy: "Mate, that's a PIAT..."
I really am trying to get better, but for some reason my eyes just glaze over when it comes to the minutiae of WWII on the table-top...
Anyway, due to Real Life I turned up after the guys had already started on Sunday, and was promptly given some Japanese tanks and (to my great delight) some fellows riding bicycles(!), and ordered to take a railway bridge over the river. Opposing me was a column of tanks- I think they were Stuarts.
*The intrepid men of the 1st Kyoto Bicycle Cavalry Division.
Whatever they were, they shrugged off the pitiful fire of my tanks and in return blew their targets up with surgical precision. Meanwhile my hapless cyclists wobbled and clattered up the train tracks towards almost certain doom, tiny 20mm faces set in grim concentration.
*The bridge too far!
Unfortunately they were slowed by the terrain, and just couldn't make it to their objective in time- the Indian engineers blowing it up right in their faces!
*Mission: Failed! A nice touch is the coal spilling from the upturned carriage.
Thankfully, the main Japanese army had already taken the other bridge down-river before I turned up, and were now sweeping up the flank annihilating any Indian resistance they encountered. My rivals across the railway bridge saw which way the wind was blowing and beat a hasty retreat, and the field belonged to the Japanese!
*The other Japanese players make up for my failure!
I then discovered the game was a technical win for the Indian army, as they had managed to rescue the local Commandant from his palatial home earlier in the day- combined with blowing up the railway bridge, this gave them two victory conditions to our one. Their gallant defence had paid off!
Though I only took part in the final few turns of the game, the lads had really outdone themselves with the terrain so I thought I'd leave you all with some of the highlights!
*The Japanese side of the river- complete with the Commandant's personal rowing boat!
*The Japanese take control of the Commandant's private Tennis court.
*Looking over towards the village and logging-camp on the far side of the river. In the distance, a crashed Japanese aeroplane sticks out of the roof of a barn!
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