82nd Airborne for Platoon Forward

Started by bigjackmac, 28 September 2013, 06:02:14 PM

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bigjackmac

All,
   
So, it has been decided.  I am moving ahead with a Platoon Forward campaign.  I will label it "All American," and it will center on an airborne rifle platoon from 1943 to 1945 in the Mediterranean and Northwest European theaters.  This will be done in 10mm with individually based figures (from Pendraken), using the modified KR-16 rules, and played solo in the context of Joe Legan's excellent "Platoon Forward" solo campaign system for troop and scenario development.
   
Here's the boys:



Here is the whole platoon, 39 red-blooded American boys looking to throw the Nazis out and come home to Sweet Suzy Rottencrotch.  I am dealing with a dilemma though.  I have a Platoon Commander, a Platoon Sergeant, a radio man, a two-man MMG team, a two-man 60mm mortar team, and a two-man bazooka team, and three 10-man rifle squads.    My dilemma is whether to have the platoon as a PC, Plt Sgt, RTO, and 3 squads, with the MMG, mortar, and bazooka as company-level support that may or may not be attached (this would probably work better in Plt Fwd), or as I built them: a 39-man platoon (this gives me zero support options in Plt Fwd outside of vehicles).
   
I want to do the latter, but should probably do the former.  My biggest concern is running into a tank and not having a bazooka, so maybe I'll do the former but with a bazooka as part of the HQ element.  I think that's probably the way to go.



Assuming I go with what I just outlined, here is the HQ element with Wpns Plt support.  Starting at bottom left and working clockwise: 2-man MMG team, two-man 60mm mortar team, 2-man bazooka team, RTO, PC, and Plt Sgt.



Same group from rear.  PC has vertical stripe, Plt Sgt has horizontal stripe.  Neither figure is carrying a weapon, but both will be handled as carrying an M-1 carbine.



1st Squad, with Squad Leader with rifle team on left, and Assistant Squad Leader and BAR team on the right.  Both teams are a mix of Thompsons, M-1 Garands, and M-1 Carbines (plus the BAR in the BAR team).



2nd Squad, same way.  I should mention that the majority of the figures are from Pendraken's US Airborne D-Day range, but I did use some guys from the US Airborne Ardennes range as well.  I painted them all the same, but if you look closely you'll see a few greatcoats.  Okay, I shouldn't have done it, but the D-Day range doesn't have any BARs or carbines, plus I wanted as many different poses as possible.  You'll also see two different 'Mohawks' from the D-Day Pathfinders pack.



3rd Squad.  Gold bases are senior leaders (PC and Plt Sgt), silver bases are junior leaders (Squad Ldrs), yellow bases are SMGs, red bases are MGs (I did the BAR and the M-1919 w/A-gunner), blue bases are rifles, and dark gray bases are various specialty figures (RTO, mortar team, bazooka team).

Unit:
1st Platoon, Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 499th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division (yes, it's a fictional unit, but historically grounded)

Campaigns:
Operation Husky, the Invasion of Sicily, 10 July 1943 to 17 August 1943.
Operation Avalanche, the Landing at Salerno, 13 September 1943 to 4 January 1944.
Operation Shingle, the Landing at Anzio, 22 January 1944 to 23 March 1944.
Operation Overlord, the Invasion of Normandy, 6 June 1944 to 13 July 1944.
Operation Market-Garden, the Invasion of Holland, 17 September 1944 to 25 September 1944.
Operation Wacht Am Rhein/Unternehmen Herbstnebe, the Battle of the Bulge, 16 December 1944 to February 10, 1945.
Operation Varsity, the Push into the Ruhr, 24 March 1945 to May 2, 1945.

Order of Battle:

10 July 1943 (Sicily)
HQ Element:
Platoon Commander – 2Lt Jack Shephard
Platoon Sergeant – SSgt Sawyer Ford
Radio/Telephone Operator – Cpl Daniel Farraday
Bazooka Gunner – Cpl Boone Carlyle
Bazooka Assistant – Pvt Able

1st Squad, Rifle Team:
Squad Leader – Sgt Hurley Reyes
Rifleman (kneel SMG) – PFC Baker
Rifleman (stand carbine) – Pvt Charleston
Rifleman (port Garand) – Pvt Delta
Rifleman (rush Garand) – Pvt Echo

1st Squad, BAR Team:
Assistant Squad Leader – Cpl John Locke
Automatic Rifleman – PFC Fox
Rifleman (crouch carbine) – Pvt George
Rifleman (fire Garand) – Pvt Hotel
Rifleman (port Garand) – Pvt India

2nd Squad, Rifle Team:
Squad Leader – Sgt Desmond Hume
Rifleman (kneel Mohawk) – PFC Juliet
Rifleman (stand carbine) – Pvt King
Rifleman (crouching carbine) – Pvt Lima
Rifleman (port Garand) – Pvt Mike

2nd Squad, BAR Team:
Assistant Squad Leader – Cpl Sam Jarrah
Automatic Rifleman – PFC Nancy
Rifleman (rush Garand) – Pvt Oscar
Rifleman (fire Garand) – Pvt Papa
Rifleman (port Garand) – Pvt Quebec

3rd Squad, Rifle Team:
Squad Leader – Sgt Michael Dawson
Rifleman (stand Mohawk) – PFC Romeo
Rifleman (stand SMG) – Pvt Sierra
Rifleman (stand carbine) – Pvt Tango
Rifleman (port Garand) – Pvt Uniform

3rd Squad, BAR Team:
Assistant Squad Leader – Cpl Charley Pace
Automatic Rifleman – PFC Victor
Rifleman (rush Garand) – Pvt Whiskey
Rifleman (crouch carbine) – Pvt Xavier
Rifleman (port Garand) – Pvt Zander

Weapons Platoon Support:
Medium Machine Gun Team:
Gunner – Cpl Frank Lapidus
A-Gunner – Pvt Apple

60mm Mortar Team:
Gunner – Cpl Richard Alpert
A-Gunner – Pvt Black

Regimental Support:
57mm Anti-Tank Gun (single, section, platoon)

Divisional Support
M4 Sherman (single, section, platoon)

I also put up a post with some pics of Paper Terrain's Italian Village and Eric Hotz' felt fields.

V/R,
Jack

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Love it, and the names are great too!
Zachary Z Zacelriah  and Aaron A Aardvark not listed?
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

petercooman


Techno


Nosher

Just a bit mad 8-}

And EXACTLY what I have come to expect from the forum and its members :)
I don't think my wife likes me very much, when I had a heart attack she wrote for an ambulance.

Frank Carson

bigjackmac

Thanks fellas.  And who says I'm only a bit mad?  :-\  If you check out my blog, you'll see I've gone completely off the deep end!  ;D
I've even got 'photos' of my Cuban Liberation Army leadership...

"Zachary Z Zacelriah  and Aaron A Aardvark not listed?"
Don't worry, I'm sure I'll get to them as we begin taking casualties.

V/R,
Jack

Steve J

Looks good to me and the KR-16 rules by Michael give a great little game :).

bigjackmac

SteveJ - Thanks, and it's good to run into someone actually familiar with the rules.  I think my blog/batreps suffer for attention as I'm not using 'big name' rules (I got lots of attention playing Chain of Command, for example), but KR-16 is actually pretty doggone cool if you ask me.  ;)
    I'm about to post my first batrep for these guys under the"Batreps" tab.

V/R,
Jack

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Can I make a (silly) request:

After each battle report, can we we have an annotated version of picture one with (dead-Huskey) sort of bracket?  :D
Or before and after shots?

You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

ronan

Quote from: mad lemmey on 29 September 2013, 07:22:31 AM
Can I make a (silly) request:
After each battle report, can we we have an annotated version of picture one with (dead-Huskey) sort of bracket?  :D
Or before and after shots?

good idea !

( mmh... I like Mad's idea...   Am i mad too ?   :-\     :D   )

angel barracks

Quote from: bigjackmac on 29 September 2013, 03:37:35 AM
SteveJ - Thanks, and it's good to run into someone actually familiar with the rules.  I think my blog/batreps suffer for attention as I'm not using 'big name' rules (I got lots of attention playing Chain of Command, for example), but KR-16 is actually pretty doggone cool if you ask me.  ;)


V/R,
Jack


I think they are good too!

8)

Let me know how it plays with that many squads, I only ever use a max of 4 per side, you have what 8 or 9 there?



Michael.

Albie Bach

Nice work Jack.
I hadn't looked at KR-16 rules so I found & downloaded them from Angel Barracks site this morning. They look good and I particularly like the Orders/Command mechanism.
Sadly no longer with us - RIP (2018)

bigjackmac

Mad Lemmey - "Can I make a (silly) request:

After each battle report, can we we have an annotated version of picture one with (dead-Huskey) sort of bracket?  Cheesy
Or before and after shots?"

I'd love to help you out, but I'm afraid I don't understand what you're asking me to do.  I'd say it's early, but we all know that's not the problem...  =)

Angel Barracks - I've had a great time with your rules, thanks so much for putting them out there.  I've tinkered here and there; I think the biggest changes were 1) I'm using cards to decide who activates and 2) I'm using a cumulative system for pinning (though I'm not sure I'm sold on it and may go back to the way you have it written).

If you take a look at my blog (blackhawkhet.blogspot.com) there are currently 12 batreps there using KR-16 (11 WWII and 1 'modern').

V/R,
Jack

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Just thought it would be fun to find some way of keeping track of losses, if you know who is who on the group photo, and who survives the campaign?  I also find that certain 'characters' start to develop, like your lieutenant who didn't make the LZ  and your brave bazooka boys.
Bit like the original band of brothers where they show a prejump picture and then highlight those that didn't make it and then what the survivors did.

I had money on Zander surviving too...
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

bigjackmac

Ah, gotcha!  Yes, absolutely.  I was thinking about that last night, and what I did was I created a blog post that I'm going to update after every battle.  It shows everyone, their status as green=okay, yellow=walking wounded, red=out of action (either WIA and evacuated or KIA).  I will also track awards for bravery and reprimands for cowardice/ineffectiveness.

The post is titled "Operation Husky Platoon Roster" and is the first one up on the blog ("blackhawkhet.blogspot.com).

V/R,
Jack