I bought BKC IV when it came out, and painted several forces for it and Stephen had been playing BKC II a good many years ago. We kept talking about giving it a go, and both being without a game this week, we did. Both forces totalled 1405 points with similar infantry units and the British with many more tanks, but miuch worse quality. The Germans also had much better command. I brought both sides and the terrain, and off we went. 


Sides randomly assigned, I got the British; ignore the fact my command stands are missing vehicles, they are being ordered tonight. I won the initiative, so Sir Tristian Antrobus (the sort of officer who thinks 1/Beds means 1st Class Sleeper compartment) of the 3/139th Borcester Light Heavy Infantry (a unit so far down the Order of Precedence they march after the Catagory 'A' Prisioners from HMP Slade) deployed and moved a turn on.


Then I got the armour on, 6 Vickers Cruiser Tank Mk III/IV A13s and 3 Crusader IIs with a Humber armoured car of the 59th Hussars. They moved well, swinging int the gap to take on the lesser German forces.


German infantry shows how good it is, by getting a double move on.


The tanks rumble forwards, but Antrobus blunders and his units pull back to their start line. The joys of being their first time on table.


The Germans stopped just outside everyones initiative range, and the British tanks and infantry both had a good three turns where all they did was to exceed their command rolls and sat there hopelessly, while the German tank commander on (CV10) ordered his tank line to gun down cruiser after cruiser.


The British tanks, even on massed opportunity fire, could not score enough hits to kill a thing. When they did hit, Stephen's saves were incredible, whereas I was getting a few lucky saves, but not enough to survie (the difference between a 5.6 save and a 6 is quite telling, as was the extra hit most German tanks could take).


At this point, I was running out of armour, while the Germans had lost nothing. I really hate historically accurate games! 


Finally! A Panzer III platoon sucumbs to 2lber fire!
What is it, turn 6?


Both command teams leg it back to support the infantry, and bizzarly 3/139th spring into life, moving forwards with anti-tank rifles proudly used, scoring hits but failing to kill (we did manage a surpression).


Too little, too late. But we did manage to surpress another Panzer IV!

What did I think?
Even though I took an absolute hammering.
It was hilarious.
Great game, great rules. It all worked really well and felt right. the Germans having a CV10 command game them so much more flexibility and adaptablity on table, they could just do so much more! Pretty sure in the next game the German commander will be downgraded to 2 x CV8s...
I did get a lot of compliments from my clubamtes about the quality of my forces. Stephen is off to check his base sizes on his Italians for a rematch in a couple of weeks! I am actually looking forwards to it!

Cool stuff, Will!  Glad to see some Western Desert action and Blitzkrieg Commander getting rolled out.

And I agree with your club mates, some very handsome gear there!

V/R,
Jack

Despite getting a bit of a kicking, the game looked great and your forces are really nicely painted and based. Maybe better luck against the Italians?

Quote from: Steve J on 03 July 2025, 05:39:03 AMDespite getting a bit of a kicking, the game looked great and your forces are really nicely painted and based. Maybe better luck against the Italians?

You've got to hope so!

Colonel Antrobus certainly lived up to his c12-hour-old-made-up-while-walking-the-dog reputation.
Time to add to his backstory before the next encounter.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the game. Just not often I'm let down by decent dice rolls!

Command vehicles and other interesting bits ordered for French, Desert Rats and Korean bits.

Maybe now is the time to unleash the nuclear option, a regiment of Matilda II.....

These units came to my unfathomable mind this morning:
17th Ribchester Tank Regiment, led by Lt-Col. Harbottle-Arkwright, or 'Bottie' to his mill-owning friends CV8 90pts Matilda II tank, with the motto "Al' si thee in Berlin" painted on the side.
1x Matilda IICS 115pts
6-9x Matilda II@ 130pts (as many as you can afford lol)

Being from Oooop No'th and in Matildas they probably won't arrive before turn 9, so your tinplate cavalry cruiser types and doughty infantry will just have to hang on.

Then there is the 41st Cornwall Artillery Volunteers, Royal Artillery, a TA battery raised before the war and well trained in coastal defence with its 60pdr guns. Led by the prickly Major Hydration (Smyte Them) Hythe, it served in France and used its 60pdr guns to good effect against German tanks before being overrun*. Now deployed to North Africa as Corps artillery, Hythe has his own ideas about dealing with the panzers. The cartoonist of the Royal Artillery Journal did a drawing after Dunkirk of the battery with 60pdrs with bayonets fixed tackling their enemy at close, and henceforth the battery had the unofficial nickname of The Cornish Pikemen. Whether that's a compliment or curse is for others to decide....

Btty HQ CV7: Bedford truck With Bren gun on roof, with Cornish flag of black field with white cross on radio aerial 30pts AA: 2/30
2x 60pdr field guns@
5"L37 60pdr 115pts ART -  A/P = 5/100  A/T =5/40  CA= 2  3 hits, no save; Deploy, Restricted arc
use pack BRA18 but you could use the crew from ME30 for fool factor
Scammel Pioneer for gun tractors, can't believe Pendraken don't make them. So for obsolete factor I'd suggest BRV76 Leyland Retrievers@ 15pts

* see List BKCB157 for historical precedent

The Western Desert is perfect for BKCIV (and vice versa) - I've played about 20 games with my 1941 Italians against one of my son's 1941 Brits - every game has been a joy - sadly he's now married and living in France (!) so I've haven't had a game for a while now.