"Bataille Dompaire - a 3mm Flea Circus comes to town" Topic
24 Posts
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FlyXwire | 25 Jun 2021 8:14 a.m. PST |
Hey All, With enough clear-basing and woods terrain made to order, yesterday the gang showed up to try out a 3mm mini scenario inspired by the engagement between the French 2nd Armored Division and the 112th Panzer Brigade around Dompaire France, fought on 13 September 1944 (a great book on this action Steve Zaloga's Patton versus the Panzers). Some pics from the game -
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advocate | 25 Jun 2021 10:45 a.m. PST |
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DyeHard | 25 Jun 2021 11:03 a.m. PST |
Nice use of Monopoly houses. |
deadhead | 25 Jun 2021 12:45 p.m. PST |
Oh wow. Dompaire is a legend in France, to this day, amongst wargamers. There is a French site that would love to see this. 2db.forumactif.com I will send them a link. I do have a few words, maybe a bit more, in their language and contribute to it regularly. I want to see those M10s with the names on the sides, the divisional marking (left side only, but Leclerc may have relented by then) and the tactical markings for RBFM. I will forgive it the naval crews do not have the lettering around their headwear (un bachi). But you must tell us, what happened? What a great idea for something "different" Allez la France, Allez! |
FlyXwire | 25 Jun 2021 2:47 p.m. PST |
DH, There were some game balances I interjected to make for a more intriguing scenario most important of these was keeping the arrival of the 2112 Pz. Abt. a secret from the French players, so the advance of the German Pz. IVs from the south, towards the rear of GTL was meant to generate a huge command decision point when they showed up! Second, the forces were ratioed downwards by 1/2 to 2/3rds, but meant to maintain a rough equivalence to their opposition similar to the actual encounter doing these balancing adjustments (sometimes required by the smaller size of ones collection), is often a learned art, and in hopes the outcome is a competitive but interesting scenario. In this first running of the game, it went off like a champ that is from my adjudicator's point of view, and while watching my buds work through their command decisions as things unfolded on the board. Last comment the German player (Dave H.), a veteran gamer, co-designer of our modified rules used here, and a professor of military history too, did a superb job of not hesitating, and recognized the potential of, but also the liability of the divided German commands. As a result, after failing to make a decisive blow against the rear of Group Langlade (HQ and reserve) at Ville-sur-Illon, he disengaged, moved back westward and then north to reunite his tank units into a single command. Pictured here -
In so doing, through tactical battlefield maneuver, the 112th Panzer Brigade was then massed, and as to be able to [option] a withdrawal back towards Epinal. This an example of how a game's dynamics can be changed on the board, not just by the force of arms (thru dice rolling), but by thwarting the opportunities of an opposition force to achieve more decisive results. Both forces suffered losses in the game, but a gallant and remarkable French victory was not duplicated, and actually game-wise, that is what I as host and scenario designer could most hope for as a tabletop result….for a close, competitive match, where gameplay ebbs and flows, and the players enjoy matching their wits, is my hoped for goal. |
Just Jack | 25 Jun 2021 5:37 p.m. PST |
Great stuff explaining the tactical side of how the fight played out, thanks for sharing that. V/R, Jack |
FlyXwire | 26 Jun 2021 7:41 a.m. PST |
Thanks Jack, though nothing here as nicely detailed as your AARs. Dave |
deadhead | 26 Jun 2021 1:21 p.m. PST |
That is a great story line and adds so much to the images. Great fun to create counterfactual history like this. Thanks |
Just Jack | 26 Jun 2021 5:08 p.m. PST |
Shoot Dave, let's not get too carried away! I'd trade my detailed write-ups for your table and minis any day ;) V/R, Jack |
deadhead | 27 Jun 2021 1:19 p.m. PST |
I am not impressed. They lack the immatriculation numbers on the transmission drive and the rears. I accept the doubt about the black background, but with or without, they should be there. I am trying to work out how many microns they would measure vertically, but we are not into subatomic and quantum uncertainty levels (almost but not quite). Great post though and thanks again |
FlyXwire | 27 Jun 2021 2:53 p.m. PST |
:))) TY DH! Right now I'm working on a scenario to feature on a similar winter-fields mat (same size as above 3ft. X 4ft.). Thinking the early attack of KG Huss against the US 42nd Infantry Division around Hatten, part of Unternehmen Nordwind might be a 'cool' possibility……excepting of course for those Flammpanzers of Kompanie 352. |
Captain Pete | 27 Jun 2021 6:38 p.m. PST |
A great looking game, FlyXwire! Excellent looking terrain and minis and it looks like the gamers are having a good time as well. |
FlyXwire | 28 Jun 2021 7:27 a.m. PST |
Pete, like any group we can get a little rabid sometimes, but luckily we've had all out shots. :) |
FlyXwire | 29 Jun 2021 5:49 a.m. PST |
Been making a little progress on some prep for the next Circus event some 3mm winter buildings (these an upgrade from my Monopoly game versions for sure).
These I believe are from Voxelhouse STL files, printed by my friend Mark L. who sent them to me as freebies, and are Eastern Front-style models, but I'm going to use them for either East/Western theater games. The rectangular 2-story pieces towards the middle of the photo are 2 single story buildings glued on top of one another sanding the roofs flat to mate each set from this 3D print plastic takes forever even at this small scale. Game buildings…..you never seem to have enough. |
Just Jack | 29 Jun 2021 5:25 p.m. PST |
Pretty damn cool, Dave. And stay on top of those shots! ;) V/R, Jack |
FlyXwire | 05 Jul 2021 11:46 a.m. PST |
Thanks Jack! I've got this new 3mm winter mat and terrain for it completed now, and the first scenario worked up (part of Unternehmen Nordwind) the initial German attack on Hatten. A view of the entrenched US infantry positions of 1/242nd Regt., within part of the Maginot line just east of the town.
US AT Gun, TD, and a Tank platoon were in position (not seen above) to support these elements of Task Force Linden on 9 January, 1945. The Germans attacked from the NE, and out of forest due east of Hatten. |
deadhead | 21 Nov 2021 8:31 a.m. PST |
I follow a 2e DB enthusiasts' site, (struggling a bit with their French) but today they directed me to a new You Tube video on the battle. It really does have some nice graphics to describe the tactics employed. Ignore most of the film of course, but even then, there are closing shots of the knocked out Panthers and victorious French. It really was a very remarkable and one sided outcome! YouTube link |
FlyXwire | 21 Nov 2021 9:25 a.m. PST |
DH, this video is magnifique! Besides detailing the Group maneuvers within the evolving battle space, the videographer has detailed some interesting tactical engagements from the battle that would make for some excellent skirmish-scale scenarios also. Great link. |
deadhead | 21 Nov 2021 12:45 p.m. PST |
Tell the truth, I never thought any English speaking folk would ever talk about this little known battle. But this was on a par with the British Fireflies shortly after D Day. Handled well, the Sherman (any M4 onward derivative) or esp the M10 TD could hold its own, even against Panthers….unless that rarity a Tiger. Brad Pitt could do it after all. I have no idea why I got obsessed with the 2eme DB (OK, the best M4, of any subtype, any kind markings ever seen, plus the range of M4s, the most colourful crew, the sheer romance of Paris August 44 etc). The 2eme DB has still a French following that is is beyond anything we see in the UK, for any unit. There is a reason for that of course. They were true French French, the rest were in too late to rate that title (it is a long, but important, story). French pride in 2eme DB is just incredible. They gave them back their self respect. That they liberated Paris is just…well you could not film that. OK they did and I do not care what they say, that the Resistance did it alone and maybe the US 4th Division played a tiny part. It is brilliant nonsense. Dompaire showed they were not just nicely painted US Armour (Armor), with much better head wear onto US tank crew rig, but they could show outcomes to compare with the most elite units. I accept that the Panther units seemed to not have a clue, but when do we hear that? By 1944 they are all grizzled veterans surely, not kids let loose with Panthers, unless they are of course…………..as happened here. I did post your original thread onto that 2eme DB site and there may be a response one day, but the language barrier…..c'est formidable. |
FlyXwire | 22 Nov 2021 9:26 a.m. PST |
The 2eme DB certainly might eptomize "panache"! (one of the few French words I learned from watching the Tour de France on TV) ;) |
CHRIS DODSON | 25 Nov 2021 7:58 a.m. PST |
Those buildings in 3mm are sensational. There is a real feel' to your landscapes. Best wishes, Chris |
Captain Pete | 25 Nov 2021 9:44 a.m. PST |
Great looking games, FlyXwire, on WWII subjects not gamed as often! The visual appeal is great. |
FlyXwire | 25 Nov 2021 9:45 a.m. PST |
Thanks Chris (and Pete too just saw your comment while editing some of my spelling)…..hey, I've been working on this 3mm setup a little lately too, and have a new map texture for another area-movement style board in the offing, this mat to be printed out on fleece material instead of vinyl that I've always used before. Game board wizard Bruce Weigle has gone to having his mats printed on fleece (at least some of them see link below), and so I'm going to try this to see what results I get with this newly completed map texture. Bruce's rules page mentioning his new WW2 rules work, and showing some of his rendered (digital-printed) maps - link Here's a cropped image from what will be this new 48" X 36" game mat of mine for the 3mm flea circus, this image below reflecting a letter-sized page section from this game map image to show it more at true-scale (think of the image below as an 8.5" X 11" section from this overall mat).
I imagine the printed fleece won't result in anything as "hi-res" looking as I've gotten with the vinyl mat printings, but then fleece has useful properties of its own non-reflective, some "fuzzy" surface texture added, and the fabric can conform to hill pieces placed underneath. I'll post some pics of the fleece mat version here in a week or so (when it's delivered), and give you all my impressions then. Of course, if you look at Bruce's page above, you'll see there's all sorts of satellite map imagery that can be used for mat making, which can be "backwards engineered" to reflect the lay of the land for WW2 if/when photo-recon images are available for this comparison work this retro-engineering work can be done in photoshop programs. |
FlyXwire | 30 Nov 2021 3:57 p.m. PST |
Very pleased how the printing to fleece turned out Here's the fabric mat pictured on the floor (overall dimensions are 4ft. X 3ft.).
Closer, handy view with boxed 3mm minis.
Here's a section with some styrofoam placed underneath, for a quick hill contour check – w/smooth results, and now elevations can be added to this new flea circus map very easily.
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