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Yup it's our massive FOW Xmas game over at Cardiff Wargames Club. One of our members brought down his huge collection of terrain and we proceeded to play out the battle of Berlin Airport....

Massed Soviet Forces versus the desperate, hodge podge German resistance....Points innumerable, Tanks too many to count, casualties staggering, but enormous fun!

A few pictures to help (3 x (6x4) boards put together. Top board was the Airport, Middle was the Surrounding area, rail yard and control tower, lower board was the adjacent German Town.

8 Players 4 Russian vs 4 German....

RUSSIAN TSUNAMI pours forth!!!



A pair of ELephants arrive at a critical time and begin ripping apart a TANKOVY advancing up the road to the town. 3 Panthers holding the outside of the Town have 3 Tankovy advance on them, with a huge amount of Cossack Cavalry in support. The SS Hold the line with the Panthers as 11 Stug's turn up with the Elephants and support the Town.

Massive attack at the town, and significant gains in the Middle the loss of pair of Flak 88's in the centre of the Airport opens the way for the Russian T34/85's in the centre. The dug in Germans hold their ground with a ferocious amount of Panzershreck fire, and 'Fausts. A huge battle erupts around the Brewery as 152mm Soviet guns seek to silence resistance, a group of Panzer IV's and STug's fight around the Brewery but are picked off by Soviet Air power after being a in "hit with full ROF and Stormtrooper to next position rear guard action". The brewery unsurprisingly is torn apart by the Bunker busters hitting it, but the sheer size of the building allows some troops to escape. These troops dig into the ruins and prepare to meet the Tankovy sent to eliminate them.

To the North the Dug in Flak 88's Murder the IS-2's advancing over a hill towards the airport buildings, the attack falters and the northern commander sends his Brummbars and a STuG Platoon south to reinforce the Outskirts of the Airport and the fiercely burning brewery.



Back to the Town, the timely intervention of the STuG's proves a life line although to late for the Company of SS which were cut to ribbons by the Tankovy. The Panther and STuG's duel with Russian Armour and gain the upperhand, before moving forward to engage the next wave of Tankovy's and the Charging Cossack Horses.

In the centre the destruction of the Brewery opens up line of sight and the Elephants now pound away at the enemy 152mm sporting Vehicles. The concealed PAK 40's in the middle of the table pour concentrated fire on the T34/85's attacking the Control tower knocking out 3, bailing a further 2. The Panzershreck teams in the Tower pour murderous fire on the 2nd Tankovy, killing a further 3 and bailing another. The dug in infantry hang tight, but the STuG's to their Rear fire without hitting a single thing. They can see help from the North from the Brummbars which are still out of range, with over 10 burning vehicles and 2 destroyed Tankovy around them they take stock and prepare for the follow up wave.



The northern Flank looks secure as the IS-2's are mopped up and a German AAA Battery takes the advancing infantry under murderous and un-relenting fire.

The Town looks to be 50/50 as the next wave of Tanks pours in and the Cavalry sweeps around into the south of the Village.

In the Centre it is desperate as the Pak40's are pinned, the enemy infantry sweep forward en masse sweeping aside the shreck teams and reducing the Grenadier Company holding the Control Tower to below 50%. They grimly fight on, but luck is yet with them, the STUG Platoon finally finds range firing on the 3rd Tankovy Platoon and utterly shattering it, forcing them from the field, but the 4th Tankovy sweeps around the Control tower cutting off the remnants of the Grenadier Company. with the Brewery gone, the COntrol tower comes under fire from 2 sides, the pocket of infantry is squeezed. The surviving STuG at the Brewery and the 3 Panzer IV's are destroyed. The Elephants now hold the Highway and are maintain the link between the pak40's the beleagured Infantry and the town. The Brummbars still haven't linked up but attempt to break the ring of steel around the cut-off infantry.

The Brummbars fail to make the difference and the Grenadier Company is mercilessly cut down. The Centre is lost, the Soviets have the Control Tower, finally the remanents of the Panthers and Stug's are rounded up and destroyed. The Town falls to the Soviets.

An epic 2 Objectives to the Soviets with the Wehrmacht holding only 1.

A great, chaotic, enjoyable game, which show cased the superiority of the German Forces, but the unrelenting nature of the Soviets. There was only ever going to be one winner, but by god did the Germans bleed them white.

That looks like a fantastic game! This is one of my favourite ways to play FoW desperate last stands! So wish we'd done something similar!

Really nice battle and good looking table. Fun fact, from my room i look directly onto the Tempelhof Airport Runway where this battle took place so its like 10 minutes of walking and i would be in the middle of your table . Its a public park since they closed the air port down 5 years ago http://www.tempelhoferfreiheit.de/en/

Mywik wrote:
Really nice battle and good looking table. Fun fact, from my room i look directly onto the Tempelhof Airport Runway where this battle took place so its like 10 minutes of walking and i would be in the middle of your table . Its a public park since they closed the air port down 5 years ago http://www.tempelhoferfreiheit.de/en/

Wow, didn't expect that. That's some good information, I couldn't remember the name of the Airport (I wasn't the game organiser, the Game Umpire did this and he adjudicated and made decisions based on what was going on , for example when the Brewery was hit he declared only half of the massive building was destroyed due to it's size.

It really puts thing's in perspective when you see how the modern world has moved on from those dark days of WWI, WWII and the Cold War.

I could imagine battles on such a large scale in FoW are really entertaining. Sadly we just started playing flames of war in our club so we cant even play a 1000pts game thats completely within the rules . Also i dont think anyone in our club would want to play german forces in a historical scenario .

That's a pity because the German Forces are pretty powerful and actually very interesting to play. Too many people associate the crimes of the National Socialists, and the SS with the Wehrmacht. It does always leave a slight bad taste to play SS but you can play as them without advocating their policies.

That said I wouldn't publicise an SS Army, or have one of the BF SS Patches because I think it is incredibly poor taste. From an Academic point of view, I'm fine with it however I doubt the public at large are quite so understanding. C'est la vie.

 mwnciboo wrote:
That's a pity because the German Forces are pretty powerful and actually very interesting to play. Too many people associate the crimes of the National Socialists, and the SS with the Wehrmacht. It does always leave a slight bad taste to play SS but you can play as them without advocating their policies.

We have players that play german forces but my gaming club meets in a squat. Was hard enough to be able to play FoW at all. A historical scenario would be unthinkable in such a setting. But i enjoy playing the game without that too and perhaps one day ...

The battlefront SS patches are not only poor taste but in germany its also a crime to walk around with nazisymbols on your stuff.

Mywik wrote:

 mwnciboo wrote:
That's a pity because the German Forces are pretty powerful and actually very interesting to play. Too many people associate the crimes of the National Socialists, and the SS with the Wehrmacht. It does always leave a slight bad taste to play SS but you can play as them without advocating their policies.

We have players that play german forces but my gaming club meets in a squat. Was hard enough to be able to play FoW at all. A historical scenario would be unthinkable in such a setting. But i enjoy playing the game without that too and perhaps one day ...

The battlefront SS patches are not only poor taste but in germany its also a crime to walk around with nazisymbols on your stuff.

I understand where you to are coming from. Here in the States especially where i am from orginally Blooomington/Normal Ill. One of the Hospitals tore down the orginal building where the American founder of the NEO-NAzi movement was born. Because the idiots would hold vigils,pay homage to the site where he was born. Any of you see the orginal Blues Brothers movie? Yeah, that is the Aholes from Bloomington.Were based off.
For the BAtttle report most excelllent. To bad you cannot make to states i am organizing a MAssive battle this Spring.points limit 2500 per player,So far i have 8 people signed up. But this one is probably going to be Frnch Generic Bocage Battle or the Bulge.Also going to have Free Chicken and Beer!!!The traditonal American festive food.

@Col.Kenny I didn't realise that was where the Blues Brothers reference came from.

On another subject, IMHO I would edit the post to say your Grandfathers "most memorable engagement" rather than "Favourite" not to be flowery, or butter it up / spare peoples feelings, but "Favourite implies a person or thing regarded with especial preference or liking". I doubt your grandfather liked having to do it, but it was his duty and he was obviously a dutiful and honourable man. That said Snipers are particularly despised by infantrymen so you maybe right. Either way your Grandfather sounds like an Interesting and courageous man.

I was born in Germany and have no qualms fielding waffen SS with associated dice. The people I spend my time with know that it makes absolutely no political statement whatsoever. If they felt I displayed political opinion through little army men I doubt I'd be wasting my time with them.

On Topic: Amazing looking report! Those hectic bigger battles are fun!

Didnt want to start such a discussion. This is not the place to discuss this in my opinion .

Mywik, while I know you weren't intending to start this conversation, I still think that it is an important one to have.

Would you be able to play the Finnish? All of their armor has a swastika (not the one associated with the Nazi's) on it.

I dont know if i could. The game gave me the choice to just play something else and i took that route. From a gaming perspective taking german forces as a starter is clever since there seem to be models that fit into the scale from several manufacturers and you therefor save money.

I just stick to the allied route since killing 15mm nazis is pure fun .

I think that ever since I went to the airborne museum near Arnhem, I've realised that most of the people on both sides were not fighting for the politicians and their ideologies, but their country and their mates in their unit.

Not playing the axis forces because of their ideology I understand, but I do not feel it does any justice to the thousands of men who served in their armed forces

 Reaver83 wrote:

Not playing the axis forces because of their ideology I understand, but I do not feel it does any justice to the thousands of men who served in their armed forces

I have a problem with the term doing justice, it implies war is just. This depends entirely on your point of view, and conflict is far too broad and complex to be encapsulated in the such a simple concept as Justice.

From my time at Shriven Staff College my view is that All Conflicts and War end in a Political Solution (including socio-economic-religious elements within that) whether that solution is favourable / unfavourable / politically acceptable or not shapes the next chapter of the peace or the conflict.

It is all politics...

Men fight for their comrades/ communities.

Flags, countries and others issues like Justice are interchangeable wallpaper and mean little to the average soldier or fighter. Many fighting men attach great significance to insignificant things and yet these items become venerated in the form of things like "Colours" or "Totems". It's almost that humans are pre-disposed to fight, which in a sense we are, this is how nature works with evolutions random errors giving us advantages or disadvantages. Conflict is intrinsically part of our nature.

Mywik wrote:

 mwnciboo wrote:
That's a pity because the German Forces are pretty powerful and actually very interesting to play. Too many people associate the crimes of the National Socialists, and the SS with the Wehrmacht. It does always leave a slight bad taste to play SS but you can play as them without advocating their policies.

We have players that play german forces but my gaming club meets in a squat. Was hard enough to be able to play FoW at all. A historical scenario would be unthinkable in such a setting. But i enjoy playing the game without that too and perhaps one day ...

The battlefront SS patches are not only poor taste but in germany its also a crime to walk around with nazisymbols on your stuff.

From alot of stuff i have read and the few i have had conversations with it was alot ofchoosing what poltical paty was the lesser of the 2 evils. Yes,the SS did some very horrendous things,especially to the Poles.I have grandparents that fled Eastern Europe when the NAzis party started to take over.(LIthtaniun) but they were also more scared of Commmunists.We do have alot of accountsof things, but Stalin was just as a evil person also.Sorry sometimes it reminds me of Stalins policies were that of like kamma rouge of Cambodia.Political reeducation.
But me and alot of people play this game for fun not fact based political history. Its fun to play it like a WW2 movies style where you can have your own heros and loosly make up your own what if Story linesup.
I really enjoy this aspect of the game. me and my friends think that is rather quite fun. We have our own homemade heros,example my name Col. krazy kenny in our games he is the HQ for the 101st AIrborne and has the Arty. barrage skills or my Brother in law who was in the 173 rd. in Afganistan made his hero up Corporal Carl,(commmando kelly charcter).So always take into consideration that this game is meant to be fun not political.I understand where your point about the SS thuogh and where you are located. and sorry for the typos not enough X mas eve morning Coffee Stayed up way to late Playing COmpany of HEros. Brit Commandos in Gliders KIck ass!