Prepping for Partizan

I can't make Partizan this year, so Chris K is flying the flag for the Northamptonshire Battlefields Society, assisted by Steve and Vincent. Chris is taking a quick fire game featuring 5th Northants Regiment in WW2. This one is about the attempt to clear the Argento Gap, in the Po Valley in Italy during 1945.

This week we were therefore Chez Kemp, playtesting his set up.


The participants play the Brits against Chris running the Germans. There's a lake to the left which is too shallow for using amphibious vehicles, and marsh on the right which is too boggy for anything. Argento is centre left, and has been bombed into rubble by the RAF.

Steve was on the left. He had to clear the town. He has the 5th Northants with a Churchill Crocodile and a bulldozer for clearing rubble. I was in the centre. I had a Churchill AVRE (which is a cool piece of kit) and infantry. Phil had a Kangaroo force. Chris has written about the kit for the game here: NQM .

The texture bits are minefields. When we clear them we mark them with the white "chains".


Steve had his work cut out battering his way into the town.


Phil & I had to bypass the town and create a breakthrough. Having Corps artillery support helped. As did having the AVRE, which is very dangerous at close quarters. That spigot mortar packs a punch.


Steve is breaking into the town, but it is still heavy going. Plus the Croc model is too large for the hex.


Phil & I have smashed our way through the trip wire defences, and finally run into some German armour. Chris calls them both Tigers, even though they aren't. Very cultural of him.


What ever they are, they take a walloping. That Tiger is no match for some well handled Shermans. The "flying dustbin" sorted the Panzer IV.


Steve is making good progress on clear the town. It is soon under our control. In best Commando comic style we could say "Hande hoch, Fritz!"

Based on that play through Chris had enough to refine the game for next Sunday, and will be focussing on the fight in the town.

Go and say hello to him.






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