Italian Campaign – Steven's Balagan

Balagan Version of Dung Farm – A HTD Crossfire Scenario

24 Jul 2021 by Steven Thomas

Table - Crossfire - Dung Farm - Balagan Version - Banner

“Dung Farm” is one of the scenarios from Hit the Dirt (HTD, p. 15-16). It is Italy, 4 February 1944, and the Germans are attacking into the Anzio beachhead at the northern end of ‘The Thumb’. The “Dung Farm” of the title is the British nickname for the Italian Pig Farm that featured in the battle.

The Dung Farm scenario is interesting for a few reasons. It introduces some unique terrain features, has masses of thorns and/or barbed wire, is fought in mud, and has visible troops on both sides. It also doesn’t quite work as a four player game. So I’m going to make a couple of tweaks to the scenario before the guys turn up to play it, including changing the map.

Making ravines and depressions for Crossfire

23 May 202120 Mar 2021 by Steven Thomas

I’ve had a go at gullies and depressions before. But they look too much like hills. So I decided to have another go modelling just the edge of the depression. Then I took this concept further and modelled a modular ravine system. I featured both of these when I asked, How does my Burmese battlefield look? In this post I share a bit more about how I make these features.

Moroccan Tabor in Italy – Crossfire Orbat

16 Sep 20208 Aug 2020 by Steven Thomas

In my mountain of unpainted lead are some goumier. Irregular Moroccan auxiliaries fighting for France in Italy during World War 2. Cool. I wondered what they would look like under Crossfire.

Lockdown Crossfire – Kiwis in Italy – Two Battle Reports

30 May 202030 May 2020 by Steven Thomas

Bruce Stewart played through his Lockdown Crossfire – Kiwis in Italy – A Crossfire Scenario twice and shared some narrative and photos from each. Bruce games with 1/56 figures and 1/48 – 1/50 vehicles.

Lockdown Crossfire – Kiwis in Italy – A Crossfire Scenario

17 Mar 202123 May 2020 by Steven Thomas

Crossfire Lockdown - Scenario deployment areas

Bruce Stewart, like many of us, has been trying to figure out how to wargame during the Covid-19 lockdown. Bruce’s idea involves video conferencing, a situation from the Band of Brothers, and New Zealand accents. You might recall that last year Bruce sent through a couple of battle reports for Kiwis in the Italian Campaign using Crossfire. Well, there is more of the same here.

Kiwi Vehicle Names in WW2

25 Jan 2020 by Steven Thomas

I’ve posted on Kiwi Vehicle Camouflage during WW2 but didn’t spend any time researching specific vehicles. Some of the Kiwi vehicles during World War 2 were named e.g. “Discord” and “Katipo”. I thought I’d have a look at my books and see what came up. This is inspiration for my Kiwis in Italy – Steven’s Wargaming Project.

2019 Reflections of a Megalomaniac Wargamer and Amateur Historian

21 Dec 2019 by Steven Thomas

My Confessions of a Megalomaniac were my 2019 aspirations. How did I do?

Kiwis in Italy – Two Crossfire Battle Reports from Bruce Stewart

13 Apr 20196 Apr 2019 by Steven Thomas

Bruce Stewart has a collection of Kiwis for the Italian Campaign. He posted a couple of Crossfire after action reports on Facebook and gave me permission to repost them here. One of them is for my own 2 Companies a Side – A Generic Crossfire Scenario. The second is a scenario from the Italian 1944. Bruce games with 1/56 figures and 1/48 – 1/50 vehicles. Being from Facebook these are predominantly photographic reports.

Making boulder and rock fields for Crossfire

6 Oct 202012 Jan 2019 by Steven Thomas

Rocks24 Portuguese Cacadore in the rock field

The Crossfire supplement Hit-the-Dirt introduces Boulder Fields and Rock Fields as Crossfire Terrain for scenarios in the Italian Campaign. My post Types of Terrain Features in Crossfire explains how they are used in the game. In this post I explain how I made mine. Simple but excessive is the summary. Simple because I start with actual rocks. Excessive because I base, paint, and flock.

2018 Reflections of a Megalomaniac Wargamer and Amateur Historian

4 Jan 202022 Dec 2018 by Steven Thomas

Continuing my Megalomaniac tendencies, this is my reflection on 2018 and how I did against my world conquering goals. Check out my 2018 Confessions of a Megalomaniac Wargamer and Amateur Historian for my overly ambitious aspirations.

Steven’s Fallschirmjäger Battalion for Crossfire

5 Dec 201928 Jul 2018 by Steven Thomas

Fallschirmjaeger 6340 Battalion Commander showing ID

This post is long overdue. Roland painted the last of the Fallschirmjaeger in June 2011 and I got them based soon afterwards. Tragically I haven’t used them in a game of Crossfire. I guess I don’t often create Crossfire scenarios for German paratroopers. Perhaps when I have some Kiwis to fight them in the Italian Campaign; I should bump the New Zealanders up in the priority list. Anyway, here are my Fallschirmjaeger.

2017 Reflections of a Megalomaniac Wargamer and Amateur Historian

23 Dec 201723 Dec 2017 by Steven Thomas

I have noticed that my The Confessions of a Megalomaniac Wargamer and Amateur Historian of 2015 was literally a confession, describing my overly inflated ambitions and incomplete projects. But the 2016 edition was more a reflection on my progress against those goals. It has been a 23 months since the 2016 edition and it is time to revisit. But I’m going to split the reflection aspect from the confessions bit. So this is my reflection on the 23 months from the beginning of 2016 to the end of 2017.

WW2 Painting Guide: Kiwi and British in the Mediterranean

13 Oct 20168 Oct 2016 by Steven Thomas

A group of New Zealand soldiers on the Cassino battlefront in Italy, during World War II. Probably reconstruction for photographers behind the line. 5 April 1944

This WW2 Painting Guide shows how to paint the 2 New Zealand Division, and other Commonwealth/British, who fought in the Mediterranean. It solely uses Vallejo Model Colour range of paints.

I have used four sources: Battle Front, SHQ, Artizan Designs, and Crac des Chevaliers.

Crossfire for Novices – A Battle Report

5 Dec 201927 Jun 2015 by Steven Thomas

Back in June 2012 Andrew Fisher played my scenario for Crossfire novices and published an after action report on the Crossfire Forum. I’ve reproduced it here. All words are Andrew’s.

Musing on Reconnaissance Scenarios for Crossfire

20 Sep 202031 Mar 2015 by Steven Thomas

Recent focus on my Russian Scouts Crossfire Scenario has prompted me to look again at Reconnaissance Objectives. Generally play testing of this and other recon scenarios is that they encourage the attacker can go all out to kill the opposition rather than scout. I thought I’d revisit the goals of a reconnaissance, show how my ideas on recon scenarios have evolved with play testing, and share other things to try in the future.