Issue 2

April 2010
aaminis.myfastforum.org

Ranging Shots
H I G H L I G H T S
I N T H I S I S S U E

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T a r g e t ? :

E d i t o r s
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both the wet and dry-siders and a look at one of the foruminis wonderful home-grown resources. Finally, two authors focus on the newest additions to your Panzer divisions, the German tanks of AAM Early War. On a final note, why dont you let us know whether Ranging Shots is on target or not. Feel free to send me your feedback. Ill pass it on to the next editor, and well keep improving. Thanks!

S w a r b s

The Battle for Tinian: War at Sea in the Pacific Two Part Feature: the Panzers of AAM Early War. Learn how to paint them, then how to play them. New Scenarios for WAS and AAM The Foruminis got that? The WAS repaint reference.

In the US Navy a common quip asserts that the word navy is actually an acronym: Never Again Volunteer Yourself. In volunteering to compile this, the second edition of Ranging Shots, I got a small taste of the truth behind that saying. Crunching the material into an only moderately familiar computer program means that I fear this edition of the letter will look a bit clunkier than the debut issue. Any fault for this must lie with me, for I believe the ma-

terial presented by the various authors below is top-notch. Please dont judge the book (well, the newsletter) by its cover, or youll miss out on some really good stuff. Also, please forgive the delay between issues. Needless to say, thats my fault too. But here we are now with a shiny new issue and I hope you enjoy it. We start off with a fictionalized report of a potential Japanese late-war counterattack as played out in a WAS battle. The newsletter also has new scenarios for

B a t t l e
IJN

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3 0 0 P t .
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P r i d e o f t h e R o y a l N a v y

Turn 1: Bombs Away The Japanese send the Aoba, Shigure and Oi forward at flank speed towards the USN; Oi is left vulnerable to air attack by Yamato The two fearsome, 300 point USS Missouri Aoba fleets came into sight of one an- USS Massachusetts being in a sector alone, a move that could cost her dear. The massive Yamato stays behind to guard Soryu, while Shokaku Oi other just after dawn on the 7th of USS Alaska and Akagi sail close together at the opposite corner of the Shigure August, 1945. The Japanese have USS Fletcher map. The Americans pair the Alaska with the Massachusetts Akagi dispatched the remnants of their USS San Diego and the San Diego with the Fletcher, each group sailing on -Judy once grand navy to destroy the USS Saratoga either side of the Mighty Mo. -Jill American base on the island of -Hellcat The US Admiral, on board the USS Missouri, was gazing out towards the San Diego and Fletcher, lost in thought. A -A6M2 Tinian. Their mission: To avenge -Avenger flock of birds were apparently fighting over a school of fish Soryu the city of Hiroshima and to cap- -Helldiver out in the distance, and the admiral was mesmerized by the -Judy ture any remaining atomic bombs USS Yorktown graceful dive of the birds. They went screaming down to-Jill for use against the enemy. -Hellcat wards the ocean, then pulled up just before it was too late. -A6M2 Shocked at Japans bold and un- -Avenger One after the other they went, as if they were playing a game Shokaku expected retaliation, the USN -Helldiver of who could go closer to the ocean without crashing. -Judy could not muster an overwhelmA geyser of smoke and fire erupted from the front of the -Kate ing force to crush the IJN once San Diego and the admiral gasped in the horrific realization -A6M2 and for all. For the first time in that the birds were Japanese dive bombers. He ordered the anti-aircraft batteries to open fire, but it was too late; the San Emily the Second World War, the two Diego had split in two and was slipping beneath the waves Kamikaze navies will be facing each other and a smoking Fletcher was struggling to avoid the wreckage. with equal forces. The admiral screamed curses at the enemy planes and slammed his fist against the glass, nearly shattering it and his hand. However, there was a spot of good news for the US

Background:

USN

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Admiral; his planes had succeeded in sinking what appeared to be a very long and thin destroyer. Ten minutes had passed, and the two sides were one for one.

familys faces seemed to stare back out at him from the shadowy interior and he smiled with acceptance. There was a deafening roar, a blinding flash and the men in the bridge around him screamed in terror. He clasped his ears tightly with his hands and collapsed onto the floor in agonizing pain, clutching at his hair in Turn 2: Opening Salvoes Shigure broke formation with Aoba and desperation. His wifes face flashed before steamed forward into her own sector, the him, and his newly born son smiled with ignoAoba sailing beside her in the adjacent secrant bliss. Then nothing, and he was slipping tor. A spotter on board the Aoba swallowed into the Sleeping Dark. hard when he noticed what appeared to be an The US admiral admired the bravery of the Iowa class battleship 3 sectors away. They little destroyer that he had just blasted into were within range of her powerful, 16in oblivion, but he couldnt help but laugh at their guns. suicidal stupidity. The smile was wiped off his The captain of the Aoba received a mesface when the bow of his ship was ripped off sage from his admiral, who was flying his by a torpedo and he was thrown onto the flag from the Yamato, just as the gigantic ground like a rag doll. A few horrific seconds battleship was coming into view: Engaging later another torpedo struck the starboard side enemy battleship and battlecruiser south of of the hull, leaving a massive hole in the side your position STOP What is your situation of his ship. Before five minutes had passed the STOP. Before the captain could respond ship was near completely sideways, and the there was a roar in the distance and a puff of admiral clawed helplessly at the hard floor, smoke had appeared over the enemy battlefingernails scraping desperately against the ships guns. He had scarcely opened his wood as he slid out of the bridge window and mouth when the shell came thundering into was dragged downward, into the abyss. the bridge. 30 minutes gone, and the Japanese had lost The Japanese admiral grabbed on to his desk Shigure and the Yamato was damaged. Howto balance himself as the ship rocked from ever, the US had lost Missouri and Fletcher, the gargantuan 18in guns firing at the enemy and Massachusetts had two damage. battleship. He steadied himself and continued reading the message he had received from Turn 4: : Total Victory the Akagi. The message informed him of a The Kamikazes eyes gleamed with fanatic resounding success; apparently Japanese frenzy as he neared the target. In front of him dive bombers had crippled the USS Yorkflew another flight of fellow kamikazes, Jatown and Jill torpedo bombers had scored pans heroes; behind him were two flights of two hits on the USS Missouri. The admiral Judy dive bombers. Below him his target airsmiled when he read further and discovered craft carrier crawled along slowly and was that his fighters had shot down an enemy marked by smoke and fire from previous JapaHelldiver and Avenger. Things were going nese attacks. But this attack, thought the Kamiwell for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Soon kaze, was different. This attack was led by a Hiroshima would be avenged. divine wind, and like that glorious typhoon he The Yamato shook again, but this time would save Japan from the enemy from enemy shells raining down on the stern The kamikazes in front of him began their of the ship. Fires had started and damage near vertical dive towards the USS Yorktown control teams were struggling to get through and he followed eagerly after. He laughed with the terrific mangled bodies of their fellow wicked hysteria as he screamed down towards sailors to quell the destructive flames. The the carrier, spitting lead all the way to make admiral steadied himself and ordered the sure he stayed accurate. Flak exploded all crew to stay their course. around him and dozens of his brothers were Twenty minutes gone, and the US was up ripped to shreds, but he did not care. Today, he by one, but only just. was invincible. The Yorktown grew closer, increasing in size as he plummeted towards it. A few of his Turn 3: David and Goliath Shigures captain ignored the desperate pro- fellow Kamikazes smacked into the ocean tests of his officers and ordered his ship for- around the Yorktown, rocking it ever so ward, towards the massive USS Missouri. slightly and he struggled with the controls to The sailors around him gaped in muted hor- keep himself on target. The carrier grew closer ror at the sheer size of the American battleand closer until he could make out the Ameriship as they came close to point blank range. can sailors on board. He screamed triumThe captain ordered all of his deadly long phantly as he slammed down into the deck of lance torpedoes into the water, all the while the carrier, exploding ammo that was left carenever taking his eyes off of the nine 16in lessly on the deck and sending the Yorktown guns as they rotated in his ships direction. beneath the waves. He stared down the dark barrel of one of the The Japanese admiral was shouting orders guns for what seemed like an eternity. His like mad. The Yamato was firing off rounds in

all directions, struggling to both stave off enemy planes and destroy the enemy ships. Japanese and American planes darted about the brawl, dropping bombs and torpedoes and all the while trying not to be shot down. The Yamato wove slowly back and forth in a futile attempt to dodge the aerial assault. Bombs rained down all around, smacking fruitlessly into the sea or slamming into the deck of the mighty ship. The admiral feared he was going to go deaf amidst the chaos. Just before all seemed lost and that the Yamato would surely be destroyed, the Massachusetts exploded into two in a terrific blast as an 18in shell found the magazine. The admiral gazed at the explosion in disbelief, dumbfounded by the sudden change in fortune. He whipped around just in time to see torpedoes from his planes smack one after the other into the Alaska, nearly ripping the entire side of the ship off. Water poured mercilessly into the gaping wound and American sailors began to abandon ship. Above him the American planes had been fought off and only his Zeros remained above, waving their wings gracefully in respect for the Yamato. Forty minutes had passed since the fleets met, and the IJN had won. Closing Comments During the first two turns it seemed like it was anybodys game. Both sides had lost some small ships and their larger ships had taken some light damage, but nothing really game changing. Then turn 3 came around and lucky lil Shigure comes out of nowhere and blasts the Missouri with two brilliant long lance torpedoes. My mate, who was playing the USN, was absolutely furious when he saw those two sixes come up. And, on top of that, both his carriers were hit as well as his Massachusetts. I felt pretty confident after that. Turn 4 could not have gone better for me and the IJN. Yamato scored a vital hit on the Mass. and my Jills torpedoed the Alaska. On top of that, in one glorious bombing run, I sunk the Yorktown and Saratoga. All of his remaining ships, gone in one turn. I have to say, the American air was definitely not praying to the dice Gods this game. They failed to damage any of my carriers, hardly ever aborted a bomber and only shot down 1 Judy. My Zeros, on the other hand, splashed 2 Avengers, 1 Helldiver, and aborted half of his attempts. The dice were on the IJNs side this game. If the game had gone on any longer the US battleships would have been in range of my carriers and that would have been it, so lucky I won when I did.

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B a t t l e
S e p t e m b e r
The Battle of Dakar, also known as Operation Menace, was an unsuccessful attempt by the Allies to capture the strategic port of Dakar in French West Africa (modern-day Senegal), which was under Vichy French control, and to install the Free French under General Charles de Gaulle there. Map Setup/Deployment: Use the island side of the map. The south end of the map where the small island is will represent the port of Dakar. The Allies will enter from the north and fight their way south. Allies fleet deploys per the standard rules. Due to the large number of ships in the Allied fleet, you can begin with up to 3 ships in a sector for the first turn.

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Since the Vichy Fleet was in port the ships will be in pairs facing and adjacent to the land area on each side of the map. Two ships per square with a square in between each pair progressing northward from the southern edge of the map as if the ships are docked in port. The Axis fleet cannot move until turn #3 and cannot attack with their main batteries until turn #2. Anti-Air and Secondary and Tertiary guns may fire as normal. This is to simulate crews running to their stations to prep for attack and racing to get steam up in the boilers. Smaller guns were easier to load and fire on short notice. AAA is not affected since they are smaller easier to load weapons. Shore Batteries: At the 1/2 mark on the map the Vichy French player places a shore battery piece on the east and west side of the map. Also place one on the small island at the south end of the map. Use AT guns from AAM for proxy. Stats for the Shore Batteries are: Armor 4/ Vital 10 / Hull 2 Main Gunnery: (range: dice) 0-1: 10 / 2: 8 / 3: 6 AA: 6 at range 0-1 Costal Batteries may fire in the Air Defense Phase using the AA Attack and in the Surface Attack Phase using the Main Guns. Victory Conditions: Royal Navy: Destroy the Shore Batteries protecting the port. Land 2 out of 3 troop ships (Jeremiah O'Brians) on the island on the south end of the map. Sink 2 of the three enemy submarines. Vichy French: Repel the Royal Navy- Damage both battleships by 2 hull points and Damage at least two cruisers. Special Rules: If the HMS Resolution and HMS Barham take 2 hull points in damage they must withdraw from battle. Historical Outcome Royal Navy: 2 Battleships Damaged - HMS Resolution & HMS Barham 2 Cruisers Damaged Vichy French: 1 Destroyer Sunk - L'Audacieux 2 Submarines Sunk - Persee & Ajax

Above: French shore batteries await the arrival of the British fleet.
Historic Fleet / WAS Proxy: Not all ships are represented in the interest of balanced play, use only the ships in bold. The blank lines below separate ships by type Vichy French Fleet: Richelieu (Cannot move during the scenario and gains Jammed Mount SA) Gloire / Gloire X3 Montcalm Georges Leygues L'Audacieux Le Fantasque Le Malin Le Hardi Ajax Beveziers Persee / Le Terrible X3

Royal Navy Fleet: HMS Barham / HMS Repulse HMS Resolution / HMS Hood (Remove Fatal Flaw) HMS Ark Royal with Swordfish X3 HMAS Australia / HMAS Canberra HMS Cumberland / HMS Kent X2 HMS Devonshire HMS Dragon / HMS Ajax HMS Delhi HMS Echo / HMS Javelin X5 HMS Eclipse HMS Escapade HMSForesight HMS Forrester HMS Faulknor HMS Fortune HMS Fury HMS Greyhound HMS Inglefield Jeremiah O'Brian X3

/ Casabianca X3

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P a i n t - j o b s a n d G e r m a n s
B y details with very little effort. Dont worry if the black doesnt cover the upper surface areas, that will become grey later. You can use a dry brush to go over the tank, and soak up any little puddles of the waterbased paint, to speed up the drying time for the next color. 2) Dark Panzer Grey: damp-brushing Use a mixture of medium grey, black, and a touch of blue. Give the tank a coat of this dark panzer grey with a damp-brush (not dry-brush). This only means that you do not apply the panzer grey paint with a wet brush. Instead, dip only the very tip of the brush into the paint, and rub the brush around on a paper towel. Rub off most of the excess paint, but not all of it. You should be able to touch the brush and only get a paint smudge on your finger, not a drippy drop. Apply the paint all over the tank with a very rapid movement, brushing in all directions without using very much pressure. Keep moving around the tank, dont work in the same spot very long. You will know to stop when the black underneath is only visible around hatch edges, around tools, in cracks and corners, etc. If your tank has rubber tires on its road -wheels, do NOT stroke across the wheels with grey. Instead, get a small brush with short stubby bristles. Use the same dampbrush method, but apply the paint by rotating the brush slowly into each wheel's center. Dont press so hard that the bristles mush over onto the outer portion. It is much easier to paint the whole darn wheel black, then apply the grey to the rim in the center (as opposed to painting the wheels grey, then trying to paint the thin black

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P a n z e r P a i n t e r circles around each rim). 3) Medium Panzer Grey: tacky-brushing Now make some more of the panzer grey paint, but leave the black out. You will apply this all over the tank, just like you did with the dark grey, but with a "tacky brush". This is still damp-brushing, just not quite as damp. Wipe the paint off the brush, onto the paper towel, more forcefully. You should have to actually squeeze the paint brush to get paint on your fingers now. Apply all over, making even more sure not to over-paint any one area. Keep working all over the tank until you see a decent contrast on the details. 4) Pale Grey Highlights: dry-brushing Now to finish it off, mix white and a very little grey together to make a normal pale grey. Dont try to make pale panzer grey (with bluish tint), you may not like what you get. Dry-brush this all over the tank. This is like damp-brushing, but with a more extreme lack of paint. When you rub off the excess paint onto your brush, rub until it appears that you have removed all the paint and the brush is completely dry. Rub this brush very fast, all over the tank. Start with very light pressure, just in case you still have too much paint on the brush. If you see any immediate smudge of paint, wipe that brush off some more. You should have to pass the brush over each edge multiple times before you can actually notice the finer edges and features start to lighten up. If you dont see the features coming to life, increase the pressure you are painting with. Important Note: When doing steps 2, 3, or 4: If you have to clean your brush before you are done with a particular step, make sure to wipe it very dry before getting more paint on it. This is more important with each step. By the time you get to step #4, you must only use brushes that are 100%, middle of the Sahara Desert, dry. So much as one micro-speck of water on your brush will RUIN any attempt at dry-brushing. You will get nothing but smears from that brush. I use about 9 brushes for steps 2 through 4.

Pretty much every German vehicle was panzer grey early on. This color is overlooked as a choice of colors when it comes to many modelers, since it is so plain. Well, lets take care of that, and put some zing into that panzer grey. Inks help with many color schemes, including panzer grey, but this is a very good color to do with the use of no ink. So I will stick to the basics, and not get into inks (or for that matter, rust effects, treads, etc.). To punch-up that color scheme, instead of camo (which covers up details) lets ADD some details. The Germans were very well prepared early in the war, and all tanks should be supplied with ample shovels and cables. The blitzkrieg wouldnt stand for stranded tanks, and these were essentials for getting stuck tanks back on the go. First the long-winded part, an allbrush panzer grey paint job. Then the easy part, making realistic cables and shovels. Two to three shovels adds so much character to your tank. Adding cables and shovels will turn a tank into an eye-popper. Not-So Plain Panzer Grey: 1) Black Base Prime your tank with black if you can, otherwise paint it black after its primed. It is most important to get the black into every little nook and cranny. You may thin the paint just a very, very, little bit with water, to help get into the cracks. If you prime the tank with black, then go over it with slightly thinned black paint, you will get all the little

Above: German early-war stalwarts: a Panzer I follows a Panzer II into battle in 1940.

For PanzerPainters advice on making realistic shovels and cables, continue reading on page 6.

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W h e n t h e F a c t s M e e t t h e M i n i s : E a r l y W a r G e r m a n T a n k s B y M y G a r a n d D o e s M y T a l k i n g The release of the new Axis and Allies Early War set brought with it a new batch of (surprise, surprise) German armor, including the Panzer IB, Panzer II, and Panzer III Ausf. F. They may not be as well known as the dreaded Panther and Tiger tanks of the later war years, but these tanks provide an interesting addition to early war battles. Although not as formidable as their feline counterparts, these early war tanks can lead to some new and interesting scenarios. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the Wehrmacht had less than 3,000 tanks, and 2,000 of those were obsolete. The Panzer I had been in production since 1931, and was one of the lightest tanks in the German Army at the time. They weighed only six tons, consisted of a two man crew, and were only armed with two machine guns. It is no wonder that the Panzer IB has AI stats of 7/7/6, but AV stats of only 2/2/2. The Panzer II, although an improvement over the Panzer I, was not much better. It weighed 11 tons, and was armed with a 20mm cannon, but was still obsolete by the time the war began. The 4/3/2 AV stats of the Panzer II represents this upgrade in armament, but this tank worked better as a training tank then a combat vehicle. The Panzer III, with its AV stats of 10/8/6, along with the Panzer IV, represented some of the most advanced armor available to the German commanders. Unfortunately for the Germans, only 600 of these more advanced tanks were available during the campaigns of 1939 and 1940. For many players, these early war German tanks may offer a surprising challenge when trying to play against Polish, British, or even French builds. The Polish 7TP and British Cruiser tanks are somewhat formidable to the available German armor, and French armor, especially the Char B1bis, are all but unstoppable. Allied armor is not the only problem a German player must beware with their Early War tanks. The strength of French artillery was well known during the war, and in fact, was one of the only things that slowed the German blitzkrieg during the early campaigns. On 14-15 May 1940, French forces halted the attack of elements of the German 3rd and 4th Panzer divisions at the battle of Gembloux as a direct result of the use of artillery. German armor greatly outnumbered French tanks available for defense. Of the 674 tanks available to the German forces, however, only 62 Panzer III tanks were available, and only 50 were Panzer IV tanks. German armor attacked a series of French defensive positions, resulting in a great loss of tanks. In his work, The Battle of Gembloux, 14-15 May 1940: The "Blitzkrieg" Checked, Jeffery A. Gunsburg states, The war diary of the 4th Panzer Division makes clear the extent of the defeat: from 1107 hours radio contact with the staff of 5th Panzer Brigade was lost; Breith was out of contact; reports from the front showed that the tanks were taking heavy losses and could not remain standing under fire. Thus at 1200 hours the division ordered the armor back to its start positions. Gunsburg goes on to explain, Allied guns proved deadly. The Allies had the advantage in artillery: thirty-six 75-mm guns, twelve 105s and twelve 155s in many of the French divisions as against twenty-four 105s and twelve 150s in the German. Although the French succeeded in halting the Germans, they were forced to continue to retreat into France, eventually leading to their downfall. So, how can a player use these new Early War tanks and still win a battle, even against armored goliaths like the Char B1-bis and artillery? Well, as they always say, When in France, do as the Germans did. As Larry T. Balsamo explains in his work, Germany's Armed Forces in the Second World War: Manpower, Armaments, and Supply , German victories in Poland, France, and in western Russia were certainly not the result of superior armored vehicles. Rather, these victories came about primarily because the Wehrmacht in every case enjoyed the element of surprise as Germany attacked at times and places of its own choosing, superior German training of tank crews in the concept of massed armored assaults, first-rate optical and ancillary equipment for the use of tank crews, and Luftwaffe tactical dominance over the battlefields. When using these German tanks, try following German tactics. At a cost of 6 to 13 points, a player can afford quite a few units, making a mass attack a possibility, even in a 100 point game. The newly released German JU-87B Stuka also provides an early war method of controlling the skies and knocking out enemy tanks and artillery positions from the air. Although at first glance these units may seem all but inferior, they can be used effectively if used properly. The Early War set brought with it a new set of challenges in order to play as the German army. Although the stats chosen by Wizards of the Coast may seem a little hard to believe at first glance, they are in fact rather accurate to the tanks as they appeared in the war. The Germans do not yet have the luxury of the dreaded Tiger and Panther tanks which tend to dominate the game board. Instead, one must use different tactics to adjust to an entirely different kind of war. And beware all those who laugh in the face of the tiny Panzer IB or Panzer II. They may not seem all that dangerous, but they did assist in conquering almost all of Europe at one point.

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Cables: 1) Get size "20" thread in dark brown or black (see top right). This stuff is either the smallest yarn available, or the thickest thread available - not sure which. It is about half a mm thick. 2) Cut a long section. Tie one end to something so it hangs straight down. 3) Squeeze grey paint onto your fingertips. Mash it around until you have a thin wet coat all over your fingers. Grab the thread with your messy fingertips and work the thread around as you wipe the length of the thread. Keep doing this until you see plenty of grey, but you can still see plenty of brown. 4) Wash your hands. Sheeeesh, kids! 5) Squeeze light brown / tan paint onto your fingertips. Repeat the process from step 3 with a lighter, rustier looking brown paint. Apply a good bit of it, but not quite as much as the last step. With each step, apply a little less paint than the last time. 6) After each step wash your hands. That should give the last coat a chance to dry enough. 7) Use silver paint now. Start out with very little, and gradually increase the dosage until you see just a few traces on the thread. Too much silver can ruin this cable real quick. 8) You can alternate grey, tan, and silver, in about any order. It depends on whether you want fresher looking cable, or old, rusty cable. Silver last makes it look recently used. Light brown or tan last makes it look rustier. Grey last makes it look newer. ( finished cable, second picture right) 9) Cut into desired lengths, leaving about 3mm extra on each end for loops. 10) Bend loops on each end, one at a time, and secure each loop at its base with a tiny bit of super glue applied with a toothpick. You can put more super glue on each loop later, to make them stronger. (third picture at right) Shovels: (bottom picture at right) 1) Heads: Cut thin strips of notebook paper about 3mm wide and 5 mm long. 2) Handles: Cut 5mm lengths of wire, paperclips, thin plastic rod, heatstretched plastic sprue, etc. 3) With a tiny bit of super glue on each handle end, crimp the paper around it overlapping only one mm of its length (the rest of the paper is just to have something to hold onto). 4) Trim the shovel with a pair of tiny scissors. You'll have to practice a few times. To get a symmetrical spade shape is not as easy as it looks until you get the hang of it. Make enough pieces so you can throw your first few attempts away. 5) Paint the handle dark brown, and the head black. Lightly brush a tiny bit of silver, and an even tinier amount of light brown over the tip of the shovel head. Nothing uglier than a shiny black shovel head. ICK ! 6) Lightly rub some of that lighter brown color just down the edge of the handle that will be facing up when mounted. You can even mount the shovel, then apply this light colored stripe. Having the dark brown showing on each side of the light brown, will add a vastly superior look to your shovel handle. 7) Make many shovels in different sizes. Apply them all over fenders and such, and have up to 3 different shovels per tank.

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Stalingrad: 13 Sep. 1942-23 Jan. 1942 When the Forces of the German Sixth Army launched their attack against the city center of Stalingrad on 13 September 1942, Mamayev Kurgan (appearing in military maps as "Height 102.0") saw particularly fierce fighting between the German attackers and the defending soldiers of the Soviet 62nd Army. Control of the hill became vitally important, as it offered control over the city. To defend it, the Soviets had built strong defensive lines on the slopes of the hill, including trenches, barbed-wire and minefields. The Germans pushed forward against the hill, taking heavy casualties. When they finally captured the hill, they started firing on the city centre, as well as on the railway station Stalingrad-1 under the hill. They captured the railway station on 14 September. On the same day, the Soviet 13th Guards Rifle Division commanded by Alexander Rodimtsev arrived in the city from across the river Volga under heavy German artillery fire. The division's 10,000 men immediately rushed into the battle. On 16 September they recaptured Mamayev Kurgan and kept fighting for the railway station, taking heavy losses. By the following day, almost all of them had died. The Soviets kept reinforcing their units in the city as fast as they could. The Germans assaulted up to twelve times a day, and the Soviets would respond with fierce counterattacks. The hill changed hands several times. By 27 September 1942, the Germans had again captured half of Mamayev Kurgan. The Soviets held their own positions on the slopes of the hill, as the 284th Rifle Division defended the key stronghold. The defenders held out until 26 January 1943, when the Soviet winter offensive relieved them, trapping and destroying the German forces inside Stalingrad. When the battle ended, the soil on the hill was so thoroughly churned by shellfire and mixed with metal fragments that it contained between 500 and 1,250 metal splinters per square meter. The earth on the hill remained black in the winter, as the snow melted in the many fires and explosions. The following spring, the hill remained black, as no grass grew on its scorched soil. The hill's formerly steep slopes were flattened in months of intense shelling and bombardment. Even today, it is possible to find fragments of bone and metal buried deep throughout the hill.

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Maps: (see map on next page) Use map 13 with the number in the upper left corner- The triple hill hex is the North West Corner. Half Hexes are in play. Place water hexes and hexes on the east edge of the map... these represent the Volga River. Printable water hexes are available here: http:// i123.photobucket.com/albums/o293/Snippersly/Mini-Maps/water1.jpg Set-Up: Soviet 62nd Army begins on or adjacent to Mamayev Hill. German 6th Army begins in any town or open hex and can deploy adjacent to the enemy. The German 6th Army cannot deploy on the hill. There is no turn limit - There must be a victory! German 6th Army has initiative on Turn 1. German 6th Army JU-87B Stuka (EW) WE Vet Sniper SS-Haupsturmfuhrer MG42 X2 WE Vet Infantry X3 SS-Panzergrenadiers X2 Panzergrenadier Mauser Kar X5 Fortress Defender X2 Disc Spotter X2 7.5cm LEL G18 X2 81mm Mortar Opel Blitz & 88mm Flak 36 Soviet 62nd Army Barbed Wire X2 Mine Fields X2 Pillbox X2 Commisar Soviet NCO Fanatical Sniper Mosin-Nagant X2 Soviet Grenadier Degtyarev DP-27 X2 PPSH-41 SMG X2 Maxim MG Red Army FO 82mm PM-37 Mortar 76.2mm Model 1942 Soviet 13th Guards Army (see special rules) Commisar X2 Veteran NCO Mosin-Nagant X3 Soviet Grenadier X2 Degtyarev DP-27 X2 PPSH-41 SMG X2 Maxim MG 82mm Mortar PM-37 76.2mm Model 1942 Hero of the Soviet Union Must spawn from the 13th Guards Army.

Special Rules: Crossing the Volga - Trying to get reinforcements across the Volga was a dangerous prospect. Many were killed by German guns as they tried to make the short passage. For the Soviet 13th Guards Army to enter play, they must make it to the shore. Starting on Turn 1, at the end of the movement phase, roll a 1D6. On the result of a 1, destroy one infantry unit from the 13 th Guards. On a 2-6, whatever is shown on the die is how many units arrive on the west bank of the Volga River and can enter play. Keep rolling 1D6 per turn until all the units arrive. Victory Conditions: Major: Germany - Hold the hill at all costs and place all three artillery pieces and a spotter on the hill. Minor: Germany - Contest all the hill hexes and place the 88 on the hill. Major: Russian - Destroy the enemy and hold Mamayev Hill uncontested. Destroy all three German artillery units. Minor: Hold half of the hill and prevent the placement of enemy artillery.

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Map: Battle for Mamayev Hill

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The forumini is not just the home of the greatest AAM and WAS discussions on the internet, it is also the home of some very impressive resources that could boost every foruminians gaming experience. Ranging Shots is the perfect vehicle for bringing some of these resources to a wider audience. So here, in what may be the first of a series, is a look at the War at Sea Repaint Reference, something that might make WAS scenario players exclaim, The Forumini has that? The Repaint Reference (RR) is a collection of unique, unofficial cards for use in War at Sea games. Since most WAS models represent ships that are members of classes that have multiple units, the models themselves could represent any one of a number of identical sister ships. But playing two sister ships together, say two copies of USS Baltimore, can be a bit boring with both ships reflecting the stats of one individual ship. Some WAS models have been rereleased in successive sets with different paint jobs and different stats. Termed repaints, these ships are good ways to represent unique sisters within classes. Not content with the limited official selection some intrepid WASers began creating cards for the unreleased sisters of the models already in the game. Created as a thread to create stats for a few ships for specific scenarios, the Repaint Reference grew in little more than a years time to encompass more than 150 cards, created with more than 40 pages of discussion. Soon after the topics inception, jfkziegler began fashioning actual cards in a format similar to the official WAS cards. These proved so popular that demand for sisters grew, not just for specific scenario pieces,

but according to RR organizer chesty, became a way for players to name their duplicates and expand their fleets without buying or building custom mini's. While the first repaints were created by swapping existing special abilities onto the stats of the original WAS ship, the project soon outgrew the SA selection provided by the game. Now the RR also functions as an outlet for creativity where foruminians can create new SAs that are tailored to the histories of each specific vessel. Lately, a reorganization of the RRs format made accessing the many cards located there far more convenient and created a new dimension to the project. The thread now opens with a post that lists each WAS card and a comprehensive list of the units that can be repainted or proxied by that unit. The list contains links to historical information for each unit as well as a link to each of the RRs cards. Also included are links to repaint cards made in the independent WAS Navies project. With a total of nearly 250 cards, the links provided here more than double the amount of units available to WAS players. If you have a scenario that needs a specific ship, if youre tired of the selection of official cards, if youve got a great idea for a special ability that isnt yet in the game, then the Repaint Reference is a must-see destination. Suggestions, help, and comments are always welcome, but participation isnt required to benefit from the work that chesty, jfkziegler and many other have put into this thread. When it comes to sister-ship repaints, it can confidently be stated, Yup, the forumini has that.

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ECCLESIASTES announced that he is getting married the 3rd of June! Cwfgamecast will be married on May 7th, but has still found time to scan the cards from the new WAS starter. Newsletter contributor Snippersly (34) and his son Ryan (10) both celebrated birthdays on March 17th Cmdr_Clint also celebrated a birthday on the 17th, but is still mourning the loss of Scaramanga Jfkziegler, as of March 24th, is only one year away from leaving his 20s behind forever General Hoth and his gaming pals are celebrating the arrival of his long awaited copy of War of the Ring: Collectors Edition Texas Grognard turned 40 and can now legally begin stories with the phrase, When I was your age Mr. Ken is pleased that his pick-up received a new engine and might again function

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Zazzle is not a sponsor, but for each sale there is a small commission that goes to the foruminian designer of the product. Products include the ww2 airborne assault tie, buttons for every kind of achievement The forumini receives a small commission from ebay for every product that you buy there if you visited ebay by clicking on the forumini main pages ad. The products shown on our ebay banner are the auctions that you would get on ebay by searching axis allies, the soonest showing first. during an AAM or WAS game, hats, mugs, t-shirts depicting ww2 tanks, aircraft and ships, etc. www.zazzle.com/forumini