Amber Gambler: Mission 6

For their sixth mission, the crew of the Gambler welcomed some reinforcements to replace the casualties suffered in their last mission. The new crew members are Bombardier Martin Thorpe and Waist Gunners Steve Johnson and Christian Maude.
The B-17 crews were given some bad news during the mission briefing, there would no longer be dedicated fighter escort for the missions, the crews would have to just rely on whatever fighters were around. To compensate for this the bombers would be travelling in much greater numbers to the targets.
The target for this mission was the industrial area around Lille. The Gambler took to the skies over Northamptonshire and formed up in the middle of their formation which was in the low squadron of the bomber wave and headed for France.
Over the channel they were met by three FW190's but managed to damage two of them and carried on towards the target.
As the bombers flew over France they were met by Me109's but fortunately there were also plenty of friendly Mustangs around which drove the Nazi fighters away. Arriving over the target things started to get a little dicey. The weather had turned quite poor which would make the bomb run difficult and hordes of Luftwaffe fighters waited to greet the American bombers. Flying through the gauntlet of fire from the enemy fighters the Gambler was repeatedly hit by enemy fire which turned the nose of the plane into swiss cheese. One canon shell exploded in the nose compartment wounding both Bombardier Martin Thorpe and Navigator Adam Wright, though neither was overly serious. Another shell destroyed the bomb release mechanism which meant the bombs would have to be dropped manually. This was not an easy process and as a result all the bombs missed the target.
With the bombs gone the Gambler turned round and headed for home. Still the Nazi fighters swarmed round the bombers and Martin Thorpe managed to blow one out of the sky. The Gambler continued her flight home through the hail of enemy shells receiving countless hits, though none that caused any real damage except for a wound to Port Waist Gunner Steve Johnson, again though it wasn't too serious.
Reaching the English Channel the bombers met with some RAF Spitfires that drove away the remaining enemy fighters and they were able to proceed the rest of the way back unmolested.
This is the sixth mission completed for the Gambler and there were three more Purple Hearts awarded to the crew members that got wounded on the flight.

Dark Eldar Kabalite Warriors

Figured it was time that I finally started my Dark Eldar army. I've only had them sitting around for about a year! I have just finished building my first squad and am now preparing to paint them. The first unit from the Kabal of the Gun and the Rose will soon be finished :-)

Amber Gambler: Mission 5

Today's mission saw the Gambler return to Abbeville Airfield in an attempt to cause some damage this time.
The mission started off fine with the Gambler joining the rest of the squadron high above England and proceeding with their fighter escort towards the target. They had an uneventful flight to the French coast where the weather turned poor. Out of the gloom it seemed like the entire Luftwaffe rose to meet them. The USAAF fighters were swamped and couldn't keep the Hun fighters at bay.
The first wave to hit the Gambler consisted of three Me109's and the lead started flying. The 109's were eventually driven off but not before they sprayed the Gambler with canon shells causing a serious wound to Bombardier Peter Hanna and blasting several holes in the aircraft.
There was no respite for the Gambler as another wave of three 109's followed the first. One of them was brought down by the guns in the top turret maned by Engineer Dan Clifton. The other two again blasted the Gambler with shells, damaging the tail wheel and the front windscreen, knocking the heat out in the pilots compatment and knocking the ball turret guns out of action.
Bravely plodding on the Gambler endured a third wave of fighters, this time three FW190's which fortunately did little damage.
Reaching the target Navigator Adam Wright took over the bomb aiming duties but missed the target. With the bombs gone the Gambler turned round and headed back through the maelstrom of enemy fighters. All around them other B-17's were falling out of the sky and the Gambler found themselves in the tail end Charlie spot.
Another wave of enemy fighters bore down on the Gambler, this time consisting of a Me109, three FW190's and a Me410. The pasting that the Gambler took was relentless as their abilty to fire back was severely drained. More and more shells poured into the Gambler causing the tail guns to become inoperable. The Nazi fighters circled the Gambler like a bunch of sharks and as more shells ripped into her both waist gunners, Jason Taylor and Lee Owen were killed. The Gambler then took more hits to the cockpit causing a light wound on the pilot Chris Hopkins and a serious wound to the Co-Pilot Simon Hanna.
Still flying, the Gambler was forced to drop out of formation as the cold at 20,000 feet would have probably killed the wounded crew in the pilots compartment otherwise. Dropping below 10,000 feet over the channel a welcome sight of Mustangs awaited them and they were escorted home where the injured pilot managed to get the battered Gambler back down on the ground.
A nightmare mission was finally over, though too late for Jason Taylor and Lee Owen. The wounds suffered by Chris Hopkins and Simon Hanna were reasonably minor and both will be fit for duty in a couple of days with nice shiny Purple Hearts. Peter Hanna suffered more serious wounds, though he is expected to recover, but his flying days are over and he will be sent back to America with the Purple Heart.

Amber Gambler: Mission 4

Today's mission was to bomb the airfield at St. Omer. Again there would be close fighter support from the USAAF.
The Gambler took to the skies above Poddington and formed up with the rest of her formation, slotting nicely into the middle once more. The flight to the French coast was uneventful and soon the bombers reached the French mainland.
The weather over the target was poor and again the flak was medium though this time fortunately for the Gambler they passed through unscathed. As they approached the airfield the Luftwaffe came up in strength to meet them. The first wave of fighters battled against the USAAF Mustangs and a Me410 got through to attack the Gambler. Making the mistake of attacking high above the Gambler tail the Me410 was peppered with shells from Adi Clark on the tail gun and Jason Coombes from the top turret. The 410 broke away and headed groundwards trailing black smoke.
The Gambler pressed on unmolested and began its bomb run. This time Pete Hanna managed to get his bombs reasonably on target scoring a 20% hit rate. Turning back towards home the Gambler ran the gauntlet of Luftwaffe fighters beginning with a wave of five Fw190's. Three of these were kept at bay by the American fighters but two made it through to ruffle the Gamblers feathers. Attached from front and back the Gamblers gunners filled the skies with lead and Adi Clark on tail guns again damaged one of the 190's though this time the Nazi fighter slammed his shells into the rear of the B-17 before he broke from combat. There was minor damage to both wings and a chunk blown out of the rudder but no significant damage. At the front the Gamblers gunners did enough to put the other 190 off without it scoring any hits and it flew off to find easier prey. The second wave of enemy fighters then arrived. These Me109's fought with the Mustangs and one passed close by but failed to hit.
Having survived fighting against the most enemy planes yet encountered the Gambler headed back to the saftey of British skies and landed with the rest of the squadron back at base completing their fourth mission.

Amber Gambler: Mission 3

The crew of the Amber Gambler took off on their third mission. This time the target was Cherbourg Airfield and they would be supported by Mustangs of the USAAF. These Mustangs together with some lovely formation flying by the B-17's deterred the Luftwaffe from attacking the bombers on their way to the target.
The weather was superb and as the B-17's flew over the French coast they could see their target ahead and they started their bomb run. As they flew towards the target they encountered the heaviest flak they had yet seen and the Gambler was peppered with shrapnel and took two major hits, one knocking out the brakes and the other destroying engine number 2. Pilot Chris Hopkins managed to get the propeller feathered and the Gambler flew on with three engines.
The bumpy ride took it's toll on the bomb run though with all the Gamblers bombs missing their target. With the bombs gone, the Gambler started it's homeward journey. With the USAAF Mustangs keeping the enemy fighters at bay the Gambler made its way back to Poddington and made a safe landing despite having no brakes.
Another mission done and it was the toughest yet but the crew have made it back safe and sound, ready to fight another day.

Amber Gambler, 3 missions done and 1 fighter destroyed.

Col. Nick Bolter

Still feeling uninspired in the painting department so decided to do another Eath Reborn figure. This time it was Col. Nick Bolter. Only 4 more Earth figs left to do.

Col. Nick Bolter

B-17 Queen Of The Skies

Decided to do a little solitaire gaming today. Broke out my copy of B-17 Queen Of The Skies. It's an old Avalon Hill game from the Eighties. Last year I bought a CD with all the files on and have printed them out. Not quite as good quality as the original game but cheaper and easier to find nowadays!

B-17 Printed out and ready to go

The adventures of B-17F Amber Gambler could now begin.
The Amber Gambler's crew consists of the following members.
Pilot: Chris Hopkins
Co-Pilot: Simon Hanna
Bombardier: Peter Hanna
Navigator: Adam Wright
Engineer: Dan Clifton
Radio Operator: Jason Coombes
Ball Gunner: Damon Smith
Port Waist Gunner: Jason Taylor
Starboard Waist Gunner: Lee Owen
Tail Gunner: Adi Clark

The missions begin in January 1943.
For the Amber Gambler's first mission we were assigned to bomb the railyard at Amiens in France. The RAF would provide fighter cover for the whole mission so hopefully it should be a piece of cake! The mission started with the Amber Gambler taking to the skies over Poddington. After forming up in the middle of the squadron the squadron met with the fighter escort and headed off to France.
There was no sight of the Luftwaffe until we got over French territory and then we spotted them. Fortunately the RAF drove off two waves of fighters and the Amber Gambler proceeded to the target unmolested. The weather over the target was good and the flak was light  and the Bombardier, Peter Hanna proceeded to drop the payload on target, achieving a 20% hit rate.
After the bombs had dropped the Luftwaffe managed to get a pair of FW190's past the RAF fighters and attacked the Amber Gambler but fortunately their aim was poor and no hits were scored.
Heading back to Britain the flight encountered more Luftwaffe planes, mostly driven off by the RAF though one got through. Didn't do him much good though as Engineer Dan Clifton peppered him with bullets causing major damage and forcing him to break off.
Then the welcome sight of the White Cliffs of Dover appeared ahead and the Amber Gambler was almost home and the first mission was complete!

Amber Gambler's crew ready for action

Mission 2:
The USAAF decided to keep the first few missions simple and for this mission we were tasked with bombing the Luftwaffe airfield at Abbeville in France. The RAF would once again be providing close fighter support.
The Amber Gambler was again fortunate to be in the middle of the squadron (safety in numbers!) and had an uneventful trip to the French coast. Over the target the Luftwaffe fighters had a running battle with the RAF but one FW190 piloted by an Ace managed to break through coming in high in front of the Gambler. In the nose compartment Pete Hanna took aim with his gun and blew the Nazi plane out of the sky! First kill for the Gamblers crew!!
The Gambler reached the target in clear skies and avoided all the light flak but Pete must have been dancing around the nose compartment too much celebrating his kill as he completely missed the target with his bombs!
Turning back towards Britain the flight of B-17's watched as the RAF dealt with the Luftwaffe and proceeded back towards Poddington.

Another mission done, just 23 more to go!! It's going to be easy right?!

Jessica Hollister

Couldn't decide what to paint next so decided to do something quick and easy. I chose to paint up Jessica Hollister, one of the figures from Earth Reborn. I've had the game for about a year now but still haven't gotten around to playing it! I have read the rules and they seem very good. It also gets great reviews over at www.boardgamegeek.com

Jessica Hollister

One day i'll get round to playing a game of it!! Until then i'll just paint up a few more of the figures.

Panzers!

I've just put the finishing touches to four 20mm German tanks for Kampfgruppe Normandy. I've built a pair of STUG III's and a pair of Panzer IV's.
The kits are Armourfast ones which come in pairs of tanks. They are very quick to build (hence the name!) and are perfectly fine for wargaming. I'm fed up of kits where you have to build the tracks link by link! No such problems here, just slam it all together, give it a lick of paint and you're ready to rumble through Normandy!

Heavy metal

40K and Blood Bowl

Got to do a couple of games last Sunday against my mate Pete. I have been really looking forward to taking on his Tyranid army in 40K. I decided I would use my Imperial Guard army against him. We chose to do a 1500 point game.
The first thing to say is that Pete's army looks stunning, he's done a fantastic job of painting it.

The game was a complete disaster from my point of view!!  We rolled up a scenario where the Tyranids were defending three objectives and could deploy anywhere up to halfway of the table. My Guard then got to deploy on my table edge. As I had taken Ratlings who can infiltrate I set them up in some trees on Pete's table edge.

On my first turn I slowly moved the guard forwards and fired off a few shots. I did resonably well and caused a few casualties. I made a huge mistake though and totally forgot about the Ratlings!!!

On Pete's turn he proceeded to slaughter my army. First he blasted the Ratlings in the trees causing 5 hits. I needed 3+ to save each hit and promptly rolled five 1's and 2's!! The remainder of the Ratlings failed their leadership test and fled the battlefield :-(
Things went from bad to worse as he managed to knock out the guns on two of my three tanks. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse he managed to get two units into close combat with 2 thirds of my infantry that i'd combined into one large squad. The resulting close combat wasn't even close and my army had been crushed in one turn! Oh well, maybe next time!

Cannon Fodder preparing to die!

  Seeing as that battle only took one turn we played a game of Blood Bowl. It was a week 7 league match between Nottingville Forest and Nordburg Storm. Forest are a Wood Elf team who had been doing great until week 4 when half the team was injured! Only just able to field a full team, my goal in this game was just to survive the match without taking any more casualties as i'd have three of my injured players back for the final game. I knew it wouldn't be easy against the humans but i'd give it a go.

The first half started with the Storm kicking deep to Nottingville. I had an early chance to score but star receiver Sami Proudfoot dropped a sure touchdown pass :-( After that the result was never in doubt. The storm recovered the loose ball and marched down the field for Dan Clifford to score on a 4 pace run. The score stayed like that until half time.

The second half was one way traffic as Forest by this time had lost another couple of players to injury and had more in the KO'd bin. The Storm dominated  the second half and scored three more touchdowns, a 9 pace run by Benito Carboncopy and two TD passes from Chris Hopkins, a 15 pacer to Bentio Carboncopy and a 17 pacer to Pete Hanna.

The final score was 4-0 to the Storm and 3-0 to them in the CAS stakes. I was reasonably happy though as i'd not suffered any lasting injuries. That happiness didn't last long though as during the inter match events I managed to get my veteran Wardancer injured for the next match!

All in all a pretty dismal day at the gaming table :-(