Spearhead in 15mm: France 1940 and Eastern front

Another game report from some years back in late November 2012 when I experimented with using my favorite 6mm Second World War rules for 15mm scale.  The advantages of Spearhead are it plays fast and produces reasonably accurate historical results.  There are some abstractions (city fighting) and modification needed for games with less than 3 formations (battalions for 6mm, companies for 15mm). The rules have a ground scale of 1" = 100 yards and a figure scale of one base = a platoon for 6mm.  The ground scale definitely needs to be altered for 15mm (1" - 50 yards) and an option for 1:1 play is a good idea.  I have started to write up 15mm rules.   Here are some pictures of a game set in France in the spring of 1940  pitting French and German armour against each other.

German Pz IVd and 38t tanks versus French S-35 tanks

As this was a test game it was relatively small and was mainly armour, we decided the infantry and artillery would be added in for the next 1940 game (I have the roster for that game but not the pictures). This game was played on a 6' x 4' table using the 4 foot edges.

The French had the following armoure:

6 x FMC-36

5 x Somua S-35

4 x Panhard AC

The Germans had the following armour

1 Pz. I command

3 Pz. II F

6 Pz. 35t

5 Pz IV D

1 or 2 stands of infantry.

FCM36 tanks in the foreground, objective marker in the woods

Most of the fighting was centered around the woods with the objective marker and in the rear of the German lines where the Panhard armoured cars used their speed to get behind enemy lines.

Panhard AC versus German/ Czech 35t

German / Czech 38t

Overview

German's fall back on their left flank

French Somua S-35 tanks pass destroyed Pz IVD

I don't recall all the details, but I believe it was a French victory.

 Eastern Front

Here is a  map and some pictures form an encounter battle game played in February 2013 set on the Eastern front in early 1944 (German versus Soviet) using the Spearhead rules adapted for 15mm.  This was a much larger game than the France 1940 game as infantry and artillery were included.

The Germans had a force of  2 Pz IVF2, 6 Pz IVH, 4 Stug IIIs, a Wirbilwind plus armoured infantry with MGs, mortars and off-board 105mm artillery. The Russians had  13 T-34/76s, a BA-64 AC plus infantry with MGs, a 76mm gun, mortars and Katyusha rockets.

German armour leads the advance to take the hill

A hoard of T-34/76s advances, looks like the sun has set

I don't recall who won but the tank battle near the hill was bloody. 

Final Thoughts

The game was played on a 6' x 4' table using the long edge and I think it is as large a force as you would want on that size table: 13-14 AFV plus a similar number of infantry stands with supporting artillery. The only downside to small battles in Spearhead (less than 3 formations per side) is the games can end very quickly and the rules can sometimes fell overly simplistic as they are designed to handle a large number of miniatures. If we were to use a force that is much larger than we used for this game  there would be no room for maneuver and we would get a parking lot effect and a shooting gallery (this would not be a problem for those who like to play FoW 😀.  For larger games I would either use a 8' x 5' table or go to 6mm scale.