Fire and Fury Games' Battlefront WWII BOVINGTON 2008

Fire and Fury Games We give history a second chance.

BOVINGTON 2008

Our U.K. fans have a tradition of running gigantic games at their conventions. 2008 was no exception, as RMD et. al. put on Operation Modular, fought in Angola in 1987.

Some photos of the venue

Bovington is run in the Bovington Tank Museum, which gives it a rather unique military flavor.

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
The Venue	Not every convention has an actual King Tiger in the gaming hall.
Merville Battery	One of the games at the convention was a Merville battery game. One of the veterans in the photo was a paratrooper who took part in the Assault.

More photos from this game (and others) can be found at the Battlegroup South website.

Operation Modular

R. Mark Davies describes the festivities as follows:
It was something a bit different for the 'Battlefront Wargamers UK' annual jolly trip to Bovington in 2008. We decided to give Richard de Ferrars and Paddy Green a break from preparing huge Normandy games and instead went to Angola, circa 1987. Mark Davies prepared the scenario and enlisted the support of Martin Small, Ken Natt and Andy Parkes to provide troops.
Martin Small was the chief terrain-builder and did a spiffing job, as you can see in the accompanying photos. Martin also somehow managed to find time to convert unusual vehicles and aircraft AND to build the master models for the essential South African Casspir and Buffel APCs, so that QRF could rush out dozens of kits for us (thanks Geoff and Chas!).
The scenario is based on the final stages of Operation 'Modular' in Octopber 1987. Operation 'Modular' was a South African operation in support of UNITA rebels, who were under severe pressure from four attacking FAPLA Brigades, which were threatening the main UNITA base of operations at Mavinga. The background to the campaign and the initial clash on the Lomba River between the South African 20th Brigade and FAPLA's 21st Brigade, is covered in the scenario 'First Clash on the Lomba' (see the Scenarios page).
Having defeated 21st Brigade's attempted crossing of the Lomba, SADF 20th Brigade moved west to meet the FAPLA 47th Brigade, which had circumvented the source of the Lomba River and was advancing down the southern bank of the river towards Mavinga. However, 47th Brigade was continually harassed by long-range South African artillery and UNITA forces, who were reasonably well-armed with Milan antitank missiles and captured Soviet heavy weapons, while at night they were repeatedly attacked by South African air power.
With South African forces closing in and having been deserted by their exasperated Soviet advisors (who flew out by helicopter in September), 47th Brigade decided to make a stand on the Lomba River and build a causeway across the boggy valley, in an attamept to link up with 59th Brigade, which was operating on the north bank of the Lomba.
There then followed a month of battles, with UNITA and South African forces making repeated spoiling attacks against all sides of the FAPLA position, while bombarding them mercilessly with artillery and from the air. Finally, their causeway and bridge were ready and the remains of 47th Brigade attempted to disengage. But with the bridge registered by 155mm artillery and 127mm rockets and with the South African 61 Mech Battalion launching an all-out attack against the FAPLA column, the withdrawal turned into a rout and 47th Brigade was annihilated on the south bank of the Lomba.
Operation Modular Situation Map

Our game was intended to be a 'spectacular' version of the final days of 47th Brigade. In our game FAPLA is under attack from all sides simultaneously, whereas in reality, the various attacks were launched on different days.
However, I made a screw-up with the scenario, classing the whole central area as 'Sparse' terrain, which allowed long-range antitank fire that caused unhistorically high casualties among the lightly-armoured South African antitank and reconnaissance units. In the earlier 'First Clash' game, we applied a 10-inch maximum observation rule in Sparse terrain, which worked very well indeed, allowing the South African Ratels to get close enough to T-55s to cause historically high casualties on the FAPLA tanks. In retrospect I should have applied that rule to this scenario as well.
Nevertheless, despite unrealistically high armour losses, the South African and UNITA infantry won the day, overrunning the FAPLA positions with only light losses to themselves and causing a stampede for the bridge, which was interdicted by South African artillery. Some rash interventions by air power from both sides were unceremoniously shot out of the sky by the copious AA assets on the table, but with attrition of those assets, aircraft were making their presence felt by the end of the game.
The real shock of the game though, was the armoured assault by Comrade-Commander 'Che' Natt's FAPLA 1st Tactical Group, against the UNITA 5th Regular Battalion. Despite causing some damage with Milans, RPGs, recoilless rifles and antitank mines, the 5th Battalion was utterly annihilated under the tracks of the FAPLA T-55s. However, the FAPLA exploitation against South African Combat Group 'Bravo', while causing damage, finally ran out of steam due to FAPLA armour losses. Nevertheless, FAPLA's honour had been restored by the sacrifice of the heroic tank battalion.
Due to the sheer numbers of burning South African armoured vehicles (plus a downed Buccaneer and an atrocity incolving a clearly-marked ambulance), the game was judged to be a FAPLA propaganda victory, albeit a tactical defeat for FAPLA.
Thanks to all who came to play something 'a bit different' at Bovvy in 2008 and thanks to Ken Natt, Richard de Ferrars and Martin Small for the photos.

Terrain and Setup

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
omterr01	A town with some NGOs tending to the populace.
omterr02	The bridge.
om0100	The Battlefield
om0101	The Calm Before The Storm
om0102	Angolan Village Scene
om0103	FAPLA 47 Bde
om0104	FAPLA 47 Bde - Another View
om0105	Centre of FAPLA 47 Bde
om0106	FAPLA 47 Bde HQ
om0107	FAPLA 2-47 Bn
om0108	FAPLA 3-47 Bn Digging In
om0109	FAPLA 3-47 Bn HQ
om0110	FAPLA 3-47 Bn Waits
om0111	FAPLA T-55s
om0112	FAPLA T-55s & BMP-1
om0113	FAPLA Tactical Group 1 Digs In & Waits
om0114	FAPLA Tactical Group 1 Waits
om0115	FAPLA 120mm Mortar Battery
om0116	FAPA-DAA Hind Strafes UNITA
om0117	SADF Ratel-81
om0118	SADF 61 Bn Recce Sqn
om0119	CG Alpha
om0120	CG Alpha Moves Up
om0121	CG Charlie Probes Along The Riverbank
om0122	SAAF Buccaneers Roll In To Strike 47 Bde
om0123	SAAF Impala Conducts Preparatory Strike
om0124	UNITA 3 Bn Moves Forward
om0125	FAPA-DAA MiG-23

Initial Clashes

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
om0200	Buffels of CG Charlie
om0201	FAPA-DAA MiG-17 Strafes UNITA 5 Bn
om0201a	UNITA 5 Bn Moves Up Under Air Attack
om0202	CG Alpha Closes With The Enemy
om0203	CG Alpha Moves In Support of UNITA
om0204	CG Alpha's Ratels Providing Close Support
om0205	CG Charlie Attacks FAPLA 2-47 Bn
om0206	CG Charlie's Ratels Are Engaged By Saggers
om0207	CGs Alpha and Charlie Attack
om0208	FAPLA 2-47 Bn Comes Under Intense Pressure
om0209	FAPLA 2-47 Bn HQ
om0210	FAPLA BM-21s
om0211	Ratels Supporting UNITA 3 Bn
om0212	Rear Of FAPLA 47 Bde
om0213	The First FAPLA Withdrawal
om0214	The Peace Of The Village Is Shattered
om0215	The SADF Attacks
om0216	UNITA 3 Bn Attacks FAPLA 2-47 Bn
om0217	UNITA 3 Bn Attacks
om0218	UNITA 3 Bn Overruns The First Trench Line

Battle Intensifies

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
om0300	Burning Vehicles Everywhere!
om0302	CG Alpha's Buffels & Ystervark
om0303	CG Alpha's Buffels Wade In
om0304	CG Bravo Arrives
om0305	CG Bravo Attacks
om0306	CG Charlie Overruns FAPLA Left Flank
om0307	CG Charlie Suffers Heavy Ratel Losses To ATGMs
om0308	CG Charlie's Infantry Presses Home The Attack
om0309	FAPLA Tactical Group 1 Attacks UNITA 5 Bn
om0310	FAPLA Tactical Group 1 Attacks
om0311	FAPLA Tactical Group 1 In The Bush
om0312	FAPLA Tanks Under Artillery Fire
om0313	Last Stand of UNITA 5 Bn
om0314	SA Artillery Interdicts The Bridge
om0315	The Battle Intensifies
om0316	UNITA 3 Bn Overruns 3-47 Bn
om0217	UNITA 275 Bn Attacks FAPLA 1-47 Bn

Final Rout

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
om0401	47 Bde's Left Flank Collapses.JPG
om0402	CG Alpha Overruns 2-47 Bn.JPG
om0403	FAPLA 1-47 Bn Retreats.JPG
om0404	FAPLA Artillery Withdraws Under Fire.JPG
om0405	FAPLA Propaganda.JPG
om0406	FAPLA Tactical Group 1 Surprises CG Bravo
om0407	FAPLA's 47 Bde Begins To Rout
om0408	Tactical Group 1 Overruns 32 Bn AT Sqn
om0409	Tactical Group 1 Takes on CG Bravo
om0410	UNITA 5 Bn Is Crushed
om0411	The Final View

The Team

Click on the Thumbnail for a full-size photo	Description
The Team	Martin, Richard, Andy, Mark, Paul, Steve, Ken, and Gary.

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