Bocage, Wappinshaw and Claymore 2001

Standing in a drainage ditch alone and partially concealed from the edge of the road by the voluminous summer foliage of a Norman hedgerow a German carrying a panzerfaust carefully drew a bead on an approaching British Humber scout car. Frozen into immobility at it’s appearing the courageous soldier held his ground. The car was moving cautiously along the high sided leafy lane. Just a few seconds and he could fire and run, just a few more seconds. Suddenly the vehicle flew into the air, all was speed and panic. “Hey kid” I said smiling through gritted teeth “I think your dad is looking for you” and held out my hand into which he put the armoured car and the wheel he had just snapped off it. The soldier was frozen not through fear but because he is plastic. The armoured car will live to do the same scouting job again.

To echo the opening of the great Mr. D. Featherstone from the opening of one of his wargaming books nobody was hurt (except my hen-like feelings for my models) all lived to fight another day.

The Phoenix Club sand table was designed with WWII wargaming in mind. Bocage fighting and the terrain in which to do it are easily moulded from the moist sand, especially the drainage ditches, and was the subject of our club display in ’01. A good time was had by all. The lessons all round were perfectly clear. If the Allies turn up even mob handed then the Hun will have a happy time and progress will, as was demonstrated, be slow. Unless, that is, you’re a brilliant strategist like 13 year old Peter who demonstrated with ease how to beat a 40 year old who was sick of being beaten and decided to go German for a change.

We used the "Rapid Fire" rules, and good fun they certainly are. The idea on each occasion was to get a British Armoured Brigade from one end of the Bocage ridden table to the other. Even with very limited German resistance this was extremely difficult to do. The farmhouses were forts, the hedges were traps and whatever you do don’t go near an orchard.

’04 looks to be a promising year for the club exhibition game. Amongst other anniversaries its D-Day again and we plan to have a bash. So if you’re around the northern half of Britain (Glasgow- Wappinshaw, Edinburgh-Claymore, Newcastle or Kerriemuir) come and see ‘Overlord’ on a real sand beach.

Simondavison@castlehead100.fsnet.co.uk