28mm Pacific

 Well it finally arrived... a day out with our 28mm scale Tarawa game at the Carronade Wargame Show. Thanks to the Falkirk gamers for putting on a great show. Our game is a 12 foot x 6 foot playing space.

It was busy, with queues to get in! With lots of great traders and games to be had for all ages and tastes.

So we packed up a van all loaded with weapons (in 28mm scale) and headed out..

So the USMC head to the beach of Tarawa - we start were we left of...with USMC already with some units on the beach. We will surely get to that airfield today...and yes... we took loads of pictures !!

You tube Video link   ( https://youtu.be/y4_9OwtyLOI  )  Video

   

Left Side of the board - USMC Higgins boats drop the troop at the reef and they wade ashore. How close they get to the beach is dependent on the god dice!

Right Side - Not a lot is beyond the sea wall... except lots of Japanese Special Navel Landing Force -SNLF (basically Japanese Marines).    EEEK. On the far right is the airstrip.

The Javanese SNLF are ready to rush down to any breach in their defences. 

Airstrip is to the right - a prime target for the USMC.

The LVT1's are on track -right at the sea wall...

The jap aircraft are grounded ...and this pilot is not happy.

And get those mules moving!

Two flamethrowers and an HMG move into hiding. The strange thing about 2 of the flamethrowers was that the Japanese player lost sight of these 2 guys until the end of the game (he forgot where he placed them...its a jungle out there LOL)

Can Japanese Officers plan their way to victory...or not?

HMG in the background - on top right

Guys get the washing in - before the USMC arrive! Laundry line !

A lot of people asking about the wading USMC in the sea...these were made from green stuff and spare Warlord Games parts...Supplies is even coming ashore on dinghy's pulled by wading marines.

But at Tarawa a lot of troops came ashore from the water as Higgins could not get in far enough.

The reef and artillery take there toll on the landing LVT's. An LVT1 gets hit.

Coastal Gun - it was stolen by the Japanese at Singapore and ended up at Tarawa. Its a 3d print designed by me for the game.

A USMC General "G" (middle of pic) sips his coffee and considers his options on the beach. 

Check out the wheel barrow (a 3d print) behind the ammo boxes (bottom of the picture)...

Two pack mules...tied up to a trailer.

The are now 250 USMC troops on the beach and another 250 troops in the sea!

Move!

Japanese get another hit - kaboom!

The big navel gun is holding the line.

A Jap officer gets medical treatment bottom right at the airfield.

A USMC takes on the coastal gun with a flamethrower.

There is a build up on the sea wall..."get some TNT on the sea wall"! twice the dice fail us...we are stuck.  

The sea wall is just made of blue extruded foam hot wire shaped and "engraved" then painted and flocked with various ground cover and plants.

Tanks at Tarawa don't carry US Army white stars as they are Navy tanks. On red beach they use a prancing elephant logo on the side -with the tank crew naming the tank. 

I recommend the book "Tanks in  Hell".

This picture just looks right for the day.

Japanese HMGs are waiting

A Japanese flamethrower jumps out and torches a Sherman.

Its all about numbers on the beach. Note John Wayne (Sgt Stryker right up front!(far right)

As USMC get over the sea wall and its all going off! Hand to hand.

A USMC hits a SNLF with a rifle butt

The Japanese are well dug in around the big navel gun. Just look at those bamboo trenches.

The foliage looks ok on our clear bases. 

The watch tower is just wooden dowels, hot glued thread added for twine, earth magnets hold the legs to top and the roof is also detachable by magnets.

The USMC keep moving forward.

Two Shermans are dumped into the sea to swim for the beach (bottom middle).

The Japanese General is thinking over his plan

That Japanese Flamethrower guy is at it again... the dice gods are also shining on him.

A lucky mortar round hits a Sherman 

The Japanese officer to the left is hit by a shell burst. 

Its a nice picture of the gun crew with the range finder periscope.

A Japanese 88mm sits waiting whilst the crew bring more ammo. This is covering the main road.

 Their rifles are stacked close to hand.

This is the mortar crew that took out the Sherman ... 

The Ammo boxes have ammo written in Japanese....I think (google translate!).

The centre gets very hectic as USMC spearhead through the centre gaps in the sea wall.

But the Japanese have a second line of defense ready with HMG and Mortars  They have the area ranged up on their maps (in the picture Tarawa map to scale).

First wave is over the sea wall...but I need more USMC on the beach for a second wave. 

This Japanese truck with the fuel drum on front and on the back is not selling ice cream to the beach party!

Japanese reserves at the far end are visible

A good picture from the Japanese side.

USMC medics are busy and bar gunners send lead!

Stretcher Corpsman

Awaiting rescue transportation.

Beach area is busy with medics .

Every where you move these guys pop up from spider holes.

SNLF reserves moving up top the front line in force - where that offshore barrage!

A marine offers another wounded marine his canteen.

Flamethrowers work on both sides...

Two more Shermans arrive

This guys still stuck arguing with the mules! LOL

More reserves using the cover to move up

Medic... corpman needed

Two medics with a stretcher

The Japanese use these obstacles to stop tanks (concrete, steel and coral).

USMC casualties pile up at the beach. Its chaos.

Note below: the pistol on the oil drum for close range!

Japanese medic treats an officer

This guy is getting out the ammo vehicle

Your kidding me on ....not more spider holes.

Marines on the move - far left -that's one less spider hole

This group of guys are causing to much havoc (mortar team + HMG). Especially the HMG on the high ground.

I liked the tank camo these are 3d printed with magnet turrets.

The tower is all made from scratch...bamboo sticks with thread to tie it together, the roof and legs are stuck with magnets to allow storage, roof is just old brush hairs. Then all painted up.

Once over the sea wall its 50/50! Spread out. Jap mortars are stopping us.

Japanese are taking hits

Is that another flamethrower or is it two in that concrete emplacement? mmmm

Weight of numbers...starts to pay off.

A blown up Sherman stalls in the sea in the background

Japanese use spider holes to pop out at tanks/vehicles (bottom)

Mortar team and officer - the boxes say AMMO.

Japanese poster on the radio hut.

Get that engine in a Zero! LOL no chance...

    Shells stream out of the AA gun onto the floor - more ammo they are coming!

You can see the spent rounds piling up. Pistol at the ready on top of the oil drums on the right.

3 of the 4 Higgins are now submarines...eek

Medic/ corpsman

That Japanese engineer vehicle has 3 flamethrowers on it.

So its late in the day and a last Bamzai charge comes down the road.

Banzi! up the road..

Bunker is finally hit - but at a cost!

So hang on... here comes John Wayne AKA Sgt. Stryker (from Sands of Iwa Jiwa) standing on the top of the sea wall - those Japanese don't stand a chance now! LOL

So it was great to get everything out and all the players had a ball. 

Thanks to the Falkirk for putting on a good show.

We had loads of interest at the table, lots of questions, lots of photographers and great banter and load's of compliments - which makes it all worth it.

Thanks to the all the Glasgow Warhog support team (incl. John Wayne for turning up)!

It was great.