28mm Rhodesian War - Operation Yodel, Sep 1966 - Zambesi Valley

[Happy Wanderer]

Gents,

Here is a AAR of a recent engagement we had using Ganesha Games Flying Lead 'skirmish' rules for a clash in the Rhodesian Bush War, September 1966. It is based on Operation Yodel, a real operation to track down insurgents crossing the border from Zambia.

..details on the blog
 http://agrabbagofgames.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/operation-yodel-sep-1966-zambesi-valley.html.



Regards

Happy Wanderer
 

[juergen c. olk]

great looking game,it might be the rules I amlooking for for small unit action,which is most of African conflicts.I posted a picture of your game on the cover page of  http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/ModernAfricanBushwars

[Juan]

Very nice AAR. I´m really interested in this ruleset, that appears to be very good for small (and not too complex) skirmishes.
About the British figures, Are they from "Eureka Miniatures"? I have not found them in their web.

[Happy Wanderer]

Thanks guys,

The Aden British figure are Eureka Miniatures. Contact Nic and let him know that he needs to get those minis up on his website... a few people have asked that same question.

Cheers

Happy Wanderer
 

[Marine0846]

Another excellent AAR.
Looks like you have two good sets of rules to use in your games.

[Mac]

This really was a great game. It flowed really well, and you can relate all of the 'interactions' with the rules and your opponent as something happening in a real (if a somewhat cinematic) skirmish.

I will need some discipline to keep Flying Lead as a squad level game. I like to think of it as a deliberate focus on what happens when two squads run into each other (perhaps from a larger scale game like CrossFire). Anting more than the recommended 8 to 15 man squad would get tedious.

Mid way though the game, I started to get the impression that the super-Rhodesians; great troops as they were, were still moving faster, and shooting further than my poor ZIRPA cadres. We soon found out the reason why. Happy Wanderer was using longer measuring sticks than me.

Here is a picture of him, in his lurid yellow battle shorts, trimming his measuring sticks down to size mid-battle.

[Happy Wanderer]

...given we were playing a game set in the British Commonwealth, I naturally assumed the Scotsman opposite would be using imperial measurements instead of metric....he was running Chinese backed ZANLA so metric makes sense I guess!!!

 

[peachy rex]

Those are some fine battle shorts - but shouldn't they be jewelled? 

[H.M.Stanley]

A very thorough AAR and great looking.

Thanks for sharing.

[carlos marighela]

You know you could potentially field a force of Brits against those Rhodesians. When Smith declared UDI, Zambia's Prime Minister, Kenneth Kaunda, requested British support, in case things got out of hand. Harold Wilson sent a squadron of Gloster Javelins, radars and some RAF Regiment bods to Zambia at the end of 1965 as a show of force and the Javelins patrolled the border for about six months or so. Originally a battalion of the Royal Scots was slated to go. Interesting, if somewhat unlikely 'what if'.

[Mac]

One more thing.

Both Happy (don't look directly at my shorts) Wanderer and I agreed that playing with Flying Lead really needs casualty figures. We are both to serious to lay figures down on the table.

Eureka make some for Afghans (I have them), but none for Africa.

Who would you recommend as a supplier of generic casualties?

[Happy Wanderer]

...yes, totally agree with that.

Any Vietnam 28mm that would work?

Happy W

[carlos marighela]

West Wind produce some WW2 USMC casualties, Blacktree some US Army and British casualties and if you look at the Eureka Pulpitations range there's a medic assisting a wounded GI. With head swaps some of these they might work.

[peachy rex]

I glanced through the Aussie Vietnam ranges I know about, but... no casualties. Sorry. (Did find a couple of spiffy sitting figs that I can use for one of my own projects, though, so it was time well spent.  )