Axis and Allies first edition

My parents bought me this game when we travelled to America in the summer of 1988. I believe we bought it at a Toys R Us in Bangor, Maine. It was one of the best things I ever got! I have spent hours playing this alone, and with my friends. Now that Ian can read a bit more English, its getting even better that I have a new opponent.

Battle of Mareth Line 19 March 1943

So I set up this battle around Sunday, but have been so busy with training and additional training that I was only able to begin the attacks yesterday.  Ian is now doing his turn with his Afrika Korps.

My initial turn hit his forward defences. The Anglo-Indian units were able to take two bunkers.
More to come

Ian's counter attack put paid to the regiments holding the forward trenches

My next attack goes in

Ian's mortars begin to zero in on my attack

The Australians 9th Division await to pounce

The battlefield is wreathed in smoke from wrecked tanks

At last note, Ian had taken out all my tanks and artillery. It's now a plain infantry fight with grenades. The glue is on the table to rebase figures which snapped off.

Killer Tanks The Cromwell

Some more video goodness about tanks, this one, about the British Cromwell.
So far I have 2 Cromwell Mk IV of the 5th Royal Horse Artillery of the 7th Armoured Division

Top 10 Reasons Hitler Was An Idiot — TopTenzNet

 Interesting view of how he lost the war

British 8th Army

This is my 8th Army for the North African and Italian campaigns.
Most of my figures are from Airfix, ESCI, and Revell.
Slowly, I am getting these sorted for games.

At the same time, I'm slowly piecing together the Regiments, Brigades and Divisions of the desert campaign.

8th Army was made up of XIII Corps XXX Corps which in turn:
  7th Armored Division
Australian 6th Infantry Division                          South African 1st Infantry Division
Indian 4th Division (see blog post)                  22nd Guards Brigade: I have the infantry done up.
2nd New Zealand Division (see separate post)

Pictures of kit to follow

Afrika Korps March 1941-May 1943

This is the Afrika Korps force I have been able to build. I will also use the kit in my Italian campaigns.
My research so far has found that the organization of the DAK was from the 15th Panzer Division and the 21st Panzer Division.

My figures come from Airfix, ESCI. These I will be painting up over time.
The tanks, anti-tank guns will be painted for the most part as they would have been in any other theatre, thus saving myself having to buy units just for the Desert campaign.

I have a fair amount of early war tanks, guns and transports which will make up the majority of kit. Pictures to follow

The initial units of this Korps
15th Panzer Division:
33rd Recce Battalion
115th MMR: 2 battalions.
Additional kit to be added will be Antitank guns, and transport.

OperationMarket Garden: 6th Airborne division digs in

The division digs in on some of the rare high ground in Holland.

This was a game which eventually took on massive proportions. Ian and I kept playing and adding to the field. The inital idea I had was for 6th Airborne Division to drop in and hold the green area as their drop zone while establishing themselves in the hills above the town. 

Eventually after about a week of playing, the area to the front of my position was a junk yard of Ian's German units. He used his armor and infantry well to push off the Para's and establish himself firmly on the high ground. I was able to get my parcels in from Japan, which meant that the Airborne artillery was here, but I couldn't find it in time before Ian over ran the drop zones.