November started out busy for me and mine. Joanne, Alex and I went to "Punkin Chunkin." It was our first time going, and it was a blast. Over 100 machines have been constructed for the express purpose of seeing which can throw a pumpkin the furthest. This sport has already matured to several divisions. Youth, Trebuchet, Centrifuge, Catapult, Ladies, and Cannon.

I love to watch the mechanism of a trebuchet go through its paces. And the biggest trebuchet there was named Yankee Siege. A 46,000 pound monster that can throw 300 pounds of anything hundreds of feet, and a 8 pound pumpkin over 1,600 feet. Following closely behind that distance were the torsion catapult Onager (Latin for wild donkey) and the spring loaded Fibonacci.

But the big guns of the event were, the BIG GUNS. There literally was a forest of cannons on the field. Some of the smaller ones were easily 30 feet long. Assuming a diameter of 10 inches, that would give them a caliber of 36. However, standing at 50 degrees, were two guns that stood out. I later found out they were “2nd Amendment” and 2nd Amendment Too.” Their website stated their barrels were 21cm diameter and 100 feet long. 30 feet longer than the famous German rail gun Leopold, otherwise known as Anzio Annie.

Then, just beginning its ascent into the sky, was the most massive machine yet. With a mission statement that clearly stated “Bigger is Better,” rose "Fire and Ice." With a barrel of 153 feet, it dwarfed the 2nd Amendment's by at 50%.

Leopold, aka Anzio Annie

One of two German 28cm rail guns used against the Allied beach head at Anzio.

As photographed by the author. Used with permission from the US Army Ordnance Museum.

While we watch tons of pumpkins getting smashed to seed, I couldn’t help but wonder some of the aspects of the gunnery. At what caliber does friction of the barrel override thrust of the expanding air? In WWII it was around 70 caliber. Since the winner this year was “Big 10 Inch”, which had the 4th longest barrel, this still may be the case. What angle is best for range? It judging from the gun line, about 50 degrees, but there were a few dissenters, at 40 degrees or so. How do you transport these things? Many barrels were transported in sections. Some of the guns were towed, and some, notably two converted school busses, were self propelled.

But my longest musings was on the name 2nd Amendment. This is what the Founding Fathers meant. An armed citizenry capable of taking on enemy forces. In the 1700’s a soldiers weapon was little different from a private musket. Cannons could be made a local foundries. Only training differentiated the citizens from the soldiers. Over the years, we lost the meaning of "A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."  It meant the citizens should have access to all the weapons available to the military. And here in Delaware are private citizens with a private, if somewhat corporate sponsored, artillery park.

Battlegroup™ was expanded to four qualifying heats this year. Fred Gosnell qualified in the first heat, turning in three straight wins. Marc Baeuregard qualified in the second heat with two wins and a loss to the game's designer, Jeff Billings. Chris Czyryca, the 2006 world champion, qualified in the third heat. At this point all three finalist were expert players but Battlegroup™ is easy to learn and capricious by nature and the fourth heat was won by a player new to the game, Andrew Fedin. Positions 5 and 6 on the leader board went to Bruno Passacantando and George Deutsch, who had the best non-qualifying scores.

Marc Baeuregard on the left with Andrew Fedin on the right.

The semi finals were full games of Battlegroup™ requiring the extra skills of fleet management and target selection in early rounds to eliminate capable enemy ships such as the Yamato and the Essex before they can do long term damage. At the end of the semi finals Fred Gosnell and Chris Czyryca had been eliminated. Although both players kept it close Fred’s dice deserted him against Andrew and Marc survived a perfectly timed airstrike by Chris just beating the former Champion.

The finals opened with Marc Baeuregard playing the Allies and Andrew Fedin playing the Axis. Marc started with a night base raid that sank the Ise and the Kirishima. Andrew responded with an air strike that took out the Lexington. With Marc still refitting his forces, Andrew successfully launched a night invasion sortie and sank the Texas and the Maryland. Now in serious trouble Marc chanced a submarine attack on Zuikaku and sank the big carrier with torpedoes. From then on both players were looking for any advantage they could get with Marc sinking the Soryu and Hiryu, seriously denting the Axis carrier capability. Andrew sank the Nelson, Hermes and King George V in a series of counter punches. Finally Marc knowing he was behind made a last minute night sortie against the Japanese battleship Yamashiro and sank same. The final score of round one was 60 to 57 with Marc snatching the win.

The second round of the finals saw Andrew shift his target selection with devastating effect. Neither side was able to win any sorties, the round slid into an attrition fight that Andrew won. Marc sank the Haruna, Conte di Cavour, Caio Duilio, Guilo Cesare and the aircraft carrier Kaga. Andrew sank the Hornet, Hood, Bearn, Washington and the Enterprise. It was a bad week for the US Fleet carriers. With the finals tied at one win each the Battlegroup championship was coming to the last hand. Marc started with a day convoy sortie that quickly sank the Roma and the Zuiho. Andrew managed to sink the Bretagne in the exchange. From that point on Marc began to dominate the day light sorties with precision airstrikes from his remaining big carriers. Over the course of the game Marc sank the Andrea Doria, Mutsu, Shokaku, Nagato and Littorio. Andrew picked off the Alabama during a night sortie and the Mississippi and Warspite. But in the end it was Marc gaining control of the air that was source of Andrew’s demise.

It is good to see strong experienced players, consistently reach the finals. It is also good to see that even new players can get within reach of a championship. Congratualtions to Marc Baeuregard for his victory as the Battlegroup 2007 - World Boardgaming Champion.

This just in!  Battlegroup™ has been nominated to join WBC's Century Events.  Only the top 105 games are selected for this status.  WBC members have until December 31, 2007 to vote their favorite Century Events.

By Phil Gardocki

In Support of our soon to be released Battlelines™ Kursk series.

The 67th Guards Rifle was certainly a unit that deserved its "Guards" status.  It also was either the unluckiest division to have been involved in so many historic battles, or the luckiest to have survived them all.

Organizational History 1941

In July 1941, the 304th Rifle Division was formed from the remains of the 109th Mechanized Division, and a newly called up 807th Rifle regiment. The organization was organized under the July 1941 Shtat, or Table of Organization. This was the standard organization of 3 rifle regiments with supporting mortars and light anti-tank guns. Attached to this organization was an artillery regiment with 8 12.2 cm howitzers and 24 7.62cm howitzers.  With 16 more 7.62cm assigned to the antitank battalion and rifle regiments.   These guns had a smaller caliber, lower throw weight and shorter range than their German counterparts. Supporting battalions included a medium anti-tank battalion with its 4.5cm anti-tank guns, and 1.27 anti-tank rifles, and an engineer battalion. But as the 109th Mechanized was also a recent expansion division. It did not have any of the tanks, trucks, or tractors of a mechanized division, and what little equipment the 109th and the subsequent 304th did have was lost in the hasty retreats of the summer of 1941. It was doubtful the 304th had much in artillery and any support assets when it deployed.

10,652 Men 6 3.7cm Antiaircraft Guns 8 12.2cm M1910/30 Howitzers 24 4.5cm Antitank Guns 40 7.62cm Cannons 54 5 cm Mortars 439 Machineguns 2 Cars 3 Trucks 311 Wagons

As the winter battles of 1941/1942 wound down, the 304th Rifle received large numbers of equipment and personnel replacements, and was reorganized according to the December, 1941 Shtat, as follows:

12,017 Men 6 3.7cm Antiaircraft Guns 8 12.2cm M1910/30 Howitzers 12 12cm Mortars 24 4.5cm Antitank Guns 24 7.62cm Cannons 40 5cm Mortars 402 Machineguns 1 Car 5 Trucks 351 Wagons

In equipment, with the exception of trucks and tractors, the division was probably fairly close to 90%, and in manpower, around 80%.   The interesting change in this model division was an attempt to streamline the communications between the artillery and the infantry.  This was done by assigning 4 12.2 cm mortars as regiment assets.

But from early Summer, 1942 to Winter 1942, the 304th Rifle was constantly engaged and was reduced to a small percentage of its original size. With heavy reinforcements, the division was rebuilt in place and rewarded for its efforts by being redesignated as the 67th Guards Rifle Division, and brought mostly up to strength. The division then was structured to the December 1942 Guards Rifle Shtat.

11,326 Men 6 3.7cm Antiaircraft Guns 12 12.2cm/37 M1938 Howitzers 24 16cm Mortars 50 5 cm Mortars 52 7.62cm Cannons 81 8.2cm Mortars 619 Machineguns 1 Car 4 Trucks 471 Wagons

Changes in the division after 1943 were mostly equipment in nature.  The antitank battalion was upgraded to 5.7cm guns and SU-76's, while the rifle regiments had their 12.2 cm mortars upgraded to 16cm mortars.

Operational History

Born in the desperate days of July, 1941, the 304th Rifle Division was manned by remnants of 109th Mechanized Division, recently called up reservists, and whatever men and equipment it could scavenge on the long retreat from the advancing forces of Army Group South. The 304th had a talent for getting out of trouble, and evaded destruction on the retreat, and the encirclement at Kiev.

Assigned to the Southwest Front's 38th Army, the 304th fought on the southern flank during the German Operation Typhoon, a.k.a the Battle of Moscow, and participated in the Soviet winter offensives until the 1942rasputitsa, or mud season.

In May, 1942, the 304th Rifle participated in the 2nd Battle for Kharkov. Unfortunately, that offensive met the German 6th Army and surrounded by the 1st and 4th Panzer Armies. Once again the 304th showed its talent for fighting withdrawal and escaped being pocketed by the German forces and began the long hard march towards the river Don.

In November, 1942, and under the Don Front's 65th Army, and with snow falling heavily, the 304th fought off the last attempt to drive it into the river, and with the start of Operation Uranus, began the offensive that would eventually lead to the encirclement of Field Marshal von Paulus' 6th German Army at Stalingrad.

On January 21st, 1943, the 304th was redesignated as the 67th Guards Rifle Division. After 5 months of heavy rebuild and training, the 67th Guards was assigned to the Vorozneth Front, 6th Guards Army, itself recently redesignated from the 21st Army, 22nd Guards Rifle Corps. The 67th Guards Rifle, along with the  two regiments of the 28th Antitank Brigade, was assigned to defend the town of Cherkasskoyle.

On July 5th, the 67th Guards Rifle was attacked by the German Panzer Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland, along with the part of the 10th Panzer Brigade (the rest suffering mechanical failure and mine damage) and elements of the 11th Panzer Division. After a day of heavy fighting, the 67th Guards Rifle retreated from its positions. Taking advantage of a river crossing and some hills, the 67th Guards Rifle took up new positions. But the 67th Guards Rifle was flanked and penetrated and forced back again. At this time, Grossdeutschland, along with the 3rd Panzer Division and the 11th Panzer Division, was engaged by Soviet armored forces, including the  3rd Mechanized Corps and the 31st Tank Corps, and the 67th was not pursued.

For rest of 1943, the 67th participated in the many of the battles to liberate the Ukraine.  During the winter, the 6th Guards Army, the 67th  Guards Rifle included, was railed north and transferred to the 1st Baltic Front.

On 23 June, 1944, the 67th Guards Rifle, now assigned to the 23rd Corps, 6th Guards Army participated in Operation Bagration.  The 67th was one of the hammers that was used against Germany's 205th and 252nd Infantry Divisions of the 3rd Panzer Army.  It was an operation that would crush Army Group Center, narrowly cut off Army Group North, and throw the Germans back to Poland. 

By October, the winter campaigns were starting, and the 67th, participated in operations in the Baltic States that succeeded in cutting off Army Group North's 16th Army and 18th Army, now trapped in Latvia.  The reduction of this pocket was not deemed a high priority, and the 67th spent the rest of its career isolating the 18th Army in well deserved, albeit relative peace.

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