5th Annual Fort McCoy, WI event 15-17 August 2014

[Ersatzjack]

"FURY" - OSTFRONT STYLE


We'll be posting scenario ideas the week of August 10th before the event kicks off so stay tuned for that information. For those that have never gone to an MOA event just check the rules by reviewing last years announcement here:

www.ostfrontairsoft.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=6&t=160&st=#entry1

The link above also gives directions, and other useful information.

Reading that will give you a great idea of how it will run again this year. We will further explore B13 and I plan on returning to the battle area of last year's Sunday action which boasts oak savannah the likes of which are very cool to play in. This area is still big enough to keep throwing new terrain at us every year.

IMPORTANT - Bio BBs only. This is a free event for participants but you need to have a sealed bag of bio-bbs for game day. There will be an in-ranks inspection. I don't want plastic at this event. You have plenty of time to prepare but for those that still don't have them, I will have a limited number for sale. Donations are like in previous years accepted for a contribution to a fort charity. AGE RESTRICTIONS - 18 and above okay. 16-18 with a parent along or playing, under 16 not allowed.

Arrival is encouraged for Friday night so that essential work can be done to the field to set up for weekend action. Remember this is not a private parcel and we have to prepare it on Friday. I will also need folks for radio check which is a realistic guard duty condition offered. So please consider the camping option. Modern tentage is allowed.

Please keep the PM's coming if you plan on attending. Folks on these boards can PM me here. Let me know which side you plan on playing. If you are civilian or US you will be used to balance forces. Registration will be ending by 21 July midnight. After that, I won't want to add you unless you plead. People should know by then if they are coming or not. I will also decide by that date if this event is proceeding.

Russian armor is not coming this year but the German armor will do double duty fighting for both teams in the scenarios so don't let this stop you from attending.

I'll need confirmations ASAP and no-shows are not invited back unless justified. I do this because I might not proceed with the additional requirements placed on me if numbers don't call for it. So commit please. I'm shooting for 14 players that I consider reliable as a minimum. Calling Ulrich and 6th SS as well as other Midwest airsofters. You'll need a WWII weapon and an attempt at a decent impression.

Axis Team
Franz (Axis Commander)
Otto
Wolfgang
Garrick
Jeff E.
Curtis C.
Sgt. Shaw
Alban
Elena
Chris A. (3rd PzGr Missouri)
Bradley (Missouri group)
Dave (Missouri group)

Soviet Team
Gryphon (Soviet Commander)
Maddie (Squirrel)
Iron Will
Iron's dad
Elliot
Cyrus
Alina (Nightwitch)
Andre
Donn
Duncan

American players
Cpl Mills

[ersatzjack2]

This is the one event that has a large and varied playing area. It is on a U.S. Military Fort that continues to support our hobby. It has armored vehicles and the added dimension that they bring to an airsoft game.

It could be the springboard for a WWII Ostwind style event down the road if enough people are interested and committed to it.

It's no secret that Midwest airsoft attendance is down (as it appears to be in other areas of the Country) and if you want to see a continuation of this type of event opportunity this might just be the event that you're willing to travel and commit to. This is a great venue, let's not waste it.

[brownien]

Quite honestly, if something is put together in the Midwest with the same style as Eastwind, I know I would gladly travel the distance to attend!

[2nd Bat]

The organization, maturity and sophistication of this groups events, along with their props and dedication make this an absolute recommendation on my part. If there is any way any of us can attend this event it is one to register for. All of us need to do what we can to support those folks willing to sponsor WW2 events especially those on the level the OST Front presents.

[Ersatzjack]

I forgot to mention (now corrected) that age restrictions are in place for this event. If you are 16-18 you need a parent with you. Otherwise only 18 and above for this event.

[2nd Bat]

There has been so many threads on " If only we had armor, or At guns or mortars or great props". These folks have all that and more. SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT. They have both Soviet and German armor, excellent impressions, fabulous custom weapons and most importantly great attitudes!

[Nightwitch]

This looks awesome.  You guys do an incredible job with your impressions.  I'm really impressed with the caliber of your work.

[ersatzjack2]

Jul 13, 2014 12:55:41 GMT -5 Nightwitch said:

This looks awesome.  You guys do an incredible job with your impressions.  I'm really impressed with the caliber of your work.

Thanks for your comments. We appreciate it.

Brownien - Our MOA group has considered hosting a multiple day event like Ostwind where we would bring both armored vehicles and maybe another vehicle. We would require those attending to pay an upfront registration fee to ensure that they showed up for the event. Part of the fee would be refundable when the player arrived and part would support the event. Our events for the last seven years have all been free with an option to donate to the field owners or in this case, a Fort charity. Sometimes I think people would rather pay fifty bucks to go to an event than go to a free one. Free isn't as glamorous, I guess. Our problem has been declining numbers which may be natural considering we've done some 30-40 events over the past 6-7 years. If we saw that trend reversed and started seeing games in the 40-50+ ramge again then an Ostwind type event might be worth doing. This is the Fifth year at Fort McCoy and it is always a fun event with armor and a great playing field. Reenactors cross State lines all the time in their hobby to attend reenactments but airsofters seem to lack the same resources to do that. Heck, if the game isn't within five miles of their homes it is hard to get them to leave. I know we're talking a younger crowd here but there are older players in our hobby too. Guys from our group have traveled to New York, Illinois, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Washington to play games and have done it more than once. If we got more numbers on a regular basis we would consider expanding the scope of this annual event.

[2nd Bat]

Interestingly I have had better participation at events that had a registration fee then events that were free. in no case did I ever cover the costs but at least I didn't lose as much and the turnout was in line with expectations before the fact which really helped with event logistics and scenario planning. its sad but we cult sponsors tend to invest more resources and props in our events then the big box events who get 10 times the turnout.

[ersatzjack2]

With the addition of the Missouri contingent, a full eight of the German team also reenact. Five of the German team roster will be reenactors giving airsoft a first try. That seems pretty heartening.

The event is starting to shape up pretty well.

[Ersatzjack]

REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED - This event is a go

[Nightwitch]

This was my first World War 2 airsoft event, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  There were some technical difficulties (the halftrack didn't make it, and some of the pre-registered players couldn't come, and we ended up having to cancel Sunday's scenarios), however, these difficulties were quickly forgotten as the quality of the players, their impressions, and the scenarios overshadowed anything else.  We had a blank fire group from Missouri show up, as well as the Ersatzjack brothers who were putting the event on.  Their impressions were pitch-perfect, their equipment was incredible, they had proper tents, proper chairs and tables and proper crates made by one of the Missouri crew.  The Ersatzjack brothers brought their German army truck, which looked fantastic and made for a very fun (if bumpy) ride.

The scenarios on Saturday were fantastic.  We started with a reconnaissance scenario that saw the Russian team attempting to uncover a series of flags in the woods, defended by the German players.  It was a great introduction to WW2 airsoft, to the tactics employed in the games, and to getting shot in the forehead with high-powered BBs (I have my first visible airsoft "wound" how cool is that?!)  The German team stonewalled the Russian team in this scenario, as the thick brush made the flags difficult to find, but mostly the Germans just put up an extremely stout defense in difficult terrain, leading to high Russian casualty rates.  Personal highlights for me were almost reaching the red flag and getting shot in the neck with an MP-40, and then almost reaching the green flag and getting shot in the head with an MP-40.  I'm sensing a sort of pattern developing.

The second scenario was a rifles-only scenario.  Only semi-automatic fire from rifles was permitted, submachine guns were banned, and bolt-actions were preferred.  One light machine gun was permitted for each team.  The goal was to reach a flag and click a clicker, obviously without getting shot, and then return to spawn and do it again.  The team with the most clicks and fewest deaths would win the event.  I was slightly unclear on the importance of clicking things, so I spent most of my time flanking the German position and skirmishing, and I don't think I'm the only one on the Russian team who did that, so needless to say, we got smoked.  However, I liked the scenario all the same, and I particularly liked getting an up close and personal demonstration of the effectiveness of Ersatzjack's Kar-98 conversions.  Those things are incredible!  I can't believe the range they get.  Really sweet-shooting guns.  It's just too bad they're not all Mosin-Nagants.

The third scenario of the day was a double-feature.  It began with the Russians defending a fixed choke point, and then the Germans defending the same fixed choke point.  The rules were quite clever in my opinion.  The defenders had only one life, and if they died they were out of the game, but the attackers could respawn at five-minute intervals, creating attack waves.  The Russians defended first, and I found myself on the extreme right flank, hoping to hold off the German assault with a semi-automatic rifle.  I piled up brush and logs to make a little pillbox, and then I waited…and waited….and waited.  The Germans hit the left flank and the center first, and I could hear the fierceness of the battle through the trees, but I couldn't see anything - partly because of my makeshift bunker.  So, I did what any good soldier does - I scanned my section of the line and waited for something interesting to happen.  What I saw while I was waiting wasn't a German attack, it was one of the Russian players, Andre, charging forward.  Soon after, I heard machine gun fire and screams of "Hit! Hit! Hit!"  It turns out that Andre had flanked the entire German force and put at least ten of them out of action before he was himself eliminated.

With the threat to their rear gone, the German attacks intensified.  I finally got some people in my sector, and I managed to shoot them quite successfully from my little sniper hide.  However, as I was doing this, I realized how vulnerable and untenable my position had become.  If the Germans just pushed down the road on my right in force, I would be dead before I knew what hit me.  I kept praying that they wouldn't figure it out, but before long I saw Rekkon creeping around the berm on my right front, getting ready to make the very assault I had feared.  So, I popped up on my knees and laid into him with all the fire that I had and he fell back under a hail of BBs.  I waited for the assault to follow, but the word "index!" was shouted, which ended the game.  The Russian line had held, and I had somehow managed to not get shot.

If the Russian defense was tense, exciting, and fun, it was nothing compared to the Russian attack.  The Germans were holding the same ground we Russians had, and I knew that their right flank was a weak point.  It was anchored by an L-shaped berm which gave great cover to any attackers who could get across the road and get on the back side of the berm.  Unfortunately, it also gave pretty good cover to the Germans.  So, it would be a risky assault initially, but once we rolled up that section of the line, we would be in a position to flank the whole position, and their bunker couldn't shoot directly sideways.  So, we decided to make the attack en masse in true Russian style.

About ten of us lined up along the road and walked forward, weapons at the ready.  We reached the edge of the crossroads where the German right flank was anchored and immediately came under fire from two of their number.  We fired back, but the attack wasn't moving forward.  We were standing on our side of the road, trading fire.  I knew that we needed to move, so I ran across the road spraying bullets from the hip, feeling like the coolest person in the universe, but also waiting to have my teeth knocked out by German BBs.  Miraculously, it didn't happen.  I hit the right side of the berm, taking cover in the bushes, and I put suppressing fire on the German defenders holding up our assault, spraying BBs at their now-exposed flank.  I was quickly joined by a couple of our submachine gunners, and the Germans at the front of the L-shaped berm were killed and knocked out of the game.  From there, a fierce fight developed for control of the L, which we Russians eventually won.  This, in turn, rolled up the German line, enabling us to destroy their bunker and kill all of their soldiers.

Though I only had a limited view of this last battle, for me it was an exciting view of blind rushes into enemy fire and heavy return fire.  I think I charged over open ground four times in that fight, and I only paid the "ultimate price" once, when Garrick shot me in the neck at about fifteen yards with an StG-44.  That one stung a bit, but I didn't give him a choice.  When you're faced with a Russian drunk on bloodlust spraying BBs, you do what you have to do.

All in all, the event was a huge amount of fun.  The players at Fort McCoy are all great people, but more than that, they're great airsoft players.  They're all veterans of many battles, they have a huge amount of experience and expertise to share - and a huge amount of guns to share besides.  I was shooting one of Gryphon's M-14s the whole time, and my friend was able to borrow a Thompson submachine gun, and many other guns were borrowed and lent based on the specific scenarios.  That kind of warm welcome and camaraderie is something that really sets WW2 airsoft apart from other sports, and it really made McCoy a special event.  I encourage everyone in the Midwest area (or outside of it) to come and check it out.

[2nd Bat]

Great summary. Gameplay design was obviously well thoughtout and I especially love the all semi automatic with one MG concept as along with the emmersive uniforms, props and gear further distinguishes WW2 airsoft events from normal airsoft skirmishes.

[Ersatzjack]

Nice write-up Nightwitch. Very colorful. I'm blushing besides. Here is my recap -


Axis Team


Soviet Team

McCoy 2014 is over and overall I was satisfied with the event though it had some personal disappointments such as another failure in the half-track's participation and my poor planning regarding the regular replacement of batteries in several guns. Note to self, get new batteries for August event each year.

The good things were the cooperation again shown by fort personnel who are starting to actually recognize me on my rounds. One of the guys sent to clean up some dumped garbage on the site even knew we had played on compass courses four years ago. The addition of some new faces at the event was nice to see too. Gamesmanship was high with few complaints and I believe most of the scenarios were interesting and fun to play. I did record a couple of areas for improvement and will work on some more defined respawn markers such as Troy has that are more formalized with painted nationality markers and hooks for clickers and whatnot. We'll try to move away from less formal respawn rules such as we incorporated at this event. The event weather I'd rate at 85-percent and if it would have been a bit cooler we'd all have welcomed it but I don't control that. I also don't control the bees which were at high levels and really annoying at times but in all the weekend, I think only one person suffered any sting.

As I said I was surprised the half-track failed again this year and will do my best to ensure that if this event repeats for a sixth time, the track will be there. A solid plan is in play to add further reliability to the track and fuel economy, and possibly a new paint scheme so I am excited about that. It will get new carburetor/manifold , front brakes, and wiring redo. Bessie (the troop truck) filled the gap however and did her duty without complaint.

Thanks to all who attended and while the event ended early I understand that without the extra attractions, the incentive to camp in the wild has many competitors looking at other ways to spend the rest of their weekend. I was not unhappy it ended on Saturday for the most part. We did have a few who camped Sat night because they had a long drive back to Missouri (thanks for coming) and myself and Steve who needed to close down on Sunday morning and clear the base.

The winner for travel goes to Cpl. Mills who flew in from Phoenix for this this one.

The team pics above tell the rest of the tale and were taken late on Saturday after a full day of battle. The results ended in a draw and the Soviets who were down 2-0, came back strong and controlled the final two scenarios snatching satisfaction in avoiding defeat. It was fun.

Thanks to Todd who lead the Soviet team and to all the players who played a good day in the field. Special thanks to those who contributed to the donation box and those proceeds will go towards a base charity again and be commensurate with past donations. We raised $130.

[2nd Bat]

Wow!!! For anyone around the country viewing this thread make note of the fact that this event is one not to miss in the years that follow. keep growing this puting and everyone that can needs to put it on their calendar as a destination WW2 event.

[CPL. Mills 2nd Rangers]

I finally got the pictures developed.

I had a blast at McCoy! I was finally able to field test the BAR, which was a smashing success!

AAR:

1st Scenario:

I was tasked with holding the road by the bend. I had quickly painted my face before the Russians reared their ugly mugs. I spotted Andre creeping up the road slinking along the shadows of the trees. I waited behind a bush on the side of the road until he was close enough to kill. Once he was within range I blasted him. It wasn't too long after that a few more Russians made their way into the woods in front of me. I could hear fire being shot all around, Tom was blasting away to my left I could hear Germans calling out Russian activity. I got into a firefight with some Ruskies through the trees, I gave a good fight but was killed at the end of it. I walked back to spawn. I ran into Tom walking back into the woods to respawn as well. We sat and smoked cigs while we did an ammo check biding our time. Once we were back in we made our way toward the front line. We ran into some Germans and began to search the woods with them. It wasn't long before we ran into Ivan, there was a group of them about 25-30 yards away. We took cover and waited for Ivan to get within firing range. Once Ivan was within range he opened up toward us. I returned fire and kept their heads down in the hopes the riflemen would pick them off. After going through a few clips the battery died in the BAR so I got up and made my way back to the truck to retrieve another rifle. The round ended before I got back into the fight.

I sat out for the rifles only round, I really hate that I missed out. I brought the M1 Garand to test and that would have been a grand scenario to test it out. I was extremely tired from having flown in the night of the event. I had flown in to Minneapolis, drove home packed up and drove to McCoy.

3rd Scenario:

This was the capture the truck mission. We made several attacks at the truck mostly to end with Andre shooting me in the back. I managed to get to the edge of the woods right near the truck. I was down to my pistol at that point and I shot several rounds into the truck. I came pretty close to killing the occupants but I was just far away they could see the round coming in and duck.

For the 2nd part of the scenario the roles were flip flopped. I was taken out early in the first waive of attacks. I had poor cover and I did not care how long I was alive I really wanted to get some pics since this was the last scenario. I spent the rest of the scenario capturing the pictures below:























s240.photobucket.com/user/2ndrangers/library/5th%20Annual%20Fort%20McCoy%20WI%202014?sort=3&page=1

[<2>nd Rangers M/Sgt. Tom]

Great Event!

Fort McCoy is always a great time. Thank you U.S. Military for allowing us to use the fields.