20mm WW2 US dismounted tank crew

I split a box of Orion winter WW2 tank crew with Will at the club, so decided I'd test out a handful of figures, opting for the five in combat poses, three carrying M3 SMGs, or grease guns, and two armed with pistols.  They are wearing khaki pants/shirts or overalls, with a pale green-khaki wind cheater over the top, helmets and goggles.

Interesting figure as I thought he bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain Clint Eastwood in Kelly's Heroes, which immediately made me think of a conversion with a fez head swop - no doubt it's been done many times before.  Looking more closely at the face though, I detect a certain resemblance to Brad Pitt in Fury, so I guess it's up to the beholder to decide if there is indeed any Hollywood resemblance - I'm sure the manufacturers would indicate it is purely coincidental.

As ever, thanks for looking.

20mm SAS for 44-45 Europe

I picked up a pair of SHQ SAS jeeps at WMMS 2019 and they have languished in the "to do" pile all year, until I assembled them in a splurge of model assembly last month.  I then thought about dismounts, and decided to go with some Britannia Royal Marines - I think designed for D-day, wearing berets.  I picked these up at WMMS 2020 - fast worker me!  The SAS appear to have worn parkas with a similar camo pattern to the Denison smock work by airborne, but I wanted to make them a little different, so I could tell them apart of the tabletop, hence the marines, as they are carrying Bergen packs.  I did think about trying to model hoods in resin, but in 20mm, I figure the paint job is enough and the Bergens hide most of the area anyway.  The SAS in Europe didn't wear the sand coloured beret, opting for maroon like the airborne.

So, the pair of jeeps, armed to the teeth with 5 Vickers K-guns, two forward facing for the front seat passenger, one for the driver, to give him something to do as if driving wasn't enough, and a pillar mounted pair for AA duties at the rear.  The jeeps come with two crew, but I added a third crew man using spares from an SHQ jeep crew pack.

Jeep 1, rear passenger carrying a sten - otherwise identical to jeep 2.

Jeep 2, pear figure carrying a rifle.

Three man dismount team.

Second team - obviously the patrol commander in shouting pose.

The whole patrol dismounted.

Individual teams.

WMMS 2020

Richard, Will and I put on a game at WMMS this weekend for the SOTCW, using Richard Crawley's fictional Black Sea country of Andeivia.  So far, we have covered Andreivia (roughly where Georgia might be in the real world) in WW1 and in the late 20th/early 21st Century.  This time, we placed the action in 1943 during WW2.  The game used Battlegroup rules with stats taken from Kursk and Tobruk, in 20mm scale.  The scenario involved the early stages of a German "raid" to secure a valuable stash of minerals essential to their war economy and known to be held at the quayside of Andreivia's main port near the capital, Tcherbevan.  It was also a handy way to test out the loyalty of the local population to the Soviet authorities and any non-Soviet factions that could represent possible Axis recruits.

The Germans paradropped a platoon of Fallschirmjagers adjacent to the quays, while landing an infantry platoon with support from Pz IIs and Pz IIIs (2 of each) along the coast adjacent to the harbour.  The call also went out to various local falangist militias, who seized village centres around the port in an attempt to isolate the area from Soviet reserves.

The Soviets had a platoon's worth of locally recruited units of the Red Army garrisoning the port, including an AT gun covering the beach and a mortar section inland, together with various local militias based on the Soviet partisan organisations recruited from dock workers.  Crucially, the docks also held an NKVD unit with integral armoured car support, helping to ensure the loyalty of the locally recruited troops.  Area reserves included 4 ageing T-26 tanks from the nearby tank driving school, plus a lorried infantry platoon.

The table layout as the game started.

Andreivian falangists in control of a nearby village.

A T-26 from the reserve moves hesitantly along the railway line - watch out for paratroopers in the woods.

The paratroopers dropzone - sadly, the open terrain was covered by Soviet defenders, so between landing casualties and incoming fire, the paratroopers were badly mauled.

Panzers push inland.  A single paratrooper section managed to silence the AT gun covering the beach, which allowed the armour to deploy, although infantry in the quayside buildings and fields seriously delayed infantry deployment from the landing boats.  The same paratrooper section then ambushed a T-26 on the railway, destroying it and delaying the Soviet response until the Panzers were in a better position.

Sadly, the game took up most of the time there, together with some shopping.  By the show's close, the Germans had a single Pz II runner, but an immobilised Pz III covered the direct approach of what was left of the Soviet reserves.  The fallschirmjager were just about wiped out, but had effectively dealt with the garrison troops and workers partisan groups around the docks.  The falangists had been spectacularly ineffective all game, so were in good shape to assist any incoming Axis second wave or disperse quietly if the Soviets reinforced first - as might be expected.  All in all, a fun game, some interesting events and tactical situations and a great try-out ahead of our weekend game at Crisis Point later this month.

There were lots of great games at the show, but I only managed to remember to take a photo of this one, a French-Indian wars table with a great wooden stockade/fort at the far end of the table, but loads of little actions going on all round.

As I've been working on a variety of jeep transports recently for US and British forces, as well as British paratroopers, it was nice to get a couple of shots of the US re-enactors jeep display.  It was quite bizarre at the end of the show as Will and I were heading off to Chester, the jeep, towing a 37mm gun, pulled out in front of us and made it's way through the traffic - I wondered how many passers by would have had to look twice.

As ever, thanks for looking.

On the workbench

This month I've been working my way through the Vapnartak haul and a backlog of partially completed models in an attempt to reduce the unpainted stash.

Various units on the workbench (still my kitchen table really).

Three jeeps.  On the left an Airfix jeep from the 75mm pack howitzer kit, with SHQ airborne crew.  Centre and right are two SAS jeeps for the European theatre from SHQ, with crew augmented by more SHQ airborne crew.

An British paratrooper section with figures from Esci and some original Airfix paratrooper figures dating from the 1960's, based ready for painting (in many cases over much earlier attempts from the past 50 years).

Another paratrooper section, similar mix of figures, but these are ready for varnish coats.

Two three figure FHQ groups from SHQ, at the back in khaki and suitable for Italy or NW Europe and in front for the Mediterranean theatre.  The Mediterranean theatre group includes an officer in shorts, sandles and shemagh or keffiyeh, reading a book, another in a cricket jumper with radio headset and carrying a cornishware mug of tea, and a sitting radio operator.

Vehicles in need of decals and varnish, left to right, two Ready2roll airborne jeeps bought at Vapnartak, and SHQ airborne carrier and a Ready2roll Humber Light Recce Car (bought at Vapa in 2019).

More vehicles, left to right, two US armoured jeeps from EWM, a Ready2roll Humber Scout Car with AB figures RAF liaison officer sitting atop the hull (courtesy of meeting Tony Barton at Salute 2019), and a Bedford 15cwt truck with head swops from Esci figures as an airborne 17pdr tow.

The RAF liaison Humber Scout Car.

Bedford 15cwt.

Ready2roll jeep tows.

SHQ airborne carrier.

EWM armoured jeeps with .50cal HMGs.

A blast from the past, one of my childhood toys from the 60's painted up.  The lack of appropriate WW2 webbing has been attempted by painting the large chest pockets as if they were ammo pouches and adding webbing straps in the same colour.  Hoping for the best with the weapon that it looks like a Thompson, even those they were rarely issued to the airborne, stens being preferred.  Still, nice to see an old playmate still in use.  I just hope the brittle plastic holds out, unlike quite a few of his contempories.

As ever, thanks for looking.

28mm Late Romans

Some time ago now I picked up a box of plastic Saga Late Roman infantry.  I bought a Scotti Saga army at Gauntlet in the summer, so figured I could get some games in with a sub-Roman mini campaign involving a Roman field force, Scotti and Anglo-Danish army (masquerading as Saxons minus the Dane axes).  In the run-up to Christmas I made a start on the Romans.

Armoured legionaries (1pt of Hearthguard).

Another unit of armoured legionaries.

Unarmoured legionaries or auxilia (1pt of Warriors).

Archers

Command group of general, dragon bearer and musician (Warlord).

The army so far.

So, I still have a unit of unarmoured legionaries and a unit of archers to paint.  I also bought a Gripping Beast box of 12 Late Roman light horse, assembling 6 as mounted archers and 6 as javelin armed.  Then I also bought some metal heavy cavalry, enough for a unit of heavy armoured cavalry and a unit of unarmoured medium cavalry.  I also plan to add a unit of super-heavy cataphract horse to the army as well.  I'm also tempted to add a box of Gripping Beast Dark Age warriors to use as Limitani in a Late Roman force or as sub-Roman Britons with some Arthurian cavalry.  Not sure how far down the route I'll go as I'm also keen to get a 20mm force organised for Battlegroup Pacific due out later this year (thinking USMC) and I want some 28mm Muskets and Tomohawks or pirates figures for at least one game of Sharpe Practice next year, set in an imaginary Indian Ocean.

Thanks for looking.

15mm Early War Germans

Over the last couple of years, I've been gradually picking up the makings of an early war German force in 15mm, mainly PSC for the infantry and some vehicles, as well as Zvezda for a quite a few of the vehicles.  The vehicles are all painted the same way, in Vallejo grey violet, with a panzer blue filter applied.  Decals are all I94 from Pendraken/Minibits purchased at shows.

First up, two troops of Pz IIs from Zvezda.

One of the Pz II troop commander vehicles.

Next, a troop of Pz IIIEs with 37mm guns, suitable for Poland and France.

A troop of PzIIIFs with 50mm gun but no improved armor.

A troop of Pz IIIGs with 50mm guns and extra mantlet armor.

 
A troop of Pz IVDs

A pair of Pz IVF1s.

A troop of Pz IVF2s

Overall command Panzer III in Pz IIIF.

Recce troop of Sdkfz 222s.

Sdkfz 232 heavy recce vehicle.

Sdkfz 231 recce vehicle.

A pair of Sdkfz 250/1 with an Sdkfz 250/10 recce platoon leader's vehicle.

Marder II SPAT.

Kubelwagen with 2 man artillery spotter team.

Marder III with ex-Soviet 7.62cm AT gun.

Battery of three Stug IIIE.

Two troops of three Pz38t - a mix of PSC and Zvezda.

Troop commander's Pz38t

Troop commander for the second Pz38t troop.

Rommel himself, this the Battlefront/Flames of War version.

A 3D print version of the Befehlspanzer I.

A 3D print version of the 150mm Sig33 infantry gun mounted on a Panzer I, crew spares from various Marder variants.

A pair of Battlefront Tiger Is.

An infantry zug from the PSC Early War German infantry box, which gives enough figures for three zugs and a company command section.  Here formed as three 10 man squads (including a three man MG34 team) and a six man command squad.

The command figures.

An infantry squad.

Another squad.

Two man 50mm mortar team.

Three man 8cm mortar team.

Two man AT rifle team.

Three man tripod mounted MG34 team in the sustained fire role.

PAK36 with three crew.

75mm infantry gun with three crew.

 

I still have two infantry platoons to work up and will eventually motorize a platoon in Opel Blitz trucks and Gepanzert another in Sdkfz 251s, as well as adding some softskin tows and possibly an 88mm gun or two.  These should work well for BG Blitzkrieg and Barbarossa scenarios (and Stalingrad), but I also plan to mix in some later vehicles and weapons from my DAK or late war collections for BG Kursk era scenarios.

As ever, thanks for looking.