15mm Battlegroup Overlord Wrexham Wargames Club

I travelled to Wrexham on Tuesday evening for a Battlegroup Overlord game from Beyond the Beaches.  We opted for 750 points a side with Pete Derrick, assisted by Meic, supplying the German forces (a Puma, 2 platoons of Pz IVs and 2 Panthers, plus a Wirbelwind and an infantry platoon with some off table 81mm mortars and FHQ).  I, with Rhys' help, used my recently compiled US forces (2 platoons of Sherman 76mms, one platoon of M10s and one of infantry, with a single 105mm gun, observer team, FHQ and air spotter, recce jeep and 2 sniper teams, plus an 81mm mortar battery off table).  We agreed on a meeting engagement and rolled for scenario, coming up with attack/counterattack.  Weather rolled up a 1 and severe thunderstorms grounded all aircraft - so much for my spend on an air controller.  Thanks to Meic for the photos.

The game was long and very attritional, with each side wearing down the other and advantage see sawing between the two sides.  The Germans seized 2 objectives early on, the one at the central crossroads being seized by a wild charge by the Puma.  The US armour came on with a platoon of Shermans supported by an M10, knocking the Puma out of the fight, but losing the M10 to a mine strike.  The PzIVs were quick to follow up, closely followed by the Panthers and Wirbelwind.  The US reinforced their armour with the second Sherman platoon and the rest of the M10s, the latter swinging around the the US left to control the long road running down the middle of the board.  The Shermans took up position around the village and traded shots with the oncoming PzIVs, each side giving as good as they got.

An early success for the US was to knock out the Puma, which meant the Germans couldn't control their mortars, meaning the US infantry could come on without harassment.  The US mortars and 105mm gun did sterling service, mainly pinning the German advance, which was much more piecemeal than they had planned.  There was some close in knife fighting by the armour on both sides, with a German infantry squad KO'ing a Sherman with a Panzerfaust, in a wild charge, only to be heavily machine gunned.  With losses mounting, we called it an evening at around half eleven with the Germans almost at their break point and the Americans not so close, chiefly due to their very generous initial breakpoint allocation.

It was a fun game and very close, with both sides feeling victory was in their grasp almost right to the end.  Thanks to Meic and Rhys for taking part - they seemed to enjoy themselves - and to Pete for bringing the Germans and inviting me to the Wrexham Club.  Hopefully I'll be able to get along there from time to time in the future.

Thanks for looking.

20mm Desert Ambulance

Another addition to the North African 8th Army force for WW2.  This time the Austin K2 Ambulance from the venerable Airfix RAF Emergency Set.


I assembled this over the Christmas holidays, but didn't get around to base coating it until Easter and only recently finished washing and varnishing, plus adding the striking decals.

This vehicle will provide some medical support to my 20mm 8th Army support, alongside the stretcher bearers and medic from Zvezda, which can be seen here https://sedimentswargameblog.blogspot.com/2017/12/clearing-up-some-20mm-ww2-mini-projects.html


Thanks for looking.

20mm 25lbrs North Africa

I've been working on some 25lbrs for North Africa, mainly using the PSC set with Morris Quad tows.

Here is a 2 gun section, complete with limbers and Morris Quads.  I've also added a CMP tow vehicle from Anyscale Models as an HQ vehicle or spare tow.

These are painted in desert yellow, washed in Agrax Earthshade and dry-brushed Iraqi Sand.

These 25lbrs were a gift from Ian at the club, spare from his set made up for NW Europe.

The original guns from my set (on left) were assembled as 18/25lbrs for early artillery support, although they were also issued as relatively effective AT weapons, mainly to Australian units.

All the guns, 18/25lbrs on left and later 25lbrs on the right.

18/25lbrs.

25lbrs

I also found some suitable wheels, so made up a second pair of 25lbrs with muzzle brakes, although I've obviously put them in a safe place, as I couldn't find them for the photos.

Thanks for looking.

20mm Anyscale Models terrain pieces

I put in an order to Anyscale Models for various pieces of terrain suitable for the Vaagso game we are putting on at WMMS next year.  I was mainly looking for items suitable for adding detail to harbour and industrial scenes, particularly fish oil factories.

With a factory scene in mind, I've completed an oil tank on stone piers, which should do nicely for fish oil.  This was a three part resin casting, two piers and the tank, with the feed pipe comprising a copper wire cast into the resin.

The piers are painted basalt grey, dry brushed stone grey and the tank is black grey dry brushed oily steel.  The wooden pads on the piers are beige brown dry brushed german camo beige.

As most industry needs a reliable, often copious supply of fresh water, here is a water tank on stone pier.  I think this is intended as a line-side feature for a railway, but a tank is a tank and this will do fine for a factory complex.

This one is painted in the same way as the oil tank.  Next time I'm making up some clear resin, I'll fill the tank with it to simulate the tank full of water.

Still on the workbench is a 10 man tent for a forward medical aid station, a barge and assorted wooden boxes, nets, coal sacks, covered lorry loads, etc.  I plan to order some more scatter items and will add another barge and possibly some fishing boats - after all the fish oil needs to come from somewhere.  The company also does a nice 5-6" gun, which would be great to add to a larger trawler to make it an armed trawler to make into a harbour defence ship with a German crew or an escort/mine sweeper trawler with an RN crew.

Thanks for looking.

15mm M3 75mm Motor Gun Carriage

Yet more bargain Battlefront vehicles, this time a pair of M3 75mm Motor Gun Carriages.

These were primed pale grey and basecoated with Vallejo brown violet, washed in Agrax Earthshade and dry brushed Iraqi sand.  Metal tools and tyres are black grey and wooden items beige brown.  Crew figures are German Camo Beige and US field drab with brown violet helmets and mahogany brown for leather items.

Allied stars are from Skytrex.

Nice vehicles, they should provide some artillery support and an AT capability for my US forces for Torch, Sicily and beyond, at least until M10s become available.  I also picked up a job lot of 15mm M3s at the bring and buy at Britcon, so will be able to mechanize a companies worth of US infantry in due course.

Thanks for looking.

15mm DAK vehicles

While working on my 20mm DAK forces, I decided to complete a couple of 15mm vehicles too.  I picked up another bargain Battlefront vehicle, an Sdkfz 254 recce vehicle.  This rather unusual vehicle, designed in Switzerland for the Austrian Army in the 1930's, was used by the Wehrmacht in a variety of early war theatres, including North Africa.

I used I-94 iron cross decals, while the vehicle registration plates are from Skytrex.

Then I used one of the spare Forged in Battle Kubelwagens to add a command or artillery spotter transport vehicle to my DAK force.

I still can't get over how hideous the driver of the FiB vehicle is.

Thanks for looking.

More 20mm WW1 Turks

I did these figures in a rush for Crisis Point 2018 back in April, but never got around to photographing them until now.  I only found them now as I was looking for a spare place in the trays for the Ottoman Camels.


These are Hat WW1 Turkish cavalry.  Nicely detailed figures, but done in their bendy/bouncy soft plastic.  After a spell in the washing machine, they take the paint well, but sadly, the lances suffer from warping and one or two of the horses stand very lopsided.

They were quite simple to paint and I'm quite pleased with them.

Sadly, from the front the unrealistically curved lance on at least one figure is annoying, but I can live with it.

I also struck lucky at WMMS back in 2017 and picked up a pack of the Hat WW1 Ottoman artillery and heavy weapons.  This meant I now have 4 artillery pieces (2 shown) as well as 8 tripod HMG, some snipers and bomber boys.


Two of the German supplied 10.5cm howitzers, each with 5 crew (including the seated gunner).

Four of the 8 MG08 HMG teams.  I've only used 6 and the other pair may finish up in German hands for WW2 games with some suitable crew swops.

These Maxim HMG teams are from the Strelets Turkish infantry in tropical uniform set and, despite looking unpromising straight from the pack, paint up quite nicely.

A selection of infantry from the Strelets tropical set.  Some nice poses, rather well done and they look fine on the table top.

I'm not sure if the Fez was still worn by officers, but they do stand out on the table top and look the part, so I;m quite happy with them.

These guys were used at Crisis Point and bring my Ottoman WW1 troops up to over 100 infantry, 12 horse cavalry, 9 camel cavalry, 12 HMG, 2 LMG (not enough), 4 10.5cm guns and 2 mortars.  Not a bad little force.  I think I have another box of the Hat Turkish infantry, which I'll use to bring the group up to company/battalion strength, depending on the rules set.


Thanks for looking.