Early WW II Germans

Hello again! After a number of family appointments I now have time to do a few more posts. I started this project a few years ago and decided to show you the results.

I have also taken the opportunity to experiment with my camera skills to improve the standard of photography for the blog so please bear with me if the pictures are variable in quality!

This model is an old Esci Panzer II with am MMS tank commander. I chose to represent the 7th Panzer Division, (which I later found out is a common choice), as the appeal of Rommel is compulsive! I personally like the the large red turret numbers, the use of the Panzer 38t mixed with German vehicles and the fact they were present in France and early Russia.

Here are two Minimi Panzer 38(t). The aerials are cat whiskers. I have based my models as this protects them from handling and as there is magnabase underneath and a zinc plate steel sheet is my really useful boxes they do not move when stored.

Here are a selection of radio and command vehicles. Here I decided to add more scenery around each item and in the case of the Sdkfz 223 I added plenty of clump foliage to act a protection as the radio aerial is fragile.

The Panzer 38 (t) command vehicle is from Sgts Mess Miniatures and is in resin with a metal frame aerial. The original master was a 3D printed object and on close inspection you can see this from the fine lines in the casting. This is hardly noticeable and invisible at any distance. The dry brushing did not really show up these lines.

Here is the ubiquitous Matchbox Sdkfz 232. The turret still rotates under the aerial however I always wonder if this a good idea as it encourages players to turn the turret and is asking for the model to be damaged! Another draw to the early WW II period is the large range of 'different' vehicles and this is one of them!

This old MMS Adler Fu-Kw Radio car is a favourite of mine. I added an MMS metal figure, probably on the look out for some Luftwaffe support! With the aerial being so fragile the clump foliage is again used as protection and the aerial is covered in camouflage netting. Although the Germans had air superiority during this period and did not bother much with hiding their vehicles the frame aerial is very fragile so a certain amount of artistic licence is required. As far as the photography is concerned I need to improve the depth of field as the focus is on the flowers in the front and not the figure and netting further back.

This hobby den Sdkfz 247 ausf b is another 'different' vehicle. I have also seen a 6 wheel version however, I believe, the four wheel version was used more during the early war. Again the aerial is a cat whisker and as this model is made from resin it suffered from the problem of the details being a little unclear. I rectified this by removing the tools along the side and replaced with the same from the bits box. This made the model look a bit more crisp. The air recognition flags came from Sgts Mess Miniatures and the transfers bits box

Another MMS metal model with a driver from the same manufacturer. I already miss the demise of this supplier however I did put in a large order before they finally ceased trading. Barry did a sterling job with this company and provided models to a very high standard. This is a Mercedes Benz le Pkw 170VK staff car and was a joy to make as it went together so easily.

This German 105mm leFH18 Field Howitzer is from SHQ as are the crew. The scenic rocks are from a bag of crushed granite. Although probably not dark enough I have used Vallejo 994 Dark Grey for the gun however as the item is quite small the optical illusion of small items look naturally dark using the 'correct' shade would make the model look too dark.

I always get these German half tracks wrong! I hope this is a Sdkfz 11 3 ton tractor, according to my copy of ' German Half Tracked Vehicles of World War Two - Unarmoured Support Vehicles of the German Army 1933-45' by John Milsom. The figure is a Dixon Miniatures 20mm German driver. Dixon provide a small WW II range which is very useful and compatible to many existing ranges. The vehicle is an old Esci model, reclaimed from the scrap box with some wheel drilled and pinned into the correct place and the tracks refitted. The windscreen is a small sheet of acetate from a box of sweets. With the change in public perceptions to the effect of plastic on the environment I expect this item to become much more difficult to get in the future, (and quite rightly so, to stop plastic pollution).

I hope to post further posts on the this and other collects in the near future.

Desert Dust Clouds

As part of the Bir Hacheim refight I held at the end of last year, I wished to represent the clouds of sand and dust that moving vehicles produce in the desert.

In the spotting rules that we use anything behind such 'clouds' will be obscured. I thought about a quick way that I could represent this and obtained this effect.

I will provide a tutorial to WSS magazine in the future for these items.

Bir Hacheim Refight

Hello Again. After a number of minor disasters at home I had to spend time reorganising my house furniture while a new carpet was fitted. Now I a, back to normality and posting the Bir Hacheim refight which took place on Saturday 10th November at the New Buckenham Historical Wargames Club.

Here is the table. I set this up in the morning using the staging tables from the village hall and the trench and barb wire sections from my collection. The joins between the tables were covered in 2" wide masking tape and the surface scattered with Cotswold buff stone chippings and loose sand. This game represented the south west corner of the defences and allowed the attackers to have plenty of space to deploy their forces. 

In the actual battle German and Italian forces sent patrols out to cut the barb wire surrounding most of the perimeter and remove the mines from the minefield. I included a number of points where the wire had been broken.

The game started with a pre game bombardment The German forces approached from the left hand side of the table. They penetrated the barb wire line but their losses steadily mounted.

The armoured forces kicked up a lot of dust as they advanced. 

Supported by infantry.

Meanwhile on the other side of the table the Italian forces advanced and also took some losses before they had reached the barb wire. With the infantry support lorry borne and behind the tank I decided that the dust kicked up by the tanks would not allow the defenders to spot anything behind them, as long as the tanks were still moving.

Although the attackers knew their opponents were manning the trench sections the defenders did not place their troops on the table until they had been spotted by their enemies. This stopped the Italians and Germans from planning their attack based on what they could see of the defenders forces but on what they know of the defences instead. That is why the positions in the picture above are empty at the moment.

The defenders found themselves under artillery fire as they were spotted by the enemy artillery, (especially the Italians), who fulfilled their competent 'Royal' status by keeping many defenders heads down as their tanks approached.

Here a unit of Italian artillery plan their next salvo.

The German artillery divisional artillery also contributed to this tactic.

The French defenders maintained a steady fire, despite a number of their positions being masked by smoke for part of their game.

Some Free French forces moved in to position where the Axis appeared most threatening.

The Italians lost their reconnaissance unit quickly but this helped them locate the French gun positions which were neutralised before their infantry assaulted the trench line.

Once through the barb wire the German Recce unit fared little better.

As you can see! Thankfully the tanks following them up took the space they left and proceeded to the trench line.

French reinforcements ran to the second trench line, opposite the German attack. Despite their losses they continued their attack.

Also the Italian forces reached the entrance of the defensive box. Looking behind them they could see the losses inflicted by the defenders.

Here through the smoke the Italian infantry breached the trench line and fought their way along the line.

As we came to the end of the day it was apparent that while the attackers had many losses they would not have been easily evicted from the first trench line they now occupied.

This was a very enjoyable game which kept everyone occupied and both sides had their minor victories for the day.

Further pictures are available on the New Buckenham Historical Wargamers facebook page here.

The photographs used here are a mix of my own and some from the above facebook page.

I shall post a feature on the changes I made to the Rapid Fire rules and in the future I shall write a feature for Wargames, Soldier Strategy magazine. 

Early WW II German 7th Panzer Division Vehicles

With the nice weather yesterday I was able to get the light box out in the garden and take some pictures of my fledgling Early WW II collection.  I have been planning this out for a few years now and with a wargaming colleague the incentive to get painting started about two years ago.

As ever things stalled a bit as work and family life got in the way but, hopefully, after SELWG, I can get back to adding to these.

A quick note concerning the camouflage of these vehicles. Vehicles, and especially tanks, used in 'Fall Gelb' may have had a two tone, panzer grey/brown, pattern. Contemporary pictures of the invasion are not easily discernable as to what vehicles had this pattern. The Concord range of books elaborate a little on this subject but I prefer to use a single colour for my vehicles. This is in no way a historical statement of fact on my part, just a personal preference. I also require my vehicles to be used for scenarios in Russian as well which I believe were panzer grey only.

This is a Sgts Mess Pz 38t tank fitted with a radio antennae. The commander is a MMS early war tank commander. The decals are from Skytrex. I could not source a command tank from anywhere else so plumped for Sgts Mess. The only down side, I feel to this vehicle is that the original master appears to have been a 3D printed item. If you look closely on the model there is a series of parallel lines on the casting which have come through of the resin model. To the naked eye this is not a problem but when you drybrush the model these lines do tend to show up. This is not visible unless you look very closely at the model, at a 'wargames distance', (6 feet), it cannot be seen.  An illustration on page 76 of 'Blitzkrieg' by Steven Zaloga was used when painting this model.

This is a Hobby Den SDKFZ   247 armoured car. I was able to source the 6 wheel version but wanted the earlier four wheel version, seen here. It came aa a kit of four separate wheels and the body. I added it to a base. I removed the shovel moulded to the body, as it was not well defined, and replaced it with a plastic item from the 'bits box'. The aerial is a cat whisker. The swastika flags came from Sgts Mess as well.

Here is an SDKFZ 7, similar to the SDKFZ 8 excepr for the carrying capability and shape of the holes in the wheels are different, 'German Half Track Vehicles of WW II by John Milsom' This is an old ESCI model which had been sitting in my plastic stash of shame for many years. I added a canvas windscreen cover made out of tissue soaked in PVA and water mix. The other stowage is from SHQ. The driver and soldier are both 20mm Dixon figures.

Here a Ceasar Miniatures Krupp Protze Kfz 69 Towing truck and a SHQ Pak 36 3.7cm anti tank gun with SHQ crew. The driver is an MMS figure. I am part way through making an anti tank company but have a way to go yet! These guns were practically useless against the larger and heavily armoured French tanks. I read that at the Battle of Stonne the German gunners realised that the large louvred panel at the rear right side of the Char B1 was unarmored and then made the most of the knowledge. Still I would have preferred something more effective!

Here an MMS Adler Fu-Kw Kfz 13 armoured radio car with frame aerial and MMS figure pointing. I felt the frame aerial was not going to last long on the war gaming table so I tried to strengthen it by adding some camouflage netting. Something probably not present in reality, such was the German confidence in air supremacy during the campaign.

Lastly for today, a staff car. I cannot remember the source of this model. I thought this was an MMS model but looking through their catalogue I cannot find it. The figures are a mix of SHQ and Dixon.

I prefer to base all my vehicles. This is because it aids storage and provides an alternative way to pick the model up. You can also add clump foliage to hide any problems with the model, not that this a problem here!