Staying solemn at Sollum

I ran this skirmish game a couple of weeks ago using A Fistful of Lead rules and a scenario from a Skirmish Campaigns book. Jerry, Martin and Gary were the Italians while John represented the Coldstream Guards.

The Brits had but a single rifle section with part of a platoon HQ.  If front of the dug in infantry they also deployed some wire and a minefield. The white building is one of a batch I bought last year while the others are my recently made high-quality Libyan mud huts.

 Though the Italians looked to have a tough job ahead, things quickly went wrong for the Brits. Their Bren team was killed early on.  Here, the veteran Sgt. Bass takes to the rooftop to hose down the enemy with his Thompson SMG. The Brits were a mix of Airfix, Matchbox and Timpo.

 The photos are rather out of sequence - this one is from late on when the Brits are on the run and the southernmost Italian section is advancing.

 The Italian figures were a mix of CTS and Waterloo 1815 (HAT). Jerry seemed to strongly identify with the bare-chested machine gunner. Worrying.

 Earlier in the game. The northern Italian section (Gary) has neutralised the Bren team while the middle (Martin) lays down a hail of fire.

 Jerry’s chaps rush forward. Eventually...

 Empty positions are occupied.

 The British officer having being wounded, Sgt Bass MM was the last man standing...

 ...but it couldn’t last. Eventually he too expired in a hail of fire. A sad end and an unexpectedly glorious victory for Il Duce’s forces. On to Egypt then.....

Fort Thüngen

From Diekirch we caught a train for the 45 minute journey into Luxembourg City. First stop was Fort Thüngen  - formerly an artillery fort which formed part of the city’s defences, it is now a well-stocked museum.

Above and below -  fortress guns c1840. 

19th century light field gun. 

A large diorama which uses 1/72 figures to depict the retreat of the Austrians following the fall of the city in 1795.

 I was rather pleased with this sinister shot of Dr. Guillotin’s finest.

 A fine 3D diorama of the city fortifications lives under a glazed floor.

 The museum contains several fine paintings. This is the Battle of Thionville, 1639.

Detail from ‘General Hatry at the siege of Luxembourg in 1795’.

Beaufort Castle

Back to my travelogue from September now. After a couple of days in Trier, Germany, we set off back into Luxembourg. After a fairly short drive the first stop was Beaufort Castle which most recently suffered battle damage in the winter of 1944!

 Mrs G adding tone to the surroundings.

 Behind the medieval castle is a slightly newer chateau - this is currently undergoing refurbishment.

A few miles further on we found our overnight stop at Diekirch which sadly had a good seeing to during the 1944 Ardennes campaign. Now it is home to a brewery and a rather splendid WW2 museum. The spacious campsite is in the south bank of the river Sure about a 15 minute walk from town. We stayed for several days and availed ourselves of the riverside cycle paths.

Tamiya US Military Police

I recently finished this nice little Tamiya set consisting of a motorcyclist and an MP on traffic duty. The ‘bike was rather fiddly but everything seems to have turned out OK.