Sunday 7 November 2010

Megablitz units - 41 Rifle Corps

In response to a request from Phil Steele to see some Russians (he doesn't get out much) I will start off with one of my Rifle Corps, in this case 41st. 

A few words of explanation are needed first though.  Uniquely among my Megablitz units my Soviet infantry are based on regiment-sized stands.  This is because of the rather thin manpower strength of most rifle divisions after the first few weeks of the Great Patriotic War.  Thus for most Soviet units the lowest level of player command is the corps rather than the division.

The infantry stands are 6x6cm in size, rather than the Capitalist Running Dogs' 4x4cm battalion sized stands.  To illustrate this, here is one of the Rifle Divisions of 41RC.  As with other Megablitz stands, the number of figures is of no relevance to the game but I use 3 on the Russian bases.  Figures by B&B from their Russian Civil War range. 
The B&B figures are quite chunky - clearly a well-fed pre-war division!  I particularly like the guys pulling the Maxim gun, and the fact that everyone else has a fixed bayonet!

Now the 'overview' shot of the Corps.  My Rifle Corps boxes each contain 2-4 divisions plus minimal support units, so 41RC is pretty typical.  The three Rifle Divs are on the left, with the Light Artillery Regt at the rear, then the supply column, AT battalions and finally the HQ.

The Light Artillery Regt - actually an amalgam of the divisional artillery and represented here by a 76mm infantry gun.  Gun, limber & horses by Hinchcliffe (Skytrex), crew by Irregular.
The supply column.  The panje wagon is actually a 15mm scale Hallmark model pulled by a Skytrex horse.
This lucky corps has two AT battalions - one with AT Rifles and the other with 45mm AT guns.  Figures by FAA.  The guns is an Esci German 37mm - the Soviet 45 started off as a licenced copy of the 'door knocker'.
The Corps HQ.  Figures by Britannia.
Although the rifle corps looks pretty weak, units in busy sectors of the front or conducting offensives would have additional support elements.  And of course being Russian, the trick is to have several corps.  After all, as Stalin is reputed to have said "Quantity has a quality all of it's own."

10 comments:

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

Tim,

I have enjoyed this series of blog entries about your Megablitz units, and it has reminded me how much I have enjoyed fighting battles with the rules over the years.

Depite all my other interests, I still have my own Megablitz units stored carefully away, ready for the day when they will again take their place on the battlefield.

All the best,

Bob

Tim Gow said...

Bob
Thanks again for your kind words. The game I am running in February will see us return to the Eastern Front, on the rolling steppe of, er, North Nottinghamshire.
Which unit would you like to see next?
Tim

Paul said...

Nicely painted and based Soviet hoard. I have taken note on the Infantry gun. More Reds please!

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

Tim,

A Russian Tank Corps would be nice ... or something from the other end of the spectrum (like a Luftwaffe Feld Divisione).

All the best,

Bob

Tim Gow said...

Two votes for more Russians then. Looks like a Tank Corps next!
Tim

Don M said...

yes...more ruskies please !

I've got 60 Roco T34/85s what's
that in Megablitz MTO&Es terms?

Tim Gow said...

60? That's enough for about 15-20 Tank Corps. On to Berlin Comrade!
Tim

Don M said...

I got that lot in a trade years back,and after just checking it
was only 30 actually, the rest in that box were Panthers and some other German items...So the road to Berlin is still contested...)

But still, what 7 to 10 Tank Corps, not bad and I have at least that many infantry and half that many cavalry...Still heading west!

Tim Gow said...

Don
Last one to Berlin buys the vodka?
Tim

Don M said...

В ходе моего друга!
"Of course my friend!"