WW2 ‘German’ Don Cossacks

 

I've had these in stock for a while now and as I may have work for them in a forthcoming game it was clearly time to paint them!

They're certainly a colourful crowd.

Panzer people

I originally started work on this interesting set three years ago but promptly mislaid it. It surfaced again yesterday (while I was searching for something else entirely). I’ll shortly be menacing these poor chaps with the dangerous end of a paintbrush.

More Dominion of the Blitzkrieg

 A couple of weekends ago I played a few more games of DOTB.  Partly to get more experience of the game in different theatres of war and partly as an excuse to get out some 6mm toys which haven't been seen for a while.  I'm happy to report that the following dozen or so games all produced credible results. Total playing time including setting up and packing away was a little over two hours.

I hope you enjoy the reports and photos.

More Dominion of the Blitzkrieg. Khalkhin Gol, 1939.  Played on the big board with (generally) three stands to a unit.

Some of the Sov infantry is dug in

Tank brigades with light and medium tanks and armoured cars.

A Japanese victory!

Japanese artillery - all GHQ models.  These are quite 'new', having been painted c10 years ago!

Japanese tanks - Type a 95 and 97.

Game two. A very similar result.
Game 3. And another Jap victory!  Makes you wonder why they didn’t build more tanks!

At last, a Soviet victory! And a much longer game. The jap artillery was silent, the infantry line crumbled and then the (elite) Sov tanks overran the remnants.

A change of climate now, and back to the small board for Soumussalmi. Late war Germans standing in for the Finnish infantry (try to ignore the Panzerfausts!). The debut flight of the Finns' borrowed bomber.

A hard fought Finnish victory. The Sov artillery never fired and their tanks all broke down. Mind you, the bombers were pretty useless.

That was closer!  Again the tanks didn’t show but artillery shelled the Finnish airfield.

Bialystok—Minsk!  A very busy battlefield.

An appallingly bloody battle, ending when panzers overran the Sov airfields.

A less good result for the Fuhrer’s lads.  More were SB2 enjoying their combat debut. By contrast, most of the German kit has been in service since the mid-eighties. Some of it is even older.

In the third battle of Bialystock the Sov bombers don’t show up but the Heer is soon seen off by the workers, peasants and T-28s. The Luftwaffe is heard to complain of being ‘stabbed in the back’ by the army.

Jitra, Malaya 1941.  Two Japanese victories but the Brits finally triumphed third time round.

I say British - actually these chaps are Indians, built for the wars of 1965 and 1971.

Dominion of...The Blitzkreig

 

Yet another Dominion of... variant now!  I confess that I approached this one with a degree of scepticism, but happily that turned out to be misplaced.  As with it's predecessors this book contains the rules, a detailed example game and a number of scenarios.  To give it a proper try out I decided on two very different battles using my 6mm toys.

First up is the battle of Mokra. The wicked Germans have panzers and dive bombers but the plucky Poles have an armoured train!  We’ve previously fought this with both Megablitz and NBC.

The Stukas didn’t show up and like our NBC game, it ends with panzers shooting up the train.

Second go. The Stukas were (very slightly) less rubbish. Panzer’s considerably more so. Clearly, the armoured train remains the weapon of the future.

A few days later the Poles launched a major counterattack on the Bzura. Again, I’ve done this with Megablitz many years ago - using these same toys!

This time the instruments of Blitzkrieg triumph in game one….

…with an almost identical story in game two!

Sidi Barrani.

Game one. Something of a walkover for the Brits.

Game two. The Italians make more of a fight of it but those bloody Matildas are nearly impossible to kill!

Great fun and nice to get some toys on the table.

30cm Nebelwerfer - part 2

Here is completed lash-up.  It's not quite a replica of the original but conveys the message - a big scary rocket launcher!  I cannibilised two of the rocket crates to provide 'empties' as clutter and rockets for two of the crew to lug around. They don't look too pleased about it.

I rather like the result - what do you think?

 

30cm Nebelwerfer - part 1

Perhaps inevitably there was a chat about Nebelwerfers over lunch during the Twin Villages game a few months ago.  It was agreed that the 30cm version was a relatively rare sight in wargames, so needless to say I took this as a challenge!  I knew I had some suitable(ish) rocket crates from a 1/43 halftrack model, so these were swiftly adapted and mated with a chassis frame and wheels.  Crew were sourced from a Tamiya gunners set. Dubious origins but really no worse than the real one. 

Sherman ARV - part 2

Here is the completed Sherman ARV.  Painted, marked, varnished and now confidently waiting for a (3D printed) Firefly to break down.

Sherman ARV - part 1

A few months ago I discovered that I 'needed' a British Sherman ARV.  A review of my fleet of 1/50 scale M4s revealed this plastic and diecast example which didn't really fit with either it's Solido or Corgi equivalents..  Off went the turret to the spares box. An mdf circular base covered the turret ring and various bits of stowage added.  Now for some paint...

Foy-Notre-Dame - part 2

 As we rejoin the action, Mark is still trying to get his radio to function.

The Americans have had a bloody nose trying to get into the village. 

The company of M5 Stuarts has found the minefield. The hard way. 

On the German left, while the AT gunners and Panzerfausts have had a good run, the infantry’s luck is in danger of running out. 

At last - here comes some US air support. So that’s who Mark has been calling up. 

Amazingly, one of the Panther platoons is hit!

Simon’s British Motor Co pushes into the village, assisted by fire from the accompanying tank sqn and carrier Plt. 

The German infantry headed for their getaway halftrack. 

One of the burning Shermans was John’s OP tank. Luckily a replacement OP has trudged through the woods to join the HQ troop. 

The Puma Plt gets off a cheeky shot before hiding in the woods. This allows John’s tanks to move forward. 

Here comes another flight of P-38s

A British tank sqn working its way round the flank of the Panthers. Much to Mark’s relief!

Boom! The surviving Panther Plt brews another troop of Shermans….

…but is finally seen off by the efforts of more Shermans. Note the burning Firefly troop.  

By now the Germans could read the writing on the wall and withdrew their surviving troops, allowing the Allies to consolidate in the village. An honourable draw and a very entertaining game to run. Well done everyone!