Germans in Winter Gear - Kampfgruppe Sticker.

This is a very odd feeling. I have actually completed an entire project, not a single piece of unpainted metal exists for this collection. I was ambushed by these last week when reorganising my storage boxes, they had sat based and undercoated in the box for around 5 years.

The combination of locked down, monthly focus on certain projects and desire to clear 30 years of stored figures finally brings them to the table.

Most of the original units have a wintery feel to them a rag tag bunch of Germans in greatcoats and Volkstrum in civilian clothing, so these represent a more well equipment unit in full winter gear.

I remember reading an article several years ago on Operation Werewolf where the German High Command planned to operate behind allied lines carrying out sabotage and ambushes, with members drawn from the Nazi party, Waffen SS and Hitler Youth.

I figured these could be something interesting to bring into the Kampfgruppe Stickler narrative campaign.

The figures are largely early Battlefront and are based in 12 man sections with a MG34 Team and one single Pz Faust which will give them some defence against the Russian armour in the forthcoming Bolt Action games.

Meanwhile continuing with the winter theme I completed these to add to the winter feel, donated to me by a friend of mine several years ago (thanks Dane.) I never did fancy sticking clumps of foliage onto the branches, but they do make rather good winter trees and will give the table that slushily feel after the a heavy frost or the snow begins to melt.

So there we are. One completed project. So that's that it feels like.

Although the Forged in Battle 88mm's are rather nice and to make the postage up I might as well grab some more Soviet Infantry after all you can never have enough Russians, besides I have some spare bases and I would not want to throw them away. These guys will need some transport and they do a nice pack of three Halftracks which includes a radio car, which would be good for a scenario I would like to try...….. Hell I have been in doors for a month and seen how much we waste on food and 'stuff' I should just go ahead and treat myself....

Welcome to mind of a Wargamer.

I guess I am not finished after all.....

German Reinforcements - Bolt Action 15mm

After the last couple of outings for Stickler I figured it was high time the Germans received some reinforcements or perhaps I finally got to the last of the lead mountain for the WW2 Project. Over recent weeks I have reorganised many of my various armies and unearthed several 'mothballed' projects or hidden packs.... Yes I am a wargames hoarder... 

The last of the German Armour, a Battlefront metal kit and some additional AT support for the Germans. I am not sure how it will stand up to the Russian JS2's.

A collection of Radio Operators, Spotters and Pin Markers. These never made it to the table before but the recent Bolt Action games increased the need for forward observers for calling in the artillery or rare air support. Figures from Peter Pig's German range casualties from their AK47 range.

A pair of 120mm mortars to give some much needed support to Kampfgruppe Stickler. Just realise how out of focus this pic is... :-(

Fresh meat for the grinder. Pretty pleased how these turned out and completed in under 2 days.

Damn just as I thought I had finished the Germans then tucked away in another box is two fresh sections, it looks like this project may have a few more weeks to go. But at least Jerry has some extra infantry to slow the Russian tide.

Battlefront Miniatures - Team Yankee Previews

I have never been a fan of Flames of War rule system, but but looking over some of the first pictures of miniatures for Team Yankee, Battlefront's expansion into the Cold War era, I could seriously be tempted.

Breakthrough Assault have been previewing the forthcoming releases here.

http://www.breakthroughassault.co.uk/2015/08/team-yankee-preview-artillery.html#more

 

There is a small part of me that always wanted to turn Larry Bond's excellent novel, Red Phoenix into miniature or recreate some of the encounters from the Red Dawn movie, the original not the terrible remake....

The Winter could see Russian's filling the paint table.
With Derby on Saturday, I best leave my Credit Card at home.

Wargames butterfly strkes again....

Out with the old in with the new....

The first posting of 2015 and the last of the WW2 support elements for 15mm Russo-German Chain of Command.

Unusually I normally have the terrain completed before I get the figures done, but in this case my desire to play out the final month of WW2 on the Eastern front (Due largely to a great read "Zhukov on the Oder") has left me somewhat short of suitable terrain, most of my existing collection has a summer or desert feel to it, Eastern Germany in February was a lot more wintery.....

I have yet to decide on a brown cloth with a white dusting or a white cloth with a Brown dusting.

Thoughts please..?

In any event it needs to fit in with my current basing style which stills gives me the option of playing on the regular TSS type terrain.

Yet more Russian infantry, the additional LMG's will fill out the existing sectiosn and provide me 2 additional support selections if selected.

I am rather pleased with myself, the beginings of this project was started around about 7 years ago, originally designed for the Panzer Grenadier Rules, it was only when Chain of Command came along that I had the enthusiasm to complete the project, filling in the gaps for support elements from the guys at Peter Pig and painting up the various unpainted units which had been languishing in the unpainted draw for years.

German 50 Mortars, Flamthrowers and Sniper Teams to stem the Soviet steamroller.

Soviet shock markers for the Russian armour, a great use for those figures supplied in the Battlefront vehicle blisters and Peter Pig surrendering Germans.

Whilst the figures are now complete I still have plenty to learn to nail the the finer details of the Russian tactics as proven by a recent out a few weeks ago against Ade's Germans over at the Wyvern club house.

You would have though 16 support points should have been enough.... 

But I foolishly put all my eggs in one basket with a JSII, not the best choice with ambushes aplenty, annoying sniper fire and Infantry which falls foul to the German Infantry fire power.

The Railway junction, the objective for the Soviet advance.

The Russian beast over looking the station, but no targets in sight.

The Russians reach the railway junction but are under intense pressure from dug in German Infantry and a Sniper who is intent on taking every NCO out of the game.

With a German jump off point a few meters from the pinned Russians in the wood pile, a German counter attack causes the Russians to break and run, leaving nothing but the JSII intact and a minus 2 on the force morale - Game Over.

Next up the Wyvern Wargames 2015 Project - The Spanish Civil War....

Chain of Command - Russian Armour..... Part 2

4.30pm Sunday and hardly a minute to spare and the Russian Armour is finished...

Perhaps I was being a little ambitous but the basing and under coating completed yesterday evening and left to dry overnight gave me a good solid start this morning, with finer detail and crew being finished around lunchtime, barely time for the varnish and static grass to dry.

This collection of vehicles should give me plenty of support options for chain of command, with the option to "go large" with 3 T34's and an IS2 in support.

 

I have opted for a light winter dusting giving me the option to blend with other Wyverners collections who the majority are based around the Western Front, but this gives me the option to add further winter troops if required.

 Anti - Tank options should I need to go on the defensive.

The scout options for those probe's into German territory.

 Tired of walking then hitch a lift with the transport elements.

13 vehicles in less than a day just hope the fumes from the varnish does not knock me out on the way to the club house.

 

What's the bet they suffer the curse of freshly painted figures on their first outing.

War on the Eastern Front - Campaign Game 2

Having played out the opening salvo of the Eastern Front Campaign last week, time to up the anti.

I picked up a copy of "At the Sharp End" the Too Fat Lardies Campaign suppliment, this should add a little colour to the games, The setting is Koslin in early 1945.

The Russians have captured Bublitz and after a few days of build up are on the move again, looking to break thin German defences. Following the Ladder Campaign structure and having won the initial Patrol Game, we pushed on to Scenario 2 - "The Probe"

After the narrowest of victories last week, we moved north towards the village of Goldbeck, the Panzer Grenadiers had pulled back but were still strong in number they were sure to be blocking the highway, the most logical of stop gaps before Goldbeck.

Having experienced the amount of fire the Germans can lay down with their MG34's I opted to push through the Orchard on the left flank having managed to secure a Jump off point very close to the German base line.

The Germans once again deployed early occupying the brick built houses over looking the road, but I am confident we can break them having drafted an additional section into my platoon for this operation.

I decide to lead my comrades in person, sending two sections through the wood, killing many of the German defenders and pinning the remainder. Confidence was high.

We pressed on but the Germans were tougher than we first thought, they had entrenchments and were greater in number than our scouts had reported.

I ordered the men back deeper into the orchard, to tend to our wounded, victory had been so close.

With my troops broken and running for cover on the left flank, I saw a chance to still win this encounter and break through the German lines, I sent 3rd section off on wide flanking move.

The Facists can only summon a solitary team to block our path, we can still be victorious.

However luck was not on our side, the Germans rolled 6's and gained two turns they rush troops from the centre and flank my section, MG34's ripped through my men who took to their heels.

My force morale is shattered -3 to the Germans 9.

Defeat...

We fall back towards Bublitz my men's opinion of me is not great (German -2, Russian -3) and my force's morale is now -1 for all future operations, speaking with my commander he is far from happy but has given me a chance to redeem myself in the next encounter (Russian -1, German +2) whilst my German counter part is likely to receive both reinforcements and extra supports if things continue.

I will also have to make do with 6 men fewer... War in the East is tough.

German Late War Support Weapons - Chain of Command

With the infantry finished I thought I would bring the support options up to speed to give me some variation in future scenario's, as with most wargamers I seem to have gotten a little carried away already, with the painting table full of extra's..... so much for sticking to a plan.

First up two Pak 40 AT Guns - Eight points each on the support charts.

For the cheaper option, 2 MG 42's worth 4 points each.
Technically with 5 crew so I will need to work on some additional markers. 

 

I also finished the last of the command bases, with 3 officers to represent a senior command should it be needed.

Next up vehicles and with Derby 2013 approaching who knows what else.....

Too Fat Lardies Chain of Command - Big men and leaders.

Having given the late war infantry a make over and re-organising them for Chain of Command, I should be able to muster two full Platoons to hold off the allied advance, however the current basing (3 to a base) has left me a little short of Senior and Junior leaders fortunately a quick order to Peter Pig has provided the necessary reinforcements.

Gaming and painting has been a little thin of late, so I set myself the challenge of getting the leaders finished with 48 Hrs.... for tonights club outing. SNOW Pressure then.....

I am pleased to report that the reinforcements are now available with a few hours to spare the snow still a little wet.... I just hope they don't fall foul of the curse of freshly painted figures on there first outing. 

 

Paul over at  Move along nothing to see here has steadily been building his collection and opted for junior officers on 1p bases, I thought I would follow suit adding senior officers on 2p's with a second figure to make them a little easier to identify.

I also included a medic to give me an option on the table should it be needed to keep those big men active.

 

The standard infantry squad in CoC is made up of an LMG team of 2 crew and a rifleman, whilst the rifle team is made up of 6 riflemen. Longer term I would like to add some two figure bases to give me additional figure options.

I am toying with bolstering the rifle squad to 9 men and the LMG team with only 2 to fit with my current basing, but will have to see what that does for game play.

  

1st Platoon - Veterans from the front in a mixture of over coats and cold winter gear.

 

2nd Platoon - Volkstrum and HJ

Next up support weapons....

15mm WW2 late war Germans.- Messing about in the snow...

Whilst waiting for the postman to deliver my copy of Chain of Command I thought I would give my Germans a make over, originally based for the Panzer Grenadier rules, they needed some additional Bigmen for CoC, my plan is to base the Junior leaders on one pence pieces and the seniors on two pence pieces.

First up 3 sections and the anti-tank team.

Given the figures are three to base, I will need to build some shock and casualty bases which should be complete over the next few weeks, which will allow me to split into the separate fire teams, although I could assume they are in a weakened state?

The units will represent a mix of veteran infantry and volkssturm designed to stem the soviet advance. The militia had the potential to lack morale and combat effectiveness so by being placed under Nazi Party control they would be bolstered by political fanaticism, I need to think about how they might be represented in the rules?

I wanted to give them a winter feel, they had previously been varnished with a satin finish, so a covering of lacker gave them a duller feel, together with a light dry brushing of white.

The snow effect was created using Bicarbonate of Soda and a PVA/water paste, it should be thick enough so that it sticks to a brush, I applied a liberal "blob" of the paste and allowed to dry, in some cases added a second application for depth, before another dry brush of white, followed by another lacker coat to fix in place.

Next up Bigmen.....