US Artillery and AT Guns WWII (Part 1)

I was recently looking at my old favuorite Command Decision and the WWII US Infantry (1944) OoB, circa the Battle of the Bulge, to see what 1/72 scale hobby "bits and bobs" I was missing. For the infantry and vehicle types I was pleasantly surprised to see I had them rather well covered but for AT and artillery there were a few "gaps". The US Battalion 57mm AT Gun was a simple conversion project from the stalwart Airfix British six pounder (although I did need four of them for the complete RCT). The heavier three inch cousin, converted AA gun to AT gun was another matter though, but an internet search eventually came up with a stockist of an ACE model kit (see below, sadly they are currently out of production so it was a one off tad pricey purchase - but it is all done now): 

The US artillery was a cheeky, cheap by comparison purchase of 105mm standard US Howitzer (also suitable for post WWII conflicts like Indo-China) from Grubby Tanks and their Britannia Miniatures stocked range (see below, I got two but really on reflection want three for the battalion so I know I will have to "go back" to them - and while there also get some more of their nice US Art Crew): 

Coincidently like all good wargames when I had been to a local DIY superstore for a "bathroom project" - I was also on the lookout for "potential wargame materials" (as well as a bathroom sealant remover). I passed an artificial lawn section where they selling off "cheap" small patches. What is not to like?. Could they be of use? (see below, I think there is potential): 

This was Part One of my WWII US RCT OoB scan, more to follow - such as the "cannon company" gun!

Netflix: Road to Victory - US Army in Europe 194-45

Despite the kids having a 99% control of Netflix (true it keeps them quiet) I do occasionally manage to get the odd "time-slice" in. I saw this little treasure trove and liked it, albeit concentrating on the US side of operations only (see below, I really enjoyed it or rather them):

D-Day:
The US invasion beaches (Omaha and Utah) and the American 101st and the 82nd Airborne dropping behind the beaches. The chaos the airborne troops found themselves in (small squads searching each other out) suggests some very interesting skirmish (Chain of Command) scenarios.

Hell's Highway:
Two thirds the way up it! 101st and 82nd perspectives. The incredible river crossing at Nijmegen but them the heartbreaking failure of command (not pushing on while the Germans were completely dislocated). Plenty of scenario (again skirmish) material here.

The Bulge:
Frank description of the battle, bringing out the best and the worst US experiences. Intriguingly it was the small squad sized battles that shaped the course of the battle with the Germans encountered resistance where they least expected it. The Winter seemed to be the worst enemy to both sides

Very interesting to see it from the American perspective (not a "we won the war" but a "this is how we fought it"). It also served as an inspiration to ... paint some US 20mm forces for Chain of Command! If I can do it for Star Gruntz (Yaeter) then I should be able to make an inroads into my WWII American 20mm collection.

(Sherman part of) WW2 US Tank Battalion WIP (Command Decision 20mm)

Only half as far on as the British late 1944 RTR is the US 1944 Armoured Division Tank Battalion (Command Decision OrBat). The manufacturers are going from top to bottom (see below):

• HaT (Armour Fast) x 2 75mm M4A3
• Esci/Italeri x 2 75mm M4A3
• Esci/Italeri x 1 75mm M4A1
• Revell x 1 76mm M4
• "Die Cast" x1 M4A3 105mm

Still in the bag is another Italeri/Esci M4A3 Sherman kit (actually the Sherman "Calliope" kit) to make which leaves me the option of getting the Plastic Soldier Company of three US 76mm (Wet Stowage) to "finish" the battalion off. As way of size comparison (funny as NZ was just asking this very question) the large 1/72mm kits fit in well with the Armour Fast and Esci/Italeri kits (see below): 

For both the US and British tank formations, these are still "post D-Day" formations and both would require and additional three 75mm Shermans to represent the early Normandy "hit the beach" and "breakout" formation.

So there's still a possibility of more Airfix and Esci/Italeri Shermans to make in the future ;)

Note: I should also point out that there is quite a lot of variation in the US Tank Divisions (as in between the Divisions designated as "Light" and "Heavy"). I am also just looking at the M4 Sherman contingent as the US tank battalions had an organic M3/M5 (Stuart) light tank company too.

Example of: Wargaming with Friends at a Distance via PBEM

The concept of Play-By-Mail (PBM) wargaming progressing to Play-By-Electronic-Mail (PBEM) is a natural one, but still fraught with many challenges. Hence I was quite excited to see a hosted website letting gamers play (steering by a Game Master (GM)) and communicate via situational photographs.

There was a quite excellent Battle of the Bulge scenario found on The Miniatures Page:
http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=196130

The GM had gone to a lot of time and effort to be atmospheric and introduce a certain Fog of War to the game.

The pictures and links to the hosted website speak for themselves.
http://www.chtechnical.com/skirmish/example.php?gid=46
I am envious (and in simply admiration of the US infantry commander who managed to get run over [bumped but not completely off] by a [not so] friendly Sherman tank)

If you like the flavour her is a After Action Report (AAR) for a 1940 scenario
http://www.chtechnical.com/skirmish/example.php?gid=44

It has certainly got me thinking what is possible over the net via EPBM