Inspirational Photo of an IS2 (pair) - Berlin 1945

A friend posted this photograph and I am totally entranced by it. I am pretty sure it is, as he stated Berlin 1945 (although I stand open to corrections). It shows that even in cities there are big open spaces. Perhaps it is false colour, but I love the details. The crazy Ivan to the left of the IS2 tanks on a bicycle, soldiers just standing around (so not a direct combat photo - which makes sense to me). Civilian vehicles, abandoned and people just milling around in the background. The wheels (bottom left) presumably of a Russian infantry support gun or "something" [that "something" turned out to be probably a Panzer IV chassis rear wheel, from either a tank, assault gun or SPG version - exactly what is undetermined, see comments] in the middle of the street! (see below, absolute chaos - but a lovely composition for a diorama):   

It inspired me to take a look at my late war Soviet armour (in 20mm) as I have a couple of IS2s. A late-war fall of Berlin scenario beckons. 

WW2 US Infantry Painting Guides from around the Internet (20mm)

The crazy "Project" a 1:1, US, WWII, ETO (Normandy/Germany), Infantry Company (minus the 60mm Mortar supports - that is a small follow on mini-project) painted in 1/72 from an assorted plastic figure collection of Revell (Ardennes), Italieri, Caesar and Plastic Soldier Company [PSC] (see below, the sunlight lit painting tray) :  

I have adopted the finish a small pilot (squad) batch then go into "death before glory" full factory production mode. It seems to be working but I have a tight deadline!

Painting Guides: 

First of all the one I ended up using (see below, designed for 15mm FoW figures but I used it for my 1/72 plastic miniatures): 

Vallejo Model Colour (majority): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-odbmMyyOeo

Gathered from my Internet searching a wealth of riches from other web-sites: 

Contrast Paints (an alternative I considered, but not for 20mm):

• https://www.wargaming3d.com/blog/speed-painting-wwii-infantry-with-citadel-contrast-paints
• https://www.reddit.com/r/flamesofwar/comments/o9eoxh/a_us_rifle_platoon_some_contrast_paint_and_an/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eai34eU6nA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOTnNmGZY7Y

Normal Paints: 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2fdVyyudwc
• https://www.warlordgames.com/step-by-step-american-gis-by-sascha-herm/
• https://www.flamesofwar.com/default.aspx?tabid=110&art_id=444
• https://cracdeschevaliers.blogspot.com/2010/03/painting-by-layers.html
• https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235148918-a-paint-colour-list-for-british-german-and-us-uniforms-and-kit-by-nation-and-theatre-and-vallejo-shadow-highlight-mixes/
• https://launch.battlefront.co.nz/1247/

German (FoW) but a good painting Flesh Description: 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dauzu7kc2u8

Connections 2019 - FireMove and Exiles' Party (Part 2 of 2)

Phase II: The attack is going in hard on the German right flank. "Bags of smoke and flank left" as I think the British Army expression goes, plus a huge concentration of the British PBI force, three infantry companies attacking to one defending certainly helps. 75% of the British battalion are hitting at this point here .. ouch .. (see below, top of photo, another close combat goes in against the middle German platoon): 

The advance is merciless and methodical ... although momentarily stalled. FireMove does not always produce fluid flowing play as the defenders can with the roll of the dice can produce an unexpected roadblock (see below, the heavy British pressure is held for at least one more turn and time is a factor in this game as there is an implicit fatigue and exhaustion point):  

Note how the British green company has been reduced under the withering fire of the "other" German company and logistics "firing out one platoon". Attacking entrenched infantry at 1:1 of odds, even with two HMG Platoons, does not bode well for the attacker. Meanwhile at the north/top end of the photograph an infantry assault clears another German platoon from table (see below, that is 2VPs for the British and 2VPs for the German in infantry KIA):  

The British infantry advance on towards the German baseline, pressing on, heeding the ancient axiom of "not fighting where you do not have to". One consequence of this headlong rush forwards is the awful intermingling of platoons from different British companies which hinders both suppressive supporting fire and close assault execution. Different coloured companies cannot fire in mutual support or perform mutual assaults together, although a "white" Vickers HMG could - subtle but effective rules (see below, the German baseline is a feast of additional or rather potential VP that are up for grabs):  

A line of VP markers are placed along the German baseline that are "up for grabs" - which serves to emphasise the plight of the German defenders. The German turn is rather quick as the British have done a good job in suppressing them so the only action left open to then is to rally and recover - becoming fresh again (see below, please note the third white platoon on the British baseline is the British scout stand which has chosen to retire, its job): 

For who the dice rolls! In this case a terrible "one", for the Germans. No hits are automatic so a "one" can mean a failure at the most critical of times (see below, I think the roll was probably defensive fire or a German close assault that went horribly wrong, with the action probably fat away from this safe German platoon): 

British Turn (Reinforcement Call - burning 3VPs to bring on some tanks, but risking them [minus 1 VP for any lost] on the assumption in the time remaining they can be driven off the board from 2VPs each): With an opening created and a safe zone cleared by the British Infantry Battalion asks for (as yet unallocated by Brigade) armour support to exploit this opportunity. A favourable dice roll - possibly influenced by imbibed strong beer, sees two |75mm Sherman tanks and a 17 pounder Firefly Sherman appear ominously on the British baseline. Note, also the use of black painted cocktail sticks that denote movement - so a unit cannot fire if it has a black stick on, this was a very useful aide memoire (see below, this really looks like curtains for the German right flank, time perhaps for the German to ask for armour support (?) as he sees this threat develop - see how those movement markers imply the final German platoon in the north is about to be surrounded.):  

The last German platoon in the north is becoming an awkward embarrassment to the British. With clock ticking and the British player burning VPs to bring on his armour "en masse". This turn seems to be stetting the German player up for the kill next turn (see below, the 3" mortar and Vickers HMG's do not have to "pay" the logistic tax, so the southern half of the battlefield seems to be semi-permanently supressed to the German player): 

Discretion can sometimes be the better part of valour, true the German player could possible make a brutal close assault on an adjacent British platoon, but in all probability he would be pinned and lost on following turns (see below, instead he elects to retire while he s able to and also in so doing removes a potential VP from the British coffers): 

Seen from the German perspective the final brake out with an intact British armoured formation being released to wreck havoc in the German rear area, on reflection is a rather depressing viewpoint (see below, all the British armour will have exited in two turns or be in place to try and shoot up his Stug III if he chose to bring it on - which would be on a friendly German baseline hex, not adjacent to an enemy unit. It cannot fire on the turn of its entry so would receive incoming fire. The danger is deemed too great, the gain is too little and the opportunity passed [Note: The German armour could be asked for on the turn after British armour was spotted]): 

Breakout as seen from the British side (see below, four VPs from the German Baseline hexes and six VPs for the British armour exiting off table make a swing of ten VPs which is a crushing victory - a token defending British infantry force in the newly captured farm house [which offers protection as good as entrenchments] can hold off any German counter attack as they would have to leave the protection of their entrenched positions):

Called convincingly for the British. Well played, a gentleman's ending to a fittingly good game between friends, and we are the last ones in the house to boot  (see below, it is not a good sign when your opponent has to move from his side of the table to your right flank to move his troops along your baseline): 

A good end to a great night old in Old London Town! That was a good run out for FireMove and some extended rules, once again thanks goes to teh Exiles for being such great sports.

Connections 2019 - FireMove and Exiles' Party (Part 1 of 2)

Can I set the scene correctly? It is so long ago now. Late at night, in a Gaming Café in South London, underneath Waterloo [I believe, as I did get a little disorientated as we traversed all those London back lanes] in pre-Covid times (2019), four people did meet and bring their own game to a rather special venue. The game was a miniatures table-top version of "Fire Move" by Professor Phil Sabin of Simulating War fame, or at least should I say this was "The London Exiles" variant - as I met up with two of the 'newer' members of the Exiles (my old London Wargames Club), a club who IMHO represent the finest of the Old Guard of the wargaming fraternity (see below, an epic venue, strain your eyes to see some nicely painted 10mm WWII Pendrakon Figures on the table if you can, a scenic flocked battle board, but most importantly of all - the finest of company, good strong beer and beautiful gourmet burgers to boot - had I died and gone to some form of wargaming heaven?): 

The bar, the food and waitress service were exceptional and the "the gaming crew" certainly took an avid interest in our table's game [partly as it did not come out of one of their stable "off the shelf" boxes - in fact I literally wheeled in the components in a suitcase, they were intrigued]. The game had already had two outings that day at the Connections UK 2019 Professional Wargaming Conference held at KCL, but here "Fire Move" was going to be put to its most serious test as yet in my eyes, this being the measure of the respect I have for the Exiles as arbiters of wargames taste (see below, friendly staff and a buzzing atmosphere): 

One final shot of the whole crew and the first dice of the night are ready to be rolled (see below, British attacking from the left with the Germans defending on the right, a standard probing battalion attack at a sector "believed" to be thinly held by a couple of "under strength" German infantry companies):

A first departure from the basic Fire Move game and Connections UK script was the introduction of the "Fog of War" hidden placement and spotting rule - rather than just laying the German defenders out, the British had to find them. They could do this by getting close enough to spot stationary infantry or enticing the Germans to reveal their position by firing on them (see below, the German player was given ten red poker chip tokens that represented "places where the Germans could be in clear LOS" to the British baseline - note the wood below is in a contested "no-man's land"): 

The British player deploys troops from three out of four of his companies (blue[A]-white[B]-green[C]), five platoons in total, in a left-middle-right attack formation with the fourth company (yellow[D]) held back in reserve. The British white counter in the middle of the left baseline is a "recon counter" that can flush out red hidden German "poker counters" - it cannot assault but it can spot, this is in difference to Frank Chadwick's "patrol counter" and is another experimental element (see below, note no pre-game artillery bombardment was opted for, rather and again going away from the basic book version of the game it was going to be available "on call" during the game): 

Turn 1: Nothing spotted or heard from the Germans as yet [are they really there?] so the British infantry move gingerly forwards. The phycological sight of the row upon row of hidden "possible" concealed enemy positions gives a much heavier level of caution to the British plater, a trepidation of the unknown (see below, it was getting a little bit tense at this moment, "I don't like it Sarge! It's too quiet!"): 

On the German turn [3] there is "contact" as three German platoons are revealed, two from the "purple" company [top of photograph - the white piece of card to the front has a series of crosses drawn on it to denotes it is dug-in, something that is not really captured in the photograph well] and one from the "grey" company [bottom of photograph] - as they "open up" on the advancing Tommies. We played if you come within two hexes of a "red poker" counter you can "roll for a reveal" - same odds as shooting but just determining if anything is there or not (see below, the "grey" company platoon attracting the attention of the 3" British off-table mortar for his troubles):  

Again deviating slightly from the book, as I allowed the British to call down a 25 pounder smoke barrage to conceal their advance from direct fire. This was a LOS impediment which saved the British from withering fire - one shot spans two hexes rather than a point-to-point attack. I like the diverse nature of this spread of fire as opposed to most miniature game systems. Works best with hexes for sure. Chain of Command in effect does something similar by spreading casualties across a group in LOS, albeit with a different mechanic (see below, the beer is being drunk as casualty chits mount up, from strained memory we played every eighth casualty a platoon was removed, likewise the British had an ammo restriction which removed platoons to get replenished - so they could not be over zealous in their shooting. The above two rules make it a very different game from the normal WW2 tactical game experience):

From various cheap "number and word" games you can find in the high street shops that sell budget games for kids (Sudoku, Bingo and the like) I cannibalised "number chits" (see markers to the left and right of the board). These are used as casualty as logistics counters for the British and (decreasing) mortar allocation points. Also note - the new white British counter that has appeared on the baseline is the Vickers HMG platoon that has come down from a higher echelon for the attack to complement the organic battalion 3" mortars as support weaponry, once placed it cannot move (see below, the attack has reached a critical "reveal" stage, over half the British forces are on the table and most, but not all the German forces are shown - the British player can now choose his "main point of attack):   

The British player commits his last company (yellow [D]) to attack in the North (top), therefore reinforcing the success of blue company but still continuing the pressure in the South (green company). The British player has taken losses but not had to remove a platoon to date - logistical or by enemy fire (see below, note the German player has lost one platoon from an infantry assault, the only way the Fire-Move rules allow an entrenched platoon to be removed from play - it can be hit and suppressed [so it cannot fire back] any number of times): 

The British attack progresses and the final German counter is revealed. Two infantry assaults are prepped to "go in" on the next British turn unless the German suppressive fire can register hits this turn - making the British spent and unable to go in. Just off camera, a second Vickers HMG platoon has appeared. The infantry advance in the North is complemented by intense suppressive fire in the South, it is starting to look grim for the German (see below, nothing is guaranteed until an assault or fire hits .. a one is always a miss and it is so suppressing how many times a one comes up when statistically unexpected on a d6 .. Lady Luck is a cruel mistress):

Useful playing aides: Caught on camera are the "painted long stem coffee stirrers" which I used to help the players "get the rules right". In particular direct fire and assaults can only be supported by friendly stands from the same company (or the British HMG stand). Without remembering in a semi-permanent form (as in lasting over the turn) this is easily muddled up in the heat of "game play" (see below, I also think it gives the player an aide for forming his "fire plan" rather than letting organically grow, and be wasteful of ammunition, which does play a significant part in this game): 

To be continued ... the second half as the attack is pressed home.

Late War Allied "Odd One": British Crusader AA Tank (SHQ)

With still some superglue spare I decided to fix up and construct the next metal monster. This time from the later part of the war. Attached to the Command HQ of a British RTR was a nominated AA tank, converted from an obsolete model. One such tank was the Crusader chassis, although I remember seeing a picture of a Light Vickers Mk VI having four BESA upward pointing machine guns in an old encyclopedia. This Crusader has twin 20mm Oerlikon guns (see below, Note: There was a Bofors 40mm version too, but I think that requires me cutting up an additional Airfix kit!):

A much nicer professional fit and it went together no bother. I positioned it with an "open hatch" so I need to fit a sky scanning commander in it. I was thinking of the Airfix Bofors spotter figure. Just a matter of finding that particular needle in a haystack ;)

This leaves my resin Britannia Miniatures ARV the last element if my 1944 [British in Normandy] Command Decision RTR project as a must do model. Yes I have lots of painting still to do!

Seen in the Skies of the Reich 1944-45: Foo Fighters?

A piloted V1 "Wonder Weapon" (Fieseler Fi 103) .. or a one way ticket to oblivion on a flying bomb as you have to parachute out near the target and I guess you er, walk or perhaps swim back (see below):

A one-shot rocket fighter called the Natter (Bachem Ba 349-A) which is at least armed, something useful when entering the 1944-45 Allied Bomber Stream. Once out of fuel it is a case of parachuting put again and a long walk home (see below)

Are these stange machines partly to blame for the sightings of "Foo Fighters"? Next, how to wind them into a scenario of sorts?

Big Cat Pair - Panthers in "Ambush Style"

These go back a while, lurking in a 'loft box', in an almost but not quite finished state. I am sure these were ESCI originals, for I was intent on grabbing a third when Italeri briefly re-released them, but "missed" my window of opportunity. Meanwhile what I had got painted in my classic Tamiya paints based "three-tone camo", but as per the cool 'box art' the next step is to polka-dot it "ambush style" (see below):

The general camouflage scheme maybe too broad a swathe, I must have had a bigger brush in those days compared to now, as seen in the more recent Mk IVs but I still like it (see below):

The panzer commander figure is still one of the coolest IMHO and comes from an old ESCI Panzer III.

Soviet 20mm WWII "Chain of Command" Supports: Zis 3 76mm AT Gun

Alongside the Esci/Italeri basic Russian Infantry Rifle Platoon (now complete), the Chain of Command "supports" section lists those "must haves" for any Soviet Platoon Commander. In 1944/45 you need a decent anti-tank deterrent to knock out Pz IV's and at least a Cat (Panther or Tiger). Enter stage left the Zis 3 (76mm) anti tank gun from Italeri (see below):

Even better when you see that you get 'two' to the pack (see below):

It is an absolute hassle free construction and is a perfectly molded kit and superb crew figures. The only thing to note is that the hard plastic gun components beckons super glue rather than poly cement.

Next Stage: A bit of paint ;)

Matchbox/Revell Comet (Commander's Tank)

I am working up to a full RTR of Cromwell's and Sherman's (as per Command Decision OoB) but the Comet I will still to a squadron worth, circa 1945 so four tanks are needed and this is the "command tank" with hatches open waiting for its commander (see below): 

Another delightful quick, clean build with throw back memories to my early teenage days. Yes Matchbox had it spot on with the mini diorama included (see below):

The box with Western Allies unmade kits is getting lighter with respect to tanks now ;)

Hetzer Progress II

The assembled 'raw' plastic model (see below):

Lots of little "fiddly track pieces and stuff that stuck out of the superstructure" but nothing too conspicuous as to attract any attention, but I got there in the end (see below):

"We three Hetzers" ... all from the Esci/Italeri mould, what I want now though is a common paint scheme for my 'company' (see below):

Just think these three versus masses of JSII and T34/85's tanks in Hungary and East Prussia in 1945? Really? Yes really!

Gulp!!!!

Hetzer Progress

Hetzer progress (see below):

Currently putting together lots of track pieces, patience is a virtue. Lots of small pieces takes time but better than the one-piece track that never fitted, however the Plastic Soldier Company have got it sorted with their moulded plastic track.

Destined to be a part of a 'unit of three' ersatz Panzer Jaegers!