Operation Compass: Attacking Tamar West

In preparation for my Beda Fomm game Martin from the Sheffield "Zoom" wargame kindly group laid on an Operation Compass battle for Tamar West, a little known quadrant of death that was an Italian fortified strong point in 1940 that Wavell's Western Desert Force had to take down. Appearing out of cover of a convenient desert sandstorm [for the British] were two columns of lorry borne British infantry and the sound of clanky tanks of Matildas [still off table in the photograph below] approaching from the the brown track, bottom left in the photograph. One British column of infantry drove straight up to the base of the Italian camp, dismounted and close assaulted the Italian across the barbed wire - heroic stuff (see below, a fortified patch of three hexes in the centre of the set-up and the road leading off to the right were the British objectives - a tight task to do in only nine turns):  

The Matilda's make good use of the road but the battle always seemed to be in the next hex away. Meanwhile both British columns of infantry are getting stuck into the Italians, although the latter column got shot up on the way in while riding on the trucks. Time was expedient so the risk was well taken IMHO (see below, British trucks are seen wisely getting out of the way of this "fighting stuff"): 

The Matildas make it to gates of the camp to find it already in British hands (again the battle is always one hex away) as the British infantry relentlessly punch over the hills trading blow-for-blow with the Italian infantry and Italian Gunners, who die by their guns (see below, only turn three and the British are half way over the first objective - it is a fast pace but it has to be for the British to win in nine-ten game turns): 

Consternation as the Matildas have to go off road (they are very slow) but the inside of the camp is being pummelled by Italian Artillery (coming in danger close) and already over-stacked with assaulting British Infantry (see below, a target rich environment with little cover): 

The final fort hex is assaulted and the fort of Tamar West is now in British hands with Italian infantry trying to regroup in a wadi outside, despite being ineffectually machine gunned from the light Besa MG's of the British Matildas - at least they are close enough to shoot (see below, the Italian infantry has to be eradicated before the British move on to secure the exit - but what is this, Italian reinforcements appear on the very table edge hex the British are after): 

The regrouping Italian infantry are caught by a storm of steel as the British Infantry charge out of the newly captures fort and destroy them entirely before they can fully regroup. The British pay a hard butchers bill, now down to two companies from an original force of two battalions (see below, the Matildas advance into the fort with intention of driving on the the exit "through" the Italian L3 MG carrier armour): 

The bravery of the British infantry literally  know no bounds as they pin the Italian L3 MG carriers in place, dropping 25 pounders in amongst the antiquated armour causing mayhem (see below, the game will rest on the sequence of randomised activation and and whether the Matildas can travel three hexes in two turns): 

The L3 MG's take away another British Rifle Company away but the combined effects of the British artillery (including I am told some antiquated museum piece WWI era sixty pounders appearing in the British Order of Battle) and Matildas have quiet ruined them as a fighting force (see below, the Matlidas are two hexes away with the very last turn to come): 

Turn 9 and the "victory exit hex" falls into British hands, for a narrow win - with the British artillery induced (and Italian failed) morale check, along with the menacing sight of the untouched advancing British Matildas just being too much for the last Italian infantry unit. You can understand it, bereft of AT guns [and therefore subject to "tank fright" in the rules], under nasty artillery fire and to crown it all out in the open - but they have made the British have paid a very heavy price in infantry for Tamar West (see below, the only surviving Italian unit being the battered L3's lurking two hexes away from the road and trying to rally): 

A very historical outcome, though close run thing, with the Matildas next tasked to trundle on to guess what? Yes, the next Italian strong point, presumably picking up some fresh infantry on the way. 

Corona Virus Project 2c Update: USN DDs - Gearing Class

The final two USN destroyers is this batch, the Gearing Class (see below, actually they were much more late war destroyers and are subbing in for the big Porter Class I don't [yet] have): 

Thirty of thirty done, all they need now is that satin varnish!

A Stroll Through The Fields of Normandy (1/300 WWII BGC)

Scenario: July 1944 British Normandy Breakout German Counterattack

The British under Montgomery have used one of their armoured divisions to push hard at the Germans near Caen and have obtained a limited success, a dent rather than breaking through the German lines. The British RTR retires and three battalions of British Infantry (two up and one back) move in and "hold the line". The Germans meanwhile scratch together a armoured SS Kampf Gruppe and a motorised (though everybody seems to walk in Normandy these days) normal infantry regiment for a hasty counterattack. As with the "haste" the vital reconnaissance roll for the Germans (down to "yours truly") is lousy and the attack has to go in "blind".

The Germans line up, the left hand side is the armoured Kampf Gruppe (with one company of Panthers and one company of Stug IV's), backed up with a battalion of Panzer IVH's and no sadly not my toys, they did not make it to the table, yet (see below). The formations had to "hog" terrain (AFV's in reverse slope positions and in cover) to fit within the deployment zone without being spotted:

On the German right hand side the German infantry forms up. Being 'foot-sloggers' and much harder to see they manage to get much closer to the British Infantry positions without being seen (see below). The light brown strip at the top of both pictures is a swollen river marking the extent of the British "push" at the Germans.

With the Germans deployed the British Infantry form two cauldrons of death in front of the German advance (see the defensive position in front of the German armoured formation below). Such is the penalty for fixing the positions of no enemy units with your reconnaissance patrols. Each British Infantry battalion has a company of 17pdr attached and is on-line to the Divisional Artillery and has been "promised" service from the RAF Normandy Typhoon 'taxi-rank' circling the battlefield.   

The German infantry faces a similar situation on the right of the battlefield as the German sees it (see below):

Next: The German artillery opens up, but on what?

1/300 Heroics and Ros versus 1/285 GHQ: One for Mojo

Left Hand Side 1/285 GHQ Pz IV H (circa 1944-45) while the contender on the Right Hand Side is a Heroics and Ros 1/300 Pz IV F2 (circa 1942-1944). Basing and painting techniques pretty much identical, although I was more refined by the time I painted the GHQ model. For the GHQ model I was more consistent in promoting a prominent 'vertical stripe' in the camouflage scheme.

Front-On:

Footnote to the above: Well blow-me after posting the pictures and looking at the GHQ model, in camera close-up (you cannot tell from looking at them with the Mark I eye-ball) is it my imagination or does the GHQ model have a slight "bent barrel"?

Side-On:

From the Rear:

Front-On again:

Another Side-On angle:

Summary:
The GHQ model is a quality beast (and noticeably bigger), but the Heroics and Ros model does the trick on the table-top for a lot less buck. I do fear for the long term survival rate of the GHQ barrels though in the typical club "roughly handled scenario", moving them and putting them away. It is a very nice feeling finishing a GHQ battalion though. I think I can say I have 'modeled' in 1/285 now  :)

( Footnote: Or do I have to put the "Crosses On" in order to say that?)

GHQ 1/285 Panzer IV H Company - First Look

This little baby is a the size of a large postage stamp sitting in the palm of your hand (based on a 30mm x 30mm stand): 

The "group" photo of five together (see below):

Checking out the different lighting options on the camera, this one "flashed" (must have been from an incoming AT round at dusk):

Another "flash" this time side on (see below):

A close-up group photo, back without the "flash" setting. I think they look quite businesslike (see below):

So end'eth a batch of GHQ madness, trouble is they have SO much detail in something quite crazily small. I am exhausted doing these five! Do I need to put crosses and numbers on them while I have any eyesight left?

Footnote: 
I aqcuired the GHQ models as a gift from someone who had dabbled at WWII micro-armour at my local  club and then moved off into 15mm WWII instead. The GHQ models thus came painted and partly painted hence the lack of a brown strip at the back to write the unit designation on. Also as you can see by the pictures the 1/285 scale is just slightly bigger and thus fills the 30mm x 30mm (Spearhead) base more, making it difficult to fit one on. Hence each Pz IV H carries a little mystery as to "who" it really is. (Did someone at the back say re-base? ... Shoot that man, woman or child!)     

Painting Tray (continued) 1/300 and 28mm Renaissance

There's nowhere to hide "Four Horsemen" (+ Charles V Holy Roman Emperor), the paint is going to catch up with you (see below) no matter what you do: 

Except the GHQ Panzer IV H's jumped the queue and took a coat of Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow for the team (see below). The level of detail again is quite frightening for the small scale (1/285). Again I started and finished the phase in "battalion" production mode.

Flesh, flesh (see below)! The "Four Horsemen" are officially started. OK, quite a tame start but from small seeds come great trees!

Next: Painting Tray 20mm distraction diverts my attention from the "Four Horsemen".

1/300 Panzer IV Battalion's painting cont ...

The Panzer IV F2 battalion gets the Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow effect (base coat), a little too much of the Afrika Korp look about them in the first instance but nevertheless a decent base colour (see below):

A close up (yes again  I need to use my camera not the Blackberry). Despite the 1/300 scale the Heroics and Ross figures have a fair amount of detail to them  that comes out with a touch of selective painting (see below):

Now in their "Anita's Acrylic Metallic Black" (watered down wash/paint mixture) 'undercoat' the GHQ Panzer IV H's models stand as a definitive standard of detail (almost too much fine detail, to the point of seeing spare track links laid over the front of the hull and coils of spare wire hanging off the back of the engine cowling). Slightly bigger at 1/285 scale but a lot smaller than the Skytrex 1/200 early war stuff I have (see below):

I am still working on a "factory production phase" all of one per battalion through a stage at a time. Hence the Pz IV F2's are all yellow base coated and the Pz IV H's are all metallic black undercoated. Next up, time to base coat yellow the GHQ Pz IV H's.

The 1/300 Panzer IV Hoard Revisited

Take II: Heroics and Ross Panzer IV F2's laid out in a Spearhead/BGC battalion formation (there is an engineering half-track and AA PzIV lurking in there somewhere too). The Panzer IV's are getting an Anita's Acrylic Metallic Black undercoat over which the Tamiya XF-60 Sand Yellow base coat is being laid. 

A GHQ Panzer IVH battalion(+) equivalent formation. Barrels now straight (or as straight as I can make them) with a Tamiya XF-1 Matt Black undercoat applied to the barrels over the original Panzer Grey (yes, wrong period paint chosen by the original owner, but it's all getting redone anyhow).

The whole painting tray (including my 28mm Renaissance Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, again avoiding the paint). The thing about 1/300 or 1/285 scale is that there are lots of them that need to be painted at the same time! The factory style painting operation commences. (Note: The fifth horseman below, is not an additional member the troublesome foursome [Famine, War, Pestilence and Death], but the Holy Roman Emperor himself  Charles V [from Redoubt Enterprises], chosen as a suitable Renaissance commander for my Impetus Army)

Note: I am working from the left hand side of the table over the the right hand side :)

Painting Tray Update: 1/300 WWII and 28mm Renaissance

A 1/300 Heroics and Ross Panzer IV F2 (see below), donated to me from a very  good friend at the Hartlepool wargames club. This was part of an exchange of 10mm Pendraken ECW miniatures one way and a profuse quantity of assorted 1/300 Heroics & Ross and GHQ 1/285 models the other way. I am just left wondering how to paint these mini little beasts, so here are my first stabs (see below). 

It is a pity that my Blackberry camera does not seem up to taking photographs of things very small, losing the fine focus needed.

I was trying to go for that late war three tone camouflage look using Tamiya paints and left over odds and ends from my drying up Games Workshop pots. I discovered no point trying to micro-manage every brush stroke. Inks and washes may be the way forward.

Overall I m not convinced with my first attempt (even though I have not yet flocked the base which makes a huge difference). I cannot afford to take too long on each model but at the same time want to have a little highlighting and character if possible. I am not convinced that dry-brushing alone is the answer, inks and washes, hmm, successive layers? Model wise I am not far off the OrBat of a 1944 Panzer Division (Spearhead) so that is quite a lot of stands to do (100+) so I do need a mini-factory production process, rather tan an artisan approach.

Behold my painting tray  organised chaos (see above). Two 1/300 Panzer IV battalions, one H&R (Left Hand Side) the other (Right Hand Side) GHQ. Yes I know the 1944 Panzer Division OrBat has one Pz IV battalion and one Panther battalion, so effectively I have a 'spare' Pz IV battalion, which is nice. Lurking in the background are my "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (28mm Renaissance fro Redoubt Enterprises). These will constitute a much needed Impetus Mounted Crossbow (CL) unit in my renaissance army. However they have been lurking around my painting tray for some time now successfully avoiding any contact with the paint brush. The goal is to get them painted in time for my next game of Impetus!

One slightly negative comment to make about the 1/285 GHQ models is the darned bendy barrels they have. They are finely scales, so fine in fact that the slightest touch of the gun barrel means that it twists and out have to come the tweezers. I sent several hours straightening those sixteen GHQ Panzer IVH's and they are still not quick right. I can see that handling and storing them will be a pain!