Back to Battlegroup Tobruk

I got to get my AHPC IX Oasis out on the table for the first time also!

A great return to Battlegroup after far too long yesterday, playing the second campaign scenario from the rulebook.

Slowpainter John's Italians had triumphed in the first scenario and my DAK now joined him as allies to face off against Alan's British in a desert meeting engagement.  It was a chance to field the DAK Pz IIIs and IV that I finished at the start of the year during AHPC IX.

John's "Eye-ties" move down into the wadi - these light tanks proved very resilient and fierce fighters! 

Alan's left wing moves forward!

The Matildas would indeed prove to be Queen of the Desert this day

Move to contact! My Panzers taking the right flank

But not for long - this after a single salvo from Alan. Well it was their first battle after all I guess!

But my PzIV quickly struck back with its 75mm, taking out a Matilda. it proved to be my only success for the day though

AP fire intensifies, with losses on both sides

 We called it on time, with the British ahead of BR remaining so we called it an allied tactical Victory.  A great game which reminded me why I like the Battlegroup system so much.

DAK Army "completed"

Over the past two years (and two Analogue Hobby Painting Challenges) I have been building a 15mm Afrika Korps force, principally for use with Battlegroup Tobruk and Battlegroup Torch.  Well its finally finished so I thought it was high time for some group shots of the force.

Its been a fun slow grow project (though it wasn't intended to be quite so slow grow) and I particularly enjoyed finding and using all the early war vehicles and their variants which saw such great use in the desert.

Recon ACs, Pz I, II, III, IV and IV Specials

I'm really pleased with how the battered yet cohesive colours give this the look of a worn, veteran force.  Models are a thorough mix of Forged in Battle, Battlefront and PSC.

Big Guns!

The only thing yet to come is a certain captured Matilda tank, which continues to elude capture (doesn't it Alan!)

DAK Infantry with Truck, Hanomag and Motorcycle options

What Army is complete without a storage solution?
Though what army is really complete... ever!

AHPC9: DAK Infantry, Command and vehicles

Presenting the final submission for my DAK Army - Panzergrenadiers!

Infantry (with each 3 squads each separated into their rifle and LMG groups) a Platoon HQ squad, both light and medium mortars in support, and a flammenwerfer trooper in case I want to field the platoon as Sappers.  Forged in Battle (FiB) figures.

For early desert war encounters I will mount them in trucks as Shutzen but in later engagement during the Tunisia/Torch era they will be Gepanzerte Grenadiers riding fancy new SdKfz 251 halftracks (PSC Hanomags, FiB Command variant)

Here is the Kampfgruppe Kommander and his Command halftrack (FiB figures)

To keep the boys in fighting shape, the medical support team: a medic, stretcher bearers and a SdKfz 251 ambulance variant. Taking these in Battlegroup increases the resilience of your force, so they have a real, on table effect.  I haven't really in this capability before and am looking forward to trying them out. Combination of Peter Pig and FiB figures, Ambulance by FiB.

And to keep those Allied Jabos off their backs, an SdKfz 10/5 with a 2cm FlaK mount (Battlefront model)

I also finished off some minor terrain pieces - 5 haystacks for the 15mm Russian village I did back in AHPC 8 (and then misplaced before I could paint them), and a small area of rough desert terrain.

Thats a total of 56 Infantry and weapons crews (2 points each), a mortar (4 points), 7 vehicles (8 points each) and the terrain for a submission total of 180 points - 182 awarded with a couple of bonuses.

https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/03/from-paulog-dak-infantry-and-vehicles.html

That is the last of my DAK submissions, which have been spread across both AHPCs 8 and 9.  While I am sure that there will be future additions that is the last currently planned. I'm pleased with their veteran but cohesive look, and all the early war vehicle diversity it incorporates.  I am looking forward to taking some Army pics of them all together soon.

And as if that wasn't enough, this submission not only a new AHPC Personal Best it takes me over 4,000 points totalled during my five AHPC seasons (yes, I know some people do that in a single season...).  Thanks to everyone for all the kind comments and words of encouragement along the way.

This is exactly how I feel having finished this army! :-)

AHPC9: DAK Specialist Vehicles

My second submission this week was a grab bag of DAK specialist and support vehicles that I have enjoyed researching and collecting.  I am building options for force lists and these help me both in the early years in the desert as well as and expanding into Tunisia and the Operation Torch era.

SdKfz 265 Panzerbefehlswagen - modified from a Pz I Ausf A, this was a Command Tank variant with dedicated radio transmission equipment and operator.  Here it is accompanied by a SdKfz 250 Halftrack, for use as the Luftwaffe Air Liaison Officer to control Air support (this has a tabletop control function in Battlegroup rules)

SdKfz 254 - Produced as an artillery tractor by the Austrian Army between the Wars and prior to Anschluss, it has a  unique and adjustable system of tracks and wheels. The Wehrmacht used it as a Forward Observer vehicle. Its such a cool and distinctive vehicle that I had to have one. This Battlefront model has the options to model with the wheels either engaged or retracted (I have done the latter for resilience)


SdKfz 250/10 - A classic 250 Halftrack, fitted with a 37mm AT gun and frequently utilised as the Recon Platoon Commander's vehicle. In the 41-42 period in the Desert, the 37mm gun is very useful against an array of light armour and Armoured Cars.

Schwimmwagens - who doesn't love the mighty Schwimmwagen? My dream car is not a Ferrari, Porsche or Audi, its a Schwimmwagen! No, the irony of fielding amphibious vehicles in the Sahara Desert is not lost on me.  I promise that if there is an oasis on the table, they will always try to schwimm across it, regardless of the tactical value of such a move. Unless I'm playing Dux of course.

Lorraine Schleppers - converted from captured French Lorraine 37L tanks, this motorised 150mm Artillery gun platform provided highly mobile fire support in the desert in support of the fluid nature of combat in North Afrika.

Marder III (SdKfz 139) - Classic early-mid war German Tank Destroyer made by fusing a Pz38t body with a captured Russian 76mm AT gun.  It is accompanied here by a captured British Truck to act as its ammo hauler across the desert.

StuG III Ausf D - Who doesn't love a StuG? I needed one, though only a very small number served in Afrika, the rest being sunk in their transports en route. Due to their later arrival in theatre, I have presented it as newer and less weatherbeaten #stuglife

SdKfz 11 - Medium halftrack prime mover which saw widespread use throughout the war with over 9000 produced and its chassis was used as the basis for the SdKfz 251 Halftrack. I will be using these to move towed guns which are on the painting desk

Models are predominantly a mix of Battlefront and Forged in Battle, the British Truck is a metal model by Peter Pig and the Marder and SdKfz 250s are by PSC.  In aggregation, this is 13 x 15mm vehicles and 10 crew figures.  
https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/01/from-paulog-dak-specialist-vehicles-124.html

Overall, I am well on track for my challenge goal:

AHPC Preps and off for a spell

The obscure SdKfz 254 Artillery FO vehicle

Recently I have been considering my options for the upcoming AHPC Season IX.  I have a number of bits and bobs to do but I always have a central theme. I also have a penchant for buying and prepping figures, and then completely ignoring them during the challenge as new projects begin and new interests are kindled. Oh well...

SdKfz 250/10 Command Recce vehicle sporting a 37mm anti-tank gun

This year I am hoping to bulk out my fantasy force a bit (and because they are left over from a previous AHPC) but my main push is my 15mm Afrika Korps, both for Battlegroup Tobruk and the later Torch period.  During AHPC VIII, I concentrated on the recce and light armour forces - this year I will add the heavier (its all relative in 41-42!) Pz IVs and a range of specialist vehicles. I have enjoyed finding the less common ones to really round out the force and give me a myriad of options.

WIP: SdKfz 251 Ausf C Platoon HQ vehicle 

But before all that commences I am back to sea for operational deployment and will return in December. In the meantime Reilly has just finished his Yr 12/HSC/SAT/A Level exams so I am hoping to tempt him back to some modelling and gaming before he starts University next year.  In the meantime these are now on my Santa list, along with the recently announced and long awaited SAGA Book of Battles.

and speaking of distracting new interests...

So...who else plans on participating in the forthcomingAHPC Season?

A very wise Dreadnought indeed!

DAK '88'

My 'Monstrous' themed round for AHPC 8:

For WW2 Allied tank crews in the Western Desert (and beyond) there was nothing more monstrous than a German '88'. This famous FlaK gun with its high velocity and flat trajectory became one of the most feared anti tank weapons of the war.

British accounts include anecdotes of tankers bailing out after watching a near miss 88 round skip past their machines; they knew the next round would not miss and its effects would be catastrophic.  Cyril Joly in his excellent book Take These Men grimly described the impact of an 88mm round on a British tank:

“As I spoke I saw the flame and smoke from the German gun. In the next instant, all was chaos. There was a clang of steel on the turret front and a blast of flame and smoke from the same place, which seemed to spread into the turret, where it was followed by another dull explosion. The shockwave, which followed, swept past me, singed my hands and face and left me breathless and dazed. I looked down into the turret. It was a shambles. The shot had penetrated the front just in front of King, the loader. It had twisted the machine-gun out of its mounting. It, or a jagged piece of the torn turret, had then hit the round that King had been holding ready – had set it on fire. The explosion had wrecked the wireless, tore King’s head and shoulders from the rest of his body and started a fire among the machine-gun boxes stowed on the floor.”

A British tanker taken prisoner in 1941 is reported to have complained to his German captors that "In our opinion it is unfair to use 'flak' guns against tanks".  Just not cricket apparently!

So for the Monstrous round I present an 88, painted up for desert service in the Africa Korps in 1941.  This is a Forged In Battle model and in Battlegroup terms the unit includes the Gun and 4 man crew, an additional 3 man loader team, and the Sd Kfz 7 tractor team.  Unlike my other DAK units I have made this one a less battered and more recent arrival to the theatre.

I estimate this to total 30 points for the tractor (6), gun (4), 7 crew (14), a driver (2) and the limber pieces (which I costed as another gun sized model for 4 points), plus the bonus points. And that should get me over the line for my extended 600 point target!

https://analogue-hobbies-theme-rounds.blogspot.com.au/2018/03/monstrous-from-paulog-monstrous-88.html

AHPC8 Submissions - almost there!

My weekly submission on the heavier elements of my DAK force, and the Childhood Bonus theme round.

DAK Pz IIIs and Transports (82 points)

Building upon my Recon vehicles and light tanks of last week, this week I focused on heavier armour and transports. While there was a number of Pz IVs and long barrelled Pz IV specials, the Pz III was always the most numerous armoured fighting vehicle of the Africa Korps. Here I present two platoons (Battlegroup uses them in 3s): 3 are metal Battlefront and 3 are plastic PSC, which gives some good variation between the hulls.

In 1941 the Panzergrenadier units had not yet formed and the majority of Infantry were truck mounted Shutzen units. And trucks are just handy in general for the desert, so here are 5 of them in an assortment of colours. Resin models by Forged in Battle.

Rounding out today's submission are a pair of Horsch heavy cars, very useful as staff vehicles and for towing light field and AT guns (though I have yet to assemble those). Again these are Forged in Battle resin models.

These 13 vehicles and 2 drivers net me 78 + 4 = 82 

http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com.au/2018/02/paul-og-dak-pz-iiis-and-transports-82.html

'Childhood' Bonus Round: Two Little Boys

Rolf Harris has been a famous Australian entertainer for many decades (lets just forget about his more recent issues shall we?). While I would not say I am a big fan of his, his song "Two Little Boys" has always appealed to me.

Broadly, its a song about two men who played war together as lads and when they grow up they  look after each other on the battlefield when one of them in wounded. For those with a few minutes, here is the song in full:

When I saw these Downed Luftwaffe crewmen by Wargames foundry six months ago I thought of that song but never got around to painting them, so they seemed perfect for this Bonus round.  Here are my 28mm version of Two Little Boys (or "Zwei Kleine Jungen" I suppose!)

2 x 28mm figs = 10 points + bonus round

http://analogue-hobbies-theme-rounds.blogspot.com.au/2018/02/childhood-from-paulog-two-little-boys.html

Together, these entries push me past my original 500 point goal and almost touch my stretched 600 point line - the next bonus round will take me over nicely! Which is hardly as I'm of to sea tomorrow and likely wont get anything more done before AHPC8 finishes.

Second 1941 Desert action

Yesterday saw another swirling Battlegroup Tobruk clash between John's and my combined Axis force and Alan's British. The Axis force included some lighter DAK elements and a column of John's lovely Italian M13 tankettes.  We used the Flank Attack scenario and all of these units have been painted in the past fortnight by all 3 players, which is rather remarkable!

Opening moves - Axis advice from the bottom and right hand side against light Allied recon elements

Detachment from 5th Leicht Division lead the advance with motorcycle borne Bersaglieri mortarmen 

...while Armoured cars scout out the right flank

With the setting sun in the enemy eyes, the Axis forces advance!

LRDG lurkers behind the lines (this one was painted by Patch)

First blood to the Germans as a 222's Autocannon finds the range on a Universal Carrier!

Laagered up to capture the objective, but heavier British Armour is threatening!

Italian tankettes arrive and swirling mayhem ensues!

British Humber in defile position opens up...

...but is flamed by a 222 in return!

The Crusaders advance...

...under the careful scrutiny of their Commander!

Looking a little grim for the Germans. The 8rad on the right was particularly resilient against repeated Crusader salvoes to hold the position and the objective

Well sighted and timed British 25 pdrs and mortars find the range,  distrusting the Axis rear and punching through the soft turret armour of the M13s

The LRDG patrol beat a hasty retreat from a menacing and all powerful advance of a Panzer I !

But nothing can escape! One for the history books - a Pz I kill!

At this point (and with playing time running out) I jumped the 222s onto the last objective to claim the "all objectives held" victory. It was a little gamey to be honest but at least it gave our scrap a conclusive ending. Another turn or two and I think Alan's heavier tanks would have rolled us off the table rather conclusively. It did, however, show the utility of light and agile forces flexible employed across a big area and able to reinforce one another.

Alan bows before the might of the Ariete Division's tankettes!

The scenario also showed the flexibility and relative lethality of autocannons in the early war period where much is lightly armoured and tank main guns are modest (typically well under 50mm).