Update on Ze Germans

In an earlier post I mentioned I had "picked up" a German Late War army for Bolt Action from Warlord Games, with the intention of using it for Chain of Command (why not?)

It took a while to get the painting started, but a bit of perseverance and I'm almost there.

For Chain of Command I decided I would go with VolksGrenadiers in late1944 \ spring 45. The organisation is as follows:

Senior Leader (the boss)

Grenadier Team - 3 Rifle-grenadiers

2 Assault squads - 8 StG44s

1 LMG Squad 8 troops with 2 MG42s formed into two LMG Teams

Not too much - only 28 miniatures as base. I decided to go with a pair of Panzerschreck teams as supports, as a glance at the ORBAT said "how many!!??", a tripod mounted MMG, a sniper, medic and Forward Observer. I am also going for a Hetzer (cos Hetzers gotta Hetz) and a Panther on the off chance I get a maximum support point game. No towed guns etc - I don't like painting horses and that's what the VolksGrenadiers get as transport in real life.

The army box didn't contain the Panzerschrecks, sniper or Hetzer but I was fairly confident I could source them elsewhere, or in the case of the Hetzer I already had a printed one. I thought I would 3d print some Panzerschreck tubes and add them to Warlord figures to fill that gap. 

So a month or so later and I'm almost there. My Panther still needs painting, as do the Medic and Sniper, but they're not going to be a big issue. My main problem is the MMG team, which for Bolt Action is only three guys but for CoC I'm going to need another two crew \ ammo bearers. I managed to banjax my original plan by simply using up all the kneeling bodies in the army box on the infantry squads (Doh!) so I'm scouting around. Other than that, I think I'm done.   

So what about using this in Bolt Action - is it possible? 

Yup - well, pretty much. I ran it through Easy Army , an online list builder, and with some jiggling it fits. I can run the same three squad organisation, though to get a pair of MG42s in the MG Squad I would have to split it in to two small squads and add an extra man to each - no problem as the three rifle grenadiers are not represented in Bolt Action so I can sub them as plain riflemen. The MMG is also a bit vexing in that under version 3 of Bolt Action they are bought as a Heavy Weapon Platoon with a minimum of two weapons - so I need either another MG42 on tripod or I can paint up the 8cm mortar team that doesn't appear in Chain of Command. I gave another option - drag my "Stalingrad" era MG42 into the game I suppose - will look a bit out of place due to the different bases but otherwise should be ok for now til I make a more long term decision. If I'm running with an armoured "platoon" I can take the Hetzer and Panther together. All that comes to easily 1200 pts plus in Bolt Action v3.

Do I need some more "stuff" for these? Reading CoC2 there are some missions where light armour is an advantage. I think a Sdkfz 250 would fit the bill, either a vanilla 250/1 or maybe a 250/9 with a 20mm?? 

So that's Ze Germans done for now. Not 100% sure what will be next but we will see

Cheers

I made a thing! Chain of Command ammo tracker

Will look better painted but I'm chuffed!

For Chain of Command V2 I needed a squad ammo tracker for my new Volksgrenadiers (update soon). Basically each squad starts with 2 Panzerfausts, three HE grenades, and one smoke grenade. Problem is I wasn't sure how to track them. 

My initial plan was to get a normal base and stick a micro dice "cage" into it, and a few bits of cut up models with a spare Faust etc. Drop a dice into the cage and use that to track usage. Simples!

OK a bit wasteful and faffy but it works. I'd need at least three for the squads and two different but similar ones for the Panzerschreck teams but again it was doable.

Then I got a bit thoughtful - could I print them?

So I've spent a few hours teaching myself basic technical jiggery pokery and have a result! OK none of the result is "original" - basically I am "remixing" free 3d .stl files and slapping them together, so not exactly rocket science, but for a 59 year old with almost no experience I'm pretty chuffed. Before you ask, the big plan is to use different coloured micri dice for the Fausts, smoke and Frags.

Ok more honesty - the Panzerschreck counter worked first time, but the squad ammo counter just turned into spaghetti  

Got the bit between my teeth now. I'm going to make a two die version with no Panzerfaust for the earlier Germans, and then maybe think about the Brits...... 

 

Ze Germans are Coming - Chain of Command 2

I've realised I sort of repeated myself with the last post, so this is something of a correction, or at least something with actual content.

I decided on VolksGrenadiers, thinking spring 1945 as I didn't want to have snow on the bases.  I did a trawl and realised Warlord were the only real source for suitable figures with enough StG44s to make up the platoon. I also worked out I would need an extra sprue or two to make the full platoon as a box of 30 wasn't quite enough. 

So I shopped around and decided that getting the Warlord Bolt Action Winter Starter Army was probably the best \ most comprehensive option. I don't really play BA but the box is great for CoC or any WW2 set of rules. There are some bits in there I wont need - ie the mortar team, but the rest is great.

So here is the box and it's contents. 

Metal bits - Command, MMG and Mortar etc

Open the box and its chock full of "stuff"

Lots of VolksGrenadiers

Opel Blitz \ Maultier

Instructions etc

Panzer IV H

Bases etc

So there's "enough" there. I don't really need the mortar team and I probably would have preferred a Hetzer or STuG to the Pz IV and Blitz, but they will always come in useful. It cost £78 from Zatu including postage.  Ok that's more than the £30 a box of Winter Germans would cost, but there's a lot of added value in there so I'm happy.

Now to get on with it and start glueing and painting. Wish me luck!

Starting Chain of Command 2

I'm a big fan of Chain of Command so when v2 was announced I was a happy but slightly concerned bunny. Happy because more CoC, concerned because I've seen many great rules set broken by "updates".

Not played yet, but on first, second and third reading the new rules look good - evolution and tweaks not revolution by the looks of it.

My gaming group have started building armies, and of course they went late war. I have Early War Dutch, Finns and Germans, and Mid War Germans and Russians. You can see the problem. I decided to give Late War a try and the initial thought was, "surely it should be easy to upgrade my Mid War Germans to Late War?" Oh you sweet summer child :-)

I've ended up buying everything. Ok this wasn't too bad as I picked up one of Warlord's Late Winter German starter armies at a reasonable cost and that has just about everything you would need. 

Almost

Anyway I've decided to go full Nazi and do VolksGrenadier complete with Assault Rifles - more on that later.

So look out for some build, paint and hopefully game updates soon.

Cheers

RIP BB

I recently learned about the passing of my old clubmate Brendan Brown. We had been out of touch for a while (more later). 

I first met BB at Hartlepool Wargames club in 1978 (something like that). He was a bit older than me, though not as much as I thought at the time. Brendan mostly played WW2 with Airfix models. And he had a massive selection of just about everything available at the time held in trays in what we called the cupboard at the club. On quiet nights I would sit and just marvel at them. He had just about everything . In fact it may be through that collection I first saw a Panzerfaust, held at an angle across the chest of a German soldier. Remember those days we rarely had access to books that went into that level of detail and of course no internet. He also had a couple of those 2.8cm AT guns that came with the early Airfix Germans and Africa Corps. All of this was assembled and painted in a fairly "agricultural" style as befits an early teen in the 70s. He favoured an old set of rules - something like Airfix but not - cant quite remember. He also didn't really like microtanks, which rapidly moved him out of my gaming sphere, though he did play a lot of the Hpool Club staple "Wonderful Islands" which was a sort of analogue version of modern computer games where you collect resources to build units to spread your empire etc. Lastly he was a regular in John Hendersons play by mail campaigns in "Hendermobileland" where he, John and Dave Pricket engaged in shenanigans of epic proportions including efforts to pervert John's carefully worked out economic game engines by selling chairs at a ridiculous price to avoid tax or something. Through Brendan and the like I got deeper into gaming - also taught myself how to type at lunchtimes in an empty classroom so I could produce my own campaign newspaper \ propaganda sheet that I distributed in the club. I also got caught using the school photocopier making copies and got into some trouble there, though with hindsight the teachers were probably quite happy to see one of their pupils doing something other than glue sniffing and joy riding. (to be fair I dont think glue would have much effect as I had been breathing it and enamel thinners in regularly due to Airfix!)

So I think he was my friend - he used to let me get on the bus he was driving for free so that's something. He was brash, loud, opinionated and, well, just like a lot of us I suppose.

We became distant later in life, mostly because I found his brand of politics shifting ever more to the right, while I shifted the other way. The last time I heard his voice was when he phoned in to LBC last year - wont go into detail.

Anyway, BB has gone. He's left behind the same massive collection of Airfix 20mm WW2 and some fond memories. 

Cheers

Chain of Command 2 Late War Germans - where to start?

Chain of Command 2 from Two Fat Lardies has arrived (Huzzah!) So after thirteen years of version 1 I'm looking at what I need to change. 

AND of course this being historical gaming where there are no such things as regular new editions that force you to buy stuff again, the answer is nothing! Gotta love historical Wargames.

OK Almost. HMGs are going to need some sandbags or similar, but other than that I'm not seeing anything "new" needed yet.  

So I was wondering about what I would need to expand my current German army into the late war period and it got me thinking, so here are my thoughts.

There are four German lists in the main CoC2 rules, Infantry, PanzerGrenadiers, Fallschirmjager and VolksGrenadier. The FJ are uniformed significantly differently to the others so I'm disregarding them. TFL have gone full historical on the VolksGrenadiers allowing you to field the fabled StG44 "assault rifle". I'm going to go all Grognard here. Other rules allow almost any German Infantry to have the StG44s but the actual issue was really just to the VG Divisions raised in 44/45 . Of course the chaotic situation as the Reich collapsed doesn't mean other units or individuals didn't pick them up, but fielding them outside the few test units or VGs is a bit of a stretch. 

The three organisations are quite different. The Infantry have three Mg42s, 4 MP40s and 24 riflemen,  PanzerGrenadiers have 6 MG42s , 3 MP40s and 15 riflemen, and the VGs have 2 MG42s, 1 MP40 , 3 rifle grenadiers, 16 StG44s and 5 rifles.

All have some Panzerfausts chucked around if you were wanting to represent them.

So if I wanted to do that, what's available?

Victrix have just released their new Late War German Infantry set. It looks damned nice and includes some support weapons, an Mg42 on sustained fire mount and a Panzershreck . I've had a look at the frame pics however and it looks like you only get eight StG44s in the set - not enough to do the VolksGrenadier. They do seem to have everything you need to do the Infantry and PanzerGrenadiers however.

Warlord typically have several box sets available. 

The Winter German Infantry set are all bundled up against the cold, but you get 30 models and enough StG44s to field the full 16 out of the box. In fact the only issue is you will be one man short of an Infantry platoon as there is only 30 models in the box and I calculate you need 31. I'm sure you can either but a frame from the Sprue Shop or get a spare donated. This is a good set, and with everyone in greatcoats is a pretty easy painting project. 

Next up the "Grenadiers" box set. One of the older sets so maybe less sharp, nevertheless you get 15 StG44s and enough of everything else - just about. you will be short one guy as with the "Winter" set but that's easy to fix and an extra sprue if needed will provide your spare StG44 if you are doing VG.

Last from Warlord is the "Waffen SS" box. This has enough StG44s but seems to be a bit short of MG42s.  My earlier comments on 30 man sets also applies here, plus my Grognard dislike of them having StG44s in the first place but there you go.

So what I think I'm saying is that unless you want to do VolksGrenadier Victrix is probably the best choice because you get enough of everything plus a few useful support options thrown in. If you want to do the VolksGrenadier then Warlord are a better option, though here you will have to step away from a "one box" solution and buy some support weapons.

I'm not sure which way I'll jump - let me know in the comments what you think?

  

Bloody Rivet Counting - Finnish Tank dilemma

In Bruges last year with some old friends it was explained to me by a guy with initials after his name that one of the reasons our disparate group of Mid Life Crisis men that constitutes the group get on so well is that we all subconsciously recognise we are all a bit "wierd" or "on the spectrum". Other than that we really have very little in common but our friendship has lasted decades. I think he may have, in layman's terms, been referring to the general "shediness" of our group - we all either have sheds or suitable substitutions for them (I have a loft) even though we use them for vastly different reasons.

My particular problem is my mind gets a bit churned by rivet counting and all that. Here is the latest example. 

In earlier posts I mentioned my Finnish WW2 project. This has been a long term thing and they're yet to see the table. I seem to come back to them now and then and add something. Some of the adventures can be read here if you are at all interested:

Here     , Finnish StuGs Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

So my current dilemma is about tank support for the Winter War. At the time the Finns only really operated the Vickers 6 Ton tank. 

Here is an actual Finnish Vickers at the Parola Museum in Finland

They also used quite a lot of abandoned Soviet equipment - the Russian habit for leaving perfectly serviceable tanks around to be towed away by farmers turns out to date rater further back than the 2020s. 

Soooooooo...... my cunning plan was to print a T26 and use that. The T26 was a Soviet "copy" of the Vickers and used and abandoned in large numbers in Finland during the Winter War. This has the advantage that I already own the file and use one in my Soviet force. I was further cheered when looking back at the file to discover it contained a Finnish turret option. So I happily printed it - here it is 

Yay - job done. I quick paint job, maybe some clever paint to show the old Soviet markings hastily overpainted. Will look cute as well..........

Except for my rivet counting brain. As I was going to sleep last night - I kid you not, I realised there was a problem. That turret, the "Finnish" turret, is taken from the Soviet flamethrower version of the T26 - the OT 134. The Finns captured them and rearmed them with guns rather than flamethrowers. Which means I cant use this in the Winter War because the rearming means they dragged them away back to the depot rather than just turned them around. 

Ah well