Converted Polish Infantry Guns Completed

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The latest unit to roll off my painting table is a platoon of 75mm wz.02/26 guns for my WW2 Polish collection. 

When fielded as a two-gun platoon, these will represent an infantry company's division-level Infantry Gun Platoon; when fielded as a three-gun platoon, these will represent a cavalry squadron's brigade-level Horse Artillery Platoon.

The guns themselves were nicknamed "orthodox" by the Poles, as they were old re-chambered Russian guns left behind on Polish territory after WW1. Always good to be equipped with the latest kit!

As for the models, the guns are from Battlefront by special order. I think they are down as Finnish or something as Battlefront doesn't really acknowledge its Polish range at the moment: far too busy in the desert!

The crew are actually WW2 Soviet artillerymen with head-swaps using Peter Pig's excellent range of heads. I've used infantry helmets for most of the crew, with an officer type wearing a rogatywka.

The limbers are general purpose Battlefront limbers, again with the driver having a swapped head.

Finally, I've also now reorganised my Polish cavalry squadron gallery. Click here to see them all (will open in a new window).

CoC: Storming the Citadel

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Although this site is mostly dedicated to the TFL company-sized games (IABSM, CDS, Q13) I like to publicise what else is going on at Lard Island. It therefore gives me great pleasure to announce the publication of the latest pint-sized campaign for Chain of Command, the platoon-sized WW2 game.

Here's what the TFL website says about Storming the Citadel:

"This Pint Sized Campaign for Chain of Command is the first covering the attack of PanzerGrenadier Division Grossdeutschland at Kursk.  The action here covers the build up to the attack, with actions in no-man’s-land as the Germans attempt to seize observation posts and clear minefields, followed by the first day of this epic battle as the Germans storm through the Soviet outpost line and the first line of defences.

"Six battlefields provide a campaign up to ten games long, by which point you’ll have a clear winner and be set up for the next campaign in the series which is already being prepared and follows Grossdeutschland into the second line of Russian defences and attempting to break into open ground beyond.

"This classic Pint Sized Campaign is designed to be run using the campaign rules in At the Sharp End and with Chain of Command rules.  Can you breach the Russian defences and seize the initiative in the East, or will you defeat the fascist invaders and restore the safety of the motherland.

"Twenty-seven pages long, this Pint Sized campaign provides the background history to the campaign with situation maps.  Uses period maps to show the location of the actions and then provides a complete campaign with forces for both sides, support options for players to select from and full victory conditions for all six battles and the campaign as a whole."

You can buy Storming the Citadel for the pint-sized cost of £3.80 by clicking here.

Painting Challenge Update: Normal Service Resumed!

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It seems as if last week's exhortations worked, as we have an update so large that I decided to do it today, Friday, as opposed to my usual Saturday post.

The update includes three returnees with their first entries of the year, including one who took the challenge in year's one and two then had a year off last year. Rumours of a trip "at Her Majesty's Pleasure" or of a secret mission to the former eastern bloc are, of course, utterly unfounded!

So, in no particular order, we have:

  • Mervyn with some Scottish horsemen
  • Koen de Smedt submits his first update of the year: vast numbers of 28mm figures including a couple of Frozen tableaus!?
  • And Ashley is also back with a bang, sending in some good looking walkers in a couple of scales
  • Also returning (from his long trip, LOL) is John de Terre Neuve, who has obviously spent his year away painting and sent all his entries in at once!
  • Andy Duffell has gone Japanese...well, apart from the burnt out CMP truck
  • The painting machine that is Matt Slade sends in a collection of 28mm beasties
  • Egg is still modernising: twelve assorted vehicles in 15mm
  • And last, but by no means least, Chris Stoesen takes a break from writing scenario packs and submits a very nice looking log cabin

I have also, at Egg's suggestion, linked all the names in the list above to their galleries, with the galleries set to open in a new window. Let me know if that makes browsing the galleries significantly easier as, if it is, I'll keep doing it and, if it isn't, I won't bother next time!

Now just because I've put some links in doesn't mean we'll be losing the weekly photos in this post. Here are today's...

Japanese Princess from Mr Duffell

Sniper's mate from Kohn

20mm PSC Hanomags from John

Egg's Moderns Mixture

IABSM AAR: Spoiling Attack, Russia, 1943

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Joe Patchen sends us another of his excellent I Ain't Been Shot, Mum battle reports.

It is Fall, 1943. The Russians have had quite a summer, pushing the Germans back along a broad front after their failed Kursk offensive. The local situation is fluid. 

A small infantry force of two Russian platoons holds a ford and bridge over a river with the aid of a couple of 76.2mm AT guns. Their job is to push across the other side and pave the way for a platoon of SP guns and two platoons of T-34/76s to push across and exit the far side of the board. The tanks are expected in the not too distant future. 

Unbeknownst to the Russians, a strong German armoured reconnaissance force of armoured cars, panzergrenadiers, and a couple platoons of tanks are on their way to spoil the anticipated offensive. They're tasked to reach and blow the bridge if possible or at least jam up any attempted Russian crossing.

Click on the pic below to find out what happened next...

IABSM AAR: Charge at Krojanty...Twice

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It’s off to Poland, 1939, again, as Bevan, Dave and I play another action from my scenario book for IABSM: The September War.

This time, the game was from scenario #03:  Charge at Krojanty. Based on an episode from the larger fighting around the Tuchole Forest that took place over the first couple of days of September 1939, the action would involve a large force of Polish cavalry surprising a German infantry platoon that had paused for a rest. Each side would then gradually be reinforced, developing into quite a large encounter.

There are several object lessons here for would-be Polish and German commanders. Click on the picture, below, to read all...

Objective Markers from Baueda

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As previously mentioned on this blog, some of the games from my new scenario book for IABSM, The September War, covering Poland 1939, require one or more objective markers. As also previously mentioned, my first thoughts were to use Army Group North's excellent Polish Eagle crest markers, shown to the right.

They look great but, of course, are artificial:  as the name suggests, they are a 'token' rather than being something that belongs on the battlefield. I therefore thought I'd try some of Baueda's portfolio of objective markers, starting with two of what look like the easiest to paint: the fuel dump and the ammunition dump:

Well they do paint up very easily, and will certainly do the job. If you look on the Baueda website you will also see how a decent painter can turn them into mini works of art!

I must confess that I'm still not sure which I will use - the tokens or the objectives - but at least now I have the option.

PS  Another AAR from The September War appears here tomorrow.

 

Painting Challenge Update: Very Quiet

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It's been a very quiet week for the painting challenge. After a couple of months of frenetic activity, only a very few entries this week.

Come on, the rest of you, get those brushes out and start painting!

Today's entries are:

  • John Davenport with some nice modern Soviet tanks
  • Some British Paras from Carole. So, how do you feel about painting that many Denison smocks?
  • Mr Helliwell offers a couple of Gaz trucks and lots of half-Russians!
  • There's more AWI goodness from John Haines
  • And finally Ralph Plowman has some fanstasy/sci-fi 28s, and a very nice 15mm walker

So that's it:  five entrants this week. Not good!

Soviet tanks from Mr Davenport

Ralph's Walker

Some AWI infantry from Mr Haines

British Paras from Carole

Soviets from Mr Helliwell

Painting Challenge Update Number Eleven

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After a week of Poland, it's back to the painting challenge for update number eleven. I am still sure that the challenge is far busier this year than it was last year!

So, in no particular order, we have:

  • The maestro, Matt Slade, with a big red dragon (and it is big!), a giant and a scorpion
  • Mr Weathersby sends in another of his hand-rigged Napoleonic ships
  • Chris Kay finishes his vikings
  • Here comes the cavalry, courtesy of Egg
  • Mr Hodge, fresh from proof-reading The September War, sens in over a hundred little Frenchmen
  • We have some archaeologists from Carole
  • The Mad Padre has scenery and elves for us to look at and admire
  • With an all new background, Mr Helliwell sends in more ACW figures and a few bits of scenery
  • Kev, our favourite Fat Wally, also does the ACW, with a suitably Kev-like, huge entry
  • And last, but by no means least, Mervyn pops in some Dark Ages types

Today's pictures are below. Just a few, as I have to nip to the post office to pick up a package: more miniatures!

Brian's hand-rigged Napoleonic ship

More cold war goodness from egg

confederate band from kev

papped!

Polish Tankettes

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To finish off Polish week on Vis Lardica, celebrating the publication of The September War, my new scenario pack for IABSM covering the German invasion of Poland in 1939, here's a picture of some painting I completed last weekend: a unit of five Polish TKS tankettes.

These are Battlefront models and, as you can see, I have built two of them with the 20mm cannon and three of them with the standard MMG.

Now these things are small: significantly smaller than an Italian tankette or a Bren gun carrier. Although I can see that it would be nice to have a bit of protection against smallarms fire, I think you'd have to be crazy to ride one of these into battle against panzers!

Whilst I was researching The September War, I came across the fact that every year there is a big military re-enactment in Poland celebrating one of the battles of the campaign. Here's a couple of pictures of a TKS tankette from two of the re-enactment days.

As I said: these things are small!

Blinds for the September War Campaign

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Following on from yesterday's launch of The September War, my new scenario pack for IABSM covering the German invasion of Poland 1939, I've now added a set of Blinds for the campaign, downloadable free from the Poland 1939 page of the IABSM section of this website. Or click on the image to the right to get there!

There are four Blinds available: the Polish ones shown to the right, Soviet Blinds, and two sets of German Blinds: one using the historically accurate plain white cross; the other, my preferred version, using a more late war version.

I just pop a few sheets of stiff paper into the printer, print them out, then cut them out, and away you go. You can laminate them if you like, but I usually don't bother these days.

Objective Markers

And whilst we're on he topic of useful things, check out my new Polish objective markers:

These are resin disks 2-3 inches across that you can buy from Army Group North. They don't appear in the AGN webstore at the moment, but if you e-mail them on info@agnminiatures.com, Andrew will sort. They are $10 for three markers and paint up very easily.

A recommended buy, especially as many of the the September War scenario pack scenarios have two-four objectives in them.

The September War Publishes Today!

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The German invasion of Poland on 1st September 1939 precipitated the greatest conflict the world has ever known, ending the lives of some 60 million people across the globe.

Written by Robert Avery and Alexander Kawczynski, The September War is a collection of thirty-three scenarios for I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum covering the German invasion of Poland 1939. It is priced at £9.50.

Divided into eight mini-campaigns, the pack begins with the battles at the border, then covers the fight for the Polish corridor, the Polish Thermopylae at Narew, the Siege of Warsaw, the climactic battles at Bzura and Tomaszow Lubelski, and the actions of the 10th Motorised Cavalry “Black” Brigade and the Independent Operational Group Polesie. There are attacks, counter-attacks, encounter battles, desperate defences…there’s even an armoured train or two.

No need for any preparation: each scenario contains a brief background history, maps, a full game briefing, and a full briefing for each player. Simply print out the pages you need, make up the deck from the list of cards required, unpack your figures and dice, set up the table and away you go!

Click here or on the picture of the front cover to buy The September War scenario pack for IABSM.

To see a list of scenarios, click here.

To see a sample scenario briefing, click here.

The September War: #01 Chojnice...Twice

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Barring major disasters, The September War, my new scenario pack for IABSM containing 33 scenarios from the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, should be published tomorrow, Wednesday 15th March 2017.

The September War  is largely based on Alexander Kawczynski's supplement for another rule system, but with the scenarios fully adapted for IABSM. As usual with my packs, each scenario generally consists of six pages: two for the Umpire and two for each player. Once you add the background and support material, The September War comes in at 240 pages long and will cost £9.50.  

To wet your collective whistles, here is an AAR from the playtest of scenario #01: Chojnice. Will the Poles manage to blow the vital railway bridge in time? Or will the Germans manage to capture the bridge and defuse the explosives, then send their armoured train in to wreak havoc on the Polish border defences? Click on the picture below to find out more...

Polish Cavalry Conversions

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To celebrate the publication of my The September War scenario pack for IABSM*, I am declaring this week to be Polish week on Vis Lardica. All the posts through to Friday will be Polish in nature.

To start us off, here a bit of painting that I finished this weekend: a squad of Polish cavalry and a Big Man.

All the above are actually converted Battlefront Cossacks i.e. I've taken spare Cossack figures and given them new heads using Peter Pig Polish cavalry heads.

This was remarkably easy to do: snip off the old head, use a pin drill to create a hole in the decapitated torso, then pop the new head in. Takes about five minutes a time and gives you a nicely varied set of cavalry and reduces the lead mountain as I was never going to use those Cossacks.

Tomorrow's post features an AAR from the play-testing of The September War.

*The September War publishes on Wednesday  15th March 2017. It contains thirty-three scenarios from the German invasion of Poland, 1st September to 6th October 1939, and will be priced at £9.50. It is largely based on the first half of Alexander Kawczynski's Poland in Flames scenario pack for FOW, but totally adapted for IABSM.