Finished: 15mm Motor and Mortar Platoons, plus added extras

Hi folks,

As mentioned in my post earlier this week on my finished halftrack passengers, recent focus has been on getting the infantry compliment of the Recce Squadron completed. I should note that the figures for these units came from my pile of old metal Battlefront minis, with a single Peter Pig figure used in the RAF team and a single (possibly) Forged in Battle figure on the naval spotting team. 

As part of this batch, I also included a couple of non-standard units for my Flames of War collection. This included an RAF spotter on foot - I've been unable to determine the correct term for this. Possibly an Air Liaison Officer or Mobile Fighter Controller. Forward Air Controller appears to be a more modern term. The RAF officer figure is the one from the old 'Colonel Vandeleur & Forward Observer' (BR885) Battlefront pack. I appear to have ended up with a load of these M3 White cars and crew in my 2nd hand purchases. The radio figure was a (I believe) peter pig radio operator. I struggled a little as the BF RAF model is so slight and small compared to the other BF radio figures I had. 

Alongside the RAF element, I also included a larger OP team to represent the Forward Observer Bombardment (FOB) teams used to call in naval gunfire support during the Normandy campaign.

The figures for the naval spotters are mainly Battlefront models of various vintages, although one figure I believe may be from Forged in Battle. 

The rationale/inspiration behind these teams came via the last 'in person' game I played, back in January. The allied players had both naval artillery and army artillery available, at something was needed to help differentiate the spotting teams. Similarly, I thought it might be useful as part of the collection to have an RAF spotter on foot. 

I had hoped to go with different helmet colours for the naval team, but this would have involved head swaps or other conversion work, so in the end I went with the standard colours. For the RAF uniform, I tried 'Luftwaffe Uniform WW2' (Vallejo Model Colour 70.816) which seems to be a better representation of RAF blue than the colour I used previously. I also re-painted the RAF figure in the M3 scout car using this colour. 

I also completed another 'extra' for my collection, in the form of 'dismounted' carrier patrol troops. 

Each infantry battalion in Normandy for the commonwealth and Polish forces included a 'Carrier Platoon', consisting of multiple 'patrols' of three carriers. These patrols appear (from my reading at least) to have also fought dismounted from their carriers as required - with each carrier having a Bren as well as the patrol having a PIAT and 2" Mortar, this made for a very heavily armed detachment. These would be used for a number of purposes - for example securing flanks or adding to the firepower of an infantry platoon. 

For game purposes, I will be treating each team as a MG team (due to each having a Bren), with one team also having the option of firing instead as a PIAT and the other as a 2" mortar team. This unit will be pretty brittle - loss of a single stand will leave it taking morale tests - but will give some options in scenarios when the infantry platoons start taking casualties. I've another of these units ready to be painted, which will finish off the infantry component of this planned squadron. 

Next up, the Motor platoon. 

In v3 Flames of War, these troops in a Recce Squadron would be a 'Recce Assault Platoon' and would have been Pioneer MG teams. The info I have on 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry is that they used M5 Halftracks as transport for this platoon. They were rated as Pioneers due to the need for them to clear obstacles such as roadblocks and minefields - anything that needed doing in order to clear a route as part of their recce role. In v4, this is a 'Motor Platoon' which makes them 'Bren Gun Teams'. For my own purposes, I'll stick with the v4 stats but just apply the Pioneer command card bonuses (improved chance of clearing minefields).  

Finally, the Recce Mortar platoon. Again, Battlefront metal mini's and taken from my my pile of odds and sods I've collected over the years. Maybe not the best poses or positioning on these guys. 

These guys will go with the mortar carriers I completed previously and give me a second 3" mortar platoon for my allies. 

Progress wise, that gets the spreadsheet looking like this:

I've made a good start on most of the carrier crews and have the second dismounted carrier patrol prepped. I still need to detail up the carriers with stowage and such prior to priming, but may wait till I have another batch of vehicles to prime before the weather gets too bad. I've currently got a RAM OP tank and possibly a jeep and carrier as transports for the FOB and FAC bases. 

My current thinking is to sort out some M10C's and Cromwells for my next allied force. 

The Cromwells for this force were assembled during quiet time on my honeymoon back in 2016 (wife gave permission, we are not night life people). So far the assembled models have been through 2 house moves with us and I've done nothing else with them. The M10Cs will be a welcome addition, as I only have 3" armed versions currently. 

I should also add that this last week was the one year anniversary of Joshua's birth. We had a nice socially distanced family day, only slightly disrupted by the new C-19 regulations, and had a cake made for him. We also had a lot of friends and family respond to our request to light a candle for him and to share this with us. Thanks to everyone who has supported the 'For Joshua' project so far - hopefully I'll have more progress to share on this once the pandemic is a little more under control.