Finished: 3 x Limbered 15mm Pak40

Hi folks,

It appears that the end of the AHPC has snuck up on me this year - I thought it finished next Saturday, but apparently it ends this weekend. This does mean that my final unit of half-tracks won't be finished in enough time to be counted, but should still feature here in due course.

Thankfully, I had decided to make a quick entry this week, in the form of three limbered 15mm scale Pak40 anti-tank guns from Skytrex. These guns are to be pulled behind the three half-tracks I previously completed for this purpose. 

The guns look ok - possibly a bit blocky in places, especially around the area under the gun shield and around the wheels. But for what are basically just markers on the table, they will do!

Skytrex were also good enough to meet my request for all three guns to be limbered, rather than the advertised mix of limbered and deployed. 

These marked off another completed element of my project sheet, and should be some useful additions to the collection for our games. I've not applied any camo, so that they can match either my Heer guns or my still to be painted SS guns. Basing is my usual style, to match the other vehicles in my collection. 

AAR - Attacks on the Azeville Battery, June 1944

Hi folks,

Just getting the time to post some images from a few weeks ago, where I joined DaveD for some 15mm Cold War planning and a couple of small games of Flames of War. 

Dave had set up a table representing the German Azeville Gun Battery, around 15km from Utah beach and was first attacked by 20 US paratroopers on the night of D-Day. These troops were from the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 

So our first game represented this small force attacking the garrison, needing to work round behind the casemates in order to break in and lay charges. 

Battery as seen from the direction of the initial US attempt

Battery as seen from the later attempt

For this initial battle, I had a US Para infantry platoon reinforced with a formation commander. Technically incorrect as per the rules, but it worked for us given the small force. This effectively split the platoon into two units, the manoeuvre element and the support element. The manoeuvre element had a command team, two bazooka teams and four rifle teams. The support element had two machine gun teams and a 60mm mortar team, as well as a command team. We allowed the 60mm mortar to direct fire smoke (another departure from the rules). 

My plan was thus - take advantage of the limited field of fire of one MG bunker, suppress the two tobruk MG positions, breach the wire and get into the trench line, then work my way round. The support element would handle suppression and direct fire smoke to offer concealment. 

Blue = manoeuvre plan, green = support and orange represents the limited arc of the HMG bunker

Things initially went well, with the German garrison being pinned due to the surprise element of the attack. 

In short order the Paras were inside the perimeter and clearing out defenders. Things were going well until the garrison troops started responding and an HMG bunker covering the rear of the position caught my assault going in and chopped it to bits. 

I'd tried to work my way round, and risked an assault against the tobruk on the right hand side of the position. Unfortunately, I think I lost a good chunk of my rifle teams going in, and was pinned before I made contact. However, I had brought up the support element, so thought I could try from another direction. 

My second plan was to loop around the second gun bunker, and try to get out of line of sight of the HMG bunker. Unfortunately my small remaining assault ran into fire from the garrison troops and was also repulsed. With that I fell back, reduced to my support weapons and little else. The Paras just didn't have the strength to take the position, despite inflicting heavy casualties. 

The next game saw an attack from the opposite side of the complex, with troops from the 1st and 2nd Battalion of the US 22nd Infantry Regiment. We represented this with two platoons of rifle infantry, an MG platoon and some DD tanks. The attack was proceeded by heavy naval gunfire. 

The artillery prep inflicted some casualties and caused some German squads to be pinned down for the whole game (they remained in their bunkers!). I used similar tactics to the first game, using a base of fire to suppress, direct fire smoke from the Shermans and careful manoeuvre to avoid bunkers line of sight. I got my rifle platoons forward and through the wire, and started them clearing out bunkers. I did lose a Sherman on the way in to Panzerschreck fire, but in short order the wire had been breached and tanks and infantry were in the position. I correctly guessed that the road entry to the position was mined!

A great couple of small scale tactical games with some roleplay twists. My first gaming in a while, and I really enjoyed it.

Many thanks to Dave for the game, the food and the wonderful table and miniatures.  

Finished: 15mm PSC Sd.Kfz. 251/9 Ausf. D (Stummel) platoon

Hi folks,

Catching up on my completed AHPC entries for last week - more progress on my Panzergrenadier project. This time with six Sd.Kfz. 251/9 Ausf. D vehicles from the 12th 'Heavy' kompanie of III/26. SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, 12SS Panzer Division.

The 'mittlerer Schützenpanzerwagen (7,5 cm)' (Sd. Kfz. 251/9) was created as a supporting vehicle for the mechanised infantry units of the German army and SS in mid 1942. Armed with an 7.5 cm K. 37 L/24 gun (the same 'short' 75mm gun that had been mounted on the early StuG and Panzer IVs, but later designated as 7.5 cm K. 51 (Sf.)), this vehicle lends some heavy direct firepower. In FoW terms, these vehicles are still dangerous to most allied tanks in the Normandy theatre. 

Still, they have negligible armour themselves - and being open topped are particular vulnerable to artillery and mortar fire.  

I've painted the six vehicles which (according to a full order of battle) would be assigned to the heavy support company of the battalion. For this, the hull numbers 443-448 have been used. 

Painting wise, I went with the same recipe as my other half-tracks. I used the Skytrex decals for the side and rear hull numbers, as the smaller ones I had used for this previously from Doms Decals didn't cover the number range I required. License plates and division symbol were also added. 

Foliage was added using seafoam 'branches' and leaf flock. I focussed this on the front of the vehicles, where foliage might have been added to camouflage the vehicle in a hedge or treeline. Basing has been done to the same style as the rest of my 15mm Normandy collection. 

For camo on these, I kept similar colours to those used before, but in a different camo pattern. I'm afraid I don't have the skills currently to airbrush, so the camo pattern is a little heavier and harder edged that I would have liked. However, at tabletop distances it will work. 

These models are 15mm Plastic Soldier Company kits (PSC) with the PSC upgrade sprue used to convert them into the 251/9 versions. Crew will be painted and added at a later date. 

This units completion leaves 12 more vehicles to finish on my planned Order of Battle (with 34 half-tracks or associated vehicles painted since November). 

Now on the painting table are the mortar half-tracks and towed (limbered) Pak40 guns. I am starting to flag with regards to half-track/German vehicle painting... Thankfully not much more to do.