Actual modelling progress (aka take that #6MMRPC!)

I'm not sure whether it was having the day off, the nice weather or the fact it's the Carronade Wargames show this weekend (Scotland's biggest). Whichever it was I got myself organised and actually did some hobby related work.

The first was cleaning all the vehicles I have been prepping over the last few weeks. I had meant to do this on Saturday and then Sunday...

Several of these blisters have more than one vehicle in them. Not a huge amount of work to clean them all, just time consuming.

I have seen a bit of discussion recently on one of the FoW Facebook groups on whether there is a need to wash your mini's. Honestly, if you saw the colour of the water after washing this lot you would clean all your mini's. I have no idea what effect all that crap has on the painting, but I don't want to find out!

Then I decided to spray some models - this became a bit of a job as I first tried the Plastic Soldier Company British Armour spray directly on to my Forged in Battle Universal Carriers. The FiB Carriers are a white resin, and the spray just did not go on properly. Now, this may be an issue with the spray or just with the colour of the resin. I dug around and found a can of Black (a Armypainter one) and gave them a skoosh. Then went back with the Plastic Soldier Company green. I also did the Churchill Croc I had done before as I wasn't happy with the tone of the green going on without a black undercoat.

So that's 12 Universal Carriers (+1 that was almost ready to be sprayed, I think it might end up being the 4.2" Spotter carrier), 1 Churchill Croc and 3 Wasp Carriers.

Then, since I had sprayed stuff and it was still nice, I decided to try my Dark Tone Army Painter dip. Slight issue with this since I left it sitting out open last summer, it's gone very thick and I may have to replace it. Still, I decided to do a tank or two, and a few hours later...

I'd done my whole winter backlog.

'A' was a little miffed to come home to me and the kitchen stinking of turps tho!

One thing I have discovered with the Army Painter dip is that previously I had just been dabbing off the excess and having to do a bit of work afterwards due to the amount of dip still on the model. Now I splodge it on, leave it a minute or two then dab off the excess. I then wash the brush in turps again, wipe off most of it leaving the brush a little wet, and do a 'reverse drybrush'. The turps still on the brush takes the dip off the higher points and makes the details 'pop' a bit more while still giving shade where it's needed. Hopefully that's not compromising the varnish, but I'm pretty sure there is turps in the AP.

So, that was my May bank holiday!

Battlefront's Berlin book lists

Hi folks, I downloaded the newest Wargames Illustrated today, and it has some details on the upcoming Berlin book for late war Soviet and German lists - I thought it would be worth sharing for those of you who don't buy WI.

Image from the Flames of War website.

Berlin will have 3 Soviet lists:

- Hero Gvardeyskiy Tyazhelyy Tankovy Polk (Hero Guards Heavy Tank Regiment). Representing the Guards heavy tanks. Units are smaller but have 'gained much expenience' and support platoons have been 'combed for replacements for tank crews'. The IS2 obr 1944 (FA 11) makes an appearance. No mention is made of ratings.

By the sounds of it, this list will be a small number of heavy tanks with limited support. To coincide with the release, new plastics will be coming for the IS2 and ISU heavy assault guns, Soviet infantry and guns.

- Hero Tyazhelyy Samokhodno-artillyeriyskiy Polk (Hero Heavy Self-propelled Artillery Regiment). ISU-122 and ISU-152 units that are 'wiser but more skillful' and 'casualties have left their mark'.

Again, by the sounds of it a higher rating but small force with potentially limited support choices.

- Hero Strelkovy Polk (Hero Rifle Regiment). These infantry lists are based on Regiments rather than Battalions due to the casualties preceding the attack on Berlin. Featuring Strelkovy Battalions as combat platoons - these will be smaller 'more compact' units with 13 Rifle/MG teams plus options HMG and Panzerfausts.

Post Publishing Edit: The advert in WI states that the Rifle Regiment has Hero, Guards and Red Army options, including options to field customisable specialist street fighting groups.

New Corps support has 160mm obr 1943 Heavy Mortars, Hero Inzhenerno-Saperniy (Fearless Vets) and Fearless Vet Tank Destruction Company.

All three lists benefit from the Hero special rules, and there is mention of some other rules about the infantry list having a Red Banner. This makes them always attack, gives the unit carrying it Quality of Quantity and means that if the Banner is within 4" of an enemy objective the game does not end if they lose their own objectives. If the Soviets win with the banner on an objective they get +1 vp and the opponent -1 vp. If the soviet player loses this is reversed.

The German list (yes, just one list) seems a bit different from any other FoW lists. The article mentions troops from: Wehrmacht (army, navy and airforce), the Waffen SS, Volkssturm, Hitlerjugend, Polizei and RAD. Lists are made up of a combination of these - or a focus on one or two types of troops. These troops can have different ratings and are not treated as allies. It mentions that these troops can vary from Fearless Veteran to Reluctant Conscript troops. Fearless and Confident troops have 'enjoy the war'. Support includes fortifications and the usual range of big cats.

The Waffentrager (8.8cm) is mentioned, as is the Kleinpanzer Wanze or Bedbug tank hunter (demolition carriers with banks of Panzerschreck rocket launchers).

The article also mentions more intelligence briefings will be released for the digital app and Forces of War covering troops of the Berlin offensives and the fighting outside the city. So expect more super dooper German lists that let you play with all your Fearless Vet toys.

The book sounds interesting but it is another example of where the Early/Mid/Late split falls down. These really are Late Late war - fielding Normandy Ally lists against these forces seems a little... suicidal? I understand that there is always a power creep - and arguable there is a historical reason for this. But there still seems to be so few interesting Late Late war western allied lists, and those that exist seem focused around specific equipment (the Comet and Perishing). The British Rifle list in Nachtjager was just so generic...

Hopefully this was useful - and please excuse my own ramblings!

Totalise/Totalize Allied Orbat

So with the issues I've had trying to track down certain units using Google I thought it might be useful to have a list of units involved. Both for me (although I do have a book!) and anyone else interested in this period. It might also give regular readers a bit of an idea of the size of this largely overlooked but vitally important operation.

This post will cover the Allies - although I have left out the air force element (84 Composite Group) for now.

First Canadian Army, Order of Battle, 7 August 1944

(Units marked with a * are British and + are Polish. All others are Canadian)

Headquarters, First Canadian Army

Army Troops:-

2 Canadian Armoured Brigade
   - 6 Canadian Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) (Sherman III)
   - 10 Canadian Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse) (Sherman III)
   - 27 Canadian Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment) (Sherman III)

31 Armoured Brigade*
   - 7th Battalion, the Royal Tank Regiment (Churchills)
   - 9th Battalion, the Royal Tank Regiment (Churchills)

33 Armoured Brigade*
   - 1 Northamptonshire Yeomanry (Sherman I)
   - 144 Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (Sherman I)
   - 148 Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (Sherman I)

25 Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment (Elgin Regiment)

2 Canadian Army Group, Royal Artillery
   - 3 Canadian Medium Regiment (5.5")
   - 4 Canadian Medium Regiment (5.5")
   - 7 Canadian Medium Regiment (5.5")
   - 15 Medium Regiment* (5.5")
   - 1 Heavy Regiment* (7.2")

4 Army Group, Royal Artillery*
   - 150 Field Regiment* (25-pdr)
   - 53 Medium Regiment* (5.5")
   - 65 Medium Regiment* (5.5")
   - 68 Medium Regiment* (5.5")
   - 79 Medium Regiment* (5.5")
   - 51 Heavy Regiment* (7.2")

9 Army Group, Royal Artillery*
   - 9 Medium Regiment* (5.5")
   - 11 Medium Regiment* (5.5")
   - 107 Medium Regiment* (5.5")

74 Anti-Aircraft Brigade* (assigned to defence of 84 Composite Group airfields)

107 Anti-Aircraft Brigade* (not fully deployed for Totalize)
   - 2 Canadian Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
   - 109 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment*
   - 344 Searchlight Battery*
   Still moving to the Continent:
   - 16 Anti-Aircraft Operations Room RCA
   - 108 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment*

661 Air Observation Post Squadron RAF

RCAF Army Headquarters Intercommunications Flight

- 2nd Canadian Corps

Headquarters, 2nd Canadian Corps

Corps Troops:

Canadian Armoured Corps
  - 18 Canadian Armoured Car Regiment (12 Manitoba Dragoons)

Royal Canadian Artillery 
    - 6 Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment (Towed 17 Pounder and SP 3" M10))
    - 2 Canadian Survey Regiment
    - 6 Canadian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (40mm Bofors)
    - Corps Counter Batter Office

Royal Canadian Engineers
    - 29 Canadian Field Company
    - 30 Canadian Field Company
    - 31 Canadian Field Company
    - 8 Canadian Field Park Company

661 Air Observation Post Squadron, RAF*

-- 2nd Canadian Infantry Division

4 Canadian Infantry Brigade
   - Royal Regiment of Canada
   - Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
   - Essex Scottish

5 Canadian Infantry Brigade
   - The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
   - Le Regiment de Maisonneuve
   - Calgary Highlanders

6 Canadian Infantry Brigade
   - Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal
   - Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
   - South Saskatchewan Regiment

Divisional Troops
   - 8 Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment (14 Canadian Hussars)

Royal Canadian Artillery
   - 4 Canadian Field Regiment
   - 5 Canadian Field Regiment
   - 6 Canadian Field Regiment
   - 2 Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment
   - 3 Canadian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

Royal Canadian Engineers
   - 2 Canadian Field Company
   - 7 Canadian Field Company
   - 11 Canadian Field Company
   - 1 Canadian Field Park Company

Tentacle, Air Support Signals Unit

Toronto Scottish (Machine Gun)

-- 3rd Canadian Infantry Division

7 Canadian Infantry Brigade
   - Royal Winnipeg Rifles
   - Regina Rifles Regiment
   - 1st Battalion, Canadian Scottish Regiment

8 Canadian Infantry Brigade
   - Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
   - Le Regiment de la Chaudiere
   - North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment

9 Canadian Infantry Brigade
   - The Highland Light Infantry of Canada
   - Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders
   - North Nova Scotia Highlanders

Divisional Troops
   - 7 Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment (Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars)

Royal Canadian Artillery
   - 12 Canadian Field Regiment
   - 13 Canadian Field Regiment
   - 14 Canadian Field Regiment
   - 3 Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment (17-pdr, M10, M10C)
   - 4 Canadian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

Royal Canadian Engineers
   - 6 Canadian Field Company
   - 16 Canadian Field Company
   - 18 Canadian Field Company
   - 3 Canadian Field Park Company

Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Machine Gun)

-- 4th Canadian Armoured Division

4 Canadian Armoured Brigade
   - 21 Canadian Armoured Regiment (Governor General's Foot Guards)
   - 22 Canadian Armoured Regiment (Canadian Grenadier Guards)
   - 28 Canadian Armoured Regiment (British Columbia Regiment)
   - Lake Superior Regiment (Motor)

10 Canadian Infantry Brigade
   - Lincoln and Welland Regiment
   - Algonquin Regiment
   - Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)

Divisional Troops
   - 29 Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (South Alberta Regiment)

Royal Canadian Artillery
   - 15 Canadian Field Regiment
   - 23 Canadian Field Regiment (Self Propelled)
   - 19 Canadian Army Field Regiment (Self Propelled) - attached from 2 AGRA
   - 5 Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment (M10C)
   - 8 Canadian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

Royal Canadian Engineers
   - 8 Canadian Field Company
   - 9 Canadian Field Company
   - 6 Canadian Field Park Company

10th Independent Machine Gun Company (The New Brunswick Rangers)

-- 51st Highland Division*

152 Highland Brigade*
   - 2 Seaforth Highlanders*
   - 5 Seaforth Highlanders*
   - 5 Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders*

153 Highland Brigade*
   - 5 Black Watch*
   - 1 Gordon Highlanders*
   - 5/7 Gordon Highlanders*

154 Highland Brigade*
   - 1 Black Watch*
   - 7 Black Watch*
   - 7 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders*

Divisional Troops
   - 2 Derbyshire Yeomanry (Reconnaissance Regiment)*

Royal Artillery
   - 126 Field Regiment*
   - 127 Field Regiment*
   - 128 Field Regiment*
   - 61 Anti-Tank Regiment (17-pdr, 6-pdr)*
   - 40 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment*

Royal Engineers
   - 274 Field Company*
   - 275 Field Company*
   - 276 Field Company*
   - 236 Field Park Company*

1/7 Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun)*

C Flight, 652 Air Observation Post Squadron, RAF*

-- 1. Dywizji Pancernej (1st Polish Armoured Division)+

No. 4 Laison HQ Armoured*

10. Brygada Kwalerii (10 Armoured Cavalry Brigade)+
   - 1. Pulk Pancerny (1 Armoured Regiment)+
   - 2. Pulk Pancerny (2 Armoured Regiment)+
   - 24. Pulk Ulanow (24 Lancers)+
   - 10.  Pulk Dragonow (10 Dragoons (Motor Battalion))+

3. Brygada Strzelcow (3 Rifles Brigade)+
   - 1. Batalion Strzelcow Podhalanskich (1 Rifles Battalion (Highland))+
   - 8. Batalion Strzelcow (8 Rifles Battalion)+
   - 9. Batalion Strzelcow (9 Rifles Battalion)+
   - Samodzielny Szwadron C.K.M. (1st Polish Armoured Division Machine Gun Company)+

Divisional Troops
   - 10. Pulk Strzelcow Konnych (10 Mounted Rifle Regiment (Reconnaissance Regiment))+

Artyleria Dywizyjna (Divisional Artillery)+
   - 1. Pulk Artylerii Motorowej (1 Motorized Artillery Regiment)+
   - 2. Pulk Artylerii Motorowej (2 Motorized Artillery Regiment)+
   - 1. Pulk Artylerii Przeciwpancernej (1 Anti-Tank Regiment)+
   - 1. Pulk Artylerii Pzerciwlotniczej (1 Anti-Aircraft Regiment)+

Saperzy Sywizyina (Divisional Engineers)+
   - 10. Kompania Saperow (10 Polish Field Company)+
   - 11. Kompania Saperow (11 Polish Field Company)+
   - 1. Pluton Mostowy (1 Bridging Platoon)+
   - 11. Kompania Parhkowa (11 polish Field Park Company)+

-- Attached from 79 Armoured Division*

- 22nd Dragoons (Sherman Crabs)*
- 1st Lothian and Border Horse Yeomanry (Sherman Crabs)*
- 141 Regiment RAC (Crocodiles)*
- 79 and 80 Assualt Squadrons (AVRE)*

- 1st British Corps (Outline only)

-- Corps Troops

- Royal Armoured Corps
   - The Inns of Court Regiment (Armoured Car)*

- Royal Artillery
   - 62 Anti-Tank Regiment*
   - 102 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment*
   - 9 Survey Regiment*

652 Air Observation Post Squadron, RAF (less C Flight)*

-- 6 (Airborne) Division*

3 Parachute Brigade*

5 Parachute Brigade*

6 Airlanding Brigade*

1 Special Service Brigade (attached)*

4 Special Service Brigade (attached)*

-- 49 (West Riding) Division*

70 Brigade*

146 Brigade*

147 Brigade*

Belgian Contingent (approx brigade strength)

Netherlands Contingent (approx brigade strength)


Wow - that's a lot of typing! Details have come from 'No Holding Back' by Brian A. Reid. As you can see, even without the German or Airforce elements listed, this variety of troops gives plenty of opportunity for different forces. Armoured, Infantry, Motorised, Mechanised and Recon lists. Including Armoured Recon, Airborne and Special Service units.

Also represented are Canadians, British, Polish, Belgian and Netherland units... Although the Belgian and Netherland units (along with the rest of 1st British Corps) were on the flanks of the attack so did not participate in the main drive.

Also - a little national pride. I noticed a huge number of 'Highland' regiments, including those in the Canadian Army. Just goes to show how much influence Scotland has had outside just the British Isles. (The fact a 'successful' 300 year 'union' led to so many Scots going abroad and influencing nations such as Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Australian is not lost on me.)

Looking at all this, I am tempted to work on a 'Mini Campaign' set of Flames of War army lists - based on the Overlord book but a little more 'correct' for the start of August rather than the start of June '44. Anyone interested in helping?

RAF and German Orbats to follow (at some point)!