4th Canadian Armored Division

 I've modeled the Division with an M4 Sherman, a Half-Track armed with Anti-Aircraft guns, a Universal Carrier. Information below from wikipedia

The 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division was created by the conversion of the 4th Canadian Infantry Division at the beginning of 1942 in Canada. The division proceeded overseas in 1942, with its two main convoys reaching the United Kingdom in August and October.

The division spent almost two years training in the UK before crossing to Normandy in July 1944. In UK, it did participate in war games together with the 1st Armoured Division (Poland), and in France, Low Countries, and Germany, both divisions followed very close paths. It participated in the battle of the Falaise pocket, the advance from Normandy and spent almost two months engaged at the Breskens pocket. It wintered in the Netherlands and took part in the final advance across northern Germany. The division is to be reactivated with the renaming of Land Force Central Area

Formation

1944–1945

4th Canadian Armoured Brigade 

• 21st Armoured Regiment (The Governor General's Foot Guards)
• 22nd Armoured Regiment (The Canadian Grenadier Guards)
• 28th Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Regiment)
• The Lake Superior Regiment (Motor)

Formation sign used to identify vehicles of the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division

10th Canadian Infantry Brigade

• The Lincoln and Welland Regiment
• The Algonquin Regiment
• The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)
• 10 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

Other units 

• 29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment)
• "D" Squadron, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment), Canadian Armoured Corps
• 15th Field Regiment, RCA
• 23rd Field Regiment, RCA
• 5th Anti-tank Regiment, RCA

More Universal Carriers

I plan to paint up two of these for the 2nd Canadian Division, one for the 4th Canadian Armored, and one for the 3rd Canadian Division. All these versions are Plastic Soldier Company from the UK. They were pretty easy to build, if you can match the parts with where they should go.

 A new universal carrier with crew and passangers. They are now having a coat of paint dry on them. 

Plastic Soldier Review box. The spooky looking picture is one my family had taken back in 1996, prior to my departure to South Korea. Sadly, it was the last family portrait of us all, due to my parents getting divorced, and my mother being killed in a car accident at Easter, 2014.

The shot was taken at Sherbrooke Village in Nova Scotia. My father and I wore our Pictou Highlanders uniforms, his was of a Lieutanant and my uniform was that of a band corporal. Both uniforms were originals from the First World War, which were going to be thrown out in the garbage. The lady called my father to see if he was interested. We got the uniform coat, blue patrol jacket, an original MacKenzie kilt.

Hanamog 251 WIP

My son's Christmas presents all bought, so Daddy has to build them. Plastic Soldier Company makes some very nice kits, but there is little in the way of instructions. It's not rocket science but it can be tricky if you put stuff on backwards. I guess that's why you always fit the stuff first before you add the glue.

 A 251 gets built

Paint instructions from Plastic Soldier Company

Almost done

 A command version of the 251, the first one in the kit I built. Others to follow. Shots below from tank encyclopedia 

 this version I bought about eleven years ago, however, it needs to be repaired, the muzzle break was broken off, so I may have to replace it with a gun I have without its carriage. I may buy another. 

Loyd Carrier WIP

Plastic Soldier Company kit

Loyd Carrier for towing

the 6pdr Anti-Tank gun

Plastic Soldier Company boxes for these kits.

The new battery. These are now drying with a coat of paint. I may use them in a game this evening.

Building a "Tobruk" for the Siegfried Line

I finished building my sons Panzer IV Whirlwind, but the funny thing Hasegawa does is to include extra parts. I had an additional or optional Panzer IV turret and hull but not an additional set of tracks, road wheels or sprokets to build a complete tank.
Thus was born the beginnings of a Tobruk bunker

Point Defense: Walchern, Holland 1944

 Trevor indicates that he wants that unit to move. Trevor and my son were the Germans. For this game, the Germans were holding this fortified town. The German troops were from 1SS Panzer Group, and the remainders of whatever Panzergrenadier divisions and Luftwaffen were still in the area.

While I was the Anglo-Canadian force sent to attack Fort Hendrik. The British were made up of the 43rd Wessex Division, the 51st Highland Division, the 2nd Canadian Division, the 3rd Canadian Division with support from the Second Canadian Armored Brigade, and elements of the 4th Canadian Armored Division. 

This gatehouse was one of the objectives. The orange bunker was the third while the tower in the shot below was the other objective. This gate house was to change hands three times. 

The British Wessex Division move up in support of the 51st Highland Division. For the first three turns, the British handled the attack, capturing the first line of trenches and drawing the fire from the gatehouse.

Finally, the 9th Canadian Brigade, which had the Stormont, Dundas and Glenarry Highlanders, with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada on the walls, while the North Nova Scotia Highlanders held the trenches below.

 The Queens Own Rifles of Canada and the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa held the gate against another rush of SS troops.

By the end of turn five, the remaining British troops formed up for a final push. 

The Germans, reduced to one SS battalion, eventually left, leaving a few Werchmacht, and Luftwaffen troops to give themselves up as prisoners. The SS were made up of Dutch nationals who didn't want to be handed over as traitors to their own countrymen.

Top Secret: Capture Montgomery

1st SS Panzer group has gotten intelligence that Field Marshall Montgomery is visiting the 15th Scottish Division

Assorted Scottish battalions consisting of Seaforth, Gordon and Argyll and Sutherland Highlaners man defenses in anticipation of any German attack.

The forward lines are held by the Highland Light Infantry

One regiment is holding a bunker while another awaits and advance order in their half-track.

The SS race up the road, running into the forest to close with the bunker to get Montgomery.

A Churchill moves out in support. For the rest of the game, it remained as a target, failing to get any fire orders.

 The Forth and Fife Yeomanry rush out an Anti-aircraft half-track which takes out a Panzer II and cuts down a section of SS. The Seaforths rush out to take the position from the SS.

An officer moves out to rally the troops to hold the line.

Despite the gallant defense, the SS were able to snatch Montgomery away. 

We used the Top Secret scenario for this game, and I did better than usual. However, we've built the 15th Scottish Division without much anti-tank capability. I have ordered some more 6pdr Anti-tank guns, and may pick up some other kit for them in the near future, unless things change over here.

November 11, 2014 How we remember

 I wear a poppy from the Royal British Legion. I also wear a metal poppy lapel pin I got for the 2005 Canadian Year of the Veteran.  My son and I are remembering this November by re-fighting the Battle of the Schelt, November, 1944

My grandfather, my son and daughters great-grandfathers fought on both the Canadian and Japanese side. Lest We Forget

Additional German armored support for Christmas

Ian is going to be doing well from Santa. After he saw my 6pdr Anti-Tank, he then wanted an artillery piece.
Henceforth, he will be getting a German Infantry 75mm gun plus a Kubelwagen and a Kettlegrad! He still might get some Panthers and Hanamogs.
Pictures to follow.
And what should my hunting instincts tell me but I found a World Tank Museum game set for about five dollars Cdn which has two Tigers, now a part of the 1st SS Panzer Division,two Panzer IV, now part of 12th SS Panzer Regiment two T-34/76 now part of 1st SS Panzer Korps. And two Sherman M4s for the British and Canadians! They need a lick of paint but ready to rumble!
I found this set in the used shop my oldest stepson works in. (picture)

 Pegasus 75mm Infantry gun. The kit has one gun with two crews. One as Waffen SS, the other as Wermacht. I plan on doing up this kit for Ian's 272 Panzergrenadier Division.

 The Kettlegrad will be given to the Waffen SS Panzer Division to support the Panzergrenadier Nebelwefer battery. The Kubelwagen will go become a recce company with the 272 Panzergrenadiers.

Shermans for Canadian Armor

I had two unexpected surprises today. The first was that my school let me out after lunch, and I had some extra cash in my account, so I went back to Akihabara to pick up the last of the Christmas goodies which might just show up on my planned Bolt Action game at the end of November.
I bought a set of M4A3 75mm by Italeri. These are wargamming friendly in that they are to be quick builds.

 took aabout thirty minutes to build both!I also picked up a Jeep by Academy, and low and behold, I found a1/144scale Firefly! This then completes most of my Canadian armored force.  Im still looking at getting some kits from Plastic Soldier Company frm the UK.

Painted shots will follow as they are still being worked on.

Operation Switchback, The Schelt October-November 1944

Ian and I had two Bolt Action games over the Japanese long weekend. I decided to run a campaign based on the Canadian operations around the Schelt estuary on the Belgian/Netherlands border in the autumn of 1944.

The Canadian position was made up of holding a bunker captured from the German defenders on Walcern Island. The Waffen SS then made an attack to regain the position.

This was the second battle. The first I forgot to take pictures but basically was the Canadian Third Division pushing inland. In that action the 7th and 8th Brigades attempted to break the German defensive line. Having lost all their armor, the Canadian withdrew.

The Germans counter attacked on their bunker which the Canadians had held onto. The Germans advanced in a large column rushing up the road, then spreading out. The Toronto Scottish mortars attempted to keep the Germans at bay. The Second Anti-Tank made their first appearance by fielding a 6pdr Anti-tank gun pulled by a Universal Carrier.

The South Sasketchewan Regiment also gained additional troops. The Black Watch, what was left of them, held the garden wall while another Bren gun team held the bunker.

The Canadians had also dug three entrenched positions, but Ian decided to use a bulldozer to smash each bunker, which was then cleared by an SS MG42 team, and some other SS infantry. The Toronto Scots used their Stens to eliminate the SS MG42 team, but were then taken out in turn by Panzer II tanks. The RCA officer called in an artillery strike. This took out a few SS units, a further RCAF airstrike was then called in which hit the SS rear units hard, but failed to eliminate most of them. Ian spent most of a turn patching them all up, while using his tanks and infantry to clear out the Canadians.

More Switchback actions to follow.

Reinforcements for Canadian Second Division

 Zeveda kit of what they call a Recce team, but will fill out a battalion of Canadians. As well, I was able to pick up a bottle of Model Color British Uniform.