T34/85 tanks, IS-2 tanks

My Soviet tank force is made up of several versions of the T34 series. The T-34/76, T-34/85, and the Su-100 are all in my Soviet force.
The kits are Fujimi, and Airfix.
I based a lot of my tanks off of Zaloga's Osprey publishing T34 book which I bought in Singapore for Christmas 2000.

From what I have understood, this was one of the best tank designs
of World war 2, and it was still in service in 1994 with some countries

So if my Soviets are taking on the Germans, or North Koreans are invading the South, or if the North Vietnamese are invading South Vietnam or my Africans need tanks, these are the ones.

This is from a shot back in 2015 when I was living in an apartment in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Most of these tanks have been fixed and are currently found in my Cold War games, but will be in some Eastern Front games when I have the chance. 

One of the new kits I got I believe is an Armorfast kit for a T-34/85, went together

Very good

with some Chinese, North Koreans, just needs some paint

 do you say nice consists of t-34 76ers and su100 which use the same basic principles and designs as all t-34 series

 the six tanks in this shot show all t3485 versions which I currently have in my collection

A new addition I got from a local collector 

Sherman tank.

These two I built back in Japan somewhere around 2011. 

Bronson burner, Tommy cooker, we all know that the Sherman tank was not the best piece of equipment put up against the German panzers, but where quality lacked, quantity made up for.
My Sherman collection comes from Airfix, Matchbox, Fujimi, Italeri, Esci, Plastic Soldier company.
The amount I have is close to 12 and that's not counting the Firefly model.
I have all of them marked up for Commonwealth use, including the British Army.

More pictures of my Shermans to follow 

M3 Half-track

The Allied prime mover for the infant mechanized infantry was the American made M3 Half-track. Over the years, I have built up my fleet from several different models Airfix, Matchbox, Revell Germany,  Academy, Fujimi, Hasegawa and Plastic Soldier company. One even came from a toy car set from Toys R Us.
The most recent I built was an Academy kit which I only got for the amphibious jeep in it. Building the kit I found a bit Frustrating. The suspension system is always something that makes me go batty. The Plastic Soldier company kit was much easier.
At present, I believe that I have close to a dozen various kits. (Update, June 2019, present count is about 16)

Some M3s with a few other bits and pieces. 

 after I took this shot, I was able to acquire 2 more in a trade. I have built 1 and painted it, the other will be built during the summer of 2019.

10th SS-Panzer Division Frundsberg

Like the 9th, this unit i will be modelling from the Valiant Minatures Germans in Normandy 1944 set. AFV will be coming from my collection.

12/29/2018

So I was able to make it to the post office to pick up the parcel I missed on Christmas Eve.  Lo and behold it was my Germans in Normandy set and the British Tommie set

I have begun to paint up the new SS 

3/27/2019

Transport for the Panzergrenadier is now an Opel-Blitz.

9th SS-Panzer Division hohenstaufen

This SS division I have decided to model to fight the British and Canadians, mainly after Falaise, and into Arhnem.
I will be modelling these with the Valiant Minatures Germans in Normandy 1944

I will use half the set to model this division
Correction, I shall be modelling these with a full box as the company sente two boxes of their new Germans accidentally, so one Panzer Grenadier group will be nice and strong. It's an unexpected Christmas present.

Bolt Action books collection

Osprey Publishing had a sale so for Christmas, I bought myself two books:

Empire in Flames takes care of my Pacific campaign along side the New Guinea campaign book

Battlefield Europe will take care of the DDay to invasion of Germany
Both books arrived on 12/11/2018, so now I have four campaigns I can fight.

1st Canadian Division hit the Gothic Line Bolt Action Scenario 17 (again)

The Canadian First Division boldly attempts to assault the Gothic Line. Trusting their initial artillery bombardment to drive out the Germans, the Canadians plan to rush forward to capture the defences

the German position. A series of trenches, bunkers and minefields.

The preliminary bombardment damages some of the German units but they survive enough to hold on. The Canadians rush the first line but are consistently thwarted from their objective by accurate German fire. Having lost all their armour support, the Canadians fall away. The Germans hold on for another day.

Armoured Cars

 not as numerous as my Jeeps, however, I do have a few for recce units for each of my divisions.

Jeeps anyone?

My collection of Jeeps, stands at about 15 at the moment.

These have come from several different company. Most are armed while a few I have as either tows or transports

Australian Commando Raid on Japanese camp, New Guinea, 1942

Ian suggested we also play a Japanese game. So I shall hit him with an Australian Commando raid. Details to follow

Two Osprey Books for the price of one!

Recently I visited the bookstore, Chapters in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. I was able to find two steals in their discount history section.
Both books by Chris McNab are Hitler's Elite: The SS and The German Army 1935-45. Both books if bought from Osprey would have cost me close to 100.00 Cdn with shipping. But they were 15.00 each!
So I now have some more reference books on the German forces for Bolt Action games.

good reads

Airborne and Commando raid on a German 88 battery

Having suffered a defeat by loosing a battery of artillery, the British high command have devised a counter attack by a Commando force comprised of a fast motorised force made up of jeeps, armoured cars, potentially half-tracks.
This is a way to take stock of the amount of jeeps, armoured cars and half tracks.

The German defenders are made up of an ad hoc unit of the Luftwaffen Field Division remenents of the 16th Feld Division. The area is an 88mm battery which is being used in the anti-aircraft role with some supporting anti-tank guns as additional defense.

The Commonwealth force is comprised of an Airborne Brigade, a Commando Brigade, with jeeps, trucks and half tracks from various units.

the early morning light shows the anti-aircraft guns which are the objectives of the British raiding force

the Royal Marines begin their attack but a confusion of orders kept the from rushing forward

as the morning mist lifted, the 88mm guns were taken out by the airborne, but the commandos lost their momentum when halted by a quad 20mm gun firing in the ground support.

the Airborne were able to take out two guns and their ammunition. But with the Luftwaffen regrouping and knocking out the transports and fire support Jeeps, the raid fails as half of the Anti-aircraft guns were saved by the trucks of the Luftwaffen. And one good Whebelwind.

A German recce attack on a British 5.5 artillery position

Ian has asked if we can play a Bolt Action game on his school holiday which just so happens to be on one of my days off. I've been toying with and idea I saw in the main rule book of heavy artillery not normally on the table top. So I thought it would be interesting for a Commonwealth heavy artillery battery being attacked by a German unit.
Since such an attack would have to be done by a highly mobile unit, I have decided to use only German armoured units which would be fast, namely their armoured cars. Thus all the units being used will be armoured cars, with  half track mounted panzergrenadiers.

The Royal Artillery battery will consist of three 5.5 inch guns with Matador tractors. Their defence force will consist of an infantry brigade with half tracks but no tanks. There will be a mortar and an MMG

The German objective will be to destroy the guns and their trucks with additional points scored for taking out the ammunition supply.

Obvisouly the British objective will be to stop the attack.

The SS recce and assault force, no tanks were used, only half tracks and armoured cars

Ian wore my Luftwaffen Feldjager cap while I sported my RA beret.

The RA position. I could only find 2 of the 5.5 inch guns but had 3 Matador trucks. I had two brigades of infantry who were in the woods, but had not dug in as they had arrived in position during dusk. The position was dangerously exposed, as the artillery were moved forward to begin a new offensive. 

The SS had sent a recce battalion forward and had found the Royal Artillery. They then began to take out the guns and their trucks. Eventually, all the British vehicles were destroyed. The supporting infantry to the battery also suffered casualties but they withdrew. The SS then also withdrew having accomplished their objective of destroying the guns of the RA battery.

Artillery for Mother Russia

Years ago, about 2000-2002, I had picked up a large amount of Soviet kit for the period 1939-65. When I got married in 2003, I packed this all up and shipped it back to Nova Scotia, in anticipation of our new life in Canada. Several issues happened.
First the Japanese and Canadian Postal systems did their best to smash apart my Soviet kit, in the belief that I must have been smuggling stuff, or maybe they just had an issue with me sending about 20 boxes of 1/72 kits home. Maybe they felt they were missing out on duties.
I do remember the Japanese customs guys opening one of my boxes on the day of my departure and they were ohhhh and ahhhh on my stuff to which I was asking please could I have it back as I wanted to catch my flight!

Which brings me to my issue now in 2018. I have finally begun to repair the damage done on my kit in 2003. My artillery.

I remember that I had  one 76mm gun, a 122mm gun, a 57mm anti-tank gun.
This is what I've been able to do so far.
The 122mm gun has been rebuilt! It just needs a crew.
The 76mm gun is being rebuilt.
The 57mm gun has a carriage, and a gun shield, but I can't find the actual gun!
I also have several tank gun barrells which I may improvise some guns with.

At present, my Soviet force for Bolt Action is built for anything from 1942 on with a heavy influence for campaigns from 1944-45.

The units can also be used for the Cold War as the Soviets kept a lot of their armour to keep up with the amount of conventional equipment in their arms race with NATO.

2nd and 3rd Canadian divisions attempt to hold off an SS counter attack after Falaise

The Canadians begin to send their units in to stem a night attack by the SS

The Germans, using the darkness to eliminate the air cover the Allies can provide. 

The Germans were eventually able to drive off the Canadians.

New Guinea campaign

I have just bought the Bolt Action Campaign New Guinea book.

As my son is half Japanese, he is interested in fighting the campaign as the Japanese.
As with all of my gamming, I will be doing Commonwealth forces

More First World War memorials in Halifax NS

A Very British Civil War Anglican League attempts to save their communal wine

This is our first VBCW game. The situation takes place in Nottingham Nottinghamshire where a force of Anglican League troops with a group of Albertists are forced to push out a group of British Union of Facisits and Royalists.

Newest addition to these troops will be a Vickers Light tank and an Ft 17

Oh and there are some hunting parties to add to the fun.

14th Army defends base camp against Imperial Japanese Army attacks

Point Defense Scenario Four 14th Army attacks Imperial Japanese Army

objective is to hold the river crossing