Burma's, 1945

Ian wants to do a battle with his Japanese ancestors. He's set up a defensive position thinking our collection for the Japanese is faster than it is. However his lines may contract and we're still not sure if I will be the attack or defender, so this will be a work for the new year
And this battle is going to get played at some point

4th Indian Division 1939-45 British Indian Army

Warlord Games sent a free sprue with Wargames Illustrated back in February. I have just now been able to assemble and try to paint them.

The sprue contains 6 figures. I have decided to give these gentlemen a Bren, Thompson SMG, a Bren and the rest MKIII Lee-Enfields

The officer I have given the smg, I'm tired of seeing officers only having a pistol.

The men of this section are Punjabi troops as I already have some Sikhs.
This was the first set I have gotten of them and once I have paid off my bill on mintatures for this year, I will be getting a full set of them.

6th Rajputana Rifles

Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment 

2nd Punjab, 3rd/15th Punjab, 4th/16th Punjab, 7th Gurkha Rifles

This division will be getting a 25pdr with a Tow, and some Universal carrier variants.

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

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

Second Battle of Long Stop Hill, April 21-23,1943

This attack is being conducted by the Indian, ANZAC, 51st Highland Divs, 38th Irish Brigade supported by the 7th Armoured Bde,

38th Irish Brigade are the first to hit the hill, the New Zealanders are on the other side of the hill while the Australians are on the left. The Gurkhas took a bunker on the German right. The Irish took two bunkers on the centre.

Ian begins his counter attack. 

The Australian's wait for their next set of orders

The German tanks are pushing back the Allies attack

The 51st Highland Division are in reserve with an attached armoured brigade

Supporting artillery from the 1st Armoured Division and troops from The Rifle Brigade. 

It was a hard fought engagement. Eventually, the only offensive unit left to charge were the 28th Maori Battalion! The remaining Commonwealth units had pounded the hill and drove off a German reinforcement attempt. 

It was one of the first outright victories I have had over Ian. 

The next position calls.

ANZAC Division and Indian Division assault Tunisia, 1943 Bolt Action Scenario

Playing Scenario 10, the ANZAC Division and Indian Division assault Tunisia. This was the first game with some of the new kits I got for Christmas.
The Australian and New Zealand Armor consists of a Sherman each, a Stuart each, the New Zealand's M5 Half track and a Universal Carrier. As well a few Australian recce Stuart's were being used as carriers for Vickers MG groups.

the first wave. The Sikhs advanced to the forward German positions and pinned down some Germans but they were checked by the wire and were cut down.

the second wave consisted of the ANZAC force, supporting an Australian Battalion. The Germans

were holding a position with Paratroopers, supported by elements of the Afrika Korps. The initial allied artillery bombardment knocked out a Tiger tank and a Panzer III. Only one squad of paratroopers were taken out. 

the ANZAC charged forward and cleared out the German right flank. However this stirred up a hornets nest of retaliation. The Germans blasted the first wave of Gurkhas and the remaining Sikhs. The ANZAC force hit their flank.

counter attacking, the Germans counter charged after having taken out the armor and headed straight for the third line of allied troops. The Maori Battalion rushed forward and cleared the area capturing a German half-track. The intention was for the ANZACs to hit the German left as my son had shifted all his armor support to the German right. His move straight at the final ANZAC force halted the attack. With all their transport gone, the remaining units surrendered. 

On a points basis, this was a tie. Ian had succeeded in taking out my force, however I had taken out most of his armor and a quarter of his infantry. 

The next scenarios will include part of the 8th army. More tanks, more guns!

Italian Campaign: Fighting in the hills above the Sangro River, Italy,

1st Canadian Division with additional New Zealand and Indian troops begin to form up.

A German Paratroop battalion with an Italian Alpini battalion hold a line of trenches above the Sangro River.

Canadian Recce elements push forward taking heavy fire and casualties, but are able to radio in important information.

One Churchill brews up, but the onslaught begins.

Battle of Mareth Line 19 March 1943

So I set up this battle around Sunday, but have been so busy with training and additional training that I was only able to begin the attacks yesterday.  Ian is now doing his turn with his Afrika Korps.

My initial turn hit his forward defences. The Anglo-Indian units were able to take two bunkers.
More to come

Ian's counter attack put paid to the regiments holding the forward trenches

My next attack goes in

Ian's mortars begin to zero in on my attack

The Australians 9th Division await to pounce

The battlefield is wreathed in smoke from wrecked tanks

At last note, Ian had taken out all my tanks and artillery. It's now a plain infantry fight with grenades. The glue is on the table to rebase figures which snapped off.

British 8th Army

This is my 8th Army for the North African and Italian campaigns.
Most of my figures are from Airfix, ESCI, and Revell.
Slowly, I am getting these sorted for games.

At the same time, I'm slowly piecing together the Regiments, Brigades and Divisions of the desert campaign.

8th Army was made up of XIII Corps XXX Corps which in turn:
  7th Armored Division
Australian 6th Infantry Division                          South African 1st Infantry Division
Indian 4th Division (see blog post)                  22nd Guards Brigade: I have the infantry done up.
2nd New Zealand Division (see separate post)

Pictures of kit to follow

Italian Campaign can begin

 First Italian campaign table set up in the first place we lived in, Dartmouth.

 Smokey Smith VC. I met Mr. Smith on Korean Veterans tour I. 1998. I saw him asked for a picture which is why the look on his face is puzzled as I was wearing his uniform! However my rank on my band uniform is of a Drummer Sargent

Ian and I Duke it out. 

Kokoka Trail Maximum Attrition 1942

 The Japanese South Sea Force advance across the dense jungle of New Guinea. Since the area was tropical rain forest, we just left the table as is.

 The Australian force was made up of the Australian 39th Battalion 

Osprey Publishing - Bolt Action: Armies of Great Britain

Osprey Publishing - Bolt Action: Armies of Great Britain



Finally, I have my hands on what the British, Canadians, Australian, New Zealand, South African and Indian troops as well as other Commonwealth forces used in WW2.



I shall now be able to accurately field units for this conflict.

Osprey Publishing - The British Army 1939–45 (3)

Osprey Publishing - The British Army 1939–45 (3)



My newest addition to my research on the British forces in the Far East during their campaigns in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Burma. This is the only area of the Pacific campaign which I want to game. I'm not interested in Americans vs Japanese, they get too much attention.

Hold the line: Malaya 1942

Ian takes on my Japanese in the jungles of Malaya in January, 1942

Malaya 1942

The Japanese are holding a defensive position in their camp, awaiting to start their next attack down the Malay peninsula.

Second Indian Army, with a strong contingent of Gurkhas with mortars, and Vickers machine-guns gives much needed fire support to the force.

The Japanese open up with their rifles.

2 Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders form a line to take on a Japanese counter strike. But the highlanders begin to take heavy casualties.

Mortar and rifle grenades begin to clear out the Japanese trenches. The Japanese in turn are reduced to throwing grenades and rifle fire back at the advancing Gurkhas.

The Vickers gun teams occupy the Japanese trenches. With their gun taken out, the Japanese artillery crew rush forward with grenades in a Banzaii charge.

The lone Japanese machine-gunner keeps up a brisk fire on the Highlanders. With a weight of numbers, the Japanese are over run.
Singapore is safe for now.

Battle of Hong Kong - A Savage Christmas 1941

 One of the horrible incidents in Canadian military history.

Royal Artillery, Royal Canadian Artillery, Royal Australian Artillery, Royal New Zealand Artillery, Royal Indian Artillery guns WW2

 (plasticsoldierreview.com)

The mainstay of Commonwealth Artillery during World War Two was the 25pdr gun which was both an anti-tank gun, as well as general fire support.







 The 6pdr gun also gave good service as a fire support weapon. I have one of these back in storage in Canada, but will see about getting some more for my Bolt Action armies.