Flames of War British Unit cards Late War

 So these cards are for FOW 1944-45. Battlefront Minatures put these cards out for their Version 4 of the rules.

So, how then can my 1/72 collection fit in.

Well actually...

For example, a Motor Company HQ an officer with 2 Rifle teams.

The Motor company itself

2-3 Motor platoons

1-3 Universal carrier patrols 3 carriers per patrol. These can either be as reccee, or can transport 2 teams each.

1 Vickers MMG (optional) 2-4 guns

1 3-inch Motar section (optional) 2 tubes

2 6pdr Motor AT platoon (optional) 2-6 guns for 1 platoon

Hmmm, meaning that say I have a box of 50 figures, 

4 MG teams Bren gunner with a Sten gunner and 2 rifleman. Total 16 figures 

1 PIAT team 2 figures

1 2-inch Motor 2 figures.

So if my calculations are correct, I could field  2 platoons.

Support options 

Vickers MMG: up to 4 teams but could be just 2

Mortars x 2. 

Now let's say put of that box I build a Motor platoon and the rest as a Rifle company

Rifle Company HQ 2 Rifle teams total 6 figures

5 Rifle/MG teams 20 figures

1 PIAT, 1 2-inch Motor

Support the same as a Motor platoon.

So. Usually a figures box gives 50 figures. Meaning that depending on the manufacturer, I'll have to see about distribution of PIATs and Brens

Valiant Minatures definitely had enough of what I would need.

Revell Sets, a bit of a stretch

The old Esci/Italeri, probobly

For transportation, I could thrown in M3 Half-tracks, Universal carriers or Kangaroos. 

I've run a game using these and it went well. I just have to take a look at how to organize what I have based with the cards. Fun fun.

D-Day Scenario 3: Villiers-Bocage

 

 ignoring the large figures The Germa s take position in the town

the Panthers painted up, .Ore to follow

166th Regiment (Newfoundland) Royal Artillery

 Another reason for me to build a Flames

es of War British force is to make this 25pdr battery for North Africa and Italy.

Over the summer I bought a Plastic Soldier Company set of 15mm to begin a North African campaign force.

It will take awhile 

I've built the battery of 2 guns with tractors and I'm painting them in desert colours.

Now to just get a desert force built.

The current battery now has 3 guns painted and has crew for North Africa. 

M3 Scout Car

 I was able to stop at another hobby shop in Halifax and pick up this Zeveda kit

Its scale is 1/100 sit it fits well with my British force of the same scale. My plan is to get it painted and kitted up as the HQ element for the 7th Armoured Division.

Decals being added and it is now the HQ Observer for the 7th Armoured Division in North west Europe, Summer 1944

53rd Welsh Division takes on 9th SS past Caen July 1944

covering both sides, I'm wearing my Luftwaffen Field cap and my British Army Desert DPM

the battlefield, some town in Normandy

one of the objectives is the church. Right off the bat, the British open fire on the church tower taking out the sniper

Cromwells, Churchills, and Comets begin to advance

a solo Dailmer advances up the road

British HQ

German forces consist of a 9th Waffen SS group 

while the unit is small, its powerful with very heavy tanks.

Cromwells in Normandy 1944

 I will get my painted one up shortly 

So I've been slowly building up my kits that my Navy veteran buddy passed over.

 painted, decals and hedge cutter

Before I left Japan, I had bought and built a Cromwell MkIV which had decals for the 7th Armoured Division and the Cromwell kit from Airfix had decals for the 5th Royal Horse Artillery.
Now I got to thinking. Why would an Artillery battery have a tank. I believe that they were used as observation vehicles.
However, for my own force, I'm going to use both as infantry support as medium anti tank self propelled guns.
The extra decals for the 11th Armoured Division I will put on other tanks I have.

and since I now have this set, I shall take a second look at my collection to see how I can do them up

Between 1/72 and 15mm I'm all set

To which I've decided that I will decal both Cromwells as 7th Armoured Division marked as C Squadron of the lead Regiment..

Skirmish game, Dad's army action in England

Ok, so this game shall be a mix of A Very British Civil War flavor with WW2, from Wargames illustrated issue 386 Dec 2019

The figures will be a mix of First World War and Second World War, depending on weapons.

And also, there is a mix of treachery. The figures are a mix of civilian types which I have, and WW2 and WW1 British.

Home Guard: 32 figures
Capt. Mainwaring with pistol, 7 men with rifles.
Sgt. Wilson with rifle, a Lewis LMG 6 Rifles
Cpl. Jones with rifle, one smg, 5 rifles
Pte Sponge with smg, 7 men rifles

Germans: 23 figures
Brandenburgers (special forces) Sgt and 7 men 1 Bren, 7 rifles
Para Lt pistol, 3 rifles, 1 LMG
Para Sgt smg, 3 rifles 1 LMG
Para Cpl smg, 4 rifles

objective is for the Home Guard to hold the post office
the Germans need to take the post office and destroy the telephone exchange.
Games shots to follow

Over the Rhine, April 1945

Ian has been itching to get a Bolt Action game going.
I've got some super heavy tanks both for the British/Canadian forces and the Germans have some pretty heavy hitters.
So as the weather is planning on being warmon Easter Sunday I shall do battle in my garage

Canadian 1st Division moved from Italy to Northwest Europe, Spring 1945

Canadian and British troops begin to assault the Siegfried Line

The first Armoured assault goes in

and the Waffen SS begin to hammer the allied lines with well placed artillery fire

and the Waffen SS have amassed their heaviest armour to take on the British-Canadian attack

Churchill Tanks, combat and engineering

Another addition from my buddy I trade kit with. So some Engineer kit to work on.

A good friend of mine from work, was so bored that she built the Churchill bridge tank for me. Now I got the kit in 2019 but it was built in the summer of 2020 during the Covid pandemic by my fellow coworker who was also laid off and was so bored she wanted to build some kits. She didn't want to keep them but wanted to build tanks as she had previously built airplanes.

Most of the Churchill tanks I have are set up for the Italian campaign. However I will press them into service with my British units

Canadians at Carpiquet Aerodrome 1944

A mix of British and Canadian armour let's see how well this force will do against the SS. I don't think I need to get anymore British or Canadian armor!

This was a mega smash up! The Canadians decided to try and take a hill to dominate the airport but the SS had figured out how to keep the Canadians from reaching their objectives. 

Ian was focused on taking out a lot of my carriers. He left .y Artillery alone but I was still unable to take and hold the hill 

North Africa 8th Army attacks Afrika Korps 1942

An as yet named battle   the Commonwealth troops take on the Germans over an Oasis.

One of the desert battles I got to do on the table this summer. 

The Germans are attempting to defend an Oasis, lots of barbed wire and mines

Nothing like making any cover stick out like a dogs bollocks, but in the desert, what can you do?

one of the few stone area

Panzer IIIs knocked out

and most of the British armour is not faring much better!

British tanks: The Comet in 1/72

Comet tank was one of the British tanks which utilized a 77 mm gun and was one of the late War issue tanks which was unable to prove its combat in the second world war but was able to serve into the Korean conflict alongside the Centurion tank

 the comets in this picture consists of one tank attached to the 11th Armored Division while the other two I am going to have for a post-war British division which can be used for manything from 1950 up to 1970 and possibly into the 80s as a reservist /  ta division

Airfix Chirchill Bridgelayer and Scammel tank transporter

More assault choices for Dday. One of the kits I got in trade today.
There was also a Scammel Tank transporter which I am also building.

 My idea is to construct an Engineering brigade for Bridging operations. An article in Minature Wargames November,  2001 contains an article by RH Miles  which used a scenario about bridging.
In the scenario, the Royal Engineers are supported by a Para Battalion against a German force consisting of Panzergrenadier, Panzerjagers and a Panzer Battalion
All of these bits I now have. I just have to build up the engineering vehicles
And as of March 2020 I'm still working on the Scammel let alone the other tanks

And a friend of mine built up the Churchill for me as she was so bored during the Covid pandemic 

Osprey publishing Sherman Firefly

I have the book of the Firefly vs Tiger but picked up the stand alone book on the Firefly used from a collector in Nova Scotia.
His collection is getting too big and he'd like to downsize.
So I got a very good deal.
So I'm going to have to take some pictures of my growing collection.

In the summer of 2020, I increased my collection by 2 more in 15mm.

I also have two books on the subject which I will add. And shots of the Fireflies I have.

Normandy June 6, 1944 GOLD beach

The British 50th Northumbrian Division is hitting the beach. They must break through the German lines to link up with the Airborne inland.

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.

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

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.