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

D-Day 80. 1944-2024

Today would be the night the Airborne forces began the liberation of France.
Tomorrow June 6, is when it all kicked off.
I shall be doing up several battles this summer about this campaign.
My Grandfather got over there in July.
He came back, my great uncle on my father's side of the family didnt and is buried over there.

CMP Artilley tractor, Canadian War Museum

25pdr gun

WASP carrier

Sherman marked as 4th Canadian Armoured division

25pdr gun with muzzle break

Canadian Infantry officer

Sherman

CMP truck

Point Defence: 3rd Canadian Division holds off 1st SSLSAH

This battle is a scenario being fought on the Dutch-German border in early 1945.
The 3rd Canadian division with support from the 4th and 5th Canadian divisions are holding a crossroads. The Germans, are throwing every heavy tank and veteran troops they have at the position.
Pictures to follow.

German Panzers move in

Elements of 9th Canadian Brigade hold out with elements of 5th Canadian Division

Sherman tanks, my collection

I will be posting my painted Shermans, pictures to follow

Bolt Action Demolition: 7th Canadian Brigade attack on Norrey-en-Bessin

This scenario is based on the reports contained in the book Maple Leaf Route: Caen
(Copp and Vogel, 1983)
Canadian units included:
Royal Winnipeg Rifles : 2 stands mounted in a Universal Carrier
Regina Rifles: 2 stands mounted in a Universal Carrier
Canadian Scottish: 2 stands mounted in a Universal Carrier

First Hussars: Humber Armored car armed with a 2pdr gun, and a Bren armed armored car with an M3 AA Half track

Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa 3 Mortars with a Bren gun group

3rd Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery: 6pdr Anti-Tank gun with tractor

12th Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery 1 Sexton

Queens Own Rifles also in support with tanks of 4th Canadian Armored Division 3 Sherman's with a Firefly

German forces

26th Panzer Grenadiers Regiment with 12th Panzer Regiment, elements of 12th Panzerjager, and mortar and Nebelwefer support
1 Panther and a Panzer III made up the Panzer force with attached Hanamog support

12 Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery 

Royal Regina Rifles

1st Hussars advance

7th Brigade begins the advance

26th Panzergrenadiers holding a hedgegrove

Elements of the 12th Panzerjager

12th Panzer Regiment also lends support

German fire takes out a Sherman

A Panzer III makes short work of some Canadian units 

Universal Carriers make a mounted dash while the infantry dismount and assault the Germans

PIAT rounds take out the Panzerjagers

Grenades make short work of the remaining Hanamogs

The SS make a withdrawl. Canadians have achieved their objective.

More Recce elements

I picked up a set of Dingo Scout cars and a set of jeeps by a Chinese company. I built one Humber as I was recovering from more tummy troubles. I will post shot later.

 Dingo Armor Car, armed with a Bren gun

Side view

Front view

second Dingo being built

 Dingos painted and decaled. 

 Built jeeps armed and ready

 Marked as Recce units of 4th Canadian Armored Division

 Jeep being built

Same jeep finished with a .50 cal machine-gun, and some 15th Scottish Division troops. These are dressed in winter kit, actually a Ceaser Minatures British Commandos kit, but I'm painting them up as British and Canadians, winter 1944-45.

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.

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.

Canadian Divisions in Italian campaign 1943-45 and North-West Europe 1944-45

3 Canadian Divisions took part in the invasions of Scilly and the Italian mainland. Most of their equipment was used from 8th army stores from North Africa.
First Canadian Division
Recce: 4th Recce 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards
1st Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery: 25 pdr, 5.5in gun
1st Anti-tank Royal Canadian Artillery: 17pdr
Weapons battalion: Saskatoon Light Infantry: Vickers machine-guns, mortars

1st Brigade:
Royal Canadian Regiment
Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
48th Highlanders of Canada

2nd Brigade:
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
Loyal Edmonton Regiment

3rd Brigade:
Royale 22eme Regiment
Carleton and York Regiment
Wesr Nova Scotia Regiment

1st Canadian Armored Brigade:
11th Armored Regiment, The Ontario Regiment
12th Armored Regiment, Regiment de Trois Rivere
14th Armored Regiment, The Calgary Regiment

4th Canadian Armored Division (in NNormandy)
22nd Armored Regiment, Canadian Grenadier Guards
28th Armored Regiment, The British Columbia Regiment
South Alberta Light Horse, Armored Recce
Motor Regiment, Lake Superior Regiment

10th Brigade:
Lincoln and Welland Regiment
Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada
The Algonquin Regiment

5th Canadian Armored Division
Recce: Governor Generals Horse Guards
17th Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
4th Anti-tank, Royal Canadian Artillery
2nd Armored Regiment, Lord Strathconnas Horse
5th Armored Regiment, 8thNew Brunswick Hussars
9th Armored Regiment, The British Columbia Dragoons
Motor Regiment, The Westminster Regiment

Weapons: Princess Louise Fusiliers
11th Brigade:
The Perth Regiment
The Cape Breton Highlanders
The Irish Regiment of Canada

Osprey Publishing - Churchill Infantry Tank 1941–51

Osprey Publishing - Churchill Infantry Tank 1941–51



I recently purchased some World War Two resource material. Since I bought a set of toy cars as military kits, one of which was a Churchill tank, I wanted to know which units these tanks were attached to.

I have two of them painted as The King's Own Calgary Regiment back in storage in Canada. My Dad has one painted as a British one, and I have one painted and marked as a member of the 7th Armoured Division, but I need to find which regiment used them.

Additional research for Bolt Action from Osprey Publishing

I've really dived back into the World War Two wargamming. I've always been interested in the Canadian experience, having a family connection to the campaigns, as well as having visited The Military Museums in Calgary, Alberta this year.
Via Amazon.uk and Osprey publishing, I''ve invested in additional works on this era.
The first which has been sent is Churchill Tank. According to Bolt Action, the Churchill is considered a heavy tank! This may alter Ian's attempts to use his German armor against mine!

I've also invested in the Universal Carrier, which I have always found interesting since I saw one up close at the Nova Scotia International Tattoo in 1989 as part of the cast.

British Anti-tank artillery is another book I've ordered. I was able to get up close to a 6pdr and a 17pdr in Calgary.

Also, I've purchased Scottish Divisions in the World Wars, which while focusing on the Scottish Divisions of the British Army, they were emulated by their Commonwealth peers.

Updated armor

These two viechles I got from Toys R Us and repainted them

 This M5 Half-Track has been painted and decaled as 1/7th Duke of Wellington's Regiment, which was part of the Canadian command

A 27th Armored Regiment (Sherbrooke Fusiliers) M4 Sherman. 

 Another shot of the Half-track.

A Churchill tank of the 7th Armored Division. I'm still working on which regiment this tank will represent.