Progress with the 8th Army

Progress with the 8th Army

I have been so absorbed with the NZTC Championsip Warhammer Fantasy Battles (and annual leave up in the sunny Bay of Islands) that I have neglected to update my 20mm blog to some extent.

Prior to Xmas I finished basing and almost finished painting a good deal of my 8th Army Desert/Italian Campaign Force. I started with the ANZAC Forces, using the Aussie Jungle Fighters by Airfix, and Indian Troops. I added a scattering of Ghurkas too, as they had the right headgear. Don't think they came out too bad. Down side to it all is that I had just finished repainting all my armour and guns for the European conflict...Oh well..

Anyhow, finally got to taking a few snaps, so here it is: The Allied defense of Wadi Ah Ful, somewhere in North Africa:

Signals receive word that a Recce Patrol has sighted a German Recce and Tank Unit
 making its way towards Wadi Ah Ful

The supply column hastily refuels and rearms the Diggers

A Matilda Platoon from the Indian Company is sent out to reconnoitre

While British Crusaders move up to bolster the Aussie Digger Platoons moving out. The battery of 6pdr anti-tank guns are already dug in, and ready for any Fritz that pokes his nose over the dunes

A Unit of Grants move over to the ridge above the Wadi to give the Indians suporting fire. Two 17 pounders may not be enough...

Indian Recce patrol returns reporting that the German coloumn has just entered the South End of the Wadi

Aussie sappers lay another mine-field along the edge of the Wadi

While the Indian 17 pounders lay in wait

3 Platoons of Sikh warriors move out to meet the Desert Fox and his Afrika Korps

Anti-tank and Anti-Aircraft cover

Kurz und Lang: Two Models of the  PzKfW IV roll into the South end of Wadi Ah Ful

German Recce Platoon racing down the dunes:

Two half-tracks, one a radio command vehicle, the other with a 20mm gun, and 3 SDKfz 222s each packing a 20mm cannon, 3 kubelwagens with Mg 34s, and a Kettenrad: 

Clearly a hit-and-run Kampfgruppe

Methinks the element of surprise is gone.

Can we expect those verdamte Hurribombers or Beaufighters again? 

But the Allies are prepared. View from the German (South end) of Wadi Ah Ful 

PzKfw IVs eyeing the Matildas

They may just have bitten off more than they can chew...

View from the North

The Boys of Summer

Parallel Development:

The Boys of Summer are back!

I have been revisiting and expanding my original summer themed Western Front Wehrmacht Heer (middle to late war) alongside developing my new Autumn themed German Army.

This is the Army that I first started gaming with back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Somehow they survived my student days, moves to Cape Town from Johannesburg, and back; and then managed to follow me to New Zealand, to be rediscovered decades later ! The joys of gaming with them have not diminished any.

 A Unit of 4 PzKfw VI Tiger E's, a single PzKfw IV, a couple of PzKfw IIIs, a Jagdpanzer IV and a Jagdtiger (Jagdpanzer VI), the Pumas are being refurbished as we speak.

Artillery support is provided by two 88s drawn by SdKfz 7s, a couple of 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, and a quad vierling, towed by soft-skinned vehicles, and a single Pak 40 75 mm gun, towed by a looted British vehicle. There is a Pak 38 somewhere on my bench, but it requires a vehicle to tow it. A Kettenrad or Horch may just do the trick. As you may notice there is also a lone Flak 88 languishing without something to tow it.

Meanwhile my Autumn artillery is progressing nicely, I think:

Light Field Howitzers LeFH 18s 

and

Anti-tank Pak 40s