Winter '44: OK, project not complete

Did I really post that this project is complete? Apparently, yes (link). Tallying up my years in the hobby, I find I bought my first set of Airfix figures in 1975 from a small shop on the High Street in Boston Lincs (that's the original Boston, for you Yanks!). That makes for 42 years in the hobby! You'd think by now that I'd not make sweeping "the project is completed" statements. This is especially applicable in a WWII context. Not only does it seem this is not the end of the Winter '44 project but it's not even the first go round with 28mm WWII. Some projects never end...

And so, after the first game in our Bloody Bucket campaign (link), I realized I had no STG44-armed German infantry to represent the Sturm sections in the Volksgrenadier platoons. Onto the interwebs and a walk amongst 28mm WWII manufacturers: 1) Taking advantage of Warlord Games' annual Xmas sales, I ordered up a box set of Winter Waffen-SS infantry but this would give me only six STG44-armed figures; 2) I then stumbled on Empress Miniatures' small range of late war Germans, amongst which are two packs of the required figures. Both these purchases were soon winging their way to The Great White North (along with sundry other bits and bobs... c'mon, why order just one thing from Warlord Games? ...that would be just silly).

Thus, making it in just under the 2017 year-end painting wire are two sections of Sturmtroopers...

Sharp Practice: French (and five is an odd number...yes)

I've been beavering away for the last few weeks on my French Napoleonic force for Sharp Practice, despite the Xmas rush of people in the house disturbing the painting calm (having the brood home is wonderful but chaotic). I've found that because of the shorter spans of quiet time in the household, I'm better suited to tackling small numbers of figures. Before the recent additions, I took a quick shot of the force to date...

Two groups of chasseurs; three groups of infantry; one group of skirmishers.

Clearly the force was getting large enough to warrant some command figures. I had ordered these figures from Front Rank but realized how much larger they are than the Warlord plastics only when they arrived. No matter... they are Big Men after all :)

And with an eye to easy prep and completion during the Xmas chaos, a group of five French engineers  and a mounted engineer officer from Warlord Games. These are also bigger figures than the plastics... but they should be big burly men to wield the axes and shovels! But why five figures in the pack? Why not an even six? Sharp Practice "requires" six figures in an engineer group but this is frankly of no consequence to me. I'll field it as a five figure group and not stress even a bit about it (in the same way my militia groups are eight figures strong instead of the "required" ten figures... I've yet to be properly enlightened as to why, in the rules as written, militia groups "should" be ten figures and regular groups "should" be eight figures .. makes NO sense to me... and don't even get me started about five figure gun crews...sigh).

There is no off switch on a Tiger

There is no off switch on a tiger. - German proverb.

According to tradition, the offspring band together to produce a Xmas gift for me. They usually try to find something that would fit with my current gaming collections but something that I would never think to add on my own. Last year was the Sherman recovery vehicle (of which I seem to have no photos). This year's gift is a bit more aggressive...

Sturmpanzer VI Sturmtiger... 'nuff said!

Model acquired by Michael and assembled/painted by Captain Dan.

I also received this commission from Captain Dan: Pzkpfw VI Tiger.

Both are great models and Daniel has outdone himself on the painting!

Bloody Bucket: conclusion of Turn 2

Last weekend, Michael and Melissa continued on with Turn 2 of the Bloody Bucket campaign. At the end of the first battle in Turn 2 (see here), Melissa acted as any good German commander and pulled the Blitzkrieg! card. This allowed the German platoon that had won the battle on Battlefield 3 (Holzthum) to immediately carry on and attack an adjacent battlefield, before calculating casualty returns etc. The platoon would also NOT receive any new support points for the second battle; instead it would utilize the supports gathered for the first battle. Melissa chose to backtrack on the campaign map and attack Battlefield Two.

For campaign briefings, see here.

The German platoon (Platoon 1, in campaign terms) had taken some serious casualties and Melissa started the second battle with this:

Ignoring the four cavalry patrol markers and the three vehicle JoPs, the German force consisted of  two under-strength LMG sections, one under-strength sturm section, two senior leaders and two panzerschreck teams.

Facing them was a full-strength US platoon (again, ignoring the jeep Patrol markers):

Background

This scenario sees the Germans attack into the eastern outskirts of Holzthum,  having defeated the Americans at Battlefield Three. They begin the game on the edge marked B. The Germans may elect to fight this battle at an Attack & Defend or a Probe Scenario*. In all cases, the Germans begin with all of their Patrol Markers along the edge indicated depending on their approach route, the Americans place their Patrol Markers on the road, as shown by the Allied Star.

*Melissa chose the Probe scenario.

I've asked Michael add some game commentary, as I wasn't present for the game. Apparently it was an American victory! In the meantime, some shots sent from Michael's phone:

Chasseurs à Cheval - 5th company

Those who know me are sick of hearing this but... I HATE PAINTING CAVALRY!!

Ok, that's off my chest and on to the latest cavalry figures completed. Earlier in November, I finished up the elite company of Chasseurs à Cheval and promptly (and, in retrospect, rather masochistically) ordered more from Front Rank. These would represent the 5th company of the regiment and pair with the elite company to form the 1st Squadron. I duly prepped the figures and hit my first roadblock. I initially chose to paint the horses for this company in a lighter beige brown. Eagle eyes will notice that they are not now on light beige/brown horses. Without going into the details of how this was f$%^&ed up (cuz even writing it will increase my blood pressure), suffice to say that the horses went through three (yes...three!) primings and aborted painting attempts before I finally said "f%$k it... I'm not doing this again!"

The end result is not completely to my satisfaction but will do... I suppose. And don't even get me started on the fact that the elite company should be the ones on the black horses... sigh  :(

 1er Escadron, 9e Chasseurs à Cheval.

The 5th company leads the elite company, accompanied by two Big Men and a trumpeter.

Front Rank figures.