Happy New Year- plans and projects

Happy New Year 

My French is improving……

Plans and Projects 

Much is planned this year, a continuation on the completion of my various projects ww2 and modern related. Lots of new toys arrived over Christmas and a lot more ordered for my birthday in two months. The new resin printer has been madly printing Bob Mack’s 3d modern Brits, Americans and warpac stuff. I have several aircraft I plan to build particularly ww2 gliders which will be a focus over the next 12 weeks. 

This years plans in no particular order

WW2 

• Dutch- my marines are very close and will be off the table this fortnight,they will be followed by a aircraft and some AA.
• Belgians armour and trucks and complete my chasseur Ardennes
• French headquarters, and paint some more armour and my heavy gun battery.
• German early war, tanks, infantry battalion (not purchased yet) and some more guns.
• British Airborne - my glider completion project when done 9 gliders for my Brit’s, also want to add the correct 6pdrs (foldable airborne version) supply and some towed versions 
• American airborne regiment - Normandy uniform I know pedantic…..
• More fallschirmjager 5th regt…
• Panzer Lehr the whole division…..I know I just do not have them and Simon’s soldiers look so good
• More 21st panzer stuff….
• Additions to my 9th SS 
• More British, another two tank battalions

Modern 

Ok lots of plans possibly too many 

• VDV division continuation 
• More warpac tanks
• polish marines complete the resin kits and paint
• Another motorized battalion 
• Build some more aircraft
• American armour and APCs
• American infantry
• BOAR tanks and APCs
• Boar infantry
• Egyptian Armour APCs and complete infantry
• More Israeli kit.
• Imagination bits and pieces

That should keep me busy 

Cheers

Matt

Seasons greetings and a vert Merry Christmas 2022

 Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, may Santa bring you many presents! 

 

Cheers

Matt

 British Parachute Brigade additions

Another project this winter analogue painting challenge is to complete my Dday/Arnhem British parachute brigade kit. I want add all of the ancillary bits, supply, proper foldable airborne AT guns, motorbikes,  tractor towed AT guns, tractor  towed artillery, Ops command centre. Plus complete all my British gliders. 

1. Airborne supply dump, a small dio I have in mind. 
2. Replace my 6pdrs with foldable airborne AT guns (replace the airfix plastic 6pdrs )
3. Airborne motorbikes, just need to paint them!
4. Morris cut down gun tractors with towed 17 per AT guns and mounted crews
5. Morris cut down truck deployed
6. Jeeps more jeeps and crews!
7. Ops command centre
8. Three horsa gliders especially marked for Pegasus bridge with the landed versions as close as I can get them to the pictures. 
9. Another 3 Horsa for Dday/Arnhem
10. Build and complete my Hamilcar
11. Paint my Light Tank Mk VII (A17), also known as the Tetrarch

This will give me a total of 10 gliders I can put on my table.

Cheers

Matt

Vozdushno-Desantnye voyska Rossii - VDV Russian Airborne part 2

VDV Russian Airborne part 2

VDV airborne badge

Another item to complete for the analogue painting challenge are my soviet airborne brigade, with that in mind I have prepared my Able Archer organisation. The VDV battalions had a lot of support weapons so it is difficult to portray this so I have added a support coy with a mortar coy as per soviet doctrine.

Airborne Parachute Regiment (530 men in each battalion)

Regiment Command company 

CO + 5 figs sniper, First aid and communications, UAZ 469, GAZ66 truck,

• Recon coy 6 figs 1 x BDRM2 1 x UAZ 469
• Air defence coy 1 x UAZ 469 with 1x AA ZU23-2 3 figs  1 x  (9 Strela-3 / Igla MANPADS) 2 figs UAZ 469, 1 x BDRM SA9 Gaskin
• anti tank battery 1 x ATGM 9K111 Fagot 2 figs, 1 x SPG-9MD recoilless 3 figs 

1st Battalion

OC + 5 sniper, 2 x RPG, first aid and communications mounted in BMD1

 

1st Company to 3rd Company

 assault company 6figs PK LMG Mounted in BMD1 

assault company 6 figs PK LMG mounted in BMD1

assault company 6 figs PK LMG mounted in BMD1

 

support company

AGS launcher 2 figs, spigot ATGM 2 figs mounted in UAZ 469

 mortar coy 

Observor 2 figs, 1 x 82mm mortar 3 figs, 1 x PM38 2B11 120mm mortar 3 figs 2 x BMD 1

 

2nd Battalion AS Above 

OC + 3 sniper, first aid and communications

 

1st Company to 3rd Company

assault company 7 figs RPG-16, PK LMG 

assault company 7 figs RPG-16, PK LMG 

assault company 7 figs RPG-16, PK LMG 

anti tank battery 

1 x ATGM 9K111 Fagot 2 figs, 1 x SPG-9MD recoilless 3 figs

 

support company

AGS launcher 2 figs, spigot ATGM 3 figs

 mortar coy 

 Observer 2 figs, 1 x 82mm mortar 3 figs, 1 x PM38 2B11 120mm mortar 3 figs

3rd Battalion air assault 3 x Mi8 Hips

OC + 5 sniper, RPG x2, first aid and communications

  

1st Company to 3rd Company

 assault company 7 figs PK LMG 

assault company 7 figs PK LMG 

assault company 7 figs PK LMG 

anti tank battery 

1 x ATGM 9K111 Fagot 2 figs, 1 x SPG-9MD recoilless 3 figs

 

support company

AGS launcher 2 figs, spigot ATGM 3 figs 

 

mortar coy 

Observer 2 figs, 1 x 82mm mortar 3 figs, 1 x PM38 2B11 120mm mortar 3 figs

ASU 85 x 2  (withdrawn from service in 1993)

I have ordered the extra pieces in metal from S&S models to make up the  plastic battalions short fall of heavy weapons.

cheers

Matt

 

57th Fustung Regiment April 1945

57th Festung Regiment

Winter is almost upon us so I am planning my painting for the Analogue painting challenge. High on my list this winter are my 20mm collections. One of these is my fall of Berlin German forces. So I have gathered as much information as I can to build my Volkssturm troops. I have based my units on the 57th Festung Regiment who were at the brunt of the breakthrough assault in the north east, I have given numbers involved where possible for conversion to other rule sets. My battalions are set up for Rapid Fire Rules.

The 57th Defended Sector Anton- Biesdorf, Kaulsdorf, Mahlsdorf, Hellesdorfer farm (advance position).

57th Festungs Regiment Known locations

Sector Anton, Formed in October 1944 under the command of Olt Bärenfanger - two Volkssturm battalions, 1 police battalion and various units Luftwaffe AA crews manning AA batteries around the train stations, plus Festung MG coy, SP AT company and Festungs artillery battery.

20th April Von Trockels marschgruppe who had been pulled back from the Seelow heights (around the 19th April), and another Volkssturm unit was added to the Festung on the 21st of April.

21st April soviet assault begins on the outer positions

22 April The regiment defended positions between the Kaulsdorf and Mahlsdorf railway stations, the Hellersdorf farm complex was the picket position for the Siemens battalion. The left flank was defended by Trockels Wehrmacht Marschgruppe and right flank was the Warnholz police battalion at the Kaulsdorf Barnhof.23-24th moved to defend the central cattle market

25th April moved to Friedrichsfelde Ost S-bahn station.

27th April, moved to Löwen-Böhmisch Brewery (overlooking Volkspark Frederichshain)

28th April

Surrendered 12th May

I plan to build the regiment over the next 12 months mostly with Simons Soldiers, Blitz/battlefield, FAA and CP models. 

Civilian 1930s car

 

I like to add civilian pieces to my tables and often will have a look in the charity shops for suitable pieces, this is late 20s early 1930s car for my ww2 table. I am thinking of adding luggage etc as though it is a refugee vehicle, but may just leave it to park next to terrain. This piece has been on my painting table for some time so I thought I would just complete it yesterday. Quite happy with the results. 

Cheers

Matt