Firepower 21cm GRW 69 Wefer Wurfmörser

 21cm GRW 69 Wurfmörser (Elephant)

My first post this year and nearly time to return to Europe after our three month holiday in Australia. It has been a very restful break with not much modelling at all occurring even though I had good intentions, I did manage to get a few games in though with my Aussie mates which was great.

Exciting news on the 20mm front for those who like unusual kit for their miniature armies SHQ miniatures have released a 21cm GRW 69 mortar. In 28mm I am not aware of any manufacturer... :( What is this beast you say,……

21cm GRW 69 Wefer Wurfmörser 

21cm GRW 69 Wefer Wurfmörser 

21cm GRW 69 Wefer Wurfmörser 

21cm GRW 69 Wefer Wurfmörser 

SHQ 21cm GRW69

Developed by Skoda in late 1943 originally in 22cm, it was changed to fit the 21cm round for production saving and use of the 21cm rounds already in production for the other wefers.  The idea of a breech loading mortar was not new, but a little ambitious with either a 85kg or 110kg projectile, making it a difficult man handling exercise for loading, harking back to a ww1 type round that required a platform or winch system to load. The mortar could deliver a 110kg 21cm round 5400m and a 85kg round 6400m......cleary the design had city or fixed defensive position fighting in mind as it weighed 2800kg the same as a 122mm howitzer. Elevation 40-70 degrees verticale and 60 degrees traverse using a track on which the wheels were mounted. It also had a slow rate of fire of 1-2 rounds per minute because of the cartridge weight and had to be brought back to level for the loading procedure. 

The following rounds could be fired:

- the 21 cm grenade 5004 HE demolition round
- the 21 cm grenade 5021 anti personnel with a high fragmentation 85kg
- the 21 cm grenade 5031 (cast iron) HE anti personnel and penetrating defensive positions 87kg.

By November 1944 the first 30 werfers were issued and by the end of the war 129 werfers were issued. The werfer was also planned to be mounted on the chassis of the Panzer III and on the chassis of the Hummel as close support weapons.

Like all my toys I like them to be assigned to units and I have found two units that were issued them. The 410th Volks artillery Corps who were issued 9 units in November 1944 and by December had 27 units and were used in the Ardennes offensive. SS Wefer battery 500, in March 1945, I am not 100% certain however I have read that SS Werfer group Kreischer were issued some to a training replacement group in Feb 45 on the eastern front, and issued with only 90 rounds. (all from Lexicon wehrmacht).

Images from Waffen magazine

A Russian Magazine 

I will be adding a unit to my 20mm Volksgrenadier units for the fall of the Reich scenarios, and using the Rapid Fire template and rules for nebelwerfers I think for firing and reload (every other turn). 

410th Volks Artillery Regiment Rapid Fire organisation

HQ Reg staff battery with supply, communications and administration zug

CO +7 VW car, RSO ammunition supply, horse drawn comms van, M/C combo, 

Observer +1 kubelwagen

1st battery 2 x wefers, 2 x sdkfz11 and 8 crew 

Next week we start the 30 kits in 30 days challenge come and join in the fun here!

cheers

Matt

Wrap up 2021

 Wrap up 2021

2021 is done and dusted, and with the pandemic continuing a very strange year. and tough for our inbound tourist model at French Wargame Holidays.

We completed the year fulfilling 12% of our normal budget with Wargame Holidays and regular B & B, thankfully the Macron Government helped keep us afloat again............we are still here, and looking forward and currently planning for a prosperous 2022 fingers crossed. 

A big thank you to our customers that did manage to attend and play a wargame this year. A big thank you for  your continued support here on my blog, on Facebook, Instagram and the various Forums I haunt. A major change as we have started to attract european guests, French, German and Dutch who managed to travel during Summer.

We are taking Bookings for holidays from now, commencing in late March please contact us via the website to discuss your needs for a tailor made holiday for you and your partner or with your friends here at French Wargame Holidays and L'hotel de Hercé for a relaxing stay in the Loire.

     ______________________________________________________________________________

Totals

Summing up my Wargame painting and terrain progress this year on my goals I achieved about 75% with a few minimal diversions. I may of completed more looking back, but motivation was up and down depending upon the external stresses of this strange year. On the positive side a lot of my stash completed with very few purchases of new lead or plastic. Medievals were again my main focus as I added to my collections to fill them out to match our "Walk the Battlefield in the morning, Wargame in the afternoon" tour and wargames.

2021 Goals achieved

Salon de Guerre redecoration

100% complete, curtains completed and artwork, swords and lances hung, a new Louis XIV cabinet for display for large models and three new chairs.

28mm miniatures painting 

Completed 28mm Infantry 216

Completed 28mm Cavalry 144

Completed Artillery 1

Baggage Animals 9

WW2 and Modern 20mm  

20mm Infantry 99
72 x 20mm vehicles
6 Aircraft

artillery x 9

WW1 Miniatures

4 WW1 1/72 aircraft

Other Science Fiction

1 Imperial Space ship 

12 Space marines ......for my Sons birthday present

Miniatures rebased and touched up

Large scale Figures

1 x 54mm figure

Total Terrain System For Now (TTSFN) Goals achieved

Château board (1500x1200), includes Gaulois fort, dark ages Motte and bailey, and 100 YW castle under construction ATM 40% complete

Standard boards x 6

Roman Fort 

Ploughed fields 

Maize /corn Crop fields 

Harvested crop fields 

20mm buildings x 8 

Dark Age Buildings x 6 

Medieval buildings x 10

20mm ww2 buildings x 6

Bocage mark V 12m

Stone walls 3m

27 pine trees

6 garden trees

8 dead trees

27 palm trees

8 28mm trees

Board game played

19 games, mostly online.

Wargames played

Ancient games x 7

Medieval games x 8

Renaissance Wargames 0

Napoleonic games x 4

Ww1 games x 4

WW2 games x 16

Modern games x 5

Naval games x 4

Fantasy 0

Science fiction x 2

Completing bits from my project drawers was the focus on terrain has helped me a lot this year, as now I have space to plan 2022 which is well underway. I will continue to try to post every week or two as it helps me keep track of what has been completed. 

I will be on holidays in Australia from January to mid March, but I have taken some toys with me to complete!

Let us all hope this pandemic can be over finally so we can socialise and share all of our new painted goodies, and watch our recently painted units flee off the table once again!

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™ 

From Caesar to World War Two

cheers

Matt

 

Happy New Year! 2022

  

A big Happy New Year to our family and friends across the world! 

Wishing all of you a happy and successful 2022. I am enjoying the sunshine and warm weather back in Australia for a number of weeks before we return to kick off the 2022 season. Over the next few days I will do a sum up of 2021 and what we have planned for French Wargame Holidays in 2022. 

Cheers

Mattk

Israeli Armoured Recon Part 1

 Israeli Armoured recon unit

Next addition to my Israeli army for my Arab-Israeli war collection is a recon platoon of 10 figs, I also plan to add three jeeps, one with a 106mm RCL. I am still looking for a suitable unit to base them on for the six day war. 

The figures are from the platoon 20 range, which I am happy to report that the range has been purchased and will be back in production soon I hear at East Front Miniatures. The radio operator is from the later range, but I wanted one so I purchased him.

Israeli Recon company 

Cheers

Matt

Soviet Cold War Motorised Infantry part two

 Soviet Motostrelki 

Finally after finishing some more house renovations I have managed to sit down and complete some miniatures. last week I completed another soviet motorised battalion for my cold war collection. The figures 20mm from the Elhiem Miniatures range, I plan to paint another three battalions to complete my Armoured Division collection.  

My cold war collection is growing rapidly and may soon surpass my ww2 collection for "completed kits" and figures. In 2022 I am planning a big Able Archer game, multi divisional gaming weekend in Autumn for four to six players hopefully in the newly renovated apartments with a 26-30m x 6 table, over a full weekend of modern wargaming. I will release the details in November for the event and our 2022 calendar. 

Soviet Motostrelki Command

 

Soviet Motostrelki Elhiem miniatures

Soviet Motostrelki

Soviet Motostrelki

Soviet Motostrelki

Soviet Motostrelki

I need to add Anti Air, 81mm and 120mm Mortar and HMG coys 

cheers

Matt

Kampfgruppe 1001 Nachtes - Looking East

Looking East

Reading books can be a dangerous thing, but is good for stirring the blood for new projects (not that I need any). While reading James Lucas Battlegroup book this week, I came across this unusual unit, Kampfgruppe 1001 Nachtes. Recently Steven Shann, released some Rapid Fire scenarios based around the fighting for the Seelow Heights, so with that influence I have dug deeper to build this unusual Kampfgruppe for my Rapid Fire late war Fall of the Reich units. 

So I have decided to build this unit as part of my last levy German forces for the fighting around Kustrin -Wriezen, the Seelow Heights and the defence of Berlin. I will build as normal for Rapid fire which can also be used for skirmish games also. As luck would have it, I have quite a few Hetzers in my collection not assigned to units, some painted but most not, plenty of spare fallschirmjagers and german infantry, odd AA gun, motor bikes and a few SdKfz 251 and 231s! So over the next month or so I will pull something together to fight Marks and my Russian  hordes and defend the Reich. A big plus also, an opportunity to force me to complete some more German countryside buildings for ww2 and modern cold war games!

Kampfgruppe 1001 Nachtes 

The Kampfgruppe was formed into three combat formations

Commander 

Major Gustav-Adolf Blancbois

Suleika 

560th SS tank destroyer Battalion

Commanded by Sturmbannfuhrer Wost, then later Haupsturmfuhrer Markowz

Hq company T34 with drilling mount, bergepanzer iii recovery

• 1st Jagdpanzer-Kompanien 14 Jagpanzer Hetzer (three tone factory camouflage) 
• 2nd Jagdpanzer-Kompanien 14 Jagpanzer Hetzer (three tone factory camouflage) 
• 3rd Jagdpanzer-Kompanien 14 Jagpanzer Hetzer (three tone factory camouflage) 2
• 3 Sturmgeschutze III,  (from 27th Friewillgen-grenadier-regiment Langemarcke) 
• 600 SS fallschirmjager Kompanie (140 men) in Wehrmacht smocks. 
• Kommamder Fritz Leiheit  (joined 1st April) 
• 1st jager coy
• Support coy 75mm LG recoilless. (No FG -42) 

Harem

Panzer-Aufklarungs-Abteilung Speer

• Motorcycle and kettengrad company (RAD uniform)(escort coy of Albrecht Speer)
• 2 x Sd.Kfz 231/17 75mm gun, 1 x 251 drilling mount armoured company
• Anti Tank platoon Pak40

Sultan

Marschregiment 2 (27th March-1st April) possibly in Panzer Wraps

• 1 Schutzen-Kompanie 
• 2 Schutzen-Kompanie 
• 3 Schutzen-Kompanie 

History