Various Christians

I often have a batch of various bits and pieces near my painting desk for things that seem to need painting in more varied costume, so there has been a set of the Strelets Christians sitting there for over three months. With the change over to painting brighter uniforms (see a post to follow shortly) I managed to get them finished.

US Jeep now crewed up

After much rummaging through my bits box(es)I managed to find enough crew figures for my new Airfix jeeps and also enough to complete a number of other jeeps I am using, so here they all are with the Airfix models on the left.

I've also sorted out some stowage for the trailers.

I've now found myself deluged in new kits as Plastic Soldier was having a 25% sale so I bought the M5 Stuarts and another box of M3 half tracks, plus a win on ebay means I have another four jeeps to work on.

Bren Carriers with Vickers MMG

Another upgrade completed, four of my old Airfix Carriers have been converted to the "proper" MMG version mounting the Vickers MMG. The crew is very much a mixture of whatever was to hand and the Vickers MMGs were from the Matchbox LRDG set and the old Almark British infantry weapons set.
Three are marked up for the MG battalion of the 43rd Wessex Division (8th Middlesex) and the fourth is for the Motor Battalion of the Guards Armoured Division (1st Grenadier Guards)

Latest Airfix Jeeps completed

The new Airfix kits certainly make the grade for me. I enjoyed assembling their latest Jeep offering. It wa particularly useful as it came with a trailer (I need more for my US forces) and a 75mm pack howitzer as used by British and US Airborne (and I have had to borrow my British pair for my US Airborne units).

So the Jeeps and trailers will be used for US infantry mortars, while the Howitzers will go to join my US airborne.

Closing point, there are a pair of K-guns on the sprue, so I wonder what else Airfix has planned?

Two good, one bad

The good is a pair of short wheel base trucks as used for artillery tows converted from the Pegasus fast build kit. The bad is the Hasegawa M4A1 mortar carrier, way too wide and needed extra work to get the interior vaguely right, I should have converted one of the Plastic Soldier versions instead.
The CCKW352 conversion was relatively easy, just needing to cut the chassis and body to the correct length before reassembling, the two spare wheels behind the cab came from an old Airfix 88mm.

A work in progress picture to give an idea of what was involved

US Engineers

More touching up and rebasing done, this time the Engineer Battalion. As with the Reece I've upgraded the 30cal MMGs with the Plastic Soldier M1917 version. It is slightly over strength as I've include a flamethrower for each company, which is needed for some scenarios

The only bit mising is a bridging trailer, but I can always create one if needed for a scenario.

Before rebasing

US Reece Squadron - still more vehicles needed

Finished upgrading the figures for my US Reece Squadron organised for Rapid Fire, in the end I replaced the 30cal MMG with that from PSC and the 60mm mortars with the Italeri ones, so the unit is over 50% new.

Still not got enough vehicle to go with them, Still missing are three more Greyhounds, another M8 HMC and three M5 light tanks. But depending on what the scenario requires I might not need them all or can borrow them from other units.

I can see I need to buy some more bits at Derby in October

And here's the old figures, before upgrading

On the workbench - September 2014

September already and I'm fed up with painting drab uniforms, but at least the US forces are nearly finished. Currently plans for the month are

• More French Infantry for Egypt 1801 - Hurrah colour at last
• Tart up and rebase my US Reece Squadron and Engineer Battalion
• A couple of US Truck conversions - CCKW352
• The Hasegawa M4A1 half track with mortar that I won on ebay
• a brace of the new Airfix Jeeps
• That elusive Tiger for Tunisia
• The Beford QLD and QLTs that have been doing the same.
• and the bren carrier conversions that are half started
  
• and maybe start on some Austrian Grenadiers for the War of Spanish Sucession

Battle of Kukrowitz August 1813

Very enjoyable weekend over in Salford refighting the battle of Kukrowitz using Shako Grand battles rules. The allied players look very relaxed

My command - Bertrand's corps, whose mission was to take the Zuckerberg, while covering the flanking manouvre by Oudinot.

Oudinots corps finding not quite the open flank he expected, Blucher and his Prussians in the way



Serious faces as Steve explains the rules during Ney's attack on the opposite flank

Assaulting the Zuckerberg, not so easy, spot the number of guns

Turning into an uncoordinated attack

But leaving Oudinot clear to make his attack

Ney slowly getting his troops across the river

What a mess, Bertrand is in trouble, while Oudinot is slowly breaking through

The allied centre is being thinned to meet the attack from each flank

Marmont and Ney pushing forward on the left

Marshal Victor arrives to support Bertrand

Allied response is a flurry of rulers

Victor's corps advancing

But what's that to the left of Victor?

La Garde au feu!

The imperial guard moves up to attack the centre of the Allied line.

Pressure all along the Allied line, where are their reserves?

Ney and marmont continue to advance on the French left while Grand Duke Constantine's reserves are fully commited to the opposite flank

So Allied troops continue to hold the Zucherberg, while the line crumbles either side.



The Guard continues its drive through the centre

The finale, as Zictor's dragoons charge Russian infantry in flank and eliminate tem, pushing the Allied army over its brak point

Of course this was a disguised scenario set in the aftermath of the Allied defeat at Dresden, it was really the battle of Znaim in 1809 following the Austrian defeat at Wagram.

More details on Phil's blog