STALINGRAD Bolt Action Mega Battle!

I have been very blessed in time and the generosity of manufacturers in the development of this project, yet one aspect has been missing, entrenched positions.

Both the Soviets and the German’s dug in and fortified positions and happily I have now found Ironclad Miniatures that manufactures superb modular trench systems and gun emplacements (among lots of other things!).

Naturally I still wanted to give the product my full “Stalingrad Treatment” to tie it in with my “Stalingrad Mega Project”.

The piece pictured is an end section, soon to be part of a larger emplacement and I am realy pleased with it.

Please find the 28-TR05 Trench end section at Ironclad Miniatures:

https://www.ironcladminiatures.com/ourshop/prod_1020472-28TR05.html

A fun additional  option with the TTCombat ‘Water Storage Tanks’ set, this model beautifully represents what has happened after an oil tank has gone “Bang”, or a water tank has been hit by high explosive!

A fun option to allow for the reguar Water/Oil Tank to be destroyed and represented on the table. It is also a great little piece providing a degree of hard cover to troops on the tabletop.

Manufacturer TTCombat:

Water Storage Tanks

A superb model with bags of character and gaming possibility. It presents a characterful feature for the industrial/rail sectors of Stalingrad and a great observation point for spotters, snipers and Forward Artillery Observers at high level, but also a ground floor source of hard cover for a squad or weapons team.

I painted the metal components with G.W. ‘Iron Warriors’ dry brushed with ‘Lead Belcher’ and washed with the now ectinct Forge World ‘Dry Mud’ Pigment. The Brick work was achieved by Painying te entire area with 2 coats of Vallejo ‘Red Leather’. Then  creating a wash consisting of 50% Vallejo German Camo Beige WWII (70.821) and 50% water, andy liberaly applying to the whole model, sponging of the excess, and gently drying with an hair dryer.

https://sarissa-precision.com/collections/industrial-28mm/products/water-tower-brick-tower-28mm?variant=37593355845781

I love this superb model (which is part of a set, More to come).

I have seen oil tanks next to the factories on the banks of the Volga in historical maps and images taken before, during and shortly after the battle of Stalingrad, and have been looking for a suitable product for quite some time. Happily I have finaly found  this great kit.  It supplies some industrial flavour and gaming risk to my “Stalingrad Mega Battle”.  I intend to use it as an oil storage tank with house rules on exploding when hit by heavy weapons.

It is a great place for a sniper or an MMG to set up, but a risky one if hit and found to be ful of petrochemicals.  During the battle of Stalingrad many similar tanks were hit and destroyed, some of which had been thought by later waves of Soviet defenders to be empty. This I suspect may well have been based upon lies from commanding officers and commissars not wishing to deter the troops from defending in those localities. This provides a tantalising element of jeopardy to the defenders or whoever captures them, in that no one will know whether they are full, or not, unless they are hit and the home-brewed chart is consulted.

Manufacturer TTCombat:

Water Storage Tanks