World War 20mm – A Battlegroup Endless Project

Completed in just a week, my Red Army platoon decked out for cold weather is ready to be featured in my Küstrin scenario book.

Made using all 20mm Xan Das Minis, it’s a full platoon with an MG team and some dodgy looking Commissar types…

A close run 500 point BG Westwall game, US forces just managing to edge the Germans out and secure a victory…

Got to paint the up a few samples from a new range of 20mm Red Army for 1941-42…

Quick job on this 3d printed house by Vulcania3D/Plana Mayor.

This is the building that served as Dakota Command Post in Krinkelt during the Ardennes fighting in late 1944, but I’ve painted it up in a more generic style. It comes with a second, more ruined 2nd floor to allow it to be in various states of destruction!

Photoshoot this weekend for Battlegroup Westwall, so had to quickly bash out some scenery…

Finally finished the final batch of infantry from AB Figures using their new range wearing the M43 Uniform to go with their Greatcoat wearing range to give me a nice rag-tag looking bunch for late WW2 battles over the Autumn/Winter of 1944 and into 1945 to the wars end.

This new batch, with the previously finished greatcoat wearing guys, go together to form the infantry core of this army.

Vehicles next…

Cracking game last night – Delaying Action with 350 points aside using Battlegroup Tobruk.

Italians took heavy losses but managed to breach the British defence line and manage to break the British BR… though not within 9 turns. We play on however, and in turn 10 it all went wrong for the British.

Highlight was the 2 Pounder, down to one crewman, despatching two tankettes with one Open Fire order – VC for him. For the Italians their single sniper did sterling work, while their infantry failed to assault! Runner-up prize goes to the Vickers MMG team who cut down the section of Italian Engineers as they reached the barbed wire…

The Italians however managed in the final turn to drop a mortar shell on the Wire Team, causing a 5 chit to be pulled, then a dead 2″ mortar after that resulted in another 5 being pulled! Up to that point, the British were in good form, hardly any casualties (except the FHQ!), the trenches doing the job and the Italians on the edge of their BR…

Clearly with the communication to Battalion HQ gone, my plucky British had to withdraw… so all over on turn 10, but they had held past turn 9. So an Italian victory, but at high cost, and the British withdrawing successfully to their second line.

Italians by my chum to face my own British troops.

As I finish up the infantry for my 1945 ETO Yanks, some test shots of how I’m hoping Italy may look when eventually started…

Little battle using early war list for some Far East action…

The Germans for use in the summer months… all AB Figures except the dog! He is from Elhiem Miniatures.

A little AB Figures MG42 team to add to my slow-grow Waffen-SS unit…

First test for some LRDG/SBS troops, themed to be operating around the Aegean Sea in 1943, especially the actions on Leros.

Not sure I’m settled on colours, I want a mixed up look, and the second pic shows him next to my normal Khaki Drill wearing Brit for North Africa…

Another two Panzer Crew done to finish the group…

Some pics from this week’s playtest of the new WW2 skirmish rules we have in development…

Start of some dismounted tank crew for our Frontline rules…

…and another random German who was lying around…

Done a couple of new US test pieces, for the late war US Infantry in M43 jackets that AB Figures are due to release any day now.

First is an officer wearing an M38 Mackinaw ‘Jeep’ Jacket and Armed with an M1 Carbine…

The second test is an infantryman in full M43 uniform and carrying an M3 Grease Gun…

A new German officer, off to the Balkans to hunt down partisans…