They said I should be committed.....

....so I decided to show some commitment!

After OML2 I took a little time to reflect on where I was hobby-wise & decide which direction I wanted to head off into next. Like all wargamers I have too many periods of interest, scales, books to read and dreams of new shiny projects.

I actually concluded that I am enjoying Chain of Command so much at the moment that I'm staying with it for the foreseeable future (accompanied of course, where the megalomania takes hold, with a bit of IABSM!). While I accept that this may not thrill anyone who doesn't share my love for all things WW2, I do want to "ride the wave" of current enthusiasm and take advantage of making at least a small dent in my lead-pile. I'm sure it won't stay exclusive for too long and I'll endeavour to at least post some game reports on other topics, but for now at least, it's going to be a bit WW2tastic so hold onto your (tin)hats!



Not wanting to "let the cat out of the bag" I couldn't post these two photos prior to OML2. Above is the 20mm Flak auf P107(f) And below are the two 75mm PaK on S307(f) which were two of the supports for the panzergrenadiers.

In the right hand of these two vehicles is the figure representing Hans Holler who commanded the 75 platoon at Bénouville.

First project in line will be reading up, compiling and painting all the necessary items for both sides of my long awaited "East of the Orne" campaign for At the Sharp End. This is actually a bit of a cheat as I spent a lot of time last year painting Normandy buildings and also painted over a company's worth of British paras. Along with the newly made stuff for OML2 I'm already into a healthy start with just a few more panzergrenadier machine gun teams and some A/T guns to add for the Germans and paras to have enough kit to get a Chain of Command campaign up & running very soon. I'm sticking with 15mm as my scale for all things CoC and IABSM. The availability of kits and price are something that just can't be matched in 28mm as pretty as it is. CoC also plays quite differently (in a good way) in 15mm. The ground scale being correct, there's a definite feeling of more space and in my opinion you get a better appreciation of the tactics, especially covering fire and flanking manoeuvres. As you can see by these photos, you just couldn't do this in 28mm.

As part of the preparation it's my intention to compile a fairly comprehensive list of 21st Panzer Division support choices using the official "CoCulator". I'll hopefully be pinging the end product over to Rich for approval. This is something I'm really looking forward to, especially as my copy of The Combat History of 21st Panzer Division by Werner Kortenhaus http://www.amazon.co.uk/Combat-History-Panzer-Division-1943-45/dp/1907677712/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404307995&sr=1-1&keywords=21st+panzer+division arrived only days after OML2 after an 18 month wait! It really is a superb book and surprisingly has it's very own little map book as an attached purchase.

The particular part of this campaign I'll be most concentrating my efforts on will be Kampfgruppe von Luck's assaults toward the allied bridgehead from the east. there are some fantastic battles, with as you'd expect from a kampfgruppe, plenty of mixed elements. Some armour (panzer IV's - covered), a lot of recce elements in the form of armoured cars (covered), half-tracks (covered) & soft skins (while not so applicable for CoC, still very much so for IABSM & in scenario ideas).

The intention is to run the campaign at the Wyvern Wargamers club (hopefully). Using the games as a testing bed to maybe compile a book of scenarios which maybe something I can tout to TFL once more for the specials like I did with Bénouville?

Over the coming weeks, at risk of being boring, I hope to post up progress of how the scenarios are shaping up, newly painted kit and of course some AAR's. These have all been painted, crewed, decalled & had stowage since OML2, representing (for me) quite an unusual feat. Hence keeping on at least for now.....


SdKfz250/9's from 1st company of Pz. Aufklrungs-Abteilung 21 (Armoured Reconnaissance

234/1's belonging to the 2nd (Heavy) Company of Pz-Aufklarungs-Abteilung 21

233's again from 2nd Company. Nifty HE support!

 

 




75mm PaK40 auf 39H(f) from Sturmgeschutz-Abteilung 200 (Assault Guns). I have a couple of the 10.5's to do later, but again more of an IABSM thing.

These are useful in CoC. Kubelwagens were EVERYWHERE and can offer a cheap (if fragile) option to speed troops across the table. These are Forged in Battle with crews from Battlefront and Peter Pig leftovers I had lying around. A little filing and they fitted a treat. I do think open-topped vehicles look much better for some crew.

75mm PaK auf Lorraine(f). Although strictly not belonging to 21st Panzer, a few of these turned up in the vicinity from 736 Division.



These are for later (when I start on the 12th SS & Panzer Lehr battles). They got caught up in my A/C enthusiasm.

 



These are some of Battlefront's new plastic panzergrenadier half-tracks. I'm really pleased how these went together (assembled by my 15 year old son). Crew are also Battlefront being a mixture from the plastic box set and the ones coming with their 250's

 Next up............anti-tank guns!