codex ahoy!

Writing about writing is weird. But when there hasn’t been much painting and the only hobby has been words. Well. Here we are!

Turkey is mentioned in the narrative of the alternative history of the weird war Konflikt 47, but has no specific or separate official rules. So I wrote my own. Inspired but not bound by history, it has been a fun project to create a list that is both a little quirky and still balanced. Or at least as balanced as the existing armies.

Two main ideas underpin the list. The first is the mad array of armoured vehicles that Turkey accumulated (in the real world) is an opportunity to field Soviet, German and Allied tanks all in the same force. And because in the world background Turkey only enter the war in 1945, this leaves the space to field and deploy older tanks already superseded in other armies. Renault R-35? Why not, Turkey had these terrible little tanks so common in the 1930s, and if you’re defending an invasion from the Soviet Union, why not use everything available, including an armoured kitchen sink!

The other framing idea is that Germany do not yet fully trust Turkey as a ally and only selectively provide the wacky rift tech. Moreover, Turkey itself is suspicious of some of the stranger technology, especially subjecting their soldiers to the procedures necessary to create the more extreme, horror-type units.

Together, this makes an Axis army that is different to Germany, (Fascist) Italy, or Finland. All this before the modelling opportunities.

So, here it is: a text only draft of the Turkish list.

turkish-army-draft-text-onlyDownload

So now I have some layout and proof reading in addition to painting. Good fun.

still going!

No posts recently. Life. You know the drill. But work has NOT ceased on my Turkish army for Konflikt 47. After completing a tank and walker (which I think came out OK, check them out here) I have moved onto some support options and another squad of infantry. None of them are complete yet, so a WIP post today.

Support options include a medium mortar and some anti-tank in the form of a Pak 38 gun. They are Warlord Games Afrika Korps figures with a couple of added fez. Gunners work pretty hard and often seem to be stripped down in photos, so I think the hot climate uniforms will work nicely alongside everything else.

I have built a Kettenkrad from Rubicon as a tow option for the anti-tank gun. It is a fun kit to build and went together with a minimum of fuss despite some of tiny parts. The vehicle came with a goliath remote-bomb. Now that is a thing waiting for some weird war rules. Maybe a wee AI instead of a control-cable? Nothing could go wrong with that as a plan!

There is also an MMG. I nearly always field an MMG in Bolt Action and K-47. They can be a bit fragile on the table but they are iconic to the period. The team is a WWI vintage from Woodbine Designs, but Turkey is doing what it can in its homeland defense.

It feels like I’m in the home stretch of this project. Unless I keep buying more stuff.

Which might happen. So many ideas!

Cheers.

tanks sighted

Actually, just one tank, a Panzer IV. One of the neat things about Konflikt 47 is that many of the weird variants of the historic vehicles is the base Bolt Action kit with added (mostly resin) parts. By keeping the rift-tech to the turret, you get two distinct builds in the same box.

I cut away part of the Schürzen to simulate battle damage. Off topic question. German nouns are often capitalised. Does this hold over when you use them in an English sentence? So, is it Schürzen or schürzen? Not that it matters much.

The transfers are modern Turkish airforce markings, but there is no mistaking the flag so I think they do the job nicely.

D.

boots on ground

I’ve done some more work on my Turkish themed force for Konflikt 47. Adding to the existing units are Spinne Llight Panzermech and a unit of border guards. The panzermech is a weird science walking tank, which is a part of the K-47 world. It fits in much the same role as an armoured car, although the legs allow for better off-road performance over a wheeled vehicle. Did I mention the weird science part?

In our world, anti-tank rifles quickly fell out of favour. In K-47, the emergence of light armoured walkers and heavy armoured infantry saw their re-introduction in a specialist sniper role.

I have also completed a border guard squad. Keeping up the eclectic theme of the force, this squad uses older style uniforms rather than being equipped similar to late war Germans. The models are WWI Ottomans from Woodbine Designs. They are really very nice minis.

Border Guard units are armed with rifles but may also take panzerfaust

A German Liaison officer and attendent keep an eye on the patrol. Under my home brew rules, the presence of a German office allows for the Turks to deploy rift-tech units like the panzermech.

Gebirgsjäger from Black Tree Design

Next up, some more vehicles and onto support units like medium machine guns and mortars. In rugged landscape of east and south Turkey, both these units will be useful assets for commanders.
D.

slowly slowly

Painting is progressing slowly on my Turkish army for K-47. Base coat on the Panzer IV and some progress on the first of the border guard troops, which are WWI figures with the odd panzerfaust added.

Figure from Woodbine Designs, an ace WWI Ottoman range

I think they’ll come up OK. I have the next fortnight off work so it will be nice chance to make a bit of progress.

mail drop

Where do you go if you need a few Turkish flags?

I don’t know about you, but I headed for an authentic Turkish hobby shop and with the aid of google translate and paypal picked up some suitable transfers.

OK, they are air force livery, but hey, I’m off fighting a weird war, so they’ll do me nicely.

Huzzah!

all the tanks!

Turkey has an almost bewildering array of armoured vehicles, although it possesses relatively few of any given model. The most modern tanks are a preciously guarded resource by the higher command. Unlike the other belligerent nations, whose older stocks after 8 years or more of war are all but destroyed or relegated to training units, older Turkish vehicles are available to be put into service. The existential threat posed to Turkey in the K-47 world sees every available asset put into use. Turkish leaders hope that deploying the out-dated tanks will buy time for sufficient stocks of modern material and vehicles to be built, and help turn the tide on the Soviet invasion in the east and respond to the threat from the US/UK to the south and west.

Valentines in British service (15mm Battlefront)

During the interwar years, like many nations, Turkey acquired French tanks, 100 Renault but there is some confusion as to whether these were FTs or R35. These were added to the existing fleet of T-26 and BA-6 from Russia and handful of British Daimler Dingos and Vickers Light Tanks.

M4 Sherman (15mm PSC and 1/56 Warlord Games)

Between 1940 and 1943, the Turkish government made use of US lend lease arrangements to purchase M4 Sherman, M3 Stuarts, Valentines, and additional light tanks. Universal Carriers were also acquired at this time, adding valuable battlefield mobility to a military largely stuck with a mix of pre-war Soviet ZiS and US Ford trucks, civilian cars, and pack animals.

The core of the Turkish tank regiments is German made Panzer IV, mostly now up-gunned to the 75mm heavy anti-tank gun.

Tiger I (15mm Battlefront)

So far, all of the tanks mentioned were actually in Turkish service up to 1945. There are probably others. In additon, in the game, pretty much anything goes. At a minimum, Panzer III, Stug III/IV and Tigers all make sense. That is before the weird stuff rolls out. For Konflikt 47 this provides a fun smorgasbord of choices that helps make Turkey distinct from the other belligerent nations. Heaps of modelling opportunities too.

D.

movement reported

OSS Report 1947-9996C/4 to Allied Joint Command Mediterranean. Classified assets on the ground in Eastern Anatolia have captured images of what appear to be German rift-tech enabled units. This is a concerning development since it is understood that the German expeditionary force is operating further North, much nearer the Black Sea coastal plain. This leads our analysts to conclude that Germany has made rift technology available to the Turkish Republic.

This appears to be a Spinne Light Panzermech, light walker. Relatively fast and with moderate to long operating range it is often used in a reconnaissance role. It is usually armed with a turret-mounted light anti-tank gun and co-axial light autocannon.

Also seen was a Schwerefeld Projektor mounted on a Panzer IV chassis, designated as a Panzer IV-X by German forces, they are a potent rift-tech weapon designed especially to counter heavy armour.

A wee WIP update, with the there-is-a-lot-left-to-do models disguised with a black and white filter. In addition to painting, I have finally got around to reviewing the crazy mix of armour that Turkey had in 1945 and thinking about how to bring it into K-47. This mostly consists of finding the right entries in the Bolt Action armies of books.

D.

more assembly

The first of the vehicles for my Turkish K-47 army, a Panzer IV-X. Another WIP update. I am enjoying this project having picked it up again after a couple of years pause. I find posts like this help me to keep the momentum going.

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The rift-tech versions of the Bolt Action kits are fun, as most of them have metal and/or resin parts as additions to the base Warlord models. It is like a two for one offer, especially for the Panzer IV where I can just swap the turret. In keeping with the late war theme I have chosen the Ausf. H with the long barrel and schürzen.

I removed one of the panels to represent some battle damage and used a Soviet crew member as the commander. This will help give my Turkish panzer a different feel. I almost like the Ausf. H version more than the rift-tech gun. Either will work in K-47.

Now back to painting.

stumbling along

Nearly there on the next unit for my Turkish K-47 force. A heavy infantry squad.

Some highlights and basing and I’ll be ready to start another squad.

Onwards!

D.