take me to your leader

My Italian themed Partisans for Conquest will need some officers. I have chosen these two grizzled looking fellows.

A feature of partisan warfare, particularly in Italy and France, were missions by the allies to help understand and co-ordinate efforts on the ground. Both the SOE and OSS would infiltrate operatives with radios and money who would then seek to exert their influence. In Italy in late 1944 this could even extend to air support missions. While rare, in game terms the inclusion of a liaison officer will allow me to call in air support, providing some much needed fire support. I am going to use this US officer as my liaison officer.

Air strikes will occasionally fail to turn up or will make an attack run on your own side. Perhaps one of the more realistic parts of Bolt Action, even as some players dislike the randomness.

Limbering Up

It is surprising that horses and other pack animals were a significant part of transport and logistics for many armies across multiple theaters. This is particularly true of the German army. Or perhaps it isn’t surprising when you consider the challenges around building and supplying vehicles. The struggle to source, make, transport and store material like fuel and rubber was ongoing and were key considerations at the strategic level. All of which is a long way to say that I made a horse limber to tow my artillery. I don’t have a particular army list in mind, it is more for tournaments, where the cheapest tow available is sometimes exactly the right choice to free up a few points for another toy.

I haven’t painted many horses but I’m reasonably pleased with the pair. They are from a Perry ACW cavalry box bought for projects like this but otherwise not touched. The limber itself is also from the Perry ACW range.

The attending soldiers are from Artizan, a couple of those random fellows who seem to lurk at the bottom of boxes with no guidance of how they got there.

The traces are not quite right, but overall the effect is OK. And for a model that will be used for a single turn as the gun is delivered I think it will work fine.

Onwards!

Budapest Defense

Together at last. Basing done and ready to hit the table. A couple of months ago I started on a new project, a Budapest Pocket Defender list for Bolt Action. One of the nice things about this army is that I did not buy anything new for it. All of the models have come from the cupboard. It is an eclectic little group, with models from Black Tree Design, Artizan and Warlord Games, and contains both Hungarian and German units making for something that looks a little different on a WW2 table.

Pioneers (Black Tree Design) in their Hanomag (Warlord Games)

Grenadiers, mix of Black Tree Design and Artizan

Warlord Games MMG

Medium Mortar (Artizan)

The whole force is led by these German officers (Black Tree Design)

Hungarian sniper team made from Warlord plastic Germans

Hungarians with an anti-tank rifle; useful against soft-skins (Warlord Games)

Hungarians from Warlord Games

This force may grow yet, but with the addition of a tank, maybe a Wirblewind (painted but never really had a part in my mid-war Italian theatre themed army), I think we are good to go. And that is a nice feeling.

D.

Support Choices

Work on my Budapest Pocket Defenders continues. These support choices complete the initial models I intend for this Bolt Action list. My plan is to base them all at once in a vague effort to tie the otherwise disparate group together.

First is a medium mortar from Artizan.

I think the spotter is from Warlord Games. He tells me his name is Harry.

Medium machine guns have a mixed reputation in Bolt Action. I nearly always include one in a German list, it just seems right even if they can be a bit fragile in the game. (You can thank me later for not saying they’re hit and miss.) This one is by Warlord Games.

A sniper team, painted as Hungarians but made from Warlord Games plastic Germans. I don’t know why the spotter has a book.

I also painted a pair of forward observers from Warlord Games. I’m not sure if they will get much use, but at least they are not bare metal in a box, which is a win all of its own.

Not far off from a full family portrait. Yay! I’m pleased with how quickly this little project came together. And just in time as the opportunity for actual gaming returns. In a suitably social distanced way, of course.

Maybe I’ll see you over a battlefield sometime soon.

D.

Replacement Pool

Actual hobby occurred! I painted a few more US.

Mostly Black Tree Designs, I think, but also some Artizan and a sprue of Warlord plastics that I found. I’m happy with the result, and they match the existing ones OK.

Now excuse me, I’ve got to liberate Italy from the fascists.