The US military loves calling things M4: tanks, guns and even a big old artillery tractor.
Another Anyscale miniature, this model is a simple as the original vehicle. Large, with heaps of towing power, it pretty much does what it says on the tin.
Probably not much more than scenery in most Bolt Action games. But in Konflikt 47, many scenarios have the opportunity to gain victory points for recovering tanks and walkers.
A fun little dimension that my US force will now be able to participate in. And that feels good.
The creators of Konflikt 47, Clockwork Goblin, have released a selection of their weird war designs in 15mm resin. I posted my tesla turrets late last year. And now it is time for the German walkers.
I picked up a Thor heavy panzermech. They are a beast. A king tiger on legs.
And a zug of light walker, panzer spinne.
I have one of these in my 28mm Turkish army. While I’m unlikely to get more in the larger scale, I can see these four in a supporting role for the Thor similar to the Panzer III accompanied early production Tigers.
I used a paint scheme inspired by Normandy in 1944, which will match a much older 15mm German force that I have.
The models are great. Crisp, clean molding and good fun to paint. I suspect that Clockwork Goblin will add to their range over coming months. And that could prove to be very tempting.
Back in 2018 I wondered what sort of army Turkey would have in the weird-science, alternate history world of Konflikt 47. And, here is my answer.
Staying neutral as long as possible, Turkey enters the war late, signing as part of the Axis with Germany. With the real and fictional history only diverging in 1943, I felt this was a great opportunity to field a wide range of armour and other units, representing an under-prepared Turkey scrambling to respond to the seeming unavoidable Soviet invasion from the east and north-east.
I have chosen to restrict the number of units with weird technology. This reflects the junior partner nature, and likely German skepticism of just how committed their new ally is to the cause. In particular, I have no horror causing units which are such a distinct feature of German lists.
I swapped the heads of the Italian heavy infantry. I ended up with this set accidentally when I grabbed the Italian instead of the German box. Always take your reading glasses to the hobby shop. There is little chance for confusion, as this is a distinct looking unit in the force. Tougher than ordinary infantry they are still susceptible to anything that have armour piercing capability. If you can get them into cover near an objective they will be hard to dislodge.
The core of most armies are ordinary, regular infantry squads. With a few fezzes added, they are armed as late-war Germans. One squad has an LMG, but under my home brew they don’t get the Hitler’s Buzz Saw special rule, so no extra shot, leaving them with the same number of shots as other armies.
The second compulsory infantry choice has assault rifles and a panzerfaust.
Not all units are first-line. I will use these WWI Ottoman Turks from Woodbine Design as inexperienced troops.
Germany have deployed observers. Their role is to train and advise their new allies in battle spaces impacted by weird technology. Veteran observers have the special rule, Weird Tech is Expensive, which allows Turkey to field (selected) units with weird technology. These miniatures are Gebirgsjäger from Black Tree Design.
By keeping the colour palette restricted I have helped to give a more cohesive look to what is otherwise an intentionally disparate model selection.
A Panzer IV in Turkish livery. The decals are 1:48 modern Turkish air force and have come out great.
The Panzer IV-X is funky science version of the Panzer IV. The turret is a simple swap with the ordinary Panzer IV. So, while I can’t field both, I have the choice to field either in a game.
The Allied nations had hoped Turkey would join the war on their side. Part of this process was access to the Lend Lease program, where Turkey took delivery of a wide range of different tanks, all in small numbers. This included Valentines. This model is from Rubicon.
Every army needs officers. These figures are all from the Woodbine Design first world war range. They are lovely minis, full of character.
A German Liaison officer and his interpreter. As long as the interpreter is alive, the officer gets to use his German national rule to add an extra unit to the number he can Snap To. Liaison officers also have the Weird Tech is Expensive rue, so are an alternative to an Observer squad. Next project might need to include some practice with faces.
Support squads include a Pak 38.
Which has a Kettenkrad as a tow. This is another Rubicon kit.
A sniper and his spotter.
A medium Mortar.
A medium machine gun, another set from the Woodbine Design Ottoman range.
An anti-tank gun. By the late war these were mostly useless against most of the common armour. However, these heavy caliber rifles have found a role on the Konflikt 47 battlefield as a specialised sniper targetting heavy infantry and lightly armoured walkers.
Perhaps my favourite model is this Spinne Light Panzermech. Silly and wonderful in equal measure. In game they are reliable reconnaissance vehicles, suitable for rough terrain.
A feature of the Independence War in the early 1920s were irregular fighters that fought both for and against the emerging Republic (and sometimes both). I have included a unit of irregular cavalry, reflecting local resistance to the invasion of their homeland in 1947.
In addition to the painting and modelling, I have written a home brew army list. A draft version is posted here.
There are heaps more pictures in other posts. You can find them by using tags, especially the tag Turkish Army. My next goal will be to get them onto the table.
Back in 2018 I had an idea to build a Turkish force for Konflikt 47. I accumulated most of the models I wanted, and there it sat until May last year when I picked up it once more.
One of the first units I started was a cavalry squad of irregulars. Which then sat on my desk until it was the last unit left unpainted. Well, I picked up my courage. Picked up my brush, and now, I have finished! Seventy-odd fighters, several tanks, and support units. Phew!
Kit-based, based on the Perry’s US Civil War cavalry
In my home brew army list, irregulars have the special rule, The Hills Have Eyes. This means the local area knowledge of the irregular units prevents opponents from outflanking. This rule is one of the Bulgarian national traits re-named, and I think brings some nice flavour (and options) to the list.
I will do better pictures, and get a beauty parade together. But I’m a little bit excited at reaching this point and wanted to share this with y’all.
The talented folk at Clockwork Goblin have gone back to their roots and released a series of Konflikt 47 miniatures in 15mm resin. I’ve picked up some walkers and a pack of 5 Tesla turrets to swap out on an existing Sherman troop from Plastic Solider Company.
The resin parts are clean, with little or no clean up required beyond the usual wash to prepare them. They take the paint nicely too.
There are no particular rules, but given Konflikt-47/Bolt Action works in 15mm (or 20mm, for that matter) just fine. Also, I think Tank Wars works even better at this scale, so 15mm is a perfect chance to put lots of toys on the table.
I couldn’t find in my cupboard any Allied decals in the right scale, so the final touches can wait. But these are ready for the table.
I’m still plodding along with my Turkish force. Next steps are to finish the last couple of units in the queue so I can take some nice photos to jazz up my home brew army book.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Faith&Steel 