lend lease love

One of the things that motivated me to explore a Turkish army for Konflikt 47 is the mad array of armoured vehicles that Turkey possessed over the war period. This has been a great excuse to build and paint some vehicles without having to start a whole new army. Vehicles like this British Valentine tank.

In K-47, real world history is followed until the rift opens (in 1944) and the world jumps into a parallel, weird-science timeline. Up until 1943, wooing by the Allies included 180 Valentines from the UK, acquired as part of lend lease.

Reasonably well armoured and fitted with a QF 6-pdr anti-tank gun, the Valentine was a robust tank for its time and I can see it becoming a trusted member of the Turkish tank regiments.

Most of the delivered tanks are mark VIII. I include mark X tanks in my home brew list, which are fitted with a co-axial MMG in the turret. This makes the tank more useful in game and matches the kit I had in the cupboard. It is my fan fiction after all.

The model is a Rubicon plastic kit and is right on the usual quality from them.

The Turkish flags are from a decal set for the modern Turkish air force which I think do the job nicely.

I have more than enough complete units to get some games in. It might be very close to get some group shots together. And maybe even roll some dice.

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.

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.

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.