Across the fields to safety ...

A small game to try out the Hit the Dirt ruleset ..

Scenario: Resistance to get two downed key air personnel to safe house in nearby town.

---oXo---

At german HQ, local patrol is starting on its rounds ...

The resistance on the move ...

Hurry up chaps ! ..

Resistance duck down behind a hedge to avoid detection by a motorbike & sidecar ...

The german patrol works its way to the high ground ...

They see nothing, resistance fighters are well hidden ...

Resistance fighter fires on the sentry at the german HQ ...

More resistance close in and firing hots up

The resistance knockout an armoured car and also the motorbike & sidecar ...

The fighting continues by the german HQ ..

The sound of the gunfire has drawn the patrol back as well as second patrol that was out nearer the town; the resistance fall back ...

Airmen and their escort move across the fields now the german patrol has been distracted ...

They arrive at the safe house - Here we are chaps; get inside quick ...

---oXo---

A nice little game and we found the Hit the Dirt ruleset suited us better - (as it is for 1:1 scale small actions).

Some more work to do: scenics - some better roads; troops - probably add extra british paratroopers and more germans before we have another game.

Some additional buildings and vehicles ..

Some items picked up at a locall Toy&Train fair today; more buildings - and a couple of vehicles for home guard use.

Resistance Fighters

Resistance fighters are now ready for action (all from Caeser) ...

Attack on supply depot ...

Getting it together, having enough painted troops for a trial game using Rapid Fire rules

An overview of the setup, target is German supply depot in middle of table. British commandos enter along railway line at front of table; British paratroopers as the back of the table in the middle ..

---oXo---

All is quiet at the supply depot ...

Meanwhile at German HQ in the nearby village they are preparing to send out patrols (they have received vague intel on a possible paratroop landing)

The paratroops assemble (not quite where they should have been dropped) ..

The commandos move up the railway line ...

Recce patrol asks if they have seen anything at the supply depot ...

As the recce patrol move off to check down the road, the commandos open fire ..

Meanwhile the paratroops approach the railway line ....

Commandos attack the supply depot ...

The paratroops ccross the railway line to attack the German local HQ ....

Exchange of fire near the local HQ ...

The commandos fall back after taking heavy casualties ( the paratroopers also fall back ...)

---oxo---

Game over - British troops retire back towards their lines ...

Nice little game, we found the Rapid Fire rules not quite suitable for the small numbers on each side.  Will try another ruleset which are more 1:1 skirmish based - which is closer to the sort of games we'll be playing.

Downed british aircrew ..

A couple of british aircrew from CP models...

Any idea where we are Algy ??

British Paratroops

Italeri British Paratroops; farmhouse is an oddment I got cheap at a Toy&Train fair touched up and based; cows are from Irregular Miniatures 25mm range.

British Commandos

A section of commandos, used Italeri British Commandos for these plus some converted Italeri British Paratroopers to get different poses.

Some Civilians finished

A selection of civilians, mostly Dapol, with some Caesar...

Next up some British Commandos

Watchtower and Gatehouse

Another item finished to add to the scenics ...

Home Guard ...

Kindly donated to me some home guard figures, seen here checking out the railway line

The figures are about the same size as Valiant ones, so I'll be able to add more to make up the platoon

I've also started collecting up some second hand cardboard buildings (Metcalfe/Superquick) to combine with my existing buildings to form their home town.

Germans prepare to unload ....(Railway Scenics - more bits)

Finished a loading bay (small platform), river bridge section and a signal box. Signal box is a card model I got second hand for £1.25, needed a bit of repainting, touchup plus basing.
Germans prepare to unload ....

A quick update

Have made some progress on opposition for the finished germans, have been getting stuff ready to paint
- based some civilians (mix of Caesar and Dapol)
- in the middle of basing some resistance fighters (Caeser)
- have de-sprued some Italeri british paratroops

plenty to do ....

Railway scenic sections finished ..

Finished the railway scenic sections, diagonal across the table setup shown here, with small supply train ..

Scenic Railway sections - construction finished

Finished more railway sections enough to go lengthways across the table, including a roadway crossing ...

and diagonally, with a section with a turnout which can be used to connect to a siding or act as a junction.

I have enough sections to represent the possible uses on the gaming table,  For sabotage attempts and general use as scenic elements. I will finish off all the sections at the same time with scenic material.

Flaktastic ...

A nice selection of Flak guns,

• Quad 20mm on a half-track (Blitz 1/72 Sd.Kfz 7/1 2cm Quad AA & Trailer)
• Horch and 2cm Flak 38 (from Hobby Master)
• Steyr (made by Blitz), plus quad 20mm (made from Italeri gun set)

A closer look at the quad on the half track..

and the other quad ...

The crew for the single 20mm flak was made form some spare figs I had. I made the crews for the quads by converting a mix of a seated Dapol railway passenger and some Caeser partisans, using heads and arms from Valiant germans.

Stug. IIIs

A couple of Armorfast Stug IIIs finished ...

Scenic work in progress ...

Some trial railways sections for the gaming table. The first set is to go across the table. I had to start with a bridge over my river sections (still needs rest of bridge to be built) and plus a couple more pieces. I used starndard hornby track sections, on form board with a 3mm mdf base; the track has been ballasted on a self adhesive underlay. They look fine, so more to make to go lengthways on the table - then they'll all be painted and scenics added in one go.

Some buildings picked up at Exeter Toy&Train fair yesterday - a plastic kit provenance unknown and two resin buildings from the Scenix railway accessory range.

German Infantry

I've been busy working my way through my initial lot of German Infantry, organised along the lines of Rapid Fire. Here they are ...

[figs are a Mix of Valiant/Italeri, house is from Hornby Skaledlae range]

Pak40

Pak40 and Opel Blitz lorry made from Airfix kit, crew are converted Italeri Arika Koprs figs ..

On the move at last .. motorbikes, amoured cars ...

A collection of recce items finished, motorbikes, amoured cars and a section of infantry ...

Next up more infantry being made ready for painting and a Pak40.