A Cunning plan - 2024

2024 A cunning plan 

This year I will be back in Oz for Christmas up to Cancon convention then back to France in March.  

Plans this year in no particular order

• 18mm AB French infantry brigade or more 
• 28mm WW2 (I know I swore I would not but ……
• 28mm ancient Greeks just to compete the army really
• 28mm ancient Germans (left overs from last years project yes there are more) 
• 28mm Caesarian Roman’s 
• 20mm Cold War Warpac, complete two battalion motorised infantry, vehicles, artillery and support equipment 60 infantry, 20-30 odd vehicles and 2 aircraft and one chopper. For my VDV (Quite a few kits to build)
• 20mm Yom Kippur Egyptian vehicles and aircraft 16 vehicles and two aircraft. (Assembling of kits required) 
• 28mm Napoleonic Prussians, British, Austrians and French infantry and cavalry  60-80 figs (undercoated, and several hundred to assemble) additions. 
• Random 20mm vehicles, ww2 Dutch, ww2 Belgian, allied and German, just so I do not waste airbrush time really! (Lots prepared) 
• Gaslands cars - 8-10 matchbox cars to be converted about 20 crew plus some terrain. 
• 1/72 Ww1 aircraft more allied and Jasta builds (need to be built) 

I will also try to do a few pieces mostly at a whim and if it involves ww2 or modern aircraft (which I love building), random theme pieces, naval or space ships perhaps also. .

All the best to everyone this year, may you produce pieces of art worthy of the brush God!

Cheers

MattW 

More Germanics

  After 80 days on Holiday in Australia in the sun I have returned to France and based up some of the figures I completed whilst being away. I had a small shopping spree at Cancon Australias largest Wargames convention around 25 thousand people over 4 days playing tabletop games plus general public. It was great to catch up with a few of the mates, look at some great looking tables and games and help my unpainted pile grow a little where I clocked the business class baggage allowance by 2kg…..! 

AHPC Aussie “bad batch” with my first purchase French guard cavalry 

I brought these Germanics with me on holidays in Oz, where they travelled the east coast for 1300klm, every  now and then I managed to get quite a few painted when there was wet weather or we were not visiting friends. I failed in my planning bring enough transfers to complete all of the painted ones. So now ordered and hopefully they will arrive some time this week. 

The figures are a mix of Warlord Germanics, Foundry Germanics and some hand painted and decal shields. 

28mm Warband One

28mm warband two

Archer unit one 

Archer unit two

Slinger unit one

Slinger two

Slinger three 

Cheers
Matt

Terrain Tuesday - Statue

 Town Statue 

First figures painted for the year, and my first entry for this years Analogue painting challenge. I picked this miniature up from combat games in Sydney. The figure is from the reaper miniatures village range and is obviously a copy of Joan of arc statue in Chinon. Although bronze when weathered is a brown colour for me it looked too dull, so I elected to paint brass then add a green wash. 

Cheers

Matt

 King Tigers last stand in France 

316 & 302 Funklenk-Panzerkompanie, France 1944

Borgward IV 

As always I like to research units before I build them, many people are unaware Tiger II seen combat against Americans in France in 1944.

The Funklenk-panzerkompanie 316 fought in Normandy with tiger I, StuG and the Borgward IV, leaving the 3rd company of Tiger II behind in Saint Denis. The 3rd company Tiger II reformed as Funklenk-panzerkompanie 302 in Eure de Loir. American troops advancing east after the collapse of the front after Pattons 3rd Army breakout and collapse of the 7th Army met the Tiger II on advance to Orleans and Chartres at Chateaudun. 

 I plan to build both units this coming year as I have spare StuG, Tiger I and Tiger II kits not assigned to units currently and I have a Borgward IV B also. 

Genesis

The 6th Company /Panzer-Versuchs-und-Ersatz-Abteilung 300 (Fkl) was raised April 1st 1943 with Field Post no. 56041. According to order no. 6039/43 of OrgAbt. I OKH/GenstdH on July 13, 1943, the company was renamed Panzerkompanie (Fkl) 316. The original equipment was to consist of 36 Borgward BIV and 10 StuGs. On September 21 it was transferred to Fallingbostel, where the unit was assigned to Panzer Lehr Regimental training grounds. This was followed by exercises and trials in the regimental context at the military training area there. 

On September 30th the PzLhrRgt. Received three Tigers I , and received eight more Tigers on October 8th
These were transferred to the PzKp. ( Fkl ) 316 , which used it to test the Tiger I in the lead control vehicle detonation role.

In mid-January 1944, the order came that the 316th should be equipped with Tiger II as an experimental company, it was renamed the 1st Heavy Tank Company (Fkl) . At the end of February 1944 it was transferred to Panzer Ersatz Abteilung 500 in Paderborn for training on the new tank. Since the Panzer Jager Lehr Regiment 130 had not yet received a PzJg IV, the company had to them hand over their 10 StuGs to them from the third company. On March 14th the five Tiger II arrived, on March 22nd the personnel sent to Paderborn for training returned to the unit. 

A status report from April 2, 1944 states the following vehicles: 

5 Tiger II 
3 Tiger Ie
51 SdKfz. 301 Ausf B and Ausf C borgward IV
4 3t tractors
1 1-ton tractor 
9 heavy trucks 
3 light trucks 
1 medium-sized truck 
3 staff cars 
6 sidecar motorcycles 
2 light motorcycles 

At the end of April 1944, the Panzer Lehr Division received the order to relocate to France and remain available there as an operational reserve, 316 FKL also moved by rail, the the HQ and radio control company moved into quarters at Saint Denis-les-Ponts, next to Chateaudun. 

On May 18th, the divisional HQ ordered that the 3./PzJgLhrAbt. 130 had to return the ten StuGs. As the 5 Tiger II were hardly operational due to technical problems.

When the Allied invasion began on June 6, 1944, the Tiger IIs of III coy was left at Saint Denis for ongoing repairs and also to be part of the operations reserve for the airfield at Chateaudun from airborne attack. The I and II company’s moved to Normandy attached to Panzer Lehr.  

Combat in Normandy  

On June 8th the StuGs supported panzer Lehr grenadier regiment 902 during a counterattack, it is unknown if the Tiger Is were involved in this counterattack.

On June 11, the company proved its worth as a radio control unit, repelling a heavy British attack in several counterattacks. In the days that followed, the StuGs were mainly used to support the counter attacks with the Panzer Grenadier Lehr Regiment 902, there were only a few attacks using the Borgward units driven in the radio control process. 

On June 19, the Kp. was involved in heavy fighting around Tilly-sur-Seulles , almost all StuGs in the unit were damaged, and one was a total loss. Company commander Meinhardt was killed, as was the leader of the 2nd platoon, Lt. Fisherman.

On June 22 the unit was no longer operational, the remaining vehicles three Tiger I and 4 remaining StuG and 40 PzIV Borgward units withdrawn to Reims for refitting and placed back in reserve. The AHA (Staff I (1)) issued the order No. 27220/44, according to which the first company was renamed as Panzerabteilung FKL 302 and remain in Chateaudun with 7th Armee reserve. The company of Tiger I, remaining II company of StuG control, Borgward IV and Headquarters deployed in Reims and remained as Panzerabteilung FKL 316. On August 19- 24th 316 is withdrawn and redeployed East to Warsaw for the uprising. 

XI legio IV Cohort

 IV Cohort XI Legion 

May I present to you the IV cohort of the XI legion, again foundry miniatures. 

IV Cohort 

Cheers

Matt

Merry Christmas 2023!

Merry  Christmas! 

A merry Christmas to all, I thought I would get in early this year as we have completed our tourist and wargames season for 2023 until we reopen in April 2024.

A big year for medieval, early renaissance, ww2 and Napoleonic being the most popular periods on the table. I have also helped my friend Philip along with with the Perry translation of Valour and Fortitude for French Napoleonic players. 

Looking forward to a Australian Christmas with our family and visiting my first granddaughter in Sydney! 

All the best 

Cheers

Matt