Gurus view on computers has always been “You can never trust a computer until you have thrown it out of the window”. Apologies to Steve Wozniak.
I always said that I would never move into the 3D spell making age but it has happened.
Thanks to good friend Andrew from the Wargames Holiday Centre I am now the proud owner of one. He had problems with one he had bought and the supplier decided to replace his. As it was taking too long he decided to purchase a new state of the art magical machine with a lot more spells, and then this one turned up.
An Anycubic Photo Mono XSpell Caster
I have put it all together and set it up waiting, to quote another Guru, “a little help from my friends”. Mechanics I can handle, “spell casting ” beyond “and” and “or” gates is one of life’s great mysteries.
Once I learn how to cast spells with this mystery of modern science I might even become “a groovy guru” and Get Smart!
The mighty spell making machine in painting paradise!
If you are travelling to Melbourne and want a good time don’t forget to look up Andrew from the Wargames Holiday Centre – sounds a bit like one of THOSE adds doesn’t it!
With the exception of two Universal Carriers I am very pleased to call this project finished. It commenced with a post on 23 November 2022 and finished yesterday!
Here is how it looks.
Captain
Lieutenant
Chaplain
Sniper
Light Mortar
Medium Mortar
Medic and Special Character Captain Geoffrey Vernon, with Special Character Corporal Leslie “Bull” Allen
Forward Observers or Coastal Watchers
PIAT Team
Special Characters and VC winners Bruce Kingsbury and Tom Derrick
Platoon Scout Team
Jungle Division Infantry Section
Jungle Division Infantry Section
Jungle Division Infantry Section
Jungle Division Infantry Section
Jungle Division Infantry Section
Jungle Division Engineering Section
2Pdr Anti-tank gun
Flamethrower team
25pdr Artillery Gun
Medium Machine Gun Team
BOYS anti-tank rifle team
Matilda II tank
Bren Gun Universal Carrier
Bren Gun Universal Carrier
Horse Artillery Limber
Mule Limber Team
Jeep
LVT-4’s
I am very please to have these finished and looking forward to getting them on the table.
Is anyone aware of a 28mm kit or 3D file out there for a dozer version of the Matilda?
The Dozer Matilda (Aust) No.1 mark I, was developed in early 1945 and tested on Morotai Island in June of 1945. The No. 1 dozer kit consisted of a Caterpillar D7 dozer blade with single push arms, mounted on pivots attached to the tank below the second mudchute. The height of the blade was controlled by a cable winch attached to the frontal glacis and powered by a re-purposed Jeep engine.
I found it difficult find 28mm artillery pack horses or mules. I was resigned to scratch building a couple, one for my Australians and the other for my Japanese armies. That is until onde day I was browsing on the Empress Miniatures site (always a dangerous thing for the wallet to do) and found their WW1 Mountain Gun Pack Mule team. With eight mules with various mountain gun bits and pieces as loads I had enough fro the two teams I wanted.
Although WW1 miniatures they would be more than adequate for what I was after.
Hundreds of Pack Mules were brought to New Guinea for pack duties. These animals had not been tried out in New Guinea, but were extremely effective with the British and American Armies in Sicily.
They are sure footed and can go into places where it is impossible to go with a Jeep. They can be easily used for carrying supplies, guns and the wounded.
One of the peculiarities of the mule is that they will always follow a mare. When a Pack Train goes out a mare is always taken in front with a bell around its neck. This keeps the herd in line.
Unfortunately, the battle of Kokoda was fought over a very confined area and the bell would have alerted the Japanese of an approaching mule train .
From a games perspective I am only interested in the mules for use as a form of an artillery limber as it provides a cheap alternative to move your artillery on the table. However, mules and horses were used for a variety of tasks over the Kokoda track.
Most mules were used for the transportation of supplies and ammunition, but some were used and trained by the Medical Detachment. Captain Calvin E Gantenbein had devised a litter to carry the wounded over the rugged terrain.
Mules can carry weights of up to three and fifty pounds, or nearly 160 kilograms, and could go for six days without food.
Except for the two Universal Carriers that I am waiting on the Australian Jungle Division is NOW BLOODY finished!!!!
As I have been “wrangled” into a Bolt Action Combat Patrol games day this coming Sunday (tomorrow) I wanted a few games under my belt. The objective of the day is for players to have fun and learn the rules, hence playing with 500pts on a 4X4 table rather than the normal 1250pts on a 6X4 table.
My Combat Patrol Team
The three games will be played upstairs at the “House of War” (another venue dangerous venue for the wallet) and will be of ninety minutes each.
The first game on 28th of February was with the internationally experience Bill! I have played Bill Bolt Action a number of times but although drawing a few games I have never beaten him. This was going to be a test against his Americans. My Great Grandfather once told me that the toughest hand to hand fighting he had seen during the “war to end all wars” was in a bar in Cairo against some British Yeomanry!
The game was interesting:
Mission:Battle Resupply (Replen)
Preamble: Well trained Officers will often ask for often fuel, ammunition, parts, water and food prior to running out of these vital battle supplies. This request was called an “Opdem” which is short an Operational Demand meaning if the supply’s are not received the mission will fail.
Both players roll apply the roll the highest can choose to be defended or the attacker. The opponent picks the edge of the table
Deployment/Setup : The defender sets up half their unit (rounded up) are set up within 12 inches of the centreline. This includes two free Unarmed Supply vehicles these can be either Soft skin or Armoured AC 7 open top. These are in addition to the defenders starting units. But each has an order dice. Defenders units not set up on the table are place in reserve. Units in reserve or flank marching are not short on supply’s. The attacker moves on in the first wave.
Victory conditions:The attacker gains 5 victory points per resupply vehicle truck or 8 victory per armoured vehicle. The defender gains 3 victory points per unit Resupplied.
Each defenders units start with a number of ammunition box next to it, representing the number of shots per before that unit runs out as follows:Veteran Units have 3 shots per unit; Trained units have 2 shot per unit; Inexperienced unit have 1 shot. Due to the low rate of fire HQs, anti-tank guns, snipers units and anti-tank weapons units do not run out of ammunition. Due to the high rate of fire the following weapons/ units have one less shot down (inexperienced still have one)- Rockets, Anti-Aircraft and MG with 5D or more.
Both gain victory points for the following: One per each enemy infantry eliminated. Two per each armoured vehicle or armoured transport destroyed or Tank immobilised. Three per Tank or HQ unit destroyed.
Turns: Roll at the end of 5th turn on a 4,5,6 play a 6th turn.
Special Rules: Order dice: from start all dice including reserve are placed in the bag. Flank march: either side may do so. Reserves: defender only. Forward deployment: neither. Ambush: defender only. Hidden: defender only. Dug in:defender only Mobility obstacles:only Forward deployment: only defender Prep bombardment: No
Terrain:”At least one peace terrain 6″ x 6″ of light cover and obstructs visibility per foot of table.With a maximum of 1.5 per foot.
I won the die off for attacker/defender and chose to attack.
I was unable to destroy the re-supply trucks but did inflict some heavy casualties on the Americans and received a credible draw. What I learnt from the game was that at these small points I was better off taking a small anti-tank gun than a sniper and quickly painted one up for the game at “Axes and Ales” the following week.
The next game was against an experience tournament 40k player but one that had never played Bolt Action. Like me he had been roped in to play this coming Sunday!
Germans on the left flank protecting an objective out of shot on the hill.
I think I am right but he was using the German Army 17th SS troops that had all sorts of deployment advantages, like forward deployment and hidden setup. The game was scenario three from the book which is a standard objective game. We diced up four objectives.
Germans controlling an objective in the centre of the table.
Unfortunately three ended up within the German deployment zone and I was going to have a tough fight advancing against hidden automatic rifles and machine guns.
A German machine gun squad covering two objectives.
An German armoured car in reserve.
The Australian control one objective.
Australian Engineers flank march and cause the Germans on the right flank to run in fear with their flame thrower.
The German armoured car protects the objective and causes the Australian Engineers some grief with its firepower.
Close fighting in the forest around the centre objective see the Australians take the forest and control the objective, but at such a cost it would be difficult to hold off any counter attack.
Shooting from the German machine gunners and the advancing Command section was putting extreme pressure on the Australians.
With each side controlling one objective, one in dispute and another not in anyone’s control the game ended in a bloody draw.
Two games and two draws. For me the team of valour on the day was the 2pdr anti-tank gun which advanced to shoot the German armoured car, causing it to retreat beyond a forest. Next turn it then advanced at the run with its 2pdr in tow to contest the objective in the centre! In doing so putting to shame the PBI.
A very good game against a tough army handled very well.
At the outbreak of war, the QF 2-pdr was the standard anti-tank gun of the British Army. It was an adequate weapon for the time, being slightly more effective in terms of armour penetration then the contemporary German 37mm PaK 36.
Most Australian anti-tank teams were reassigned under the Jungle Division restructure.
Those few that remained formed ‘Tank Attack’ units and were equipped with both 2pdr and 6pdr AT guns supplied from Britain. As these were of very limited use in the jungle environment of New Guinea they only saw regular usage in Borneo from 1944 onwards.
The 2 pdr anti tank gun pictured above was used by the 2/21 Australian Infantry Battalion in the defence of Ambon in early 1942 and captured by the Japanese. It was recovered after the Japanese surrender.
The battle between the Australians and invading Imperial Japanese on Indonesian (then known as the Dutch East Indies) Ambon and the recovery of this 2 pounder Anti Tank Gun is a physical reminder of this particular theatre of the war.
I was not really familiar with the intricacies of the 2pdr gun so in order to put it together I downloaded the picture and instructions from the Warlord Games website.
Neither showed me how to attach what I assume is a counter-weight on the left hand side of the barrel, however a few pictures helped solved this and it was quickly assembled.
Tomorrow the Australian mule/horse limber and pack animal team.
This is the third and last of my LVT-4’s for the Australian Jungle Division.
This is meant to represent an old “rust bucket” towards the end of the war at the Borneo landings.
Heavily rusted where the salt water will collect. The effect was gained by using AK Crusted Rust Deposits Heavy (brownish) and Medium (orange) weathering paints, washed with GW Seraphim Sepia.
Tomorrow some anti-armour support for the platoon.
Had a few dramas with this lot of figures. First there was the accidental posting without photos – before they were even finished! Then the dumb ba$%#rd I am had put the khaki undercoat Tamiya TS3 lid on the TS80 matt varnish! So when I went to varnish them instead of a clear varnish they ended up with a nice coat of khaki! Fortunately only a few were damaged, but this put me back a day with finishing the section!
Fortunately this is the last Australian Jungle Division sections (but not the last of my Australians).
The Australian Jungle Division re-organisation was designed with two purposes in mind – to release man power to take advantage of the post war economic boom, and to purpose design a unit structure more suited and more flexible for jungle warfare.
Because of their general usefulness, Bren Gun Carriers were allocated to all types of Australian Army Units. Within the Armoured Corp, they were used by a number of units. For example, they were used in the Western Desert by 9th Cavalry and in Syria by the 6th Cavalry, as machine gun carriers.
Owing to the shortage of tanks, in the newly formed 1st Australian Armoured Division (1st July 1941), a great number of Carriers were pressed into service to provide tactical training for tank crews.
An example of its limitations are best summed-up in the following account: On 23rd November 1942, the U.S. General Clowes at Milne Bay, New Guinea ordered a small number of Bren Gun Carriers to Cape Endaiadere as direct support to American troops operating in this area. It was made clear to the Americans that the Carriers were too lightly armoured and the crews too exposed for them to be used as tanks. In addition, they lacked any overhead protection from sniper fire, shell splinters and were extremely vulnerable to flank attacks. Thus they were forced to work with infantry support.
The aftermath of an attack at Cape Endaiadere on 5th December, resulted in vehicle crews being roughly handled and resulted in the abandonment of five vehicles. The supporting American infantry found they could not advance any further and the attack was called off. Sadly, it proved yet again, the futility of attempting to use inappropriate vehicles as tanks.
At the end of the War, the remaining Carriers were relegated to a training role and numbers of vehicles were allocated to Reserve (CMF) Forces to make up the balance of equipment needed by newly formed tank units. Bren Gun Carriers were quickly phased out of service as more appropriate vehicles became available.
Between 1941 and 1943 approximately 4,800 carriers were built in four states; Ford Homebush in Sydney; Victorian Railways and Gas Works in Melbourne; South Australian Railways at Islington and State Engineering Works in North Fremantle.
Post-war these carriers were sold off at surplus. Mostly they were purchased for their drive trains which were the same as Ford trucks. On the farm, the carriers proved too highly geared and light weight to be used as bulldozers or tractors.
Although the theory and policy was that the carrier was a “fire power transport” and the crew would dismount to fight, practice differed. It could carry machine guns, anti-tank rifles, mortars, infantrymen, supplies, artillery and observation equipment.
This post is the start of a number on the Australian Jungle Division as I commence “a strong recruitment drive” to bring them up to full strength.
Hi All. I would like to say that of late I have had some Gremlins in my machine causing problems, but alas it has just been incompetence.
I have been setting up a new website and have had a few too many stuff ups including re-posting a 2016 post and several posts without pics where I pressed the wrong button.
