You can swap the Suicide Anti-tank teams with these Improvised Anti-tank Teams. These are small teams lead by an NCO that use anything to hand as an anti-tank device. This was necessary in the later part of WW2 as Japane4se munitions were in short supply.

Why would you use them as an option. whilst they have lttle chance of destroying a Matilda or Sherman tank. they might with good luck disable one. However, I see this as just and added bonus.

They can be upgraded to Veteran and unlike the Suicide teams they carry a rifle. This makes them an excellent scouting team that c an forward set-up and counts as a scoring unit. This makes them a quite versatile little unit.

I have put together two teams of three.

They are mounted on their shelf and travel bases.

Last year I went from nearly three years continuous posting to zero because I forgot to post on my anniversary! well to coin a popular phrase here is one I did earlier just so I didn’t forget.

The Japanese medics are the same as any other. I have made it a squad of three (the maximum) just in case but I don’t think I will ever use the two addition al ones.

Tomorrow another Japanese unit that goes bang!

I hope you all have a safe, and happy Easter with family and friends.

We have a double celebration as it is also our wedding anniversary on Saturday.

Tanks for you feedback so far this year!

Images thanks to World of Tanks.

The Kempeitai were members of a political police force. Kempeitai were heavily involved in the training and indoctrination of new militia recruits.

Cruel methods propaganda and brainwashing insured that even the mostly poorly trained and equipped Japanese civilians would not hesitate to attack invading forces.

From a giming point of view the squad is on inexperienced but they do have the “Show Your Loyalty” trait.

The trait allows “green” troops within 6″ to re-roll their green special rule which can mean that when they suffer their first casualty they can be upgraded to regular (having a particularly confident day) on a roll of a 5 or a 6. Re-rolling this can be a great benefit.

The Kempeitai is not worth having unless you have green troops. I also think it is not worth giving him any additional men to support him.

The Kempeitai Officer

The team on their transport and shelf storage base.

As I have previously indicated my Japanese squads to be as flexible as possible. For instance this squad can be a 15 man rifle squad that may upgrade their NCO to having a SMG, or include an LMG and/or a light mortar that would make it a dual infantry squad.

The squad with 15 rifles.

The NCO

A bugler that has no game effect but looks cool.

A flag bearer with the Japanese Army standard that offers no benefit and acts as a normal rifleman.

Riflemen

NCO upgraded to carrying an SMG

Light machine-gunner

Light mortar

All eighteen on their shelf storage base. Sorry for the poor quality pics. One day I will get it right!

Japanese Officers were required to go through the dreaded Military Academy at Ichigaya, The Academy’s rigours of long hours, meagre rations and extensive physical training meant that only the toughest completed the course. Second Lieutenant’s were no different.

The team consists of three men. There is an option in some lists to include a flag bearer and I have included one. I have used the Japanese National Flag for this team as it offers the “Follow the Standard” rule. I have also included a fourth figure in case I do not wish to use a standard bearer. I have also chosen the National Flag to distinguish that it offers a benefit that the Japanese Army Flag that will be carried by my infantry sections does not.

The “Follow the Standard” rule means that one man, excluding the officer, in any offer team can replace all of his weapons with a flag, gaining the ‘Rally to the colours’ special rule – all friendly infantry and artillery units within 12″ of the flag-bearing model can re-roll (once) failed order tests when ordered to Rally. In addition, if the Rally order is successfully issued, the unit rolls two dice to determine how many pin markers are discarded and chooses the highest result. However, while the unit carrying the flag has a Down or Ambush order die on it, the flag is kept hidden and has no effect.

The Lieutenant

Lieutenant’s adjutant.

Flag bearer

Flag bearer

Team member

All four team members on the base for shelf storage ease.

During WWII the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operated RAF Mustangs and in 1945 received their first shipment of 215 D model and 84 K model RAAF P-51s. Commonwealth Aircraft of Australia also built 200 P-51s under license from NAA. The Mustang was used by RAAF pilots in Korea until April 1951.

The first CAC Mustangs were built mainly from imported parts, and while 200 Mustangs were produced, it was April 1945 before the first Australian production Mustang was flown

Only 100 unassembled P-51s were ever delivered, and four reportedly had the “razorback” style canopy of the P-51B/C variant. In late 1944 assembly of 80 of the P-51D kits commenced, under the designation CA-17 Mustang Mk 20 with Packard V-17 10-3 Merlin engines, with the remainder being used for spare parts.

With the cheap ME 109’s and Spitfires I also picked up a number of P51D’s which I intend to make up for our Balikpapan re-enactment.

Like the others they are just click together and do not require painting.

I will again mount them on stands for ease of use and because they look cool on the table. Look out zeros where coming to get ya!

Four years ago i re-based my Persian and Greek 15mm from DBM elements to unit bases. The rules that we were using Sword and Spear, Dux Bellorum and Command and Colours all now used unit bases.

This was a mammoth task especially taking them off their existing bases and re-flocking.

I vowed to never do it again and decided on using a sabot base method.

Using existing mdf bases I already had I cut them to suit the various units (4 DBM size bases).

I left the generals on their existing bases.

The bases fit “snugly” so do not fall out unless deliberately turned upside down etc. A die holder is used as a wound/status/morale counter depending on the game system. Tomorrow i will finish the infantry and then get back to some WW2 Japanese.

Given the Japanese didn’t have the anti-tank guns to take on the Sherman or the Australian Matilda tanks, they had to resort to drastic means.

This often required soldiers to take on an extreme risk even sacrificing their own life. The most common was the lunge mine depicted in this post.

Other options used included strapping themselves with magnetic mines, or hiding in a pit and thrusting an artillery shell up into the bottom of the tank.

Up two three teams of one man can be taken for a single list slot.

More Japanese to follow tomorrow.

I have designed each of my Japanese squads to be as flexible as possible. For instance this squad can be a 15 man rifle squad that may upgrade their NCO to having a SMG, or include an LMG and/or a light mortar that would make it a dual infantry squad.

The squad with 15 rifles.

The NCO

A bugler that has no game effect but looks cool.

A flag bearer with the Japanese Army standard that offers no benefit and acts as a normal rifleman.

Riflemen

NCO upgraded to carrying an SMG

Light machine-gunner

Light mortar

All eighteen on their shelf storage base. Sorry for the poor quality pics. One day I will get it right!