M51 Isherman Company

These are the first models for my 1973 October War era Israelis (for the Southern Front). I quite like these H&R M51 Ishermans (ISM02), the model is quite detailed though the gun barrel does have a weak point near the join with the turret but once painted is somewhat stronger:






Israeli tank battalions are quite a complex subject and different sources give different info for the same units which makes life difficult foe wargamers. I've written myself an Armoured Brigade list (at my usual 1:3 scale) to try and cover all the variables, it's not 100% accurate and was hard work but it's good enough for what I want to do. I've enough models to put together a battalion each of Centurions (Sh'ot) and M48's (Magach 3), a Mechanised Battalion in M3 Half Tracks and an Armoured Recce Battalion with M60's (Magach 6) and M113's. With the addition of a few extra units the Mechanised Infantry will probably double up as Paratroopers.
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Panthers II

Finished the first batch of Panther Ausf G tonight, still need to do 1 more to complete the company. Hopefully these photos are a little better than my last attempt!:





There's another 23 of these to go! (6 per company @ 1:3 scale, 2 for HQ's and 2 for the recce platoon - there's also a Flak platoon (1 Sdkfz 7/1) and an engineer platoon (1 engineer stand and 1 Sdkfz 251/7)).
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BKCII - The Build Up Part 2

Over the last few nights I have found time to base up a few new models from Heroics and Ros:

On the front row we have some T-34/85's (S09) (the first of a batch of 23 to finish one tank brigade and add a new one). On the second row are some Panther G's (G017) which will form part of the first of 4 companies of Panthers from I./Panzer Regiment Grossdeutschland which was attached to Panzer Regiment 11. Finally on the back row we have the Sdkfz 251/9 (G041) and Sdkfz 251/2 (G021C) to complete the 2 companies from I./Panzer Grenadier Regiment 114 and a single Sdkfz 251/7 (G151) as transport for the engineers from II./Panzer Regiment 11. All are now undercoated.
Next up are the completed Panzer Grenadiers that form most of the first two companies for I./Panzer Grenadier Regiment 114:

These have been repainted to bring them up to the same standard as my new models and the bases re-flocked. Each of the two companies consists of 5 Sdkfz 251/1D, 4 bases of Panzer Grenadiers (1 on the left with a Panzershreck) and 1 base of tripod mounted MG-34/42. On the top right of the photo you can see the engineers for II./Panzer Regiment 11. I took a few more close ups:


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BKCII - The Build Up Part 1

Just started the planning for and the painting of some BKCII units for an Eastern Front 1944 game we have planned. This will be an encounter between part of the Russian 29th Tank Corps and II./Panzer Regiment 11* (Panzer Division 6) supported by some halftrack mounted infantry from I./Panzer Grenadier Regiment 114. There will be a few surprises in this game but I'm not letting on as to what these are yet...
These forces will be scaled at 1:3 (1:30 for the infantry) as I realised (whilst out walking the dog) that using this scale rather than 1:4 would allow a better representation of the forces involved and allow companies (Germans) and Battalions (Russians) to be viable units size wise and hence have their own command units. As it turns out it's also a better use of what I have painted (less spare painted models left unused).
First up are the 4 Pzkpfw IVH (Heroics & Ros code G015) Companies making up II./Panzer Regiment 11:

Next up on the left are the Battalion HQ (2 HQ tanks) and the Battalion Recce Platoon (2 tanks). On right is the Regimental HQ and Regimental Recce platoon:

For artillery support (pictured with the 4 companies above) their will be 2 Hummels (G060) and a Pzkpfw IV Forward Artillery Observer (FAO) from 3./Panzer Artillery Regiment 76.
On the "workbench" are the first of the Panzer Grenadiers (GR8) and their Sdkfz 251/1D (G022) halftracks. These are mostly models that I am reconditioning and bring up to the same standard as my more recently painted WWII models. I've started 2 companies and have just completed the first 10 Sdkfz 251/1D's (in a matching scheme to the Pzkpfw IV's).
Panzer Division 6 was rebuilt in the Summer of 1944 so does have a almost full allocation of new vehicles (inc. 81 Pzkpfw IVH) which, compared to other Panzer Divisions at the time, makes for quite large units. The Division was reorganised as a Type 1944 Panzer Division but did a have some unauthorised additions. For example one of the two Panzer Grenadier Regiments had a 3rd battalion which included a Cossack cavalry company! Unfortunately details of that battalions TO&E are difficult to come by as many of the records were lost. The Panzer Regiments 1st Battalion was still converting to Panthers so the Division was joined by I./Panzer Regiment Grossdeutschland equipped with 76 Panther G's.
* For those that don't know II./Panzer Regiment 11 means the 2nd Battalion (German Abteilung), Panzer Regiment 11 - the II indicated a battalion formation, if it was a number then it indicates a company (e.g. 1./Panzer Grenadier Regiment 114).
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