WWII British Airborne and SAS

I've done a group of WWII British Special Forces and Paratroopers for chum Tony. They are a mix of figures from various manufacturers including Artizan Designs, Warlord Games and Bolt Action Miniatures.

They were where generally a delight to paint, although I've found you can quickly go off of painting Denison Smocks :)

I'll pop them in the post to him when I'm back in the UK next week.

Somewhere to lay our heads

I've had this set of Renedra Ridge Tents hanging around in the spares box for ages. Actually, it is a half set that I shared with either Martin or Tom at some wargames show in the distant past.

Anyway, I was painting up a load of Union Infantry for the new Sharp Practice project and I remembered I had these, so dug them out and gave a quick paint job, they shall now see duty as a Deployment point or two in our Sharp Practice games.

First Drafts - Homage to Catalonia

Chum Martin very kindly sent me the George Orwell figure that was given away at the recent Partizan Wargames show back home in the UK. This chap makes a pair with the Ernest Hemmingway I painted earlier this year.

It's a very nicely sculpted figure, maybe a little on the thin side but it could be during his recuperation from the shot in the throat that invalided him from his service in the Spanish Civil War. Looking back at the paint job now, maybe I was a touch too monochrome in my pallete.

Eric Blair shall join my Ernest Hemmingway in the Spanish Civil War collection, although they never met in Spain, and likely they never met at all they can serve side by side in the fight against Fascism.

If you haven't read Homage to Catalonia I suggest you get a copy.

American Civil War: Union (2)

This week I finished off the stragglers from the Perry Miniature box that did not make last weeks blog post. These had been blocked in and washed ready for the highlights but sat all week on the painting table and I only did them yesterday. I blame The Walking Dead series seven hitting Netflix this week:)

A few folks have asked what the palette I used was. So, for the majority of the colours; after assembly the figures were primed with Krylon grey primer and then the base colours blocked in:

• Kepi and sack coat: Dark Prussian Blue
• Trousers and some water-bottle covers: Medium Blue
• Musket stocks: Saddle Brown
• Some water-bottle covers, some knapsacks, some hair, some blanket rolls: Beige Brown
• Some water-bottle covers, some knapsacks, some blanket rolls: Neutral Grey
• Boots, belts, straps, slings, some hair, some knapsacks, some blanket rolls: Black
• Flesh: Medium Fleshtone

The figures where then washed in Sepia Wash and once that was dry the highlights applied:

• Dark Prussian Blue: re-coated with Dark Prussian Blue and then a couple of highlights adding successively more Intense Blue, final glaze of Intense Blue
• Medium Blue: re-coated with Medium Blue, highlighted by adding Sky Blue
• Saddle Brown: re-coated with Saddle Brown then highlighted by adding a touch of Dark Sand
• Beige Brown: re-coated with Beige Brown then highlighted by adding a touch of Dark Sand
• Neutral Grey: re-coated with Neutral Grey then highlighted by adding a touch of Light Grey
• Black: re-coated with Black then highlighted with Black Grey
• Medium Fleshtone: re-coated with Medium Fleshtone and then highlighted by adding a touch of Ivory.

The bayonets were painted Gunmetal Grey as were the musket fittings and water-bottle caps. The buttons, belt buckles, kepi fixings, cartridge box plates, etc. were painted Bronze. Note all colours are from the Vallejo Model Colour range.

Once all was dried the detail was brown-lined using Windsor and Newton Peat Brown inks. After the bases were complete a matt varnish was applied, although as you can see from the pictures it's come out much more satin than I hoped!

I've got another box and a load more Renedra bases on order from Arcane Scenery in the UK and hope to receive them shortly so I can start sticking them together.

21 Squadron RAF - 14th July 1940

Instinctively Harry pressed the fire button, the 109 before him was engulfed in a fireball as the fuel caught fire and the Messerschmidt exploded. After suffering from many jams in the previous days sortie the armourer had really done his job overnight and the Brownings were operating like clockwork, Archie would be bought a pint tonight!

Thursday evening saw another chapter in the ongoing Battle of Britain campaign, this time 'B' Flight led by Pilot Officer Darren White intercepted a flight of three He111 inbound over the south Kent coast.

Drew and new pilot Seth took the part of the RAF while Bruce and son Sasha were the Luftwaffe. I had play tested this scenario before so forewarned the players that the escorting Messerschmidts would almost certainly turn up so not to get too carried away with a turkey shoot.

If the bombers could complete two lengths of the table they would have accomplished their mission, if not it would be a RAF victory.

The RAF were soon laying about the Heinkels, but heedful of my earlier warnings were ever cautious for the arrival of the Luftwaffe fighters. The He111 is a tough old bird and can take a lot of cumulative damage without being shot down, but it wasn't long before P.O. White had claimed his first kill of the day as his rounds walked up the port wing and entered the bomb bay where the munitions exploded in a fireball.

Our squadron hero Sgt. Pilot Harry McWalters soon claimed another Heinkel, with flames licking around the cockpit door four Hun exited the plane to parachute into the arms of the local home guard patrol while the stricken beast crashed in woodland just outside Lyminge.

Summoned by the frantic radio calls of the bombers a schwarm of four Me109 made their appearance over the battlefield and were soon swooping in to the fray. The Hurricanes forewent their attack on the final He111 and attempted to gain altitude. The first casualty was P.O. White, the schwarm-fuhrer on his tail unleashed a burst of 20mm cannon fire and the Hurricane exploded in a fireball. However, it was certainly Whites day, thrown clear of the explosion he safely parachuted, sustaining only light injuries as he crashed through a greenhouse roof on landing.

Sgt. Pilot Harry McWalters certainly had his dander up and was swiftly into the Messerschmidts, he seemed to be everywhere and his expedient use of the ammunition remaining after attacking the Heinkels will be used in pilot training for years to come.

He first got onto the tail of the schwarm-fuhrer and a short burst of fire saw the Messerschmidt almost cut in half with a catastrophic structural failure, sweeping back in for the kill another Messerschmidt exploded in a massive fireball. With a run of cards and fantastic shooting rolls that will become legend another Messserschmidt was dispatched as the pilot slumped in his seat and the final one exploded scattering debris over the Kent countryside as McWalters emptied his final rounds into it.

McWalters had accounted for all four of the Bosche fighters in short order. Drews firing rolls were truly magnificent and for several rounds of shooting he expended non noticeable quantities of ammunition at all. He'll certainly be getting another bar added to that DFC!

After bailing out the previous day, Charles Morris had another run of bad luck, fire from one of the Messerschmidt had ruptured his fuel line and his plane caught fire on landing at Hendon and was a total write off, the burns suffered will keep him out of action for a good few days.

 As the fitters were putting out the fire 'A' Flight was scrambled to intercept a new raid inbound over the English Channel.

Squadron Roster Sheet

Basic Details	Aircraft (11)		Pilots (15)
Date: 13th July 1940 (Phase I) Unit: 21 Squadron (11 Group) Airfield: Hendon Aircraft: Hurricane MK1	Aircraft under repair b/fwd		Pilots absent b/fwd	1
	Back from workshop today		Pilots returning today
	Serviceable aircraft b/fwd	11	Active pilots b/fwd	14
	New aircraft received
	Serviceable next sortie	11	Available for Sortie	14
Events scheduled for today	This Sortie
	‘B’ Flight is vectored onto a trio of HE-111

“A” Flight
Red Section
			Kills on t/off	Sortie Log
Red 1	F.O. Damien Townsend (Veteran)		3
Red 2	Sgt. Pilot James Phillips (Regular)		0
Red 3	Sgt. Pilot Kerry O’Malley (Veteran)		2
Yellow Section
			Kills on t/off	Sortie Log
Yellow 1	F.O. Stephen Hines (Regular)		2
Yellow 2	Sgt. Pilot Mark Wilson (Regular)		2
Yellow 3	P.O. Adrian Jacobs (Regular)		1
“B” Flight
Blue Section
			Kills on t/off	Sortie Log
Blue 1	P.O. Darren Wright (Regular)		3	Claim HE-111, Hurricane exploded, thrown clear, available 15th July.
Blue 2	Sgt. Pilot Peter Lewis (Regular)		4	Returns safely with minor damage.
Blue 3	Sgt. Pilot Charles Morris (Regular)		0	Crash landed, aircraft destroyed, out of action until 23rd July.
Green Section
			Kills on t/off	Sortie Log
Green 1	Sgt. Pilot Harry McWalters DFC & bar (Top Ace)		15	Claim HE-111, four ME-109
Green 2	P.O. Terry Smith (Regular)		2	Returned safely
Green 3	P.O. Clement Bates (Sprog)		0	Returned safely

Pilots not assigned to flying duties this Sortie				Aircraft
Name		Kills		Aircraft available pre sortie	11
Sgt. Pilot Archie Spencer (Sprog)		0		Aircraft lost this sortie	1
P.O. Francis Clinton (Sprog)		0		Aircraft damaged (to workshop)	2
Sqdn Ldr Terry Deakin (Veteran) Wounded back on 16th July		4		Other post sortie adjustments
F.0. Simon Barrington (Regular) KIA Flt. Lt. Matthew Palmer (Veteran) KIA		0 2		Number of aircraft c/fwd next sortie	8
Other post sortie events				Pilots
				No of pilots pre sortie	14
				Pilots killed this sortie	0
				Pilots missing this sortie	1
				Pilots new wounded/sick	1
				Other post sortie adjustments
				Active pilots c/fwd next sortie	12

Notes

Harry gets another bar to his DFC. Another mission: ‘A’ flight scrambled to intercept an enemy raid of three Ju87 Stuka escorted by two schwarm of Me109.