Huw Puw interviewing a soldier on the Pembrokeshire front line
Hello. This is Huw Puw reporting from front-line Fishguard, for The Fish Guardian.
Rumours have been spreading recently of an offensive by Welsh Nationalists belonging to the Republic of Cantref Cemaes. Details are sketchy, but this photo was allegedly taken by a Preseli sheep-farmer shortly before his farm was overrun by a ravening chapel militia:
In other news, we have reports of ‘Something Happening’ in Lower Town Fishguard today. This is thought to be the first occurrence of ‘Something Happening’ in Lower Town since the French invasion of 1797. Residents are advised to stay indoors and not to be alarmed, as it will surely not last long. More news when we get it.
This is Huw Puw signing off.
As mentioned in my recent article on 
Pack 2 has six men with mixed weapons: an RPG-7 gunner & associated ammo-carrier (armed with AKM), a PKM machine-gunner & ammo-carrier (AKM), a rifle-grenadier armed with an AKM with a Wz. 1974 Pallad under-barrel 40mm grenade-launcher and an NCO armed with AKM.
So while this might only be a very small range of figures, everything you need to create a Cold War Polish infantry platoon or company is there and if you want to create a battalion, the only things missing are mortars (which in any case can be off-table in a game). It might be nice to have some more packs to increase pose variation or expand options such as AT-4 ‘Spigot’, AT-7 ‘Saxhorn’, mortars and artillery forward observers, but beggars can’t be choosers and this is a hugely welcome range of models!
One slightly surprising feature is that these models are cast in a strange, hard and very lightweight metal alloy and not the customary lead/tin alloy! Aluminium or zinc, perhaps? This does make them VERY difficult to clean up, as the metal is simply too hard for a scalpel to scrape off flash and mould-lines, so it was time for me to break out the snips and files! Thankfully, the casting is very clean and mould-lines are blessedly rare. The only other models I’ve encountered cast in such a hard metal were a long-forgotten range of fantasy figures called Thunderbolt Mountain Miniatures (anyone here remember those? They did exquisite tournament knight sets… Anyway, I digress…). This means that the weapons are tough and resistant to bending, but probably rather more brittle than with lead-based metals (I haven’t tested this theory yet).
For the main Polish uniform colour, I use the same colour that I use for my Cold War West Germans and Canadians, namely Humbrol 116 (US Dark Green), highlighted with roughly a 2:1 mix of Humbrol 116 and white. Humbrol 116 is the colour used for the dark green component of 1980s US MERDC vehicle camouflage. A winter combat jacket in the same colour, with brown faux-fur collar (and a matching brown ushanka faux-fur hat with brass Polish eagle badge) was also issued.
a crescent-shaped shield (minus the royal trappings of pre-communist Poland). While these were originally stencilled on with white paint, they quickly faded and got rubbed down to near-invisibility, so can be left off or painted in more muted tones. However, I opted to paint the helmet-eagles in pure white in order to artificially ccentuate their ‘Polishness’. It’s not accurate, but it does look rather good (see the officer here on the right)… In any case, Polish helmets were normally covered in the field with scrim-netting and the modeller has done a superb job of modelling the scrim, which really pops out with a light khaki dry-brush.
Polish mechanised infantry sections were initially 10-12 men strong (sources disagree) and were mounted either in a 
The standard Polish infantry rifle was the 7.62mm 
In order to further increase platoon firepower, the third section in each Polish infantry platoon was issued with a Stepanov tripod mount for its PKM machine gun. The combination of the PKM and tripod was designated as the 
The rifle grenades partially made up for the lack of a suitable light anti-tank weapon (LAW) such as the Soviet 
Each Mechanised Infantry Regiment had three such battalions, plus a Tank Company and other combat support elements. However, some sources suggest that there was a move toward removing the Battalion layer of command and instead having large battalions designated as Regiments. This certainly occurred in the 6th Airborne and 7th Marine Divisions, where Regiments were downsized during the late 1970s, with each being reorganised as 5x Infantry Companies reporting directly to Regimental HQ (plus an Amphibious Tank Company in the case of the Marine Regiments). It isn’t clear if the Polish Mechanised Infantry Regiments and Tank Regiments were also reorganised in this manner, so more research is required!
Above: With an eye on the upcoming Waterloo Bicentennial, AB Figures had released a stunning Marshal Ney figure, which I HAD to get! Combined with AB’s ‘Superior Officer of Hussars’ figure (based on an Edouard Detaille painting) and a Carabinier command pack, he looks very much like the famous painting of Ney leading the massed French cavalry in the Waterloo Panorama painting (above).
Above: A close-up of Ney in profile. Tony Barton’s sculpting of Ney’s facial features is truly exquisite.
Above: Ney’s escort is provided by this officer and trumpeter of Carabiniers. The late-war Carabinier figures are among my favourite AB Napoleonics; the detail, from the rivets of the officer’s cuirass to the crowned ‘N’ on the front of the helmets, is truly astonishing.
Above: An anonymous cavalry corps commander (either Kellerman or Milhaud).
Above: Général de Division Charles Lefebvre-Desnöuettes commanded the Guard Light Cavalry Division in 1815. As former Commanding Officer of the Guard Chasseurs à Cheval, he is here depicted in that uniform. He may well have been wearing a simpler version of the uniform or even the standard blue General’s uniform, but he looks pretty magnifique in full Chasseur rig!
Above: Général de Division Jean-Jacques Desvaux de Saint-Maurice commanded the Artillery of the Imperial Guard at Waterloo. He had previously commanded the Horse Artillery of the Imperial Guard and as such, I’ve used a figure of a Guard Horse Artillery officer in full dress to depict him. In reality, he was probably wearing a regulation General officer’s uniform with aiguillette signifying his Guard status.
Above: An anonymous Général de Division of the Imperial Guard. His Guard status is indicated by the looped aiguillette on his right shoulder.
Above: An anonymous Général de Division of heavy cavalry.
Above: The Empress’ Dragoons of the Imperial Guard were the largest Guard heavy cavalry regiment present at Waterloo, serving as part of Guyot’s Guard Heavy Cavalry Division, alongside the Grenadiers à Cheval and the Gendarmes d’Elite.
Above: These beautiful new models have replaced a unique unit of Battle Honours Empress’ Dragoons that had never been released to the public. Tony Barton sculpted them just before Battle Honours self-destructed and for some reason they never became part of the AB figures range. As far as I’m aware, I have the only examples in existence, so I couldn’t throw them away and they now live in Martin Small’s collection.
Above: Another view of the Empress’ Dragoons. The flag is by Fighting 15s. I used to paint such things, but now not so much…
Above: The 2nd (‘Red’) Lancers of the Imperial Guard formed part of Lefebvre-Desnöuettes’ Guard Light Cavalry Division, alongside the Chasseurs à Cheval of the Guard and small remnants of the 1st (Polish) Lancers and Mamelukes of the Guard.
Above: In full dress, this regiment would also have worn tall white plumes, yellow cap-lines and red overall trousers with blue stripes. However, Tony Barton generally likes to sculpt Napoleonics in ‘field service’ dress – somewhere between full-dress grandeur and campaign dress scruffiness. Consequently I’ve painted these in blue field service trousers. That said, the trumpeter should really be wearing a sky blue coat for field service, but I do like the white…
Above: A rear shot of the Guard Lancers to show the cap-tops and equipment.
Above: The Horse Artillery of the Imperial Guard. Again, Tony Barton has sculpted these in ‘field service’ dress, retaining some elements of full dress, but lacking the full plumes, cap-lines, etc. In 1815 the Guard Horse Artillery were actually wearing their typical campaign rig, being a blue Chasseur-style coat with red distinctions, very much like that of the Horse Artillery of the Line, though with the unadorned fur colpack. My old Battle Honours Guard Horse Artillery were dressed in that style and I understand that AB Figures will shortly be releasing such figures (along with Mamelukes of the Guard).
Above: The 7th Cuirassiers, along with the 14th Cuirassiers, formed part of Travers’ Brigade, Wathier’s 13th Cavalry Division.
Above: The 10th Cuirassiers, resplendent in their pink facings… The 10th were grouped with the 5th Cuirassiers in Vial’s Brigade, which formed part of Delort’s 14th Cavalry Division.
Above: My first priority was a new Marshal Blücher figure.
Above: I was fairly well supplied with Prussian regular cavalry, but the 5th (Brandenburg) Dragoon Regiment was required.
Above: In addition to the regular Dragoons, I needed some ‘Landwehr’ (i.e. Militia) cavalry and the 1st 
Above: The 12th (2nd Brandenburg) Infantry Regiment (often referred to as simply the ‘Brandenburg Regiment’) was a regular (i.e. pre-1815) infantry regiment. However, as the most junior regular infantry regiment, this regiment was frequently at the back of the queue when it came to uniform and equipment and looked more like a Reserve Infantry Regiment in terms of dress.
Above: 
In 
Above: The Prince of Orange; commanding general of the Army of the United Netherlands and General Officer Commanding the Allied I Corps.
Above: I’ve rotated the model here to show the Prince’s Chief of Staff, General Constant Rebeque.
Above: I’ve rotated the model again to highlight the staff officer passing a packet of orders to a galloper from the Corps of Guides.
Above: The 2nd Netherlands Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Henri-Georges de Perponcher-Sedlnitzsky was spread across a very wide and precarious frontage in front of the Allied left flank at Waterloo. They have been unjustly maligned in virtually all subsequent British accounts of the battle, but recent research is thankfully restoring their reputation. It should of course be remembered that this division performed superbly two days before Waterloo at Quatre-Bras, where it was instrumental in delaying Marshal Ney’s advance.
Bijlandt’s Brigade (pictured here on the left) has been especially singled out for criticism, as it was positioned in an extremely exposed position in front of the main line and came in for particular attention from the French artillery during the opening phases of the battle and being rapidly broken by the fire. The Orange-Nassau Regiment (centre) and the 2nd Nassau Regiment (pictured on the right) together formed Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar’s Brigade and were spread among the hedgerows, gullies and walled farms (Papelotte, La Haye, Smohain and Frichermont) on the Allied left flank.
Above: The 7th (Belgian) Line Infantry Regiment. All Netherlands Line Infantry Regiments wore a standard uniform of dark blue with white facings. The Belgians were distinguished by having the Portuguese/British-style false-fronted shako, with cords and plumes coloured by company – white for the Centre Companies, red for the Grenadier Company and green for the Light Company. The Grenadier and Light Companies had blue & white striped ‘rolls’ on the shoulders.
Above: The 3rd Netherlands Division, commanded by Lieutenant General David-Hendrik Chassé, was initially stationed on the extreme right-rear flank of the Allied Army, covering the river crossings at Braine l’Alleud. With his centre in danger of collapse, Wellington brought this division in to reinforce the point at which the Imperial Guard were attacking and Chassé’s men were therefore instrumental (along with the British Guards and 52nd Light Infantry) in stopping and then pursuing the defeated Imperial Guard.
Above: The 12th (Dutch) Line Infantry Regiment. This unit represents D’Aubremé’s Brigade, which in full consisted of the 3rd (Belgian), 12th (Dutch) and 13th (Dutch) Line Infantry, the 36th (Belgian) Light Infantry and the 3rd & 10th (Dutch) Militia Regiments.
Above: The 35th (Belgian) Light Infantry Regiment. This regiment represents Detmers’ Brigade, which in full consisted of this regiment, plus the 2nd (Dutch) Line Infantry and the 4th, 6th, 17th and 19th (Dutch) Militia Regiments.
Above: The Netherlands Cavalry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Baron J A de Colläert, formed part of Lord Uxbridge’s Cavalry Reserve Corps. Pictured on the left are the 5th (Belgian) Light Dragoons, resplendent in their yellow-faced green coats and distinctive green shakos. This regiment represents Van Merlen’s 2nd Light Cavalry Brigade, which in reality also included the 6th (Dutch) Hussars.
Above: The 2nd (Belgian) Carabiniers formed part of Trip’s Heavy Cavalry Brigade, which also included the 1st (Dutch) & 3rd (Dutch) Carabiniers.
Above: Only the 2nd (Belgian) Carabinier Regiment wore the magnificent crested helmets shown here; the two Dutch regiments wore the same style of uniform, but were still wearing old-fashioned cocked hats.
Above: A rear view of the 2nd Carabiniers. The similarity to French Cuirassiers is very apparent and many of the officers and men had indeed been ‘French’ Cuirassiers until the previous year! However, they didn’t wear cuirasses and instead wore rolled cloaks en bandolier as protection against sword-cuts (indeed, at least one French Cuirassier Regiment was also dressed in this fashion in 1815, making the similarity even closer).
Above: Instead of a specific general officer figure, I’ve used a Dutch Carabiner officer figure to represent General Trip. He is dressed in the pink facings of the 3rd Carabiniers. The 1st Carabiniers had yellow facings. Both the 1st and 3rd Carabiniers wore white-plumed cocked hats.
Above: Netherlands Horse Artillery open fire on the enemy. There were two full horse batteries – Bijleveld’s Battery was assigned to 2nd Division, while Krahmer de Bichin’s Battery was assigned to 3rd Division. The Cavalry Division has two half-batteries: Petter’s and Van Pitius’. All were equipped with ex-French 6pdrs.
Above and right: The 3/1st Foot Guards in close-up. The Foot Guards’ uniform was very similar to that of the Regiments of the Line. I.e. single-breasted red coats, with coloured facings at collar and cuffs and strips of lace edging the collar and buttonholes on the breast and cuffs. The eight Centre Companies were identified by their white-over-red plumes and shoulder ‘tufts’, while the Grenadier (right flank) Company had white plumes and shoulder ‘wings’ and the Light (left flank) Company had green plumes and shoulder wings. Headgear was the false-fronted, Portuguese-style shako that was introduced in 1812 (often mis-named as the ‘Waterloo’ or ‘Belgic’ shako). Shako-cords were white, except for the Light Company, who had green cords.
Above: The 2nd Battalion of the 2nd (Coldstream) Regiment of Foot Guards. This unit represents Byng’s 2nd Infantry Brigade of Cooke’s 1st Division. In full, the brigade consisted of the 2/2nd and 2/3rd Foot Guards. The uniform of the 2nd Foot Guards was almost identical to that of the 1st Foot Guards above, but note that the buttonhole lace on the breast is now arranged in pairs.
Above: The 1st Battalion of the 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welch Fusiliers). This unit represents Mitchell’s 4th Infantry Brigade of Colville’s 4th Division. This brigade was the only part of 4th Division to be present at Waterloo and in full consisted of the 3/14th (Buckinghamshire) Foot, 1/23rd Foot (Royal Welch Fusiliers) and 51st (2nd Yorks West Riding) Light Infantry.
Above: The 1st Battalion of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot. This unit represents Lambert’s 10th Infantry Brigade of Cole’s 6th Division, which in full consisted of the 1/4th (King’s) Foot, 1/27th (Inniskilling) Foot and 1/40th (2nd Somersetshire) Foot.
Above: The 27th Foot in close-up. The 27th had pale buff facings, evenly-spaced lace (square-ended bars, rather than the bastion-shaped loops of the 23rd) and gold officers’ lace. Some questions remain over the colour of the regiment’s leatherwork; for most regiments this was simply pipe-clay white, but regiments with buff-coloured facings would traditionally have matching buff belts, as well as buff turnbacks on the coat (and buff breeches in full dress). However, the vast majority of artistic depictions of the regiment show white belts and the modern-day re-enactment group have been able to produce evidence for belts being ‘pipe-clayed’. Consequently, I have followed suit and opted for white belts (which is a shame, as I really like the look of buff belts…).
Above: The 27th Foot in action at Waterloo.
Above: The Scots Greys were mounted exclusively on grey horses and uniquely for the British Army, wore bearskin caps, which makes them a very striking unit and a firm wargamers’ favourite (probably due in no small part to the incredible depiction of their doomed charge in Sergei Bondarchuk’s epic film ‘Waterloo’). However, there are lots of different types of grey horses and my horse-loving wife Sue helped me research the differences when painting this beautiful unit. I hope I’ve done them justice in trying to depict a range of greys.
Above: I make no apologies for showing three pictures of this unit! It’s worth mentioning at this point that the 1st and 6th Dragoons wore helmets and would have been more representative of the brigade and would have been a FAR more useful addition to my wargames army than this regiment (which only fought one battle – Waterloo – during Napoleon’s reign)… But they HAVE to be done…
Above: The 10th (Princess of Wales’ Own) Light Dragoons (Hussars). In 1815 this regiment, along with the 18th Hussars and the 1st Hussars of the King’s German Legion, formed part of Sir Hussey Vivian’s 6th Cavalry Brigade. However, I must confess that this unit is WRONG for Waterloo, as it is painted in the uniform it wore in the very early stages of the Peninsular War, circa 1808.
Above: The 2nd Light Infantry Battalion of the King’s German Legion (KGL). This battalion, commanded by one Major Bäring, formed part of Colonel Christian von Ompteda’s 2nd KGL Infantry Brigade. The brigade also included the similarly-dressed 1st Light Infantry Battalion and the red-coated 5th and 8th Line Infantry Battalions. At Waterloo, Major Bäring’s battalion was tasked with holding the key walled farm of La Haye-Sainte, in the very centre of the battlefield and well forward of the rest of the brigade.
Above: The 1st Regiment of Hussars of the King’s German Legion. Along with the 10th (Princess of Wales’) Hussars and the 18th Hussars, the 1st KGL Hussars formed part of Sir Hussey Vivian’s 6th British Cavalry Brigade, initially being deployed on the extreme left flank of Wellington’s army.
Having never seen a 3D-printed model before, I’m absolutely fascinated by the ‘supporting structure’ that underpins each model and even completely encases parts of it.
This supporting structure all needs to be cleaned away and BPM kindly provide at least one cleaned-up model with each order as a guide to what needs to be removed.
Some of the supporting structure snaps away very easily between finger and thumb.
The rest of it comes away easily enough with the aid of a small pair of snips or pliers. I found that the join between the supporting structure and the model itself is always the weakest point and I haven’t yet managed to damage a model during clean-up.
Here are my first twelve models cleaned and based, ready for painting. The whole process took about an hour, so roughly five minutes per model. This takes somewhat longer than the clean-up time for a metal or resin model, but there is no construction required aside from attaching the turrets or pintle-mounted MGs and it takes considerably less time than building a plastic kit!
The process to generate a lot of waste, however! This is the rubbish left over from the first twelve models.
I’ve now completed eighteen SKOTs; mostly SKOT-2A, but with a few SKOT-2AP, a pair of SKOT-2, a SKOT-R2, a SKOT-R2M, a SKOT-2AM and a pair of SKOT-R2AM. I found that some models were slightly worse than others in terms of ‘stepping’, but none were in any way bad and mentioned earlier, the slight imperfections are invisible when viewed at normal tabletop distances. Here are some close-ups of the various types:
Above: The basic SKOT-2 APC, here fitted with a DShK 12.7mm HMG. The original SKOT-1 lacked the octagonal ‘plinth’ on the top deck and had additional internal seating. When the plinth was added it became the SKOT-1A and when armed it became the SKOT-2. The Czechs simply called all of these the OT-64 and did not distinguish between the sub-types. The Czechs also fitted some of their OT-64s with a small 7.62mm LMG turret.
Above: The SKOT-2A was the majority type in the Polish People’s Army of the 1980s. It was fitted with the standard Soviet BPU-1 turret, as fitted to the BRDM-2 scout car and BTR-60PB APC. The BPU-1 turret mounted a KPVT 14.5mm HMG, but had a severely limited range of elevation or depression. The Czechs referred to this vehicle as the OT-64A, while NATO incorrectly referred to it as the ‘OT-64C’.
Above: The SKOT-2AP was a further development of the SKOT-2A, which replaced the BPU-1 turret with the locally-produced WAT turret. This new turret retained the KPVT 14.5mm gun, but had much better elevation, enabling it to provide local air defence and making it much more useful in urban and mountain warfare situations. Never as numerous as the SKOT-2A, the SKOT-2APs seem to have been mixed in with SKOT-2As, with perhaps one SKOT-2AP per platoon. The Czechs also used a few of these, but only in small numbers and they didn’t give it a special designation, simply grouping it under the heading OT-64A. NATO incorrectly referred to the SKOT-2AP as the ‘OT-64C(2)’.
Above: The SKOT-2AM was a fairly rare conversion of the SKOT-2A, with a 9M14 Malyutka (AT-3 ‘Sagger’) anti-tank guided missile fitted to each side of the turret, behind an armoured blast-shield. These vehicles were probably issued to regimental anti-tank companies in lieu of the 9P122 Malyutka anti-tank vehicle (BRDM-2 with AT-3 ‘Sagger’). The Czechs also had a few of these vehicles, but again don’t appear to have given it a distinct designation other than OT-64A. NATO incorrectly referred to this type as ‘OT-64C(1A)’.
Above: The SKOT-R2M was the battalion/regimental command post version of the SKOT-2. The Czechs referred to this as the VSOT-64/R2. Butler’s Printed Models provide it with a DShK HMG, but all the photos I’ve seen show it as unarmed, so I’ve left it off.
Above: The SKOT-R2AM was an artillery observation and command vehicle, which was externally much the same as the SKOT-R2, with the addition of a folding frame-antenna. Higher-level command and signals vehicles such as the SKOT-R3 also looked much the same as this.
Above: The SKOT-R2M was a turreted version of the SKOT-R2 that seems to have been used primarily as a company commander’s vehicle. In Czech service this was known as the VSOT-64/R2M.
Fortes Fortuna Juvat 
The Heimatschützen’s sacrifice has allowed time for NATO’s LANDJUT Command to crystallise a main line of resistance along the Kiel Canal. The German 6th Panzergrenadier Division is on the right, with its flank resting on the Elbe and covering the main approaches to Hamburg. The Danish Jutland Division is on the left, holding a wide swathe of land across Schleswig-Holstein, with its left flank resting on the Baltic and the British 1st Infantry Brigade is in reserve. The line is spread very thin, though gaps are being covered by the ubiquitous local Heimatschütz platoons and the line should soon be strengthened by the arrival of the US 9th Motorized Infantry Division, which is presently unloading at Hamburg.
However, not everyone is safely behind the Kiel Canal… Danish and German reconnaissance forces are east of the canal, performing reconnaissance and covering the withdrawal of the surviving German Territorial units and refugees from the east. Among these is the 1st Battalion of the Danish Jutland Dragoon Regiment, whose ‘A’ Squadron is presently in camouflaged positions near the town of Wulfsfelde, approximately half-way between the IGB and the Kiel Canal. Major Simmondsson, commanding ‘A’ Squadron, has the following forces at his disposal:
There are also some German units locally that are initially not under the command of Major Simmondsson. They start the scenario in the locations detailed and only come under Danish control once they have been contacted by the enemy (they will hold fire until spotted or until an enemy unit comes within ambush range):
Rapidly approaching from the east are the leading elements of the East German 28th Motorisierte-Schützen Regiment Wilhelm Florin , which is the spearhead unit for the 8th Motorisierte-Schützen Division Kurt Bürger. At the tip of the spear is the 28th Regiment’s Reconnaissance Group, led by Major Marx:
Above: Elements of Major Marx’s Recce Group avoid the town of Wulfsfelde and head north along the riverbank, before turning west onto a farm track. The bridges along this track have already been assessed by covert pre-war reconnaissance as being capable of taking tanks.
Above: Behind them, the sound of explosions and gunfire announces the presence of West German Heimatschützen in Wulfsfelde. A BRDM-2 scout car goes up in flames as a Panzerfaust finds its mark.
Above: In Wulfsfelde, elements of the Recce Company dismount to deal with the uppity locals, but soon get the worst of it! A dismounted assault fails and they withdraw from the village, covered by their BTR-60. Let the artillery deal with them…
Above: On a wooded knoll approximately 1km north of the town, marked as Der O
Above: A platoon from the elite East German 40th Air Assault Battalion Willi Sanger (regarded by all as the very best of Warpac special forces) has infiltrated NATO lines using uniforms and M113Gs captured from the Schleswig-Holstein Territorial Command and has taken up position at the farm in order to keep the bridge (which had already been assessed as good for tanks by members of a ‘student exchange’ some years previously) open for the East German advance. However, the arrival of the West German helicopters and Danish M41s required them to play their hand early; they’ve now been rumbled by the Danes and their mechanised recce relief force is now burning in the lane…
Above: An M41 moves forward to engage the surviving special forces, but is disordered by Panzerfaust fire from the farm. Meanwhile, the East German artillery have finally woken up and concentrated 122mm fire is plastering the O
Above: The prototype M41 DK-1 detachment ends the argument with the East German special forces, destroying their looted M113G APC with a shot to the rear.
Above: With East German units deploying into battle formation in the distance, the West German helicopters fire again, destroying a T-55.
Above: Undeterred by mounting casualties, the East Germans shake out into battle formation.
Above: At last, the East German air defence units start to find their form and the helicopters suffer a crisis of confidence, scuttling behind the lee of the O
Above: Determined to winkle out the Danish OP on the O
Above: Led by the tank company, the East Germans cross the river and advance on the Danish position.
Above: The East German infantry decide to break with doctrine and conduct the attack dismounted… Anything is better than going to war in a BTR-60…
Above: The RDAF Drakens return for a strike on the East German armour, but this time are driven off by a wall of AAA and SAMs.
Above: The light Dragoon patrols on O
Above: After a sterling effort in blunting the enemy advance, the West German helicopters are out of ammunition and must return to base.
Above: Having given the East Germans a bloody nose for the loss of a section of M41s, the Dragoons disengage.
The game was played with 
We were back in Gettysburg again last week! Following on from our 
The scenario covers the first moves on 1st July 1863, the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg: General Heth’s Confederate Division is marching toward the Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg and has encountered the Union Cavalry Division of General Buford. Heth’s two leading brigades (Davis’ and Archer’s) have deployed to attack the skirmishing cavalrymen and the rest of Heth’s division, along with several batteries of artillery, are hurrying to the scene. On the Union side, the leading elements of General Reynolds’ I Corps has arrived to relieve Buford’s cavalry.
Above: “With a Rebel Yell…” Archer’s small but veteran Confederate infantry brigade charges across the Willoughby Run, hoping to sweep Gamble’s unsupported dismounted cavalry brigade before them… And get shot down in droves… Archer’s assault grinds to a halt on the banks of the Willoughby Run.
Above: Support for Gamble is coming in the form of Meredith’s crack Iron Brigade, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be needed…
Above: At the northern end of the battlefield, Davis’ large Confederate brigade crosses the Willoughby Run and advances along the unfinished railway line.
Above: On Davis’ right, a brief artillery duel results in a magnificent result for the Union gunners as one Confederate battery on the Herr Ridge is knocked out, a second one is damaged and the third battery is temporarily silenced! Calef’s Union Horse Battery, which is closely supporting Devin’s cavalry brigade, now switches its attention to Brockenbrough’s infantry brigade near the bridge, but Calef’s guns are already running low on ammunition following the artillery duel, so have a difficult choice to make: Stay to support the cavalry with diminished results, or pull back to replenish their limbers, leaving the cavalry unsupported…?
Above: Cutler’s Union Brigade moves forward on the north side of the railway to MacPherson’s Ridge, to support Devin’s left flank and perhaps stop Davis’ Confederate Brigade on the banks of the Willoughby Run. However, Davis’ first volley disorders Cutler’s Red-Legs and the Rebel Yell is heard once again as Davis’ men charge up the ridge!
Above: Cutler’s Brigade manage to hurt Davis’s men as they charge up the ridge, but fails to stop them. A return volley inflicts more casualties on Cutler, but still they hold on! The combat is drawn out and bloody – men fall in large numbers on both sides until finally, Cutler is forced to give ground. However, a further exchange of fire sees Davis’s men falter and Cutler throws them back off the ridge!
Above: At McPherson’s Farm, Devin’s cavalry can’t possibly hope to hold out against the massing Confederate infantry. Calef’s Battery still hasn’t had a chance to replenish its limbers, so is only able to provide limited support.
Above: Thankfully, Hall’s Battery, still stationed well to the rear on Seminary Ridge, is providing outstanding long-range fire support and manages to keep the Confederate artillery largely silenced.
Above: Gamble’s Cavalry Brigade continues to hammer Archer’s Confederates. The waters of the Willoughby Run run red…
Above: Meredith’s Iron Brigade still hasn’t managed to get into action. It looks as though Gamble is easily coping with Archer’s attack, though Pettigrew’s massive Confederate brigade is massing in the wooded valley and looks set to attack the Union cavalrymen. It’s time for Buford to pull his cavalry back and allow Meredith to attack the Confederate flank.
Above: Archer’s Brigade is soon broken utterly, though Confederate artillery are now starting to make their presence felt again and the Union cavalry are starting to take casualties. Buford gives the order for them to fall back to the next ridge-line. In the distance, the Iron Brigade engages Pettigrew.
Above: On the northern flank, Cutler’s and Davis’s brigades are now utterly exhausted, having fought each other to a standstill. Cutler launches another charge in a desperate attempt to throw Davis back off McPherson’s Ridge, but to no avail. Heth and Wadsworth both become personally involved in the bitter hand-to-hand fighting, but to no effect. With Buford’s cavalry falling back on the left, Wadsworth finally orders Cutler to concede ground and fall back to conform with Buford’s right flank.
Above: On the southern flank, Pettigrew’s Confederates suffer heavy casualties from the combined effects of Meredith’s Iron Brigade, Gamble’s cavalry and Hall’s Battery and suddenly suffer a crisis of confidence! To Meredith’s astonishment and disappointment, the Rebs retreat back to the cover of the woods along the Willoughby Run!
Above: Brockenbrough’s small veteran confederate brigade pushes hard up the road, but comes under renewed fire from Calef’s Battery and Gamble’s cavalry and his attack grinds to a halt. To his right, Pettigrew’s boys are withdrawing and on his left, Davis and Cutler have fought each other to a standstill. With casualties now approaching catastrophic levels, Heth halts the attack and waits for Pender’s Division to come up…
Above: Having suffered near-perpetual silencing at the hands of the Union artillery, the Reb artillery is starting to build up again on Herr Ridge, but it’s too little, too late…
First apologies: As you know, it’s been a very slow couple of weeks on the blog. This is primarily due to the arrival of a new Hairy Land Shark Under Training here at Fawr Towers, accompanied by constant demands for attention and lack of sleep…
Note that the low-tech nature of African wars generally means that you can simply use the ‘straight’ Battlefront: WWII rules without modern modification. All you need are the models and the Unit Data Cards, which can be downloaded from the 
To précis the scenario: In November 1986, the South African special forces of 5 Recce-Commando, led by Commandant James Hill, were operating deep inside Angola, with the objective of destroying a SWAPO-PLAN guerrilla training camp about 30km north-east of the earlier battlefield of Cassinga and about 20km south-east of the Cuban garrison at Jamba.
Above: Aside from a few sentries, Major James Chitepo and his SWAPO-PLAN freedom-fighters sleep peacefully, unaware of the danger lurking in the treeline.
Above: Captain Herbert Guma’s 1st Company sleeps in its tent-lines near the Motor Pool (ok sorry, I don’t have any tent models…), while Captain Duke Mafoka’s 2nd Company beds down between the trenches and the officers’ accommodation buildings. Captain Raymond Mondlane’s 3rd Company is camped on the far side of the stores and headquarters buildings. All three companies have heavy machine guns positioned in bunkers at the road-entrances and 60mm mortars in weapon-pits to the rear.
Above: Major Luyts leads the rest of his Casspirs in a frontal assault across the ford.
Above: As quietly as they can, 5/1 Commando’s support weapons move into position along the treeline, ready to provide supporting fire for the assault. The Fire Support Group has two Unimog trucks mounting ZPU-2 twin 14.5mm HMGs, another two Unimogs mounting B-10 107mm Recoilless Rifles (proxied here by Land Rovers) and a GAZ-66 mounting twin .50 Cal HMGs.
Above: At H-Hour, the 81mm mortars, recoilless rifles and heavy machine guns open up on the camp and the Casspirs roar at full-pelt across the river!
Above: As Luyts’ assault group charges the camp, the 81mm mortars manage to silence the DShK bunker guarding the south gate. The truck-mounted heavy weapons meanwhile cause utter carnage among Duke Mafoka’s 2nd Company tent lines.
Above: Luyts’ leading Casspir crosses the river and then uses its second action to disembark two sections of Recce Commandos. The following Casspirs move to either flank and close on the trench-lines.
Above: Hill’s assault group closes on the east gate. The sentries desperately fire their weapons at the armoured beasts, but to no effect. There is now utter pandemonium in the camp, as guerrillas attempt to extricate themselves from their tents!
Above: At the east gate, Commandant Hill personally leads the assault on the dug-in sentries. Aided by suppressing fire from their Casspir, two Recce sections dismount and assault the DShK bunker on the north side of the gate, while a further two Recce sections dismount and occupy the trenches on Hill’s left.
Above: The east gate a few moments later; Commandant Hill’s supporting section was suppressed by smallarms fire from the SWAPO sentries, but Hill’s HQ section successfully stormed the trench at bayonet-point! On the other side of the road however, the Recces weren’t quite as successful, being beaten off by the suppressed DShK HMG section. As his men die around him, Duke Mafoka’s position in the officer’s accommodation block looks increasingly precarious!
Above: It has now only been twenty minutes (two turns) since the first shot was fired and the situation already looks desperate for Major Chitepo’s beleaguered command. Chitepo orders his HQ section to load up into one of the GAZ-66 trucks and to make for the Cuban garrison at Jamba. Duke Mafoka’s 2nd Company has virtually been wiped out and the few survivors, including Mafoka, are fleeing for the north gate. Herbert Guma’s 1st Company is still relatively intact, though is falling back toward the Motor Pool. Their HMGs, which were originally positioned on the west side of the camp, are moving to engage the South Africans. Guma himself however, finds himself trapped in the officers’ accommodation. He succeeds in breaching the fence to the Motor Pool and immediately jumps into a GAZ-66. Raymond Mondlane’s 3rd Company is still intact though, and while some of the company move to commandeer vehicles, the rest of the company attempts to establish blocking positions on the north side of the camp.
Above: Seeing movement in the truck-park, Major Luyts calls the 81mm mortars down on the parked rows of GAZ-66 trucks and watches with grim satisfaction as some of them go up in flames. James Chitepo and Herbert Guma now find themselves fleeing for their lives as their transport goes up in smoke! On the south side of the camp, more of Guma’s 1st Company fall victim to South African fire. Guma’s DShKs and 60mm mortar attempt to keep South African heads down, but to little effect.
Above: At the east gate, the heroic Commandant Hill, with help from his Casspirs, successfully knocks out the machine gun bunker and pushes on into the officers’ accommodation buildings. Duke Mafoka attempts to flee across the road, but tragically becomes road-kill as a Casspir charges down the street in pursuit of the fleeing guerrillas! Hill’s HQ Casspir meanwhile, drives into the forest on the north side of the camp, in an attempt to cut off the fugitives’ escape.
Above: With the eastern side of the camp now cleared, Commandant Hill calls his Fire support Group forward across the river in order to more closely engage the remaining DSHk HMG teams and bunkers.
Above: The Casspir in the street luckily manages to spot and destroy a B-10 recoilless rifle team before they could engage the Casspir. A guerilla section does manage to fire an RPG at the Casspir and suppresses it, but those guerrillas too are soon eliminated.