USMC in Afghanistan

I am fortunate enough to have a 30 minute ride each way to work on the bus. This, coupled with the contents of the university's libraries at my disposal, makes for some good time to catch up on reading. Having read solidly on the Falklands for a couple of months, I was hankering for something new.

A recent visit to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra highlighted how little I knew about the more recent conflicts our country has been involved in - particularly the Gulf Wars and the counter insurgency efforts in Afghanistan. A new wargaming era to dabble in ... why not!

This led me, of course, to consider Eureka Miniatures release of 'Modern' US Marines and Afghan insurgents Sculpted by Kosta Heristanidis. Beautiful figures.

As per the advice on the Eureka Miniatures website for the Marines, I have used the following paint scheme for the Marines:

• uniform is 60% Vallejo 321 Highlight British Tank crew (from the Panzer Ace range) and 40% Vallejo 951 White (Model Colour range)
• The flak jacket is 50% Vallejo 923 Japanese Uniform WWII and 50% Vallejo 879 Green Brown
• The light digitised camouflage used Vallejo 983 Flat Earth (Eureka article suggests 826 German Camouflage Medium Brown) stippled over the base colour.
• Boots were a 50:50 mix of Vallejo 984 Flat Brown and Vallejo 317 British Tank Crew.

Here are some pics of the first batch with a little scenery:

Somewhere in Palestine, 1916 ... If the Lord Spares Us

A bloke needs a shed. I have one, but it has been perpetually full of junk for years now (good junk, but full nonetheless). But, after a number of merciless 'chucking sessions' in recent weeks, I have finally come to the point where the shed becomes a plausible gaming venue – even if it is somewhat lacking in creature comforts (e.g. leaking roof (not over the tables), hot in summer and cold in winter).

A New Hope! Wargaming in the shed!

I've been keen to get some serious gameplay under my belt using the Too Fat Lardies classic, If the Lord Spares Us (WW1 in the Middle east). Previously, trying to war-game in a busy household had led to rushed set-ups, late at night when all was quiet, only to have to pack up after a few turns to clear the decks for morning. No longer shall the domestic needs of the many curtail the wargaming needs of the few (well, me).

So, my first decent attempt at ITLSU with my Eureka Miniatures 15mm troops, was a 'somewhere in Palestine' encounter where a brigade of British infantry supported by a troop of armoured cars, assault and Ottoman stronghold surrounding an Oasis town of El-Gouna. The British have occupied a small Oasis from where they will launch their attack.  but not enough to maintain their current position. Their only hope is to capture the wells held by Johnny Turk, a few miles to the 

The task of capturing El-Gouna and its wells, intact, fell to Brigadier-General A.W. Tufnel (classified as an Eaton commander) and the 126th East Lancashire Brigade:

• 1st Battalion, 4 companies of 4 bases, infantry + 1 x MG (Jolly Good Fellows, spunk rating 0)
• 2nd Battalion, 4 companies of 4 bases, infantry + 1 x MG (Saturday Boys, spunk rating 1)
• 3rd Battalion, 4 companies of 4 bases, infantry + 1 x MG  (Saturday Boys, spunk rating 1)
• 2 Armoured cars (1 base, Jolly Good Fellows, spunk rating 0)

Initial deployment with the Ottoman forces deployed in two redoubts overlooking the oasis. I randomly allocate troops to each blind once they are spotted or choose to come out of cover. The Empire troops have limited water at this oasis (bottom of picture) but must push on to secure the more reliable water supply at El-Gouna.

The Empire troops advance cautiously across the open ground before El Gouna. On the British left cover is taken behind a rocky hill.

The Empire forces are spotted from the air by a lone Taube (due to the Biggles card turning up this turn). 

I've never found time to finish this post so will upload the pictures I have to hand. Ultimately, the British force managed to push the Turks off the hill on their left (by sweeping around the wire). However, the Turks managed to hold the hill on the British right flank.

The 3rd battalion of the East Lancs in the British centre manages to push along the wadi with support from a pair of armoured cars on their left. This was the beginning of the end for the Turkish defence.

20,000 camels - quenching the thirst of the EEF

By early 1916, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force was using nearly 20,000 camels in its transport lines. Camels were organised in companies of about 2,000 led by Egyptian drivers.

Well with horn bucket, Palestine

The water needs of troops on the front line was often supplied by camel convoys with each camel carting two small 12.5 gallon tanks known as fanatis.

Filling fanatis near Jaffa, 1918

I could not resist having a well and camel train (of sorts) to populate a corner of the battlefield. As warmers, I think we often politely ignore the presence of the transport required to get troops into the firing line and supply them when they are there.

Camels with 'well sets'

So, in recognition of all this necessary 'graft' going on behind the lines, here is a scratch build of a couple of hardy engineers pumping up the brackish water from a desert well 'somewhere in Palestine' into the fanatics - ready for carting off to the line.

A05802. Probably PALESTINE, C. 1917. WATER PUMPS USED BY 1ST FIELD SQUADRON ENGINEERS

The two Royal Engineers are Eureka British in Sinai gun crew (yes, I use them for everything!) and the camel are Irregular Miniatures Egyptian Camel Corps (FZ88) with their riders lopped off.

Assembling the well - I'm a slow bricklayer!

Engineer at the well building up a sweat on the water pump

The fanatis display their balsa construction - should have used card!

Its enough to make a chap thirsty. Thanks for looking.

Heliograph team, Egypt and Palestine c1915 - Eureka 15mm British in Sinai conversion

In the BEF signals were dealt with by the Royal Engineers:

In 1914 each infantry Division included a Signals Company with a total strength of 162 men. It was organised into a Company HQ and 4 Sections, of which No 1 Section was responsible for communications with Divisional HQ and Nos 2-4 with the Brigades of the Division.
Source: http://www.1914-1918.net/whatfieldcoy.htm

Among the equipment available to the signallers, was the heliograph which employed a mirror (often mounted on a tripod) that was used to 'flash' Morse Code.

You can see some original footage of a heliograph in action here:

The heliograph was valued for its mobility, being quick to set up. It was a cheap signalling system with an impressive communication range in the right terrain. A 5 inch reflector had a signalling distance of some 50 miles (80 km), whilst the 9 or 12 inch models had a range of up to 80 miles (130 km). Best of all, in the Middle East theatre, there was plenty of sun!

Signals posts play an important role in the command system of If the Lord Spares us (ITLSU) rules by increasing the distance over which Battalion COs can operate effectively from the Brigade Commander-in-Chief.

There are no signals figures among the Eureka 15mm range so some conversion was necessary to obtain some signal posts. I have always liked the iconic images of heliograph teams operating in Egypt and Palestine, so wanted to put together some for my British.

The figures that provided the best conversion opportunity were the British in Sinai Artillery Crew (300HBC84). Here's a few pictures of how I approached the conversion.

The tripod is made of brass wire with a thin section of PVC tube for the mirror frame (white) and a circle of foil for the mirror itself (added after painting). Each 'leg' of the tripod was about 12mm / 0.5 inch.

I made some holes for the tripod using a heated nail. This is a 30mm base (~ 1 1/4 ") and the holes are 6mm (1/4") apart.

The tripod legs are glued in place.

The heliograph operator is made from the Eureka artillery crewman holding a shell. With the shell cut out it leaves his hands in quite a good position - looking like they are operating the Morse key behind the mirror.

The crewman with the coincidence-type range finder is adapted to a signaller holding binoculars. Most heliograph pictures show the spotter using a telescope - in this case I use some poetic license for convenience. It would be possible to scratch build a nice telescope on a tripod and cut away the second binocular lens.

The standing signaller has his base trimmed so the front foot will fit between the tripod legs.
Then, the signallers are ready to go!

For the first team I mounted the upright mirror frame strait on the apex of the tripod which was fiddly. This time I mounted a second piece of tube over the end as a base for the upright mirror. The made it easier, to mount the mirror frame but had the effect of raising the height of the heliograph a little. 

The mirror 'frame' is then glued in place.

The crew are mounted in place.

Heliograph completed. I painted the figures (in this case just the main colours blocked in) before I added the foil 'mirror'
on the front of the PVC tube frame.

Note that this was the first one I made - the above 'how to' pictures are of the second attempt where I used the second piece of PVC tube on top of the apex - you can see this earlier attempt sits a bit lower - I think this original team looks better, but it's quite fiddly getting the mirror frame to stick on the apex of the tripod.

I'm sure there are improvements that can be made to this approach - but this provides a quick and easy heliograph post.

As these teams will be supporting units of the 42nd Division (East Lancashire), I'm designating these as signallers from the 427th Field Company - identified thanks to the excellent resource on the Field Companies of the Royal Engineers on The Long, Long Trail.

A group of men of 527 (2nd Durham) Field Company, a Territorial unit that served under command of 5th Division. 

If the Lord Spares Us - Eureka Miniatures 'British in Sinai' 15mm

It seems the blogging hiatus is over! I'm back at the painting table and have started on a new project based on the Too Fat Lardies rules - If the Lord Spares Us - WW1 in the Middle East!

"Away from the quagmire of the Western Front ITLSU proves that brigade level games the Great War in the Middle East have components of everything; camels, arab war bands, sweeping cavalry attacks, opposed beach landings, massed machine guns, gas attacks, tanks, armoued cars, fighting in the mirage, water shortages, trench assaults, river gunboats - and enough command and control dilemmas to test the most cunning Pasha."

Source: http://toofatlardies.co.uk 

I'd been working on a 6mm (Irregular Miniatures) project for Gallipoli and the Middle East using Great War Spearhead II (and it's not abandoned), but I've wanted an excuse to buy some of Eureka Miniatures very nice WW1 15mm range – who can resist the Imperial Camel Corps, after all?          

To give me a little inspiration, I'm reading The Palestine Campaign by Field Marshal Earl Wavell P.C, G.C.B, G.C.S.I, G.C.I.E, M.C. (3rd Edn. by Constable, London, 1954). 

My intention is to begin with the defence of the Suez and work on slowly from there. 

Actions around the Suez, 1915-1916, from Wavell (1954).

Terrain is something I'll have to get working on, but the main effort will be on painting up a few infantry battalions for the British (and her dominions) and Ottomans, then onto some mounted, artillery, and armoured cars!

I must also thank Mark Hargreaves of the Over Open Sights for his generous provision of painting guides covering the Middle East campaigns - I strayed away from his recommendations (painting with what I had), but the inspiration was very well received. Thanks Mark!

Well, I am unashamedly a 'middle of the road' painter of miniatures - nevertheless, I enjoy it. Here's a few snaps of my first attempt. Two companies (4 bases per company in ITLSU) of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Territorial Division. These stout fellows did it all - defence of the Suez (1915), Cape Helles (May 1915 to January 1916), Egypt and the Sinai Campaign (1916 to 1917), and Western Front (1917 to the Armistice in 1918).

Their battle honours include:

• Battle of Gallipoli: Second Battle of Krithia; Third Battle of Krithia; Battle of Krithia Vineyard
• Battle of Romani
• Third Battle of Ypres
• First Battle of the Somme (1918): First Battle of Bapaume
• Second Battle of the Somme (1918): Battle of Albert (1918); Second Battle of Bapaume
• Battle of the Canal du Nord
• Battle of the Selle

But, as they say, 'Pictures! Or it didn't happen!'

Eureka Skeletal pirates

Much as these undead denizens of Davy Jones' Locker are the result of powerful enchantments, so have I been taken under the spell of a new (non-historical) genera!

In a project that began years ago with my daughter (then 6, now 9 and dead keen on gaming, bless her!) wanting to paint some Eureka Teddy Bear Pirates, I have, at last, found some renewed passion for miniatures and gaming (sorely lacking in the past 6 months).

I came away from an all-too-long overdue visit with the kiddies to Eureka Miniatures on the weekend, with some new projects - the first to hit the painting table are Eureka's Skeletal Pirates in 28mm. I've not tried anything like this before and while I feel like my 28mm painting skills have a long way to go (having been focussing on 6mm lately), I'm really happy with the results. 

A model brig is on the workbench in the shed and will soon take to the seas to host the first encounter between skeletons and teddy bears! Despite their appearance, I'm not underestimating the courage of these furry bed companions when it comes to a good bit of biffo using Eureka's Fifteen Men rules.

Alas, these photos are only with the old iPhone, so not very clear, but give you an impression. More to follow.

Pirate Bears!

I can't resist a bit of fatherly bragging by offering a peek at the first miniature my daughter has painted. She has wanted to paint 'knights' with me for a long time now so I gave her a handful of Eureka Miniatures' wonderful Teddy Bear Pirates for her seventh birthday.

This was her first bear - painted immediately after she opened the parcel. Well done sweetheart!

A sticky swab indeed!

Grab the honey and run!

Avast ye sticky swab ...

I can't resist a bit of fatherly bragging by offering a peek of the first miniature my daughter has painted. She has wanted to paint 'knights' with me for a long time now so I gave her a handful of Eureka Miniatures wonderful Teddy Bear Pirates for her seventh birthday, recently.

This was her first bear - painted immediately after she opened the parcel.

A sticky swab indeed!