Tuesday 23 July 2024

Rapid Fire! rules - Bir Hakeim 1942 (part 6) - The Morris CS8 w/25mm AT gun at Les Mamelles

 


A "Jock" column makes a reconnaissance mission around the Bir Hakeim perimeter on the night of 25th May, 1942. In order to get some inspiration for the fight they know its coming  the group stop at Les Mamelles (the breasts) with some of them remembering the delights of the Moulin Rouge while others get into dirty talking. 


The Airfix six-wheeled Morris is, unfortunately, only good to tow the Bofors 40mm AA gun. I searched other usages but found nothing. On the contrary the gun itself can be used by many armies which is something that I´ve been doing but with different tows (Poland 39 with CP2; FFL with Ford/Dodge, etc) . After making a few combinations of tow and Bofors gun for the British, the pile of Morris CDSW was good only for conversion to its older and smaller brother, the Morris CS8. 


There were 18 25mm AT guns with the Free French at Bir hakeim. I suppose most of them were of the naval type with a larger shield than the infantry version. I don´t know how many of them were of the naval type or on SP mode like these ones but like this the FFL gets some interesting and rather unique vehicles. 


All figures are converted Hat with one Matchbox figure. 


The Morris CDSW got all the rear part changed with only one set of wheels (glued at the middle of the two sets of the original model version) and the construction of a new and shorter cargo bed. 


The gun itself is made from two types of hard plastic. I only mesure the lenght of the guns and work from within until the majority of the details are there. 


All trucks got a French FM 24/29, in fact 3d printed Bren but a close one. 


The windshields are again pieces of EverGreen plastic. 


Les Mamelles were carved from thick 10cm blocks of BlueBoard.  Frankly I don´t know the correct shape of Les Mamelles around summer 1942 as I can´t find proper images on the Web, books, or magazines. When you google it three big water cisternes shows up and connected to Bir Hakeim: 


I think this has nothing to do with Bir Hakeim but even so gives a reasonable idea of the Arab cisternes of the region. 


"No one will take from us les Mamelles"

Next: a few weeks off and then in late August more Bir Hakeim and the last of the three battalions of the late1944 US PIR. 

6 comments:

  1. Impressive conversion work as always Joao!
    Neil

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    1. Thanks Neil. For a break now and back at the end of August.

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  2. Love the trucks, There was a conversion plan in an old Airfix modeling magazine reprinted in one of their books by Gerald Scarbourgh I think??

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    1. Thanks Richard. I was imagining something like that as for years there was no easy to get Morris CS8 and the airfix 6 wheeled was too tempting for someone not to convert it.

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