Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 11) The first US Marine battalion

 

This first Marine battalion is set for late war Pacific, from Tarawa up to Iwo Jima. There is more heavy infantry weapons support is this battalion than in the ones at Guadalcanal. Up to May 1944 a RF! Marine battalion should have only one of these three 60mm mortars, two MMGs (no HMGs) and the 81mm mortar, everything allocated to the support company, while in late war these heavy weapons were integral of the rifle companies and thus in larger numbers. Also the Marines at Guadalcanal still didn´t receive the bazooka, even if this one was already used at Operation Torch, in Tunisia. 

A problem while doing the WW2 Marines is, at least in our 1/72nd scale, to use or not the camouflaged helmet, something that changes the appearence of the soldier and miniature. In fact the Marine´s camouflaged helmet was first introduced after Guadalcanal, at Tarawa, but was used on all other Island hoppings up to the end of the war. So I cheated Guadalcanal by a few months and painted the helmets in three color camouflage as it can be used for several years, from November 1943 up to march 1945, while the plain helmet is only useful for Guadalcanal Marines.

The figures in the rifle companies are mostly Revell with some Esci and hard plastic Hasegawa for variety. The intention of Revell with its Marines look to have been a bit like the 1st edition of Airfix Marines with most of the figures arriving at a beach, looking for cover or wading ashore.The Revell figures are quite well sculpted but the Revell plastic is very bad with figures breaking quite easily after a some time of light and air exposure something that doesnt happen with Atlantic or Matchbox for instance, which are much older. 

These are the extras that the three rifle companies have from may 1944 on. 

The three HMGs are late Brownings M2 turned into the 1917A1 model by inserting an Evergreen tube. The figures are Matchbox, Revell, Hasegawa and Airfix. 

The MMGs (M1919 Brownings) are Hasegawa (previous copies of the hard plastic Esci) and, to the rear, a sole Airfix that originally had the bipod, mostly used by the US paratroopers, here turned into a tripod. Two of the number 2 are Matchbox. 

The Battalion HQ company has two bazookas, a 81mm mortar and two flamethrowers. The last ones were used by the first time at Guadalcanal by the 2nd engineer batallion in January 1943.

The Bazookas No 2s were converted from Revell and Hasegawa while the firers are Airfix and hard plastic Esci. 

The 60mm mortars are from the 1st edition Valiant and are my first models from a set of over 200 sprues offered last month to me by master Colin. See? This is what you get for being loyal serf of your master and never escaping its dominium (or other sets of WW2 rules..).

The figures are a bit small as most are SHQ and Matchbox. 

The 81mm mortar is SHQ with a converted figure from Revell, the one wading ashore with its rifle above the head, an Esci and Matchbox figures. 

The Co group is Revell with a figure with the Hasegawa radio/telephone on its back. In fact the radioman should have a lighter rifle than the BAR but this Revell BAR is quite flimsy and looks like a smaller calibre rifle. 

Next: Asymmetric Wargames and Simon´s Soldiers Japanese artillery and crews. 

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 10) An odd bunch of a Japanese divisional staff car, anti-tank rifles and mules

 

The divisional stand is made from an Hotwheels car and plastic figures. The idea was to place a tank commander (Fujimi) presenting the report of the last failed tank attack on Guadalcanal (look at the map! Its Guadalcanal). The good thing is that the officers (Chinese Airfix copies) may also be pleased as it depends on the wargame result. 

The HotWheels car was this thing I found in a supermarket as it had potential to become a Japanese Staff car if you just consider the front. 

The usual wheels were replaced with 3d printed ones, a 3d printed canvas cover was placed on top and lots of Milliput was used on the back part of the car. Some plastic parts at the rear - fortunately they were plastic-  were taken out with a X-Acto. 

A small table was added and a hand painted map of Guadalcanal was glued on top. 

This is the kind of divisional stand I like to use in my miniature divisions. This one had this Hotwheels model trying to represent the Nissan model 97 staff car something I couldn´t find anywhere. 

I found this Matchbox Dodge 1940 in a 2nd hand fair and it quickly became a captured vehicle from one of the many US enterprises spread out in the Pacific islands. In fact I have very few transports for the Japanese infantry and anything closely suitable is welcome. 

The Japanese AT rifle teams are made from plastic figures firing the Type 96 LMG with 3d printed anti tank rifles and added bipods. The number 2 operator was generally firing a rifle and is now holding an extra 20mm cartridge box. 

Here they are finished. One will go to each battalion of the division. 

Inspired by the latest videos of Wargaming China a group of pack mules pulled by (left) the Esci figures using the rifle as a club; (center) the Airfix figures of the Jungle Outpost and (right) the Airfix figure running with its rifle in the air. The mules are from the Esci Italian Alpine set. 

Next:  a batch of Japanese coming from Assymetric Wargames, both 3d prints and Simon´s Soldiers or the beginning of the US Marines. 

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 9) The 7th Japanese infantry battalion and the Anti-aircraft artillery

 

I´m done with Japanese infantry as I finished all models in the stash with two battalions still missing.Years ago I collected enough Japanese figures to make a full Japanese infantry division but some went to my Tarawa board as SNLF and others, specially HMGs, went to the 1914-1940 French and a few other places. 

This battalion is mostly Atlantic with some Chinese Airfix (1/32 downsized)  copies as they are about the same size. In fact not all Chinese copies are this nice and the more recent productions being clearly inferiors to the ones from the 80s and 90s. The Atlantic figures are not much loved by PSR but mixed with others of the same size they look good. In fact the figures are very tall, not a Japanese thing of those days, but if placed in its own units they provide extra variety. The HMGs are the Type 3, very similar to the original Hotchkiss guns and came from the FFL Strelets sets with my own conversions for the firers. 

The resin 3d printed 20mm AA guns came from Asymmetric Wargames and are very beautiful in just 3 pieces. The crews are Modern Atlantic and are innacurate and small but fit nicely the small seats available. The puttees are non-existent and the helmet is missing the typical rim of the Japanese helmets. 

The Type 88 75mm AA gun is provided in two different firing positions which is a great idea. The figures are again Atlantic. 

Next: probably more Japanese artillery, Simon's Soldiers figures and staff cars, all from Asymmetric Wargames

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 8) 6th Japanese infantry battalion and 150mm and 70mm artillery

Asymmetric Wargames from Italy is a great place for you to get Japanese WW2 stuff both 3d resin printed and Simon´s Soldiers figures. They also have plenty other stuff for many wargaming periods and scales.  While the Simon´s (Japanese) Soldiers don´t arrive I added one more infantry battalion and six 15cm artillery pieces. 

This infantry battalion is made around the shirt order Matchbox infantry, with officers from Atlantic and a few Esci and Airfix mixed-in and my home made Juki HMGs. 

The firing Type 96 150mm Howitzer from Asymmetric wargames is a beauty that comes in two slightly different gun tube positions. The artillerymen are converted Atlantic. The dying figures got new arms and a shell and the heavy load and pain is visible in his bent neck. The snipers covered in leaves had these carefully cut out (Atlantic placed leaves only in the exterior parts of the uniform for you to cut it out if necessary) and the arms were repositioned in order to hold shells. 

A third variant of the Type 96 is this one ready to be towed. 

Some prime movers are also on order to tow these ones. With some pity I found that no horse towed artillery was used in the pacific by the Japanese. They would have made a hell of a sight. 

These Type 4 150mm howitzer were also printed by Asymmetric. 

The last group of Asymmetric artillery is the Type92 battalion gun. The figures are converted Airfix with the converted binoculars and loading figures coming from an old and not particularly beautiful hard plastic set from Fujimi. 

Next: more Japanese

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 7) 5th Japanese infantry battalion

 

Now well into the 2nd regiment of Japanese infantry. I will not manage to finish the division in this batch as I need four more battalions and only have figures for two more. More artillery will arrive today so next post will be about it. 

Some of my scratch built Juki HMGs are already painted for this battalions. Fortunately they will be mostly inside bunkers as they will never win a modelling contest :)

Due to the high number of knee mortars the 81mm model was relatively rare in a Japanese infantry division. This one is the first addition. The mortar is Strelets and the crew is converted Atlantic and Esci. 

The small Japanese radio was glued to the chest of this grenade throwing Matchbox figure. The legs were placed in an upright position with the help of some heat and a rifle was glued to the hand and to the base for extra resistance. Most of the figures I´ve been showing you were already painted for many years and waiting to be properly based. Thus you can see some green pieces of uniform mixed with the Japanese khaki as the green color was aparently getting more common as the war progressed. 

Next: Japanese artillery and some more infantry

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 6) 4th Japanese infantry battalion, an unwanted guest and HMGs

 

One more Japanese infantry battalion in order to start the 2nd infantry regiment. Nothing new here, with the usual Matchbox, Airfix and Esci hard plastic. 

The unwanted guest is obviously this Marmon Herrington with Italian 20mm Breda gun from the nice people of Asymmetric Wargames for the first desert Rapid Fire! supplement. The crew is an old Airfix with bonnet and a Xan Miniatures figure. 

I was out of 7,7mm Type 92 HMGs and I cranked up these ones from 3d printed US Brownings with cut out ammunition boxes, plastic card tripods and elevators. The result isn´t a great thing as I was lazy to make them totally from scratch. The only good thing about them is that they are big which is not the tendency of most manufactures who make the Jukis very small.  The two HMGs to the left are Hotchkiss (very close to the Type 3)  from Strelets as well as the 81mm mortar. The crews are mostly Atlantic conversions with the HMGs firing figures made from torsos with burned legs and GreenStuff arms.

Next: More Japanese  

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 5) Third Japanese infantry battalion and the anti-tank guns

 

This third battalion has the company of 3d resin prints from Asymmetric Wargames in the form of 37mm and 47mm anti-tank guns and a Kurogane car. 

The infantry is more of the same with the usual conversions: a small radio, a rifle both on the cornet and grenade thrower and some foliage on the helmet of the grenade thrower. 

The Kurogane car is a small beauty and a few more will go to the command of each regiment. 

The guns were printed a bit on the big side something that Asymmetric Wargames is already solving. For that I used the biggest 1/72 Japanese figures I have, the Airfix cheap copies. These two are the 47mm type 1 guns. 

There are two of these figures that can be used as artillerymen, the 50mm mortar figure (cut of its mortar) and the charging figure. 

The charging figure can be turned to a kneeling guy by an anti-tank gun as seen here. Just be careful with the blade and the flame on your fingers. 

The type 94 37mm anti-tank guns got the same type of crew. 

Next: more japanese as more artillery is arriving and more infantry is being repainted and  based. 

A Wargaming trip to Piazzale Loreto

The "Wargaming" part is totally BS as Piazzale Loreto (Milano, but far to the northeast from Duomo and Vittor Emanuele galleries) became famous due to two WW2 events that are hardly passed into the tabletop. So the title only has the intention to call your attention (he,he). 

This was the place were Mussolini´s dead body was displaced, head down, together with his mistress, Clara Petacci, and a few other fascists on the 29 April 1945. Mussolini has been killed by partizans the day before near Lake Como. 

This scene always caused horror to some and indifference to others. Horror because this is not the way to display a dead body but indifference due to the fact that Mussolini in the end, not being the monster that Hitler was, was ultimately the responsible for WW2 and its 85 millions of dead, as it headed fascism, which lead to nazism, not forgetting Japan´s imperialism. We can always say that if it was not Mussolini leading the process someone else would, but try to say that to the people of the 20s, 30s and 40s that suffered with the process. Mussolini and the other corpses were displayed from the blue parking plate to the left in the place were a McDonalds restaurant stands. 

The "head down" show has another revengeful meaning: this was the place and way in which 15 Italian partizans were shown to the population after being shot by a joint effort of the fascist Oberdan group and the SS of Theo Saevecke. In fact Piazzale Loreto was called the Piazza Quindici Martiri (Square of the 15 Martyrs) for some years after the war before returning to its previous name. 

This period picture was taken from the aproximate place of my previous picture (in fact a bit to the right due to traffic). Mussolini and four others were displayed hanging from the roof of the local Esso petrol station, now the place of the McDonalds restaurant of the first picture.  

This nice period picture shows the Esso station in the centre left. 

From under the roof of McDonalds you can be under the place were the corpses were hanging. 

In this "then and now" picture available on the web you can have a better idea. 

This last composition from the web is great as it shows with the A and B point the exact places were you can live the situation. 

With this post and this visit I want to stress the nowadays forgiveness about fascist and nazi crimes from the 20s up to mid 40s. There is no plate, no nothing signalling this event that has been showned hundred of times in history books. And this is true all over Europe, both East and West were these crimes seemed to have been placed in the same category of Feudalism or Industrial Revolution, just a normal part of history from were we should move on, forgetting that dark clouds being blown everywere from people missing the 20´s in Italy and the 30´s in Germany, Portugal and Spain not missing the tendency. 

Next: more WW2 Japanese