The Germans at Mortain, Aug.44, for Rapid Fire! rules in 20mm size. Part...

The 17. SS Panzer Grenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen arrived Kampfwert IV, very diminished at Mortain, so it was placed under the command of the 2. SS Pz Division Das Reich division during the operation.

Panzer Lehr had its casualties during Operation Cobra exaggerated by its commander, General Fritz Bayerlein, so that the division would be able to rest. It somehow worked and the division was placed in the reserve during Operation Luttich.

The Germans at Mortain, Aug.1944, for Rapid Fire! rules in 20mm size. Pa...

While the 116.PD was a newly formed division with plenty of problems and missing units (even if interesting in modelling terms with several old AFVs), the 1.SS PD LSSAH was one the most powerful units in the Mortain offensive, still with a big quantity of PzIVs and Panthers.

Note: when mentioning the Recce battalion of the 1.SS PD I say that it "was not present at the battle of Normandy" when I wanted to say it was not present at the battle of Mortain.

The Germans at Mortain, August 1944 for Rapid Fire! in 20mm size. Part 2...

The 2. PD was one of the best equipped divisions in Normandy. Even at around 50% the division was considered Kampfwert I for the Mortain offensive managing to get to the farthest point of the attack, at Mesnil-Adelée.

The 2.SS PD "Das Reich", famous for its war crimes, managed to conquer Mortain itself and its men tried hard to take Hill 314, from where Lt. Robert Weiss directed a murderous indirect fire on the advancing Germans.

The Germans at Mortain, August 1944 for Rapid Fire! in 20mm size. Part 1...

This series of 4 videos will show my way to build the German army that attacked the US lines in southern Normandy from the 7th to the 12th August, 1944. There are a total of 6 understrenght divisions - 5 Panzer and 1 PzGrenadier- with a total of 300 vehicles and artillery models and around 600 infantry figures (more or less 3 full strenght Panzer Divisions).

Today´s video is about the readings that inspired and helped to organize this large group of models and also the Web assets you can use to do this many times forgotten important battle of the Normandy campaign.

Next: the 2. Panzer division and the 2.SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" at Mortain.

Rapid Fire in 20mm! Filling gaps in WW2 - part 1

After 40 years of frantic modelling there would be one day in which most of the necessary stuff for many of my wargaming periods would be done. This is in fact what is happening with most of my WW2 projects with a number of them on the "complete" stage. The problem is exactly the "complete" thing: there is always a FO that is missing, a command car unbuilt or a specialist vehicle to order. Then there is the problem of books. They always carry problems and that is why the Inquisition was probably burning them! There is always a new unknown unit or even a group of vehicles that are much better if they are BFG version instead of the GBF. 

So here starts a group of posts with bits and pieces for many places and periods, sometimes even entire companies or more, built and painted to make the already big units look nicer. 

From Valiant you can see here the metal Von Luck, Bandomir and Kurz from the 125th PzGren. regiment of the 21st PD in Normandy. They are made to stand side by side with the other Valiant big figures (not the 2nd run of them which are 20mm). Even if a bit big they are adorable figures which captured very well the atmosphere of the famous photo in which they are based. 

A  Sig-33 150mm IG from S-Model with Valiant crew from their German Howitzer. This one was painted in post Feb/43 colours in order to be used by the Heer in many places and it seconds the ones I made for the SS. The shirt colour is the grey one that was more used instead of the white as the war progressed. 

This StuH finishes the HG armour for Sicily. In the shelves there are already 9X PzIII M (I Abteilung); 7X PzIV G (II Abteilung) and 6X Stug/StuH (III Abteilung), this one being the second StuH of the group as the HG in Sicily counted with 9 of them (2 in RF terms). 

 

The model is an old Esci one that was patiently waiting for its turn (I know it as it never moved for years). The Esci model got a piece of necessary extra protection to the sides and a stowage holder at the back, typical of the HG Stug IIIs. 

Another Esci kit is this Sdkfz 251/8, one of the most common armoured ambulances of the German army. Up to now I only had one Opel Blitz ambulance for the post Feb/43 actions and this one comes handy, even if I don´t know exactly what to do with it on the RFR tables. 

The canvas cover and and the red cross flag was made of kitchen paper... well, I confess, in fact toilet paper was used in a thick layer and I promise that it was never used before!

This one was less tricky as its a very nice Collection Model die-cast from Italy. It only got a wash of black and some light dry brushing of Panzer Grey. Its ready to join the Barbarossa actions, particularly the ones around Dubno.  

Another one for the Panzer Grey period, specifically thinking about France 1940 but with a much larger scope in time if necessary. This is again S-Models with Valiant crew.

So, where is the Valiant 105mm FH18gun? Here it comes glued together with Matchbox and Fujimi converted artillerists. It will complete the guns of my medium artillery regiment for Blitzkrieg but they can be towed up to USSR if you ignore the green jackets. The Sdkfz 11 tows will show up in one of the next posts of this incredible series of yours. 

Last vehicle is another Esci model, a Sdkfz 251/7 for the German engineers between 41 and 43. This one is one of my favourite versions of the 251 as I have one for every theater of German operations. 

Finally a gift from my friend Mário Laranja who does not only makes the best 3d Resin prints of the world but also makes this kind of very good MDF kits.

It will go straight to the NA theater of operations, obviously. What can be done with MDF is incredible and painting this one will help me paint others I have on the cue. 

With the lift off roofs. 

The MDF kits paint as any other models: I used a wash of black all over applied with a large brush and then some ochre followed with diluted and dry-brushed white. In the end, wood and bricks were painted in different shades of brown and brick red. Do this stage carefully so the original black can be seen shining through. 


Next: part 2 of this series. There will be a number of them like this. 

Rapid Fire! NW Europe 1944/45 - Mortain and Market Garden additions

On the 7th of August 1944 a large number of Panzer Grenadiers arrive at the Mortain-Le-Neufbourg train station coming from the north and aiming at Mortain. They will be shot to pieces by elements of the 30th US infantry division, a National Guard unit, which will be crucial defending the area and preventing the Germans from reaching Avranches. 

This is the what happened after the events of the previous picture. German Schimmwagens, 251 HT's and US jeeps, not counting the dead, littered the battlefield in some of the most known images of the battle of Mortain. At the very end of the picture, to the right, you can see the Mortain-le-Neufbourg train station.

                              

If you look closely at the BW picture this train station has a different roof from the original. This is an old plastic HO model from my late father's train collection that I decided to use as the Mortain train station. It is about the same size and has the same number and location of the main openings. I have never been to Mortain but nowadays thanks to WW2TV ( thanks Don McHugh for introducing it to me) you can watch an awesome show but also on episode 1 of the Mortain battle some very nice filming of today's train station where you can see the real colours of the building and even real bullet holes!

  

The model was repainted to the true colours of the Mortain train station and the base changed to a simpler and smaller one.

Second model of this week's list is this Raventhorpe RTR model of a Sdkfz 250 with a Breda 20mm type 35 autocannon. This vehicle was never close to Mortain as it belonged to the 12th PzSS Hitlerjugend but was made with all others and deserved a few pictures due to its originallity. 

The model very simple as usual with RTR with a very nice touch of having two crewmen inside the driving compartment, The Breda is a leftover from Altaya. 

I followed for this model the information of the Militaria Hors-de.Serie No87, in one of two volumes dedicated to the SS in Normandy. 

The vehicle belonged to the the 3rd company of the SS PzAufkl.Abt 12. 

In the same parcel from Raventhorpe arrived a few RTR Citroën Type 23. 

Even if they can be also used in the Normandy campaign I want them for the several German KG fighting the Market Garden operation. 

The SS figures are the excellent Caesar figures also used in the last few Umbau cars I´ve made. 

This lot was initially a group of Chinese cheap Die-cast construction trucks filled with cranes and other stuff that I found in a local magazine shop. My 3 YO kid is crazy about these things but it would be a pity to end in his hands as his main words after looking at them are "tira isto!" (take this thing out!).

 As usual with this kind of models they look slightly American and that convinced me to use them as the Dutch trucks. Dutch trucks of the 30s and 40s were heavily influenced by US designs from Ford and Chevrolet, and Colin mentions them transporting men of the 59th ID in the Market Garden campaign guide. Yes, the NEW ONE! As I was the first to receive it for being such a dedicated servant of  masters Colin and Richard!!!

...just kidding, I think the new book is still in the printers. Better not to play with serious things before someone gets a heart attack...

This time the Caesar seated soldier were painted as Heer Grenadiers.

The chassis of these cheap Die-casts were mated with other surplus cargo areas, all different for the sake of variety. 

The tyres were also changed and came from my Atlantic stash. 

Finally this funny and rare amphibious Trippel SG6 was built with the lot (800 to 1000 built, compared to 14.000 type 166 Schwimmwagens). 

The model is an old AMBN resin kit with the usual Caesar crew and converted driver. The camouflage is the pre-1943 and based on a surviving vehicle used in reenactements. Like this the model can survive in the 1941-43 Eastern Front were most were used. 

Next: the second battalion for the Screaming Eagles and some air support. 

Rapid Fire! Normandy 1944 in 20mm - Wurframmen SP time

The Wurframmen of the 2nd PD and PzAbt 205 prepare to unleash a Rocket volley that will - finally, and at the 99th atempt- send the allies back to England from vere zei should never have come!

After showing you my prowesses in the German language lets get back to models!  

I already  have finished some six Esci Nebelwerfers and a few conversions of static Nebelwerfers for Omaha but these ones offer the possibility of having them on tracks. I had these two Skytrex Renault UE Wurframmen for many years and it was about time to be done with them. The Germans converted some 40 of them, 20 each of these two types, and the allies faced them in Normandy. 

Both types, rear and side Wurframmen, got a big Altaya base for aircraft as I wanted to portray them with crew around. These came from the Esci Nebelwerfer and so are particularly fit for the job. The uniforms are Heer while the wheeled Nebelwerfers crews I showed you in the Mortain series are in the SS garments of the 17th PzGrenDiv. 

The last one is the famous Stuka Zu Fuss in an all Esci stand, both vehicled and crew. coming from different boxes.  The Sdkfz 251 Stuka Zu Fuss in Normandy is a relatively recent finding and it was aparently used at least by the Pionner battalion 38 of the 2nd PD as a picture of a destroyed and abandoned one in Falaise shows. 

Sometimes I wonder how efective the German 43-45 vehicle camouflage was. I don't know if its the effect of my kind of ground painting but the German vehicles really blend, at least seen from above, one of the main aims of camouflage. 

Next: some WW2 aircraft, 12th SS transport or something else like a return to moderns. 

Rapid Fire! Operation Lüttich (Mortain Counterattack) 1944 in 20mm, Part 6 and last - Panzer Lehr

This series is finishing in the beginning of August, about the time of the Mortain battles just by mere luck not on purpose. Here you have the two Kampfgruppe in which Panzer Lehr was divided after Operation Cobra, KG Von Hauser and KG Ritgen. The CO of Pz Lehr. Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein reported catastrophic casualties from the carpet bombing of Cobra and the following assault by two US tank divisions. But it seems they were exaggerated as other officers from the division reported much smaller casualties. Apparently Bayerlein was trying to save the division from further damage. Thus the two KG of the division played only a small role at Mortain with Von Hauser behind the main assault and Ritgen  much to the rear. 

In the top picture the two KG are forming. The Panther battalion is reduced to 3 (RF!) tanks, same with the PzIV battalion as the Lehr tanks were only a bit more than 30 around the 5th of August. On the right you have the AA assets of FlakAbt. 130 close to the remnants of the Pioneer battalion. In line at the rear the Recce bat.130 has its eight wheeled vehicles ready for action. To the left the SP's are providing some fire support while the AA half-tracks of the Pz.Gren. regiments are waiting on the side of an hedgerow. The Fallschirmjäger of II Corps gives the necessary infantry and PAK for this advance with Pz Lehr being subordinated to this Corps during the Mortain actions. 

This Nitto/Fujimi Panther has its big white and red number painted over the turret protective track pieces. Another typical characteristic of Pz Lehr Panthers were the white painted front mudguards. A PSC crewman was the only addition to the model. 

Now this one is a work of art. It was gift from my friend Jorge Faria, the 2nd biggest wargamer and model maker of this country. He carefully used a hot steel to carve the Zimmerit on this Matchbox model, something that many of us thought about but few had the ability to do. I only repainted it in order to have the same tones of colour in all models. 

The PzIV are Esci built straight from the box with the usual add-ons.

The Pz38t AA are Altaya with plastic crews.

This Bergepanzer III is a conversion from the Matchbox Pz III. 

Two Hasegawa Sdkfz 7/1 and 2 from the Flak Abt.311.

Probably Pz Lehr still had some of the 25 Sdkfz 234/2 'Puma' of Panzeraufklärungs-Lehr-Abteilung 130. I used three to represent approximately half of 4th company still  in existence a number probably exaggerated as the reconnaissance units of WW2 had the higher percentage of casualties.   

Another asset of the Recce battalion is this Britannia Sdkfz 233 with SHQ crew. 

Two more Britannia Sdkfz 10/4 makes the Flak for the 901 and 902 Pz Gren. regiments. One day I will make this figures from the available ones in the Valiant box. 

Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 130 still has these two matchbox Wespe.

General Bayerlein watches the direction of the attack he thinks being a total mistake. But its Hitler's orders so its better to do something about it. The light car and Stoewer are Frontline Wargaming. 

The FJ manning this Airfix Pak40 are also old Airfix and Preiser. 

The main body of the two battalions of  FJ are Esci with a few Valiant conversions. 

The MMG are Armourfast with Airfix heads. The Radio stand is Revell. 

Now for some bibliography used in this series. To the right you have the Victory at Mortain book from M.J. Reardon. For me its the best account of the battles of the Mortain counteroffensive even if lacking detail on the German OB's. To the right  R. Weiss Fire Mission book centers its text on the 'lost Battalion' actions around hill 314. 

The 1947 Michelin map of Mortain is a very useful guide for the terrain were everything happened. I used this one I found in the internet. When all pages are placed like this and wrapped with tape it measures around 70cm X 40cm.

A quick map of the actions make you understand you need a table around 8 meters X 4 meters to cope with all units involved. 

Along the years I built these helpful charts to keep a registration of all details I could find of the six big German units present at Mortain. Also wrapped in tape it was essential to add constant changes in numbers and weapons to the German lists as I was finding more references on this difficult matter and far from conclusion.

Next: More German units for late WW2.