wargaming

Anarchist militias run to defend Barcelona and the republic.   SCW miliria are from Irregular and the ruined building is from Italeri's rather splendid terrain line. Militias defend the printworks from the Facists. The building is the German brewery ruin from Airfix's fantastic but very expensive range of resin terrain. Two Guardia civil, loyal to the Republic, keep watch on a Barcelona street corner.

You've seen a lot of what the Nationalists have. Now take a look at the support for the Republic. A Skytrex BT5 fast tank accompanied by a Frontline T26b.    I really like the T26 model, I have two more still to paint. I'm currently thinking one more the same and the third with Nationalist stripes on the turret. The T26 gives support to some internationals. Figures from Irregular.

It's been a while but here's some of the figures I've worked on 'recently'. First up some Guardia Assaltos for SCW. These guys are being lead by a commissar. All from Irregular miniatures. A Vickers Mk2 Medium tank from Frontline. Good for patrolling the Empire.  Some Indian infantry, these will be used from the 20's to the end of the war, with the help of a little imagination. From the Britannia WW2 line. The thin red line. These chaps will be patrolling the Yangtze, fighting up the Khyber, policing the Pacific and standing on the sidelines in Europe. Figures from Tumbling Dice.

Here's a small selection of what I have been working on recently. La Legion, Irregular miniatures with a Frontline CV 35. The bases still needed doing when I took this and the standard bearer needs a flag. Irregular miniatures Regulares artillerists. Irregular miniatures Nationalist infantry in gorillo cap. These are the same figures as I used for La Legion. However to differentiate, I omitted the detail from these guys caps. This is so that on the table, the Legion figures have a little something that separates them from the peninsular infantry.  Nationalist Panzer 1. This is a Britannia model I bought from Grubby tanks a few Salutes ago. Originally I made the terribly faux-pas of painting it grey, I repainted it this colour scheme las month and I'm much happier with it. The Panzer as I originally painted it. Also in this group is an old Hat FT-17 (they seen quite hard to come-by these days). I have cut off the tail, as I have seen pictures of FT...

I have started a new yahoo group, Between the Wars. If, like me, you are interested in SCW, Back of Beyond, late colonial or more unusual topics, like Very British Civil War then please join up. I aim to create a friendly forum with plenty of discussion, information and regular updates. Subscribe to 20sto30s Powered by uk.groups.yahoo.com

The Flanderkin Sargeant's last post ( http://flanderkin.blogspot.com/2010/04/trial-game.html ) got me inspired with the SCW again. Most of these figures have been painted months but I never got round to finishing the bases. The cavalry are still so. Nearly all of the figures are my favourite, irregular mini's. Spanish Republican cavalry. Not sure how effective cavalry was by the SCW. I know the Brits finally gave it up (not without a fight) in the First World War. I think these will be more useful on the gaming table as mounted infantry. Republican Infantry. Republican Artillery. The gun is a French 75mm. This could easily be used to represent the fascists, i guess I would just paint them to look a bit more uniformed. Civillians being guided (or led away) by their local Guardia Civil. Moorish maxim gun. Nationalist infantry. My nationalist battery. Equipped with old German Krupp 7.7s. Nationalist Cavalry approaching a group of farmers. Carlist Infantry. More Carlist infantry. ...

Some of my SCW Artillery and my scratch built paddle-steamer. The steamer is made from Bass-wood and plasticard with a few details stuck on. The gun is made of 2 widths of styrene tubing inside one another. I like the moustache on the LMG armed Legionnaire, make me think more of Mexico than Spain... Fascist Artillery in the shape of WW1 vintage German field guns. Republican Artillery in suitably motley dress, manning an (unless I'm very much mistaken) Ordinance Quick-firer 13 lb. What I like about the SCW is that whatever guns you've got lying around, if they're the right vintage, there's a very good chance they were used. Both Republicans and Nationalists had guns from France, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Great Britain and so on. Again all figures (and guns) here are Irregular.

Just uploaded some pice from my phone so thought I'd better put them up here. The first is a Colonial heliograph team made fron strelets colonial british infantry and the heliograph is made from a ww2 german morter stand. The other is of the Italian CVT drafted in to help the nationalists in spain.

Republican regular cavalry charge the Falangists Civil Guard search the farmhouse communist militia and Guardia civil man the barracades protecting the entrance to the town half completed Requettes infantry (converted from strelets ww1 russians) lead a Nationalist column Asaltos defend a cottage

The Nationalists flee leaving the Republic in control of the field and thus a small victory. But what was the cost... Nearly an entire squad of militia dead or injured and those who survived aren't nearly enough to make up a fresh squad. Most of those who died did so without even firing a shot. And on the Nationalist side only 3 Legionnaires, though 1 of those was the squad leader, along with 3/4 of the Nationalist cavalry who fell in the first charge. I'm sure things would have turned out differently had they not taken the full brunt of the Republicans volley in their first turn. Perhaps if they'd charged the Republican Regulars themselves thing might have been very different, tied them up while the Legionnaires took the militia in hand to hand?

The Militia holding the objective take significant casualties and fail their guts test, but not before causing the Nationalists force moral to drop a bit too.  The Asaltos' gun takes aim over the now deserted objective and lets another shell fly into the Legionnaires below.  The shell crashes through the trees and comes to land right in the middle of the squad. This time it's a little more effective killing 2 men one of who is the squad leader. This causes another drop on the force morale and also forces the Legionnaires to take a guts test, which they pass thanks in part to their commander's close proximity... ...only to come under heavy fire from the Rep.Infantry unit which has emerged from cover having seen off the cavalry threat.  The Republicans let off a massed, though in retrospect highly ineffective volley, which takes down another Legionnaire, but that is just enough to cause them to fail their guts test. The Nationalist infantry squad breaks and flees off toward t...

Again the Militia force moved first running round the cover of the hill to take the objective, however in doing so they take heavy fire from the Legionnaires and lose a couple of their number. In response the Asalto gun up on the hill opens fire into the woods landing on target but only wounding 1 Legionnaire.  The shell explodes among their ranks, causing the Legionnaire to take a guts test which they easily pass. The remainder of the Nationalist Cav. retreats at full pelt from the fighting while the Rep.Inf slowly creeps toward the action.

The Republican Militia got to move first setting up the mountain gun on the hill overlooking the objective, while moving the infantry around through the cover of the orchard to close in on the bunker.  This was followed by the Legionnaires taking up position in the cover of the central woods. Meanwhile the Republican Regulars remained in position and went into overwatch in order to protect the flank against attack from the Nationalist cavalry. The Cavalry moved last skirting around the woods and past the RepInf in an attempt to take the Mountain gun being set up on the hillside. They caught the Republicans rifle fire head-on however and all but 1 fell in the volley.