Les Plages d'Embarquement.

I am in Rouen to immerse myself in French and experience a bit of the culture. I seem to have been really lucky in that the family I have been placed with takes this seriously. My friend gets Hovis bread for breakfast and chicken nuggets for tea, whereas I am treated to all kinds of breads, jams, cheeses and cereals for breakfast, followed by a lengthy two hour, four course, French meal each evening, where we discuss anything from politics, religion, to crocodile farming.

This weekend six of us hired some cars, and drove down to St. Malo, then to the Normandy beaches. It was a pretty great weekend. Here are a few shots.

Below is Fort National, a few hundred metres of the coast of St. Malo. We walked out to it when the tide was out. There is a plaque there with the names of civilians who were killed there by the allied bombardment, while being held prisoner to prevent uprisings in St. Malo. This was in August 1944.

Below are some of the guns.

We then went to Sainte Mere Eglise. I went there 10 years ago, and was shocked at how much has changed. I assume that with the 70th anniversary of D-Day, a lot of effort went into turning it into quite the tourist centre/memorial area. Unfortunately we were pressed for time, so only spent a little time here. Really, I could devote a month to soaking up all the history there. 

We stopped at Utah beach, somewhere I had never been yet, to see what it was like. I went into this in-tact bunker and, stench of urine aside, it was quite something. Echoes, crampt. It must have been terrifying. 

I just imagine looking out and seeing those hundreds of landing craft approaching.

Apologies for having random children on the internet, but I think this really sums up Pointe Du Hoc. Let us never forget.

We tried to go to the large US cemetary, but it was closed. Driving there did give me the chance to see a Sexton and M10 up close, although we didn't stop for pictures. We also zoomed past a Flak 88, which filled me with jollies.

Where am I?

Hi guys. I just thought I would let you know where I have been for the last month! I have not managed to get a whole lot of modelling done, apart from grinding out hedges and roads. Then two weeks ago I began a French course which requires me to live in Bristol Monday to Friday. The weekend are then spent finding a flat for myself and fiance, planning the wedding, going on dates. As such I am left with very little time for making anything. I do plan on bringing a couple of things up to Bristol to keep me going, but am passing my time studying.

It seems to be what I do: model in winter, disappear in summer. Although beginning in September, I will be doing a PGCE, so will have even less time to model. I will be lucky to get a night in every fortnight. 

I do still intend on wargaming, and completing projects. So stick around.

Modeller's Problems.

The left flank of my Bolt Action game was covered with pretty little garden hedges. I have a few more of those that are unfinished, and decided today to just flock them and get on with it. Thus, I opened up three bags of flock, poured them into a large tub, mixed it up, and started trying to flock. It didn't go down too well.

The flock clumps are too big! I don't know if it means I need to sit around for ages and mix it up to separate the clumps more, or need to buy finer flock. Who knows? What an anticlimax.

Bolt Action - Somewhere in Normandy.

After boning up on the rules, I decided to get on with it, and play a game. I changed venue, to the dining room, which would be less painful for the back. Unfortunately, the table there is only 5x3 feet. To combat that, I decided to make my game only four turns, with an optional fifth. This would remove the first turn of entering the board and getting into position. Blood was spilled on the first turn.

Terrain rules: Farmhouse is hard cover. Hedgerows are soft cover. The big hedges also block line of sight, unless you are adjacent to them. This meant squads on opposing sides of the road, still can't see each other. All ground is open ground.

Scenario: This farm sits on a road junction in Normandy. After a failed attempt to capture it earlier in the day, the British have regrouped and are going for it again. There are two objectives, the farmhouse, and the small emplacement next to the burning sherman. Having successfully defended the area, the German armour has gone elsewhere to fight, but since movement on the British lines has been seen, Fritz called for help again.

There is a German squad sitting in the farmhouse, the commander is just behind it. A machine gun team is covering the road, with another squad sitting on the other objective.

The British get a  couple of squads on, one up the right flank, supported by a 2" mortar, and one up the centre. They were hoping to get up close and distract the house occupants, while another squad flanks from the left.

The squad in the farmhouse open up on the approaching Brits. A casualty is taken, a pin marker received. This might not be so easy!

Armoured support arrives to block the road.

A Cromwell comes onto the scene, takes a shot at the Panzer IV, hits, but only stuns the crew. A decent start for his first time on the table.

The Germans set up in ambush, and the Panzerschreck comes on to get into position.

The British get all their forces onto the table, note their squad trying to outflank the house. I guess that German squad will have something to say about it.

Turn two begins with the Brits pulling a dice. Immediately the Cromwell is ordered to fire, and brews up the Panzer IV!! With that worry now removed, the Cromwell can go on to shell the infantry.

In retaliation, the Germans covering this flank are in position to unleash some lead upon the flanking force.

The British take some fire, a casualty, and a pin marker. It might be time for them to rethink their situation. However, they themselves manage to advance, and catch the German commander in the open. Yet, somehow they managed to score zero hits! Also visible is a pin marker on the house. This has been caused either by a 2" mortar, or the squad facing the house.

The Panzerschreck gets into position to ambush the Cromwell. Also visible is the Vickers team, and the now useless PIAT team.

This is the right flank at the end of turn two.

This is the left flank.

Turn three begins with the Vickers team opening up with a decent volley against the house. The German squad is down to five men.

And then the hero Cromwell strikes again. Rolling D6 hits for his light howitzer, he rolls 5. Bye bye Germans! The farmhouse is now empty (probably useless anyway now) and ready to be taken.

This is the state of the right flank. The British just cautiously advancing. Germans waiting. They see no need to leave their cover, and get caught in any crossfire on the road.

The British left flank take more casualties, and spend the turn hunkered down.

This is the situation on the left flank at the end of turn three.

Turn four begins with an effort to contest the second objective. The Germans, lying in wait open fire, and fall just short of forcing a morale roll. This was not the best idea this squad has ever had.

The Cromwell races up to take the main objective, and gets ambushed by the Panzerschreck...who rolls a 1.

The game ends at turn four. The Cromwell has taken an objective, with the second one being contested. Also, the Germans have lost their armour, and their centre has been penetrated. They decide to withdraw and regroup. But with the British flanks having taken damage, it was probably a closer game than it felt. 

Upcoming Bolt Action Game.

Tonight I started setting up a game of Bolt Action to play with myself. I decided my bed is big enough to fit a 5x4 table comfortably on it. However, after choosing forces (wow, German Panzerschreck is expensive!), I realised I have forgotten how to play. Thus, I have taken a photo of my set up, so I can put it back together during the day next week again. I am excited for this.

I have decided to have only two objectives, the farmhouse and the burning Sherman, leftover from a previous failed advance. 

My forces are roughly 830 points. The Germans are all Regular. I have:

1x Oberleutnant + SMG armed runner.
3x Heer Squads of 10 men each.
1x MMG team.
1x Panzerschreck team.
1x Panzer IV.

The Brits facing off against them are all regular too, and consist of:

1x First Lieutenant and Runner.
3x Infantry Squads with 10 men each.
2x 2'' Mortar teams.
1x PIAT team.
1x MMG team.
1x Cromwell.

The British have more order dice, but their stuff tends to be more fragile. I guess we will see what will happen, probably on Wednesday.

Armourfast T-34s.

These are the two T-34s I used in my dry-brushing lesson. After going over them myself, here is how they look.

Here it is being taken on by a Panzer IV.

Last PSC Germans in action.

Aside from a couple of almost finished mortar and MMG teams, I have finished my PSC Germans. Oh, and some LMG teams in firing positions need to be painted. But apart from those, I am done. I have some Fallschirmjäger to paint, along with some Pioneers, but they will require different colours. No more boring Feldgrau.

I thought I would post some pictures of some of the latest batch of infantry, who have been completed with my latest, and probably final basing method.

Here is a Panzerschreck team getting into position...

...ready to ambush some filthy Reds.

The NCO and grenade-thrower are figures I had actively avoided painting. I don't know why. But they will prove useful in the upcoming struggles against for the Fatherland.