Bolt Action Pak 36: Hitler's Door Knocker

   This was the German 37mm anti-tank gun in World War II and the Spanish Civil War. It wasn't actually very good and could only reliably penetrate light  armour. The unimpressed landseers christened it Hitler's Door Knocker.

Don Featherstone 1918-2013

Veteran wargamer Donald Featherstone has died.

Many of us will remember his books with pleasure.

RIP Don.

For PanzerKaput: Bolt Action 2pdr.

This is the Warlord Games 28 ml Bolt Action 2pdr which I built for Panzerkaput so he can make sure those Panzers are, er, kaput. The 2pdr was a serious bit o'kit in 1940 capable of taking out any Axis armour. The rotatable base is a typical piece of peacetime over-engineering although it did make the weapon easy to mount on a lorry.

This is not an easy kit to assemble. You need to have a good look at pics of the completed model on the Warlord website and try fitting everything together before gluing. I found Kicker super-glue accelerator vital.

The end result is worth it though.

Bolt Action Sealion Scenario: Rescuing Hauptmann Prang

   Just inland from the seaside town of Walmington on Sea lies the ancient hamlet of Much Gazumping, famous as a mustering point for the Peasant's Revolt. Much Gazumping has seen better days being heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe when it was mistakenly identified as a key Fremlings beer production centre - part of Goering's revenge attacks on the brewery for naming an ale Spitfire.

   The local Home Guard observe a Bf109 crash land in the area of the hamlet and immediately two motorised sections with the platoon command board their transport, Jone's butcher's van, and head for the scene. They stop the van in a lane outside the village and proceed across the fields on foot.

   Unknown to their commander, Captain Mainwearing, the 109 pilot, one Hauptmann Prang, got off a Mayday message as he crash landed. Normally this wouldn't have mattered but he was Herman Goering's nephew. Accordingly 7th Panzer was detailed to send a mobile battle group to rescue Prang.

   The armoured thrust was detected by 1st Armoured who moved to intercept. The tanks outstripped their infantry as was usual for 1st Armoured but they had the good fortune (or something like that) to come across Dad's Army who volunteered to serve as their infantry support.

   The photo shows the AFVs of 1st Armoured (regular) and the Command and two rifle sections of Home Guard (inexperienced).

Advancing towards Much Gazumping across the fields on the other side are three German AFVs, a section of infantry and the command squad. Out of site, behind the trees, the sneaky Hun have a fast column of two 38(T)s and a mechanised infantry section.

   The British halt when the 38(T)s burst out of the ruins right next to the plane. The German infantry debuss and pile into cover.  Captain Mainwearing insists on moving through the woods to set up a command post on the hill overlooking the hamlet despite Sgt Wilson asking if it was wise to advance without the infantry sections which had become bogged down (bad rolls).

   Regrettably a stupid boy gets his scarf caught in the bushes and lets off a burst from his Thompson, killing several rooks and alerting the Hun who pour in the fire scattering the command section ('killed' and removed from play but don't worry - they will be back next week).

   The panzergrenadiers reverse the empty Hanomag up to the plane and Prang is hauled aboard. A 38(T) gives covering fire.

   The British player makes a last valiant effort to shoot up the Hanomag to prevent Prang escaping but alas every shot misses.

   Note the order dice by the units. These are a great help to play the game. The little blue plastic chips represent friction. When something is hit (not necessarily damaged) it takes a suppression marker which impedes its function until removed. It is well worth piling in fire even if the chance of a kill is low just to achieve suppression.

   All the light anti-tank rifles and light AT guns suddenly have value even against iron monsters as they can suppress the ogres.

   For a simple game, Bolt Action gives very realistic results and tactics.

   The British were really up against it, and that's my excuse for losing. Congratulations to Rommel, aka Shaun.

Medway Multiple Crash

There was a bad accident this morning on the new Sheppey Bridge. It seems to have started at the base of the bridge in the early morning sea mist.

The bridge is a high hump to allow yachts to sail underneath, replacing the old lift structure. Cars coming over the hump at speed crashed into the wreckage for a good ten minutes. Maybe 100 vehicles involved and many injuries, some serious.

Astute Class

Another of the controversial A-class hunter-killer submarines waits on the dock for launch. These are part of Blair's ultra high-tech fleet to pursue his colonial wars - the floating white elephants.

The shape of modern submarines is interesting. The design has evolved enormously.

Bolt Action: Blitzkrieg Armour

A Panzer IVD, Pz 38(T), and a Panzer I, 28 ml resin and metal models from warlord Games, Bolt Action Range.

A Tamiya 1:48 Pz II.

Diecast 1:50 models of the 4-Rad & 8-Rad armoured cars. The heavy is Solido and I think the other may be Corgi.

The Hanomag 251, both Warlord Games 28 mm kits. The one of the left is resin and metal and the one on the right  is the new plastic version with a metal Pak 36 37mm fitted. These were troop commander's vehicles, one per platoon.