Hmmmmm?

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Please note, it comes with a government credulity warning.

Tachanka

 Russian Civil War reenactors with a Tachanka

A Tachanka was a carriage with a rear firing maximum gun used primarily in the Ukraine and related areas. It was a support weapon for cavalry formations in the first and second World Wars, the Russian Civil War and the Russo-Polish War.

Warlord Games Model

I put one of these together and painted it. I have to say the model is great. The crew are in in WWII uniforms but heads could be swapped to make earlier examples.

A Museum Exhibit

Artwork

The Tachanka is always associated with Nestor Makhno, the anarchist leader in the RCW, who used them extensively.

Monument

There are all sorts of theories about how the word Tachanka was derived from various Ukranian or Russian language sources but the truth is no one knows. It is, however, as iconic to cavalry warfare on the Ukrainian plains as the Spitfire is to the Battle of Britain.

VBCW - Militant Wing of the Woman's Institute

The Woman's Institute in the village of Little Dimpling in the Wold has its own militia commanded by Brigadier Mrs Daut Paulker, wife of Colonel Daut-Paulker.

Here she is shown with an infantry section led by Mrs Jackson, the local publican's wife, who has acquired a Tommy Gun. Local Church Schoolteacher, Mrs Fotheringay has the Lewis gun with the librarian, Miss Peabody carrying the reloads.

Mrs Dault Paulkers's daughter Hetty is driving the Colonel's Crossley while her boyfriend, Sebastian 'Woofy' Winkerton who is just down from Oxford mans a Vickers that he borrowed from the University Combined Cadet Force.

This particular patrol was a response to the rumour that the Watt Tyler Brigade of Anarchist Agricultural Workers intended to raid the village and steal the Colonel's prize pig.

Models by Blind Beggar.

Review - Warlord Games T34/76 Platoon

I recently picked up a box of Warlord Games T34/76 Platoon in polystyrene - 'hard' plastic.

What you get in the box are kits to build three T34 models. You get a choice of three different turret types classed according to year of build. The Soviet Union had a policy of evolutionary upgrade rather than revolution in tank design to keep the production lines flowing. The USA had a similar philosophy with Sherman and light tanks - and the wisdom of this approach is supported by considering who won.

Also in the box were three tank commanders, eight infantry, and three sheets of tank decals.

The tanks proved to be very easy to assemble, 'chunky' fast-build models. For example, the track/wheels are a single unit. There is very little in the way of tiny detail that is not modelled-on. This makes the kits ideal for wargaming models because they are quick and easy to assemble and the finished model is very robust to handling and being transported around in the boot of a car. On the downside, they are not great display models - which suits me as I'm a wargamer. Modellers should look more to Tamiya or similar.

I chose to build three identical tanks from the middle period of the T34/76 production - sounds a bit like an archaeologist describing pots - to simulate the great tank battles of 1943. This is the period when the  Soviet and German were perhaps most evenly matched.

My tanks are 'Guards' with appropriate slogans on the turret, not that I have a clue what they say. I chose to use only one tank commander to indicate an HQ vehicle. Soviet doctrine at this point was for the commanders to remain inside the tank in combat.

I chose to make some extra specialist troops with four of the infantry models, a sniper team, and an anti-tank rifle team. The Soviets used huge numbers of AT Rifles in '43. They didn't kill tanks but they wore them down with damage to the running gear.

I built the remaining four figures as part of an assault team with grenades, SMGs (stick and drum magazines) and an LMG.

I also own a Warlord resin T34 and the tank hulls are not quite to the same scale - something people should consider when they get wound up about which tank scale to use with 28mm infantry.

And the great thing for a scratch-builder is that you get lots of lovely spare bits. I put one of the tank commanders in my BA10 armoured car model. The early model turrets will make great German bunker turrets and generally  will be fodder for VBCW stuff.

The gun barrels are from the extra stuff in Plastic Soldier's Soviet anti-tank gun kits. You get two guns for £15 with six gun barrels - four spare in every box.

I heartily recommend  Warlord's box of goodies: at £50 it is a great buy.

VBCW - Motorised Tachanka

A Tachanka was a horse-drawn carriage used as a mobile machine gun platform. Here is the Very British Civil War equivalent: a Crossley limosine fitted with a Vickers Maxim Gun.

It is driven by Lady Clementina "Dimpy" Dimpleton and the gunner is The Honourable Reginald "Stuffy" Pratt-Bailey.

I bought this pretty much as is off eBay for a few Pounds.

Betrayal at Calth

Picture of the contents of the new 33K board game.

Yours for a cool £95. Includes 38 space marine minis and what will probably be a lousy game, going by previous efforts.

Pip,pip punters.

VBCW, Back of Beyond Crossley Truck

This is a Corgi diecast that I have titivated up a bit for VBCW, Russian Civil War, or any Back of Beyond game.

I have just added an Empress 28mm driver.

The fore cab soft-top comes off to show the driver.

And the back!

This is a real Crossley.

Here's one turned into an armoured car.