Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => The Second World War => Topic started by: tp_1983 on September 10, 2021, 02:20:00 PM
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I am going to use this thread to document my progress with two or three forces for Bolt Action, namely Italian partisans, Indian Army and probably also some British (since I found out my local regiment, the KSLI fought in Italy).
So far I am still pretty much at the research phase, but I did find a few minis suitable for partisans in the back of my wargaming cupboard, so have started painting these up - photos to follow in a few days).
I am pretty new to historical wargaming, so any and all feedback will be gratefully received.
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Sounds interesting. Looking forward to your posts.
BTW is that Peter Elliot book on Veneto good?
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Two more suggestions for your reading list, Bill Tillman When men and mountains meet which in the last part is about Tillman's exploits in the Veneto, and the official History of the SOE operations by David Stafford, Mission accomplished
https://www.amazon.it/Mission-Accomplished-SOE-Italy-1943-1945/dp/0099531836 (https://www.amazon.it/Mission-Accomplished-SOE-Italy-1943-1945/dp/0099531836)
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BillK, I don't know if the Peter Elliott bookm is any good, I have yet to give it more than a cursory glance.
Malto, cheers for that, just ordered them from Amazon.
Here are my first painted minis for my forces: five partizans I found in my cupboard. The flat caps don't scream Italian but they will be watered down when I add more minis in. I also want to do more uniformed and semi uniformed troops.
Painting is definitely a rough tabletop standard, but they will do.
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Oops. And here is the picture.
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Same here - I just bought the kindle version of Elliott's book! Your chaps look nice, - off to a good start! My trick to make more Italian-looking partisans is to convert some Italian army figures, or use some of the new French resistance from wargames atlantic.. Now, if Warlord would ever release some plastic Italians, we could really go to town...
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Just ordered a WA French Resistance sprue to play around with. What do you use as transport for your partisans?
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I have just finished an old Fiat Ter from Sloppy Jalopy : https://sloppyjalopy.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=68_72_77&product_id=67 (https://sloppyjalopy.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=68_72_77&product_id=67)
I know it's a World War 1 vehicle but I think it's reasonable to assume they did not have access to the latest technology ;-) Will share some photos when I find the time to take some decent ones.... maybe get myself a new camera or a new phone..
Then I have just bought some Perry vehicles - a Lancia, a Fiat 508,a Guzzi trike. I am still working on them. And I just bought a wonderful book (with some nice color plates) about the vehicles of the Italian co-belligerent army which includes some photos and plates of partisans vehicles: https://mattioli1885.com/libro/italia-43-45-i-mezzi-delle-unita-cobelligeranti/ (https://mattioli1885.com/libro/italia-43-45-i-mezzi-delle-unita-cobelligeranti/) In case you are interested, the book is both in Italian and in English.
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I was looking at the sloppy jallopy 1915 Ter with exactly the same reasoning. I was a little worried that, although I want my partisans to be characterful I don't want them to look too dad's army. I fear the older truck along with some of the more eccentric models might veer into that territory. I've been looking at a fiat 626. I look forward to seeing pictures of your sloppy jallopy - I might well end up with both yet.
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In all honesty, I had the Fiat Tre already, and it had been looking at me from across the table of unused stuff for ages. I bought for a project about World War I which remained somewhat half way, and then I thought why not pressing it into service for the period I am actually working on? I looked at some photos on the web and they do show all sorts of vehicles (even though most of them are from the last days of the war when the partisans attacked the retreating Germans across Northern Italy, and then paraded through the Northern cities). I think if we wanted to be sticklers and recreate a historical army we should probably not use any transport at all, but hey, this is a game after all, so I think some compromises are acceptable. And by the way, the book I told you about shows the partisans supported by the Allies, like the Maiella brigade or Bulow's troops, also having jeeps!
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Someone was reading our exchanges. ..[url]https://wargamesatlantic.com/products/italian-infantry/url]
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With the Warlord ones coming soon as well it's going to be an interesting time for Italian armies.
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Exciting times indeed!
I've just ordered a few bits to get started and try out paint schemes: a WA partizans sprue, a Warlord late war British sprue with some Sikh heads from gripping beast and a Fiat 626. Oh and a building from warbases. And plenty of books.
I'm going to be strict with myself on not having too big a painting queue on this project, so I want to get these done up before I order more. Hopefully then I will get some WA partizans and Italians, possibly I will mix in some of the WG British bits I have left over (hopefully the helmets will tie the previous VBCW minis in). But that depends how they fit.
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I wish I was as virtuous as you are... late last night I pre-ordered the WA Italians.. ;D ;D even if my painting queue is humongous ..
Who makes your FIAT 626?
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I find if I get too many minis at once I over face myself and don't get them painted. If I get them in dribs and drabs I am better at keeping myself excited.
This is the truck I've gone for. I will post pics when it is done. (It's not here yet)
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I've been very busy with work, so not much painting. There a few bits semi done, but finally got three Sikhs done.
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Really great to see some Sikhs painted up.
I put together a whole Sikh army for Iron Cross a few years ago, but have only managed to get them out onto the gaming table a few times since; one of those times was just a couple of weeks ago, which was the first time in a very long time!
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_ta2jyjviMeeDdRU30JyUTnW5t9CyUw7GM7w47UndkNKZG5f9X6rLdSoFUPoA9wpA5cIZfQE4Y5XlfzQwKrlZ5hxfuotpVv2ibOFHU0EF1To68n4CRoVbhxvBMELOQDpVEwYelHrrBsi6XbyEW4Dbk1SyY2Lc7FedcmotD4MpqxJmrpWwoTXV196IlQ=s4032)
I've been introducing a friend of mine to Iron Cross, so we played a game set in North Africa: DAK vs Sikhs. More photos and an after-action report for anyone who is interested: https://fortheloveofterrain.blogspot.com/2021/10/iron-cross-after-action-report.html (https://fortheloveofterrain.blogspot.com/2021/10/iron-cross-after-action-report.html)
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That's an amazing looking set up, parttimegamer!
This project has been on the back burner for a while but I played through the tutorial game of BA on friday night and so brought it back to the front of the queue.
I've drawn up a simple 500pt list for my Sikhs and I aim to get this painted up over the next few weeks. My troops will mainly be Warlord commonwealth with Gripping Beast Sikh heads, though I have ordered a couple of packs of Artizan Sikhs.
Jeep, Morris truck and howitzer are on their way from Paint and Glue Miniatures.
One thing I'm struggling with my research is how much variety there would be in terms of ethnicity mixed on the field. It seems the regiments were drawn from a particular area and so would have been pretty homogenous, I believe they deliberately tried to cultivate a regimental identity. The photos I have seen, while showing a broad range of head gear, are consistent with in each picture.
But by the time the 8th army had got to central Italy I wonder how much the uniformity remained? For purely visual sake it would be interesting to have a hindu driver, or soldiers in field caps. Any information on this would be grateflly received. As would any suggestions for reading material.
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That was a very interesting battle report. It's a good example of how difficult it is to attack a fortified position across relatively open ground. As a US Army officer, we were taught that it took at least a 3 to 1 attacker-to-defender advantage to have have any chance at success...your game demonstrated that quite well (unfortunately for you... :o).
Nicely done game and report, in any event...nice figs, vehicles, and terrain, as well!
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So the other day with my wife and some friends we made a little hike (about 4 hours) in the upper Tiber valley - not far from where we live, to see the foliage, and it turns out that the plateau where we ate lunch had been the site of a major battle according to our hiking guide. This piqued my interest and it turns out that there was indeed a major fight between Indians (and Gurkhas) and the Germans - and that in the area there was also a major partisan activity. I stumbled across this great site, it's all in Italian but I hope you can enjoy it as much as I have. Here are stories about the battles in the area and some photos: http://www.storiatifernate.it/pubblicazioni.php?cat=50&subcat=154 (http://www.storiatifernate.it/pubblicazioni.php?cat=50&subcat=154) and if you click on "mappa interattiva - alta valle del Tevere 1943-44" there is a link to an interactive map showing all the major activities in the area
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@malto cortese - what a great find that web site was. Anyone who is interested in the Italian campaign should read it...some great reports of various battles and lots of photos that I hadn't seen before.
@tp_1983 - I am no expert, but my understanding is that each grouping (battalion level?) were from different ethnic groups, so you did not have Sikhs and Punjabis, for example, in the same "group".
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@malto cortese, that site is fantastic! that's going to give lots of inspiration.
@parttimegamer that's what it looks like from what I have researched. Oh well, just Sikhs it is then.
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@malto cortese, that site is fantastic! that's going to give lots of inspiration.
Glad to be of help!! :) :) I am now trying to get a copy of the book this guy wrote
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One think I am still slightly confused on is what books I need to build my Italian theatre Sikhs.
I am starting with a 500pt force, built out of the British list from the rulebook, but with the special rules for the Indian Army applied.
I've ordered the new Italian campaign book but am unsure what this will add to my Sikhs.
I would also like to build a tournament legal army in the future and don't really know how that works.
Any and all advice gratefully received.