As requested, some ACW2 vehicle close ups. (Pic Heavy!)

[leadfool]

Were any Rolls Royce armored cars or British Whippet or German A7s (which I already own) involved in any of the action?  How flexible is ACW2 going to be about things like that? 

[Doc Twilight]

Were any Rolls Royce armored cars or British Whippet or German A7s (which I already own) involved in any of the action?  How flexible is ACW2 going to be about things like that? 

LF -

Good question.

I'm planning to include some "historical documents" and "articles" as part of the final product to add a bit of atmosphere. One of those is a post war investigation of KDF armored inventories during the 33-36 period, so I've already got some tables saying "such and such was in service here", but the broader intention is to make it extremely flexible. I had planned to pick up a Rolls Royce for my own collection, for example, so I daresay it'll probably show up at some point. As for the A7V, why not? More than one of them seems to have gone unaccounted for after the war:)

I'd say most anything goes. What I've tried to do is to say within the realm of possibility as far as available vehicles, that is, vehicles that would have been around, or at least, which would have been in prototype form, at the time. Which is why I justify the KDF having some of those Vezdekhod tankettes that Tobi makes - why wouldn't they pick up the license for a cheaply produced armored vehicle, especially if certain "Former White Russian" sympathizers are willing to share? That sort of thing.
In one of our test games, we've even had a T-26 show up. Unusual, but not entirely out of the question.

The United States is a -huge- country. I just can't see mechanized forces not playing a more prominent role in the fighting. Perhaps not between massed formations of armor ala WW2, but there were 900+ armored vehicles in the country in 1930. I can't image them not being put to good use.

Looking forward to what you come up with!

-Alex

[Doc Twilight]

More goodies, for those interested. Hope you're enjoying reading them as much as I am writing them.
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Char Schneider m.1917 No. 4 "Lousville Slugger"
(28mm. Source: Brigade Games)

Although Kentucky was determined to maintain its sovereignty during the conflict that was soon to boil over, the Kentucky state government had limited access to armored vehicles upon the establishment of the Free State in late 1933. The Free State Declaration had occurred in October, a full month after MacArthur's callup of the armored reserves at Fort Knox, and while a number of veteran tankers were available to Kentucky, only a handful of vehicles were available when Kentucky took full control of that facility. As a result, Kentucky began to search far and wide to attempt to acquire armored vehicles, along with weapons of any kind, with any nation that would sell. Fortunately, Kentucky's Socialist policies created strong allies for it in France, and the relationship was to pay dividends over the coming months with supplies of helmets, ammunition, small arms, and remaindered armored vehicles. Some of these included the first "foreign" tanks, offered on lend lease, to Kentucky - a unit of six Char Schneider m.1917 tanks, which arrived as early as February, 1934, smuggled by French merchants operating on the Mississippi river.

The Char Schneider was a cantankerous beast, at best, and its historical problems are well known. Nevertheless, the Kentuckians had a desperate need for armored vehicles, and the weapon had proved successful in French and Spanish use during the 1920s, particularly in North Africa. The vehicles delivered to the KDF were not much to speak of - all were badly worn, and three failed to pass inspection as "serviceable vehicles". The first such vehicle to be successfully restored to working order was No.4 in the batch of six, nicknamed "Louisville Slugger," and assigned to the 9th Kentucky Cavalry. "Slugger" was used extensively in training exercises and maneuvers with the Kentucky Armored Corps, which was still comprised largely of unarmed civilian vehicles and "mock tanks."

When Cincinnati fell to Nationalist forces at the end of June, the Free State was placed on a state of high alert, and the few mechanized elements were deployed along the major roadways of the state in order to halt any advance by Nationalist forces.
The first Kentuckian vehicle to be engaged in fighting was Mark V tank "Alexander Hamilton", which exchanged fire with US Army forces at a distance as they maneuvered just over the border in Ohio. On July 11th, when Nationalist Forces made their
move for the important railhead junction at La Grange, "Louisville Slugger" was the only heavy KDF vehicle in the area. She was engaged for six hours, continuously firing her howitzer at Nationalist troops, and frequently overheating both her weapon and her engine, before falling back beyond the town to resupply. By the time she returned, the ferocious battle was over.

Slugger was subsequently involved in most of the major battles of 1934 in Kentucky, and was seriously damaged at Louisville before being recalled for refit and maintenance. She re-entered the fight in March, 1935, and continued to serve the KDF throughout the war, firing her last shots in anger in 1938 to score a kill-shot on an American Legion captured T-26, "Eddie Rickenbacker". She is now preserved at the Kentucky State War Museum, Frankfort. This miniature depicts her in the paint scheme she bore for more or less the length of the conflict. Interestingly, just over a dozen Char Schneiders had been delivered to Kentucky by the end of the war. Few, however, survived it.


View of the vehicle from the Driver's left, painted in French style camoflage. The partial nickname of the vehicle and her emblem of a baseball bat hitting a ball "out of the park" can be prominently seen here. One of the two Hotchkiss machine guns standard to all models of this variant can be seen mounted in the center armor plate.


View of the vehicle from the Driver's right. Here, the photo has been centered toward the front, giving us a better view of the unditching beam at the fore of her hull, and graffiti in the form of a skull and crossbones and the phrase, "DEATH TO FASCISM!" on the top front plate. The howitzer which was standard armament for all Char Schneiders is mounted in a coaxial position, just to the left, from the viewer's perspective. The larger, full form of her nickname "Louisville Slugger" can just be made out on the central side armor plate. Of particular interest is the "yellow cross of Kentucky", the symbol yellow and green emblem used by uniformed KDF forces during the war. This was in fact a stylized version of the crossed mining tools present on the KFS national flag. The Confederate States of America were not (and are not) fondly remembered by all Kentuckians (most Kentuckians to fight in the first American Civil War were Union boys), and as a result, Kentucky went out of its way to distance itself from any Confederate iconography, particularly after the rise of the "American Nativist" movement in the lower South.


Rear view of the vehicle, showing her unditching tail, and the vehicle's assigned number, "No.4"

[Remington]

I like!

[Blackwolf]

I'm rather enjoying this topic,nice backstories.

[Doc Twilight]

Thanks, guys. Much appreciated for your support.

More coming as the project progresses. I have at least three or for more to share, plus  more on the painting table. The master for the Garford Putilov has arrived, and I think it would look pretty good in Nationalist colors, so there's another one that may come up sooner than later. Just have to get it to the Caster. No, I do no think that the Da Vinci tank will, in fact, be seeing service in ACW2;) (Though a friend from the South has joked that it'd be a great 'Mississippi Panzer' )

Mina has done a very lovely FT-17 for her Kansas National Guard (Nationalists), and is working on doing up a Romfell for her Silvershirts. I'm hoping that she'll be willing to share the photos, or at least let me share them for her.

In addition, you might be interested to know that Tobi's next piece for me will be a Ford 3 ton (I think I mentioned this earlier in another topic). He's very busy with his new baby and his own company, but I'm sure it'll be lovely once he gets time to do it (no, that's not meant as pressure - he's done a ton for me already, and I plan to let him take his time). I intend to target it specifically at the ACW2 crowd. Maybe we'll offer some sort of deal on it eventually.

-Doc

[commissarmoody]

I would defiantly like to see the Ford 3-tons when they come out, I am all about the American, inter-war tanks. An the 3-ton looks like some one make it with just a moter, a mechanic and a machine shop.
Just sad that the M1 combat cars wont be making an appearance in the first run.
Oh well, I would defiantly like to also see your Minas NG, and Sivlershirts.

[Big Martin]

Interesting stuff - love the wealth of background detail to justify having it.

[Wirelizard]

The writeups and the closeups are all excellent, very nice vehicles!

Love the details (justification?) for the presence of the various vehicles in the 2nd ACW, too.

[leadfool]

I am thinking the California Reds (Commies not wine) could get their armored cars and advisors from Russia via Vladivistok.   The Nationalists would get their equipment via train from the Eastern US.  The constitutionalists could buy surplus stuff from the Mexicans and everybody could buy new stuff from the Japanese or make their own.   

I see Nationalists having to protect their lifeline of trains and the other forces having to protect the river transport.  We could even get into some naval combat.

[commissarmoody]

 

I am thinking the California Reds (Commies not wine) could get their armored cars and advisors from Russia via Vladivistok.   The Nationalists would get their equipment via train from the Eastern US.  The constitutionalists could buy surplus stuff from the Mexicans and everybody could buy new stuff from the Japanese or make their own.   

I see Nationalists having to protect their lifeline of trains and the other forces having to protect the river transport.  We could even get into some naval combat.

I like were your going with this

[Doc Twilight]

FT-17 Light Tank "Toto"
(28mm. Source: Brigade Games. Painter: Mina)

The FT-17 was the most common tank in American service during the Great War and, indeed, the only tank to see widespread deployment in American units. It proved to be extremely popular with American crews, so that an American version, the so-called "American Renault" was also developed prior to the end of the war, though these were never produced in the numbers or quantity matching the FT-17, owing to the armistice, constant budget cuts, and other matters. As might be expected, the FT-17 was the most common vehicle in American inventories throughout the 1920s, and on into the 1930s.  As a result, many FT-17s saw service during the war, even though they had, by the beginning of the war, become largely obsolescent.

In 1933, following General Secretary Lindbergh called for the activation of the National Guard system on a wartime footing, citing the great "national emergency" that had immediately followed the attempted assassination on the life of President-Elect Franklin Roosevelt. The details of this "call for service" can be found elsewhere (ed note: in our upcoming book), but the basic reality was that the activation was not universally responded to positively. An alternative solution, whereby the National Guard units could voluntarily choose to avoid activation but would, instead, donate their arms to the regular United States Military, essentially lead to the first shots being fired at Pine Camp New York.  Although Kansas State was divided, the the Kansas National Guard,  by and large, remained loyal to Washington, and proclaimed itself "ready, willing, and able" to act against the Communist insurrection. In addition, the Kansas National Guard's small number of armored vehicles, mostly used for training purposes, were immediately placed into reconditioning. This included at least a dozen FT-17 tanks, formerly US Army Models which had been acquired during the Great War. Though they were old, worn out, and in desperate need of re-engineering, this is precisely what the Kanasas National Guard did, so that, by the Spring of 1934, eight of the twelve FT-17s of the Kansas National Guard were declared fit for service.

"Toto" was one such vehicle. In addition to the first battle of the Western Theatre, at Sterling's Still, she was later deployed as part of a mixed armored company with the 39th (Kansas) Infantry Division to support Patton's drive through the Ohio River Valley Offensive. While the 39th did not reach Nationalist lines in time to see action at Cincinnati, they were one of several fresh units available for the push into Kentucky and formed an important part of the Nationalist Force that first saw action against the Kentuckians at La Grange. The veteran crew of Toto served with great skill at La Grange, and managed to destroy two KDF armored vehicles and the performance of the vehicle is positively noted by both Nationalist and Constitutionalist forces at the scene. Andrew Bagosy of the Indiana Minutemen noted that 'Toto'  "Was remarkably well handled, and nimbled, for such a bucket of bolts, and she gave us quite a fright." Toto went on to serve at Lousville, Middlesboro, and Indianapolis, where Toto received a fatal shot to the flank, killing her crew. The bodies crew were returned to their home state with honors, and the remains of the vehicle were recycled for scrap by the Indiana State Government.

This model represents Toto as she appeared during the Ohio River Valley Offensive of 1934. Her commanding officer was noted for his attention to cleanliness, and the crew reportedly maintained "a showroom quality shine" whenever they could, according to the sarcastic, but loving memories of Nationalist veterans post war.


Front view of the vehicle, depicting her 37mm anti-tank gun and the famous "tornado" emblem commonly used by Kansas Regulars and Silver Shirt Cohorts alike. The reference was meant to allude to "Tornado Alley" but was also a tongue in cheek reference to the popular Children's Novel, "The Wizard of Oz", published in 1900 by L. Frank Baum.


Driver's right hand side view of the vehicle. The hand painted unit affiliation, "39th Kansas" can just be made out on the side armor plate. (My apologies for the glare in this photo. Not sure what happened here, as the rest turned out fine.)


Driver's left hand side view of the vehicle. A favorite line from the Baum book, "And your little dog, too!" is enscribed on the right hand side armor plate. There is some debate about whether the name "Toto" was taken from the Boston Terrier in the Baum novel, or from the Boston Terrier (also named Toto) owned by the commander, and shown in some period photos posing with his master atop the vehicle. Nationalist veterans post war alleged that the producers of the film "The Wizard of Oz" changed the breed of the Boston Terrier to that of  Cairn Terrier in order to avoid taking a political stance*.


Rear view of "Toto" showing the unditching tail famously mounted on most FT-17 and FT-18 tanks.

(* Yes, the dog in 'The Wizard' was really supposed to be a Boston. One of many very nerdy facts that Mina is a repository of. A rather humorous, given that many of her facts involve new and interesting ways of blowing one's enemies to tiny bits. )

(The author apologizes for any negative light in which Mina's painting is shown, as he is still learning his camera. Mina has promised to share her Silvershirt Romfell very soon.)

[Doc Twilight]

(More to come, but one more before I retire for the evening. Again, comments, questions, etc. always welcomed. And feel free to share your own, with perhaps a bit of history. Or heck, if you like, I can come up with a suitable justification for you;) I enjoy this stuff.)

Armored Model T "Rose"
(28mm. Brigade Games, with some minor alterations.)

A number of improvised armored vehicles were produced during the Second American Civil War, just as they were in virtually every conflict of the period. These were particularly common in the United States since, per capita, there were more drivers and automobile owners in the United States than anywhere else in the world. Kentucky, of course, had a long tradition of automobile "modification", and indeed, many former moonshiners found themselves in the service of their state, particularly when Kentucky Free State laws made certain to ban prohibition and excise taxes...

"Rose" was built upon the lengthened, strengthened chassis of a model 1921 Model T by Middlesboro Police Chief and Spanish American War Veteran, Mr. Taylor Roberts, using a vehicle he had used primarily for "Sunday outings". It is typical of several similar vehicles manufactured in cottage industries around the state and then donated to the KDF, which was desperate to scrape every piece of material it could out of the resource rich but money poor state it had been created to defend. "Rose", named for Chief Roberts' daughter and winner of the 1933 "Best Legs in Kentucky" contest, was built as an armored shell around the original Model T chassis. Upon her arrival with the KDF, Rose had her armament (a single Browning machine gun) installed, and her wheel base was widened in  order to improve stability and ground pressure.

Upon commissioning, "Rose" was attached to the Middlesboro Dragoons, a unit of volunteer "motor cavalry" comprised predominantly of former policemen and moonshiners from in and around the little town of Middlesboro and the surrounding farmland.
Taylor Roberts, her creator, was later commissioned as one of the first Cherokee officers in the KDF, but he himself actually had little contact with "Rose" after its adoption by the Dragoons. Rose was the first Kentucky armored vehicle to be deployed outside the state, used during the brief expedition to Kansas and the Battle of Sterling's Still in January, 1934. Upon extensive overhaul, she was again ready for service by the Spring, and like most of the vehicles depicted here, was involved in the Ohio River Valley Campaign, though Rose herself never actually left Kentucky again.

Rose was engaged at La Grange, Louisville, Middlesboro, and Frankfort, as well as Paducah and the Cumberland Gap, where she was destroyed by Silvershirt anti-tank rifles in 1937.

This model depicts Rose in her "Middlesboro Dragoons" livery.


Front view of Rose, showing her angled armored radiator shutters, as well as the chassis mounted spotlight used for navigating the numerous country roads of Kentucky in the dark. Both were adopted from the Ford Armored Car serving in the Polish Army of the period. Her lengthened axles are clearly visible here, as is the "Kentucky Cross", painted on the right armor plate of the turret, from the viewer's perspective. The hard edged French-style camo style favored by Kentucky forces is also visible here.


Driver's left profile view. The name of Rose's parent unit, the "Middlesboro Dragoons" is quite visible here, as is the hand painted rose emblem, apparently painted by Rose herself as a gift for the crew of the vehicle, on the driver's right side engine plate.
Note the Kentucky Cross once again.


Another side profile, this time of the driver's right. The armored, reinforced door through which the crew entered and exited the vehicle, can just be made out here, slightly obscured by her camouflage lines.


Rose's name and designation "No. 13" can be seen painted on the rear plate here, as can the angular riveted rear edge of the turret. At Sterling's Still, a shot apparently struck this seam on the turret, requiring the replacement of the structure before Rose re-entered service.

(Notes: Named for my Great Grandfather (who fought in Cuba in 1898), and for his daughter, My Grandmother, who really did win that legs contest back in 1933. She recently passed away, and is greatly missed. She was quite a dame.  I hope you'll forgive my being a bit sentimental in this case.)

[Doc Twilight]

I am thinking the California Reds (Commies not wine) could get their armored cars and advisors from Russia via Vladivistok.   The Nationalists would get their equipment via train from the Eastern US.  The constitutionalists could buy surplus stuff from the Mexicans and everybody could buy new stuff from the Japanese or make their own.   

I see Nationalists having to protect their lifeline of trains and the other forces having to protect the river transport.  We could even get into some naval combat.

Those are some interesting thoughts. The primary "mover and shaker" for our Commies in our local games has often stated in his background stories that Seattle, Portland, and Medford had fallen to the Communists fairly early in the war, Seattle being the first on the West Coast; he says that's the direction his T-26 came from. Might be good points of arrival for shipments from Vladivostok.
I bet you could do some cool California Reds in Shlems, LF!

Good thought on the naval combat. Can see both riverine and open water stuff. 1930s era ironclads, anyone?
-Alex

[Doc Twilight]

N1 "Porter" Armored Gun Truck
(28mm; Sources: Kitbash using pieces from Blue Moon, Reverisco, and Plastruct)

WHEN the Naval Infantry Brigades were created in late 1933, a desperate need was found for sufficient motorized support elements, of both the "soft skinned" and armored variety. In the case of the former, these could be supplemented by taking up civilian vehicles into service, but in the case of the latter, the Navy had access to only a scant handful of armored vehicles. Most of the armored vehicles allotted to the Department of the Navy had, as has been discussed elsewhere, already been taken into the Marine Corps. The N1 "Porter", named in honor of Admiral David D. Porter of ACW fame, was one of several attempts to provide an interim solution to the problem.

The N1 is essentially a Ford stake bed, covered over with riveted armor plate, with a reinforced armored cabin. Armament as designed included one of the dozens of surplus naval howitzers, many of them model 1887 75mm guns surrendered by the Central Powers at the end of the Great War, for which ammunition was available in large numbers. This was mounted in the armored, open topped, bed of the vehicle. More than fifty such vehicles were built before production officially ceased.

Like the Naval Infantry Brigades, the N1 was fairly rushed into service in time for the planned Ohio River Valley Offensive. By June of 1934, at least twelve vehicles had been produced, and these were rushed to the front lines, where they often served with crews who had little experience of the strengths or weaknesses of such vehicles. The first combat action for the N1 occurred at Cincinnati, as part of the 3rd Naval Infantry Brigade. Four vehicles assigned to the 3rd were used as part of the 3rd NIB's disastrous frontal assault against the city's supposedly "unprepared" defenders, with a result that all four vehicles were lost. Embarrassingly, only No4. was destroyed by fire from the barricades. No.2 overheated and had to be abandoned; No. 3 stuck fast in the mud and was overwhelmed by enemy partisans. No.1, meanwhile, attempted to close with with an FT-17 commandeered by the coalition movement that held Cincinnati, with predictable results.

Nevertheless, the N1 could be useful. When crews learned about its strengths and weaknesses, and used the weapon as a support vehicle rather than attempting to close head on with enemy armor, the N1 could be a remarkably useful, cost-effective vehicle. Later in the war, the N1 gained a reputation as an "armored car killer", and was often useful in defeating high speed raiding vehicles. The most notorious use of the N1 occurred in 1937, when a group of Communist fanatics who had infiltrated the Naval Infantry attempted to assassinate President Lindbergh by firing on his motorcade and then ramming the presidential transport with a makeshift spar torpedo mounted to the prow of the N1 No.29. The attempt failed, but is one of the most oft reported incidents of the war.

The following images depict No.11, assigned to the 4th Naval "McCulloch" Naval Infantry Brigade. The 4th, recruited predominantly from the United States Coast Guard (which overwhelmingly supported the Nationalist Cause), was the most successful of the Naval Infantry Brigades during the 1933-1936 period of the war. While No.11 was engaged in several battles, its first action occurred (like many other Nationalist vehicles) at La Grange, Kentucky.

This model depicts No.11 in 4th NIB markings and Naval colors.


Front view of N1 Naval Gun Truck No.11. A headlight was mounted to the passenger's side of the cabin. A bit of Nationalist jargon, "Unity" is painted above the armored cabin. No.11 apparently had no nickname in service.


Driver's left side profile. 4th NIB insignia can be seen on the lower driver's side armored panel of the cab.


Driver's right side profile.


Rear view of N1 Naval Gun Truck No.11, clearly showing its' Model 1887 Naval Howitzer.