Very American Civil War

[mysteriousbill]

Another post on a Very American Civil War. This one deals with terrain.

http://mysteriousbill.weebly.com/2/post/2012/09/vacw-terrain.html

[Cory]

You make some excellent points there.

The post war indeed transformed the US and it is easy to forget how different small towns were from today.

[commissarmoody]

Those are all some vary good idea. I have a few of the "old glory" 25mm Chicago style buildings siting in storage, think they would make a great main town, along with a few of the Perry bothers ACW era cabins for for a few houses and a single Room school house.

I also remember driving threw many communities you described in your post, while I was in the Old South and driving threw Idaho. And one feature in lots of them were Shotgun shacks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun_house

[Jakar Nilson]

T-4 OK who makes a model?

There are a number tanks and armored cars in developmental stages at the time (didn't Christie have a few tanks being evaluated by the Army). But who makes models of them in 25/28mm. Heck, you could take one of those sorta-looks-right for the times models that I have seen released recently and use it.

The BT-5 can stand in for Christie tanks, since it was based on them. If you want to make it more like the originals, either go with a cheesebox turret or no turret at all. Company B, JTFM, Force of Arms all have a version.

[commissarmoody]

Were was his work shop located? I could see an Emergency government putting these into production. Especial if Patton was on there command staff. He loved speed, and they would leave the "Liberty" and 6-ton tanks in the dust.
And  Does any one Make versions with the "cheese Box" style turrets?

[mysteriousbill]

Reviewing my sources I find that a number of the experimental tanks (his and others) were built at the Rock Island Armory in Northwest Illinois.

In 1932 American LaFrance Foamite ended up making a batch five of his tanks the T3E2 and they were based in Elmira New York.

No luck finding were his US Wheel and Track Laying Corporation was, but you could have them made in both places and supplied tpo both sides.

You could use a BT tank as a Christie but you will need to modify the turret (a rounder shape and armed with one of those 37mm trench guns instead of a proper AT gun).

[mysteriousbill]

For a Christie T3 a BT-5 is close but you would have to go with a round turret.

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/

Or this one (which appeared on the La France version)

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/

It looks like on the turret it has an MG and 37mm in front, and MGs on two of the sides in back.  You'd also have to make the front look boxier than a BT-5 for the T3E2.

A bit more conversion skills than I have.

[commissarmoody]

Here is a link in both French and English.

http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/Files/1-Vehicles/Allies/1-USA/02-MediumTanks/Christie/File/Christie.htm#T3

[FramFramson]

You make some excellent points there.

The post war indeed transformed the US and it is easy to forget how different small towns were from today.

Absolutely... this is all before the interstate system and all that.

Planning any city fights? Might be worth talking about the differences there too.

[mysteriousbill]

While looking up the BT series I saw that the BT2 looks like an exact copy.
Anybody make it in 28mm or even 1/48?

[mysteriousbill]

OK it's time to start the Campaign. Here's my first faction.

The Black Legion

http://mysteriousbill.weebly.com/2/post/2012/09/my-vacw-campaign.html

[commissarmoody]

I can dig it, and if push comes to shove you can use some 1920s pulp cultist mins for some of the non-paramilitary Black Legion members.

[leadfool]

Some very cool ideas. 

Were the black legion racist or more anti-communist? 

Another point about the interstate Highway system.  It was built in the 50's because of President Eisenhower.  When he was a young man, he took a truck convoy across the US.  It took 68 days to drive coast to coast.  In part because the roads were bad but mostly because the roads never went anywhere directly.  A road would connect 2 towns or cities or a county road might run in a straight line, for a while at least.  Mostly the roads went to the train station. 

[mysteriousbill]

They hated communists, blacks, Jews, socialists, and even Catholics. Basically Klansmen with different colored hoods.

[Cory]

One or two guys in robes might make good commisars, not that anyone in such a god fearin' right thinkin' organization would use such a term. Organizer would be out too, too lefty.

Still a rabble rousing fellow in a hood with a bible in one hand and a jug in the other could do a lot for the morale and stick withitness of the boys.

As to hating Catholics, here in Montana there are lots of Catholics but very few blacks. The only black gentleman, a well resspected and long time resident, in Miles City used to tell the story of the night the clan came to his door in the 30's with a spare hood and robe and invited him to join them in a cross burning at the home of a Catholic family that had moved in. Just proves folks could be more flexible than one might think.