My WW2 Burma Chindit Army Complete (for now)

[Rob_bresnen]

I have now finished my first army for my WW2 Burma campaign.

I am plaining to do several armies for this campaign but I am starting with a 1943-44 Chindit army and a more generic Imperial Japanese Army. My plan is to extend this with a more conventional British Indian Army (1944), with tanks and artillery and stuff,  and a less well prepared British Indian army (1941). The Latter army will also double up as a Indian National Army (INA) in my 1944 campaign.

For the initiated, the INA was an army made up if Indian POW captured by the Japanese during the fall of Malaysia and Burma. The Japanese gave them a choice to fight against the British empire to 'liberate' India. A surprising number chose to join the INA. so much kit was captured by the Japanese that to all intents they were equipped as the British army had been in 1941- they just swapped their officers for Indians and Japanese).

This will mean I will be able to field larger battles set in 1944 eventually with the British Indian Army and the Chindits vs the Imperial Army and the INA

Anyway, with out further ado here are some photos- this army is 1000 pts form Bolt Action, built using the Chindit List in the Armies of Britain and the Commonwealth book. I will point out, it includes a Flame thrower, which is omitted from the Chindit list in the rule book- odd, because the Ospary books clearly show the Chidits equipped with flame throwers.

Ps- sorry the photos are not that good. The light was quite poor today.



Officer- First Lieutenant


Medical Officer


Airforce FO and Radio Operator


MMG crew


3" mortar crew


Lifebuoy Flamethower crew


Native Burmese Guides

[James Morris]

Very nice work - the palm trees certainly add a splash of Burma.  I think you've done well to get shots this good as I agree the light in the UK Midlands has been rubbish most days recently!

[Arrigo]

Army? This is more or less a platoon! Ok let's say a depleted column to be on topic. I really do not get why anything we field is an army... 5 miniatures make an army (ok yes we have Sergio Leone's 5 men army...)

PS: nice work, maybe the jungle green is too light (ok the JG was supposed to fade especially in 1943 due to bad dyes, but on the other hand you had sweat, humidity, mud and dirt so probably it more than compensate). One thing I am not 100% sure is the PIAT.

[scrivs]

Nice looking Chindits, I have those two scouts in my own 14th Army collection, the majority of my 14th Army collection are from The Assault Group, but I added a few Bolt Action Chindits to fill gaps where figures were not available.

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

Nice work

Who makes the figures?

[mrtn]

Nice army!

[Gothic Line]

 Really great figures you have there! If you ever need some Japanese opponents let me know!
 www.gothiclineminiatures.com

[Rob_bresnen]

Army? This is more or less a platoon! Ok let's say a depleted column to be on topic. I really do not get why anything we field is an army... 5 miniatures make an army (ok yes we have Sergio Leone's 5 men army...)

PS: nice work, maybe the jungle green is too light (ok the JG was supposed to fade especially in 1943 due to bad dyes, but on the other hand you had sweat, humidity, mud and dirt so probably it more than compensate). One thing I am not 100% sure is the PIAT.

OK- yes a platoon, or depleted column- not an army.

What's up with the PIAT?

Nice work

Who makes the figures?

They are a combination of Warlord Games, Wargames Foundry and The Assault Group. I also think the officers might be Black Tree Designs.

[tomek917]

Lovely looking army you got there!

And looking forward to future updates on the other armies!

[Arrigo]

What's up with the PIAT?

Well, the issue and use of PIAT in CBI is an issue. the XIV army was not the top priority for new weapons issues to start with and Wingate was not as popular with superiors officers and with the Indian army in general (being a tad unstable and a tad racist was not helping either...). I have seen sources that says the PIAT was issue on the same scale than MTO and ETO other that it says not; some units appeared to have still Blacker bombards in 1944. Certainly during First Arakan (1943 Dry Season) the PIAT was not used. The first Chindit escapade was in 1943 too. According to Tim Moreman's osprey on the subject (by coincidence I had the same supervisor as him at King's...) during Longlcoth they used the Boys. In the second expedition (Thursday) they had PIATs but on a lasser scale and usually they were carried by the pack mules. Of course you did not mention if your column (God forbid the term Army, God forbid entrusting Orde Wingate with a whole Army anyway... ) was for the first or second dis... ahem expedition.

Arrigo

[Rob_bresnen]

Thank you for that. I have kind of imagined that this is a 1944 force (not army), so I will use it in conjunction with my 14th army (this time a real army- but not all of it  ). I don't think all the uniforms are correct for 1944, but to be frank, I am not that bothered. 

 Similarly, I don't doubt you for a minute about the PIAT, and bow to your vastly superior knowledge (would it shock you that I had never heard of the Chindits two years ago). However, as the only source I have is the osprey books and the bolt action rules - presumably based on the osprey book - I am going to stick with the PIAT. Especially given that I have already painted it. And the fact that my regular gaming buddy is even more ignorant about WW2 than me.

[Onebigriver]

Lovely stuff!

[Mason]

Great stuff, Rob.
The ARMY looks great!
 

Sod worrying too much about being ultra-realistic, we are talking about toy soldiers for goodness sake.
The main aim should be to have fun putting the army together, painting it and hopefully gaming with it as well.
Just enjoy yourself, mate.
 

[Rob_bresnen]

Thanks Mason- I think I will do just that.

[Arrigo]

No problems Rob,

Tim Moreman's Osprey is quite good, a lot of stuff is lifted straight from his PhD thesis... the uniform is also  right. There were no real changes in the uniform per se, more a change on the dye used. And you told us the light in the pictures was bad. From the pictures the colour seems very light, and combared with the Jungle Green items in the National Army Museum, in the Burma Star Museum (duxford), and the imperial War Museum (london) your JG is indeed light (bat bmaybe it is the light, I assume in person they could be quite different).   I got the impression the Jungle Green tended to be quite dark in the field mainly due to humidity and sweat. On the other hand it was also reported the original local dyes were crappy (and cheap...) so they were fading quickly...  I still have my old Army Cap from my days at the academy and it is awfully faded (it is supposed to be the Italian copy of US Woodland Camo, but it looks different every new year it looks more faded...).

If you use the PIAT for 44 is OK. They got it (thanks god, hauling those boys in the Jungle had to be a nightmare).

Sod worrying too much about being ultra-realistic, we are talking about toy soldiers for goodness sake.
The main aim should be to have fun putting the army together, painting it and hopefully gaming with it as well.

Well some people care about realism...