1914 Belgium - UD 18/12 - news re German infantry paint scheme

[gamer Mac]

Great work 
You have been busy.

[Dr. Zombie]

This is truly a monumental project. I would loose my mind painting that many in one go.

I am looking forward to try this game at BLAM.

[Malamute]

Bloody hell 

Bloody Effing Hell

82 figures on the go at one time, you must be mad, wait a minute...

[pocoloco]

Great progress there SI! 

Don't lose the magic feeling, I will send you my Great War items so you can paint them as well in one go

[Phil Robinson]

All that piping, does my head in doing four at time, you have my utmost admiration Sir.

[OSHIROmodels]

Why did they let you out of the straight jacket for 15 hours 

 

cheers

James

[Silent Invader]

Thanks for the comments folks  

Having a painting break for a few days to straighten out my claw-like hands and befuddled vision and then I'll crack on with the highlights and faces.

I have a couple of other things to make - a small sandbagged emplacement for the British Vickers and a destroyed 'burning' marker for the Minerva.

With BLAM fast approaching, I am also tightening up the scenario and rules. BLAM games need to host a minimum of 4 players but I shall probably engineer it for 4-6. The rules will be specific to the summer of 1914 so won't work for WW1 in general. For example, I'm minded not to have explicit rules for Morale. It's a platoon versus platoon (plus bits) game (as a snapshot action of a bigger front) and I'd like players to participate with the mindset of a section (squad) leader, with orders to follow but mindful of losses. Assuming 6 players, the troop allocations might be as follows:

BRITISH
1: platoon commander & one section of riflemen
2: two sections of riflemen
3: support elements of Vickers team and Minerva

GERMAN
1: platoon commander & two sections of riflemen
2: two sections of riflemen
3: support elements of two Maxim teams
 

EDIT: the crashed British spotter plane might also feature at some point

The scenario will be a hastily defended holding action by the British with the German assault being able to bring in Maxims to support their assault. Specific order details and victory conditions will be kept quiet until the day.

Both sides are extremely well trained and strongly motivated, with own losses counting against their victory, thus no specific Morale test as it will be for leaders to decide when to regroup or retreat, etc.

[Silent Invader]

Now back from a short vacation in Belgium, we included a few days in and around Mons. Quite a few photos were taken and this one might be of interest. It shows the view along the railway bridge at Nimy, from where Lt. Dease VC and his men (including Pvt Godley VC) manned their Vickers MG:



My Belgium 1914 board doesn't presently include canal, railway or bridge, though I have planned out more tiles to add them at some later stage.

[tin shed gamer]

That's a very interesting structure, It's not a shape you visualise in connection with the period(I know they exist and how the relate to the battles and infrastructure )I think it has the potential to be even more dramatic  providing a stark contrast to your town buildings .this plus a river / canal between your fields and town is just going to throw the whole project to another level.
Mark.

[Silent Invader]

Thanks Mark 

My original thoughts on later board expansion had been to have a fairly simple bridge but once I saw the girder geometry I was enticed.  I did try to take a pic of both sides in alignment - I didn't quite manage it but it still gives a really good idea of the shapes:

[OSHIROmodels]

That would look great as an addition to your board 

Do it! Do it now! 

cheers

James

[Silent Invader]

That would look great as an addition to your board 

Do it! Do it now! 

cheers

James

Ha ha! If only I had the time and space to do it NOW!

The bridge will require probably 6 or 7 new tiles. Say 4 tiles for the railway to run the length of the board and 2 or 3 for the canal to cut across the board, one of which will need a working (obviously) swing bridge to take the road across the river.

Before seeing the bridge my expansion plans had been to just have the road bridge, meaning the railway could run widthways so less tiles. That plan will now be scrapped and at some pony I shall add the 'proper' railway bridge and track set up that'll take the board to 5x4.

 

[OSHIROmodels]

Do both, road and rail 

cheers

James

[Silent Invader]

Do both, road and rail 

cheers

James

Absolutely! But thus some delay for time and space. 

[Silent Invader]

Some more images from Mons, which tie into present or future aspects of this project.

Another view of the Vickers position (and in this I am guided by the Osprey 'Mons' artwork having it placed to the left hand side of the tracks):



A close up of the bridge supports:



In addition to the rail bridge, the Royal Fusileers also defended the Nimy road bridge, which was located to their right. This was a swing bridge that has been replaced with a concrete structure in the same place, though I would hazard a guess that some of the adjacent buildings are still the same.





The bridge opened by swinging horizontally against the British bank. I have been able to locate only a single image of the swing bridge, in which it is closed:



The rail and road bridges defended by the British Royal Fusileers were assaulted by the German 84th Infantry Regiment, with heroic actions on both sides.  Lt Dease and Private Godley of the Royal Fusileers both won the VC for their manning of the Vickers MG to cover the British withdrawal, with Lt Dease subsequently dying of wounds received. Meanwhile, Private Oskar Niemeyer of the 84th Infantry Regiment swam the canal while under fire, successfully operating the mechanism to close the swing bridge, thereby enabling German troops to cross, before being killed.

The Germans subsequently created a joint war cemetery just outside of Mons, where both Lt Deades and Private Niemeyer are buried in close proximity:









In Mons itself is the new Memorial Museum.  Amongst the exhibits for WW1 are a series of uniform displays, though they were difficult to photograph due to the subdued light:







And now back to painting!