Bolt Action: Operation Sealion Minis

[Kommando_J]

What are the options for ira? any new agent/abwehr units?

[SABOT]

Yes , both feature and give ideas to build on. I am struggling with the idea of the IRA having a World War One tank as I recently read that the Tank Museum in Dorset loaned theirs out to the LDV. That's where mine is going as I am going to base my Op Sealion campaign being fought in Dorset.

[carlos marighela]

Yes , both feature and give ideas to build on. I am struggling with the idea of the IRA having a World War One tank as I recently read that the Tank Museum in Dorset loaned theirs out to the LDV. That's where mine is going as I am going to base my Op Sealion campaign being fought in Dorset.

The IRA? Weirder still. Apart from a fairly disorganised bombing campaign in 1939 where they managed to murder about half a dozen people, the effectiveness of the IRA against anyone with guns in 1940 was marginal at best. Their one big wheeze, robbing the Irish Army's armoury in Dublin, ended in a complete disaster. Not only did the Irish Govt get back the arms and ammunition, it picked up pre-existing weapons caches when it arrested some of the perpetrators. Do the people at Bolt Action actually read books 'n' stuff?

[commissarmoody]

The IRA? Weirder still. Apart from a fairly disorganised bombing campaign in 1939 where they managed to murder about half a dozen people, the effectiveness of the IRA against anyone with guns in 1940 was marginal at best. Their one big wheeze, robbing the Irish Army's armoury in Dublin, ended in a complete disaster. Not only did the Irish Govt get back the arms and ammunition, it picked up pre-existing weapons caches when it arrested some of the perpetrators. Do the people at Bolt Action actually read books 'n' stuff?

I am guessing no....

[FramFramson]

Something about it being a game, so we can tweak history as we like.

[carlos marighela]

Something about it being a game, so we can tweak history as we like.

Fair enough. I look forward to the Space Goblins and recidivist Boer commandos in the next gripping Bolt Action instalment. 

[Kommando_J]

Its the armoury raid that maks the German sthink the IRA are big time ironically, its only after repeated failed missions that the abwehr realized they weren't suitable as fifth-columnists.

[carlos marighela]

Its the armoury raid that maks the German sthink the IRA are big time ironically, its only after repeated failed missions that the abwehr realized they weren't suitable as fifth-columnists.

Most of them weren't suitable to shovel shite.

[FramFramson]

Fair enough. I look forward to the Space Goblins and recidivist Boer commandos in the next gripping Bolt Action instalment. 

 

[SABOT]

Is that compulsory? 😳 Oh no more £££££ 😁

The whole thing is made up so I am enjoying the variation of units. Anybody got anything stranger , than in the books so far,  planned? ( for real now ladies - dont go making it up!) 😜

I have a ' barking mad 'unit planned. Will keep stum until painted up but think  ATDU - an outfit I once worked at. Bovington garrison deploys - not letting those IRA lads have a WW1 tank that's already been secured by the War Department.

[Arlequín]

Actually recidivist Boer Kommandos were sort of a thing, just not in the UK. Look up the  Afrikaner Broederbond (AB) and the Ossewabrandwag (OB) - who even had their own paramilitaries; the  Stormjaers.

As for WWI tanks, the British pushed for an international limit of 25 tons for tanks in the late '20s, mainly because they had nothing in service over 20 tons themselves and no real plans to exceed that.

Almost all the surviving Great War tanks in the UK were 'presentation tanks' to various councils. Possibly half of those were sold by councils for scrap in the Early '30s due to the cost of just painting and preserving them, as well as pressure from peace lobbyists complaining that they glorified war.

Some councils like Coventry and Pontefract had to back down due to local protest, but generally the general public were sick of being reminded of the War by them.

Many councils that failed first time round made use of scrap drives in 1939 and 1940 to get shot of those that remained, as the patriotic set could hardly argue at that. The metal itself was virtually useless however.

The Bovington tank may have actually been the only one, or at best one of a very very small number, able to be returned to serve in 1940. Bearing in mind how many WWI tanks Bovington had, that they could only make one of them fit for service speaks volumes for the chances for one exposed to the elements for twenty years.

There's tweaking history and there's twisting its nipples till it passes out from the pain. Usable WWI tanks in 1940 mostly fall on the latter end of the spectrum.

 

Edit: Sorry it was '20' and '25' tons, not 16 & 20.

[SABOT]

Good background info that fills in some gaps . Cheers mate.

[joroas]

Usable WWI tanks in 1940 mostly fall on the latter end of the spectrum.

The Renault FT was still used in WWII, even the Germans used captured ones.

You have to be careful not to get TOO historical here, I think that Warlord have bought, literally, into VBCW and attempted to put their own spin on it.

[SABOT]

That's pretty much how I see it - they flow into each other and that suits me as already have a lot of kit .

[carlos marighela]

"Actually recidivist Boer Kommandos were sort of a thing, just not in the UK. Look up the  Afrikaner Broederbond (AB) and the Ossewabrandwag (OB) - who even had their own paramilitaries; the  Stormjaers."

Oh, I knew that from an early age. My papa, had a wide variety of RAF tunes and ditties at his command and one of them was:

 'There's a 100,000 Yarpies* in the old Transvaal but fuck all in the fortress of Tobruk.' 

Why anyone would be even vaguely surprised at the Boer being fans of Hitler is the mystery here.



*Admittedly the yarpies were technically Boers but one accepts a degree of artistic licence to maintain poetic meter.