M3 Honey Finished

The M3 Honey conversion has had the last few splashes of paint aimed at it. My photography skills do no favours to the details: Brigade flashes, Recognition flashes, graphite and rust on the tracks etc. In the end, the mantle was carved from the cork at the front of the turret. Here it is.

 

M3 Honey converted from PSC M5 Stuart. Photos copyright Chris Kemp

M3 Honey Conversion - Losing the Fat Head

 

Photo copyright Phil Steele. Old Glory M3 with the PSC conversion

After letting the paint dry on my M3 and staring at it on the workbench, I came to the conclusion that the turret was too big, wide and just generally fat. Finding an old 20mm turret confirmed that it was also too chubby at the front. The deal breaker for me was that the turret angles were not sharp enough making "the look" unconvincing. I trimmed it and although it is still too long in the front (The commander's hatch should cover the roof when open, just about), it looks about right now. I could have just measured it, but hey?

After trimming  the turret, the model was airlifted  round to Trebian's Shedquarters, as  he has one tricked out for Burma (Skinner's Horse?). Cripes, I thought, the whole thing is massive compared to the Old Glory offering! A quick impromptu meet of the Greek Philosopher's scale debating club convened over tea and cake after the game, before Phil and I separately went off to count the camel's teeth!

It turns out that the PSC is accurate, and that by skill or luck, my M3 is bang on the nail for height and width, but short at the back. The OG model is undernourished, although it looks fine on it's own. I love 1:100 as a scale. Even I can do the sums!

A quick paint to get it "table ready", then it's into the box to await a game or bulk weathering session. As ever, I fudged the Caunter scheme - My M3 doesn't have sand sheilds, so I went with Tamiya Mid Blue on the turret roof, Olive Drab lightened and desaturated with Light Blue, and Desert yellow, all over a khaki undercoat. It's not as garish as my first attempt with the Massive Moritz.

M5 Stuart to M3 Honey 15mm PSC Kit Conversion

Phil Steele coined the "Pointless Conversion" phrase during one of his exemplary builds of an SU-122, observing that sometimes an apparently pointless project made sense. This conversion is one such as I already own a couple of perfectly servicable metal M3s with the later round cast turret. Phil brought a box of PSC M5s back with him from a show at my request. At the time of purchasing, I thought the spare hulls  would do nicely for the Western Desert and for Eastern Front Lend-lease. I knew that M3s were used, but didn't realise that M5s were not, or that more importantly all three hull variations in the PSC kit were M5s. Bobbins!

Undaunted, I set about a pointless conversion. First of all the rear deck was cut off and reversed. Saw away the fuel tanks and save them, they will be needed later. I used a block of wood as the lower hull with the upper hull shimmed to get it level, and the tracks glued straight to the block.

Next, the front glacis plate was chopped away. Card (plasti- or paper) was used to deck in the holes, and was trimmed level once it had set. I do most of this with scissors and a fresh sharp scalpel, obviating the need for much filler, although when this technique goes wrong, the bodges are more obvious.

The hull was reasonably straightforward to build up and a spare PSC T-34 fuel tank made the vertical exhaust chambers. The suitably chopped fuel tanks went back on in a reversed position, although looking at some of the desert pictures, square stowage boxes occupied these spots.

A cork core sheathed in card formed the frame for the turret. I ran the angles by eye, filing and slicing away until it 'looked about right' although it is probably a tad over scale. The PSC commander in beret deflected attention away from any deficiencies in this area. Wire from the bits bin made a gun and some Milliput will provide a mantlet.

The conversion appears slightly too short in the hull, but I wanted it to fit in with my existing two metal M3s. Job done. I suppose I should paint it now instead of sending it Soviet-style into its first game wearing nothing but an undercoat. Mantlet, paint and more faffing about to follow ...

http://notquitemechanised.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/gazala-tank-strengths-cross-referenced/

Clarifying Mechanised Orbats

When a motorised battalion of infantry with integral transport goes into battle, one of the bases (usually a Support (S) base)  can be an integral part of the transport base. In addition, the transport may carry other bases (usually  Fighting (F) bases) that ‘deploy’ when the stand attacks or defends.  The following scale should provide a rough guide but is not prescriptive :

No  extra bases per jeep or motorcycle combo

Up to 2 bases extra per light truck  or  halftrack eg Sd Kfz 250

Up to 2 bases extra per half track (an empty halftrack carries up to 3 stands)

Up to 3 bases extra per medium truck

Up to 4 bases extra per heavy truck

2 wheel trailers may carry 1 base

4 wheel trailers may carry up to 2 bases

If there are a mix of fighting and support bases in the stand, it can be given a hybrid designation, such as  FS, CF, CS, or even CFS.

This is different to the case of a marching infantry unit that happens to be transported in trucks that are not a normal part of their orbat. For marching infantry, the truck(s) can be accounted for separately as a Logistic (L) stand.

In retreat, all your troops will fit onto the trucks up to a maximum of double the usual extra stands, but no support weapons, so support stands become rifle stands.

Pz Gren Bn    1 Comd Sd Kfz w 37mm PAK + 81 or 50mm Mor (CS3)  which would normally travel with the Bn comd Sd Kfz, 2 x [Sd Kfz with MG + 2 Rifle bases @ (FS3)] (Rifle stands may have integral AT Rifle or Pz Faust  capability).

So a panzer grenadier battalion has 3 halftracks (each CS3 or FS3 light armour with an integral machine gun  or PaK 37). The 250 will always have an integral command base or may have an integral command/support base (MG or Pak), and probably also has a dismountable support base with it in the shape of a mortar. Each 251 has an integral support or gun base. Regimental gun support can be simulated by modelling the gun on the transport e.g. the Sd Kfz 250/10 or  Sd Kfz 251/10, or as a towed gun, as shown in the picture above.

In total up to 6  dismountable rifle or support bases could be carried by the 3 battalion transports with their integral non-dismountable bases. You could use as few as 3 or 4 dismountable bases to reflect the often-reduced fighting strength of these heavily used units.

Mot Rifle Bn  Comd Car + 81 or 50mm Mor (CS3),  1-2 [Trucks or 1/2 tracks with integral mg support stand + 1-2 Rifle bases (FS2-3),  (Rifle stands may have integral AT Rifle or Pzfaust  capability). A total of 6-9 bases per battalion including the vehicle bases, in line with infantry battalions is about right, making a total of 3 stands, as shown below.

In total up to 6  dismountable rifle or support stands can be carried by the 3 battalion transports with their integral non-dismountable stands. Any regimental guns will be towed in this orbat. If a truck does not have an integral support or fighting base, count it as (L1)

Please note that this does not in any way seek to replicate the actual carrying capacity of these vehicles; rather it simulates the functions of a battalion, whilst still allowing a modeller to produce signature equipment in his orbat. The orbat also gives flexibility without being too prescriptive. If you disagree, run your ideas past your opponent and reach an agreement for an enjoyable game.

“Orbats are for Beginners”

The title quote is one that Jim Wallman is fond of trotting out at appropriate moments. There is a kernel of truth hidden away there.

NQM started using 20mm figures and originally, 3 infantry bases, each with 1 strength point (s), formed a stand with an output of 1 combat unit (CU). When I changed to 15mm, a single stand gained (s3) and put out 1 CU.  This was useful for divisional battles, but became unweildy when corps took to the field, so it is time to go back to basics and restate some beginner orbats. I am starting to roll these out on the orbat pages. It is the most significant change that I have made to the written guidelines in 30 years as it reduces infantry strength relative to armour and artillery.

Each of the 2 stands in the photo above put out 1 unit of fire (CU). the command stand on the left has three strength points and the support stand on the right has two.

As before, a stand fights and fires as normal until each base has a pin in it. the first extra pin overloads the stand and removes it: this means all three bases in the case of the command stand, and both bases in the case of the support stand.

If the two stands reorganise, there is no longer a need for black pins. Any permanently damaged base is removed. Vehicle stands that use one vehicle to represent three strength points continue to use black pins as normal.

The Defence of TAMBOV Rail Junctions (Fall Gabel AAR)

295 Infantry Division overrun the positions of 55 Rifle Division after a bitter fight.

This battle was fought rapidly over one evening at Trebian's 'Shedquarters' in two hours rather than the six that  I had originally envisiged. Present were Messrs. Graham, Phil, Will and Harvey, a newcomer to NQM, but by no means a novice gamer. Graham took command of Soviet 5th Army. Will and Harvey took command of 2nd Panzer Korps. Phil turned up slightly later and took control of the southern armoured thrust of 4 Panzer Division and Gross Deutchland.

Other newcomers to the game were the new casualty markers. Once the players had become accustomed to them, they speeded the combat sequence up significantly, and Graham deserves the credit for pressing me to actually do something about the ****** pins that rarely fail to draw blood at least once in a game. Contempory gamers are clearly made of less stern stuff than John Sandars, but we all appreciate the increased game speed!

The plan in my own mind was for two infantry divisions to fix the Soviet infantry position around the rail junctions with probing attacks, then outflank them to the south with the panzer divisions. Von Wyler had other ideas* and attacked due west down the railway on  a two-division front supported by korps artillery. I was explaining to Harvey the tradition of black heavy dice rolling low numbers, when Graham and Will immediately proved me wrong with some demon dice.

As a veteran NQM player, Will preceded his infantry attack with Korp-level artillery bombardment and an airstrike by the Luftwaffe. The PVO Strany was up to the challenge and had some success in fighting off the attack. I was probably a bit generous in allowing the Soviets to switch army artillery targets early on, but by this stage of the war, they were beginning to  develop the ability to put tactical doctrine into practice.

The German attack began to  cause and accrue some very heavy casualties. Notice that 296 Infantry Division is still on its movement tray. It was easier to do this than explain to Harvey that unit formations are not desparately important at this scale, and usually stay in base contact to count as organised. I needn't have worried. Harvey picked up what was going on very quickly, like the seasoned campaigner that he is.

For this game I limited the number of stands in a division able to initiate a firefight to six, as we were using one-third strength divisions. Even so, the German attack by 295 Infantry Division began to bite into the northern defensive position of 55 Rifle Division, although 296 Infantry Division had less success against  56 Rifle Division, being repelled and only making headway when 4 Panzer Division cut its deep hook short and turned north into the attack.

I had expected Phil to outflank the Soviet 5th Army and cut into their supply line with his armour, perhaps even disrupting West Front Headquarters, He is normally pretty reliable in this respect, but he judged that the infantry attack needed support and shortened his hook to attack 55 and 58 Rifle Divisions directly.

Gross Deutchland break into the positions of 58 Rifle Division from the south.

The cost was heavy to  4 Panzer Division, which got caught by Soviet army-level artillery. Phil was using his own 22nd Panzer** to represent an understrength 4 Panzer Division. Eventually the continual hammering drove the Soviet defences in. They survived a number of morale checks, giving ground grudgingly and responding to 'stiffening' by their commisars (roll another die to pass a failed morale test and deduct that number of hit points from your own side. You can do this as often as you want until you pass or run out of troops!)

The destruction of 4 Panzer Division at the hands of 56 Rifle Division with supporting army level artillery.

Graham by now had issued an entertaining series of predictions about the inevitibility of socialist victory that saw his 55 Rifle Division gathering its second wind and counterattacking  295 Infantry Division to drive it back . In most other aspects though his pronouncements and the course of the battle coincided only tenuously***.

55 Rifle Division reorganise at Rail Junction 1 prior to counterattacking 295 Infantry Division.

The arrival of 4 Tank Corps from reserves put any thought of further German exploitation on hold. Off-table manouvering from 2nd SS Panzer Division and 297 Infantry Division to the southern flank was countered by 20 Guards Rifle and 7 Motor Rifle Divisions, allowing Southwest Front headquarters to escape further east.

4 Tank Corps engage the right (eastern) flank of Gross Deutchland.

The real Soviet victory though, as 5th Army withdrew, much reduced but still in good order, was that they had fought four German divisions to a standstill and given time for West Front headquarters to pull further east as the first drops of the Rasputitsa began to fall.

5th Army withdraw with little real fighting strength left, but 2nd Panzer Korps is in no shape to pursue them either. East is to the left of the photograph.

My thanks go to the players for fitting a lot into a very short space of time, and putting up with arbitrary decisions made to speed the narrative along. A few Heroes of the Soviet Union will have been made from the bitter defence of the  TAMBOV  Rail Junctions by 5th Army. For this battle, an infantry division had between two or three six-stand infantry battalions, so in other words, they were fighting at regimental strength. At this stage of the war this is not much of an NQM scale-down. I did however, leave a good deal of the supporting and logistic stuff out. two hours did not give enough time to consider supplies and ammunition.

4 Panzer may be receiving some new panzer IVs over winter, as it left a trail of burning Pz38(t)s strewn in front of the Soviet positions. The strongest unit that never made it onto the table, with three full panzer battalions was 2nd SS Panzer Division. Perhaps another day?

Footnotes :

* Often, it's the same idea :  "I can see the enemy in front of me, so let's all attack frontally!".

** Reputedly the worst panzer division on the Eastern Front. Phil is almost magnetically drawn to this type of unit as an antidote to the massed ranks of Panthers to be found elsewhere on the web. I'm not criticising Tiger/Panther armies,  just saying.

*** Phil called it 'trash talk' but I felt it showed an understanding of Soviet mentality - Stalin didn't care who he annoyed and felt that everyone was 'out to get him'. For the record, the Germans were out to get him; the Umpire wasn't.

Massive Moritz – Rommel’s Captured Dorchester ACV

The Dorchester armoured command vehicle was a unique idea. Other nations converted tanks and armoured cars for this purpose, so when Rommel captured three? of these spacious vehicles he pressed them into immediate service.

Now that Zvezda make the Matador truck, on which it is based, the obvious thing to do would be to build one up from card using the chassis as a starting point. However, I own a hotwheels Dodge Ambulance that has been used only for the odd AK47 game. Never been raced or rallied and it looked ‘close enough’ for me to start glueing bits of card on to see if the concept had any legs.

Whether it did or not you can judge for yourself. The cam net hides most of the bits that don’t look like a Dorchester and I’m hoping that hiding it in DAK will disguise the overscale nature of the beast. The captured Dorchesters went through a number of  overpaints. The original Caunter dazzle camouflage could have been a number of colours, but I went with slate green rather than blue. I’ve seen a number of model schemes and although the blue version is the sexiest, the green does actually look like camouflage and accords with newer research. I still like the blue though!