The contents of the third box I found in our storage unit included the following Russian figures and equipment:
2 x Half-track artillery tractors (1:72nd-scale resin)
2 x Howitzers (1:72nd-scale unknown calibre)
31 x Infantry in greatcoats and side caps (Pilotka), fur hats (Ushanka), and helmets (1:76th-scale Dixon Miniatures)
1 x Officer in greatcoat (1:72nd-scale Skytex)
23 x Infantry in greatcoats and fur hats (Ushanka) (1:72nd-scale Skytex)
The contents of this box were all originally in the collection of the late Eric Knowles.
An aside ...
There is still at least one more box of figures that I haven't retrieved from our storage unit AND there are also two large boxes containing ROCO Minitank vehicles.
This project is now turning into something much bigger than I expected ... and I have a feeling that at some point I am going to have to draw an albeit temporary line under it, otherwise other projects might suffer.
More interesting figures and vehicles Bob - the resin half-tracks are nice.
ReplyDeleteMaudlin Jack Tar,
DeleteI think that the half-tracks are actually French but they look enough like the Russian equivalent to be used to tow some of my Russian heavy artillery.
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDeleteThe Russian troops look good. You certainly do have a good deal of figures and vehicles for your WW2 games. Regards. KEV.
Kevin Robertson (Kev),
DeleteI probably have far more stuff than I actually need … but as much of it has come from Eric Knowles, I intend to use it if I can.
All the best,
Bob
Hello there Bob,
ReplyDeleteThe amount of kit you have for this project is incredible! Methinks a degree of rationalisation may be in order, if only to keep it manageable and within the realms of the Portable Wargame.
I will be interested to read about how you will tackle this collection and what you will need from it - I do not envy you having to choose what will ‘make the cut’ though! Eric certainly never let considerations around storage or usability influence his decisions about what he should have in an army!
All the best,
DC
David,
DeleteI have the potential to have a huge Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War collection, and it seems only right to follow in Eric’s footsteps and to go BIG!
It’s my intention to finish renovating the Falschirmjagers and then to begin a process of organising what I have into units and formations that can be added to in due course. I then want to fight a few wargames with some of the units whilst renovating further tranches of units.
My thinking is that an infantry/rifle ‘division’ will comprise:
3 x infantry/rifle units of 4 figures each
1 x artillery unit of 2 figures + 1 gun
1 x anti-tank unit of 2 figures + 1 gun
1 x recce unit (possible of 2 figures or a light armoured car)
1 x supply unit (horse-drawn or motorised)
1 x Commander (possibly with a car or (Jeep)
Russian tank brigades would comprise:
1 x tank unit
1 x smg infantry unit
German panzer divisions would comprise:
2 x panzer units
2 x infantry unit of 4 figures each + motorised transport
1 x artillery unit of 1 SP gun
1 x anti-tank unit of 1 SPAT gun
1 x recce unit (an armoured car)
1 x supply unit (motorised)
1 x Commander + vehicle
The above will fit nicely on my mini-campaign board and will be useable with my PW or RF&IC rules.
Storage will be an issue BUT I do have a plan … I hope will work!
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI have some of the metal Russians depicted in your last picture, however, I always thought they were by Hinchliffe, rather than by Skytrex.
Bob
Bob The Old Painter,
DeleteYou may well be right. The figures came in a box that said Skytrex on the label, but Eric was one for mixing and matching stuff as he stored it.
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteIt's all looking very promising - but you will have to draw a line under 'where you are at' in order at least to get started. Just by the way, I suggest you call your recce unit a 'Motorcycle Battalion'. In the scale you're using, it doesn't have to be a motorcycle, but could instead be ANYTHING - an armoured car (you have lots of BA64s that would fit the role), light tank, truck-n-troops, half-track (those resin chappies look good for the role), even a truck-mounted Quad AAMG.
Justification: in developing the Command Decision rule set, Frank Chadwick examined the orbats of several motorcycle battalions, all of them different and unique, and all containing precisely ONE motorcycle company out of two, three or four.
Just a thought...
Those howitzers look like 122mm M1909/37 to me.
Cheers, - and I had better take my own advice,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteFunnily enough, I think that I actually have a couple of motorcycles with sidecars that would make excellent recce troops … or - as you suggest - motorcycle units. Thanks for the excellent suggestion!
I seem to remember that at one point the Germans created mixed recce/AT units that they called something like Schnell battalions to form a mobile reserve in infantry divisions.
Thanks also for identifying the artillery pieces. They’ll make useful additions to my growing artillery park.
All the best,
Bob
I've been looking at those guns and have developed a suspicion that they are an "approximation" based on an Airfix 25pdr chassic and gun without shield, with ACW or WWI British artillery wheels. Of course, if they are metal, I'm dead wrong : )
ReplyDeleteAnthony Clipsom,
DeleteIt is a metal model … and quite a hefty one!
The 25-pounder shared a lot of similar design features with the 105mm gun/howitzer developed by Vickers and sold to the Spanish. I suspect that Eric may well have ‘repurposed’ some models of the latter.
All the best,
Bob
I think they may be intended to be 4.5 inch howitzers, which had a very similarly shaped carriage
DeleteIan Dury,
DeleteYou may well be correct!
All the best,
Bob