Early War Polish Reinforcements from Crusader Miniatures

The Polish Army in 1939 needs all the help it can get to repel the German Blitzkrieg. Here we've added another Polish Infantry Section from Crusader Miniatures for our Bolt Action battles.

The twelve man rifle squad has extra punch with the addition of a BAR Automatic (LMG) squad in it. Backup also provided by an Ursus armored car

Packs are loaded out with everything an infantryman would need.

Crusader Miniatures came up with nice poses for the riflemen.Including the BAR squad

And the advancing sculpts are also very interesting. The detail for metal miniatures is pretty substantial.

If you need to get squads on the table fast, metal figures don't need assembly so are usually faster to complete.

Have A Great Battle!
The Old Crow

Early WW2 Polish Armor for Bolt Action

Here they are, the Polish 7TP JW and 7TP DW Twin-Turret tanks for our early war Polish Army!

The 7TP was the only genuine tank produced in Poland before World War II. The 7TP stood for 7 Ton Polish even though it was a 9 ton vehicle.

It was also the most combat worthy armored vehicle in the Polish Army at a time of the German invasion in 1939, and one of the icons of the pre-war Polish Army.

Several guns were considered but the Swedish 37mm Bofors gun was chosen, since it had been adopted as a standard towed anti-tank gun for the Polish Army, and offered good performance for that time.

The 7TP was the most advanced of all Vickers 6-Ton tank derivatives in the world, and can be considered a Polish design, being a compilation of foreign licences and their own inventions.

Despite all of this, it was not the most modern tank in 1939, but it kept pace with the world's standard for a light tank.

The light tank class constituted a mainstay of armored forces worldwide, and the 7TP could be a match for any enemy vehicle.

In March 1935, the first series of 22 twin-turret tanks was ordered.

All were utilizing machine gun turrets removed from 22 Vickers E tanks during their conversion to single-turret.

Such armament was a forced solution, since a final turret and gun had not yet been chosen for the single turret.

For additional information on the 7TP, check out The PIBWL military site.

Have A Great Battle!
The Old Crow

Warlord and Artizan 28mm Models for Bolt Action in Progress

Well there are always more models to build and paint! We are like everyone and have several additional projects all going at the same time. For our early war Polish Army we have the wz.29 Ursus heavy armored car from Warlord Games!

Designed in 1929, the Samochd Pancerny wzr 29, was more commonly known as Ursus. It was based on the chassis of a 2-ton truck, mounted a 37mm anti-tank gun and multiple machine guns. Although adequately armored for the inter-war period, the Ursus fared poorly when facing more modern opposition in 1939.

Another Bolt Action project is our US Army in Greatcoats for winter campaigns. You can see an earlier post HERE. These are recently primed reinforcements to bolster the Battle of  the Bulge.

Add a light howitzer, this one from Artizan Designs, and these boys will be ready for the onslaught.

This bazooka team was painted to add firepower. Remember to keep the get away jeep close by.

And of course you can always use an extra squad of British Infantry.

Have a Great Battle!
The Old Crow

4Ground Polish Rural Dwelling Model Kit, The Eastern Front

4Ground produces great model kits and this Polish Rural Dwelling kit is another grand example. We showed you the Two Story Terrace and Ox Wagon, and now we'll move on to models we're planning on using on the Eastern front!

The kit seen here contains many swell components.

One of the interesting features on this particular kit is the cracked missing daub portions along the lower sections of the walls. The dwellings were built using woven sticks like wattle fences and then covered with a mixture of materials usually made of a combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw.

Here the mud daub pieces are removed and wattle pieces placed inside.

The interior is divided into two spaces. in the main area there is a fireplace made of the hearth and stone back wall.

Two additional layers build the depth and then a face and side plate go over top of them to finish it. A second stone hearth for cooking is added for a final touch.

Doors and windows have a nice blue trim and a variety of shutters are included.

The porch and roof have a nice wood grain finish and blue accents again finish off the roof.

For thatch, fur is included in three pieces. One for each side and a third for the ridge line.

Here they are in place.

Using PVA glue watered down, you can brush it on to give the thatch a more natural appearance. A stone and wood capped chimney adds the final touch.

Here are a few parting shots of this jolly good 4Ground  kit.

We continue to be impressed with the attention to detail 4Ground gives these model kits.

Have a great battle!
The Old Crow

D-Day WWII Reenactment, food for Bolt Action?

A recent trip and visit to a D-Day Reenactment stoked the fire for some possible WWII Bolt Action inspiration! The weekend was a great annual event held in Conneaut Ohio, USA. There were over 900 reenactors, plus vehicles, encampments and aircraft.

Visiting the Allied, Axis and French Resistance camps was a real experience. The living history surrounded you wherever you turned.

If you'd like to see more, we've posted almost 200 additional images on our Flickr page

Here in the USA the allied camp was the largest. There were plenty of weapons and ordinance to be viewed.

There were British contingents...

as well as Polish,

and Canadian.

Even the French Resistance had a camp on the hill above the beaches.

The German camp was smaller but did not lack a wonderful display of equipment and vehicles.

The tents were done to a great display of accuracy and detail.

Weapons and personal gear were also plentiful.

The vehicles were a nice addition. Motorcycles, armoured cars, transports, and armor were all present.

Another sweet bonus was a B-25 and 4 P-51 Mustangs.

When the D-Day landing started the B-25 "Georgie's Girl" did several bombing runs The Mustangs also made several passes.

The flyovers continued as the landing craft and soldiers hit the beaches.

The advance was inexorable and the raucous caused by the shear volume of firearms caused many to cover their ears or retreat to a safer distance. Here a P-51 gives air support.

The advance picked up steam as allied armor also hit the beaches. A Sherman, halftrack and armoured transports all took part.

Now as we get the feeling of what a beach landing was like in Normandy, we can get into recreating it in a 28mm scale game of Bolt Action with their "Assault on Normandy" starter set.

For 92.00 USD you get the full-colour 216-page hardback Bolt Action rulebook, 40 multi-pose, hard plastic 28mm miniatures:

20 US Army infantry

20 German Heer infantry

1 hard plastic Ruined Farmhouseand 8 Bolt Action Orders Dice. A very nice set for the price and can be easily built upon with Warlord Games ever expanding selection of troops and vehicles.

Check their website Bolt Action section for the Assault on Normandy set and other deals!

Have a Great Battle!
The Old Crow