All,
I've been hard at work getting Kampgruppe Klink, fresh from their victory in Greece, prepared for Operation Barbarossa. On the one hand, I needed to pick up some additional vehicles, troops, and buildings, while on the other, I wanted to re-base my Germans and Soviets as I was tired of them looking shabby and not uniform.
Along the way I stumbled a bit while looking for a basing solution that would allow me to use the same vehicle models for both summer and winter (snowy) fights. I had based my vehicles and was looking for the best way to transition back and forth; I'd posted earlier asking for help, and I appreciate everyone that chimed in. Here's what I came up with.
Here's what they look like at 'normal' gaming distance.
A closeup of the German stands, consisting of an MG squad, a Pz IVG, and a Flak-36 88mm ATG. Astute observers will note that the infantry and guns are based differently than the vehicles; this is because I have separate infantry for summer and winter, but the vehicles will pull double duty. The only change I made from my previous pics of the vehicle basing was that I put a dark inkwash on the vehicle's base and I added some clump foliage. I think (hope?) this makes the vehicles blend well enough with the infantry and guns, but then for winter all I have to do is pop the clump foliage off and paint them white. We'll see...
The Soviets, consisting of a rifle squad and a T-34/76.
A closeup of the '88'.
And the panzer.
The MG squad. Yeah, not sure why I decided to go this route, putting two MGs on a base, but I did...
The T-34.
And the Red infantry.
The panzer taking fire from the T-34. I think the basing scheme blends well with the mat, road, and different types of stands. Tell me what ya think.
So let's take a look at the whole, big mess.
My forces for Barbarossa, with Germans on left and Soviets on right. I haven't finished the winter infantry and guns, but when I do these forces should be able to take me all the way through the 'gray' period, up to about summer of 1943.
The forces are a mix of Pendraken and Minifigs, with Minifigs making up about 90% of the infantry and Pendraken making up about 98% of the vehicles and guns.
A company of trucks for ze German Schutzen.
A couple '88s' with prime movers.
Four German rifle platoons, with Colonel Klink at top right.
PaK-38s, PaK-36s, and 7.5cm infantry guns.
Two platoons of engineers/pioneers, as well as platoon support weapons (bottom left): 5.0cm mortars, anti-tank rifles, and panzerschrecks.
Platoons each of Marder Is, Stug IIIBs, Marder IIs, and Stug IIIDs.
Recon, with a platoon of Panzer IIs, a platoon of armored cars, and two motorcycle platoons.
A couple platoons of halftracks.
An 8.0cm mortar platoon.
A machine gun platoon.
Some platoon command stands.
A Panzer Company of Panzer IIIs and IVs.
Which will be upgraded in the spring of '42 to long-barreled Panzer IVs.
On to the Soviets: for the real early war they've got two companies of tanks: one is entirely composed of T-26, while the other is a mish-mash of other types: some T-60s, some Ba-6 and -10 armored cars, some BT-5s, and then two KV-1s and a T-34.
Some Soviet cavalry.
Looking at the hodge-podge tank company.
Continuing with the BTs and KVs.
The company of T-26s.
Two platoons of combat engineers.
Four rifle platoons and an SMG platoon, with some ATRs and 50mm mortars at bottom right.
Another look at the ATRs and 50mm mortars, now adding the Soviet 82mm mortars and machine gun platoon, with the Soviet CO at top right.
A platoon of Ba-64 armored cars, and another of Su-76 assault guns.
An entire company of T-34s.
Some 10mm buildings from Pendraken. They'll not win me any awards, but they were a cinch to paint up and look nice (at least to me!).
Some closeups.
Again.
Another.
Keep going.
And one more.
So, there they are, all set for Barbarossa. Let me know what you think.
Regarding Panzergrenadier Brigade Klink's (AKA, "KG Klink") route, I'm looking at Minsk to Smolensk, then getting called back to Kiev, then back up through Smolensk to Vyazma, which should take me all the way to Zhukov's counteroffensive in December 1941. What I have to do now is make up campaign maps and counters, and that's proving a bit difficult. I don't have detailed maps or unit data, so everything I draw up is way out of scale; hell, it's proving hard to get anywhere near to scale! How do you follow a brigade-sized element on a front that swallows up whole divisions every day!!!???
So I need help; if anyone can help me with simplified maps that make sense to take KG Klink from their starting positions in Army Group Center to Minsk, then from Minsk to Smolensk, then from Smolensk to Kiev, then from Smolensk to Vyazma/Briansk, or can point me at something that helps me do that, I'd be greatly appreciative.
The sooner I get that squared away, the sooner I can get this party started. Personally, I'm shooting for 29 May to be my D-Day for Operation Barbarossa. Just gotta get this figured out first!
V/R,
Jack
