Back to Bovington

I've just returned from a weeks holiday in South Devon with my family and we have had a great time. The weather was fantastic for this time of year and we visited a lot of places that we haven't done before. As usual we broke up the long drive to our holiday destination with a few hours at an attraction en-route and lucky me Bovington Tank Museum fitted the bill perfectly! I would say this was good fortune but the fact is I planned the route to take in my favourite museum and some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK as opposed to a shorter but considerably duller motorway route further north.  

The Tank museum has two new(ish) exhibitions for visitors this year and I was eager to see them both. The first is a tie in to the recent Brad Pitt movie Fury which was released last year and features the museums Tiger Tank and a Sherman Easy Eight. The other major exhibition is called Tank Factory and is all about the design and building of tanks and features several sectioned vehicles showing the insides of these metal monsters. Of course I went camera in hand and here is a selection of photo's from the Museum. 

The 'Fury' movie tie in Exhibition

The Sherman Easy Eight 'Fury'

Some of the replica uniform used in the film

BigLee with the Easy Eight

The new Tank Factory exhibition

The design office

Production Line

Sectioned Centurion turret showing the Commander and Gunner

Sectioned Centurion turret showing the Loader

BigLee by the production line

No visit to the Tank Museum would be complete without seeing Tiger 131

BigLee is a very happy chappy!

OK folks that's enough of Bovington. It was only a brief visit and I was trying the patience of my long suffering wife - aka the Wargames Widow - so after just a couple of hours we had to make tracks (so to speak) and head on to our destination. 

Breda 20/65 Autocannon AA Guns

One last Italian Platoon before I move on to a few terrain items I need to complete. I've painted a few 20/65's before but those were mounted in the back of LRDG Chevy's. This is the first batch I have done for my Italian forces and these are mounted on the back of a 3-ton truck.

The 20/65 was a good AA Gun but was fast becoming obsolete and in its Anti-Aircraft role. It continued to be used against armoured ground targets but even in this role by 1942 it was becoming ineffective. The gun continued in service now downgraded to use against soft skin vehicles and lightly armoured reconnaissance vehicles. 

Many captured Breda 20/65's were used in allied units and were mounted on a variety of vehicles including LRDG Chevy trucks. This truck mounted version of the gun has a Range 24” and a Rate of Fire of 4. Mounted on a turntable this gun has a 360° arc of fire making it a dangerous weapon if used properly. 

Bersaglieri Motociclisti

Following on from my last post here's a small support platoon of mounted Bersaglieri to compliment my fully mobilised Italian forces. These guys are mounted on the Moto Guzzi Alce ('Elk') which was in production throughout the war. This Single cylinder, 4 stroke 498cc engine produced 13hp and a top speed of 56mph. The Alce was a robust bike and was ideally suited to the rough conditions of the desert. Most Bersaglieri regiments were supported by a Motociclisti Company and I don't see why my Italians should not also benefit from their support.  

I really enjoyed painting these and look forward to seeing them in action. When mounted they move as Jeeps so will be very fast, especially on roads. The riders can then dismount and become Rifle/MG infantry teams, providing much needed extra firepower just where it is needed.

Motociclisti mounted and unmounted

As mounted troops they move like Jeeps which makes them very fast on roads or across country

The command stand

Battaglione Bersaglieri: Finished at last!

I have finally finished painting a Battaglion Bersaglieri for my Desert Raiders project. I have painted my figures to represent the 9th Reggimento Bersaglieri, part of the 101st ‘Trieste’ Division. I'm now very close to completing everything I need for a raiding game using my LRDG and other units. I have picked a scenario I want to run (more on that after I run the game) and have just a few more small terrain items to finish. Its taken a lot longer than I had hoped. mainly because the new job hit me between the eyes bringing painting projects to a complete halt for several months. I've made a concerted effort to get back on track since Christmas and now the end is very much in sight. 

Battaglione Bersaglieri with Transport Vehicles

A single Company within the Battalion - Lots of firepower!

The Italian Bersaglieri in WW2 were generally of a higher quality than regular infantry, with a greater emphasis on physical stamina and marksmanship. Their helmets adorned with black Cockerel Feathers may have been lampooned by Captain Alberto Bertorelli in the 1980's British Sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! but in reality the feathers were part of the "esprit de corps" of the Bersaglieri and worn with great pride.

Bersaglieri Painting Guide (Vallejo Colours)

Uniform - Desert Yellow 977

Puttees - Olive Grey 888

Tropical Helmet - Desert Yellow 977

Capercaillie Helmet Feathers - German Grey 995

Webbing - Yellow Green 881

Ammo Pouches - Beige Brown 875

Boots - Beige Brown 875

This force has a lot of firepower at its disposal with a high ratio of HMG's & Infantry Guns plus 3-ton trucks to provide transport. I'm looking forward to seeing these in action. I am also nearing completion of a couple of new Divisional support platoons and I hope to have these ready to show next week.