From LeeH - Divisional Support Units (36 points)

This week I have three British units that would have seen service in the early to mid war period of the North African campaign. These will be used as divisional support for my A9 Cruiser company I finished last week. First up is a squadron of Valentine II Infantry tanks. These models are by GHQ and as such have an incredible level of detail. They really are a beauty to behold. The Mk I version of this tank was in service throughout Operation Compass but the rushed production and design meant this version was plagued with problems. The next incarnation of the Valentine was the Mk II although this came a little late to feature in Operation Compass is did see service later in 1941.

Next some Marmon-Herrington Armoured Cars. The original vehicles were developed in South Africa using a Ford 3 Ton Truck Chassis and a four wheel drive train kit produced my Marmon-Herrington in Canada. At the outset of war these some of these vehicles saw service with the British in North Africa and when the Mk II version (with a shorter wheelbase and improved armament) became available these were also used. These models are also by GHQ and again the details are incredible, even down to riveted armour.

Next I have a battery of 25pdr guns with Morris Tractors to pull them. The 25pdr is one of those iconic weapons that was so good that its service life extended far beyond the second world war and was still being used by the British Army into the 1980's. When I started work on these models I had run out of the right bases and in desperation put them on 40x60mm bases instead (normally the tractor would be mounted on a separate base from the gun and its crew). I actually like the look of these mini-dioramas and may experiment with these bases a bit more in future. These models are from H&R so not quite as detailed as the GHQ stuff but more than adequate for this scale.

In case anyone is wondering, I didn't paint these units in the Caunter camouflage pattern I used for my Cruiser company for two reasons. Firstly these are Divisional support units, in other words they come from other regiments and therefore wouldn't necessarily adopted the same scheme as the others. Secondly these are all units that have a bit of longevity in game terms. Valentines, Marmon-Herrington's and 25pdrs can be found on the North African battlefield well into the Mid War period and long after the A9's of my cruiser company would have been retired from service. I therefore didn't want to tie them down to the early war period by given them a camo design that was being phased out by mid to late 41.

By my calculation this lot should net me a tidy 36 points (8 for the valentines, 8 for the Marmon-Herrington's and 20 points for the 4 guns, 16 crew and 4 tractor vehicles and trailers).

MilesR: Your North Africa collection is becoming very impressive - what rules to you use?

From LeeH - British Cruiser Tank Company - (58 points)

Today I am submitting a company of British Cruiser tanks to face off against the Italian tanks I painted last week. I have largely opted for a squadron of A9 Cruisers accompanied by a selection of other vehicles. So there is also a platoon of Mk IVIb Light Tanks, some Rolls Royce Armoured Cars that probably saw service in the last war and some 2pdr AT Guns mounted as Portees on the backs of trucks.

The A9 or Cruiser, Mk I was an interwar period design that was already on the verge of obsolescence by the time the war started. It was the first of the cruiser tanks, a concept that favoured speed of movement and gunnery on the move to outpace the enemy. The 2pdr gun in the A9 was a very effective weapon against the thin armour of the Italian tanks but at just 12 tons it was soon to be outclassed by heavier better armed German tanks that would soon arrive in theatre. 

The Mk VIb was another interwar design built to provide armoured reconnaissance and for use in a colonial policing role. Several hundred of these tiny vehicles were used in Operation Compass, not altogether successfully. Their main value seems to have been in helping to round up thousands of Italian prisoners of war. 

I have a soft spot for the Rolls Royce Armoured Car. I have seen a couple of these up close and they are a beast of a machine weighing in at nearly 5 tons and in earlier versions saw service in WWI. At the start of WWII there were about 70 vehicles still in service and in 1940 thirty four were in Egypt with the 11th Hussars regiment. Those that survived were withdrawn from service in 1941 as more modern armoured car designs became available.

Last but no least I have some 2pdr AT guns mounted Portee on the backs of trucks. Many different guns were mounted like this but for Operation Compass the gun of choice was the Ordnance QF 2-pounder (QF denoting "quick firing").

So in total today I'm submitting 20 Tanks, 3 armoured cars and 4 Portee's. I'm now getting very close to completing everything I originally set out to paint during the Challenge and my Lead Mountain is now looking more like a hillock!

MilesR: A very good opponent for your Italian tank company and this will net you 54 points fro the vehicles and 4 points for the 8 crew figures - 62 points in total!

From LeeH - Italian Ariete Tank Company - (60 points)

Time for a change of direction! Today's post moves me away from the Hellenistic Period to the North African battles of the Second World War. Up to now I have focused on the battles of 1942 leading up to and including El Alamein. But for the Challenge I am moving back a couple of years to the opening moves of the North African campaign and the British Counter offensive against the Italian invaders of Egypt. Operation Compass has always fascinated me, not least because the British victory was so complete and (in some quarters at least) so unexpected.

Ariete Tank Company

I have started by painting Italian tanks and have chosen to depict vehicles from the Ariete Division. This company has three platoons of M13/40 Medium Tanks, Two Platoons of M11/39 Light Tanks and a reconnaissance platoon of L3/35 Tankettes. Italian nomenclature during this period is easy to understand with the weight in tons followed by the year it entered service (so the M11/39 weighed 11 tons and entered service in 1939).

M13/40 Medium Tanks

The M13/40 featured such modern developments as a rotating turret!

The earlier M11/39's only had a limited traverse gun mounted in the hull.

Some of the tanks of the Ariete Division had a a really neat splinter camouflage pattern during this period and so I have opted to paint these to that scheme. All the tanks also have white air recognition crosses on their turret roofs so the Italian Air force does not bomb them by mistake. I've never quite understood the value of these markings because any symbol that identifies friendly units is surely just as valuable to enemy aircraft!

Add captionL3/35 Tankettes were tidy two man coffins with little to recommend them.

Italian tanks of this period were woefully inadequate compared to their British and German counterparts. Armour and armament were significantly inferior and the Italian army in North Africa suffered generally from poor logistical support and command. Having said that the tank crews were often very brave and showed great elan in battle, befitting their elite status. The Ariete Division went on to be a vital if often unrecognised part of Rommel's forces in the coming years.

Painting these as one big batch has had two effects. First it means I have been able to achieve a consistent look across the whole company. But secondly it has meant I am now way ahead of the schedule I set myself at the beginning of the Challenge. In fact there is a very real chance I will run out of things to paint before the finale in March! I may have to get my thinking cap on and hunt through my lead mountain for something else to work on. Unheard of!

Thirty tanks at 2 points each will hurtle me across my personal finishing line of 500 points. Combined with my recent Bonus round entry and other projects in the pipeline I'm on schedule to break my personal best in the three challenges I have participated in. Completely unheard of!

MilesR: Avanti! what a great looking formation.  A very change change of pace within your scale of choice.