Captain John Henry Cound Brunt VC

News from the front, 22-year-old Captain J.H.C. Brunt M.C. has been awarded the Victoria Cross for his courageous actions in battle on the Gothic Line in Italy. The citation reads as follows 

"War Office, 8th February, 1945

The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the posthumous award of the VICTORIA CROSS to:

Lieutenant (temporary Captain) John Henry Cound Brunt, M.C. (258297), The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) (Paddock Wood, Kent).

In Italy, on the 9th December, 1944, the Platoon commanded by Captain Brunt was holding a vital sector of the line.

At dawn the German 90th Panzer Grenadier Division counter-attacked the Battalion's forward positions in great strength with three Mark IV tanks and infantry. The house, around which the Platoon was dug in, was destroyed and the whole area was subjected to intense mortar fire. The situation then became critical, as the anti-tank defences had been destroyed and two Sherman tanks knocked out. Captain Brunt, however, rallied his remaining men, and, moving to an alternative position, continued to hold the enemy infantry, although outnumbered by at least three to one. Personally firing a Bren gun, Captain Brunt killed about fourteen of the enemy. His wireless set was destroyed by shell-fire, but on receiving a message by runner to withdraw to a Company a locality some 200 yards to his left and rear, he remained behind to give covering fire. When his Bren ammunition was exhausted, he fired a PIAT and 2 in. Mortar, left by casualties, before he himself dashed over the open ground to the new position. This aggressive defence caused the enemy to pause, so Captain Brunt took a party back to his previous position, and although fiercely engaged by small arms fire, carried away the wounded who had been left there.

Later in the day, a further counter-attack was put in by the enemy on two axes. Captain Brunt immediately seized a spare Bren gun and, going round his forward positions, rallied his men. Then, leaping on a Sherman tank supporting the Company, he ordered the tank commander to drive from one fire position to another, whilst he sat, or stood, on the turret, directing Bresa fire at the advancing enemy, regardless of the hail of small arms fire. Then, seeing small parties of the enemy, armed with bazookas, trying to approach round the left flank, he jumped off the tank and, taking a Bren gun, stalked these parties well in front of the Company positions, killing more and causing the enemy finally to withdraw in great haste leaving their dead behind them.

Wherever the fighting was heaviest, Captain Brunt was always to be found, moving from one post to another, encouraging the men and firing any weapon he found at any target he could see. The magnificent action fought by this Officer, his coolness, bravery, devotion to duty and complete disregard of his own personal safety under the most intense and concentrated fire was beyond praise. His personal example and individual action were responsible to a very great extent for the successful repulse of these fierce enemy counter-attacks." 

Brunt had previously won the Military Cross in the Winter of '43 fighting against the 2nd Herman Goering Panzer Grenadier Regiment in the battle for the Bernhardt line in Italy. 

He was killed on December 10, 1944, by mortar fire just four days after his 22nd birthday.

Captain John Henry Cound Brunt VC is aplastic piece I painted in September.

Figures Painted in August '26

                                    

The first group of pieces I painted in August was this Regiment of Americal Continental Troops.

Painted 259 pieces in August:

228 America War of Independence- 61 Continentals, 65 Loyalists & 102 British. 19 40K 5 Space Marines 12 Orks. 6 Fantasy Godtear pieces. 4 Disney Princes. 2 Crisis Protocol Heros.

The last figures I painted was this 40K Dark Angels land speeder.

Victory Shall Be OURS

Olga Kovalyova rallies her fellow factory worker-warriors in the rubble of Stalingrad against the hated Fascist invaders.

Coming straight from the factory floor, Olga charges into combat still wearing her work clothes. She knows the battle will be fierce, bloody and long, yet she has no doubt who will be victorious-"Mother Russia!"

Olga Kovalyova is a plastic piece I recently painted for my Soviet Blot Action Army.

The Last Reinforcements

The last Dark Angel Terminator reinforcements for Richard's Warhammer 40K Army. It is now complete.

Two standard troopers.

Two heavy weapons team flamers.

Missile trooper.

The two flamers from a different angle. These are plastic pieces that were all finished over the Summer.

Need Up Close Stopping Power-Use .45 ACP

Using a Tommy Gun firing .45 ACP rounds on full auto at close range into a pillbox will really make a deadly impression on its occupants. Sarge has just cleaned out this German pillbox in this exact manner.

(The .45 ACP round was specifically designed to take down tough enemies. While Tommy Guns were, heavy, their reliability with their .45 ACP rounds at close range made them real mankillers.)

One last look at the "dead" pillbox.  

With this strong point eliminated its time to move on. There will be lots of fighting this '44 Winter before the German offensive will be stopped 

Sarge is a plastic mode I painted last week.

No Matter How Cold, We'll Heat You Up!

Want a quick warm up in a brutal Russian Winter-the 1500 F temp of our ROK-3 flamethrower should do nicely...ha, ha, ha!

It toasts everything to a nice crispy blackened cinder...you'll never be cold again.

So maybe you would prefer to surrender now, or you can die...your choice

I painted this ROK-3 flamethrower team earlier this month.

One Shot One Kill

Death comes quick in the Russian Winter to the invaders when Vasha sets his sights.

As one of the elite Soviet snipers, Vasha has eliminated countless enemy officers with his "one shot one dead invader" motto. As a common soldier, Vasha has a moral compulsion to only target officers and never their suffering men. Plus, officers are better trained, better fed, receive higher pay and are always more arrogant! They are there for a much more satisfying kill 

Vasha and his partner are plastic pieces I painted last month.