War Between the States Queen of Battle

As Napoleon said, "Cannon are the Queen of the Battlefield." This was never truer in the 19th century than during the American Civil War.

Here we have a mixed battery of Confederate artillery pieces.

Left to right- a 10 pounder (2.9 in) Parrot Rifle Cannon (max effective range 1850 yards) and two 12 pounder bronze smoothbore "Napoleons" (max effective range of 1680 yards) Napoleons were very popular and the most common field pieces of the war.

These are all plastic pieces I painted in 2020.

Here Come the MARINES!

                                       

Advancing into danger, this squad of US Marines are experienced, well trained and equipped for taking on the best Imperial Japan can offer.

As the squad is armed with three BARs (Browing Automatic Rifles), two Tommy Guns (.45 cal. submachineguns) two M-1 Carbines, on "Trench Sweeper (Remington 12-gauge shotgun) Colt .45 1911's (Best Semi-Automatic pistol of the US Military) and loads of grenades, they are well prepared for the close in fighting the Pacific Campaign is known for. As the saying goes, when the situation is dire, send in the MARINES.

These are plastic pieces I painted for my Bolt Action Pacific games back in the Summer of 2020.

Firepower on the Run

When you really need local firepower, send for the light mortar team and their will come a running. Just as this two-man Aussi 2-inch mortar team is doing.

These are plastic pieces I painted in 2020 for my Aussi South Pacific Bolt Action forces.
 

Here Piggy, Piggy, Piggy, come to Circe

Circe, the powerful sorceress, had a passion for transforming those she disliked into lions wolves and  pigs. 

Apart from eliminating her foes, the latter had the added benefit of adding fresh meat to her larder.

Circe /Kirke was the daughter of the sun god Helios and ocean nymph Perse and became the Goddess of Sorcery. She lived on the island of Aeaea/Aiaia with nymphs when she was visited by Odysseus and his crew. With the help of Hermes, Odysseus saved himself and his crew from Circes spells. She bore three children with Odysseus before he abandoned her and the children (spoiler, one of the children, Telegonus, will eventually kill Odysseus).

Circe and her pigs are plastic pieces from  Mystic battles. I painted Circe in 2020 and the three separate piges  last month.
 

Blood Bowl Lizardmen-Pain in Scales

Blood Bowl, the name says it all, where the most brutal teams have the victory edge.

Under the leadership of its massive team captain Commander Grrr Bnsmshrr, the team is well placed to crush its opponents.

                           The cold-blooded fearlessness of the team is an added bonus.

                                                        Bone Heads,

                                                        Blue Backs,

                                     and specialists from shamans to a reanimated boss...

give this Blood Bowl team the p[ower and stamina needed to win the extra violent Blood Bowl games.

These are a combination of plastic and metal pieces that I painted in 2020 for Richard's Blood Bowl team.

 Ready to hit the enemy with his "pineapple," this Marine is taking the battle to the Japanese.

The trust "pineapple" above was the M2 Fragmentation Grenade, used by the US Military from 1918 to the 1960's. His 12 gauge  trench gun Ha seen combat for over a century.

This is a plastic piece I painted  last week.

Jungles Need Jungle Fighters

In the early years of the Pacific War, the British and Australians were quick to realize that the local inhabitants of New Guinea would be excellent jungle fighters to counter the Japanese. Especially if they were armed with modern weapons and combat training.

This is a battle-hardened squad of the Papuan Infantry Battalion; the men have the trust Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifles and the NCO a Sten gun SMG.

These Commonwealth troops are metal pieces that I painted in July of 2020.

 

WIP June 2020

 In June 2020 I was working on World War II British Aussie Infantry, WWII Russian t43-85 and tanker riders, A huge lizardman Boss, a 18th century naval cannon, Samurai warrior, three WWII Germans and a Mystic Battles warrior. Check below to see the finished pieces:

Russians

World Historyprof: Tank Riders, Infantry Protection for a Free Ride

Aussies

World Historyprof: Platoon-Advance

Lizardman Boss

World Historyprof: Got Ya-GRRR

Samurai

World Historyprof: Samurai Cavalry Archer-How to Kill from a Distance

German

World Historyprof: DAK Prisoner

My "I-Beam" will Beat Your Sword Everytime

Why bother using a sword when you can smash your opponent with a quarter ton I-Beam? This steam powered mortified war-creature has chosen just such a close combat weapon. 

                                                    I painted this plastic piece in July of 2020.

Bellerophon-Hero to the Rescue

Riding the winged horse Pegasus, the Greek Hero Bellerophon readies to battle the dreaded monster, Chimera.

Pegasus was a gift to Bellerophon from his sea god father Poseidon. The winged horse was of great assistance in Bellerophon's battle with the fire breathing snake/goat/lion Chimera.

Some stories say that his grandfather was the doomed Sisyphus (see World Historyprof: Between a Rock and a Hard Place for more on Sisyphus).

In the end Pegasus was the cause of Bellerophon's death; as in his hubris the hero attempted to ride his winged steed in a foolish attempt to enter the god's realm of Olympus, he lost his seat and fell to his death.

Bellerophon and Pegasus are plastic pieces from Mystic battles that I painted in 2020.
 

MMG, the Squads Local Fire Support

By the end of the War, the air cooled M1919 Browing .30 Cal. medium Machine Gun was becoming the standard squad support MMG in the US military. Here we have a USMC team,

I painted this plastic team in Dec. 2020.
 

105-Backbone of the Field Artillery

This crew of this USMC 105 is ready to give quick, accurate fire support to their infantry brothers.

The 105mm (4.1 inch) M2A1 Howitzer was the mainstay light field piece for the US military from 1941 to the mid 50's. The robust weapon was designed to give long and hard service (Canada retired its last 105's in 1997 while they are still in use in the Philippines) and was popular with the troops.

At a rate of 10 rounds per minute the105 was capable of firing a variety of shells including High Explosive (HE), High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) Smoke and White Phosphorus (WP) at ranges up to 11,270 m (7 miles). The projectiles weighed up to 15.56 kg (34 lbs). 

This is a metal piece with metal troops that I put together and painted in July 2020.
 

More Russians Always More Russians

Form the German point of view, there was a never-ending flow of Russian troops on the Eastern Front.

Regardless of the massive losses suffered though out the war, the seemingly endless manpower of the Soviet Union slowly ground down the German War Machine, all the way to the final battle in the streets of Berlin.

These Soviet reinforcements are plastic pieces that I painted in June of 2020.

 

Angry Boneheads

These angry "Bonehead" lizardmen are in no mood to fool around with any human intruders.

 These lizardmen are plastic figures that I painted in May 2020, for Richard's new Blood Bowl Army. I unfortunately do not know the manufacturer.

Survivor's, This Way!

When things go "South," sticking together-regardless of unit designation-is often the best hope for survival. 

This mixed group of British line and Riflemen are such a group. Will they reach safety or in in a blaze of glory? Only the god's of war know...

These are metal pieces I painted in August of 2020.
 

Dark Days in 1950

Advancing under the protection of a pair of LMG's, this squad of North Koreans

advances into the UN forces tasked with holding the line in the opening day of the war.

The initial attack in 1950 was led by well trained and highly motivated troops

that were more than a match for the poorly equipped South Korean troops and the largely green 

American troops rushed to battle from garrison duty in Japan. That would change as the war progressed, but the early days were dark ones for the South Koreans and their allies.