Stand and be Recognized

It's cold, the enemy is somewhere out there and Pvt. Billy, "Gruff," Groatman is on guard duty.

He is sure he heard someone coming towards his post and quietly calls for the corporal of the guard.

Cpl. Ira Hagers joins "Gruff" to see what's up.

"Stand and be recognized. "'Susie-"'

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"Cue," comes the counter sign." It's friends, a Bazooka team to add some needed firepower to this forward posted squad.

These are all plastic pieces I painted recently.

OK, We're Going to Drop the Barrage on these Coordinates

Forward artillery observer, Brad, Boom-Boom, Donelly, is ready to call in a support barrage of 105's to support beleaguered American troops in the bitter Winter of 1944. 

As soon as the 105mm rounds are registered on target, it's time for "Boom-Boom and his men to move to the next location.

As staying in one place too long is asking for the enemy's snipers to make your day very bad.

B00m-Boom and his men are plastic pieces I painted last week.

Dam' We are Heading there as Fast as We can!

"Alpha-Echo, this is Bravo-Carlie, repeat, I say, repeat your position. Over."

"Alpha-Echo, this is Bravo-Charlie, no, we are in front of the dead pillbox where are you! Over." 

"Alpha-Echo, this is Bravo-Carlie, we have you in sight, what is your target? Over."

"Alpha-Echo, this is Bravo-Carlie, keep your heads down, we are moving on the double. The Mk IV is to your left, correct. Over."

 Bravo-Carlie are plastic pieces I painted last week.

"MEDIC"

"MEDIC,' the cry no soldier ever wants to make and the one every soldier wants answered.

Medic's the men who brave the battlefield with implements of succor not with weapons.

Their job is to aid and retrieve the wounded with only a red cross armband to protect them.

Maybe this time the enemy will honor that universal symbol, or maybe not. Regardless, when the call MEDIC goes out, these men respond.

These are resin pieces I painted this month to honor the 81st anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge

Casualties of War

Being wounded in war is always terrible...in Winter

wounded and freezing in Winter is especially bad.

These casualties are resin pieces that I finished today.

Jeep Patrol '44

Somewhere in Northern France an intrepid group of US paratroopers patrols the countryside in their Jeep. Note the wire cutting bar that has been added to the front of the vehicle, the heavy loads of ammo boxes and the drivers commandeered MP-40 submachinegun ready for instant action.

The men and wheels are metal the Jeep is resin. I painted these pieces this month.

Scouts Sometimes Need To Fight

Scouts are not expected to duke-it-out with the enemy-their name says it all they are to scout out the foe's positions.

But sometimes the situation calls for action.

Here we have three US troopers who are using a variety of weapons to take on the enemy in hopefully a short firefight.

The iconic American weapons are in use, the 12-gauge trenchgun, the 1911 Colt .45 and the .45 Tommygun SMG.

These are 28mm plastic kit bashed pieces that I created and painted in March.

USMC Pacific War Fireteams

 

All Marines are "Riflemen."

Prewar and early war United States Marine Corps doctrine called for four-man fireteams of two riflemen, a Browing Automatic Rifleman (BAR) and a Thompsom Submachinegun armed NCO. 

Here we have three such fireteams/

These are all plastic pieces for Bolt Action that I painted in 2019.

1941 Philippine's the Valiant Few

A depleted squad of Pilipino Scouts makes a desperate assault on the invading Imperial Japanese soldiers in the early days of their invasion of the Commonwealth.

A Tommygun  and BAR give heavy firepower to the squad most of whom are armed with the bolt action 30.06 Springfield rifle.

With not aircover, no reinforcements, dwindling supplies and facing a well-trained force of veteran IJA troops, the Scouts could do little more than brief holding actions.

Or in this case a do-or-die counterattack to disrupt the victorious march of the determined enemy.

After a valiant, yet doomed fight, the American forces of the Philippines were defeated. It would be three long years before they were liberated in 1945.

These are kit bashed plastic pieces to represent the American equipment used in the opening days of the Pacific War. I painted them in July.

The Bazooka, Musical Instrument-No-Tank Killer Yes

A real game changer for the poor infantrymen facing enemy armor was the "Bazooka." The first of the man portable antitank weapons that had a decent chance against medium tanks in WWII.

Officially the 2.36 in. Rocket Launcer M1. the name "Bazooka" came from its resemblance to a "Joke" instrument of the musician/comedian Bob Burns which had the Bazooka name first.

By the end of the Second World War, it was obvious that the 2.36 in. (60 mm) needed an upgrade. The 3.5 in. (89 mm) M20 "Super Bazooka" would become the mainstay of the Army in the Korean War. 

These are plastic pieces I painted in 2019.