15mm WW2 Deutches Afrika Korps

Most of the comments on the 15mm WW2 British post apply here too… This is a more or less “finished” force – I can play with what I’ve got, there is very little I have left to paint and even less I could possibly seriously consider adding at this point…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


The Panzer-Grenadiers: 24 painted stands, 3 to be painted. This will make 3 battalions in BKC. These are all from Old Glory


Support units for three battalions of Panzer Grenadiers: 6 Machine-gun stands (one still to be painted) and 3 Mortars. Old Glory, Battle Honors and Peter Pig


8 HQs and 3 Observers. Old Glory, Battle Honors and Battlefront.


Pin/Suppression/Casualty markers – all from Battle Honors, except the single guy on the extreme left which is from Battlefront.


Assorted Recce in various stages of readiness. Battlefront motorcycles, Old Glory Sdkfz222s and the other two are from Battle Honors.


The painted panzers. 6 Old Glory PzkwIII, 3 Old Glory PzkwIVf1, and 1 Battle Honors PzkwIVf2.


Battlefront bailed out panzer crew.


More panzers to paint; 6x PzkwII, 3x PzkwIII – all from Old Glory.


AT guns; 2x Pak 38 and a captured 6pdr – all from Battlefront.


The most useless stands I own. 5cm Light mortars – not represented on the tabletop in BKC, and, according to Battlefront/Flames of War they didn’t exist in North Africa (despite the fact that I have, in a book, a picture of one sitting in a trench in North Africa….) and not included in any of their lists (not that that’s ever stopped ME for fielding something I know should be there…).


Pioneers, still in the process of being re-based.


The Tiger. Everyone has to own ONE, right?


You see this is why I hate point based, you-bring-your-army-and-I’ll-bring-mine systems…. Lorraine-schlepper self-propelled 15cm Howitzers…. How many were there in the entire North African theatre of operations? How many compared to, say, the good old 10.5cm leFH18 howitzer…? Not too damn many! Which, then would be the more sensible (historical) thing to buy…? And yet, here I have the Lorraine Schleppers. WHY?! Because I was damn tired of having to always ASSAULT twice my number (thought less “points worth”) of dug in Russian troops with nothing that could blow them out of their trenches to prep the assault. And $60 and a week or so of painting later was it worth it? hell no. I can’t believe I was so stupid as to get sucked into that whole mentality for even this one brief instance. Never again. Never again.

Anyway, they’re now being based and I picked up some extra artillery crew to spread around carrying ammo to the guns, etc. These are all Battlefront.


Ack-ack! Two 88’s (Battle Honors or Old Glory – I forget which - with Battle Honors crew), prime movers (definitely Old Glory with Battle Honors crew), and two Sdkfz 10/5 still to be painted (Battlefront).


The Motor Pool - all Battlefront.


Three CO/HQ stands in the works. The totally unprimed one will be the divisional Commander (if one is ever fielded) and is the Rommel pack from Battlefront, the other two would be Panzer-Grenadier and Panzer Regimental Commanders, respectively, and are a mix of Old Glory, Battlefront, Battle Honors, and Peter Pig.


Other odds and sods… Objective markers, extras, etc.


The Luftwaffe. A die-cast Fieseler Storch (a friend picked up for me – I have no idea where…), Some plastic pre-paints – I think they were 1:144 Dragon (maybe?), and a Minifigs Me109.


Our Italian allies. I had thought about putting together a force of Italians at one point – there were FAR more Italians in North Africa than there ever were Germans. But then Avanti Savoia came out and four different guys all bought Italian forces… I’m not sure ANY of them EVER got fully painted… but I gave up. Also I had wanted to do a 1940 force and around the same time Battlefront took these CV33s and M11/39s out of production as they were focusing on “mid-war”….


Some Minifigs Arab types of some sort I picked up to use a general nuisance/random factor in North African games… or irregular mercenary “recce” troops (i.e. spies!) for one side or the other

THE PLAN

Panzer Division (North Africa, 1941-42) - Blitzkreig Commander (yeah, I know – I’m totally out of my head… but I had briefly thought of trying to field an entire Panzer Division at one point – this is the closet megalomaniac poking his nose out here – so here’s how close I am/what I’d still need to be able to do so)

Div HQ –HAVE: to assemble and paint (BF GE885 Rommel figure and halftrack)

Panzer Regiment
RHQ & Signals Platoon (Pzr IV) HAVE: 1 To Paint,
Protection Troop – PzII?
2x Panzer Battalion, each (totals are for Battalion/Regiment):
-BHQ & Signals Platoon – PzBefIII or Panzer IV?- (1/2 total) – to get –
- 1x Company w/ 3x PzIV, 1x PzrII – (3/6x PzIV, 1/2x PzII)
- 3x Company w/ 3x PzIII, 1x PzII – (9/18x PzIII, 3/6x PzII)
Totals for Battalion/Regiment
- 1-2/3x Command Stands (PzBef or otherwise…) HAVE: 1 To Paint, NEED TO GET: 1-2 more?
- 3/6x PzIV –HAVE: 4 Painted, NEED TO GET: 2?
- 9/18x PzIII HAVE: 6 Painted, 3 To Paint, NEED TO GET: 9?!
- 5/9x PzII –HAVE: 6 To Paint, NEED TO GET: 3?!
Hmmmm… maybe I’ll just stick with the one battalion…

Motorized Panzer Grenadier Regiment
RHQ command stand – HAVE: 1 To Paint
Regimental AT (part of RHQ Coy?)
- 1x Pak36 (37mmATG) “NEED TO GET”
- 1x Pak38 (50mmATG) “ NEED TO GET”
Regimental SP battery
- 1x 150mm (infantry guns?) “NEED TO GET”
Regimental Pioneer Company
- 3x Pioneer Stands HAVE: 6 To Paint
- 1x Pak38 (50mm ATG) HAVE: “NEED TO GET”
3x Motorized Panzer Grenadier Battalions, each (totals are for Battalion/Regiment):
- 1/3x BnHQ – Command Stand (1/3 total) – HAVE: X Painted, X To Paint,
- 9/27x Infantry Stands HAVE: 24 Painted, (lots) To Paint,
- 2/6x HMG HAVE: 5 Painted, (piles) To Paint,
- 1/3x 80mm Mortar – DONE!
- 2/6x Pak38 (50mm ATG) HAVE: 3 Painted (one’s a captured 6 Pdr) NEED TO GET: 3 more!?

Artillery Regiment
RHQ/Staff? – HAVE 1 Painted – DONE!
1x Heavy Artillery Battalion
-BnHQ/Staff?
-2x Howitzer Battery (155mm) – well I’ve got those Lorraine Schleppers…?
-1x “Gun” Battery (105mm Infantry Guns?) “NEED TO GET”
2x Artillery Battalions (Each/Regiment)
-1/2x BnHQ/Staff “NEED TO GET”
-3/6x Howitzer Battery (105mm) “NEED TO GET”
Artillery Observation Company
-3x FAO? (this is all I’d likely be fielding for most cases…) DONE!

Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion
1x BnHQ – Sdkfz247 (armoured staff car?) “NEED TO GET”
1x Artillery Battery Howitzers (105mm) “NEED TO GET”
1x heavy Armoured Reconnaissance Company
-1x Sdkfz 261z (4x4 Signal car) “NEED TO GET”
-1x Sdkfz 263 (8x8 Signal car) “NEED TO GET”
-1x SPATG (76.2mm Dianna? MarderIII?) “NEED TO GET”
1x Armoured Car/SP artillery troop (1-2x Sdkfz233 – 8x8 75mm)
1x Scout Car Company
-1x Sdkfz 231 (8x8 Armoured Car – 20mm) HAVE: 1 To Paint
-1x Sdkfz 232 (8x8 Armoured Signal Car – 20mm + Radio) “NEED TO GET”
-3x Sdkfz 222 (4x4 Armoured Car – 20mm) – HAVE: 2 painted - “NEED TO GET: 1?”
-1x Sdkfz 223 (4x4 Armoured Signal Car) – HAVE: 1 painted – DONE!
1x Panzer-Grenadier Company
-3x infantry Stands HAVE: 3 To Paint
-1x HMG stand - HAVE: 1 To Paint
-1x ATG (28mm?) - “NEED TO GET”
-1x ATG (76.2mm?) - “NEED TO GET”

Divisional AT Battalion
BnHQ
1x SPATG Company w/ 3x ATG (7.62 – MarderIII?) - “NEED TO GET”
1x ATG Company w 3x Pak38 (50mm) - “NEED TO GET”

Divisional Pioneer Battalion
“NEED TO GET” More pioneers?! (okay this is getting silly now…)

Corps/Army Assets
Attached heavy SP Infantry gun company (150mm) “NEED TO GET” (not really…)
Attached from Luftwaffe:
AA Regt
-2x Flak 36 (8.8cm) - HAVE: 2 painted – DONE! (2 prime movers to paint, though)
-2x Sdkfz 10/5 HAVE: 2 to assemble and paint.
Dive bombers
- 2x Stuka – DONE! (I could repaint them someday – and I need better flight stands…)

Seriously though – I can’t see me painting anymore 15mm stuff in the near future and realistically… even if I DID finish this off – I’m not entirely sure it would all fit on my table!?

I should finish up the bases that need doing, that’s easy enough. Tanks aren’t too bad to paint so I should manage to get them done sometime and the three CO/HQ stands, three infantry, 1 HMG, and three Pionoeer…. One would whink those wouldn’t be to hard to finish off… Probably not this year (I’m a little busy with Other Things).

If I were to ever add to the North African collection I’d like to add some Italians. Maybe some 105 field guns for the rare occasion that I want them on the table…. (but only if I had a nasty fall and damaged my brain further…).

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

15mm WW2 Early War Germans.