WW2 - Taking Stock of the Afrika Korps

 With the renewed interest in the Second World War, I've been taking stock of things and seeing what I have that I can finish up to make into a playable force, and what I might need to add to make forces I have playable (in Bolt Action - Third Edition), and so far I have been focusing on forces that fought in the desert war in North Africa (primarily because I recently bought a Desert Game Matt... and didn't bother to get one that would be useful for European fields or jungles of the Pacific...) 

Having mostly sorted out the Italians... I thought I'd shift focus to the Deutsches Afrikakorps - my small collection of Germans for the North African campaign. I am sticking with Axis forces (rather than working on an allies force to oppose my Italians) largely because my sole opponent has an American army, so working on forces that can face the Americans! 

This force, as with most of my other 28mm World War Two forces had their genesis in Pulp Adventure/Weird War gaming with Savage Worlds over fifteen years ago - before Bolt Action was even released! After the release of Bolt Action, I did try to add things to the forces to make them playable with those rules - which mostly focused around a solitary Infantry platoon - with lots of potential support options. 

I didn't really get around to doing this with the Afrika Korps before mostly abandoning 28mm World War Two when interests shifted and I coudln't find anyone that wanted to play World War Two games in 28mm (most locals that were interested were still playing Flames of War - or other games making use of 15mm minatures) 

This is what I have ready for the Duetsches Afrikakorps, a lot of which was painted recently! 

this is all the Nazis-in-the-Desert stuff that I have - including some more Pulp-y characters and such. 

This is the force I can currently use in Bolt Action... 

This is what that might look like in Bolt Action (maybe.. I don't have the rules yet, I am basing this on all the lists I do have access to, they all seem to be the same across armies for Regulars - except when special rules apply - like "tough fighter" or whatever): 

Rifle Platoon

Platoon Commander - 1st Lieutenant - 30pts (Regular)
Runner/Batman (2) @10pts (Regular) = +20

Infantry Section 1 NCO and 4 men with Rifles 50pts (Regular)
1 additional men at +10pts each = +10
Submachine gun for +4pts
light machine gun for +15pts 
= 79 points

Infantry Section 1 NCO and 4 men with Rifles 50pts (Regular)
1 additional men at +10pts each = +10
Submachine gun for +4pts
light machine gun for +15pts 
= 79 points

Infantry Section 1 NCO and 4 men with Rifles 50pts (Regular)
1 additional men at +10pts each = +10
Submachine gun for +4pts
light machine gun for +15pts 
= 79 points

Infantry Section 1 NCO and 4 men with Rifles 50pts (Regular)
1 additional men at +10pts each = +10
Submachine gun for +4pts
light machine gun for +15pts 
= 79 points

Forward Observer - (air force or artillery) 75pts (Regular)
Radio Operator +11pts per man (Regular) 

Heavy Weapons Platoon

Platoon Commander (2nd Lieutenant) - 30pts (Regular)
Runner/Batman @10pts  (Regular)= +20 points

Machine Gun Team  - 50pts (Regular) 

Mortar Team -  30pts (Regular) 

TOTAL: 612

STILL TO DO

I still have a few things I could paint up to make a rather ad hoc "armoured platoon". these include:

Panzer IV - a later one (like F2..?) with the longer barrel. These, I think, were only available in the later stages of the war in North Africa... 

An Sdkfz 222 armoured car. 

Panzer I - they had quite a few of these in North Africa - expecially at the beginning of it all in 1941!

I have no idea how many points this might add... hopefully enough to get to 1000 points

Stuff to Get

There are a number of items I would still like to get for this force. 

Primarily some more appropriate armour and some anti-tank weapons! 

Armour could include a few more Panzer I, Panzer II and Panzer III - in earlier models that would be appropriate for North Africa (most of the Panzer III easily available - and least expensive - are the J and later versions - which would have only showed up at the very end of the campaign - or were only used in Europe in the later part of the war), 

A few anti-tank weapons would be handy - Pak 36 and Pak 38... maybe even an Anti-Tank Rifle team...? If I get these, though, I'd need an Artillery Platoon Commander!? 

I could get some more infantry to fill out the Infantry platoons (two packs of six from Perry Miniaures would be 12 and add three to each squad bringing them to NINE, which is plenty... that would also add 120 points, right there!) 

Ideally some transportation...? but not entirely necessary... most transport would have likely been dismounted from and left far enough behind that it would remain off the table, if on the advance - and even further behind if defending!   

Not something that this force could use on the tabletop... but I wouldn't mind getting a mess of 1/72 German aircraft and painting them in desert colours - to use as objectives/targets for raids by the LRDG/SAS

WHEN am I going to get any of these?! I have no idea... I need to finish painting the last few things I have (the two tanks and armoured car). Then we'll see... 

This feels a little like a repeat of the post from a week or so ago... I mostly did this because I was reexamining the force and actually trying to put points to them in anticipation of playing SOON!! Also, I was taking a BUNCH of new pictures for the new WW2 - Afrika Korps Gallery, which you can see here:

WW2 - Afrika Korps 

Also, I recently made a new Gallery for all the Italians:

WW2 - Italy

The plan is to keep those up-to-date as I finish things off...