French War Memorial

With the upcoming "Come and 'ave a go if you think you're LARD enough 2026" but a few short months away, I think it is time to start churning out some terrain (as well as finishing the forces as well).

Feeling slightly burnt out from painting a sea of brown uniforms, I thought I would spend a morning putting together a First World War memorial for my Battle of Biville-la-Baignarde scenario I will be running. 

I wanted a small provincial war memorial, fitting for a small village like Biville-la-Baignarde and Google shows the actual item:

Now this posed a challenge as I couldn't find a figure like that anywhere so I decided to make a suitably French war memorial. I wanted an angel or similar female figure and after much searching found a female figure actually used on a real war memorial in Fulham & Hammersmith. With the figure found I wanted a nice plinth and recalled seeing one in the excellent Eskice's collection. My plan was to use the angel instead of Eskice's figure and change the base about as well.

With a little editing and fiddling (and resizing to 20mm) with I had the components I needed to print.

Print plate all set up

Once printed (and the sword was so fine I had to print several replacement parts and fix them afterwards), it was time to assemble and crack on with painting this. All paints are Vallejo by the way.

I wanted a nice aged bronze figure, so started with a coat of GC 72.058 Brassy Brass.

Very brassy indeed, this will need toning down

To begin to tone this down, next a wash of Agrax Earthshade to add some tones.

Agraxed!

But still too bronze, so time to add some age. A very dilute wash of VMC 70.969 Park Green Flat to add some real texture and age.

Looking much better

Finally another dilute wash of 50% VMC 70.969 and VMC 72.023 Electric Blue to make a turquoise wash to blend in nicely. Once this was done a dry brush of original GC 72.058 Brassy Brass and then a final highlight with VMC 70.801 Brass, an voila!

Now to finish the base and pretty much done. I just need to varnish her and she can go on to the table for  the Battle of Biville. Very pleased with a Sunday mornings work.

A few closeups of the statue first before the final finished item.

Finished War Memorial

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed painting it.

Updating 1940 Mortar FOs to CoC²

The 'Phoney' War, October 1939 - May 1940: 8 inch howitzer of 1st Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery camouflaged in position near Laquielle.

Image: IWM (O 170)

Mortars in Chain of Command² were one of the elements that underwent the most significant changes from the previous version (and better IMHO too). 

However the new rules rub up against the 1940 Blitzkrieg Handbook and their introduction of Fixed Line Telephones for most of the Allied forces. CoC² bombardment rules are applicable to late war usage where radio communication was more efficient and wide spread - not an option open to many of the early war combatants.

In summary here are the differences between 1940 rules and CoC² concerning Bombardments and their use of Forward Observers (FOs):

Feature	1940 Fixed Line Telephones	Version 2 Rules (General Mortar/FO)
Physical Location & Line of Sight	A FO model is placed on the table. Mortar fire may only be called on a point which the FO can see from their location/LOS. FO can be targetted	The FO sight is unlimited on the table. The FO is not physically on the table and can't be targetted or impacted in any way
Comms Type	Relies on fixed line telephones	Assumes radio contact unless specified otherwise
Movement restriction	Once a static observer is placed on the table he may not move without breaking contact with the mortars.	A FO with a radio is able to operate as covered in the main rules and may change position without affecting their link to the mortar battery
Re-establishing Contact	If the FO moves, the mortars cease fire immediately, and the FO may not attempt to re-establish contact until the next game Turn (representing the time required to run a fresh cable)	Not explicitly covered for radio equipped FOs but see Continuing a Bombardment on page 61
Activation	Only the FO may control mortar fire on a Command Dice of 1 (this was a change from original CoC rules at the time of publishing)	Only the FO may control mortar fire on a Command Dice of 1

So how do we reflect the limitations of a 1940 fixed telephone line Forward Observer (FO), who must be physically placed on the table, and the CoC² rules where the FO is not explicitly placed on the table?

In summary the 1940 fixed-line FO has the following constraints:

1. Immobility: Once the observer is placed on the table, he may not move without breaking contact.
2. Communication Breakdown Penalty: If the FO moves, the mortars cease fire immediately, and the observer may not attempt to re-establish contact until the next game Turn (to represent the time required to run fresh cable).
3. Targeting Restriction: Mortar fire may only be called on a point which the Observer Team can see from their location (Line of Sight, or LOS).

If the FO figure were moved off-table, these limitations would need to be translated into restrictions on a fixed observation point (FOP) or the support capability itself:

Updating 1940 Fixed Line Forward Observers (FO) with a Fixed Observation Point (FOP) The inability to move (Immobility and Communication Breakdown Penalty) can be represented by mandating a permanent fixed location on the battlefield for the FO's observation, even if the action FO figure is absent from the table: Designated FOP The player would designate a Fixed Observation Point (FOP), within 9" of a Jump Off Point. This point represents the location of the end of the telephone line. The FOP must adhere to standard deployment rules (e.g., in cover). Targeting Line of Sight (LOS) The rule that mortar fire may only be called on a point visible to the Observer Team would be rigorously enforced by checking LOS only from the designated FOP. If the FOP is obscured, the mortars cannot fire. Simulating Communication Breakdown and Vulnerability Since the physical FO cannot be targeted, the consequences of the fixed line being exposed or compromised can be abstracted: FOP Compromise and Capture If an enemy unit (e.g., a Scout Team or an infantry unit) moves to within 4 inches of the stationary FOP, the FOP is considered compromised and this would prevent the initiation of any bombardment. This would trigger the "cease fire immediately" penalty if an active bombardment was underway.    Battery fire could not be re-established until the next Turn after control of the FOP re-established. No Bad Thing occurs for the loss of a FOP. Moving a Fixed Observation Point (FOP) Moving a fixed telephone line during a firefight is not an easy task to accomplish, the old line has to be dismantled, a new line run out and established. To allow for strategic repositioning of the observation point (FOP) while adhering to this severe logistical constraint, the following mechanism is suggested: 1. Initiation:  The Fixed Observation Point (FOP) may only be relocated during the Turn End phase.   2. Cost:  To execute the redeployment, the controlling player must expend a full Chain of Command Dice (6 points). This represents dedicating significant effort and resources (like Engineers or command attention) to run fresh telephone cable. 3. Movement   The FOP marker is immediately placed in a new location, up to 12" away from its previous position. The new location must adhere to standard deployment rules (e.g., in cover). 4. Communication Blackout Penalty Due to the time required to re-establish and register new fixed lines, the FO and its associated mortar battery are declared Unavailable for the entirety of the subsequent Game Turn.  During this Unavailable Turn, the player cannot attempt to activate the FO or call in any type of off-table fire (Bombardment, SOS Fire, or Smoke Barrage) from that battery. 5. Re-establishment The FO is automatically ready to observe and be activated again at the start of the Turn after next.

In summary, an off-table fixed-line FO in the 1940 context would function as a relatively immobile, vulnerable observation marker that requires explicit LOS from its fixed location, and would find it difficult to relocate its initial observation point during the game.

Anyway, just some suggestions on applying new rules to the 1940 rules and trying to "play the period".

Thoughts and comments appreciated as always

 

Chain of Command² Rule Clarifications

Last updated: 22nd September 2025

I have been asking and watching discussions on some Chain of Command² rule clarifications on the Facebook Group and on the TFL's Patreon channel, and the excellent community has provided some advice that has helped me to better understand a few rules I wasn't clear on. 

I hope I have reflected the discussions accurately, happy to amend if required. If a FAQ supersedes this I will reflect any updates.

In an attempt to keep these in one place where I can find them - I thought I would make them available to you too.

1. Anti-Tank Guns and Shock/Pinning
2. Firing on Transport Vehicles
3. Handgranaten! and Terrain
4. Bombardments and Interrupts
5. Bunched Targets
6. Bunkers and Cover
7. Smoke Grenades and Tanks
8. Light Cover, Hard Cover and Hard Hard Cover

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1. Anti-Tank Guns and Shock/Pinning

British airborne troops with a 6-pdr anti-tank gun in Hamminkeln, Germany, 25 March 1945

Image: IWM (BU 2304)

So how does shock affect an Anti-Tank gun and team? Lets use a worked example to explain:

• A 6 pounder Anti-Tank gun with five crew and Junior Leader is subjected to enemy fire. 
• The team take enough shock to pin them - in this example no one died, so as per 4.1.1 Pinned Units, it becomes Pinned when the amount of Shock exceeds the number of figures, including attached Leaders - in this example seven shock (shock > crew + unstunned attached leaders: 7 > (5 + 1)).

So the gun is now Pinned, what does this mean for the gun crew as per 4.1.1?

• They cannot move - importantly that means they cannot reposition their gun - they are fixed to their current arc of fire.

If it is activated in a subsequent phase it will operate differently depending on what it is doing:

• Firing HE
• When firing HE, the number of Firepower Dice is halved (see 4.1.1). The 6 pounder would roll two Firepower Dice whilst Pinned instead of the normal four.
• Firing AP
• When firing AP, the impact of Shock gives -1 adjustment per point of shock on the firing gun as per 16.1. In our example, this would be minus seven to the Roll to Hit - it would be a miracle to hit a barn door with this penalty. The number of AP Strike Dice is not changed - Shock and Pinning effects impact Firepower Dice not Strike Dice - so the 6 pounder rolls it's full nine AP Strike Dice in the unlikely event it hits anything.

So far so good. The pinned gun is having a bad time but let us imagine that their Junior Leader or a visiting Senior Leader drops by and all of their Shock is removed - what happens now? The gun is still Pinned - how does this impact their subsequent firing:

• Firing HE
• The unit is still Pinned so it's Firepower Dice are still halved.
• Firing AP
• With zero Shock there are zero adjustments to the Roll to Hit, however the gun cannot move or rotate its arc of fire. If alternatively, there was still some shock this would reduce their Roll to Hit as before. It still has its full AP Strike Dice of nine if it hits anything.

Obviously at End of Turn things would be resolved as usual, remaining Pinned or becoming unpinned as appropriate.

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2. Firing on Transport Vehicles

With the advent of increased use of passenger vehicles other than AFVs and APCs, what would happen if you target the passengers in an unarmoured car or lorry?

The cover for the passengers will depend on the robustness of the vehicle. In my opinion, firing upon a jeep might consider the passengers in the Open, in a sturdy lorry or car Light Cover as appropriate. 

In addition to hits caused on the passengers, any 6’s rolled when firing at Transport Vehicles causes a point of Shock on the vehicle (as per 13.2.12 and 4.2.1).

A quick summary from Rich

"So, the first thing you do is forget the transport. Just shoot at the passengers as though in light cover (zero cover if firing HE). When you fire you'll roll Firepower Dice. They cause hits and casualties as normal, but any 6's rolled ALSO cause shock on the transport. Transport vehicles cannot rally shock and are KO when they reach 4 shock."

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3. Handgranaten! and Terrain

Those pesky Germans are big fans of Handgranaten, and we had an instance where the Germans were inside one house, an American squad in another - both houses were within 12" and visible to one another. 

The question arose that when Handgranaten was initiated were there any terrain penalties for exiting one house and entering a second? The answer is when using Handgranaten ignore terrain between the two parties (obviously within reason - no climbing cliffs!). 

To quote Rich:

"This is a supercharged move. They just move with 3D6 and do their stuff. It;'s a bit generous but its their trademark move. And their Dad did it before them." 

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4. Bombardments and Interrupts

In one of our games the German player called in an SOS bombardment upon an American squad, which he then reacted to by using a full Chain of Command dice to interrupt and move away from the targeted area. 

This led to a long debate but ultimately the call was that Rules As Written do allow you to interrupt a bombardment but it is not in the game designer's mind that you should not do so as it goes against all military training to run around when the shells start landing.

Long story short - you can't interrupt a bombardment in the spirit of the game.

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5. Bunched Targets

Bunched targets on Dunkirk beach 1940

Oh boy, a lot to cover here with the new rule. First of all let's recap the rule so we know what we are playing with:

 13.2.2 "Bunched Targets Where the target is made up of three or more teams, this is a Bunched Target. A +1 modifier is applied when rolling to hit Bunched Teams"

So on to the questions and answers I have gleaned so far. I am not going to go in to all of the debates and arguments and try and concisely give just the answer.

• Can an infantry section with 3 or more teams be considered a Bunched Target?

The simple answer is that no single section can ever be a Bunched Target.

• Does a sniper get +1 to hit a bunched target?

No.

• Does High Explosive (HE) or a Bombardment get +1 modifier (hits on 3+) with a Bunched Target?

Yes.

• Firing on targets in mixed levels of cover, when is it a Bunched Target?

Okay this one is this more complicated and will take an example to be clear. The scenario is that there are three teams (meeting the Bunched Target criteria) but they are in differing levels of cover.  

For the purposes of this example let's put Team A in hard cover and Teams B and C in light cover. Three Teams close enough to be considered a Bunched Target but in differing levels of cover.

As per 13.2.1, "Where the target Team has other friendly Teams within 4”, they become part of the target if they are visible and in the same level of cover. If the target Team has another friendly Team within 4” but in better cover, the firer can choose to concentrate all fire on the Team with less cover, or they can divide the fire between both. Where the target Team is in better cover than the other Unit, the hits must be divided between them."

If the team you targeted has two other teams (or more) within 4" of it, it is a Bunched Target if you are engaging all of the target teams (in our example Teams A, B and C). You will get the +1 modifier if you target all eligible teams regardless of their levels of cover.
 
However, if you elect to just fire at the two Teams B and C in lesser cover, then Team A is excluded, so the target is not considered a Bunched Target.

 In short, to get the benefit of a Bunched Target you must target 3 or more Teams, if this means they are in differing levels of cover then you must take this in to account with their cover saves. 

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6. Bunkers and Cover

Many weapons reduce cover of the target such as HE and other weapons, does this impact the cover a bunker provides? Answer is no they don't. 

To quote Rich:

"Bunkers are unique and separate from light and hard cover. The bunker rule always applies. You can’t reduce cover of a bunker."

 

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7. Smoke Grenades and Tanks

Not that sort of smoke!

Firing an Anti-Tank weapon at a vehicle through a smoke grenade makes the target "view badly obscured" (16.1).

This would apply to an Infantry thrown smoke grenade or a Soviet "Smoke Grenades for AFV" support choice. Obviously vehicle generated smoke and mortar smoke block line of sight completely.

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8. Light Cover, Hard Cover and Hard Hard Cover

There may be situations where you can enhance your "natural" cover rating of light or hard cover by either adopting a Tactical stance or other means.

If you think of cover in terms of modifiers (bear with me on this), so being in the open is Level 0, light cover is Level 1 and hard cover is Level 2. 

When calculating cover, you stack the positives and then remove the negatives to end up with the level of cover at the end. You can't get better than hard cover (Level 2) but you can protect it some times - let me explain. The process is:

• Stack bonuses first, then subtract penalties.
• Hard cover is the cap—you can’t exceed Level 2, but you can protect it from being reduced.

Two examples:

Infantry squad in a building is in hard cover (Level 2). 

If they are targeted by small arms they are in hard cover.

If they are targeted by HE they are in light cover (Level 2 hard cover minus 1 for HE =  Level 1 light cover). 

However, if they adopt a Tactical stance in a building then they are in hard cover versus small arms (you can't get better then Level 2 hard cover), and they are in hard cover versus the HE (Level 2 hard cover plus +1 bonus for Tactical minus 1 for HE penalty = Level 2 hard cover overall).

Tactical stance acts like a buffer against HE’s degrading effect. It doesn’t push you past Level 2 hard cover, but it preserves hard cover when it would otherwise drop.

An Anti-Tank gun is in hard cover of an emplacement. It’s also got a gun shield (effectively Level 2 hard cover plus +1 bonus for the Gun Shield). So that’s hard cover plus a bonus cover level. 

If targeted with firearms then they are in hard cover (you can't get better then Level 2 hard cover),

However, if targeted with HE which reduces cover, that doesn’t reduce to light cover as the reduction of cover only removes the benefit of the gun shield  (Level 2 hard cover plus +1 bonus for the Gun Shield minus 1 for HE penalty = Level 2 hard cover overall)

The gun shield is an additional bonus—a little like a Tactical stance. But since the base terrain is hard cover, the loss of the shield doesn’t drop you below Hard Cover.

More to follow as I come across them.

Updating Blitzkrieg 1940 Support Classifications to CoC²

Following on from my musings over how the new vehicle aspects from Chain of Command² might be applied, I thought it was time to consider how the 1940 Support Options might be classified in to the new support types.

Chain of Command² classifies support options according to specific types. These classifications are indicated by colour-coding on the support lists, making it easy to determine which types of support are available for a given scenario.

These are:

• Blue - denotes Engineering support choices
• Grey - represents Mortars
• White - indicates Infantry Units
• Green - for Support Units
• Yellow - defines Transports
• Orange - signifies Light Vehicles and Armour
• Red - represents proper Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Whilst the Blitzkrieg 1940 book scenarios don't have these additional support classifications applied to them (yet.. watch this space), it might be helpful to consider how the 1940 Support Options would be classified if you choose to use them with the new scenarios in the core rulebook.

There is the addition of new types of Support Option such as replenish points that just predate the creation of the 1940 rules, so those need adding in too.

With no definitions of what necessarily constitutes each of the classifications of support I have used my judgement (flawed though it may be) to make a suggestion as to what each might be considered to be. Feel free to amend or point out any errors I may have included.

The updated classified Support Lists are available in the Files Page on the blog, there is one for each of the nations in the 1940 book.

Enjoy!!

Painting 20mm 1940 French

And so the pile of grey resin printed shame must be addressed...

First thing was clearing my painting desk (which is why my missus calls me "Captain Chaos") and just having the paints and brushes I need in front of me.

There are a few colour photos taken in Dunkirk by a German photographer Weper Hermann of 13 German Mobile Assault Unit that included French troops here, here and here. Given the passage of time, these give the uniforms quite a brown tinge, and I also noticed different colour belts and boots too. I will try and add in this variety to the squad.

I am going to focus on the core infantry platoon first, so three squads, V-B squad and senior leaders.

Starting out, I base the figures on 20mm metal washers (that will stick to a magnetic sheet) and supplement with a magnet that fits int he base to increase magnetic stickiness (that's a word I think?).

Next undercoating using Vallejo Grey Primer and applying it with a cheap Temu airbrush that is just about up to the job. I prefer a lighter primer as it makes the resulting paint job brighter on the table top.

Sonic Sledgehammer video is the basis of what I am attempting to do, I like using washes but not in a speed painter style and this one looks pretty much perfect.

So what follows is from Sonic's video with a few tweaks by me to totally convert the paints used to Vallejo:

• Undercoat with 70.601 Vallejo Grey Primer.
• Paint uniform with 70.921 English Uniform and then a very heavy dry-brush with 70.879 Green Brown.
• Paint the skin using 70.815 Basic Skin Tone and then apply two washes of ArmyPainter Quickshade Flesh Wash to bring it to life.
• Main backpack 70.824 German Camouflage Orange Ochre.
• Leather belt, ammo pouches and belt chest 'suspenders' in 70.846 Mahogany Brown plus edges of backpack leathery bits also the chin strap.
• Small bags, water bottle and strap across the chest in 70.821 German Camo Beige
• Rifle woodwork with 70.875 Beige Brown.
• Boots with 70.984 Flat Brown or 70.875 Beige Brown or 70.846 Mahogany Brown.
• Adrian Helmet with 70.888 Olive Grey
• Rifle metalwork base with 70.862 Black Grey.
• Buttons with 70.863 Gunmetal Grey.

At this point all the dull stuff is done and time to feel that your figure doesn't look like a two year old has painted it - the magic of washes!

Give it a wash of Army Painter Strong Tone all over thinned with a drop of Vallejo 71.361 Airbrush Thinner. I usually do a couple of washes as sometimes just one wash isn't strong enough for my liking. 

Figure with all basic colours applied and first washes completed

Suddenly the figure looks like something you would be happy to put on the table! Now to sex it up a little.

Now on to the highlighting (usually a 2 stage process with the original colour and then additional highlight):

• Highlight the uniform with first 70.879 Green Brown with a drop of Airbursh thinner, and then highlight with 70.988 Khaki.
• Now highlight main backpack with 70.824 German Camouflage Orange Ochre and then 70.847 Dark Sand.
• Highlight the leather belt, straps and backpack edging with 70.846 Mahogany Brown land then with 70.818 Red Leather.
• Pick out the rifle metalwork with 70.863 Gunmetal Grey.
• Highlight flesh with 70.815 Basic Skin Tone.
• Highlight small bags, water bottle and strap across the chest with 70.821 German Camo Beige.
• Highlight helmet with 70.888 Olive Grey and then 70.922 Uniform Green. Pick out the helmet rims with 70.863 Gunmetal Grey if you wish in a few places.
• Highlight rifle woodwork with 70.843 Cork Brown.
  

I must say I am pretty pleased with the result, and so a few pictures of the first squad...

Hope you have found this painting guide helpful and I am off to get a better camera and learn how lighting works...

3D Printing for 20mm Chain of Command

With my platoon STLs sourced the next step is to resize, sort out supports and determine resin settings - which anyone who has used a 3D printer will know may well turn out not to be a walk in the park.

My 3D printer is Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S printer which works for me as I have limited space on my desk. It has a relatively small plate as a result but produces excellent prints. I will be using Elegoo 8K Space Grey resin which I find to be a good balance of flexibility, resolution and of course, price.

When resizing STLs I have found that some are more "heroic 28mm" than 28mm but I start with a 78% reduction and then compare to see if a further reduction is needed. With Colonel Muller's files a simple 78% is perfect.

I use LycheeSlicer to batch resize to 78%, repair where needed and add supports. This is where the resizing of files presents the first challenges: rifles and AT gun barrels can get very thin and I faced a challenge with the edges of some of the French helmets which would get damaged when removing supports after printing. 

The fiddly supports on the back of French helmets

Overview of typical supports

I am printing at 0.025mm, so quite high resolution and near the maximum of the printer. As mentioned I support in Lychee, export to Chitubox and then create the print file.

After a lengthy printing (due to the resolution) and cleaning, I let them dry for a day and then a dip in very hot water before very careful support removal.

And voila!

A finished print in 20mm

Updating Blitzkrieg 1940 Vehicles to CoC²

With the advent of the excellent Chain of Command² it introduced some new vehicle aspects to the game - turret speed and smoke generation. As the core rulebook is very much focussed on the late war with its Army Lists it now leaves the Blitzkrieg 1940 players with questions about these new aspects and if they are applicable to vehicles in the relevant Master Arsenal lists. 

These questions have come up in my playing of this period and this article covers our House Rules to bridge the gap.

Here are my thoughts on the Blitzkrieg 1940 supplement and how those new vehicle aspects could be applied - I do not claim to be an expert but I have carried out internet research as much as i can to try and back up my suggestions. 

Note: I am marking the general assumption that all turret speeds are "Average" unless otherwise noted - while the rotation speed can often be found through research, the cut off of when that becomes slow is a mystery wrapped up in an enigma to me.

Update 23rd Sept 2025: After chatting with Rich about turret speeds at We Have Way Fest 25, he confirmed that turret speeds are nearly always Average with a few exceptions in late war period. This means in early war they should be nearly always be considered Average apart from where I consider some portee guns to be Slow (but that is my take on it after all).

Belgium

Captured Carden Loyd in 1940 with open top

Image: www.armedconflicts.com

Smoke

Belgian vehicles did not deploy smoke on their T13/T15 and the AGC-1 is a French pattern tank that also didn't use smoke. Sadly no smoky fun for the Belgians.

Turrets and Notes

The wonderfully bizarre Carden Loyd MK VI with FRC 47mm was only able to have a 10 degree traverse so its turret would be "Fixed". I would also add the attribute "Open Body" to this vehicle as can be seen here where destroyed or captured Carden Loyd's can be seen with no top armour. 

The rear facing gun on a T-13 B1/B2 had a limited 120 degree rotation with it's armoured plates up, 360 degrees if these were dropped (and I would suggest a corresponding drop in vehicle armour to 1 whilst deployed like that).

Gun Shields

The 47mm FRC M1931 was equipped with a gun shield.

The Netherlands

7- veld 75mm Field Gun
Peeters Ben, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Smoke

The vast armada of impressive, powerful and numerous Dutch armour did not avail itself of any smoke (to be fair it didn't avail itself of any armour either...).

Turrets and Notes

I would suggest adding the attribute "Open Body" to Carden Loyd MG Carrier.

Gun Shields

The 7-veld 75mm Field Gun, although ancient, did have a gun shield.

Britain

Vickers Light Tank Mk.VIB

Image: IWM (MH 3585)

Smoke

At last we get to some smoke capabilities that were present in the Early War period. As per the inter-war period and British tank development it is mostly the "infantry" tanks that have smoke capability and the faster "cruiser" tanks didn't. These "infantry" tanks could use their smoke to assist the accompanying foot troops in their movement on the battlefield.

The Vickers Mk VIB, Vickers Mk VIC, A11 Matilda I and A12 Matilda II all had forward facing smoke mortars.

The Morris CS9 Armoured Car was also equipped with a smoke bomb thrower (that little tube centred on the turret).

Turrets and Notes

I would suggest adding the attribute "Open Body" to Bren/Scout Carrier.

Gun Shields

Both the "1 Pounder" and "2 Pounder" both have gun shields.

Germany

Panzer III
User:Fat yankey, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Smoke

The German approach to the use of smoke evolved during the war. In the later war there was an assessment of German use of smoke by American Military Intelligence Service:

"Smoke shells are fired from the 75-mm guns of the Pz. Kpfw. IV's [1], and also, it is reported, from 88-mm guns on other armored vehicles. Smoke shells are not fired by the Pz. Kpfw. II [2] or the Pz. Kpfw. III [3], both of which are equipped to discharge "smoke pots" with a range of approximately 50 yards. These pots are released electrically, and are employed chiefly to permit the tank to escape when caught by antitank fire."

Smoke-Shell Tactics Used by German Tanks" from Intelligence Bulletin, Aug. 1944 

The German use of smoke was markedly different, it was not to assist or support infantry, rather a defensive cover to use for tactical withdrawal.

In the early war, tanks did not have forward facing smoke grenade launchers, instead they had Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung (N.K.A.V.), a rear mounted grenade dispenser used to disperse up to five Schnellnebelkerze 39 smoke grenades when the commander activated them from the turret. It was succeeded from about 1942 onwards by the turret mounted Nebelwurfgerät launcher.

In game terms I would suggest this means the tank (as per 15.3 Vehicles Deploying Smoke), when deploying smoke the player places a 6” wide by 3” deep area of smoke directly behind the vehicle (and not 6” in front).

Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung were equipped on:

• Panzer I A-B
• Panzer II A-C
• Panzer III A-C
• Panzer IV B-C. 

Turrets and Notes

Other amendments to vehicle characteristics would be:

• Adding "Low Profile" to Stug IIIA
• Adding "Open Body" to Kfz 13, SdKfz 221, SdKfz 222 
• Adding "Low Profile, Open Body" to SdKfz 250/1B 

Gun Shields

The Pak 35 3.7cm, IeIG 18 7.5mm Infantry Gun and sIG 33 15cm Infantry Gun all had gun shields.

France

French Armoured Fighting Vehicles Image: IWM (MH 8513)

Smoke

France and the use of smoke don't mix - I could not find evidence of smoke use in any French AFV.

Turrets and Notes

To reflect the rather adhoc nature of the Laffly W15 TCC and Laffly SA-34 TCC I would suggest adding the following attributes:

• Laffly W15 TCC:  Slow turret with a a limited 60° rear facing gun traverse and "Open Body"
• Laffly SA-34 TCC:  Slow turret with a a limited 60° forward facing gun traverse and "Open Body"

Additionally I would add the note of "Radio" to the best AFV the French have (IMHO) - the Panhard 178.

Gun Shields

The Canon de 25mm L/72, Canon de 47mm L53 and Canon de 75mm M1897 all have gun shields.

And so ends my exploration of sprinkling some version 2 over Blitzkrieg 1940 support options. Thoughts and feedback appreciated.

Creating 20mm 1940 French Armour Options - Part Four or Quatre

 

Rounding off my take on 3D printing resources for my 20mm Early War French force we get to the armoured (and not so armoured) vehicles.

Again there are some fantastic artists out there who create some amazing models, I have focussed on a French creator called Counlane Models. He started his collection with the Early War French so inevitably I became a fan, my friend also succumbed to his German models as well.

There are also many other greta resources and many free models as well, anyway let's get on with the list:

• AMC Schneider P16 with Junior Leader

• AMR 33 with Junior Leader

• AMR 35 ZT-1 with Junior Leader - A choice of two models, the earlier version and the later one.

• AMR 35 ZT-2 with Junior Leader

• AMR 35 ZT-3 with Junior Leader

• Canon de 47mm portee on Laffly W15 TCC - this is the only model I can find of this portee option. 

• Car with no crew - simple French car here.

• Char B1 bis with Junior Leader

• FCM 36 with Junior Leader

• FT-17/31 37mm with Junior Leader

• FT-17/31 MG with Junior Leader

• Hotchkiss H35 with Junior Leader

• Hotchkiss H39 with Junior Leader

• Laffly SA-34 TCC Canon de 25mm L72 portee with Junior Leader - I wanted a forward facing 25mm portee here and there are no models I could find so I had to combine a couple of files. I started with this free basic flat top Laffly S20, edited it to open up the back and then took the 25mm AT gun and edited the legs of the gun to shorten them to fit in the back of the Laffly. I then added in a couple of crew from the same AT gun. Pretty pleased with the result.

Amended 25mm portee STL

• Lorraine 38L carrier with trailer and driver - fantastic model that has the main carrier and trailer covered and uncovered.

• Lorry with no crew - a common Chain of Command 2 support choice that I have added in to the 1940 choices for two points. There are quite a few choices out there for models that fit the lorry/truck slot and both free and paid for:
• Citroen U23 with french passengers - From Eskice, this a fantastic model with passengers you can add in as well.
• Laffly S20 TL - Lovely model that formed the basis my 25mm portee above but also comes with several different options.
• Renault AHS, AHN & AHR - These trucks are really nice, many models and with removable roofs. Easily resized to 20mm and print really well.

• Panhard 178 AMD with Junior Leader

• Renault AMC 35 with Junior Leader

• Renault Char D1 with Junior Leader

• Renault Char D2 with Junior Leader

• Renault R35 with Junior Leader

R35 from Coulane Models

• Renault R39 or R40 with Junior Leader

• Somua S35 with Junior Leader

As you can see there are a lot of armour options out there, I suppose reflecting the general interest in tanks in the hobby. The challenge can be when resizing these that parts can become very thin so careful supporting is needed and also very careful removing of said supports. I will post pictures of my armour as I paint them.

Creating 20mm 1940 French Support Options - Part Three or Trois

 

G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This time I will focus on the non-vehicular support options open to the French in the 1940 Blitzkrieg book. 

This will be the most challenging aspect of sourcing files as the need to find a decent STL to resize to 20mm means that some of the rarer items will be difficult to find. I suppose there is always the option of buying a 20mm fill in from one of the suppliers of published 20mm miniatures that exist.

Again Colonel Muller has most bases covered but there are a few outliers in amongst them. 

Pictures below are from Colonel Muller so all copyright etc due to him.

Support Choices

• 37mm mle M1916 Infantry Gun with five crew and Junior Leader - perfect model with officer and two crew, needs additional two crew though. 

• 60mm Brandt mortar Team with Junior Leader and four crew - although a reserve regiment this does the bill. The officer is superb and comes with four crew so a full complement.

• Canon de 25mm L72 AT gun with five crew and Junior Leader - with officer but only three crew.

• Canon de 47mm L53 AT gun with five crew and Junior Leader - with officer and only four crew and a very nice sandbag emplacement that you can also use on other support options.

• Canon de 75mm M1897 with five gun crew and Junior Leader - again with officer and only three crew but you purchased the upgrade limber this gives you an additional three crew/officers.

• Captured MG34 - this would be an upgrade for the usual FM 24/29 LMG in a squad. There is this option with tripod support or this one without. The issue is replacing the FM 24/29 LMG on a model with the MG34 - which is certainly achievable with some fiddling around in 3D editing software.

• Engineer Demolition/Engineers Mine Clearance/Wire-Cutting Team - this is one of the challenges I found in sourcing appropriate three man squads. There is this single figure from Colonel Muller with an explosive charge but you would still need two more suitable figures to complete the team. I think I will go for using the ammunition carrying and crew figures from amongst the other support options and group them in threes as to fill in as these three teams. I might add dynamite and other tools to the figures or bases to help distinguish them.

• Escouade de Fusiliers Motocycliste - my previous post covers these chaps.

• Forward Observer Team with fixed line telephone and 81mm mortar section - given the new v2 version of Chain of Command and the removal of the need for an onboard FO this is slightly redundant but I include it for completeness and my nerdy need for a full list, plus it is also a great model.

• Francs Tireurs - whilst not strictly needed, being able to put down on to the target JOP a figure to indicate its impact would be nice. Something suitably resistance looking here or here or maybe a French policeman would do then job?

• Fusil Anti-Char Boys Team with two crew - nice choice of a pair advancing or lying prone.

• Medical Orderly - Not a single figure but a first aid post, I think the chap with the saw would make a suitable medical orderly to roam the battlefield.

• Sniper Team - a couple of choices here - either Reserve or Active.

• Two Bouteilles Incendiaires - a great selection of four infantrymen throwing lit bottles.

That about wraps up the non-vehicular support options, the main issue is crew counts to match Chain of Command requirements and the engineer teams being a bit of a compromise.

More to add to the pile of grey resin shame methinks. Next up will be the armour support choices.