Additional Armaments for A Very British Civil War Chain of Command

More tanks

Even before getting to use my existing armoured vehicles in my Chain of Command - A Very British Civil War project, I have painted up a couple more, just in case (I had them built and basecoated already so I needed to get them off the painting production line).

Vickers 6-Ton Type B and Vickers Medium Mark II (QRF Miniatures).

(Paper terrain via Wargames Vault).

I wanted a more modern but still British-made tank to support the Blackshorts, so the Vickers 6-Ton Type B was given their armoured vehicle paint scheme, markings, and the name 'Ceowlin'. So now there is Ceolwulf and Ceowlin in C Troop, BUF Heavy Column. Since it may be hard to distinguish the names clearly over the radio (the 'ceo' is pronounced like 'cheo', they will have to be callsigned 'Wulf' and 'Lin.' I have plans to add a third BUF tank to complete the troop but have no miniature as yet.

Two tanks of C Troop, BUF Heavy Column. Just one more tank and I've got this unit complete. 

The left-wing faction (the Manchester Commune and Sheffield Workers' militia) will be supported by Soviet-suppled armoured vehicles when I can actually find some appropriate vehicles (hopefully a Zvezda T-26 1933 model and a BT-2 but I may have to go with whatever is in shops). The newer Zvezda T-26 is a little too late for the period of our campaign. I could go with a T-35 but it would seem a rather inefficient use of smuggling resources for the Communes to ship it in leading up to the war. I guess there are enough factories and works in Sheffield and Manchester that they could produce one domestically using blueprints supplied by their external allies? Plus it might be cool to see on the table. When else am I going to use one?

The Vickers Medium Mark II is painted in the standard interwar colour scheme and will be assigned by the Regular Army to support the defence of the Mersey Corridor.

Model modifications

On both the Vickers 6-ton and the Medium Mark II, which were QRF miniatures, I did some work with Gren Stuff and balsa wood. A blob or ring of Gren Stuff is used on the base of the turret stem to keep the turret in place but still rotatable (these turrets won't be exploding into the sky when the vehicles are hit) and the balsa wood was used to form the lower hull half of the Vickers 6-ton (which is modelled with an upper hull only, which would be fine for tabletop use but I'll need it looking more realistic for close-up photos). Both these modifications were quite easy, the balsa being hardest as it needed to be cut to size and then shaved into shape with sandpaper.

Balsa wood lower hull on the Vickers 6-Ton.

Direct fire artillery

This Ordnance QF 18 pounder field gun, crewed by trained Regular Army personnel could be assigned to support either Blackshorts or Commune forces. I'm looking forward to seeing how a field gun works on the Chain of Command battlefield.

As they will be seen in action: QF 18 pdr Field Gun (QRF Miniatures).

The gun itself is a QRF miniature, the crew are Old Glory and the base is Flames of War. The limber is also Old Glory, from their OQF 25 pounder guns. Each crew figure is mounted separately on a small metal washer, is held in place by a bit of blu-tack and can therefore be removed easily when/if the gun crew sustains casualties.

The crew come off the base if they get hit.

Assembling the QF 18 pounder can be a bit tricky due to the number of parts, their fineness and the angles. I used blu-tack on a wooden base to hold the wheels in place while the glue set them to the carriage.

A considerable increase in firepower for the platoons, and a 'motivational speaker'

Until this point almost all the combatants in our Very British Civil War game have been limited to bolt action rifles and the occasional Bren or Lewis gun. Only one Thompson submachine gun has been brought along (by a certain kilt-wearing Blackshorts NCO) and he didn't really get any use from it. I'm hoping to change this with the new shipment of Bergmans and Thompsons that arrived recently - just in time for the big offensive. Additionally, the Peoples' forces on this front have had the fortune to be assigned political officers. These incredibly dedicated men (and women) expect the same dedication from the fighters under their guidance and have a licence to summarily execute those who would turn traitor to the people.

Sheffield Workers Militia platoon leader and section leader with Bergman submachine guns leading some riflemen). (Peter Pig Spanish Civil War Assault Guards NCOs and Mexican Civil War riflemen miniatures).

Blackshorts officers and NCOs with their new Thompson submachine guns ready to take the fight to the foe. (Peter Pig miniatures).

The Sergeant in helmet at left is the only one of these three I didn't convert. (Peter Pig British 8th Army miniatures).

The political officer of the Sheffield Workers Militia, Commissar Barrett Brigham Ruff, ready to prevent routs. (Peter Pig Spanish Civil War Assault Guards NCO). His rank marking is supposed to be a sickle but unfortunately ended up resembling a question mark, Ironic - "No questioning orders!")