LEDBURY BUF (7) - BRIDGING COLUMN

It is as yet unclear exactly where the BUF "Mailed Fist Battlegroup" is heading within Herefordshire after its initial "laager in Ledbury". But the Battlegroup is clearly equipped for any eventuality - including amphibious operations and riverine crossings - as photographs of its integral "Bridging Column" demonstrate:

Assault Boats/Pontoons in transport. Truck and trailer, vintage Dinky (from Ebay).
Boats/Pontoons from the spares box, originally part of a "Pirate Playset".

Two "prime movers" with Pontoon Bridge and equipment on trailers.
Truck and trailer are from the Corgi 1/50 range ("Scammell Highwayman")
Pontoon Bridge scratchbuilt plasticard with cut to fit Airfix Pontoon Bridge sides.

Transport shortages are endemic in the VBCW, but a single prime mover
can cope with both Pontoon Bridge trailers if necessary.

Note: this post was inspired by Tradgardmastre's discovery of an extract from a pre-war Elastolin catalogue (see below and HERE on the Duchy of Tradgardland blog) of pre-war German production of the same kind of Bridging Column (and pioneers, which now need to be scratchbuilt - sometime - in 28mm!). For the follower of 1930s War Toys, inspirational stuff!

Add edit: a better view of the same products, possibly from the following years catalogue  -

Next up - the BUF "Sloane Rangers".......

LEDBURY BUF (6) - SELF PROPELLED ARTILLERY

After Storm Leader Reckless' Reconnaissance Troop, and Storm Leader Dastardly's "BUF Tank Force" (all as recorded on THIS THREAD), here comes the next element of the "Mailed Fist Battlegroup" - heavy support in the form of a Storm Leader Shellmore's section of Self Propelled "Big Guns" - nicknamed "Bisons" - travelling along the A438:

Chassis - cheap plastic "Shoddy variant" tanks (with moulded in shells/bullets!) from Ebay.
Gun - chopped down 54mm vintage plastic "Army Men" 25pdrs (ish) from ditto.
Crew - variety of 28mm manufacturers. Decals - paper.  

Contrary to legend, these "Bisons" were not manufactured by Elstree Industries, nor by their disastrous Chinese sub-contractor, the Schezuan Ordnance Depot and Delivery Yards (see HERE), but by a sister company of the well-known Birmingham manufacturer, British Small Arms Ltd. ("BSA"). Incorporated around the time of the outbreak of the VBCW, British Really Rather Large Arms Ltd. ("BRRLA") specialised in the design and manufacture of heavy armaments such as "Bisons", selling the same on a promiscuous basis to whichever factions were willing to "stump up the necessary cash" (with order, buyer collects, no refunds).

There is an ongoing historical argument, reflecting a contemporary squabble, as to whether it was the Herefordshire Police or the Ledbury BUF who first placed their orders for this important VBCW artillery piece. There is no argument, however, that the German Heer (closely watching events within the VBCW, as ever) rapidly copied and adapted the BRRLA design:

German 15mm sIG 33 (Sf) on Panzer 1 Ausf B chassis.
The resemblance to BUF "Bisons" is clear from this rare photo.

A later design development. The 15cm gun is now enclosed.
Cheekily, the German Heer even copy the BUF name for this
SP Artillery piece - "Bison"

"Bison" in action. An attempt at advanced Herefordshire VBCW tank tactics.

Next up - BUF Bridging Column!

SHINY STUFF - GENERIC FASCIST DICTATORS

It's always the way: you wait ages for a decent 28mm "Generic Fascist Dictator" figure to come along, and then two come along at once:

Mark's Little Soldiers Generic Fascist Dictator

First up is the "free figure" to be given away by North Star with the "Wave Three" release of Mark's Little Soldiers. An excellent generic figure with jackboots and right hand high in typical fascist salute - he could easily be the Leader of any BUF Platoon. Although only available as part of the "Wave Three Deal" at the moment, it's said that all the "special figures" produced by Mark will be available for individual purchase in due course.

The second offering is a bit more eclectic - an STL file from a new US company, Trenchworx. The STL file, presently on sale at $3.95 (and presumably delivered electronically, so no P&P from the US), allows you to print two types of figure (as shown) - the one on the left would again be brilliant as a BUF Leader - or possibly, given his prominent specs, a BUF Intelligence Officer. Come to think of it, with the tiniest amount of conversion and a different paint job, he'd be equally excellent as a Communist Intelligence Officer.....hang it, print both - all you need is a friend with an STL printer!

OSWALD MOSLEY - REVOLVING !

As a post-script to the last post on Oswald Mosley uniform details, here is full detail, front and back, of the Warlord figure (from the Warlord site): a revolving Oswald Mosley! 

This may or may not have been his agitated response to news of the latest battles around Leominster.....

OSWALD MOSLEY UNIFORM REFERENCES

 Some uniform references for the Tenth Anniversary Free Giveaway VBCW Figure :

The orator in full flow. This is the Warlord figure stance, but Mosley is in his "fencing jacket" fatigues
rather than full uniform. Behind Mosley and to his right, Neil Frances Hawkins, "Director General"
of the BUF.

The same public meeting, different rhetorical pose.
Mosley is surrounded his personal protection guards,
known as "The I Squad" or "The Biff Boys".

Different meeting, different uniform. This is the full
uniform as modelled by the Warlord figure.

The same uniform, now in colour. The (half cut off) figure to the left
is William Joyce, then the BUF's "Director of Propaganda" (and for a short
 while, until 1937, Deputy Leader) later to achieve notoriety as Lord Haw-Haw
and to be hanged for treason.

A close up portrait. The cap has both the BUF Flash and
the Italian Fasces symbol. Tie and collar, officer style jacket,
brightly polished buttons.

The Bolt Action Mosley as painted by Warlord. The dark grey
trousers/breeches seem, from most of the photo references, to
be historically accurate.

The Bolt Action Mosley painted by No Man's Land Studio.
Black breeches this time, another historical option - but the
pistol holster is an alt history invention (and surely should
be black leather, rather than brown).

A close up reference for the facial detail - and a front cover that
the Editor of Tatler will no doubt be keen to forget!

10th ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY VBCW FIGURE !

The Spring Big Game 2022 is the HerefordVBCW campaign's Tenth Anniversary. Yes, it really has been all of ten years since JP and Giles organised the very first Big Game ("The Battle of Ledbury") in February 2012. Although JP's blog suffered a few years ago by reason of the Great Photobucket Debacle, Rob B's blog still has a few photos of the action, including the only known shots of "those fighting Abyssinians" in Herefordshire (apparently Hailie Selassie was living in exile in Malvern at the time)...

Well, we had to mark the forthcoming occasion somehow. It's been fashionable over the last few years for every wargames show (Salute, Partisan, Hammerhead, etc. etc.) to issue an exclusive, limited edition figure to guests, so we thought we'd do a variant of that - given our campaign resources, it's not exclusive, it's not even a limited edition, but it is a FREE FIGURE for everyone coming along to the Hereford Spring Big Game 2022 (well, the first TEN through the door, anyway)....

It's that central VBCW personality, Oswald Mosley himself!

TEN Oswald Mosleys from Warlord Games - the  HerefordVBCW 10th Anniversary Free Figure

It's not too hard to work out where the Warlord sculptor took his inspiration from:

and those accustomed to playing HMG Forces may be only too pleased to paint up their free figure in the traditional colour of black - very black, with a wash and highlight of black........but what of everyone else? 

Well, given that at least one 28mm representation of Stalin has finished up as an "ice cream man" in the VBCW, the field is pretty much open - Mosley impersonators, Mosley as a figure of a fun for Anglican war bond drives, Mosley's uniform painted anything but black (green/khaki as a general, or shocking pink?). As ever with the VBCW, it's all up to you....

The usual caveats apply. First come, first served. When they're gone, they're gone. The Burley Gate Village Hall will be open around 9am-ish on Saturday 26th March 2022, so now there's even more incentive than usual to come along early to help with the set-up of terrain.....

Additional Note: the (sadly now defunct) Gentleman's Wargames Parlour post action thread on "The Battle of Ledbury" can still be found HERE.

LEDBURY BUF (5) - PANZER JAGER !

Storm Commander Dastardly's BUF Tank Force has briefly "laagered" somewhere off the A438 Tewkesbury-Ledbury Road, waiting for the rest of his command to catch up with his swiftly moving armoured column:

"Ach, ja, Panzerjager!", Reichsmarshall Goering is reputed to have said
upon being shown a newsreel, in the garden rooms of the Castle Pool 
Hotel, Hereford, of the arrival of these Elstree Industries tracked AT guns.

The tracked AT guns join forces with the tanks of the
"Mailed Fist" Battlegroup....

..and Storm Leader Dastardly's armoured column is now
complete. "Move out!" is now the command...

The armoured column resumes its advance towards Ledbury...

Next time: the SP Artillery elements of the "Mailed Fist" Battlegroup make their appearance....

LEDBURY BUF (4) - TANKS

Storm Leader P.R. Mann's propaganda broadcasts are soon drowned out by the squeal and clatter of tracks. Lots of tracks....

The first of the Mailed Fist Battlegroup's tanks clatter down the Tewkesbury-Ledbury road

The leading tank swings left into an open field. It has its orders....

There seems to be no end to the number of "Elstree Industries" Mk.II cruiser tanks on the road.

Engines idling, the tanks await their commander....

Here he is - commanding a Mk.III Elstree Cruiser with 'extra long barrel'. Possibly a 75mm gun, alternatively a standard 2pdr with drainage downpipe welded on for effect...

Whatever the case, Storm Commander Desmond Dastardly is fond of boasting about his "extremely large cannon" (but less about his binoculars, which need a final paint!)

The Storm Commander at the head of his armoured formation. What can they be waiting for?

VBCW Villages

As the BUF "Mailed Fist" Battlegroup advances along the Tewkesbury - Ledbury road (blogposts passim), these are the kind of village defences that they fear:

Mined roads and trees are a sure sign of an active (and unsympathetic) Local Defence Force....

...while local Villages can be defended by all sorts of modern inventions....

LEDBURY BUF (3) - PROPAGANDA VAN

Close behind the Reconnaissance Group, a BUF "Propaganda Van" speeds along. This is the personal mount of the marketing genius behind the BUF's "Mailed Fist Battlegroup", Storm Leader P.R.Mann. While some may think that an un-armed vehicle is out of place this close to the battlelines, Storm Leader Mann is convinced of the war winning value of propaganda 'information tailored to the appropriate needs of the yokels local people'.

The BUF's "all round" loudspeakers blare - "Mosley will Win!" 

Storm Leader Mann is fully aware of the temper of the Herefordshire populace - his older brother, Staff Commander A.D. Mann, has been serving for some time "in County" as the public relations staff officer to Lord de Braose, Governor of Hereford and Lord Warden of the Marches. This has not proved an easy job.

"Stay Inside!" Storm Leader Mann's "public communications" loudhailers shriek. "Protect the King! Save Lives!". The grazing sheep in Ledbury's fields raise their heads briefly, but remain uninterested. The Storm Leader is intent on smearing the reputation of Comrade Colonel Professor Winters Communist Front raising the morale of all true patriotic fascists in the County of Herefordshire....

Notes: Van by Lledo. Loudspeaker an odd plastic Lego part. Flags/Signage paper printed.

LEDBURY BUF (2) - RECCE LIGHT TANK

As the armoured cars of Storm Leader Reckless' Reconnaissance Troop cross the "County line" into Herefordshire, he knows he can rely upon some 'heavy support" of his own:

Westward Ho! Storm Leader Reckless leads his armoured cars forward..

A Recce Troop Light Tank brings up the rear of the party.....

..motoring forward into the void...

Although of unknown manufacture, this is a type of light tank previously seen in the Hereford VBCW, a favourite weapon of Spode's Blackshorts:

Spode's Light Tank rumbles forward at the County Golf Challenge (courtesy JP)

Lacking Spode's experience, Storm Leader Reckless' light tank checks and pivots right, alert to hidden AT guns and suspicious of an imagined movement:

Pivot right, traverse right....the tank's mighty 2pdr main armament on alert...

...the pivot revealing the BUF Group insignia of the "Mailed Fist"... 

A hasty riffle through "The Observer Book of BUF Signs & Insignia" reveals (as every schoolboy knows) that Storm Leader Reckless' Reconnaissance Group are merely the advance party of the dreaded "Mailed Fist Battlegroup", recruited largely from Central and East London, reputed to be some of Mosley's best equipped troops. What more is to come down the Tewkesbury to Ledbury road?

Notes:

(1). The Light Tank was bought a long time ago, and used to be manufactured by "PMC" and sold very cheaply on Ebay, just when VBCW gaming was becoming very popular. PMC ceased production some time ago, and the VBCW range of equipment is now produced and distributed by Minifigs/Caliver Books

(2). The fate of the Blackshorts at the County Golf Challenge Cup can be found under the label (to the right) "Spring Big Game 2017".

(3). The Light Tank bears a reasonable resemblance to the historical Vickers 6 ton tank, a private venture by Vickers not purchased by the British Army, but licensed to the Soviets at the T-26 and further developed by the Poles. Here is the (more colourful) exhibit at the Bovington Tank Museum:

LEDBURY BUF (1) - RECCE SECTION

In the early light of morning, a fast-moving BUF Reconnaissance Troop speeds along the A438 Tewkesbury - Ledbury road, heading westward towards the Herefordshire border and one of its most important County towns.

Storm Leader Reckless, commander of the BUF Recce Troop, "takes point" on the A438

"Steady, chaps!" About to cross the county line, the Storm Leader brings the Recce Group to a halt. Herefordshire is well known as one of the most dangerous places in all of England.

Engines idling, the barrels of the Storm Leader's modern armoured cars traverse the countryside in unison. The crews' pre-departure briefing had been ominous in the extreme...

Is this an unsupported reconnaissance mission? Or the armoured spearhead of a more substantial force?

Only time will tell.....

Notes: Scout Car and Armoured Cars by Dinky. Storm Leader Reckless from Empress. His driver (mostly obscured) from Reiver. Flag from Solway. "Recce Group Black & White Flashes" very old GW Space Marine(?) transfers. BUF Pennons printed paper.