VBCW FARMERS (1) - "ON THE CHEEP"

Herefordshire has always been a predominantly agricultural County. Farmers (and their tenants) therefore formed a sizeable proportion of the 1930s population, but (astonishingly enough), no-one has yet produced a 28mm range of "jolly bucolic types with rifles, Lewis guns and support weapons" suitable for VBCW action.

Well, that is not quite right. Eureka have produced THIS RANGE of 1930s Australian "Home Guard/ex Diggers" types which are reasonably suitable. Some types can be salvaged or converted from the latest lines of French Resistance figures, and in the best VBCW way, the spares box can also be searched for left over "agricultural looking" figures from the Boer War, or other time periods, such as these Casting Room Miniatures Victorian/Edwardians or these Wargames Foundry 18th Century Civilians. 

Nonetheless, the absence of a 1930s farmers range is even more regrettable given that the "distaff side" is now astonishingly well-catered for by Bad Squiddo Games:

1930s Female Agriculturalists ranging from pig keepers to "ratters" - but not a male Farmer in sight

1930s Farmer's Wives with improvised weapons - but no Farmer Husbands.

A whole posse of Land Girls (armed and unarmed) - but (yawn!) again no Farmers.

Clearly, a rare case of "inverse sexism" in the 28mm manufacturing market, which would only be truly upsetting if the term had the slightest meaning in the much simpler world of 1938. Still, we need 1930s farmers, and this being the Herefordshire VBCW, we need lots of 1930s farmers and therefore need them cheep - in the old phrase, so cheap that they can't even afford a second vowel.

Well, here's the best solution that we've found - EM4 Confederate Infantry at the best value ever price of £4.99 for twenty, or a mere 25p per figure:

As this REVIEW HERE points out, the hats on these Confederates are more of a type of "bush hat" than any sort of headgear associated with the Southern States during the ACW, but that is all to the good for VBCW farmers. The "blanket rolls and beards" look equally produces a "1930s agricultural" vibe without any need for conversion - and if you're lazy in that department, all you need to do is turn a blind eye to the length of a musket as opposed to the length of a rifle (or invent a backstory where all your farmers are musket armed, but "fire as if they were rifles").

All in all, the need for conversion is minimal. Lewis Guns can be obtained from Colonel Bills or elsewhere. If you want additional poses, you could always headswap the "confederate bush hats" on to some of the equally value for money EM4 Union figures (some with puttees and boots, some with shoes and trousers):

As the linked review points out with helpful photos, the EM4 miniatures are compatible with Perry Miniatures ACW plastics, which also makes them compatible with other Perry plastic figures, such as the Desert Rats (with helmets, rifles, Brens, Boys AT gun etc...). With a bit of scrounging around and a few metal figures for Command HQ characters, a "Went the Day Well" Platoon sized "VBCW Farmers Field Force" can be built up for little more than a tenner...now that truly is "cheep"!

BUF MEMBERSHIP CARD (EARLY)

An example of an early BUF Membership Card - 

The BUF "General Headquarters" was situated at 1, Great George Street in Westminster before moving to Whitelands House on the Kings Road, Chelsea (notoriously rechristened the "Black House"). Mosley's original flag raising at 1, Great George Street can be seen HERE. The entrance to Mosley's subsequent "Black House" in London (together with notes on Hereford's own "Black House") can be seen HERE. Interesting that the "Objects of the Union" promise the abolition of poverty and the "barriers of class" through the establishment of a "Corporate State", but make no mention of individual liberty. Equally interesting is the reduction of the BUF's programme to one pocket-book sized page, whereas Comrade Colonel Professor Winter's Communists need a whole paperback book to set out their programme:

13th Party Congress, Communist Party of Great Britain (1935)
Apparently - bread, concrete housing blocks, happiness.

WARGAMES CAMPAIGNS - ON A DIME

The late Tony Bath's book on wargames campaigning, "Setting Up a Wargames Campaign", remains the seminal text for anyone interested in the origins of 'wargames campaigning', or the best known and longest running campaign in wargames history ("Hyboria"), or setting up "Imagi-Nations" from scratch (and what is the Ecclesiarchy of Ludlow, or the Social Democratic Republic of Bromyard, or the like, if not a kind of Imagi-Nation?), or just practical campaign mechanics:

For those (and this should really only be temporary state of affairs) missing a copy from their wargames library, this encyclopaedic set of links, courtesy of the "Tiny Tin Men" Blog HERE, will provide more than a flavour of Tony Bath's approach, plus lots of Hyborian related material. A great collection! [note 1] As much of the material comes from the old "Battle" magazine, it's also an excuse for us to engage in a little tongue-in-cheek "late 1970s nostalgia":

Wargaming (and fashion) in January 1978. Bleached denim jackets, long hair, V necks
and huge shirt collars. We mean HUGE. Still, magazine cover price - 35p.

A month later. Grammar school speccy loses out to an
extra from "Starsky and Hutch". Said speccy is probably
someone very serious in the City by now - and probably
still painting knights in his spare time. 1970s inflation
appears to have been running just below 15%, for the
cover price has increased by 5 pence in one month.

Another cover, another tape-measure shot. Possibly the height of
wargames sophistication in March 1978 - who knows? Whether he should
escape prosecution for that jumper, though....and as ever, the size of
 the shirt collar alone must count as at least 'medium range'.

 

Anyway, abandoning 1970s nostalgia and hideous fashion crimes, it appears that the modern American army have an acronym (of course they do) for the four essential elements of successful campaigns, known as the "DIME" principle, i.e. 

Diplomatic

Intelligence

Military

Economics

Here in the Hereford VBCW, we manage the Military side with glee. The Diplomatic and Intelligence sides, notwithstanding occasional encouragements to the regular players (hostage swaps, anyone?), are usually dealt with only by the Umpires (see HERE for Ludlow's "foreign affairs expert", the Rev. Duff-Postin, aka "The Talleyrand of the Three Counties", and "Big X", head of the much-feared Ecclesiastical Intelligence Service, or EIS), while "Economics" has generally been reduced to a footnote as "involving too much book-keeping". Mind you, that hasn't stopped the Great British Pound crashing, and the occasional tabletop use of poker chips as currency [note 2]...

Notes

[1]. Rudi Guedens also has some interesting material on Tony Bath and the Hyborian campaign. See HERE

[2]. Just as well, really. Without at least some attempt at economics, the relevant campaign acronym would (perhaps appropriately) be reduced to "DIM".

[3]. The "Library" label on this blog (see below or in the column to the right) has lots of links to other free wargames reading materials....

POLIKARPOV I-16 'RATA'

 

A splendid "colourised" photograph of a Polikarpov I-16 "Rata" with pilot and ground crew. Just one of the "colourful interwar types" of aircraft to be found in (or above) the Hereford VBCW. Some historians argue that this photograph was taken in Spain, during the Spanish Civil War. While the 'Rata' is clearly in Republican colours, VBCW researchers point to the similar insignia of the "Escadrilla Espana" in Herefordshire during 1938, and argue that "the treeline" just visible in this photograph clearly identifies Shobdon Airfield.

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!