One Hour Skirmish Wargames

We have recently played a couple of test games to try out One Hour Skirmish Wargames rules by John Lambshead.  They are simple skirmish rules in a somewhat old-school tradition but using some clever card-based mechanisms that give a fast a furious game.  I was previously put off by the lack of dice but after a couple of games I'm sold on this alternative.

John has just released a follow up Ancient and Medieval variant too, that obviously concentrates more on close combat.  We have so far tried one ancients game and one modern game.  We enjoyed both and will definitely be playing these rules again.

Here, some Roman legionaries have crossed the wall in a punishment raid against the northern Britons.  The Romans successfully burned the village but the fierce Celtic warriors made them pay in blood.
 

In our modern game we switch to the 1960s Congo War.  The mercenaries, pushing into the jungle, were ambushed by a platoon of Simbas.  The Mercs outgunned and outfought the Simbas but failed to push past the roadblock.   They were forced to withdraw with two dead and a damaged armour car.

The scenario-based games are a lot of fun and make for something different and challenging.

Congo Merc Vehicles Update

I've managed to get some paint on a few of my Congo Crisis mercenary column vehicles.  The variety is helping create the 'Ommegang' eclectic look.

This first one is a Willy's jeep painted as part of 5 Commando and armed with a .50 cal browning MG.

Next up is another .50 cal armed jeep, this time for one of the French/Belgian units, probably part of 6 Commando.

For a bit of armour the Mercenaries have one of the former Malayan Ferret armoured cars.

Last up, so far is the Swedish SKPF with twin browning .30 cal MGs.  I've added some gear to the back of the truck.  Most are nondescript green boxes, probably ammo.  However, I also added a quiver of spears.  This is a reference to a candid admission by Mike Hoare in Congo Mercenary, that some of his troops carried bundles of spears to posthumously issue to unarmed 'rebels'.

I still have some die-cast trucks to re-paint and a 3d printed M8 Greyhound on order, for some heavier armour.  So, hopefully more updates before long.

SKPF Update

I have made some progress to my Terrängbil m/42 KP infantry fighting vehicle today.  Here is what it's meant to look like. 

 

Not really any major changes, just adding a few details to the nose and re-modelling the turret a bit but I think it does look better. 

I still think I need to add some stowage, a canvas and maybe a few more details like a water pipe for the the guns.

The Swedish White Elephant

One of the more unusual vehicles seen in the Congo Crisis battles was the Terrängbil m/42 KP in it's 1960s SKPF variant.  This was a Swedish made infantry fighting vehicle, initially deployed with the UN forces.

With the UNOC troop withdrawal some of these SKPFs were left behind and reconditioned by the Congolese Army for use against the Simbas.  Most famously as part of the 'Ommegang' advance on Stanleyville.

There appears to be a very nice 1/72 scale kit available if you can find one, but obviously that is the wrong scale for my project.  Amazingly, I found a 3d print model of one in 1/48.  It isn't perfect as it seems to be the standard SKP model not the SKPF variant but it's a very nice start, and much easier to modify than building one from scratch.  I will do a little re-working of the nose and turret plus add some stowage.

Here are some more pictures of the SKPFs in their ONUC 'white elephant' paint scheme.

Ferrets in the Congo

A little more Congo Crisis progress today.  This nice resin kit of a Ferret armoured car is from Empress Miniatures.  I have added a 1st Corps Para commander and a few kit-bashed stowage items to the front.

Ferret armoured cars were brought to the Congo as part of the Malayan contribution to the ONUC Forces but the vehicles were left behind with the Congolese Army when the UN pulled out in 1963. 

Several Ferrets were used by the Commando mercenary units and saw action against the Simbas in 1964-5.

I will paint this one up in ANC colours for the Simba rebellion phase of the fighting, so that it can be part of my 5 Commando column.

Congo Crisis Update

I have made a little new progress on my Congo Crisis forces.  First up, I have built two .50 cal armed jeeps.  The one of the left will be painted for 5 Commando, and the right-hand one for 6 Commando.

The vehicles were cheap 1/48 scale Willys Jeep plastic kits from eBay.  The gunners are from Brigade Games in the US.  In the left-hand jeep the diver and radio operator are 1st Corp WW2 Para jeep crew.  The driver has a head swap for a Westwind separate British para head.  On the right-hand jeep the driver is a Dixon miniatures WW2 US figure with a Mongrel miniatures merc head I had left over from a previous head swap.  The passenger is another 1st Corps para with an Empress miniatures Indochina French Bigeard head.

These figures are Aden Emergency British from Eureka miniatures with heads swaps.  The heads for the two in M1 helmets come from Empress Miniatures.  The figure at the back has  ahead from the Perry Natal Native Contingent pack.  I'm not sure if he will end up an ANC soldier or a Simba yet.  The figure on the left has a Crooked Dice head.

Previously I thought the Eureka miniatures would be too small to go with the Mongrel miniatures I have for most of my mercenaries but after head swaps they actually go quite well.  The rifles are very similar in size and that counts more as people vary in size but kits often doesn't.  The figure second from the left is a from the Eureka African Wars range, a ZANLA guerrilla.  I will use thees figures to make the better quality Simba units that were backed and trained by Uganda, Tanzania or the Cuban mission under Che Guevara.

Congo Crisis Vehicles

Here are some links to the vehicles I have found for my Simba Rebellion and Congo Crisis project.

 

 

This is really just a quick placeholder for now.  I wanted to share some picks for this thread on LAF, so I thought I would add a post.  I might add more detail here or future posts later.

 

 

The Mercenaries, Simbas, Congolese army and other factions used a great mix of vehicles from Jeeps, Land Rovers, military trucks, civilian trucks and some armoured vehicles like M8 Greyhounds or M3 White Scout Cars.

 

This truck is Citroen U23 from the later 50s or early 60s.  I don't know for definite they were used but it looks the part.  Well hopefully will when painted olive drab.

 

Here is a 1:50 GMC like truck.  I have one on order but it hasn't arrived yet.  

 

Additional Note: Carlos on LAF has now informed me this is a Soviet Ural 4320 made by Technopark.  So, widely used up to the modern day but too late for the Congo.

Carlos also suggested, as an alternative, that Solido do make 1/50 GMC trucks.

 

Here is the cheap plastic 1:48 Willys Jeep kit I have used.

I'll investigate more into the armoured vehicles later.  I know Empress, Warlord and Rubicon do some suitable models.  Brigade miniatures in the US do too I think.  I got some crew figures from them, as well as some from Empress and some from Dixon.

Here is a link to Swedish site with come good Congo pictures.