Setting Up SWORD Beach

I am setting up the SWORD Beach scenario after a wait of almost 6 years.  The D-Day book was published in the spring of 2007 and I was hooked from the start.  Thus began my interest in LW British forces, leading to the Villers-Bocage obsession previously discussed.  Buying the forces for the SWORD Beach scenario in the book was easy.  Painting them was not, particularly the Sherman Crabs of the breaching group which languished on the painting table for A LONG TIME.  Even still I don't have all of the British painted though my son's 7th Armoured Division force will provide some Sextons and Achilles TDs which will proxy very nicely for M-10s and Priests, thank you very much.  I do have all of the Germans, including a pair of Pak 97/38 anti-tank guns which I rapidly painted this week, if only to test out the new Battlefront German paint set and see if I could still paint Germans.  They just got the matte coating so will show up soon.  In any event, here is my setup of the "QUEEN RED, 6 June 1944" scenario from the Battlefront D-Day book. 

This is the scenario map from D-Day.   The pictures below are my representations.  This is NOT 100% but it is pretty close. 

Looking in from the sea.  The Battlefront beach mat is really nice. 

Looking west to east.  Most of the terrain is made by Battlefront though the roads and swamps are by JR Miniatures.

A closer view of the SWORD Beach front property.

Looking toward strongpoint COD.  My son is finishing up a new platoon of the plastic German infantry to man the trenches. 

The 88 mm bunker and 5 cm Kwk bunkers dominate the approaches to COD.

A stray German HMG post at COD.

The 88 mm bunker is impressive and will be tough to take out.

The field of fire of the bunkers along the beach.  My breaching group may not live very long.

With a German infantry platoon and the Pak 97/38 anti-tank guns still drying, I hope to play this scenario tomorrow.  It won't go fast as this is the first time we have played with the Amphibious Assault rules as well as the numerous defenses (bunkers, mines and barbed wire).  It should be fun. 

UPDATE: The Germans are done!  And in their trenches and emplacements, awaiting the pre-invasion bobmbardment they so richly deserve.  The infantry stands are the new plastic ones while the pak 97/38 guns and crews are the older metal versions. 

79th Armoured Division Breaching Group

After a LONG time, I finally went back to the painting table and finished up my breeching group for the FOW Sword Beach scenario.  The group has a Command Sherman V, two Crabs, four AVREs and a bulldozer for good measure.  At least that's the full strength requirement from the Overlord book.  The Sword beach scenario has 3 Crabs and no command Sherman or bulldozer.  I split the difference and did them all.  After a LONG time without painting they turned out well enough though I think the ink wash was was a tad dark.  Still, painting is a good thing.  The tanks have the insignia of the 22nd Dragoons which was on the first wave at Sword on D-Day.  The bulldozer has markings from an armoured bulldozer squadron in the 79th. 

 

 

And of course I needed to upgrade the beach defenses so I painted an R-35 turret emplacement and a Kwk 5 cm bunker.  Not the greatest, but acceptable.  The battlefront beach matt is very nice. 

 

 

 

All for now.  Next up setting up the beach for the valiant Tommies of the 3rd Infantry Division to assault with the help of the 79th Armoured Division and the always energetic 13/18th Hussars.