Miniatures: British Armour

Went to Colours today and picked up some stuff for 2ECW, namely a GHQ British Combat Command, a pack of Chieftains, some FV432's and some additional infantry.

So why 1:285th you ask, when I had decided to go with Minifigs lovely 10mm? Short answer is whilst looking for some dwarf slayers for my son in the lead mountain, I rediscovered my old GHQ Soviets of which I have rather a lot (enough to paint up for both Afghanistan - the original plan - and West Germany if I use CWC). So lacking a contemporary mechanised OpFor for them I decided my CWC 2ECW battles would be 1:285th so I could also use the British as the BAOR and Berlin Brigade (that'll be fun painting in 6mm!).

Yes they are expensive but as I already had a lot of GHQ Sov's it seemed buying the Brits from H&R was not the right thing to do and they are beautiful models (and the siren of the Wehrmacht '47 stuff is calling - must resist!)

Battle Report: Tank Action On Somerset Levels

I missed this on the original TMP thread from Nik Harwood, but having read the blog and done a quick rummage of his Cold War Commander Brits, Nik drew up two battlegroups here to fight out some battles on the Somerset Levels near Taunton as well as painting up these lovely Minifigs Chieftans in urban camo.

The battle report (with loads of in action photos) can be found here.

Ironically he's included some German forces as allies of the Republic, something that is very much on the cards as other nations start interfering in the war (as you'll see over the next week or so...)

News: Scargill Urges Workers To Fight

19th December 1988: Following the Ollerton Massacre, Industry Secretary Arthur Scargill urged workers across England to arm themselves and form workers union militias to "resist the forces of fascist oppression and protect the workers' democracy being built in England".

The creation of these ad hoc militias was a pivotal point in the civil war as it required the Royalists to maintain higher levels of security in so-called secure areas behind the frontline. The trade union militias were of varying size and impact. Many restricted themselves to being a form of Home Guard for their workplaces and home towns, whilst other more militant ones, such as the "flying picket" squads organised by the National Union of Mineworkers were much more proactive causing widespread chaos in Royalist held areas with their Transit van transported strike cells.

News: Royalist Forces Blamed For Mine Massacre

18th December 1988: BBC News reported that Royalist troops were responsible for the "massacre" of sixty-seven unarmed miners at the Ollerton Colliery in Nottinghamshire.

Following their success in the North East, the rebel forces had begun to move south down the east of the country, bypassing centres of stiff resistance such as Sheffield. Republican resistance became more intense as the rebels moved into the East Midlands and the fluid nature of the warfare led to military and locally formed militia units operating in areas behind the front line.

Numerous incidents occurred as the war spread and whilst the Royalists denied responsibility for the massacre and attempted to blame Republican Security Services, blame clearly lay at the feet of elements who attached themselves to the rebel cause, even if they were not directly under Royalist GHQ command.

News: Irish Meet Soviets For Secret Talks

17th December 1988: Sky News reported on the secret meeting between Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev and Irish Taoiseach Charles Haughey at Shannon in the Republic of Ireland.

The Irish had become increasingly concerned at the increasing violence across Britain and the heightening tensions in Ulster with the possible impact it could have on the Republic. Whilst the agenda was highly secret it soon became apparent that Haughey was looking for Soviet support should the Republic decide to intervene militarily in Northern Ireland should the situation worsen.

News: Government Seizes Control Of Press

16th December 1988: The Cranwell Government seized control of the British media in an attempt to control the flow of information following the heavy defeat of Government forces in Manchester. 

Citing "lies by the Tory press" and "evidence of treasonable collusion designed to undermine the spirit of the English people", the Security Service stormed editorial offices and printing presses of a number of newspapers shutting them down, whilst installing Home Office advisors in those such as the Daily Mirror, Guardian and Morning Star which were allowed to continue operating. Home Office advisors were also installed in BBC and ITN newsrooms to "assist in the free flow of accurate news to the public".