Baltic Independence Wars: Final Units and Buildings

Construction for my Baltic Independence Wars project has come to a close with the last few units and bits of terrain.

First up are a unit of Astrakhan Cossacks painted as part of Bułak-Bałachowicz's Mounted Partisan Detachment. These were painted using the plate in Osprey's " Armies of the Baltic Independence Wars 1918-20" as reference.  I really like these Copplestone miniatures, but wish more than two horse poses were available.  They are a little larger than my Great War Miniatures German cavalry, but I don't think it looks too egregious on the table.

Next are an Estonian machinegun team and a Latvian medic.  The machinegun team is by Empress and actually comes with four figures. However, all my other machinegun teams for this era have three figures, so I elected to move the fourth figure to my artillery team. The stand for the machinegun was a little challenging to assemble, but I think I was able to hide the worst of my sins in the basing. The medic was assembled from the Wargames Atlantic plastic Great War Russian kit, with the addition of an armband I made from some thin plastic.

Estonian artillery team with spotter. This M1910 Howitzer is by Empress and I've added the standing officer from their machinegun team.   Looking at photos of surviving examples, they have been painted in a variety of greens; not knowing what was period correct, I've gone with just a general drab green.  The observer is another Wargames Atlantic figure.  There are no binoculars in the Russian set, so I used a pair from the WA Germans and created a neck strap from the German gasmask strap.

The final unit is a resin Russian pattern Austin Armored Car from Empress. According to this Russian site, the Latvians received a captured Red Army Austin in 1919 that was renamed "Zemgaleetis."  It went through a few different paint schemes during its service, but I'm hoping I have the correct one for the war. For the logo, I made some decals at home; They aren't the best quality, but still look better than what I could accomplish by hand. The resin casting was pretty good, but the kit arrived with the rear fenders broken. I had to rebuild them from the remaining fragments, some plasticard, and some brass rod for the rivets. The other major challenge with the kit is there are no registration marks for the front fenders and wheels, and the two turrets. I ended up gluing some of the parts into positions that I thought were correct, but didn't fit with the other parts; So had to break them off the kit and rebuild. This resulted in some damage to the car (one of my my turrets is now a little lopsided and I had to remake some of the rivets), but I'm hoping its not too noticeable. 

I also finished up a few more village buildings for the battlefield.  These are MDF kits from Things from the Basement's Russian Village line. Overall, I really like these kits. The MDF for the the main structural elements is thicker than the equivalent Sarissa Precision kits, though I did manage to break a few of the the thinner decorative elements during the building process. My one complaint would be the sizes of the doors on the kits; They come in around 30mm high, so look short with 28mm figures.

The izba log cabins come in a set of two and are very easy to assemble (you can download instructions from the company site).  The only modifications I made to the kits were to add some additional wood strips to the roof peaks in order to hide the gaps.

A dacha cottage house. I added some card strips to the roofline to hide the gaps. No base is included with this kit, so you're limited in how much additional basing detail you can add.

And with that, I just need to talk someone into a game so I can get everything on the table.

 

Baltic Independence Wars: Estonian and Latvian Infantry plus Buildings

There are no dedicated lines of miniatures for Estonian and Latvian troops in the Baltic Independence Wars, so you must use proxies and conversions to represent these soldiers. Looking through the Osprey book, there were a lot of uniform/equipment options depending on the army and timeframe for the war: Russian, German, American, and British kit seemed commonplace. Photos of reenactors from the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Cesis showed them mostly using Russian uniforms with a bit of German equipment mixed in. Based on this, I decided to use Russian figures for my proxies.

My Estonian command was built from Copplestone Casting miniatures.  Two of the figures looked close enough to represent the Estonian M1919 uniform, and I decided to go with the blue dress version rather than the standard grey purely for the aesthetics.  The third figure had a distinctively Russian tunic, but I opted to still give him the dress pants and cap to better match the other officers.    

Creating the Latvian command was a little tricky, as they wore the Balodis cap and a French style tunic as part of their M1919 uniform.  I had one Copplestone figure in a greatcoat hiding his uniform that also had his hatband visible all the way around, so I trimmed his cap back and got a passing approximate. The second figure was created from a Wargames Atlantic Russian officer body. I shaved down the epaulets and tried to make his collar look as French as possible. None of the WA heads were appropriate for conversion, but I found a Warlord WW2 British officer's head in the bits box that I was able to modify into something reasonable. 

The first unit of Estonian infantry was created from the Wargames Atlantic Russian plastic set, with a couple of Empress RCW figures thrown in. When ordering the Empress figures, I didn't notice that this pack had brimless caps, but I don't think the difference will be too obvious on the table. While the WA Germans suffered from bodybuilder proportions in their arms/torsos, WA seemed to have listened to customers' feedback; the Russian are much more naturally proportioned. As such, the thinner Empress figures didn't stand out as much this time.

As with my Germans, I wanted each unit to be slightly different in appearance to help with tracking units on the table.  There again seemed to be a lot of variation in the Russian tunic colors during the conflict, so I embraced that here. I also decided I would use helmets on the veteran units to make their status more obvious. There seemed to be a fair amount of German helmets floating around the Estonian army, so I used leftover heads from my WA Germans, along with some grenades. 

Latvian Infantry. As with the Estonians, these were made from Wargames Atlantic figures with a couple of Empress miniatures thrown in.

Latvian veterans. Based on the Osprey book, M1915 Adrian helmets were very commonly used by this army. The unit was a pretty even mix of WA and Empress figures; the Empress helmets were a bit thinner, but I didn't think it was immediately obvious on the table. 

The last unit represented poorly equipped new recruits and was built from Copplstone Casting's partisans. The mix of figures in the pack was random, but I unfortunately got a poor mix; there were 3 pairs of duplicates and 4 of the figures were built off the same body dolly. I did my best to hide the repetition with the paint schemes, but still wished it had a bit more variation. 

And here you can better see how the figures from the various manufactures sized up. The Wargames Atlantic Russians are thinner in proportions than their Germans (including the heads), and now sit somewhere between Empress and Copplstone. It was also interesting to see a bit of size creep in the Copplestone figures; the Russian officers were a little taller and bulkier than the partisans from the same line. 

Copplestone, Wargames Atlantic, Wargames Atlantic, Empress, Copplestone

I also decided to take a break from painting figures and assembled the first of my new buildings. First up were a couple of Sarissa buildings, with modifications made to their roofing materials. While nice looking, they are actually quite small and at most you'd be able to fit around 2-3 miniatures inside. 

I also decided to try out the offerings from Things from the Basement. This house was much larger in size and could hold quite a few figures.

I still have a few more units to paint and some additional buildings to assemble, but the finish line is in sight and I can't wait for an opportunity to finally get a game in.

Baltic Independence Wars: German Freikorps and Landeswehr

A few years back, our local gaming shop franchise went through a reorganization that caused them to clear out their shared warehouse. They were offering non-GW plastics at steep discounts and I was able to obtain a box of Wargames Atlantic Great War Germans for only $5 US. I wasn't sure what I'd do with them at that time (my existing Great War collection was for East Africa), but I couldn't resist the deal and added the figures to the pile. Fast forward to 2024 and I decided I'd combine them with the Empress Miniatures Freikorps figures I'd been admiring to create a skirmish force for the Baltic Independence Wars 1918-1920.

Now I was no expert on this force and their uniforms and equipment; my knowledge didn't extend too far beyond the relevant Osprey Publishing titles. However, I did my best to paint something that will pass casual inspection. My reading indicated there was a fair amount of variation in the feldgrau and steingrau uniform fabrics due to material shortages and varying quality of fabric dyes, so I intentionally incorporated that into my painting to help differentiate the various squads.

Command Group: I really liked the character of the Copplestone German Mercenaries from their Back of Beyond range, so opted to use them as my command.  I painted one as a Freikorps commander and the other as a Landeswehr commander.  They were joined by an Empress medic and an artillery observer from Great War Miniatures' artillery crew pack.

Freikorps Infantry Squads: These were predominately created from Wargames Atlantic plastics, with a few metal Empress figures thrown in. The WA figures were sculpted in a heroic 28mm format with very bulky bodybuilder style arms that often stuck out at strange angles (other hobbyists have commented on this previously). This was particularly noticeable with the MG08/15 arms. As such, there was a significant style difference with the Empress figures, which were slighter and sculpted with thinner proportions. While a bit obvious at table level (at least to me), I think they blended in well enough when observed from above.

Freikorps Pionieren Squad:  Again, these were WA figures with the exception of the Empress flamethrower team. I added the skulls and crossbones to the helmets to help flag that they were an elite squad.

Freikorps Stosstruppen Squad: WA figures with a single Empress grenadier figure. The MG08/15 was removed from the squad and more Bergmann MP18s added for close assaults.

MG08 Team: Another set from Empress. I really had difficulty getting the machine gun handles to fit properly in the gunner's hands and overall found the gun fiddley to assemble. As a result, the gunners feet didn't set properly on the ground, so I did my best to hide it with rocks and grass.  

FK96 Field Gun: This artillery piece and its crew were from Great War Miniatures. The crew pack came with 6 figures, but as Wikipedia says it used a 5-man crew, I used the extra figure as the observer with my command group. There were no assembly instructions provided with the gun, but I was able to eventually figure things out with reference photos.   

Baltic Landeswehr Infantry:  This unit was created from Empress miniatures.  To help differentiate them from the Freikorps units, I used the Vallejo German Uniform color to give their feldgrau a bit more of a blueish hue. I also painted the Baltic blue and white pipping onto their shoulders; the pattern wasn't as fine as I hoped, but was the best I was able to create.

Baltic Landeswehr Cavalry: Great War Miniatures. I didn't find a good reference for the uniform these miniatures were wearing, so I did my best to make them look reasonable.

And here is a close up of the figures to allow a size comparison (L-R): Wargames Atlantic, Empress, Copplestone. The WA figures were the bulkiest, but didn't stand out too badly when compared to Copplestone. The Empress figures were definitely in a style of their own. I think they would likley fit in more with the Great War figures, but I didn't have a standing GW figure for the comparison shot. One interesting bit was that while the rifles were similar in size across WA and Empress, the WA MP18s were much smaller when compared to the other manufacturers.

With that, this half of the project was finished and I was was happy with the results.  In the future, I'll be working on a joint Latvian/Estonian force that will either oppose my Freikorps when I need to supply both armies for a game, or can be combined with them if I find an opponent with a Bolshevik force.  

Outskirts of Tanga 1914: A WW1 Skirmish Game in German East Africa

My WW1 African armies haven't seen the table in a while for lack of opponents, but last week my friend Steve passed through town and brought his Germans for a quick game at the local shop. We decided to try out the 3rd Ed of the Setting the East Ablaze rules and used a scenario from the Skirmish Elite: Tanga 1914 book. 

For this battle, my forces (British) needed to cross the table in the allotted time on their way into Tanga, while Steve's Germans were tasked with laying in ambush and slowing my advance. Each side got a set of prescribed units and one generated at random. We didn't have any bees to add to the battle, but included a roaming rhino for a bit of potential chaos.

The British began their trek at a ditch (I didn't have one in my terrain collection, so we used some sections of road as a substitute) which ran along their entry point on the table. 

The Indians on the left flank, along with the company commander and his Masai runner, managed to make steady progress from the outset.

However, the right flank bogged down when the rhino wandered into the area.

The machine gun team also ran into trouble trying to get the gun out of the ditch. While they struggled, the platoon headquarters moved up to begin scanning the environment for hidden German askaris.

The left flank managed to dash across the open grassland unharmed and into the relative safety of a tree line.

On the right, troops still had to wait a bit longer for the rhino, but it eventually wandered off the battlefield. 

The machine gun team also managed to extract themselves from the ditch and the British as a whole were finally moving at a reasonable rate. 

The British platoon headquarters managed to spot a squad of askari waiting in ambush on a hilltop. The Indian troops on the right flank took cover behind another hill and began maneuvering into position for an attack.   

On the left flank, the company commander climbed a hill and scanned the freight depot for signs of life, but all seemed quiet.  Perhaps too quiet. 

With the mission clock ticking, the Indians on the left flank took the risk of charging across the open grass in hopes of quickly reaching the depot.  Unfortunately, the company commander had missed the ambushing party of German askari.

The askari were crack shots, killing the majority of the British squad outright, with the few survivors fleeing for their lives.

The platoon headquarters took cover in the tree line and began exchanging fire with the askari on the hill, while the Indians prepared for their assault. 

The machine gun team also finally made it to a useful position and began setting up behind the trading outpost. 

The gunfight between the askari and British continued, with the British platoon headquarters losing one man. 

The Germans sent out askari from the freight depot in hopes of capturing the company commander. Not one to fear a fight, he stood his ground and managed to pick off one of the advancing askari.

On the right, the Indians began their assault on the hill, but another group of askari sprung from ambush and countercharged. 

The resulting melee was bloody for both sides.

The Indian machine gun finally entered the battle and attempted to provide cover to the company commander, but only succeeded in killing one additional askari.  

The Indians fought valiantly, but eventually there was but one brave survivor left.  He sounded his bugle in defiance and then nothing more was heard from him.

With that, there were not enough British to complete the advance and the few survivors were forced to retreat. So a very historically accurate outcome. 

We both had a lot of fun getting back to this theater and are hoping to fight another battle from this scenario book when Steve next passes through town.

Indian 17th Cavalry

I haven't painted any WWI figures in a while, so thought it was time to return to East Africa. Up first are some troops from the Indian 17th Cavalry. I'm ashamed to say these poor chaps from Brigade Games have sat half painted in the closet for almost 3 years, but I'm happy they are finally seeing the light of day.

Elements of 17th Cavalry A and B squadrons were assigned to patrol the border region of German and British East Africa in 1915 and saw combat in the Moshi area (where most of my East African campaigning is set). Back home, the 17th Cavalry later served in the Third Anglo-Afghan War and in Waziristan before being merged with the 37th Lancers in 1922. So they will be able to pull double duty when I'm playing in Back of Beyond games.

As is standard with their WWI line, the Brigade figures are beautifully sculpted and well cast. There are 3 horse poses, 3 troop poses, and 3 command figures available.  Certain figure/horse combinations can be a tight fit and may require some filing, so I suggest you dry fit everything first. Rifle holsters and scabbards are cast separately and need to be attached to the peg holes on the horses. I would add these after gluing down the figures. Lances are not supplied.

I don't know much about Indian cavalry, so when I first started this project, Mike Blake on LAF was kind enough to research the unit for me and determine they used white and blue pennons instead of the more common red/blue and red/white. He also established the lungi (cummerbund) was dark blue with light blue and gold.

The command pack includes a British officer, a Dafadar, and a Lance-Dafadar.

The Lance-Dafadar can be seen wearing the lungi. I didn't know the exact stripe pattern, so just made a guess at it. For the shoulder boards, the only example I found was from the Mysore Lancers; I'm hoping the colors were the same across units (please feel free to correct me if you know better). 

Here are the three trooper poses and the horse variants. It appears that during this time lances were made of either bamboo or ash; I've opted to go with ash for my unit. 

For those who want to paint up some Indian Cavalry of their own, I've included my 17th Cavalry pennon image along with some of the color variants used by other units. All are free for personal use. 

17th Cavalry Pennon

Standard Indian Pennon

Bengal Unit Pennon

Mysore Lancers Pennon