A 28mm WW2 Skirmish Project

Sometimes one of those moments of serendipity happens.  In this case it was related to my Big Terrain Issue.  I have a really limited set of 28mm terrain in Cyprus.  Basically I have some nice scratch built Mediterranean style buildings, originally intended as Peninsular war, as well as some pieces of American frontier, ACW terrain. .. there is a little flexibility in it but not much.

I was looking for a sprue of Perry continental riflemen on eBay, as one does, trying to pad out the Colonial militia before they face the wrath of the Huron warbands.   Unfortunately what caught my attention was three sprues of plastic 28mm Fallshirmjagër at £6, including postage, half the price they really should be.  18 figures...

Rude not to bid I thought, although I expected to lose and went only for a minimum bid.  I was a little surprised and disconcerted when I won the bid a few days later, at £6 including postage...  what had I done?

Of course I've just gamed Five Men at Kursk, a misnamed section strength game, and putting that together with those German Paras I came up with that serendipitous moment I mentioned, realising that I already had terrain for these guys over in Pathos.  Crete 1941 here I come...

The Fallshirmjagër would also look ok serving in Southern Italy or Sicily... and the Mediterranean terrain would stretch to there too.  I was a bit over pleased with myself considering I had only bought eighteen figures.

Seems to me that I could develop a good skirmish game from these figures, and given that I already have the terrain it won't take up much storage, which is my other big problem.

The next issue was the opposition.  For the battle of Crete I needed Commonwealth forces.  In terms of value for money there was only one game in town, the Perry 's 8th Army.  A sprue of 12 figures cost me another six quid.  I added in a Warlord spure of 8th Army, six figures for £4.  They too can serve in Sicily, Italy or Crete.  I felt that the Perry Officer and Sergeant sprue were also needed, another £2.  That gave me a short platoon of 20 figures for a reasonable £12.

Cost so far £18 for 38 figures.

Turning to the recesses of my spare stuff draw  I rooted out ten plastic army men, in 28mm bought at the pound ship.  This is a spare section for the Brits.   Cost 50p for fifty or so.  Bargain.  In the words of the President of the Marshal Petain Society, "they are as good as Irregular Miniatures at least! "  Ah, damned by feint praise! 

£18.50 then.

Not sure about the guy with the radio though.  With 27 men in the British "platoon" I seem to have acquired, as if by accident, Chain of Command size forces, and could certainly manage Fivecore games.

The Germans however are still looking light in numbers.  I may need to add a half dozen more, just to keep  the them on par with the Commonwealth force.  They certainly need two sections so I'll be keeping my eye on ebay.

Another little ongoing project...