Italian Campaign Archives - Page 4 of 6

Kiwi Vehicle Camouflage during WW2

9 Aug 20219 Apr 2006 by Steven Thomas

During WW2 the 2 New Zealand Division adopted British camouflage patterns on their vehicles. This is one of my WW2 Painting Guides. I focus on the Italian Campaign because this is my particular interest. The illustrations are a small selection from Jeffrey Plowman and Malcolm Thomas’s books of the Kiwi Armour series. These are great resources with many more illustrations. I recommend them.

2 NZ Division Timeline – Sango River to Orsogna

13 Apr 20199 Apr 2006 by Steven Thomas

This WW2 timeline picks up 2 New Zealand Division as they enter the line in Italy and goes through to the fighting around Orsogna.

WW2 Painting Guide: Kiwi and British in the Mediterranean 2006

13 Apr 20199 Apr 2006 by Steven Thomas

During WW2 the 2 New Zealand Division adopted British uniforms. So this painting guide covers both Kiwi and British, but only in the Mediterranean. This is one of my WW2 Painting Guides.

Infantry Unit Frontages during WW2

1 Jan 201627 Mar 2006 by Steven Thomas

I wanted to get an idea of the ground scale in Crossfire so I started with an analysis of frontages from WW2. In general it seems that defensive frontages were wider than offensive. For example, a company would attack on same frontage as one defending platoon. I’m a bit sceptical of the frontages given in Lucas (1982) – they just seem too narrow compared to those mentioned in other sources. The discussion refers to various Infantry Formations such as line, broad wedge, etc.

Infantry Formations of WW2

5 Dec 201927 Mar 2006 by Steven Thomas

WW2 infantry used three main formations during combat: (Skirmish) Line, Wedge and Broad Wedge. The same three formation were used by platoons, companies and battalions. Squads only used (Skirmish) Line but they also added (Skirmish) Column.

Artillery and Mortar Tactics of WW2

27 Jan 202227 Mar 2006 by Steven Thomas

After reading a discussion of area effect for artillery in the Crossfire Discussion Forum I became curious about the tactics of artillery and mortars during WW2. I had a quick google for “Artillery Tactics” and looked up some of my books to get a sense of how it all worked.

Swaab – Field of Fire: Diary of a Gunner Officer

24 Aug 201312 Feb 2006 by Steven Thomas

Jack Swaab (2005) was a Gunner Officer with the 51st Highland Division from 3 Jan 1943 to the end of World War II. He fought in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and NW Europe. His book is literally his personal diary. It is interesting to read to get an idea what was on the mind of a literate combat solider, although there are few detailed accounts of action.

2 NZ Division Timeline – Rimini Airfield, Italy

21 Jun 202230 Jan 2006 by Steven Thomas

This WW2 timeline picks up 2 New Zealand Division as they, in conjunction with 3 Greek Mountain Brigade, approach Rimini. The timeline covers the period 12-21 Sep 1944.

Order of Battle of 2 New Zealand Division

13 Apr 201930 Jan 2006 by Steven Thomas

Order of battle for 2 New Zealand Division during WW2. The organisations are primarily based on Phillips (1957, p. 27), Doherty (1999), and Plowman, J. and Thomas, M. (2000, 2002). I have ignored HQ (unless it included armoured vehicles), transport, support, administration, and band elements.

2 Foot City – A Crossfire Battle Report

21 Apr 201511 Dec 2005 by Steven Thomas

John Mclennan and I often play DBA on a 2′ by 2′ cloth. One evening we were discussing how many Crossfire building sectors would fit on such a table, so we tried it. As it happens the particular layout we used had 35 building sectors (of various heights). That seems enough for a company a side, hence after a brief discussion about a scenario, we set to. As usual I was the Russians and John the Germans.

2 Foot City – A Crossfire Scenario

9 Nov 202311 Dec 2005 by Steven Thomas

Table - 2 Foot City - Crossfire - Banner

It occurred to John Mclennan and I that you could pack a lot of buildings onto a 2′ x 2′ table so we set one up to have a look. We liked the end result so much we invented a Crossfire scenario for WW2 and played a game. This is the scenario, but there is also a battle report.

Reconnaissance Before Pontecorvo – A Crossfire Battle Report

6 Oct 202030 Oct 2005 by Steven Thomas

John McLennan turned up, with his almost finished British, and wanted a bash. I didn’t have a prepared Crossfire scenario so we decided upon the Hit the Dirt scenario “Reconnaissance Before Pontecorvo” (p. 19). The gist of the scenario is a Canadian company must try to identify the positions of a reduced company of entrenched Germans, without taking undue losses themselves.