"A platoon too far (british paratroopers project)" Topic

The british paratroopers are the very first figures that I painted when I began to game with WW2 minis.

I had 16 british paratroopers painted from Wargames Foundry. I first decided to repaint the trousers (too chocolate brown) and the base (too goblin green).

Once the first section was ready, I went back to my cupboards in order to find the unpainted ones. I now have to decide how I set up the various sections, the HQ and support teams.

Here is the first section :

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I have an HQ painted

And an additional Bren team.

Once the first section was ready, I went back to my cupboards in order to find the unpainted ones (Wargames Foundry and Warlord Games). I known have to decide how I set up the various sections, the HQ and support teams.

link

So here is the result :

I found 6 minis for HQ, 9 minis with a sten gun, 18 with a rifle, 3 Bren team, 3 PIAT team, 2 snipers, 1 Vickers team, 1 howitzer team and a lone flamer.

From the sources that I have each platoon should have :

1xHQ
+ Command group : CO (sten) / NCO (sten) / radio (sten)
+ 2" mortar team
+ PIAT team
+ Sniper team
+ (optional) Bren team
+ 1-3 sections : NCO (sten) + 6 troopers (1 sten) + Bren team ( sten + gunner + loader )

The bad news are that Warlord games have a pack with a 2" mortar and a piat (and I already have enough PIAT teams)

Olivier

Nicely painted

@Sgt Perry
Olivier try Crusader figures, they do small groups of 4 and weapons groups.

OK i,ll jump in here.These are the Historic notes for a Para Platoon.

The sniper team at platoon HQ should not be there as the actual sniper rifles were issued one to a section along with a 2" Mortar.(Which was usually lost or not taken due to weight).It seems that only the Poles at Arnhem actually allocated at this level, other units would allocate them at Platoon level.

the Platoon HQ would consist of a Subaltern a platoon Sergeant and the Subalterns batman. A Signaler was allocated from the Bn signals platoon and the PIAT was held on the Platoon hand cart, and allocated as necessary.

A rifle section had a Section Commander as a Sergeant and four fiflemen, a 2ic of a Cpl who ran the support section of the marksman the 2" Mortar and the Bren Team.

Weapons were allocated usually at 6:4 Sten/rifle but there was a Pool of spare weapons held at battalion HQ of 900 Sten guns Mk V.

You can have extra PIAT teams as the Anti tank Platoon at Bn HQ had 10 PIAT Teams which again were allocated out as necessary.

Nice looking figs

That's right, I noticed the AT Platoon with 3 PIAT teams and 2 Bren gun teams. That would be fine for company-size games.

Thanks for the information.

Olivier

Andy Parkes you mean man I am confused , I thought each section was commanded by a Cpl with the 2IC being a Lcpl.
And are you now saying that each section had a sniper rifle and each section had a 2inch mort? And each section is now 11 men rather then the 8-10 ? 900 sten SMG held at BN what madness is this explain yourself good sir at once…Mikey

Confused me too?

As far as I understood, the sniper/marksman and the 2" mortar team were sent in one section that finally had :

CPL + 4 troopers
L-CPL + Bren gun team (2 troopers) + marksman (1 trooper)+ 2" mortar team (1 trooper?)

so a standard section : CPL, L-CPL and 8 troopers

Bayonet Strength – paratrooper listing

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Bayonet Strength – air landing listing

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In my haste to post the above links, I forgot to mention that I enjoyed the figures in your post as well as your site.

As mentioned in the text of the Bayonet Strength links, the TO&E was sort of a moving target that changed a little with each mission.

Does anyone make a 28mm Airborne handcart?

the idea was that the section had a fire support base of a Bren team sniper and 2" mortar. Practice tended to get in the way, and the 2" tended to get lost broken etc and the snipers were moved under battalion control. All this came down the battalion Commander, he was the one who decided what was issued and to whom. Sections were always ten men, commanded by a Sergeant.

The 900 extra Sten were an allotted spare to the battalion to issue as deemed fit as per the wartime establishment tables.

Don't get me started on Air landing battalion as each Battalion seemed to alter at will and did not follow the laid down guidelines especially in the early days.

Bayonet strength refers to the central pool of stens being reduced to 300, but I doubt if it ever amounted to 900; that's more than one for each man in the unit and getting on for 3 tons of gun at 3.2 kilo apiece, never mind the crates/whatever to carry them in or the ammunition. A high incidence of stens does seem – from photos/film/personal accounts – to have been the norm, but I'd expect that the selection was made before the operation and a that quantity of spare arms was taken, but given the limited amount airlift capacity and of transport available to parachute or Airlanding units one they were on the ground I'd expect the supply of spares was not extensive.
Battalion commanders did have a deal of latitude about their selection of kit; some units lugged their 2" mortars around until they ran out of ammo, others seem to have dispensed with them.
As a career historian for a job (if you can call it a career) I don't generally recommend novels, but if you are interested in the Arnhem/Oosterbeek battle, check out 'The Cauldron', written by a man who served in the independent company; he describes an interesting application of 2" mortars.

PS…love your painting! If you fancy doing a few figures in exchange for a signed copy of a new book on Arnhem let me know!

So here is the second section

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I also painted for a PIAT Team for the Platoon HQ.

Olivier

Excellent stuff mate!;-)

And the third section now

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I also added a medic and a 2" mortar team.

Olivier

The Platoon HQ is completed.

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So the 1st Platoon and the support units

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Olivier

And here is the 6-Pdr AT Gun

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Olivier