"What figures to fight the BUF?" Topic

Stumbled by accident across Warlord's beautiful (and hideous) BUF sets, but can't find an obvious opponent on the Warlord site.

Am I then limited to Foundry Dad's Army range? What else, stylistically, fits in?

Search the Warlord site under 'Sea Lion' or 'Home Defence' or 'Dad's Army' or 'LDV'

In Warlord's Sea Lion campaign the BUF are supposed to be a Fifth Column ally of the German invaders, fighting against the British Army. It's a bit far-fetched. Most pre-war rank-and-file members of the BUF were whole-heartedly patriotic during the war. My former father-in-law, for example, joined the RE as soon as war was decalred, went to France with the BEF, came back over the beaches at Dunkirk, and fought throughout the rest of the war, right to the end.

I am always startled when I see on of these on the highway.

goo.gl/images/t1fYpA

It is a Canadian bus company. The logo is just a little too close to the BUF for me.

Agree don't with Fatuus, the idea of the BUF fighting for the Germans displays a pretty significant misunderstanding of what fascism/nationalism is all about. Unlike communism, it is not an internationalist movement.

That said, Luxembourg fascists fought their national police on the night of 9th May 1940 to try to disassemble road barriers in order to assist the Germans. But I suppose they may have been of German extraction.

You could always go down the route of a Very British Civil war (VBCW).

link

Footsore Miniatures have quite a range of late 30s British types to take on the BUF in a mythical pre-WW2 British civil war.

link

there is also Empress Miniatures Mutton Chop range for the same period

link

I agree that the various VBCW ranges would fill out the niche quite nicely. I am an American with nothing invested emotionally, and I find the ranges both hilarious and tempting--armed Anglican priests and gentlemen hunters in tweed? Amazing.

RE: Northern Monkey comments.

Since around the Sea Lion period Hitler and Stalin were allies would that mean the British communist would turn out as a much larger 5th column?

I'm pretty sure I remember reading that French communists working in the arms factories during early WW2 deliberately sabotaged tanks and planes coming out of the factories for the French army. If true (rather than propaganda myths) it seems rather short sighted of the French communists in hindsight…

Re BUF. All the European Facist parties supported the Nazis during WWII, so I rather doubt the BUF would have been any different, if the Germans had invaded us. As now, the Far Right then, were a little more internationalist than the logic (sic) of their beliefs would suggest! The British Government clearly thought so and arrested and imprisoned the BUF leadership.

VBCW is your route Flashman, plenty of nice and eccentric opponents by various manufacturers eg Reiver Miniatures and Irregular Miniatures.

cheers

One senior member of the BUF was arrested soon after he returned from Dunkirk on his "little boat" where he'd been rescuing British troops. Moseley had fought the Germans in the Great War and whilst he had been against the war (as many were in every party) once it began he called on his members to defend Britain. Daft as they were, and undoubtedly somewhat confused, the BUF were British nationalists first and the rank and file of the party signed up to fight like everyone else.

Would British communists have assisted the Germans? Well, the French communist party did, but I actually doubt if the British one would, so soon after opposing fascism in Spain. What's more, the British communist party was tiny when compared to the French knew.

The whole thing is a bit silly really, so why not go the whole hog and do VBCW which seems much more fun.

My late Uncle was a member of Scotland's "Orange Lodge", an Ultra Conservative Unionist organisation, but served in the SCW as a medic for the Republicans. During the war he returned to serving in the Merchant Navy and served beside two members of Moeslies Blackshirt's on convoys in the Atlantic; Med and Arctic. One of the Blackshirt's had two sons serving in the RAF. Politics often loses out to patriotism once your fellow travelers attack your home.

And yes I've got agree the only real use for BUF is VBCW.

Fatman

In Australia the Communists certainly sabotaged production and outright refused to load ships that were to carry military supplies for Australian forces (almost all dock workers were members of the Communist Party). Today it is conveniently forgotten that both Mussolini and Hitler were popular socialist icons and much favoured by the Communists while they were allied with Russia.

Eventually the Army had to use their own troops to load the ships to send forces to the Middle East. This went on until Germany attacked Russia when they had an overnight change of heart.

Note that warlord operation Sea lion is a what if scenario. Therefore isn't it acceptable for players to pretty much do what they want with their figures?

In the excellent little movie "it happened here" when the Nazis capture UK, the BUF seems to be running the administration of the country. The Immediate Action Organization.
YouTube link

The BUF figures from warlord are dressed in their street thug uniform not their combat uniform that is provided by footsore miniatures. For a more historical representation, they could be put Into their anti Semitic Mode Against civilians such as those in the brick Lane set from north star miniatures, or the Civil War civilians from Perry, and some of the virtual Armchair general b'hoys figures. You are ready for the battle of Cable Street.