"Flails Forward - June '44 in 1/144th scale" Topic

Readying a new scenario that'll feature some special tank types (Funnies) from the British 79th Armoured Division, for a game drawing upon their attack against La Senaudiere, Normandy, on 14 June 1944.

I painted up these 1/144th scale Anscluss-brand Sherman Crabs as 3 Troop, C Squadron, 22nd Westminster Dragoons, this unit seen below in a photograph taken as the troop moved through LeDouet de Chouain the day before, on the 13th –

The Anschluss 3D-Print models, although very intricate, have remained durable during my painting and decal work, and they have very minimum print lines too.

I added canvas covering around the 75's mantlets, and a lime box to each, along with extra field stowage. Looking forward to getting these into action!

Those look fantastic, must get some now. :)

The 22nd Dragoons and the Westminster Dragoons are two different regiments. My grandfather served in the 22nd Dragoons in the Second World War.

Ed, I think the Anschluss flails are even better models now than the ones I bought a few years back!

All Sir Garnett, appreciate you highlighting the confusion over the unit identification. There is still controversy if the pictured Crabs were from the 22nd or Westminster Dragoons -

link

I went with either or.

Yes indeed, lovely models by the way. Both regiments served in 30 Brigade so confusion reigns. Oddly enough my Best Man served in the Westminster Dragoons in the 1970s…

They look fantastic!

V/R,
Jack

Very nice Dapper Dave!

Excellent work on those Sherman Flail tanks, FlyXwire!

I have some 6mm GHQ Sherman Flail tanks I will need to paint one of these days. I need to figure out how to do the chains in this scale. Maybe some very fine chain?

The models come with just the drum but no chains.

Jack, Jerry, and Pete, thank you Guys!

Ed, I still have some "51s", and the 79th Armoured Div. triangles left (using yellow Troop triangles to make the Bison badges with). :)

They're on these Crab hulls here too, but after finishing the Churchill AVREs I'm decaling now, if I have extras, it would look cool to have those on the bevel gearbox for the flail boom also – like on your sheet shown above.

The decal sheet might be overdoing these insignia a bit – note also that the top 22nd Dragoon drawing shows the side view with a turret box, and the top view w/o a box (many/most of the 22nd Crabs seem not to have had a turret box).

The other Crab regiments also seemed to have had more of a 2nd style of chalk-line/marker dispenser too (those angled boxes mounted on the sides). These are on the current Anschluss Crab models (my models came w/o the marking boxes – and sort of 'locked' the models in to being more for the Senior Regiment – the 22nd, and I made little boxes for the first versions to match (I think)….as we know, the wartime pics can still play tricks on us.

Dave, supposedly the drawings are based on real photos, I'll look through the photos that I've collected over the years to see what I can find. There are about 13,000 of them so it may take a while. :D

:)))

By overdoing it, I mean some of the insignia application wasn't the same within a unit (see below on this Star Decals sheet – no Arms Of Service number or 79th Armoured Div. badge on the boom-box for this 22nd Dragoon Crab #90 – my Red Arrow).

I found about a dozen although I only looked through less than half. I picked a few but only one shows markings similar to the color plate, 2 of them show the same tank with a turret box.

Thanks Ed for your effort, these are good photos!

Useful photos for markings aren't that plentiful, and on top of this, I'm trying to do a Troop (Platoon) unit of each type needed for an upcoming game scenario, so wanting tanks that were in the same small tactical formations, which were photographed deployed together in combat, most often in support of Infantry Brigades, and often just as/in single Troop strengths (within British-TOE from 3-5 AFVs each).

This was the doctrine that the Funnies of the 79th Armoured Division used in Normandy – sometimes complete Squadrons (Companies) would be deployed, but then these usually would be parceled out as support. Later in NW Europe, the 79th's Assault Detachments with Squadron-size Flails, AVREs, Crocodiles, and the Ram Kangaroos APC contingents started to be employed as whole attack formations.

The unit of Sherman Crabs I've painted and marked up here, were photographed as a unit, so that was the core basic reference I could work with to make up a Troop of them (the objective being to make a Troop's-worth, and an authentic [documented] small tactical unit…..but this was always going to be harder to research than if making a single model).