Bodenplatte - The Luftwaffe's Last Hope

Here's the latest addition to the holiday reading list, a very well illustrated and comprehensive account of the numerous actions fought during the short lived Operation Bodenplatte of January 1945. I was surprised at the depth of the coverage and the detailed focus of this book, which is a good inch and a half in thickness and should keep me very well occupied over the next couple of weeks. I'm hoping to dig out some decent scenario material for the Bag the Hun game in January, so it should be a worthwhile read.

NEWSFLASH - FART blown away by MDF (Reuters)

Reports are coming in of a major defeat for the Nbuto Force Action Rapide Territoriale at the hands of the Mbote Defence Force.

 

The details have yet to be confirmed but, according to the Mbote Minister For War, Colonel Banga B'oum, the MDF has dealt a severe blow to the FART in a short but bloody battle on the outskirts of Kabunga..

The MDF has now conducted a phased withdrawal and has been lifted from the beachhead by landing craft. The remnants of the FART taskforce have retreated in disorder toward Kabunga, leaving a trail of wrecked armour and vehicles on the battlefield.

In his daily radio broadcast, President Mpongo, ordered a day of spontaneous 'bunga bunga' celebrations and a full military parade through the streets of Port Tchumba, to welcome the returning units of the MDF.

...in other words, the FART got thrashed! I'll post some photos later.

NEWSFLASH - Mbote launches punitive strike on Nbuto

From our military correspondent in Mtwange

In a pre-dawn amphibious landing this morning, a strike force of the MDF established a beachhead on the coastal strip of Nbuto, thirty kilometers south of Port Mtumtu. There was mininal resistance from local units of the FART, which have withdrawn inland ahead of the advancing MDF strike force. 

A spearhead of MDF vehicles and troops is now heading in the direction of the mining town of Kabunga. The objective of the Mbote forces seems to be a punitive raid in retaliation for the sinking of a MCDF patrol vessel and the seizure of sensitive military documents by the government of Nbuto.

A counter strike by units of the Force Action Rapide Territoriale is expected.

Bag The Hun Operation Bodenplatte [9]

I managed to base up and undercoat all of the remaining aircraft for the Luftwaffe over the weekend, including the eight Museum Miniatures FW180/A8's that arrived in the post last week. I'd like to add some late model Bf109G's and a couple of Ta152's to the line up but, if I'm being sensible, I'll resist the temptation as I've already got too much to handle with this lot.

NEWSFLASH - Mbote patrol boat blasted by Nbuto 'Hippo' mine (Reuters)

From out defence correspondent in Port Mtumtu

A patrol boat of the Mbote Coastal Defence Force has reportedly been sunk after an unexplained explosion off the eastern shores of the Independent Republic of Nbuto. The Panga class vessel was completely destroyed in the blast but a number of survivors were picked up by landing craft of the amphibious task force currently engaged in controversial military manoevers in the coastal exclusion zone.

There has been no confirmation of the cause of the explosion but several expert sources have suggested the deployment of inshore 'Hippo' naval mines by Nbuto as a probable explanation. There has, as yet, been no comment from the government of Nbuto to confirm or deny the use of such weapons in the exclusion zone, in contravention of the Combined Regional African Peace accords.

In his daily radio broadcast, President Papi Mpongo, has condemned the 'naked aggression' of the Nbuto 'colonialist gangsters' and has demanded compensation of 600,000,000,000,000 Mb (Mbote Banana), from the government of Nbuto. In response, the government of Nbuto has demanded the withdrawal of all military units of the MCDF and MDF from Lake Bagombo by 12.00 GMT tomorrow.

...in other words, it's all going a bit pear shaped.

Sourcebooks for the Sudan

I spotted that Northstar are selling off some of their US import titles today so, as I've been working hard and it's nearly the holidays, I thought I'd buy myself an early Xmas present. This consists of a copy of the Science v Pluck rules for the Sudan, together with both volumes of the Madhist Wars Sourcebook, the whole lot setting me back forty quid. A bit pricey but I think it'll be well worth it and will give me something to think about for next year, especially as the PITS project has stalled of late.

NEWSFLASH - Mbote violates Nbuto coastal exclusion zone (Reuters)

From our military correspondent in Port Mtumtu

We are receiving reports that a large amphibious fleet of the Mbote Defence Force has penetrated the territorial waters of the Independent Republic of Nbuto. Although these sightings have yet to be confirmed, it would appear that the MDF has infringed the coastal exclusion zone that exists along the shores of Lake Bagombo, following the Combined Regional African Peace accords of 2011.

The government of the Independent Republic of Nbuto has declined to comment on this incident but, in a sign of increasing tension, the Force Action Rapide Territoriale has been mobilised. A spokesman for the government of Mbote has denied any infringement of Nbuto territorial waters, claiming that the MDF is engaged in a legitimate pre-planned defensive exercise that in no way threatens the sovereignty of the IRN.

In his daily radio broadcast, President Papi Mpongo, re-iterated his continuing dedication to peaceful 'bunga bunga' relations with the Independent Republic of Nbuto. However, he claimed that recent diplomatic incidents have led to tensions between the two nations that cannot be 'swept under the leopard print shagpile'.

Tamiya Masking Tape Plan B

I was in Homebase today, on the hunt for funky Xmas tree lights to replace the bog standard ones that the kids have rejected as not 'awesome' enough, when I spotted this alternative to Tamiya masking tape. It's a lot cheaper and looks virtually identical to the very expensive scale modelling stuff.

At £6.99 for 50m, you can mask away to your heart's content and never run out, especially if you're doing that awkward Luftwaffe splinter camo in 1/285th. Which is handy, as I have some imminent masking to do for the Bag The Hun Operation Bodenplatte project.

A good find!

NEWSFLASH - Nbuto intercepts Mbote arms shipment

From our diplomatic correspondent in Port Mtumtu

In an early morning raid on on a Mbote registered merchant vessel in Port Mtumtu, a specialist firearms unit of the Police Nationale d'Nbuto siezed and detained a Swedish national. The man was subsequently identified by Interpol as the fugitive international arms dealer, Mr Gunnar Vorsayl. 

In a subsequent press briefing, a spokesman for the Police Nationale d'Nbuto, confirmed that a number of military grade documents and technical manuals were discovered in the possesion of Mr Vorsayl, who has been detained by the internal security service on suspicion of espionage and arms smuggling.

In addition, a shipment of Teach Yourself Albanian tapes were recovered from the luggage of Mr Vorsayl, along with several copies of a Mbotean-Albanian dictionary, stamped Property of Tirana Socialist Peoples' Library. It would appear that these are several weeks overdue.

In a press statement, the President of Nbuto, Jean Pierre Croissant, demanded an explanation from both the Swedish Consulate and the Ambassador of Mbote, stating that any  infringement of the fragile peace accord between Mbote and Nbuto could result in the collapse of the current ceasefire.

The Mbote government has denied all knowledge of the activities of the alleged arms smuggling incident and has, in turn, demanded the release of Mr Vorsayl, who has been granted dual Swedish-Mbotean nationality by special decree of the President, Papi Mpongo.  

NEWSFLASH - Mbote Air Force re-equips with 'Tip Top' MiG21 [Reuters]

From our defence correspondent in Zambuzi

In a press conference today at Mbote Air Defence Force High Command in Zambuzi, the Minister for Military Aviation, Colonel Ijek Taseet, announced the procurement of five MiG21 Fishbed fighter aircraft. These former Albanian aircraft will replace the ageing fleet of MiG17 Fresco fighters currently in service with the MADF.

The component airframes have recently arrived at Port Tchumba and have been transferred to the MADF maintenence facility at Mafuso, where they will be re-assembled by air force technicians for initial flight testing and pre-operational familiariation exercises. 

However, Colonel Taseet acknowledged that these 'tip top' fighter aircraft are unlikely to be operational in the near future, as the re-assembly programme requires specialist tooling that has yet to be located. It would also appear that technical manuals have been provided but these vital documents have only been supplied in Albanian.

In his daily radio broadcast, President Mpongo stated that the procurement of these 'bunga bunga' fighter aircraft may well shift the balance of power in the region and could de-stablise the existing peaceful relations between  the Peoples Democratic Republic of Mbote and it's immediate neighbours.

However, he emphasised that this upgrading of MADF capability was purely for defensive purposes.

...in other words, there's an AK47 game next week.