STALINGRAD Bolt Action Mega Battle!
Tractor Factory T34.
Warlord Games’s ‘Campaign Stalingrad ‘ book has rules for T34/76’s coming out of the the production line for the then beleaguered Dzerhinsky Tractor Factory. There are 3 variants available for the Soviet player to field in His/Her games of Bolt Action. This variant is the ‘Factory Worker Crew’.
This is a fun and characterful way of modelling this Option on the table top. I selected a suitable candidate from the ‘Soviet Peoples Militia Squad’, as a commander to represent this option, where things have got so desperate, and the German’s so close, that the factory workers are crewing tanks to defend themselves.
It really pained me not to paint chipping, damage and ware on a tank. This model is driving out factory fresh, apart from one cannibalised still dirty wheel, to represent shortages of materials, and the tank is covered in coffee mug stains and cigarette ash, that has been issued to keep the workers working up until the moment that they can drive the tank out and fight.
In addition, one last finishing detail to add further narrative, a commissar has stuck a copy of order 227 (‘not one step back’) to the under-side of tank commanders hatch. Another reason if one was needed to keep fighting.
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How does the driver keep his jumper so white in a battlefield? I have a t-shirt with oil stains and am having really issues getting them out. Any advice would be welcome. Maybe you could do an article on Russian workers laundry secrets circa 1940’s.
Hi James,
Good point¬ I’m now considering adding “Jumper Stainage” effects to my repertoire!