Tonight, I have finished off the last MG34 LMG team and the two Anti-Tank Rifle teams by Crusader Miniatures, and as usual, they are very nice figures (except for the face of one of the ATR riflemen, which is a bit of a mess, but thankfully mostly out of sight unless you specifically go looking!)
I mounted the moving LMG team on one of the two-man plastic bases that comes with the Warlord Games plastic Blitzkrieg infantry set.
The ATR's are on Warlord plastic cavalry bases - one in a bombed-out ruin...
..... and the second in a more rural setting!
I am not sure how effective these weapons will actually be against a Char B or Matilda tank - but all the armies had them in 1939/40, so I felt it was only right to have a couple in my collection!
That is now all the infantry I have in hand for the Blitzkrieg collection - I still have one PzKfw III and a Flak 36/37 88mm gun kit to put together - plus a 3D printed Opel Blitz truck - so hopefully they should see some progress over the next few days.
The ATR makes into a nicely dressed base - read somewhere that the Soviets could use their ATR as a very effective sniper weapon - not sure if that would extend to other nationalities. The accuracy would allow them to target visor slots.
ReplyDeleteThanks Norm! Funnily enough, I recently saw some Soviet/Russian war movie on YouTube where one of the soldiers did exactly what you describe!
DeleteVery nice Keith…
ReplyDeleteI imagine armoured cars and light tanks would find the ATR uncomfortable… but you would probably have to get an exceptionally lucky shot to worry a Char B or a Matilda.
No doubt you will find out when you get them into action…
All the best. Aly
Exactly right Aly, maybe I will roll a flukey triple 6 and really annoy the Allied players....that would be fun 😀
DeleteLovely work Keith! As Norm has said, the Soviets used them late war as almost sniper rifles and also for taken out soft skinned vehicles. The crews were taught to target vision slots etc too.
ReplyDeleteCheers Steve! The film I mentioned in my reply to Norm had a sniper as the main character, so the scene described fits in very well with your extra information!
DeleteNicely done Keith, especially the ATR's
ReplyDeleteThanks Scotty!
DeleteGreat looking models Keith. Love the basing.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Richard!
DeleteI always thought the ATR was a bit of a dud weapon, but it no doubt had its place. Either way, they make a lovely model and you have definitely done them justice.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lawrence, I agree, by the time they were used in anger, they were pretty much past their "use by" date, I think, but for gaming 1940, you need to have them in the inventory!
DeleteThe ATRs of the early war may have been marginal bits of kit by then, but you still gave to love the idea of putting a couple of troops on the table totting a really big rifle that shoots silly big bullets.
ReplyDeleteI might try using them to target enemy command groups, Ed....that would doubtless would elicit howls of protest... could be quite entertaining!
DeleteGreat looking figures Keith. Despite the ATR not being a great weapon I am pretty sure the sound of one bouncing off your turret would still give you a bit of a shock.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt that's true Ben....perhaps they should still cause a morale test on the crew?!
DeleteI think any hit that failed to penetrate or cause damage could result in a morale test. Depending on the size of the weapon, a 75mm shell having a greater morale effect than a few MG bullets. 😁
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