Fallschirmjaeger Supports

While playing the IABSM random scenarios I've noticed that the German Company HQ platoon is a pretty valuable asset for the Germans since it inevitably contains a lot of support weapons. I want to get my Fallschirmjaeger kompanie on the table more, but after looking at the table of organization in Battle for Liberation (the IABSM army list book) I realized that my FJ HQ platoon needed more. Lots more. Three 80mm mortars and three tank hunter teams in fact. Inspired by the German infantry tank hunters in my previous post I ordered some bits from Peter Pig to finish off the FJ HQ. Martin at Peter Pig gave great service and made sure I had the required number of panzerschreks for my unit.

Panzerschreks with more oink!

Each tank hunter team is on a small FoW base. The assistant is actually carrying some mid-war AT bundle grenades, but with a squint he could just as easily have some rockets.

I also did this Battlefront command vignette, just because I have several of these radio teams and it seems a shame to waste them.

Close up of mortar

I also got two packs of Peter Pig 80mm FJ mortars. I only need three tubes for the HQ but I painted up all four anyway. The Piggie mortars are well detailed, one piece castings. I like the ease of assembly and just painting black between the bipod legs you don't notice the solidity.

Complete FJ Kompanie HQ platoon

I also added some other support options. I got two spare Old Glory 75mm infantry guns from a friend and added spare Battlefront gun crews (I have an astounding number of those 28mm squeeze bore AT guns that apparently never got really used, I think they might put one in each platoon blister pack).

I also ordered a pair of Peter Pig's 150mm recoilless guns. A rarity but a nifty piece anyway. I actually swapped some of the crew between the mortars and the guns, since I felt that kneeling crew would be more appropriate to a direct fire weapon exposed to potential small arms fire.

Peter Pig 150mm recoilless support guns.

This gives me some options for different weapons on the table, and since my 75mm antitank gun platoon only has one gun, they could just reinforce that. These are nice little models and easy to assemble.

I also painted up four more Big Men to command the support gun section and in case the paras roll successfully for additional BMs for each platoon.

Repeating the idea from my German Grenadier Kompanie, I also got 10 of the Peter Pig tank hunters with panzerfausts and mounted them on washers to indicate if a section has panzerfausts with it or not.

This brings my Christmas Miracle Fallschirmjaeger force (click here for the earlier post with the complete story) up to a complete HQ with mortars and tank hunters, two rifle platoons, a MMG platoon, Pak40 75mm AT gun, a choice of 2 different infantry support gun platoons, 10 Big Men and markers for panzerfausts.

Only one rifle platoon to go!

They'll be ready to attack the RHLIs at Woensdrecht soon.