So I finally finished off my Empress British Infantry platoon. Its been one of my goals since starting to play wargames again to have a full platoon. Part of this is just down to having a project but the main reason was I want to be able to run full campaigns with them and have different models for every squad member. Mad? Yes. Cool for telling stories afterwards? Also Yes.
So organisation, the platoon is comprised of a HQ section and three 8 man infantry sections. Thanks to additional figures, I have also added a weapons section and an engineering team. This lets me sub in additional soldiers when needed and also have special guys set aside for specific tasks.
So, without further ado, I present 1st Platoon, C Coy, West Shiresdale Fusilers.
HQ Section
Just prior to their deployment to Tirzania, the Platoon received a new officer in command. The rest of the HQ section is solid old school veterans, with the current mortarman being an ex member of second section . (Also note the two downed pilots in the background, ready and waiting to be rescued again.)
1st Section
1st section is made up of a mixture of troops, mostly the ones involved with the brawling on a Friday down the bar. In the field, with their GPMG, SAW and DMR, they are ideal as long range support. Note Lance Corpral Davision being “dyanmic” with his L85A2/UGL.
2nd Section
2nd Section bears the nickname of the Old Boys. In part a joke referencing to their age, the Old Boys are held in a position of honour. The previous officer used them as the close support team in the last deployment, ideal at both public relations and kicking in the doors when needed.
3rd Section
3rd section is the jack of all trades section. Mostly new faces after the last deployment, they are now looking to make their mark and earn a reputation for themselves. This is the section that is most often in the Warrior as the QRF when needed. This section can also act as a placeholder engineering team when the situation demands
Weapons Section
Company has assigned several specialists to assist the platoon in country. An additional medic is on hand, as are a trained Javelin team. Finally, a marksman has been requested to provide overwatch on certain missions.
Engineering Team
Due to the high probability of IEDs in country, the platoon has been assigned a dedicated team to help them find and defuse them. This comprises of two engineers, a search dog handler and a rifleman to provide support.
.
In Skirmish Sangin I run them as a mixture of average, veteran and (in the case of 2 Section’s NCO) elite soldier with body armour and a mix of weapons. They provide me a nice tool box to grab from when making smaller patrols from
All models are Empress miniatures avaliable from http://www.empressminiatures.com/userimages/procart35.htm. Overall its a good range but I it can be a pain to make full sections (only two boxes have two riflemen, a MG (either SAW or the GPMG) and a grenadier). In addition special weapons like the GPMG and the Sharpshooter rifle have only one pose each. On the other hand, a nice range of alternative heads is an excellent addition.
Next Project?
Well the first thing is to get the rest of my force all painted up. The Special Forces are almost done (apart from a brand new set turning up soon) and then the next group to paint will be the insurgents so I can play both sides. There is also the small matter of finishing the Warrior sat on my desk but I need to repair my airbrush first.
On the other hand, Gripping Beast do a rather good range of British from the Falklands War and it would be a shame not to have the West Shiresdale Fusilers through the ages…
Leave a Reply