Making American Civil War Blockhouse

Below is a tutorial on Making American Civil War Blockhouse (ACW). A very good friend of mine from the Grimsby Wargames Society built an American Civil War (ACW) blockhouse for his 15mm figures and so inspired me I just had to build one for my own 10mm figures.

ACW Blockhouse

Making ACW Blockhouse

1. The first step is to cut your bases to the desired size either using MDF or hardboard in my case I used hardboard and cut it to 6 inch wide by 6 inch long once you have cut your bases to the desired size you then want to proceed to rasp the edges to give it a smoother appearance.

2. The next phase is the glue the tiles spaces on to the hardboard using a glue gun at edges of the base.

3. The next step is to texture your base. I have done tutorial on basing.

4. Then using foam board I cut the basic shape for the blockhouse which consisted of two basic squares the first being 2 1/2 inches long and the height was 1 inch the second square was 2 inches long and 1 inch high I then glued and pinned the two squares together.

5. Once the foam board had dried I then cut up the reed window blind to fit around the top square of the blockhouse which was glued in place with PVA

6. On the lower square I cut strips of cardboard to imitate wood planking and also made a small cardboard door

7. The reed window blind was cut to appropriate lengths to be glued to the tile spaces to make fencing.

8. The main building and the fences were painted in Humbrol No. 67 Tank Grey and dry brushed with Humbrol No. 160 German Camouflage Red Brown.

Tools

Pencil
Tape measure
Wood saw
Rasp
Paintbrushes
Glue Gun

Materials

Hardboard
Polycell Textured Ceilings Course Effect
Ronseal Diamond Hard Varnish, matt clear
Noch Summer Meadow Grass
PVA
Foam Board
Cardboard
Reed Window Blind
Tile Spaces

Humbrol Colours

Humbrol No. 110 Natural Wood
Humbrol No. 103 Cream
Humbrol No. 67 Tank Grey
Humbrol No. 160 German Camouflage Red Brown

The Battle of Philippi

The Battle of Philippi also known as The Philippi Races 3 June 1861. Union, under Colonels Benjamin Franklin Kelley and Frederick W. Lander, 3,000. Killed, 2, wounded 2, missing 2. Confederate, under Col. George A. Porterfield, numbers not reported. Killed, 16 wounded, unknown missing 26. 

In conformity with our plan we proceed to narrate the progress of battles in the order of their succession, which carries us, in rapid transition, from one portion of the country to another, and brings each action vividly before the eye as it transpires. The most important engagement, after the fighting in the streets of Baltimore, the occupation of Annapolis and Alexandria, and the attacks of the enemy's batteries on Aquia Creek, was that at Philippi, in Western Virginia, on the 3 June 1861. The Union forces, under the command of Brigadier General Thomas A. Morris, were in the possession of Grafton. The rebels were at Philippi, under Colonel George A. Porterfield. Having determined to send out an expedition to surprise them, it was organized in two divisions one, consisting of the First Virginia Regiment, and the Ninth and Sixteenth Ohio, under the command of Colonel Benjamin Franklin Kelley the other, of the Sixth and Seventh Indiana, the Fourteenth Ohio, and a section of artillery, under the combined command of Colonels Ebenezer Dumont and Frederick W. Lander. They set out on their march in a terrific storm, through an unexplored and uneven country, on the night of the 2d of June. At four o'clock in the morning. Frederick W. Lander, who was to attack the enemy in front, took up his position across the river on a hill commanding the town. Benjamin Franklin Kelley was to attack them in rear. The plan matured at headquarters failed in its execution. Benjamin Franklin Kelley was impeded in his march of twenty-two miles by roads rendered almost impassable by the darkness of the night and the violence of the storm. On arriving, he found the town aroused instead of surprised, and Frederick W. Lander already engaged with the enemy. To add to the discomfiture caused by the lateness of his force, it came up in the wrong direction. Recovering from this error, however, it charged upon the enemy's encampments with improved promptness and great gallantry. Frederick W. Lander's batteries had in the mean time done terrible execution. Suddenly, while Benjamin Franklin Kelley was pressing them closely, he came down the hill like a thunderbolt, and joined iii the pursuit of the enemy. In this action Colonel Benjamin Franklin Kelley was severely wounded. Sixteen of the rebels were killed several wounded and taken prisoners, and a large quantity of camp equipage, arms, etc., were captured. 

Orders of Battle

Confederate Commander-in-chief George A. Porterfield

1st Brigade, under the command of 

1 x Confederate Infantry Regiment

1 x Confederate Infantry Regiment

2nd Brigade, under the command of 

1 x Confederate Infantry Regiment

1 x Confederate Infantry Regiment

1 x Artillery 

Union Commander-in-chief Thomas A. Morris

1st Brigade, under the command of Colonel Benjamin Franklin Kelley

1st Virginia Regiment

9th Ohio Infantry Regiment

16th Ohio Infantry Regiment

2nd Brigade, under the command of Colonels Ebenezer Dumont and Frederick W. Lander

6th Indiana Infantry Regiment

7th Indiana Infantry Regiment

14th Ohio Infantry Regiment 

1 x Artillery

Download This Scenario

The Battle of Philippi

How it Played

Sources

My American Civil War Book Library

Southern Front

The Southern Front was a roughly Army group sized formation of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. The Southern Front directed military operations during the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in 1940, and then was formed twice after the June 1941 German invasion, Operation Barbarossa.

Active 1940 to

Commanders

Army General Ivan Tyulenev, 21 June 1941 to 20 August 1941

Ivan Tyulenev

Lieutenant General Dmitry Ryabyshev, 30 August 1941 to 5 October 1941

Dmitry Ryabyshev

Colonel General Yakov Cherevichenko, 5 October 1941 to December 1941

Yakov Cherevichenko

Lieutenant General Rodion Malinovsky, December 1941 to 28 June 1942

Rodion Malinovsky

Colonel-General Andrei Yeremenko, 1 January 1943 to 2 February 1943

Andrei Yeremenko

Lieutenant General Rodion Malinovsky, 2 February 1943 to 22 March 1943

Rodion Malinovsky

Colonel General Fyodor Tolbukhin, 22 March 1943 to 20 October 1943

Fyodor Tolbukhin

Armies

9th Army
Front Assets

Front Assets

7th Rifle Corps - Major General K.L. Dobroserdov

116th Rifle Division - Col. Ya.F. Eremenko
196th Rifle Division - Maj. Gen. K.E. Kulikov
206th Rifle Division - Col. S.I. Gorshkov

9th Rifle Corps - Major General Pavel Batov


106th Rifle Division - Combrig M.S. Tkachev
156th Rifle Division - Mj.Gen. P.V. Chernyaev
32nd Cavalry Division - Col. A.I. Batskalevich

3rd Airborne Corps - Major General Vasili Glazunov


5th Airborne Brigade - Colonel Alexander Rodimtsev
6th Airborne Brigade - Colonel Viktor Zholudev
212th Airborne Brigade - Colonel Ivan Zatevakhin
47th Rifle Division

Southern Front, Photos
Southern Front, Doc

Army Group South

Army Group South (German: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of two German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group South was led by Gerd von Rundstedt and his chief of staff Erich von Manstein. Two years later, Army Group South became one of three army groups into which Germany organised their forces for Operation Barbarossa. Army Group South's principal objective was to capture Soviet Ukraine and its capital Kiev.

Active 1939 to 1945

Commanders

Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt, 1 September 1939 to 26 October 1939

Gerd von Rundstedt

Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt, 22 June 1941 to 1 December 1941

Gerd von Rundstedt

Generalfeldmarschall Walter von Reichenau, 1 December 1941 to 12 January 1942

Walter von Reichenau

Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock, 12 January 1942 to 9 July 1942

Fedor von Bock

Generalfeldmarschall Maximilian von Weichs, 9 July 1942 to 12 February 1943

Maximilian von Weichs

Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein, 12 February 1943 to 30 March 1944

Erich von Manstein

Generaloberst Johannes Frießner, 23 September 1944 to 28 December 1944

Johannes Frießner

General der Infanterie Otto Wöhler, 28 December 1944 to 6 April 1945

Otto Wöhler

Generaloberst Lothar Rendulic, 7 April 1945 to 30 April 1945

Lothar Rendulic

Armies

6th Army
17th Army
11th Army

3rd Army
4th Army

Army Group South, Photos
Army Group South, Doc

Southwestern Front

The Southwestern Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War, it was formed 3 times.

It was first created on June 22, 1941 from the Kiev Special Military District. The western boundary of the front in June 1941 was 865 km long, from the Pripyat River and the town of Wlodawa to the Prut River and the town of Lipkany at the border with Romania.

Active 1941 to

Commanders

Colonel General Mikhail P. Kirponos, June 1941 to September 1941

Mikhail P. Kirponos

Marshal Semyon K. Timoshenko, September 1941 to December 1941

Semyon K. Timoshenko

Lieutenant General Fyodor Kostenko, December 1941 to April 1942

Fyodor Kostenko

Lieutenant General Nikolai F. Vatutin, October 1942 to March 1943

Nikolai F. Vatutin

Colonel General Rodion Ia. Malinovsky, March 1943 to October 1943

Rodion Ia. Malinovsky

Armies

5th Army
6th Army
12th Army
26th Army

Front Assets

Southwestern Front, Photos
Southwestern Front, Doc

297th Infantry Division

The 297th Infantry Division (297. Infanterie-Division) was formed in March/April 1940 from newly trained Austrian personnel. Not identified in action prior to the Russian campaign where it operated in the southern sector from July 1941. Virtually destroyed at Stalingrad.

Commander

General der Artillerie Max Pfeffer, from 5 April 1940 to 1943

Max Pfeffer

522 Infantry Regiment
523 Infantry Regiment
524 Infantry Regiment
297 Reconnaissance Battalion
297 Artillery Regiment
297 Pionier Battalion
297 Anti-Tank Battalion
297 Signal Battalion

Auxiliary unit number 297
Home Station Wein (Wkr. XVII)

297th Infantry Division, Photos
297th Infantry Division, Doc

295th Infantry Division

The 295th Infantry Division (295. Infanterie-Division) was formed in March/April 1940 from newly trained personnel. Not identified in action prior to the Russian campaign, where it was continuously engaged on the southern front from July 1941.  Virtually destroyed at Stalingrad.

Commander 

General der Artillerie Rolf Wuthmann, from 2 May 1942 to 16 November 1942

Rolf Wuthmann

Generalmajor Dr. Otto Korfes, from 16 November 1942 to 1943

Dr. Otto Korfes

516 Infantry Regiment
517 Infantry Regiment
518 Infantry Regiment
295 Schnelle Battalion
295 Artillery Regiment
295 Pionier Battalion
295 Anti-Tank Battalion
295 Reconnaissance Battalion
295 Signal Battalion

Auxiliary unit number 295
Home Station (Wkr. XI)

295th Infantry Division, Photos
295th Infantry Division, Doc

113th Infantry Division

The 113th Infantry Division (113. Infanterie-Division) was formed in December 1940. Was in the Balkans on occupational duties during November and December 1941. Later transferred to the southern sector of the Russian front, where it was finally virtually destroyed at Stalingrad.

Commander

Generalleutnant Friedrich Zickwolff, from 4 June 1941 to 10 May 1942

Generalleutnant Hans-Heinrich Sixt von Arnim, from 10 May 1942 to 20 January 1943

Hans-Heinrich
Sixt von Arnim

260 Infantry Regiment
261 Infantry Regiment
268 Infantry Regiment
113 Bicycle Battalion
113 Artillery Regiment
113 Pionier Battalion
113 Anti-Tank Battalion
113 Signal Battalion

Auxiliary unit number 113
Home Station (Wkr. XIII)

113th Infantry Division, Photos
113th Infantry Division, Doc

94h Infantry Division

The 94h Infantry Division (94. Infanterie-Division) was a reserve division formed in September 1939. Personnel mainly Saxon or Sudeten German, with some previous military training. Took some part in the French campaign. Engaged in Russia in the southern sector, where it suffered heavy casualties on the withdrawal from Stalingrad.

Commander

General der Artillerie Georg Pfeiffer, from  21 August 1940 to 29 January 1943

Georg Pfeiffer,

267 Infantry Regiment
274 Infantry Regiment
276 Infantry Regiment
194 Bicycle Battalion
194 Artillery Regiment
194 Pionier Battalion
194 Anti-Tank Battalion
194 Schnelle Battalion
194 Signal Battalion

Auxiliary unit number 194
Home Station (Wkr. IV)

23 August 1942

September

October

November

December

January

2 February 1943

94h Infantry Division, Photos
94h Infantry Division, Doc

100th Jäger Division

The 100th Jäger Division (100. leichte Infanterie-Division) was formed in December 1940. First identified in action during the summer of 1941 on the Southern Russian front. The 369th Reinforced Inf Regt (Croatian) was attached to it until late in 1942. The division was virtually destroyed at Stalingrad.

Commander 

Generalleutnant Werner Sanne, from 10 October 1940 to 6 July 1942

Werner Sanne

54 Jager Regiment
227 Jager Regiment
100 Reconnaissance Battalion
83 Artillery Regiment
100 Pionier Battalion
100 Anti-Tank Battalion
100 Signal Battalion

Auxiliary unit number 100
Home Station (Wkr. XVII)


On 10 October 1941, the 369th Croatian Reinforced Infantry Regiment linked up on the line of the Dnieper River with the 100th Light Infantry Division

23 August 1942

September

October

November

December

January

2 February 1943

100th Jäger Division, Photos
100th Jäger Division, Doc