German Heer Pt.6- Reconnaissance

 Aufklarungs Recon Squad

This nifty little force option appeared in the Operation Market Garden campaign book. I like scouts and recon troops in general, and was happy to see this addition for the German army. I followed the suggestion in the unit entry- NCO with SMG/ MP40, 2-man LMG/ MG42 team and 2 riflemen- for my squad to ride in a Sd.Kfz 250/1 reconnaissance halftrack. As a small unit of veterans, they are more thematic than game changing, but I like their mobility and the possibility that they can cause an opponent problems with their two LMGs.

I bought a single sprue of Warlord Afrika Korps for this squad as there are plenty of heads wearing goggles, which I think a veteran recon squad in a halftrack would acquire for themselves. This also made them stand out from all the other plastic grenadiers that I have in the army a bit more to identify their different role. I'm sure the cut of the tropical uniform is wrong for northern Europe, but I just painted them in feldgrau colours and they look alright to me. Job done!

The Sd.Kfz 250/1 halftrack is a Paint & Glue 3D print. I have several of their vehicles across all of my BA forces, and I really like how affordable they are compared to resin or plastic multi=part kits. I followed the camo pattern that I've used for my other German fighting vehicles here, but added a good deal of stowage to this vehicle because I wanted to emphasise the self-sufficiency of this unit and their function of ranging ahead of the main force. They carry a lot of stowage- mostly Debris of War resin, but also plastic parts from the Grenadier sprue again to tie everything in.

Motorbike and Sidecar

I like that this was included in the first BA Errata/ FAQ as an 'Armoured Car' option for German armies. I can picture these things zipping around in most of the WW2 movies I've ever seen, so to be able to field them in BA was difficult to ignore.

My only addition to this Warlord kit was a piece of stowage attached to the back of the sidecar, beneath the spare wheel. This rolled up tarp allowed me to paint something in Sumpfmuster camo to tie in with my late-war force. Without it, I felt the model looked too 'early war', even though I'd painted the motorbike in Dunkelgelb.

On the tabletop, this is quite a brittle little unit, but it has great speed and can be used to harry your opponent's flanks. Plus, as an 'armoured car' it can spot Hidden troops at greater distances then other units. Not bad for the points!