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News from a wargamer with a special interest in the military history of the Balkans. It mainly covers my current reading and wargaming projects. For more detail you can visit the web sites I edit - Balkan Military History and Glasgow & District Wargaming Society. Or follow me on Twitter @Balkan_Dave
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Sunday 21 October 2012

Clydeside reinforcements - T26

I returned to the Very British Civil War today at the club. This time using Bolt Action rules with 1000 points a side. My Clydesiders against Iain's League of St Andrews.

My Clydesiders received some fraternal reinforcements this week in the form of a T26 tank from the Soviet Union, with 'volunteer' tank specialists. It did very well in its first outing, knocking out an enemy tank and supporting the final push to victory over the bourgeois posties, Covenanters and others that make up the League.



Scotland is not of course the first time the T26 has been exported. It first arrived in Spain on 12 October 1936, when a force of 50 landed in Cartagena commanded by Brigadier Krivoshein. They were quickly in action in the defence of Madrid. The T26 was not a very robust design and most were out of action being repaired by December. After that they were husbanded for special operations, although infantry cooperation was abysmal throughout the Spanish Civil War.

Despite these difficulties the T26 was probably the best tank in the Spanish Civil War, at least until the BT5 arrived. The Nationalists captured so many that one was attached to each of their Pkw I units. The 45mm main gun outclassed anything the fascists could supply. Around 281 were supplied in total. The T26 remained in Spanish army service until the 1960's.

The model comes from the Empress Miniatures range. Painted a neutral green with dry brushing earth and a coat of Devlon Mud. While it is an excellent model, the parts are not a great fit and needed a lot of work to get them to fit, particularly the gun barrel. At £19 a go they could do better. Some instructions wouldn't go amiss either. I would have struggled without the excellent Osprey, Spanish Civil War Tanks.

Bolt Action rules worked well for the game. Although we will probably add some chance cards next time.



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