Slow moving project: VBCW Malta 1938

[Vanvlak]

I have a very motley assortment of models, predominantly tanks, for a Very British Civil War which I am going to set in Malta.
And no, in this version of reality they have NOT invented the rubble wall amouflage pattern used here in WWII!  

My predilection for tanks and some very unplanned purchasing is not making background planning easy, but I finally have a backstory of sorts, laboriously crafted to fit in British, French and Russian tanks - in Malta (notorious for being poor tank country!  

Following the VBCW booklet Tales from the Fall of the Empire, which was kind enough to include Malta, the local commander is a supporter of the Anglican League, and has some of his troops and police force (and some of the local upper class) on his side. The Maltese population are a bit wary of this, being staunch Catholics, but most are not too keen on the Mosleyite officer cadre either.

A solution arrives in the form of a squadron of ships sent by Prince Albert, whose envoy lands cautiously in Mellieha bay. Realising that the north of the island is relatively undefended, a small force of Vickers tanks and troops with a large number of machine gunners land unopposed, welcomed by the more anglophile of the locals; the smaller island of Gozo is occupied as well. However lightweight the tanks, the armour shifts the balance to the Albertines' favour: although getting these through the Victoria lines into Anglican League territory seems well nigh impossible, they control the main agricultural areas of the island, putting Brigadier Ponsonby-Smythe in a pinch.

Help comes from an unexpected quarter: fearing that the Catholic Church could rise against the Anglicans and call in Italian troops for help, France sends a small shipment of tanks to the Brigadier, and a squadron of Renault F17s is landed at Grand Harbour, together with some less useful St Chamonds. Although ancient, the light, small Renaults fit well in the narrow local roads, and are more effective than could be expected.

Skirmishes ensue below the Victoria lines, and a stalemate seems to have been attained when a third faction rises within the Anglican League zone - the Partit Kommunista Malti, the local communist uprising clamouring for independence from Britain - or Italy or France. They have mysteriously acquired a Soviet tank, too large and clumsy to be really useful other than for propaganda or as a (barely) mobile strongpoint. Theories abound on the origina of the tank, some saying it had been dropped by parachute, others that it had been landed from a submarine below the cliffs, with no indication how it then made it up to horizontal land; others still say that a small group of local communists had infilltrated the drydocks, and the canny Soviets had secretly shipped in on a ship entering harbour for repairs a completelty disassembled tank, which the locals smuggled out of the dock area and assembled in secret. Whatever the truth it now patrols the Communist stronghold in central Malta under the red flag.

So far 3 French tanks and an Albertine Vickers are painted. I also have a couple of trucks besides more Vickers and the pesky Soviet tin can. Iwould then need to sort out my troops. And get some more.

Don't wait up for pics, this will be a slow, comfortable project. You've seen the St Chamond in action in Greece (in the painting competition), now I need to photograph his allies and solitary (so far) adversary.

[Steve J]

Some nice background fluff there and look forward to more updates as and when time allows.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Hello Vanvlak

Sounds like it is moving along and should be great fun. The police should be a nice addition - are you thinking of having the mounted branch? You could use the WW1 ME Imperial Cavalry or maybe the WW1 cavalry with sabre.

My memories of when I passed through Malta all have the horse drawn taxis, maybe you could convert one of the Tachankas to a Maltese version for the Partit Kommunista Malti 


Painted by Jose Mendes

If you eventually have to have an Italian intervention force (after all you have no forces from the right - would any locals have supported Mosley?), I can recommend the SCW - Moroccan Falange Militia (puttees, shirt sleeves, fez) as reasonable proxies for Italian Blackshirts - just got some recently.

Have fun, cheers

GrumpyOldMan

[Vanvlak]

Thanks guys.
Cavalry: that's a very good idea, GrumpyOldMan - I had dismissed cavalry because if Malta is poor country for tanks (which I am having anyway!),it's probably worse for horses, but the Karozzin conversion would work.

If you eventually have to have an Italian intervention force (after all you have no forces from the right - would any locals have supported Mosley?), I can recommend the SCW - Moroccan Falange Militia (puttees, shirt sleeves, fez) as reasonable proxies for Italian Blackshirts - just got some recently.

There would: last night, in between bouts of insomnia fueled by pension worries and the latest slew of projects at work I realised that I had a missing slot. There was some strong support for Italy, which could have swung round to Mosley or (more likely) would have flared up in a smaller scale version of the Spanish Civil War with Italy almost certainly being invited to intervene. In real life, there is film footage of a Fascist meet in Italy with someone holding a placard saying 'Malta', and in the War a few hundreds were deported (some unjustly) for Fascist or Italianate leanings. So this faction should definitely exist too, although I'll leave these for later.

I have also been thinking of the X Lighter again - and scenery. Fortunately reproducing the Rinella cannon is unnecessary as it's not really useful in civil war terms:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwC5RMlTM-w

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Nice gun!

If you want those, try the French and Prussian 1870 siege artillery!

[Vanvlak]

Nice gun!

If you want those, try the French and Prussian 1870 siege artillery!

And find a way of explaining it, then... hang on, I already have French 2nd hand tanks in the mix, why not go back further?!