Sunday 24 March 2019

FoW: Slovak Artillery - 10cm vz.14-19 battery

So, today we are going to take a look at one of the mainstays of the Slovak howitzer batteries. The Skoda 10cm vz.14-19 Houfnice [Howitzer]

Following the experiences of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-1905 a lot of development in the theory and usage of field artillery was developed. The results of all of this work were a number of different artillery pieces that would fulfill certain roles on the field of battle. Skoda was one of the companies that contributed prodigiously to these developments.




This artillery piece made its first appearance just before the start of the First World War and quickly entered into the establishment of a number of the European Central Powers inventories. Mass production was quickly established and soon this robust piece was affecting the ebb and flow of battle all across Europe.


Because of its technical specifications this artillery piece provided the Austro-Hungarian Army with one of the best artillery pieces in the world at the start of the war. She carried all of the attributes of a modern artillery piece such as a liquid recoil brake, back up counter with balancers, a carriage shield, an independently mounted drum sight and an horizontal wedge shaped lock. Initially they were equipped with a bronze alloy barrel although later in the war due to material shortages Skoda started to supply them with steel barrels which gave them further longevity as well.


These guns were manufactured right up until 1935 when production ceased and they did sterling service for the Czechoslovakian army.


Over 600 were produced for the Czechoslovakian army and after the Nazi's occupied the majority of Czech lands a mere 184 were left for the newly born Slovak state.


They did not figure greatly in the low intensity clashes with the invading Hungarians and their own invasion of Poland but they were available. Following the end of the Polish campaign on the 6th October 1939 the Slovak artillery was reorganised with the second and third artillery sections of each of the 1st and 3rd Regiments being equipped with the 10cm vz.14-19. Each Regiment had three sections of artillery with each section containing four batteries. There was also a spares section which had a single battery.


However with the departure of the Czech troops after the demobilisation following the Munich crisis in 1938, the thing that the Slovaks were really missing was experienced artillery operators. 


The only time on the Eastern Front where they saw serious usage was when the Security Division was deployed into the Ukraine in 1942 where two batteries of eight guns saw extensive use.


The real (and final) test for these weapons under Slovak usage came with the Slovak uprising against the Nazi's in 1944 in which they formed the core of the Slovak artillery as well as equipping the armoured train Hurban which fought around the areas of Cremosne and Hel'py.


These venerable pieces continued to soldier on under German hands until the very end of the war and when Czechoslovakia was reformed after the Treaty of Paris in 1946 some even found their way back into the Czech artillery park although they were very soon after retired in the interests of streamlining the military with Soviet equipment.


So, there we have it. A brief potted history of the use of these Kings of the Battlefield. 

Now its time to move onto the modelling of these beasts for the 15mm Slovak army for Flames of War that seemed to have taken over my life over the last year.



The first thing that you need to do is collect together the assets for what you will need to put these guns together.

Thankfully Battlefronts new Italian 100mm Howitzers are the perfect choice... because they are the actual guns (almost) that were used. They are also correct for the Polish Early War 100mm Howitzers as well by the way.


Where the wheels are concerned I scraped together some True North Miniatures (supported by Andy at Old Glory UK) wheels from their Polish artillery pieces as these were more accurate.

Lastly you need a pack of plastic sheet, rods and tubes and some thin 0.3mm brass rod as well.


The artillery piece gun trails are left unaltered from their original form and instead of the plastic wheels supplied with the models the metal True North Miniatures wheels are attached instead.


The 14/19 model artillery piece had a lengthened barrel which increased its muzzle velocity and range and so to do this you need to file the end of the existing barrel flat and add a 10mm length of 2mm diameter plastic tube.


The gun barrels and breeches can then be added to the gun trails as normal.


The next step is to do all of the work on the gun shields by preparing the pieces. The gun shield itself remains unaltered. You need two 3.5mm x 3.5mm plastic squares with one of the corners nipped off to act as the crew seats on the front of the shield. Two brass rod hand rails made by bending the 0.3mm brass rod down on either side of a pair of needle nose pliers and cutting the handle ends to length for the two handles mounted on the upper gun shield edges and same method used to create the foot stirrups for mounting below the seat. Finally you need two tiny rectangular pieces that will be used as the foot boards mounted onto the bottom of the stirrups.


The next step in constructing the gun shield is to glue the 3.5mm rectangular pieces of plastic into the positions on the gun shield as shown above taking care the line the seat up with the bottom of the wheel arch and with the nipped corner aligning with one of the plastic extrusions on the gun shield itself.


All gun shields should now be mounted on your guns into the correct positions... and as you can see the weapons are already starting to take shape. If you are just into producing product for the table top then this could be enough.

If you want to push that extra step though...


So... the foot stirrups. These should be about 3mm wide (just narrower than the actual seat widths) with about 2.5-3mm length up to the bend and then about 3mm more after the bend, with the bend being at about 110deg. 

File the ends of the brass just to be tidy!


The brass stirrups can now be glued to the undersides of the plastic seats that have already been attached to the gun shields. Glue them so that the angle on the stirrups comes up to the edge of the seat.


The final couple of steps are relatively simple.

Glue the miniscule footboards onto the bottom of the stirrups

Glue the handles onto the top inside edge of the wheel arches

Glue two small lengths of plastic (or brass) rod onto the inside corner of the seats on the gun shield for crew handles.


A look from below the gun so you can see where the brass rod stirrups are actually glued to.


Another view of the above showing again where exactly the stirrups are mounted and clearly showing the footboards attached as well.


So there we have it. Above is an example of a completely painted battery of these beauties! I will take you through the painting colour schemes and methodology that I employ as well. A bit complex but personally I love the results so I'm happy with what I've got :)

Before we go any further I should also point out that every single miniature in this battery was a Battlefront 15mm Romanian until I nipped off their heads and replaced them with Peter Pig heads to turn them into Slovaks. Either the ones with the Slovak Helmets that Martin sculpted for me or else the ones with the Soviet Pilotka Caps.


The first thing that I normally do when putting together a battery once the guns are built is actually to actually paint all of the crew that serve the guns and where my Slovaks are concerned this obviously took a bit of work so let me take you through it all!


So, where painting all of the infantry is concerned its a relatively simple affair. They are done the way that I do them to look good from about 5ft away. Scrutinise them from up close and all of the flaws in the painting will probably slap you in the face.

The first step is to prime, and as with most of my other historical stuff, I prime with a black etch primer. You can buy these from any hardware store but the 'etch' in the primer ensures an exceptionally strong substrate to the acrylic layers that will go over the top.


The lions share of the work done on WW2 miniatures is the main uniform and where the Slovaks are concerned after a somewhat lengthy research period I decided to ditch the colour photos from the past and go with the uniform colours that all of the re-enactors in Czechoslovakia are using at the moment. In my experience all of these re-enactment guys are anal about accuracy so I would trust their opinions a lot more than raggedy old photos.

My base coat was done with Vallejo's 887 Brown Violet for the deepest layers of the uniform. The first highlight, which presents the largest overall surface area that will be seen at the end was done with MIG's 113 Khaki Green No3 (Brit 1939-1942) with the final highlights along all of the raised edges being completed with MIG's 058 Light Green Khaki. This covers all of the cloth uniform and the puttees.

The helmet has a single coat of 50/50 mix of Vallejo's 897 Bronze Green and Vallejo's 887 Brown Violet with the blue helmet band having a basecoat of Vallejo's 925 Intense Blue, highlighted with a 50/50 mix of Vallejo's 925 Intense Blue and Vallejo's 943 Blue Grey. The little Slovak crosses are all hand painted with thinned down Vallejo's 820 Offwhite.


Everything else is relatively quick and simple after painting the uniform.

All of the Canvas bags and straps have a basecoat of Vallejo's 921 English Uniform applied with block highlights of AK Interactives 3072 M-44 Uniform Green Ochre Khaki whilst the leather belts and ammo pouches are basecoated in Vallejo's 045 Charred Brown and highlighted with Vallejo's 983 Flat Earth.

The boots are any matt black whilst the Gas Mask Tins are basecoated with Vallejo's 980 Black Green and highlighted with Lifecolor's UA224 Olive Drab Faded Type 2.

The rifle bodies are basecoated with Vallejo's 826 German Camo Medium Brown with the highlighted grain lines painted with Vallejo's 981 Orange Brown. All metal work is painted black firstly and highlighted with Molten Metals Steel. The rifle straps are basecoated with Vallejo's 880 Khaki Grey and highlighted with a 50/50 mix of Vallejo's 880 Khaki Grey and Vallejo's 819 Iraqi Sand.

Where the skin is concerned you can paint it how you please but personally I use one of AK Interactive's paint sets for 'Flesh and Skin Colours' and I've never looked back!


All of the bases are actually really simple. I buy all of my bases from Tony at East Riding Miniatures. Hes a bit of a legend and REALLY helpful. They are all laser cut MDF which allows for easy scoring of the base surface.

I then glue the miniatures to the scored surface and apply a thin layer of tile grout over the top. Once this is dry I glue a layer of one of my sand mixes over the top. Generally speaking I create my own mixes for base coverings as I REALLY don't like a lot of the crap you buy from the shops. Its generally speaking far too gaudy in colour or uniform in texture for my tastes.

I like the generally fine sand BUT I like to have lots of the little stones in there so I can create some colour contrasts with the dirt on the bases.

Once dry the whole base is given a basecoat of Vallejo's 826 German Camo Medium Brown and given a heavy drybrush of Vallejo's 814 Green Ochre.

All of the little stones on the bases are then given a basecoat of Vallejo's 995 German Grey and roughly highlighted (to create a jagged uneven texture) with any lighter grey of your choice but personally I go with Vallejo's 992 Neutral Grey.

The sides of the bases are now painted Matt Black. I never used to bother with this BUT I've really gotten into the clean precise look this lends to the bases. I love it now.


Now we come to the final stage of the bases which is the covering. The static flock that I use is my own mix. I go for something that approximates the dead and dry grass you find on the Steppes with perhaps a little more green in it than usual. This allows an overall base aesthetic that can be used the length of Europe in my opinion.

To provide the final textural boost to the bases though I use a variety of clumps. I had a LOT of problems finding ones that I felt were suitable but after a couple of years I came across a company called Tajima Miniatures whose self adhesive tufts are without a doubt the best I have ever found. I use there stuff by the bucket load now, in great variety. 

These all add to the final colour and texture of the bases of this army.

Now that the bases and the miniatures are all squared away the only thing left to do is sort the guns themselves out...


So the painting of the guns is where the real complexity begins. I should also point out by the way that I have opted not to apply mud and spattering weathering to these artillery pieces as I kind of really like the clean look of them. They do have plenty of knocks and rusty battered parts which adds to the scheme but that is where I have chosen to draw the line.


The main paint scheme of the guns is done by airbrush using my MIG Aircobra for the Priming and Basecoating and my Harder & Steenbeck for all of the shading and highlighting as my H&S has a 0.15 needle and provides a hell of a lot more control... but the MIG is SOOOOO easy to clean it just makes sense to use it where I can...

The Airbrushing steps are as follows:
i) The model is primed with a Matt Black Etch Primer
ii) The basecoat is Tamiya's XF-58's Olive Green
iii) The first highlight is LifeColors UA221 Khaki Olive Drab applied in a panel highlight fashion
iv) The second highlight is LifeColors UA224 Olive Drab Faded Type 2 applied as above but a bit lighter and gathered in along the edges and prominent areas
v) The third highlight is a 50/50 mix of LifeColors UA224 Olive Drab Faded Type 2 with LifeColor 01 White. This is applied sparingly just along the edges and prominent areas. 


So that's the airbrushing complete and don't be overly concerned if your third highlight was too heavy as the next step will, if done correctly will tone the whole contrasted effect down.

vi) Now we apply the Filter over the whole thing to unify the colour aesthetic and clip the contrast a little. I apply MIG's Filter 1506 Brown for Dark Green.
vii) Once dry wipe of any serious excess from where it may have pooled but otherwise leave it untouched.
viii) At this point I apply the first layer of Varnish. It doesnt matter which varnish you choose so long as it fixes the Filter layer as its an oil based layer.


Once the varnish is dry its time for the next layer which is where the real depth starts to come out.

ix) Over every detail laden part of the model apply a Wash. I use AK Interactives Wash 075 Wash for NATO Camouflage Vehicles. Don't be shy with this step. Slap it on aplenty! Then leave to dry for a while.
x) Once its dry use cotton buds (cue tips for you Yankees out there...) and use a gentle white spirit to wipe away the excess leaving great detail and shadowing around all of your detail areas and a general lowering of the overall chroma luminosity. Personally I use Winsor & Newtons Artists White Spirit as I had a bad experience with normal white spirit and have no wish to repeat the disaster!
xi) Once the whole piece is dry to the touch apply another layer of varnish to fix everything in place.


... once all of the actual painting steps proper have been squared away the last thing to do on the miniature is actually the rusted patches. For this just use an old kitchen sponge and dab on Vallejo's Panzer Aces 302 Dark Rust along the edges of the gun shield and other edges and spots across different patches of the model.

These Dark Rust elements then have the heaviest sections lined with Vallejo's Model Color 819 Iraqi Sand. These lines need to be very fine but also work well to work in as actual scratches into the overall paint scheme.

The very last thing that needs to be done with the painting is the wheel rims which are painted  with LifeColor's UA733 Tire Black and highlighted with Vallejo's Model Color 995 German Grey.

Varnish one final time with a super matt varnish and that as they say is that!

Remove from workspace and attach to the finished bases at your leisure!

Go have fun!


Friday 22 March 2019

FoW: The Slovakian Army

So... I have finally finished all of the modelling for my Flames of War Slovak army and thank God for that! I hit my wall around November time last year and have just been bashing away since.

“For social justice against capitalism and jewish-bolshevism!”
I started with an idea of a really small army with a couple of bits n' pieces that I could get done quickly but as is so often the case with my hobby, I woke up one day and said to myself 'Self! We must possess everything they used!' 

...and so began my latest odyssey!

Just a sneak peak of whats to come...
Anyway its over now and I thought it would be handy, as a prequel to the mountain of Slovak modelling posts that I plan to share with you all, to give an introduction to Slovakia and its armed forces that took part in the early part of the Second World War just to orientate you all to whom it is we will be looking at over the next God knows how many posts!

...so let us begin:

A long time ago in a newly created state not so far away there were a group of people called the Slovaks and they occupied lands that under Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points and the Treaty of Versaille was taken off of Austro-Hungary and Germany and formed a constituent part of the newly born Czechoslovakia. I won't bore you all with the minutiae of the interbellum politics that led to the breakdown of the Czech political system suffice it to say that Hitlers masses poured across the borders occupying the Sudetenland without a shot being fired and less than a year later occupied the rest of the country...

Slovak troops marching in a military parade before the war

... except for the south eastern part of the country who had a fait accompli slapped across their foreheads by the order of Hitler:

"Declare independence from the Czechoslovakian state and align yourselves as a protectorate of Germany... or we will occupy you as well!"

Led by Dr Jozef Tiso, Slovakia split from Czechoslovakia and formed its own state on 14 March 1939 under the sinister auspices of Nazi Germany subsequently becoming Germany's first ally when on 1 September 1939 it took a part in the invasion of Poland, reclaiming lost territory in Teschen.

Dr Jozef Tiso
Slovakia, after reclaiming some of its lost lands... receiving a bloody nose from Hungary and then having to give away more land to other European powers under the orders of Hitler, still sided with the Nazi's for the invasion of the Soviet Union...and finally went down in flames in 1945 after a mere 6 years of existence, before being recombined with the Czech Republic again in 1946 as a result of the Treaty of Paris.

Slovak Army Organisation

By the time the Czechoslovakian army was mobilised in 1938 it had expanded to over 1,250,000 men and it can be stated with some certainty that at this time, and given the weapons and training that it possessed, the Czechoslovakian army was one of the finest in Europe. At  the time of the Munich Crisis it was able to field some 17 front line and 17 reserve Infantry Divisions, four motorised Mobile (in Czech "Rychla" or "Rapid") Divisions and numerous independent artillery formations as well as a whole raft of Fortification and Border units. It can be postulated with some credibility that had Benes and his boys stood up to the Nazi strong arming in 1938 then World War Two may very likely have been averted. They were strong enough to stand up to the Nazi's with the potential of crippling Germany's military at least for the short term without having the mutual defence pacts and treaties that would have dragged Europe into the conflagration that took it down over the next six years.

A fine example of the Czechoslovakian defensive lines in the Sudetenland in '38

The Czech army was multinational although the Czechs comprised the majority of the military manpower, the NCO's, the Officers and most especially in the highly skilled technical branches although within the ranks of the army could also be found Slovaks, Ruthenes, Hungarians and ethnic Germans.

A point that will become important in our retelling a potted history of the Slovak state is that whilst they were considered statistically identical to the Czechs within the army there were a number of obstacles which proved telling in terms of military progression. The most telling perhaps was the endemic lack of education across the Slovak districts resulting in a lack of applicants to the military academy in Hranice. By 1937 only 3.9% of officers in the army were Slovak and only Rudolf Viest had risen to the rank of General.

General Rudolf Viest

In 1936 Czech General Snejdarek (Commander of the Czechoslovakian army in Slovakia) gave a sobering perspective of the Slovak troops under his command stating "The Catholic [Slovak] soldiers would not fight for the Republic. They wouldn't fight against the Czechs but nor would they fight for them either!"

Slovak troops in the Soviet Union in the winter of '41 sporting their blue banded helmets

During the 1938 mobilisation  the army had almost 25% of its forces stationed in Bohemia, 60% in Moravia where it was expecting to make its stand and only 15% in Slovakia which was considered a backwater.

In March 1939, after the demobilisation following the Munich Agreement, the V, VI and VII Corps were stationed in Slovakia comprising the 9th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 16th and 17th Infantry Divisions along with the 3rd Mobile Division. These formations were all under-strength following the demobilisation and the return home of the Czech troops BUT importantly, all of their equipment remained in country. On top of this the Czech state had situated many of their resupply depots on Slovak soil as it was deemed out of the way and safe from interference from invading hostile neighbours.

The Slovak military on parade with 10cm vz.30 batteries taking centre stage

All of this Czech equipment was valued at almost 270 million US Dollars out of which Germany confiscated almost 130 million US Dollars worth of equipment for their own use.

Slovakia was able to rebuild their armed forces with the remaining balance of equipment! Following the declaration of independence existing Slovak officers began to occupy the posts left vacant by the departure of the Czech officers. Major Jurech took command of V Corps, Lt. Colonel Malar took command of VI Corps and Major Imre took VII Corps. All of these command positions were originally held by Generals.

Lt-Colonel Augustin Malar

The newly appointed Slovak Minister of Defence, Colonel Catlos, in his first Order of the Day requested a peaceful separation of the Czech and Slovak forces, thanking the Czechs for the help given to the Slovak state and assured that any that wished to remain would be welcome. Most Czechs returned home, although by this time their homes had become a part of a Reich protectorate.

Between 1939-1942 the Slovaks expanded their officer pool up to a total of 1,537 officers, achieved by the end of 1942. Of these 432 were former Czech officers, 27 were reinstated Slovak officers, 532 Slovak reservists, 333 promoted NCO's and 212 Military Academy graduates (amongst whom were 36 Germans and 51 Czechs).

The Slovak army was reduced in size in 1939 from 15 infantry regiments and four mountain regiments to five infantry regiments and six independent infantry battalions which were subsequently reorganised into three regiments. The peace time strength of the army was planned to be a total of 25,000 to be expanded up to 52,000 in times of war.

Slovak infantry on parade

Each of the infantry units had assigned VKPL (Velkych Kulometu Proti Letadlum) companies armed with 2cm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns. The 3rd Armoured Battalion, the main combat unit of the 3rd Mobile Division was renamed the 'Martin' Armoured Battalion remaining in its original depot area along with the 3rd Bicycle Battalion. The army was provided with an anti-tank battalion with three companies. The army's cavalry was restructured into three cavalry squadrons of two troops each, three horse drawn transport squadrons and a dedicated stud farm. Engineers were concentrated into a single regiment of two battalions (with an additional battalion of reserves). There were also three communications battalions covering the telegraph and radio needs of the army. The Motor transport regiment had three groups with a replacement group in addition to the front line serving three battalions.

A Slovak heavy machine gun section with its two Schwarzlose M1907/24 heavy machine guns

The army's artillery was provided for by six artillery regiments and an anti-aircraft regiment,whilst the airforce (at this time a constituent part of the army) was organised into the 3rd Air Regiment comprising four groups and twelve squadrons.

Letov S-328 Squadron hidden at a Forward Air Base

On top of all of this there existed a whole raft of clerical and logistical service provisions such as clergy, railways and arms depots spread across the state.

The last Slovak armoured train in existence. Surviving the Slovak uprising 'Hurban' is now a museum piece in Zvolen

Each higher unit within the Slovak army maintained its original Czechoslovak established replacement unit. An infantry regiment for example, had a battalion as its replacement pool, an artillery regiment had an artillery group, an independent battalion had a company, an air force regiment had a group and so on. These replacement units maintained lists of all of their reservists, which also formed the mobilisation roster, with the replacement unit usually garrisoned near its main units headquarters where their arms and equipment would also be stored. During war time the replacement units would remain in their peacetime garrisons and train new recruits, both draftees and reservists, from whom replacement columns would be formed and sent to the front to replace the losses of their main units.

A battery of 8.35cm vz.22 anti aircraft guns (albeit in German use... but what a great photo of the guns!)

After Poland

Once the invasion of Poland had been concluded the MNO (Ministerstvo Narodnej Obrany - Ministry of National Defence) began a reorganisation of the army, starting in November 1939 and continuing through the first months of 1940. The MNO itself was reorganised along with the six independent infantry battalions being abolished and replaced by four new infantry regiments (6th,7th,8th and 9th). The number of artillery regiments was decreased to four with AR4 and AR52 being disbanded whilst many army support units were raised such as an air regiment, an anti-aircraft regiment, an armoured regiment, an automobile regiment and an engineer regiment. Aside from all of these AR51 became an infantry regiment and cavalry reconnaissance groups were established. The services formed central quartermasters and armaments depots.

A Slovak 10cm vz.30 battery laying the hammer down in the Soviet Union in 1941

From October 1940 the MNO was again reorganised as its Headquarters was abolished along with the Military Administration and the Administration of Labour Units. In place of the disbanded headquarters, the Army and Air Force Headquarters was formed externally to the MNO.

The army's three divisions were reorganised into two and the number of infantry regiments was again lowered from nine to six with the 7th, 8th and 9th IR's being disbanded. Also disbanded were the Bicycle mounted battalion, Cavalry reconnaissance group II, the headquarters of the Engineer regiment, the II armour regiment and the automobile regiment.

A Slovak bicycle battalion on the 'march'

The new organisation of the army specified the formation of corps and army level organisations. The Corps level units consisted of the Armoured Regiment, the 11th and 12th Artillery Regiments, the 11th Engineer Battalion, 11th Communications Battalion, 11th Automobile Battalion, 11th Decontamination Company and other supporting organisations and units.

Having to rescue an LT vz.35 from an attempt to ford a river in the Soviet Union

The Army level units consisted of the Presidential Guard, the Central Armoury, the Military Medical Depot, the Central Quartermasters Depot, the Military Chemical and Technical Institute and the Military Stud Farm amongst other organisations including the military schools.

The ethnic Germans living in Slovakia also had their own FS units, the Freiwilige Schutzdienst, a lightly armed civilian volunteer organisation. They wore standard Slovak uniforms except for the fact that they sported Swastikas on their collars. As time went by the majority of them opted to serve with the SS instead of serving in the Slovak army (almost all of whom served in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Mountain Regiment. Over 6,000 of them ended up serving in the SS.

Ethnic German troops enrolled into the Slovak army

The Wehrmacht military mission in Slovakia had their instructors distributed amongst all Slovak military units, but as they usually had no ability to speak the Slovak language their ability to affect both the training or the spirit of the army ended up being negligible especially as the army was still very much steeped in the traditions of the Czechoslovakian armed forces.

The Mobile Group was formed on 22 June 1941 and comprised:

Headquarters
Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron II
Armoured Battalion (2 companies of tanks and 2 of anti-tank guns)
Artillery Battalion I/11
Infantry Battalion II/6
Communications Company
Engineer Platoon
Staff Automobile Platoon

Slovak armour in pre-war manoeuvres showing the whole range of armour the Slovaks possessed in 1939

Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the Field Corps was also assembled and placed under the command of General Catlos and comprised the following:

Headquarters

1st Infantry Division
1st, 2nd & 3rd Infantry Regiments
1st Artillery Regiment
1st Engineer Battalion
1st Communications Battalion
14th Light Anti-Aircraft Company
1st Anti-Tank Company
Cavalry Troop I

A Slovak Cavalry Reconnaissance Group fording a river


2nd Infantry Division
4th, 5th & 6th Infantry Regiments
2nd Artillery Regiment
2nd Engineer Battalion
2nd Communications Battalion
15th Light Anti-Aircraft Company
2nd Anti-Tank Company
Cavalry Troops II

A great view of a Slovak 3.7cm vz36 anti tank gun being set up to fire

Army Units
Headquarters
12th Artillery Regiment
11th Tank Company (24x LT vz.35 tanks)
11th Armoured Car Company
12th Anti-Tank Company
8th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery
11th Engineer Battalion
11th Communications Battalion
11th Quartermasters Park
11th Army Hospital
11th Veterinary Ambulance

A Slovak LT vz.35 light tank platoon negotiating a river in Southern Poland in 1939

On 8 July 1941 the Mobile Group was reorganised into a Mobile Brigade and by 21 July comprised the following:

Headquarters
Motorised Reconnaissance Group
Group Headquarters
Armoured Car Platoon
Anti-Tank Platoon
2x Bicycle Companies
Engineer Platoon

Slovak pioneers using a flamethrower in the Soviet Union in 1941

Motorised Infantry Battalion II/6
Headquarters
Radio Platoon
Anti-Tank Platoon
Mortar Platoon
7.5cm Gun Battery
3x Infantry Companies
MG Company

Armoured Regiment
Staff Company
2x Tank Companies
3x Anti-Tank Companies

A Slovak LT vz.35 tank company lined up in column before the war

Artillery Battalion I/11 (later the whole of AR11)
Headquarters
Radio Platoon
3x 10cm Howitzer Batteries
1x 10.5cm Battery

A Slovak 10.5cm vz.35 howitzer set up in its firing position in the Soviet Union in 1941

Engineer Company
Radio Company Anti-Aircraft Battery 15
Automobile Field Repair
Truck Column 315

Following the battle for Lipovec, the Mobile Brigade was stripped of its armour which was sent back to Slovakia for 'repairs' whilst the remaining parts of the Brigade were incorporated into the nascent Mobile Division:

Headquarters

Infantry Regiment 20
2x Infantry Battalions
HMG Company
Mortar Company
Anti-Tank Company
7.5cm Gun Battery

A Slovak 7.5cm vz.15 mountain gun set up and ready for action

Infantry Regiment 21
2x Infantry Battalions
HMG Company
Mortar Company
Anti-Tank Company

Artillery Regiment 11
4x 10cm vz.30 Howitzer Batteries
1x 10.5cm vz.35 Gun Battery

Reconnaissance Group 11
Bicyclist Company
Anti-Tank Platoon
HMG Platoon

Anti-Aircraft Group
8th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery (with 88mm AA Guns)
15th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery

A Slovak 2cm vz.36 set up and ready to rock and roll!

Radio Battalion 2
Engineer Battalion 11
Mountain Battery 11
Anti-Tank Company 11
Automotive Workshop
Quartermasters

The strength of the Mobile Division was expanded from 6,712 men to 8,741 men between April and November 1942.

Battle weary Slovak troops marching through the Ukraine in 1941.

On 1 September 1941 the 2nd Infantry Division became the Security Division and by 25 November comprised the following:

Headquarters
Infantry Regiment 101
Infantry Regiment 102
Replacement Battalion
Combined Reconnaissance Group
31st Artillery Regiment
1st Communication Battalion
11th Railway Construction Company
3rd Engineer Company
14th Anti-Aircraft Battery
Divisional Armourers Park
Field Bakery
Field Slaughterhouse
Medical Company
Field Hospital
Decontamination Column
Veterinary Ambulance

By April 1942 the Security Division had a strength of 8,082 men however a continuing problem with desertion resulted in a strength of only 7,745 men by November of that year.

A Slovak artillery battery in transit...

The Mobile Division and the Security Division were both placed under German operational control although their administration remained wholly Slovakian. The elite Mobile Division fought in campaigns such as Lemberg (Lvov), Kiev and on the Mius during the winter of 41-42 where one German officer is reported as saying that he found the Slovaks to be "brave soldiers with very good discipline" which when one considers their Czechoslovakian doctrine should not be surprising. The Mobile Division was always well thought of by the Germans and was consistently deployed into front line roles.

Slovak troops advance through the vast wheat fields of the Ukraine in 1941

The Slovak units fighting along the Eastern Front suffered very heavy casualties and by mid '43 had to be withdrawn to be deployed into security duties. As a result of this morale in the army slumped and both divisions began to lose men to desertion hand over fist. In 1944 they were put into reserve, disarmed and converted into construction brigades. Meanwhile the Slovaks had reorganised themselves into two divisions (1st & 2nd Infantry Divisions) in order to be able to defend the Carpathian passes. A third was also forming in central Slovakia when the partisan movement initiated the rising in late August '44. This was unfortunately premature from the army's point of view and the Germans were able to disarm the two field divisions completely.

A Slovak Security Division trooper on patrol

Through the course of the war much of Slovakia was devastated by American, British and German bombing all of which was exacerbated by the Slovak Rising as well as the military offenses and counter-offenses that raged across the land to be finally crushed under the Soviet boot and occupied...

After signing the Treaty of Paris, Slovakia lost its independence, being once again reunified with the Czech Republic.

A classic view of a Slovak LT vz.35 exhibiting its camouflage pattern

Slovakia fielded an armed force that was modelled under the Czechoslovakian pre-war army and as a result of this, despite having many obstacles to overcome as the army grew into its skin was always looked at by its allies as a solid and reliable force, if a small one.

As time went by their inventory of arms and equipment became more streamlined and was supplemented by the Reich as well.

I feel that the Slovaks have always been a somewhat overlooked army of World War 2. They have interesting camouflaged vehicles, funky looking artillery pieces, great looking infantry and aircraft that would probably have struggled in the First World War. Despite all of this, they were able to take the Soviet Bear in its own back yard and hand out more than a few bloody noses!


A Slovak bayonet with its supporting equipment...

Well worth the look.... so where do we begin? I'm going to present a whole pack of blog posts outlining each of the things that I have done for my Slovak army... and yes there will be a LOT of repeated material in there where how to paint the bits and pieces is concerned as I want each post to stand on its own merits as a resource for anybody who wants to create each of the elements that I will be addressing. For the majority of us who read all of the posts, once you have read how I paint them the first time, the rest of the posts become more of a picture book event! :D

Watch this space (and grab your bayonet!)