Starting My German 28mm Skirmish Army!

I don't usually do a Work In Progress (WIP) here on my blog, but I am starting my German Army for 28mm Skirmish Gaming and I want to chronicle the progress as I go.  I also want to put a little bit on pressure on myself to get the force painted so I can use it on the gaming table!.

Here is a photo showing the organization of the force:

The first part of this force is the infantry and some supports.  On the left are two Pak 40, 75mm AT Guns.  The crews are above them.  In the center of picture are three squads each of nine men.  Each squad includes a LMG team of two men.  To the right of the infantry is a Panzerschreck team of three men.  Above the Panzerschreck team is the command team of three men.  Behind the infantry squads is a Medium Machine Gun team.  To the right of the MMG are two sets of command figures which will be my Lieutenants in Bolt Action.  Behind the infantry is a 75mm Infantry gun and crew on the left and a Sdkfz 234/1 armored car on the right.

This will be a good force to start with I think.  Once I get these models painted, I have additional armor and some more supports to follow-up.

So, what will they be painted as?  Well, I want to have a force that is usable in Italy to fight my French forces from the French Expeditionary Corps (FEC) around Monte Cassino or against the Americans/British in the Anzio area.

I have settled on the Hermann Goering Panzer Division.  This is a very interesting unit because it was a Luftwaffe formation - but is made up of some pretty hard fighting formations, lead by good combat veterans.  This means it can be a regular or veteran unit in Bolt Action.  Also, because of the Field Marshal's intervention, the HG Panzer Division had good equipment.

Uniforms will be a very interesting mix of Luftwaffe blues, tropical tans and yellows and regular and SS camouflage!  Should be a lot of fun to paint.

Ok, I want to commit to at least one hour of work on the force each night - more if I can get the time. Should be a few weeks at the really slow pace of my painting.  Can it be done by the end of March?  We will have to see how it goes!  Wish me luck!