Rommel's Asparagus

The fifth scenario in the Chain of Command campaign 29, Let's Go! features 'Rommel's Asparagus' in one of the fields. For those who don't know, this was the nickname given to wooden posts that were erected in fields to prevent glider landings by airborne troops.

I've tried to discover if it was a German nickname or one given by the Allies, but I haven't managed to find an answer. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the Germans as they had a habit of creating amusing or ironic names. One of my favourite examples is the nickname Gefrierfleischorden given to the Eastern Medal, or the Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal (Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten), which can be translated as the "Order of the Frozen Flesh".

Rommel's Asparagus makes for a simple enough terrain project. I had recently rebased my Second World War Chinese platoon onto individual bases and so recycled the 40mm square bases that I had used previously. The wooden posts were made from a piece of wooden dowel that was part of a mixed set of wooden shapes from a craft shop. The posts were glued to the bases and then Milliput was used to create mounds of earth around each one. The bases were then textured using PVA glue and sand.

Everything was painted and then the bases flocked. I added a few tools from the spares box just to add more character. A quick project that should add something interesting to the look of our table in the forthcoming game.

Here they are with a vehicle and some figures (20mm) to give a sense of scale.