Armies Move on Their Stomach

Sure, armies move on their stomach, but how many cooks does your wargame army have? Recently, I have been working on adding mess sections to my WWII German units. Imex makes a number of sets that are helping me. Their Eastern Friendly Indians have a nice campfire and a woman in braids and a long dress. Often the German army hired local help to assist in the mess. This figure will become one of those; as will a second female figure, kneeling grinding meal.

The Imex Pioneers are a huge boost to German dinner tables.

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.asp?manu=IMX&code=516

They come with both cattle and hogs. German units included butchers and were expected to slaughter and prepare livestock for the dinner table. The six hogs in the Pioneers set are quite well done. They will become 1/72nd scale sausages for my German war machine. Also included in this set is a campfire with pot hanging on a pole, and an old woman preparing food on a small wireframe stove. Several of the men are chopping wood, and resting around the campfire. With a few quick head swaps, these too will be enlisted into the Wehrmacht. My favorite figure in this set is a milk maid figure with two buckets carried on a pole across her shoulders. She too has enlisted to carry for the army.

In my ruleset, each unit must be fed every 24 hours are the cease to be able to move. One mess section is able to feed one company for one day. A mess section is made up of a mess trailer or truck with four to six cooks, dishwashers, and burger flippers. Try adding a food supply to your army and see how much better it moves.