Showing posts with label Waffen SS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Waffen SS. Show all posts

12 November 2012

Defense of the Reich: Niedlingen Fuel Depot and Startion

The Boys of Summer II: Defending the Reich
Anxious moments


The Fuel dump at Niedlingen: 2 Quad Vierling 20mm and two single 20mm Flak cannons arrive at the rail depot at Niedlingen to defend the meager fuel reserves against marauding Allied Typhoon aircraft.




A single Tiger II is there to defend the fuel dump from enemy ground forces. 


The Fuel dump has recently been topped up by the arrival of a train, carrying  fuel for the armoured vehicles






A SS K-rad Zug is also moving through the town on the way to the front, when the sound of vehicle engines is heard in the distance.





 The group strain to discern the origin and nature of the sound, anxiously scanning the horizon. 
Wer Da? Friend oder Feind? Who is there? Friend or Foe? 



2 October 2012

German Autumn Army taking shape

My WWII German Army is starting to come together nicely. My photography is lacking though... the macro lens does not seem to do the figures justice. I suppose 20mm figures are not meant to be seen up close, and neither is my paintwork!

Anyhow, here we have my Autumn themed 1942-43 WWII Falschirmjäger, Waffen SS and Krad Zug, along with the Recce Platoon, and a PzKfw VI Tiger E and Nashorn thrown in for good measure. A train has just arrived, disgorging PzKfw IVs and VIs, still in the 1942 Grey and Green "Taubendreck" camouflage; before the order was issued to use Dunkelgelb (Dark yellow as base colour), the colour used for most of the rest of the war.I chose this scheme as it can also be used for a Russian East front Summer scheme or a desert scheme, making the armour in particular more useful and true to the period of the war.

The figures are Old Airfix, New Revell and Italeri figures. Artillery (not shown in this post), Svezda and Airfix.

I still need to do a lot of work on them, shading and highlights, weathering on the tanks, etc, but I recon they're ready to take on some upstart Allied models!

(Click on images for a larger view)


Falschirmjäger (Parachutists) guarding the train while the newly arrived armour is off-loaded



The recce unit consisting of SdKfz 222s and command 223, a 250/9 and 37mm anti-aircraft cover move out across a field of crops



While Waffen SS detachment move forward through 
the thick carpet of fallen leaves


Like their Falschirmjäger brothers in arms, their camouflaged uniforms afford them extra protection from detection:




Not so their less fortunate Heer (Regular Army) comrades, who wear the standard Field Grey (Feld Grau) uniform of the day, making them conspicuous in the deciduous forest.














The motorcycle (Krad) zug moves out on their Zundapp Motorcycles,
 some with side-cars mounting MG 34 machine guns.
They also avail of camouflaged uniforms, that identify them as SS. 
They are wearing a different style camo uniform from the infantry unit.




They pass a Falschirmjäger command HQ group, who have dismounted from their Kubelowagens to relay orders to a stationary Tiger tank, covering the advance of the Krad unit



The Kampfgruppe swells in numbers as more armour arrives. A self-propelled Elefant and a PzKfw IV lumber past the Tiger on their way forward


A unit of 4 Tiger E's have been off-loaded, while 2 PzKfw IVs await their turn. 
These tanks have arrived from the Western Front, where there was little need for camouflage up to now. 
The grey tanks have hurriedly been camouflaged with dark olive green paint, in a scheme known as Taubendreck (Pigeon droppings); as scheme well suited for the pine and plantan forests of Western Europe, but not the steppe grassland of Russia.
 This scheme will not last for long, as the train also contains a consignment of the yellow ochre paint that the crews will likely soon  put to good use.