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Saturday 14 March 2015

Thomas Gunn Miniatures: More New Germans

First up this month, a handful of new WW1 and WW2 German releases from TGM

World War 1





The first release features a
German soldier GW046 'Standing Ready.' Our A version figure wears a gasmask
and sports a Stormtrooper style helmet, whilst the B version is dressed for
conventional combat ready to advance. Limited to 100 in number and priced at
$40/£29.50 each figure.



World War 2




LUFT015 Major Martin Drewes was a German nightfighter ace who mainly flew
the ME BF110 earlier in the  Desert and then later over Germany. Drewes was
awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and is credited with 52 kills,
mainly RAF and USAAF heavy bombers.  

He survived the war and emigrated to
Brazil where he married and stayed there until his death in 2013.  As
nightfighting was a dangerous business we have sculpted Drewes with his arm
in sling recovering from a wound, perhaps inflicted by a Lancaster or a B17
gunner, who were equally determined not to be his latest kill! 

Limited to
100 in number for the Defence of the Reich version and 50 in number for the
Desert version. Priced at $40/£29.50




LUFT016 Prinz Wittgenstein another nightfighter ace credited with 83
victories whilst flying the ME 110 and the nightfighter variant of the JU88.
Wittengstein came from an aristocratic family and by 1943 had become
severely disillusioned with Hitler and the Nazi party. 

He confided with his
mother that he planned to kill Hitler, whilst he was being awarded the
Knights Cross. However Wittengstein is known to have a strong sense of duty
and was in competition with Major Lent, another nightfighter ace, to become
the Luftwaffe's top ranking night-time pilot. Perhaps this was his reason
for not attempting to kill Hitler whilst he had the opportunity? I am not
sure whether the Fuehrer's security team would have let an armed pilot in
the same room as Hitler, it's all speculation at the end of the day as to
what might have happened. 

Regardless Wittgenstein is reported to have been
killed in January 1945 by a British Mosquito crew flown by Pilot Officer
Desmond Snape. On the night in question Wittgenstein had already shot down 4
Lancaster's and was attacking a 5th when he himself came under fire.

Wittgenstein ordered his crew to jump, who all survived, however
Wittgenstein was found dead the next day on the ground with a fracture to
the head and his parachute unopened. It is presumed he hit the tail fin of
his Junkers as he attempted to bail out, which would have either killed him
or knocked him unconscious.

Our version of Wittgenstein shows him on crutches perhaps talking with
Martin Drewes as they compare wounds! Limited to 100 in number for Defence
of the Reich series and another 50 in number with this figure dressed in
tropical dress, once again priced at $40/£29.50




Happy Hunting!

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