A Change is as Good as a Rest ;-)

Time to 'call time' on the blog as it currently stands

With effect from today I will no longer be updating information about new German military themed releases from all of my favourite makers

Work demands and family commitments have meant that in recent months I have been struggling to find the time to devote to the blog and so I have taken the decision to reduce the amount of content I add to it

I will continue to post about new additions to my collection as well as anything else 'toy soldier and model figure related' that happens to catch my eye or interest me, and I will continue to add to the 'links' areas of the site

A very big thank you to anyone who has taken a look at what I have posted over the past 4 or 5 years; hopefully you have found something of use and/or interest to you

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Latest Additions: Leuthen Complete

Leuthen complete. Well without the Austrians!

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Latest Additions

A fairly eclectic mix this, of figures representing three very different periods of time

First up, in chronological order, are a couple of crusader figures from the K&C range. These figures are particularly 'big and chunky' and as such work very well alongside the First Legion crusaders, which are also bigger than many of their other sets of figures

Next up, the final nine SYW Prussian Grenadiers I need to complete my JJD Leuthen display. I've chosen to include them here because photographing them solely as part of the diorama means you don't get to see what they look like from the front!

And finally, a single addition to my Berlin '38 LAH collection in the form of this officer standing easy

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First Legion: Back to Stalingrad!

More Stalingrad Germans from the fine fellows at FL, this time in the form of this workhorse of the German army, the SdKfz 251. Further information and images to do with these and other FL releases is available from the company website or from TSC

http://www.toysoldiersclub.com/2015-07-FL-EN.html

WWII - German Stalingrad

• GERSTAL059a German Soldier Firing 251 MG - Gray Helmet
• GERSTAL058b German Officer Reading Map - Helmet
• GERSTAL059a German Soldier Firing 251 MG - Gray Helmet
• GERSTAL059b German Soldier Firing 251 MG - Camo Helmet
• VEH013 SdKfz 251/1 Ausf C Half-Track - 24th Panzer Division - 
• This incredibly detailed vehicle adds to your Stalingrad German display options and a armored column is at this point, brought to life.   We have done several variants to allow for larger displays and though some are 16th and some are 24th Panzer Division, they can be combined in a single display as these divisions were combined during the battle due to heavy losses.  Additionally, we've done GERSTAL059 German Officer which is mean to be displayed either inside the back of the half-track or outside the open rear doors as well as GERSTAL059 German figure firing the machine rear machine gun.  Finally, it comes with a driver figure seated in place who can be seen from back as well as through the driver vision port.
• VEH014 SdKfz 251/3 Ausf C Command Half-Track - 24th Panzer Division - This incredibly detailed vehicle adds to your Stalingrad German display options and a armored column is at this point, brought to life.   We have done several variants of 251 Ausf C to allow for larger displays and though some are 16th and some are 24th Panzer Division, they can be combined in a single display as these divisions were combined during the battle due to heavy losses.  Additionally, we've done GERSTAL059 German Officer which is mean to be displayed either inside the back of the half-track or outside the open rear doors as well as GERSTAL059 German figure firing the machine rear machine gun.  The command variant 251/3 has one of the rear bench seats removed and fitted with communications equipment and comes complete with a Radio Operator figure.   The "bedstead" antenna can be removed to allow for figures to be placed in the rear as well.  Finally, it comes with a driver figure seated in place who can be seen from back as well as through the driver vision port. 
• VEH015 SdKfz 251/1 Ausf C Half-Track -16th Panzer Division

Stalingrad Germans

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John Jenkins Designs: July Germans

Just the one entry for JJD this month, a dramatic depiction of a rather spectacular fall from grace for a WW1 German pilot in the shape of this crashed Eindecker!

New July Releases!
Knights Of The Skies

The tactical, technological and training differences between Germany and the allied forces, ensured the British suffered a casualty rate nearly four times as great as their opponents. The losses were so disastrous that it threatened to undermine the morale of entire squadrons.

Royal Flying Corps (RFC) pilot training was often cursory, especially in the early days of the war. Many recruits had only 2 to 3 hours of flying instruction before being expected to fly solo. Men were often sent to France having logged only 15 hours in the air. 8000 young men died in Britain during flight training, which means that more died from accidents and equipment failures than from enemy action.

Most RFC pilots lasted only an average of about 3 weeks once they arrived at the Western Front. Those who weren't killed, wounded, or taken prisoner might be posted out because of "nerves". Flying was extremely stressful and dangerous. Those who lived through the first few weeks acquired skills that helped them live longer or even survive the war.

RFC pilots were not allowed to use parachutes, although the men who were up in observation balloons had them and often used them to escape an attack. Towards the end of the war, German pilots were using parachutes.

According to H.A.Jones' War in the Air, a study of the UK's Royal Flying Corps in WW1, the amount of time a pilot could expect to fly before becoming a casualty (killed, wounded, or psychiatric) was a low of 92 hours in April 1917, and a high of 295 hours in August 1916. Note, in particular, that a much higher percentage of pilots became psychiatric casualties (modern-day PTSD) than would otherwise be expected (as high as 25% of all casualties), due to the radically higher stress of combat flight. Given that a typical combat flight lasted an hour or two at most, with an average number of mission at less than 1 per day, a pilot would last at least 4 weeks before becoming a casualty, to as many as 5 months.

• GGC-021 -- Crashed Eindecker - Model height 9 x length 13 1/4 x width 6 1/4 Inches

Knights Of The Skies - WWI

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William Britain: July Germans

The latest German releases for the First World War, Western Front theatre, with a focus this time on some of the goings on 'behind the lines'.

WWI German Forces 1916 -1918

• BR23090 -- "Forward" - 1916-18 German Infantry Prone Signaling & Kneeling with Grendade
• BR23097 -- "Attack" - 1916-18 German Infantry Assault Team

WWI German Forces 1916 -1918

WWI German Forces 1916 -1918

• BR23101 -- German 1908 Hf11 Limber, Field Kitchen, Figures & Accessories - 20 Piece Set (Limited Edition of 400 Sets)
• BR23102 -- "What's On the Menu Tonight?" - German Infantrymen with Mess Equipment - 4 Piece Set (Limited Edition of 400 Sets)
• BR23106 -- "Music to Peel By" - 1914-18 German Infantry Seated Peeling Potatoes and Seated Playing Concertina - 4 Piece Set (Limited Edition of 400)

WWI German Forces 1916 -1918

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Thomas Gunn Miniatures: July Germans

New Second World War Germans released by TGM in July, 2015. Enjoy!

New Releases for July!
WWII German

• FJ020A -- Anniversary Set - Fallshirmjager Team Manning an MG42 - Normandy - Reminiscent of our very first set released 6 years ago but this time with better sculpting and painting! A two figure Fallshirmjager team man an MG42 in distinctive camouflaged Jump smocks and prepare to take on the enemy. Limited to 100 in the Normandy version, 50 of the Winter and also 50 of the Desert version being available. 
• FJ020B -- Anniversary Set - Fallshirmjager Team Manning an MG42 - Winter
• FJ020C -- Anniversary Set - Fallshirmjager Team Manning an MG42 - Desert
• LUFT019A -- Erich 'Bubi' Hartmann playing cards with Theodor Weissenberger - Two of the greatest aces of WW2 with over 550 victories between the pair. A little history below for those of you not familiar with these 2 pilots: Hartmann (in the brown jacket) completed his fighter training in January 1942 and managed to rack up an amazing 352 kills, his last kill being a Soviet fighter on the 8th May, the very last day of the European war.
  Earlier as the war drew to a close Hartmann was ordered to fly to the West to avoid capture by the Soviets, but refused as he had a deep attachment for his ground crew. This was despite him being newly married with a young son waiting for him at home. Hartmann was handed over by the Americans to the Russians, who convicted Hartmann on trumped up war crimes. He was sentenced to 25 years in a Soviet Labour camp and suffered appalling treatment. Eventually the Russians tried to encourage Hartmann to join the fledgling East German Air force, but he refused and was eventually released in 1955. Hartmann joined the West German Air force but left in 1970 due to his concerns over the Lockheed Starfighter programme.
  Hartmann died peacefully in his sleep aged 71 in 1993 and is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fighter pilots of all time.
  Our second figure Theodor Weissenberger was a Knights Cross recipient with over 200 aerial victories mainly flying on the Eastern Front but with over 30 victories on the Western Front, including 3 flying Fortresses in one day over Berlin. Weissneberger flew a variety of aircraft including the ME 262 in which he claimed 8 of his victories.
  After the war Weissenberger went onto become a racing car driver but was unfortunately killed in 1950 racing on the Nurnburgring circuit.
  This beautifully painted set is limited to 100 in number, a B version with 2 generic Luftwaffe officers in tropical gear is also available but limited to 50 sets worldwide.
• LUFT019B -- Luftwaffe Officers playing cards (Tropical Gear)
• LUFT020A -- Rudi Sinner Lighting a Lady's Cigarette - Sinner Man! Rudi Sinner sweeps in for his latest kill whilst offering a light to a pretty young lady with a cigarette, could be occupied France, an airfield or the streets of Berlin. 
• LUFT020B -- Rudi Sinner Lighting a Lady's Cigarette (Tropical Dress) - the tropical version of the above set suitable for warmer climes or if you simply prefer your ladies in pink! Rudi Sinner was born in Austria in 1915 and enlisted into the Austrian artillery in 1936 but transferred into the Luftwaffe in 1940. He served in the Middle East before being posted back to the West where his final score stood at 39 kills in just over 300 missions. Sinner was awarded the Knights Cross and survived the war despite serious injuries inflicted by USAAF Mustangs in April 1945 when they downed his ME 262. Limited to 100 in the A version and 50 of the B version, these figures will look great in a diorama of your choice. 

WWII German forces

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