takes a look at a D-Day: German anti-aircraft vehicle platoon.
The initial release of this new range consists of a command and two squads. A number of support packs will be released in April.
These figures depict the German army in its final, fatal days during the street fighting around and in Stalingrad in late 1942. At this stage, the army on the ground was more concerned about keeping warm and feeding themselves, than any sort of tactics and who should be in what and which weapons they should use. The PPsH was very popular with the Germans that captured them. This range depicts that. Russian rifles were taken and used, but not as popular and are not depicted in this range.
Food would have been a real issue. So to that end, the figures are sculpted with all manner of liberated, foraged food attached to their assault packs: dead rabbits, birds, loaves of bread, sausages, carrots, etc., giving some fun to the paint jobs. At this stage, the Germans did not use camouflage uniforms or smocks as much.
For this period, the men used the standard regulation 1939 double-breasted issue greatcoat with collars turned up or down, depicted in this range with a multitude of scarves, torques, gloves, and captured Russian 'fish fur'-type hats either under the M35/40 helmet or in place of it. By this time, gas was less of a 'threat'. So on these figures, the gas tin has now shifted to the rear of the A frame with the mess tin and zeltbahn tent-quarter.
One of the squads in the range has an emphasis on SMGs, both PPSH and MP40s, depicted as an assault squad. More in line with quick movement, this squad does not have the food from packs of the more 'static' infantry squads.
The command section includes an officer in a large, privately-acquired sheepskin or fur-lined coat. And a man-pack radio with battery pack, set up and being used to call in air drops.
The main machinegun of the German army at this time was still the MG34 – the MG42 was at least a year away. We have depicted this in a moving state, with one being loaded and one being fired in an 'over the shoulder' stance; fairly inaccurate but a great 'look' for the gaming table. There was no such thing as Panzerfausts or Bazookas in 1942, so street-fighting tank-hunters would have resorted to more primitive methods of mines and grenades depicted in the set. The light 50mm mortars were not really used anymore.