invisible officer

The French formed for example provisional Regiments of horse like 1st – 3rd Cuirassiers . Formed from escadrons drawn away from regular units.   The 1st later became the 13th Cuirassier.   At first the men wore the uniforms from the one they came from. Only at next replacement they got new dress.

Same with 1st – th Prov. Drag.

Same with inf…[Read more]

I use oil washes for decades now, never using a tutorial. Just because I started long before Internt time.

And there are many different ways.  For example I prime and paint in acryl and then use fitting oil colours or a wash.  For brown a Kasslerbrown, for blue a black or dark blue one. And later setting lights, mostly by acryl.

The steel cases got used in WW I and in 1918 the problems in rifles had been no more existing in larger scale. The trick was a reduction of the charg and a special “legierung” – It was not to be used im MG. It was possible to do a special MG Version but it was prefered to reserve brass cases for them.

Being an old German military historian I was…[Read more]

As Nat stated there should be no longer Swedish rifle range.   That it is 19th century is the reason for the range, in that time technical doctrine in all countries asked for amo able to break a cavalry charge starting fire at long range.

Svedish cavalry still trained in mid of war the mounted charge, strange because most had dropped the s…[Read more]

I’m not surprised that Walord starts another  range and then……   Being one of the crazy that likes scratch building I’m less affected than many others. I had hoped for an exension to W I.  In fact most of my hobby budget of last year went into “hardware”, antique stuff up to 1918. Like the cap of a sailor from SMS Emden.

Cruel sea is not the…[Read more]

To get xxxx about rules for a prototype that never saw service is a bit ….. .   The two prototypes shared a single working turret. 205/2 got that turret and both vehicles got transported to Kummersdorf testing range.   2 was blown up at Hindenburgplatz in Wünsdorf, there it was used as pillbox. The explosion threw the turrret away.

205/1 had…[Read more]

You are right concening the “true” dazzle ones that are not used on new or repaired ships post spring 45.

Unfortunately some USN officers  used the word dazzle for non dazzle camo, sometimes even  for solid designs in correspondance . Some seem to have had  problems with measures that included different colors or shades, naming them wrongly da…[Read more]

Well, dazzle schemes got altered but not just painted over. There are books like the ones from Terzibaschitsch that state the scheme for the WW II times by month.

I did years ago in 1/3000 all Philipine seas US ones in correct schemes.

And have many models in 1/1250-

For the Japanese carriers some Polish books are very good. And also about…[Read more]

The German AT gun servicewas ranked by size.

8,8 and 12,8 cm AT guns had been part of the Atrmy and Corps artillery.   So not in division.  They got used mainly to defend “Schwerpunkte” where large enemy Tank forces had been expected.  The weight caused the static use, sometimes under concrete.  It was essential to protect the flanks.  And g…[Read more]

From the start it was clear that I wanted a model of  RA 9, the former ML 306. The only Fairmile B used by the Germans.

It was one of the 18 Fairmile B  in the St. Nazaire raid. The petrol engine was the reason for the loss of many. Prone to fire 13 launches  are destroyed by coastal guns. The large 2300 litres extra tanks on deck fitted for th…[Read more]

One of the many xx rules.  I gave Black seas a try. Having large Napoleonic fleets in 1/1200 and 1/300 the models had been no option for me but all rule sets deserve a try.

All flagship 3 decks made the others around fighting harder. But no RN one was lost in action. So to give the enemies of Britain a moral bonus is doubtfull.

Orient,  hmm. T…[Read more]

Lovely Husaria.   Superbly done.

One of the best looking cavalry in history.   Fortunately for the neighbours their fame is bigger than the true effect had been. Too few and not ever the super men …. .

Just a small part of Polish army.

At Vienna they charged post the battle was won by the today ignored Western horse and foot. And in the…[Read more]

Lovely transformation, well done.

BA MA  has an origial document about the forming:

Volkssturm-Bataillon 3/115 // Volkssturm-Bataillon Siemensstadt alias Volkssturm-Bataillon Krull

Formed

Berlin, Kreis Charlottenburg-Spandau (Siemensstadt)

Oktober 1944

CO  Erich Krull

Adjudant: Dr. Gustav Adolf Pourroy

Stabskompanie: Gebhard

1. Kompanie: Schneehage

2. Kompanie: Dr…[Read more]

Well, there are some more MFP sunk by torpedoes. Like F 541 by british submarine   .   Others got badly  damaged like F 334 by Soviet MTB.

Even the Räumboote had not been immune.  Example : 16. April 44  R 15 was lost at Kap Salvore due to torpedo hit. Just 5 survivors.

Or S 27, self sunk by S 72 Torpedo  and     S 33 by Allied torpedo .…[Read more]

One should not forget that a lot of the effect of cavalry was moral, not physically.  A horse is not happy to run into a horde of humans to run them over.

We have movies from pre WW I times of attacking horse in manoevres and others from police trying to charge into rioteers.   If the foot men fail to run the horsemen will often have a pr…[Read more]

Well, hmmm.

Source Kriegstagebuch 2. Landungsflottille  about sinking of F420, under Oberbootsmann GEIGER.

22.09.1943Leutnant zur See SCHLIEPHACKE with F420, F360, F587, F616  with F450 and F749 of r 4. Landungsflottille on way from Bastia to Piombino.

At  18.02  a periscope was seen  18.25 four torpedoes from starboard. One hit F 420 at the…[Read more]

In 1995 Berlin museums made a series of 50 years wars end exhibitions.  Being a professional historian I was one of the Kuratoren.  We did a lot of oral history interviews.

Among my “victims” was a guy that served as Hitlerjunge with the Siemens unit.  His father was one of the old Siemens workers and fortunately both survived the fights. My…[Read more]

Legeres in Spain:

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