No I am not talking about these guys, although they would fit right in.
Especially their great song Nameless Dead from their Conclusion 17 album.
Nope I have always said that no self respecting zombie miniature collector should be without some German Zombies in their collection.
Here is the first 10 of my German WW2 Totenkorps.
The animated corpses may have divided contemporary military opinion, but not mine!
On the one hand they caused an ethical affront too many, whilst on the other their impact on the battlefield and their role in saving 1944 Germany cannot be denied.
Generally they are not at the forefront of battles but are used as a fanatical reserve by the more radical German commanders.
Raised in the deserts of north Africa these Totenkorps have much in common with the myths and legends of Ancient Egypt.
“By the time of the opening of the Rifts, all major belligerent nations of the Second World War had conducted significant experimentation with infantry body armour, seeking to reduce the number of gunshot and shrapnel deaths incurred, particularly in close-quarters combat.
The Soviet Union had long issued its assault engineers with the simple SN-42 steel breastplate, which was reasonably effective but cumbersome and unpopular, and protected only the chest and groin, while the Allies had developed the so-called ‘flak jacket’ for their bomber crews and sailors.
None of these designs were truly satisfactory in reducing combat casualties, although they were certainly better than nothing, but their weight and inconvenience often led to soldiers discarding them in favour of increased mobility and a reduced load.
What was needed was nothing short of a modern suit of plate armour, strong enough to resist incoming fire but well-fitted and lightweight enough to not overly impede a soldier’s combat movement. Until the Rifts opened and the mysterious signals began to be deciphered, there simply was no such technology in existence.
The Germans, desperate to halt the Allied advance in the West and simultaneously drive the Soviet Union back in the East, were the first to introduce viable heavy armour into service. Known as Panzerharnisch 44 (a reference to the harness of the medieval knights featured so heavily in German propaganda), the earliest types saw service in June 1944 as the Allied forces pushed inland from the Normandy beaches.
These examples were little more than crude exoskeletons with armour plating bolted to them, powered by a miniature rift-tech powerplant, and were halting and clumsy in their movements. However, their durability proved a powerful psychological tool, allowing the wearers to fight with far greater aggression and confidence than before, and filling inexperienced enemy troops with dread as their bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the sinister-looking suits.
Rapid refinements of the designs were in progress even as the prototypes were in action, with the subsequent Panzerharnisch 45 and the definitive 46 series introducing a vast number of improvements.
By 1947, heavy armour had been rolled out en masse to a significant number of Panzergrenadier units, which became the preferred elite troops of the Wehrmacht, often used in what would be termed (with typical soldiers’ humour) ‘langsamer Blitz’ (slow lightning) attacks, grinding forward with significant armoured support to overwhelm enemy positions.
Concealed beneath gasmasks and ballistic goggles, armed with the StG-44 assault rifle and the proven MG-42 light machine gun, and festooned with Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck anti-tank weapons, German heavy infantry soon gained a reputation as incredibly tough soldiers, capable of chillingly resolute advances in the face of murderous incoming fire.
This model is great to work with assembled and painted in just a few hours. Not much good on the tabletop but looks cool.
The Spinne Light Panzermech, combining the agility of an infantryman with the armour and firepower of a heavily built armoured car.
The Spinne (Spider) speed and agility makes it almost the perfect recce vehicle for close terrain and urban environments. The open-turret allows the gunner/commander to maintain anti-air overwatch and maximises his situational awareness.
“By the time of the opening of the Rifts, all major belligerent nations of the Second World War had conducted significant experimentation with infantry body armour, seeking to reduce the number of gunshot and shrapnel deaths incurred, particularly in close-quarters combat.
The Soviet Union had long issued its assault engineers with the simple SN-42 steel breastplate, which was reasonably effective but cumbersome and unpopular, and protected only the chest and groin, while the Allies had developed the so-called ‘flak jacket’ for their bomber crews and sailors.
None of these designs were truly satisfactory in reducing combat casualties, although they were certainly better than nothing, but their weight and inconvenience often led to soldiers discarding them in favour of increased mobility and a reduced load.
What was needed was nothing short of a modern suit of plate armour, strong enough to resist incoming fire but well-fitted and lightweight enough to not overly impede a soldier’s combat movement. Until the Rifts opened and the mysterious signals began to be deciphered, there simply was no such technology in existence.
The Germans, desperate to halt the Allied advance in the West and simultaneously drive the Soviet Union back in the East, were the first to introduce viable heavy armour into service. Known as Panzerharnisch 44 (a reference to the harness of the medieval knights featured so heavily in German propaganda), the earliest types saw service in June 1944 as the Allied forces pushed inland from the Normandy beaches.
These examples were little more than crude exoskeletons with armour plating bolted to them, powered by a miniature rift-tech powerplant, and were halting and clumsy in their movements. However, their durability proved a powerful psychological tool, allowing the wearers to fight with far greater aggression and confidence than before, and filling inexperienced enemy troops with dread as their bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the sinister-looking suits.
Rapid refinements of the designs were in progress even as the prototypes were in action, with the subsequent Panzerharnisch 45 and the definitive 46 series introducing a vast number of improvements.
By 1947, heavy armour had been rolled out en masse to a significant number of Panzergrenadier units, which became the preferred elite troops of the Wehrmacht, often used in what would be termed (with typical soldiers’ humour) ‘langsamer Blitz’ (slow lightning) attacks, grinding forward with significant armoured support to overwhelm enemy positions.
Concealed beneath gasmasks and ballistic goggles, armed with the StG-44 assault rifle and the proven MG-42 light machine gun, and festooned with Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck anti-tank weapons, German heavy infantry soon gained a reputation as incredibly tough soldiers, capable of chillingly resolute advances in the face of murderous incoming fire.
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations” and “the contribution and suffering of all those who have served”.
Australia’s first national flag, which dates back to WWI, was painstakingly restored in 2017.
In a dusty vault deep in the heart of the Newcastle Cathedral, an unsuspecting cardboard box sat forgotten for years. But that box contained one of our most significant artefacts from World War I — Australia’s first national flag.
The Anglican Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle Australia
Known as the Birdwood Flag, it was flown at the headquarters of General William Birdwood at the Western Front. General Birdwood was in command of the Australian troops, who at the time were fighting for the “Empire”.
Australia was only14 years old at the start of the first world war and the Union Jack was the main flag that Australian troops fought under. Something that still galls us today!
It was thought to be lost forever, but a far-sighted dean had been quietly collecting the bits and storing them away safely”, according to current dean Stephen Williams.
Australia is fortunate that no-one had thrown it out.
The bag of “confetti” that was to eventually end up in the hands of Julian Bickersteth for restoration, “We’ve worked on lots of flags but never anything like [one in] this condition — this is a very complex job,” he said. Over 18 months, he and his team assembled the hundreds of pieces of silk like one would a jigsaw puzzle.
“We had a lot of larger pieces, plus we had a lot of stitched edges,” he said
The flag was eventually returned to Christ Church Cathedral for re-hallowing in 1917.
It is now 403BCE (political correctness ptah!) and Athens and Sparta do battle again using Sword and Spear rules.
Achaen League hoplites protect the left flank of the Spartan Hoplites
Spartan helots protect the flank of their main battle line.
Achaen League cavalry move to the left flank.
With the Dorians having lost one taxis of hoplites and with their flank in danger, the end is near.
The Achaen League hoplites destroy thei opponents on contact (woosie Athenians), expiosing their opposite flank. Meanwhile the Spartan Helots fight off the Thessalian light cavalry.
Now down two hoplites and with the Athenian Elite Hoplites almost destroyed the Dorians sue for peace and are allowed to return home at the cost of the “long walls” being destroyed.
Today the Spartans return home with their shields.
The Type 41 75Â mm mountain gun is a Japanese license-built copy of the Krupp M.08 mountain gun. The Type 41 number was designated for the year the gun was accepted, the 41st year of Emperor Meiji’s reign, or 1908 in our Gregorian calendar.
Originally it was the standard pack artillery weapon. After it was superseded by the Type 94 75 mm mountain gun, it was then used as an infantry “regimental” gun, deployed four to each infantry regiment, and referred to as “rentai ho” (regimental artillery).
Two gun shields were produced for the weapon, an early type, which folded into thirds, and a late type, which folded in half.
In Japanese service the gun was crewed by thirteen men, twelve gunners and a squad leader.
When the weapon was being fired there would be one aimer, one loader, one firer, one person to swing the guns aim left or right, a man inserting the fuzes into rounds and handing them to the loader, two gunners lying in reserve to the left and right of the gun position, and the squad leader sitting a little distance to the rear of the weapon.
The remaining five men would ferry ammunition in relays from the ammunition squad, which would typically be in cover a few hundred meters behind the gun’s position.
The weapon could be transported complete by its thirteen-man squad, or broken down into parts and carried on six pack horses using special harnesses, a seventh horse was used to carry ammunition.
I am unlikely to use them for Konflict 47, but they will do very nicely for Xenos Rampant!
In the end after a bit of internal debate (sometimes I have to talk to myself to get a sensible conversation) I decided to go with the “traditional” colour scheme for these German Heavt troopers.
As the Germans expanded their use of the new Rift-tech developed Heavy Infantry Armour, whole units have been equipped in armoured divisions to form heavy Panzergrenadier forces able to support heavy tank and panzermech battalions.
These heavy formations would often be the spearhead of an advance to maximise the damage inflicted on defending forces.
Officers of these units would be equipped with the same armour as their troops, although often carrying lighter weapons more suited to personal protection.
The officer can be accompanied by up to two assistants to run messages and maintain communications back to Battalion HQ.
I will paint up more of these as a break from the projects I have on the go at the moment.
