This “Letter Home” is more likley to be from the Eastern Front in 1945 during the Russian Offensive, rather than Camp Granada in 1963! With apologies to Allan Sherman:
Hello Marder, Hello Panzer,
Here I am, on the Oder.
The rain is pouring, and the clouds are growing,
And they say we’ll fight, if it stops snowing!
I went out scouting, with Fritz Scriber,
And he copped it, in his backsider!
And you remember, Seigfried Hest,
His wife’s now with a yank, way back in Brest!
All the Non-coms hate their leaders,
Cos they think, they don’t need us!
And the commies, take no prisoners,
So we stay at home, and read ‘Ulysses’.
No, I don’t want, this should scare you,
But our Tigers, just burn and brew!
And you remember, our great Panthers,
Against the Russians, they just give no answers!
Oh Marder, Oh Panzer.
Take me home, I hate the Oder!
Don’t leave me, out in this snow,
Where there’s likely, a Brummbar to tow!
Take me home, I’ll fight no more,
Or whore around, or be a bore.
Oh please don’t, make me stay;
All I want is, a Potsdamer platz Cafe!
Dearest Panzer, darling Marder,
How’s your war, cause mine’s got harder?
Wait a minute; it’s stopped snowing.
Retreating backwards, we are going.
Berlins closer, gee that’s better.
Marder, Panzer, please forget this bloody letter!
More grist for the mill.
Panzer III Ausf G (1)
Panzer III Ausf G (2)
Panzer IV Ausf F1 (1)
Panzer IV Ausf F1 (2)
Panzer 38 (T)
Marder III Ausf. H
With all of the built tanks now painted the hard work is about to begin. If you haven’t gathered yet I hate putting plastic kits together, which is probably why this will be the first Dragon kit I will have worked on:
The kit components are clean with no real “fiddly” bits that I can see.
The kit itself is massive for 1/72 scale. Here is a King Tiger for comparison.
Although they never fought one Maus (V2) was sent to Hindenburgplatz, in front of the bunker Maybach I, where it was destroyed by retreating German Engineers. I can see a scenario looming where “Mighty Maus” fights on trying to stem the Russian advance!
I will let you know how well I have gone over the next few days.
Love it! 🙂 Good progress with the tanks and I don’t think I’ve ever had a Marder in my German forces! As an aside, I think your Panzer IVs are Ausf F1s at the latest, since they have the short 75mm gun and two-piece commander’s hatch cover. It’ll be good to see the Maus when it’s finished!
Yep stuffed up again. That’s what I have written on the base of the tank! Just an error this time in the transposition to the blog. Without keeping a track of what tank is what on the bottom of the base I would struggle just to be able to tell it was Pz IV let alone what variant! With Ancient, Dark Age and Hoses and Musket History I’m OK but WW2 outside of the Early Western Desert and Blitzkreig French and I am hopeless. Thanks again for the support, you kind comments and the help.
Dave
We can maybe cut a deal here! I’ll ask you about Ancients, Dark Ages and Horse & Musket armies when I’m stuck and you can ask me about tanks (although if you can keep track of Blitzkrieg French armour you’re doing well)!
Blog edited to reflect your advice.
Ahhh. Sounds like the blind leading the blind. I have never forgot what an old boss of my said “If you say something loud enough, often enough, and with authority, people will believe you”. He was in marketing!!
Nice collection for WaT! Cute poem too.