Project - 'D-Day spearhead'

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all and just a quick note of big thanks to all the responses I've received thus far and whilst I always enjoy the builds (some frustratingly so), this past weeks' 80th commemorations has provided me the extra 'fuel' needed to push on and push on I have, with push bikes. For those D-Day aficionados out there, I'm sure you'd agree that despite the popular narrative, the Allied landings were very much a one-sided affair in that the Wehrmacht poised to stop it had no chance of doing so given they were out-matched in every aspect - land, sea and air, though it was on land that they'd had their best chance.

And so, with the Americans largely sorted, I've taken a break from the Allied side to spend the remainder of June on the Germans. Along with my Rommel vignette, I intend to do this with three such scenes and they'll all cover to some degree the dire situation they faced along that Calvados/Contentin coast that June of '44. The largest will centre on the deadliest of the units faced - the 352nd Infantry Division, and in particular its mobile reserve - the 915th Grenadier Regiment (known as Kampfgruppe Meyer). Mobility came via two modes - French trucks (driven by French drivers because they knew the narrow road network of Normandy) and a company on bicycles (Radfahr Kompanie). During the early morning hours preceding the landings and during the day of the 6th, this mobile reserve spent more time on the road than fighting. In fact it spent so much of the day on the road reacting to constantly changing commands from its HQ that it never really got to do the job expected of it as 84th Corps reserve (which in itself shows how dire the German Army was - having what is ostensibly a divisional reserve committed to covering that of corps size).

For this I've chosen to do the bicycles largely because I've several of the fine, though somewhat fragile, DML examples in the collection that I've been keen to employ for years in some way or form. Five are now in the process of paint/detail and will make up an MG34 team. Two of the bicycles are from the 'Dieter' figure (2002 and DML's first bicycle release), one from the 'Jupp Bauer' Panzerfaust fit (2004) and the other two from the 'Hubert Schreber' which gave the choice of two accessory fit-outs - MG34 or its AA tripod (I've got two from this 2011 release so will do up one of each).

 

[SteveKrieg]

The DML bicycles are all of a similar colour but I've chosen to repaint them in a more olive green than 'panzer' grey based on some pics of surviving examples and whilst I've been keen to paint/detail a bicycle or two for years, I have also been dreading such a project but now that I'm well into it (and doing up five) it's actually somewhat therapeutic. I intend to paint one of the ammunition/grenade boxes in a dark yellow (to give the idea that the box is a retro-fit) and once all the bikes are detailed to then start a similar process and applying the stowage before, finally, getting onto the figures.

All will be pushing and not riding their bicycles (in order to save on wear and tear and to remain fit, these troops could only ride their bikes if it was part of an anti-invasion exercise or for real) and will be pushing them past a stores-laden horse-drawn wagon (a separate project which will follow-on from the bicycles). Next post on this however will be of the completed bikes and their riders. Enjoy, Steve

 

[MP38]

What a fantastic job. You have captured the effect perfectly.

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all and thanks muchly 'MP38' for your kind comments. Just a quick update on the bicycles in that they are now done (onto the five figures that'll push them). I wanted each bike to have a certain individuality to it which the stowage definitely brings. Will send a couple of update pics with figures and bicycles hopefully over the next few days provided I can get a few more modelling hours in. Enjoy, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all,

Just another quick update on the bicycle scene which is only half of the scene in-fact as foreground will be a requisitioned French box cart turned ration wagon (such is the intent). With the bicycle-pushing fusiliers done, thus completing that aspect of this particular diorama, it's onto the cart itself. The wooden cart was something I found a while back in a second-hand shop and came with a ceramic horse, straight off the bat I envisaged a perfect scaled supply cart despite some rather over-sized screws which though slightly detracting shouldn't "slow" the scene too much. The original wood finish with its texturing isn't too bad but is too polished for what I'm after so I've taken the wheels off and gave it a base coat of 'Citadel Black' before hand-brushing Valejo-brand 'New wood' which I'm now dusting with 'Old wood' before I attempt a wood texture to match. I also scratch-built a pallet for the cart's flooring.

The horse harness that fitted the original ceramic horse will require some modifications in order to properly fit one from DML (the only aspect of this build that I'm not looking forward to). The ration stores however I've sufficiently got covered save for some minor detailing. These include a bucket of Calvados apples for which the Normandy region is famous, several Speinentrager and large Trinkwasser containers, barrels of Pilsener, bread and some equipment stowage for the wagon crew. For the two-man cart crew, one young smiling soldaten is playing an accordian seated at the rear of the cart (air sentry) which has garnered the attention of the cyclists whilst another figure will be tending to the horse. Of historical note, Rommel often ensured there were accordions stashed in his vehicle entourage during tours of the coastal defences as he knew the maintenance of morale was key and the accordion a classic instrument of the German army when it came to campfire singalongs. He'd hand them out to instill a sense of camraderie. Next post will be of the completed scene, 'til then enjoy, Steve.

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all, have been sort of side-tracked from the bicycle/ration cart scene to start and finish a vignette based on the narrative of Gefreiter Hein Severloh, an artilleryman who just happened to find himself behind an MG42 during the Omaha beach assault and, along with Franz Gockel, provide the "other side of the fence" with both releasing memoirs later in life (around the 50th Anniversary of D-Day). Severloh has gone on record, and his memoir (first published in English in 2011) states, that he was responsible for killing some 1,000-2,000 American troops which has helped make him somewhat a celebrity status since - particularly on Youtube in recent years; however, as with memoirs in-general, these should be read with a discerning eye as they tend to be selective in memory and with age embellished with a hint of self-serving distortion. Severloh's kill count is indeed proof of this yet still by making a scene based on his account it does provide nonetheless a good chance to cover the German defences high on the bluff as I've not the time, nor the space, to make a 1/6th bunker (if only).

I envisaged a sort of cutaway view of Severloh firing his MG42 surrounded by the wherewithal of such a machine gun position - spent casings, spare ammo and a figure that could be posed accurately. The later proved a problem as even with DML's most advanced figure type (the old NEO3 body with more rotatable elbows) it was difficult to achieve the MG42 firing position in terms of supporting the butt of the weapon into the shoulder (something DML figures have never really been able to replicate accurately). I fixed this today by changing-out to a DiD body which meant that the headsculpt is less in looking like Severloh than the DML headsculpt I had originally gone for but I favoured more realistic pose over likeness to achieve the overall stance I was going for.

I used plywood as the base, cut into several pieces allowing for a firing platform and depth of a length of firing trench noting the shortage of concrete at Omaha meant that the bulk of the interconnecting trenches between the WNs were simply just earthen with no support save for wooden grate flooring to take on water. Defending troops often complained on having to reshape the trenches after rainfall as the walls tended to give way, there wasn't even materials nor time to brace the sides in the most part and therefore were most rudimentary in construction.

 

[SteveKrieg]

On the day, Severloh was acting as a bodyguard to his commander Leutnant Frekring - Battery Commander, 1st Battery 321st Artillery Regiment - which supported the 352nd Infantry Division. Manning an MG42 near the observation bunker at WN62 that Frekring used to call in artillery fire onto the beach from concealed positions to the rear (making such bunkers the most dangerous to American troops that morning), Severloh had a grand view of an area the American 1st Infantry Division's 16th Infantry Regiment knew as sectors - Easy Red and Fox Green and it is here that his MG42 would do the most damage though far from the excessive number that he later claimed (which would entail the bulk of the casualties suffered by the leading assault troops at Omaha on D-Day which are estimated at between 2,400 to 4,000).

During breaks in firing (where he allowed time for the hot barrels of his machine gun to cool), Severloh took to his Kar98 (apparently he had two on-hand). He experienced little fire from the assault troops initially but as the day wore-on he became a target for the U.S. Navy where NGS knocked him off his feet once with a close shot. Supplied by boxes and drums of ammo, Hein was able to fire until around 3pm when ammo resupply became pretty much exhausted, claiming to have fired some 13,000 rounds from his MG42 and 400 from the bolt-action rifles. With the Americans finding ways up the bluffs (largely by skirting around the beach exits), the order came to withdraw rather than face encirclement. Having fitted a drum mag for carrying convenience Severloh got the word to fall back from Frekring (who would die manning the bunker) and begun moving to the rear towards Colleville in the hope of meeting-up with his battery. By the afternoon of the following day he was in the hands of the Americans having surrendered along with a small party of survivors.

Back to the construction of the scene...the plywood was covered in several layers of AV terrain paint - dry mud and muddy ground - to give earthen texture. I cut up a spare JG Miniatures grass mat for the top to replicate the grassy bluff area around WN62 and the wooden flooring made from balsa wood. The figure is outfitted with DML attire and gear as is the ammo boxes/drums and machine gun accessory gear, the MG42, belts and spent casings are from DiD. After completion, I find that this, along with the Rommel scene, should cover the German side well-enough providing me time now to concentrate on the British and Canadian figures and if time permits at the end then I'll finish the bicycle/ration cart scene which is a nice to have but not a need at this stage. Enjoy, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

Just one more thing, I also intend to rejig the biggest of the D-Day scenes - Omaha Beach assault - now that I've completed the rising tide along the scene's length, have several dead fish to add and another figure assembled to complete an entire Assault Boat Team. I'm also looking to change the poses of several figures having had the time to reconsider and change-out several from M1910 webbing into assault vests. This I'll do once the weather here warms-up. Meanwhile, to all on SAG, take it easy if not easier, Steve

 

[Hammer's Africaners]

Awesome work

 

[SteveKrieg]

Cheers muchly for the kind words indeed. Onto the other Allied figs - several of which I'll tack onto the end in order to give credit where credit is due with one scene covering the other four assault areas, firstly, British Commandos x 2. I've utilised the 2002 DML release "Mark" (standing) with some additional gear added in order to bring him up to speed and this included changing-out some of the original Brit gear for the better examples that came out with the later figures as well as a couple of soft berets courtesy of Ujindou in order to bring it up to speed. The Bren gunner a spare bod "kit-bashed" accordingly into the second figure. More to follow, enjoy, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all,

A couple more Brits to add to the table covering the other beaches, namely Gold and Sword beach. The two infantrymen representing 3rd and 50th British Infantry Divisions respectively. The mortarman on the left is based as per an illustration (by Peter Dennis) in Osprey's D-Day Beach Assault Troops ('Elite' series No. 219) whilst the figure on the right is a generic PIAT gunner. As with any of DML's British figures the Pattern 37 webbing is always an exercise in patience to assemble though thankfully, of late, I've been putting together the real McCoy for a museum exhibit but still in 1/6th scale very finicky. My main aim aside from covering the other beaches is to feature the main infantry arms of those nations and nothing says British than the Sten, No.4 Enfield rifle and the under-rated PIAT. Dying the battledress into the greener shade for the upcoming Canadians (covering Juno) is a main bugbear at the moment with the previous two attempts failing to take hold on the DML battledress. The tortoise-shaped Mk III helmet courtesy of BBI Elite Forces. The lifebelt was originally black in colour but repainted white and detailed accordingly. Insignia by the old classic CVI Insignia British divisional and branch sets.

I'm looking to rejig the centrepiece diorama during September (as the weather warms-up here), that covering the Assault Boat Team at Omaha by refitting half the guys into assault jackets and scrimming-up most of the netted helmets based on more current research of the 29th's 116th Regiment. I'll also be reposing some of the figures and testing out the surf and dead fish placement. Enjoy, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

BTW, thought I'd post a pic on my other tragic obsession...er...hobby - Reading military history, not just because of my current role in Army History Unit but when it comes to my annual themes I strive to find out as much as I can about the uniform and equipment pertaining to the fighting man and his wherewithal in the battles represented in 1/6th scale figure form; and by seeing the many posts on SAG over the years I'm sure I'm preaching to the converted in stating that the subject matter, no matter the subject, remains a key aspect when putting figures and scenes together as the two go hand-in-hand in making a figure as credible as possible.

The books I have on D-Day are many and some stem back as far as being in my collection since my teenage years (ah, the years before 9/11, when the world seemed to make more sense). Aside from the two-dozen go-to Osprey books covering all manner of related topics there's a few of the more dependable H&Cs (I highly recommend 'Spearheading D-Day' for anyone wishing to do figures pertaining to the American landings) and the very-detailed 'Then & Now' 2-volume series on D-Day.

Of course there's lots of specific books covering all aspects of the landings and popular works by noted authors ranging over several decades in terms of publication. Some perpetuating the myths of earlier accounts whilst more recent works tend to offer better more accurate insights. There's the 1959 stalwart classic that started it all - Cornelius Ryan's 'The Longest Day' (the first of his famous war trilogy), Max Hastings '80s rendition 'Overlord' before Stephen E. Ambrose did likewise in the '90s with 'D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II' and then more recently, Antony Beevor's 2009 "D-Day - the Battle of Normandy'. From what these authors tried to do in volume, Robert M. Citino surmised succinctly in a single chapter in his 2017 'The Wehrmacht's Last Stand - The German Campaigns of 1944-1945' (the last of his great trilogy covering the Wehrmacht from 1942-45).

For those just interested in Omaha I recommend four great reads starting with Adrian R. Lewis' 'Omaha Beach - a Flawed Victory' which goes well into the mechanics behind the assault and reasons behind why it almost failed pinning it on the operational planners rather than on the tactical commanders, the 'Dead and those about to Die - D-Day: The Big Red One and Omaha Beach' which specifically covers the assault from the perspective of the the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division by John C. McManus, the thickest of the lot - 'Sand & Steel - The D-Day invasion and the Liberation of France' by Peter Caddick-Adams is well written and has a couple of sizeable chapters on Omaha. But, my favourite in terms of knowledge-gained has to be 'Omaha Beach' by Joseph Balkoski. Finally, from the German POV, the ever-reliable Steven Zaloga and his 'The Devil's Garden - Rommel's Desperate Defence of Omaha Beach on D-Day', which is lavishly illustrated and well-written.

As a sidenote, I'm well within my quota of books covering the USMC for next year's plan, though the walls of my study seem to close in more and more as my collection grows and grows.

Hope this helps with anyone wishing to read D-Day. Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all,

Along with covering the Brits, a brief vignette of figures that'll cover the airborne flanks so crucial to the beach landings and, when it comes down to it, would be considered the 'spearhead' assault troops given they had dropped or glider-inserted several hours earlier. Having done Brit and U.S. paras for previous model shows (and in number), I thought initially to just re-purpose but then thought why not just do up a couple more of each - the gliderborne light infantryman of the famed D Coy 2nd "Ox & Bucks" (Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry) which stormed the vital crossing points over the River Orne and Caen Canal (itself worthy of its own diorama but unfortunately not the time), a lieutenant fully kitted for the jump of the 9th Battalion, 6th Airborne Division tasked with neutralising the Merville Battery, note that I'm looking to do a Canadian para as well given their 1st Parachute Battalion came under "Windy" Gale but will get on that after the refitting of the Omaha beach scene.

The two American airborne divisions are represented by the only figure for the D-Day series that I've repurposed from a previous model show (the extensive diorama series on the "Screaming Eagles" in Normandy back in 2019, phew, how time has flown) mainly because it remains one of my favourites, a para of the 101st (E/506th) exiting the door of a C-47. The second is a well-camo'd pathfinder of the 82nd with a scratch-built M-227 signal lamp. I'll really have to think about the text panel for this one given the complexity and scale of the airborne flanks alone but I can't put in a series covering D-Day, even if it is centred on Omaha, without mention of the paras.

As with the bulk of the gear used, DML's 'Harry Collins' (SOLDAT Brit Para) and 'Jim Gordon' (SOLDAT U.S. Para) for the basis whilst I've chosen the much better BBI Elite Forces British parachute X-Type harness for the officer (finding the box release easier to lock into place). The final pic is how I'll set them up as a collective noting I'll endeavour to have the fuselage more vertical than shown here. Next up, a Canadian or two covering Juno. Enjoy, Steve

 

[Squidley]

Some of my favorites here. I was a huge fan of Harry Collins, but I missed out on Jim Gordon. The gear coming with those old soldat releases was great. Nice to see you putting all of that stuff to good use.

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day Squidley, yes I to was a big fan of DML's 'SOLDAT' range and Harry Collins definitely a favourite given my airborne predilection and strived to collect them all back in the day though, fortunately perhaps for my wallet, there was not too many to collect in this range. I wish however that they had've produced more as there was so much scope in doing so in that enlarged gear +++++ format. They had done several standard figures with additional gear so I guess those count but would've loved to have seen a U.S. Marine and standard British infantry with a little more. Cheers, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'Day all,

Despite my original efforts with the Omaha/Assault Boat Team scene, my brain for detail kept nudging me to give it another go, which I begrudgingly chose to do recently with the change-out of half the team into the unpopular assault vest and scrimming-up half of the netted helmets (something the assault troops, particularly of the 29th ID, did). I also re-arranged a couple into differing poses but now, looking at these images, I'm keen to change around a dozen more. I also added the surf and a couple of dead fish as well as one more beach obstacle.

 

[SteveKrieg]

I think I've captured more of the intense chaos I hope to achieve in-lieu of the absence of blood and gore (a figure or several depicting the exact carnage of what bullet and fragmented shell can do to a man) which just won't fly at the upcoming family-friendly model show.

 

[SteveKrieg]

Another addition is one more GI making it a total of 31 for the diorama which I think is the most figures in one scene I've every done. The average ABT had 30 but one in every two boats also carried a field medic. In-keeping with my original intent, I also wanted the diorama to feature several smaller vignettes so that every aspect of the scene had something to offer. My next job, getting the Canadian soldier or two sorted. Enjoy, Steve

 

[Squidley]

Wow! That beach scene is intense. What paperwork did you stuff inside the one guys helmet? And did i detect a bald spot on another trooper. Just seeing all of those leggings makes me cringe. They are not fun to put on....I keep seeing more cool detail every time I look through these. Just fantastic!

 

[SteveKrieg]

Cheers muchly Squidley and in answer to your questions: the paperwork on the helmet inner are two photographs - one of Betty Grable and the other Rita Hayworth (back when celebrities had class and stalwart pin-ups of the war era). Haha, the balding mortarman I added mainly to illustrate the small percentage of the 29th ID (around 20%) that took part in D-Day which were of the original National Guard unit, many of whom were older than the draftees and volunteers that had since filled-out the formation. The percentage of Virginian/Maryland national guardsmen was larger but the specific pre D-Day training the division went through, which only intensified further when MAJGEN Gerhardt took command, weeded out many.

From wearing an Australian uniform circa New Guinea mid-40s for an Army History Unit display some years back, I had put on U.S. canvas leggings so I see where you're coming from. The Australians taking a liking to them over British-designed gaiters (in terms of keeping out the mud and protecting the shins) during the Buna-Gona/Sanananda battles that ended Japanese aspirations of taking Port Moresby (effecting ending the Kokoda Campaign in early 1943) where Australians worked in unison with U.S. Army units in pinching-off the Japanese beach head areas and where they began scrounging the leggings from wherever they could be acquired.

When designing the figure placement and poses, despite being one big diorama, my goal was to incorporate several smaller action vignettes which the composition of the Assault Boat Team helped draw out, so I'm glad to read that, that seems to be having its desired effect with regards to seeing more detail everytime you view it. I've since re-posed four of the figures to provide more intensity. On the weekend of the show, I plan to wet the areas where the surf meets the sand, wet areas of the figures so that sand clings to them and incorporate drag marks made by elbows, boots, weapons and such as well as place spent casings and en-bloc clips. I'll then go around periodically with a couple of water-spray bottles to maintain the wet effect.

I time myself on the scene and had it down within 90 minutes.

Thanks again, Steve