Battle for Arnhem.... (2 Viewers)

[Louis Badolato]

More great shots! :salute:: I sent you a PM about your progress on the Desert Volume of the K&C book (as I recall you said it was almost done).^&confuse

 

[panda1gen]

More great shots! :salute:: I sent you a PM about your progress on the Desert Volume of the K&C book (as I recall you said it was almost done).^&confuse

Louis, sleep (lack of) etc etc etc - it is and I will try to send it to you ASAP to find my many mistakes.

This one isn't in it as it is a Figarti Grant, shot against an unusual English sky - clear, almost monochromatic and not raining!

 

[panda1gen]

Son

We have already discussed how the remainder of the regiment pushed on to Son where they fell under the direct command of 101st Airborne’s Major General Maxwell Taylor. With the paratroopers fighting alongside, the Hussars advanced on the Wilhelmina Canal opposite Best, (see previous posts on the battle for Best), seized the bank and captured several anti-tank guns. From these positions, the Hussars pounded nearby German gun emplacements and rounded up five hundred enemy soldiers.




The following day they withdrew to the Son bridge, thwarting an intended enemy attack on the bridge, thus securing the bridgehead.




On 20 September, B Squadron moved south of the canal, to repel infantry who were attempting to cut the supply line. As they took up positions, a Panther opened fire on them striking both the squadron commander and second in command.




Fortunately, one of their Challengers rapidly responded destroying the enemy tank. Five additional Panthers fired upon them from a hull down position along the River Domel. C Squadron and a handful of American 'bazookamen', rushed in from the north flank destroying one of the tanks and forcing the Germans to fall back.



The following day, A Squadron rejoined the regiment to protect its eastern flank and by 22 September, the entire regiment returned to the Major General Roberts’ command. This takes us too far forward in time though, so I will leave their story for now.

 

[panda1gen]

A Brief Review

So far I have covered in some detail the capture of JOE's Bridge, which created the bridgehead for 'Garden', the plan, the XXX Corps advance to Eindhoven, the 101st at Eindhoven and Best (and how they were supported by the 15/19 Hussars), the early incursion of the 107 PB to the rebuilt Son Bridge and its repulse by the 101st with British tank support. I also described in some detail the initial moves of 1st Airborne and especially 2 Para, but I intend to tell more in due course. I shall do the same with the German side.

Lt Col J. O. E. Vandaleur lead the Irish Guards, the tip of the XXX Corps spear, to Eindhoven. The Grenadier Guards take over to Nijmegen.


!st Airborne faces a hard fight to reach Arnhem Bridge


Lt Col Frost with most of the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment and a few others, does reach Arnhem Bridge, but is cut off and surrounded


With thousands of vehicles on essentially one road, Guards Armoured Division faces exhausting tailbacks and interdiction from the flanks


Viewed from a nearby wood, the RASC supply train of XXX Corps could make a good target. They carry essentials such as fuel, food and ammunition to support the fighting elements. Without them there is no advance.


With many roads raised above the soft Dutch Polder and some German minelaying on verges of roads, room for manoeuvre was limited and, especially soft vehicles, made easy targets. It was not nicknamed 'Hell's Highway' for nothing.

General Gavin likened it to the US Indian wars as guarding the miles of the long road meant big gaps were ever present and a quick reaction was needed.

 

[panda1gen]

I am now going to move off the history for a short while, because I am finding it difficult to fit pictures of K&C's airborne jeeps etc. in and they are some of my favourites.

The first one must be the rarest at less than 50 produced and I thank Louis for allowing me to photograph it.

The K&C wooden para jeep was relatively detailed and is a lovely model.

I am just sorry that we did not have time to devote to more pictures. (Apart from Louis, who just sat on his backside going up and down three flights of stairs all day fetching the models :wink2: ^&grin, we were very busy.)








The clear, folding windscreen is obvious in the shot, as are the aerials, I hope some of the interior detail is also clear enough.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Kevin,

Those photos bring back wonderful memories! :smile2: The original wood Para Jeep from 1995 will always be one of my favorites. Do you know mine is the only one I've ever seen for sale? I got it with a shelf of other mahogany K&C vehicles from the Old Toy Soldier Home in San Diego back in 1999. Back then I was buying up all the K&C wood, metal and resin vehicles I could find, because Andy had lost his factory in the Philippines (I think as a result of a volcano eruption, believe it or not), and was no longer able to produce the mahogany vehicles and aircraft. I managed to get at least one of every K&C mahogany vehicle in every available color scheme except one (which I have never even seen a photo of in a catalogue): the Austin K2 RAF Ambulance in desert markings (Andy make 50 in RAF Blue, 15 in Green, and only 5 in desert tan). For the K&C books, you photographed every one of the original vehicles in every paint scheme, except for that desert RAF ambulance. If anybody has one, I would love to see a photo!

By the way, in the last photo, behind the Para Jeep you have depicted two K&C resin and metal prototypes, versions of which Andy allowed myself, the late great Larry Lo, and Hans Hedrich, the sponsors of the first two NY Symposia, to purchase: a Bedford Troop Transport Lorry and an Austin Radio Command Vehicle. I got the desert version of the Troop Transport Lorry and the European Theater version of the Radio Command vehicle. He also let us purchase resin and metal prototypes of the Austin Tilly vehicle. I got the one in RAF blue.

 

[panda1gen]

AN06, the Recce Jeep, was a green metal Willys Jeep, not nearly as detailed as the earlier wood para jeep.

It came with a crew consisting of a driver, a sitting para with a Tommy Gun and a Radio operator, as well as an extra Lee Enfield Rifle and Sten Gun. The set originally retailed for $ 192.

The Arnhem Jeeps were originally limited to a release of 500.

A rear 3/4 view

In company with other airborne jeeps

 

[arnhem44mad]

AN06, the Recce Jeep, was a green metal Willys Jeep, not nearly as detailed as the earlier wood para jeep.

It came with a crew consisting of a driver, a sitting para with a Tommy Gun and a Radio operator, as well as an extra Lee Enfield Rifle and Sten Gun. The set originally retailed for $ 192.

The Arnhem Jeeps were originally limited to a release of 500.

View attachment 263783 A rear 3/4 view

View attachment 263784 In company with other airborne jeeps

View attachment 263782

The Final set I have been searching for to complete my Arnhem 44 range!!

Has eluded me for nearly 2 decades!

Scott

 

[Louis Badolato]

The entire scene Kevin photographed of a town in Holland was made with K&C wood and papier mache buildings, and K&C facades. The walls of the village were made from a wood and papier Mache Roman Fort circa 1995, the village gate was a Silk Road Great Wall Gateway circa 1995, the buildings were the various backlot buildings also circa 1995, and the raised backdrop was a Gordon Neilson World of Dickens St. Paul's Steps diorama with the World of Dickens facades. Various other flat "Normandy Village" facades rounded out the scene. Kevin shot literally thousands of photographs, many of which illustrated the first and third volumes of the K&C Books, using this diorama completely made of versatile K&C diorama products.

 

[Louis Badolato]

The entire scene Kevin photographed of a town in Holland was made with K&C wood and papier mache buildings, and K&C facades. The walls of the village were made from a wood and papier Mache Roman Fort circa 1995, the village gate was a Silk Road Great Wall Gateway circa 1995, the buildings were the various backlot buildings also circa 1995, and the raised backdrop was a Gordon Neilson World of Dickens St. Paul's Steps diorama with the World of Dickens facades. Various other flat "Normandy Village" facades rounded out the scene. Kevin shot literally thousands of photographs, many of which illustrated the first and third volumes of the K&C Books, using this diorama completely made of versatile K&C diorama products.

If you look at this photo, you can see the Castle walls as a back drop set atop another K&C custom diorama base (where the stairs are in the distance, with the Kubelwagons parked on it) as the walls surrounding the village, and a Streets of Old Hong Kong Row House Building (the salmon colored one behind the mahogany version of the Iwo Sherman, one of 5 made, only 4 in these markings) is also being used to give depth to the scene:

 

[Louis Badolato]

Some more shots Kevin took using this K&C village diorama we created:

 

[Louis Badolato]

Some more . . .

 

[panda1gen]

AN07, the Ambulance Jeep, consisted of the metal jeep from AN06, painted with red crosses on white backgrounds, along with a medic/ driver, a seated wounded para and a badly wounded para in a stretcher.

This set also retailed for $ 192.

 

[panda1gen]

AN09, “Supplies”, is a resin and metal trailer to pull behind one of the Arnhem Jeeps filled with various ordanance (metal shell boxes and rockets for the mortar and Piat from other Arnhem sets), together with a Quartermaster Sergeant pointing the way and a tattooed para carrying two containers of rockets.

This set, limited to 500, originally retailed for $ 115.

 

[Desertkiwi]

AN09, “Supplies”, is a resin and metal trailer to pull behind one of the Arnhem Jeeps filled with various ordanance (metal shell boxes and rockets for the mortar and Piat from other Arnhem sets), together with a Quartermaster Sergeant pointing the way and a tattooed para carrying two containers of rockets.

This set, limited to 500, originally retailed for $ 115.

View attachment 263922

View attachment 263923

View attachment 263924

View attachment 263925

View attachment 263926

Great series, love the tattoo’d Para!

 

[panda1gen]

AN10, the Attack Jeep was based on the same metal jeeps from AN06 and AN07, with twin Vickers machine guns mounted on the passenger side dashboard.

The Attack jeep comes with a driver and a para to operate the twin Vickers K machine guns, both seated.

The set was limited in production to 500 and originally retailed for $192.

 

[panda1gen]

I beg forgiveness for my indulgent look into K&C's Arnhem vehicles, not finished yet, but will return to the history soon.

Meanwhile 1st Airborne are in a ferocious fight.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Some more shots Kevin took using this K&C village diorama we created:

I finally found one of Kevin's photos of the entire set up I was describing:

 

[villagehorse]

Had I been collecting in the late nineties, those Para jeeps would feature in my collection for sure. Obviously I have all Market Garden jeeps which I treasure. Nice to look back at what could have been. Robin.

 

[panda1gen]

Had I been collecting in the late nineties, those Para jeeps would feature in my collection for sure. Obviously I have all Market Garden jeeps which I treasure. Nice to look back at what could have been. Robin.

Robin

Sorry to hear this, at around 500 made, with an unknown number of collectors around the world, not sure how 'rare' they are. Good luck in finding them.


Meanwhile AN15 was a polystone bren carrier with three figures.





the Sten gunner was removable and made a useful figure in many dioramas



The set sold for $79