Creating the Battle of the Bulge.....Wacht Am Rhine (2 Viewers)
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StudioParisArt
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Colourful Photographs......but rather "one sided" I think....Be nice to see more of the American and British Defenders and not just the Waffen SS and K G Joachim Peipers unit......who have infamous memory in the war....
OzDigger
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Thanks Kev, that's a nice mix of German models on the move.
OzDigger
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Those guys look like they are enjoying the sun on a cold day.
panda1gen
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I can only show pictures of models I have been lucky enough to photograph, recent photos do have a good proportion of US forces however. I believe that most of the German pieces I have shown are not even of that unit.
I have some K&C 'winter Brits', but they are literally only a handful and have been deployed near Arnhem. I am unfamiliar with any others and certainly have not had access to any to photograph.
Battle for Arnhem....
In September 1944, Market Garden was launched against the retreating Wehrmacht consisting of old men and bicycles, to 'bounce' across the major river obstacles into Germany through Northern Holland and end the war before Christmas by taking the Ruhr industrial area from behind. Three airborne...
forum.treefrogtreasures.com
Have you made any similar comments to anyone else posting their photos of Bulge pieces, there are several of them? With comments like these I should probably do a Bob and stop posting altogether.
panda1gen
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Louis Badolato
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Kevin,
You stop posting and I'm coming back to Britain to hit you with those coconuts Alec bought you! Oh, and what is the average flight speed of an unladen swallow?
You stop posting and I'm coming back to Britain to hit you with those coconuts Alec bought you! Oh, and what is the average flight speed of an unladen swallow?
panda1gen
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Depends whether he is a) wearing a jet pack b) launched by catapult or c) whether he has 'lovely plumage' or not. (He better not be a disguised parrot)
You can't hit me with the coconuts, I am still wearing them.
Louis Badolato
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"You can't hit me with the coconuts, I am still wearing them."
That's an image I will never be able to get out of my mind ... the horror!!
That's an image I will never be able to get out of my mind ... the horror!!
panda1gen
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Wimp!
Louis Badolato
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Oh, you wanted argument. This is abuse.
panda1gen
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Oh, you wanted argument. - No I didn't, but you owe me for the full half hour.
This is abuse. - No it isn't - thicky!
panda1gen
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The early heavy German armoured car was the SdKfz 231 (8-Rad) series. The later series of the SdKfz 234 (8-Rad), bore a close initial resemblance, although it was easily identified by the one-piece mudguard running the length of the hull containing various stowage bins and lockers.
The SdKfz 234 (8-Rad) was in fact an entirely new range of wheeled AFVs. It had advanced concepts in design and was probably the best vehicle of its type to see service during the Second World War, with any army.
In August 1940, the Heereswaffenamt initiated a request for a new 8x8 armoured car design that would be suitable for deployment in hot climates, although the German Army had yet to become involved in the North African campaign or the hot Russian summers.
The Bussing-NAG organization at Leipzig-Wahren, Germany were tasked with preparing a design. Unsurprisingly, they proposed a similar layout to their SdKfz 231 (8-Rad) model, however, it had a more streamlined monocoque hull upon, which mounted the suspension, thus doing away with the need for a separate chassis. It also had considerably thicker armour.
The Czech firm of Tatra were approached to produce a suitable air cooled diesel motor. A V-12 diesel engine with an output of 220hp was designed and the prototype engine was ready by the end of 1941. Production development of the engine was slow however and plagued with problems. By the time that the AFV, now known as the SdKfz 234/1 Schwere Panzerspähwagen (8-Rad), went into mass production in July 1943, Bussing-NAG were responsible for assembly, the bodywork was manufactured by Deutsche Edelstahlwerke of Krefeld and the turret made by Daimler-Benz AG, Berlin-Marienfeld and F. Schichau of Elbing.
The SdKfz 234/1 was manned by a crew of four and at 10.33 tons was some 20 percent heavier than the SdKfz 231. Its maximum speed was only marginally less despite 30mm armour on the frontal hull and turret; 14.5mm on the turret side and rear; 8mm hull side armour and 10mm on the rear hull.
Air brakes and a radio were fitted as standard and the use of larger diameter tyres permitted an outstanding cross-country performance. Additionally the combination of the fuel economy of a diesel engine with an increased fuel capacity resulted in the vehicle having an operational radius which was approximately twice that of the earlier SdKfz 231 (8-Rad) series. Fortuitously the engine performed just as efficiently in extreme cold as in extreme heat, allowing the SdKfz 234 to operate well on the eastern front.
The most common complaint amongst German armoured car crewmen was that their armament was less than adequate if they made contact with armour. This was true of the first production version, the SdKfz 234/1, which utilised a similar open-topped turret (fitted with protective mesh cages) to those mounted on the 5-ton light armoured car SdKfz 222. This armament consisted of a 2cm KwK cannon mounted coaxially with a 7.92mm machine gun, which was considered inadequate for a vehicle of this size.
This was corrected to some degree in the SdKfz 234/2 Schwere Panzerspähwagen (50mm) Puma. This mounted the same KwK 39 50mm L/60 gun as carried by the PzKpfw III Ausf J and L medium tanks, with the addition of a muzzle brake. The gun was fitted in a bell-shaped mantlet. This was housed coaxially with the 7.92mm machine gun, in a cramped but fully enclosed turret, which was originally designed for the Leopard light tank. Normally, 55 rounds of 50mm ammunition were stowed, which added half a ton. This in turn resulted in a slight reduction in the maximum speed. The 50mm gun provided adequate firepower to deal with most enemy reconnaissance and light armour it would encounter. Despite the high cost of manufacture, it was the only German reconnaissance vehicle kept in production by a decimated German war industry in 1945.
A close-support version, the SdKfz 234/3 Schwere Panzerspähwagen 75mm was also produced. This was armed with a fixed, forward firing, low velocity 75mm K51 L/24 cannon. It had only limited traverse and the sides of the fighting compartment were raised to protect the crew. This had a useful HE shell and later HEAT ammunition that was of greater armour penetration than the 50mm L60 gun of the Puma.
I have not had access to any model to photograph. (Has one been made in 1/30?)
At Adolf Hitler's insistence, one more version, the SdKfz 234/4 was manufactured during the war. This was supposed to be a highly mobile tank hunter, modified to mount a 7.5cm PaK 40 L/48 anti-tank gun. This was fitted, less wheels, on a pivot in the centre of the fighting compartment. Combat use of the weapon was restricted by the limited traverse obtainable.
Given how rare it was at the time of the Bulge offensive I am not sure if it actually took part.
Sources:
B. T. White, Tanks and other Armoured Fighting Vehicles 1942-45 (Blandford Press, 1975)
Bryan Perrett, German Armoured Cars and Reconnaissance Half-Tracks 1939-45 (Osprey New Vanguard, 1999)
Ian V Hogg & John Weeks, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles (Hamlyn 1980)
Philip Trewhitt, Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Dempsey Parr, 1999)
Specifications
SdKfz. 234/2 Puma (8-Rad)
Around 100 produced from Sept 1943 to Sept 1944
SdKfz. 234/1 (8-Rad)
Around 200 produced from mid 1944 to early 1945
SdKfz. 234/3 (8-Rad)
Around 88 built from June and Dec 1944
SdKfz. 234/4 (8-Rad)
Around 89 were built between Dec 1944 and Mar 1945
The SdKfz 234 (8-Rad) was in fact an entirely new range of wheeled AFVs. It had advanced concepts in design and was probably the best vehicle of its type to see service during the Second World War, with any army.
In August 1940, the Heereswaffenamt initiated a request for a new 8x8 armoured car design that would be suitable for deployment in hot climates, although the German Army had yet to become involved in the North African campaign or the hot Russian summers.
The Bussing-NAG organization at Leipzig-Wahren, Germany were tasked with preparing a design. Unsurprisingly, they proposed a similar layout to their SdKfz 231 (8-Rad) model, however, it had a more streamlined monocoque hull upon, which mounted the suspension, thus doing away with the need for a separate chassis. It also had considerably thicker armour.
The Czech firm of Tatra were approached to produce a suitable air cooled diesel motor. A V-12 diesel engine with an output of 220hp was designed and the prototype engine was ready by the end of 1941. Production development of the engine was slow however and plagued with problems. By the time that the AFV, now known as the SdKfz 234/1 Schwere Panzerspähwagen (8-Rad), went into mass production in July 1943, Bussing-NAG were responsible for assembly, the bodywork was manufactured by Deutsche Edelstahlwerke of Krefeld and the turret made by Daimler-Benz AG, Berlin-Marienfeld and F. Schichau of Elbing.
The SdKfz 234/1 was manned by a crew of four and at 10.33 tons was some 20 percent heavier than the SdKfz 231. Its maximum speed was only marginally less despite 30mm armour on the frontal hull and turret; 14.5mm on the turret side and rear; 8mm hull side armour and 10mm on the rear hull.
Air brakes and a radio were fitted as standard and the use of larger diameter tyres permitted an outstanding cross-country performance. Additionally the combination of the fuel economy of a diesel engine with an increased fuel capacity resulted in the vehicle having an operational radius which was approximately twice that of the earlier SdKfz 231 (8-Rad) series. Fortuitously the engine performed just as efficiently in extreme cold as in extreme heat, allowing the SdKfz 234 to operate well on the eastern front.
The most common complaint amongst German armoured car crewmen was that their armament was less than adequate if they made contact with armour. This was true of the first production version, the SdKfz 234/1, which utilised a similar open-topped turret (fitted with protective mesh cages) to those mounted on the 5-ton light armoured car SdKfz 222. This armament consisted of a 2cm KwK cannon mounted coaxially with a 7.92mm machine gun, which was considered inadequate for a vehicle of this size.
This was corrected to some degree in the SdKfz 234/2 Schwere Panzerspähwagen (50mm) Puma. This mounted the same KwK 39 50mm L/60 gun as carried by the PzKpfw III Ausf J and L medium tanks, with the addition of a muzzle brake. The gun was fitted in a bell-shaped mantlet. This was housed coaxially with the 7.92mm machine gun, in a cramped but fully enclosed turret, which was originally designed for the Leopard light tank. Normally, 55 rounds of 50mm ammunition were stowed, which added half a ton. This in turn resulted in a slight reduction in the maximum speed. The 50mm gun provided adequate firepower to deal with most enemy reconnaissance and light armour it would encounter. Despite the high cost of manufacture, it was the only German reconnaissance vehicle kept in production by a decimated German war industry in 1945.
A close-support version, the SdKfz 234/3 Schwere Panzerspähwagen 75mm was also produced. This was armed with a fixed, forward firing, low velocity 75mm K51 L/24 cannon. It had only limited traverse and the sides of the fighting compartment were raised to protect the crew. This had a useful HE shell and later HEAT ammunition that was of greater armour penetration than the 50mm L60 gun of the Puma.
I have not had access to any model to photograph. (Has one been made in 1/30?)
At Adolf Hitler's insistence, one more version, the SdKfz 234/4 was manufactured during the war. This was supposed to be a highly mobile tank hunter, modified to mount a 7.5cm PaK 40 L/48 anti-tank gun. This was fitted, less wheels, on a pivot in the centre of the fighting compartment. Combat use of the weapon was restricted by the limited traverse obtainable.
Given how rare it was at the time of the Bulge offensive I am not sure if it actually took part.
Sources:
B. T. White, Tanks and other Armoured Fighting Vehicles 1942-45 (Blandford Press, 1975)
Bryan Perrett, German Armoured Cars and Reconnaissance Half-Tracks 1939-45 (Osprey New Vanguard, 1999)
Ian V Hogg & John Weeks, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles (Hamlyn 1980)
Philip Trewhitt, Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Dempsey Parr, 1999)
Specifications
SdKfz. 234/2 Puma (8-Rad)
Around 100 produced from Sept 1943 to Sept 1944
| Machinery | One Tatra 103 V-12 14,825cc diesel engine rated at 220hp |
| Suspension | Wheel |
| Armament | 1x50mm KwK 39/1 L/60 autocannon (55 rounds), 1x7.92mm coxial MG34 machine gun |
| Armor | 9-30mm |
| Crew | 4 |
| Length | 6.02 m |
| Width | 2.36 m |
| Height | 2.10 m |
| Weight | 10.0 t |
| Speed | 85 km/h |
| Range | 1000 km |
SdKfz. 234/1 (8-Rad)
Around 200 produced from mid 1944 to early 1945
| Machinery | One Tatra 103 V-12 14,825cc diesel engine rated at 220hp |
| Suspension | Wheel |
| Armament | 1x20mm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon, 1x7.92mm coxial MG34 machine gun |
| Armor | 9-30mm |
| Crew | 4 |
| Length | 6.02 m |
| Width | 2.36 m |
| Height | 2.10 m |
| Weight | 10.0 t |
| Speed | 85 km/h |
| Range | 1000 km |
SdKfz. 234/3 (8-Rad)
Around 88 built from June and Dec 1944
| Machinery | One Tatra 103 V-12 14,825cc diesel engine rated at 220hp |
| Suspension | Wheel |
| Armament | 1x75mm K51 L/24 gun in open-top superstructure |
| Armor | 9-30mm |
| Crew | 4 |
| Length | 6.02 m |
| Width | 2.36 m |
| Height | 2.10 m |
| Weight | 10.0 t |
| Speed | 85 km/h |
| Range | 1000 km |
SdKfz. 234/4 (8-Rad)
Around 89 were built between Dec 1944 and Mar 1945
| Machinery | One Tatra 103 V-12 14,825cc diesel engine rated at 220hp |
| Suspension | Wheel |
| Armament | 1x75mm PaK 40 L/46 gun in open-topped superstructure |
| Armor | 9-30mm |
| Crew | 4 |
| Length | 6.02 m |
| Width | 2.36 m |
| Height | 2.10 m |
| Weight | 10.0 t |
| Speed | 85 km/h |
| Range | 1000 km |