some ideas for Andy concerning the upcoming BoB 2019 figures (1 Viewer)

[Guy]

The following photographs have all been taken during the BoB late December 1944 and early January 1945 in Belgium and Luxembourg.
I hope they can inspire some new ideas for the upcoming figures
Guy
German paras of the II battalion (Major Siegried Taubert)of the 9th Fallschirmjäger-Regiment

The same German paras accepting some Camel cigarettes from a dispatch rider on a DKW NZ-500

German officers consulting a map and all 3 dressed in a rubber motorcyclist coat

a soldier from the 424th Infantry Regiment of the 106th division is wearing the snow camo outfit that reached the troop early Jan 1945

Soldiers of the 644th tank destroyer battalion resupplying with shells their TD M10

 

[Guy]

a few more pictures
Soldiers of the 117th IR of the 30thID in action in the streets of Stavelot

Isolated German soldiers of the 18th Volks Grenadier division ( Luxembourg) trying to contact the German lines.

German soldier in snow camo with field telephone .

US medic pulls a wounded soldier on a sledge

most interesting photograph !!!!!!!Because of the lack of fuel and snow blocked roads,the Germans use sledges pulled by dogs to transport ammunition

 

[Guy]

Please note that the German standing up on the Königstiger has in his hands a submachine gun of the type "Gerät Potsdam" almost similar to the British 9mm Sten Gun
guy:smile2:
MORE IDEAS ARE WELCOME

 

[bridport]

Excellent pictures, and I would welcome any figures based upon them.

That unusual SMG is something I’d not seen or heard of before. Very interesting.

 

[Guy]

Excellent pictures, and I would welcome any figures based upon them.

That unusual SMG is something I’d not seen or heard of before. Very interesting.

28.000 of this version of the MP3008 ( Gerät Potsdam) were made by Mauser in 1944. The magazine was interchangable with the MP40
guy:smile2:

 

[Peiper007]

View attachment 238831
Please note that the German standing up on the Königstiger has in his hands a submachine gun of the type "Gerät Potsdam" almost similar to the British 9mm Sten Gun
guy:smile2:
MORE IDEAS ARE WELCOME

I am unsure it is a Sten copy? it is as likely to be a sten, I have read and looked at many pictures of the German 3rd Fallschirmjäger Division during the Battle of the Bulge and they had previously been engaged in Normandy and after being decimated during the retreat were being rebuilt were used as part of Kampfgruppe "Becker" during the Arnhem campaign, which would have given them plenty of opportunities to pick up a sten! Plus the MP3008 was not distributed until Jan 1945 and was mainly to the Volkssturm, plus they mainly had a vertical magazine, whereas the one the Para is holding has a side magazine. Numbers I have seen have ranged from 3 to 10 thousand manufactured.

I think we do not know one way or another for sure, but would be a great figure, as would the whole set.

 

[Guy]

I am unsure it is a Sten copy? it is as likely to be a sten, I have read and looked at many pictures of the German 3rd Fallschirmjäger Division during the Battle of the Bulge and they had previously been engaged in Normandy and after being decimated during the retreat were being rebuilt were used as part of Kampfgruppe "Becker" during the Arnhem campaign, which would have given them plenty of opportunities to pick up a sten! Plus the MP3008 was not distributed until Jan 1945 and was mainly to the Volkssturm, plus they mainly had a vertical magazine, whereas the one the Para is holding has a side magazine. Numbers I have seen have ranged from 3 to 10 thousand manufactured.

I think we do not know one way or another for sure, but would be a great figure, as would the whole set.

Gerät Potsdam submachine gun. (The number 3-10 thousand is for the version with the vertical magazine )
It bears to note that Mauser had already produced a local ,unlicensed exact copy of the British Sten MKII in the "Gerät Potsdam" ( means Potsdam Factory) beginning in the latter part of 1944.These examples were exact copies complete with English markings perhaps for use with German Clandestine units at some point
Guy

 

[45thdiv]

Well, I learned something new today. I was not aware that the Germans copied the British Sten. Interesting. Thanks,

Matthew

 

[Rudi Starnberg]

News to me too. Thanks Guy.

 

[Peiper007]

There were actually two different copies of the Sten produced by Germans.

The Gerat Potsdam which was produced, unlicensed, by Mauser in late 1944 with around 28,000 produced. These had British marking and some believe they could have been produced for clandestine operations.

MP3008 - German official placed an order for literally a million MP-3008, but around 10,000 were manufactured by Mauser and around 3 to 5 thousand through small workshops and larger factories putting the guns together from the parts manufactured.

Keep in mind figures for allied production was over 3.7 million guns and I have read as high as 4.3 million guns.

The original question was what the German Para was carrying, Sten or Gerat Potsdam or MP3008. I think no one knows the answer but it is great to speculate.