Introducing the US Rangers

The Rangers are an elite unit within the US Army. During WWII, 6 Ranger battalions were created. The 1st through 5th operated in North Africa and Europe, and the 6th was deployed to the Pacific theater. The first of these battalions was raised in mid 1942, and their training and purpose was modeled after the British Commando units, so much so that about 50 of them were incorporated into the British Commando units that participated in the Dieppe Raid in August of 1942, only two months after they were established. In late 1942, the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions saw action in North Africa, and in 1943, they participated in the Italian campaign where unfortunately, the 1st and 3rd Battalions were practically destroyed - either killed or captured. The 2nd and 5th Battalions played prominent roles during the D-Day Normandy landings in June of '44. The 2nd Battalion was deployed to climb the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and capture the nearby artillery batteries, and the 5th Battalion landed in the Dog White sector of Omaha Beach. These are the guys popularly depicted by Tom Hanks and his men in Saving Private Ryan. It was during the D-Day landings that the Rangers developed their motto of 'Lead the way!" At some point, when the attack was stalled, a general asked one of the Rangers to identify his unit. When he replied that they were the 5th Rangers, the general replied "Well god damn it, if you are Rangers, then get up there and lead the way!" which inspired the men to punch through the German defenses and get off the beach. On the Pacific side, the 6th Battalion participated in the invasion of the Philippines, where approximately 130 Rangers supported by Filipino guerrillas conducted a raid to liberate allied POWs from the Cabanatuan camp. This mission, 30 miles behind enemy lines, was a race against time, as there was real concern that the Japanese would execute the 522 prisoners, which included 33 civilians as well as survivors from the Bataan death march. In a surprise night attack, the Rangers were able to liberate the prisoners with minimal casualties, neutralizing close to a thousand Japanese troops in the process, before trekking back to Allied lines. In terms of toy soldiers, the Rangers have not been addressed as a separate topic until recently. Let's take a look. 

Mars US Rangers

Another unique and interesting set by Mars. What sets these guys apart and the reason why you can tell them apart from regular US Infantry is that they are wearing the Ranger assault vest. Aside from that, a few of them are carrying weapons that would have come in handy at Omaha Beach on D-Day, like the Bangalore torpedo, or the mine detector. The guy firing the BAR upwards, could also be firing up the Pointe du Hoc cliffs. The other poses are useful combat poses. So good ratings on the subject matter. What continues to bother me about the Mars figures is the sculpting of the arms. They are always closely tucked into the bodies. I know it is done for ease of release from the molds, but it makes them look unnatural, and sometimes it affects the body proportions. In this set, the sculpting of the sniper's legs also makes it look a bit odd, as the the front leg is bent right against its own thigh. Anyhow, happy about the set in general, but a bit disappointed about some of its details. 

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Here's a post of the GI's breaking out of Normandy.

And here is another post with GIs defending an Italian farmhouse.

Click here to see the Company of GIs in action.

Introducing the Japanese Naval Infantry

The Japanese Naval Infantry, also known as the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) were a unit within the Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces. They were landing units raised from ships crews which received special infantry training. They were deployed in battalion strength, ranging from a couple companies to a few thousand men. In 1941, some of these units were converted into parachute units and were successfully used against the Dutch in the operation to capture the Celebes Island. SNLF Troops were also deployed to capture Milne Bay in New Guinea. In this case they were defeated by well reinforced and determined Australian troops and from that point on they were mostly used in defensive actions. SNLF units were also used in the summer of 1942 to capture unopposed Kiska Island in Alaska, part of the Aleutian Islands, which they occupied for about a year, withdrawing before the US troops showed up. Another renowned action was the defense of Tarawa, where they fought to the end. SNLF operations often suffered heavy casualties. This was in part due to the isolated nature of their operations which made resupply challenging, but also in part due to the fact that they were not as skilled in infantry warfare tactics. They were however determined to fight, often resorting to their swords and bayonets when running out of ammunition. This is not to say that they were poorly equipped. SNLF had access to heavy weapons, artillery, and even tanks and armored vehicles. In terms of plastic toy soldiers, this is a subject that had been largely ignored by manufacturers until recently, when a couple of companies decided to cover it with some nice new production figures. Let's check them out!

Plastic Platoon Japanese Naval Infantry

Until recently, the great majority of Japanese plastic troops available have been regular Japanese Infantry, so it is nice and refreshing to see a different service branch being depicted. The challenge now is to find enough other poses to form a substantial fighting unit. But that's a good problem to have. As usual with Plastic Platoon, the sculpting is superb. The poses are good action poses and the detail is crisp and rich. For instance, you can clearly see the insignia showing that these guys are marines, and a few of them also wear Japanese flags on their head/helmet. Another feature that is unique about them is that they all carry a gas mask on their back. I wonder why this has only been depicted with these naval infantry guys. And then you also have a man wearing a bullet-scarred breast plate, similar to those worn by the Soviet scouts. Speaking of that guy, I do think that he could have been sculpted with a wider stance. If you throw a grenade with your legs so close to each other, you are relying primarily on arm strength for the throw... then again, maybe he thinks that the can get pretty close to the objective given the extra protection that he is wearing? :-)

Expeditionary Force Japanese Naval Infantry

This is such a timely set. Just as Plastic Platoon released its set of Japanese Naval Infantry, we now have 9 additional poses to assemble a full squad, or an understrength platoon. The two poses that stand out from this set are the flag bearer/bugle player and the flamethrower. Very nicely done. The other figures are pretty standard charging/firing poses, not unlike the ones that were released as part of the Japanese infantry sets. What makes these uniforms stand out is that all have the naval infantry insignia prominently displayed on their shoulders and on the front of their helmets. A nice detail that will stand out well if you paint the figures. One thing I do have to say is that when placed next tot he Plastic Platoon guys, these marines do feel a bit bulkier -or the other guys seem a bit slimmer- which one is it? Anyhow, now need to plan a landing operation for these guys!

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Click here to see a very cool post of Japanese troops in action against US Marines.

Introducing the Soviet Mountain Troops

The Soviet Mountain Troops were a minor branch of the soviet military. Normally when I research a service branch of a country that fought in WWII, I find so much information that I spend several days summarizing the content so that it fits within a few paragraphs. That has not been the case with the Soviet Mountain Troops. As far as I can tell, there were only five Mountain Infantry divisions, and it does not seem like they were used much differently than regular infantry units. I came upon this topic after buying some figures meant to depict the troops which fought at Mt Elbrus, but even that seems like it was a very small action. So small in fact that apparently the first defenders were not mountain troops but just local militia that happened to be close by. There was so little resistance to capture the mountain that the Germans actually had the opportunity to climb to the top 3 times. The first time they forgot to bring a camera. The second time they took a camera, but the Reich's propaganda machine decided they needed film, so they were sent back up a third time. Later, after the Germans withdrew to shorten the front after the collapse of Stalingrad, the Soviet Army reclaimed the mountain, without any fighting. So this might be a situation in which the lore of the small Mt Elbrus action has aggrandized the role of the Soviet Mountain Troops. Here's a link to a site that analyzed in great detail the action at Mt Elbrus. As far as Mountain Infantry Divisions, the Soviets fielded the 60th, 63rd, 68th, 72nd and 83rd divisions. The 60th, based at the Carpathian Mountains, was destroyed in the Uman pocket within the first couple months of the war. The 63rd, was based at the Caucasus and fought in the Crimea. It was destroyed during the German offensive in the summer of '42. The 68th was used to occupy Iran in 1941 and remained there for the duration of the War. The 72nd was deployed in Ukraine and it was also destroyed in the Uman pocket at the start of the war. The 83rd division is the one that saw the most action. Initially deployed to Iran, it later helped liberate the Crimea and later on pushed through the Carpathian Mountains into Czechoslovakia where it ended the war.  In terms of plastic toy soldiers, I am only aware of one manufacturer who has covered this subject - Hanomak. They are a recent entrant into the arena, but their debut set has been a welcome addition. Let's check it out.

Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops - Part I

This set is supposed to represent the Soviet Troops that were deployed to recapture Mount Elbrus, during the 1942/43 German offensive into the Caucasus. The sculpting and level of detail does deliver what you would expect from a set addressing this subject. Starting with the poses, I really like that they are not just climbing, but they are actually engaged in battle. The bases and the equipment that they carry takes care of conveying the setting, from the obvious ropes and tools, to the more subtle crampon shoes, woolen socks, googles, etc, you can tell where these guys are fighting. I also like the rugged appearance of the men. Whether those beards are to keep warm, or reflect the complexities of maintaining the dress code at high altitude, they fit these guys very well.

Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops - Part II

Across the six figures you can also see a nice range of weapons in use. We have a few PPSh-41 sub-machineguns, a sniper rifle, and a very welcome Degtyaryov machine gun on a bipod firing across a valley. Then there's also the grenade pack suggesting more intense close quarter combat, as they struggled to occupy and retain the high ground. My only concern at this point is the fact that I will only have six poses to man the defenses. Overall, a nice set, representing a unique subject, executed pretty well. Worth adding to the collection.  

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Click here to see the Soviet Infantry in action.