Latest edit: Added the new set of Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops 'Marukhsky Pereval' at the bottom of the post
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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.
Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops Cloud Front - Part I
Now this is a nice set from Hanomak! I might actually like it better than the previous one. For sure the material is better. More like plastic and less rubbery than the previous set. The sculpting is also very crisp, well proportioned and with lots of nice detail in the equipment and features, like the crampons on the shoes and even the bushy eyebrows of the bald guy kneeling. The flag and the hammer being held by the middle man come separately, so light assembly is required. In terms of the poses, they are all good action, battle poses. The only one that's a bit odd is the one throwing the large rock. It limits where and how you can use him in a scene, but all things considered, given that he is a mountain trooper I suppose it is acceptable for him to resort to that type of 'weaponry'. A great expansion set from Hanomak!
Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops Cloud Front - Part II
I know we are always curious about how they compare size-wise to earlier sets, so here's a side by side comparison with the some of the figures from the previous set. As you can see they are fairly well matched. Perhaps a tiny bit taller, but nothing that will keep me from folding them into the unit, especially when you consider how few poses exist for this service branch!
Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops 'Marukhsky Pereval'
These guys represent the troops which fought at the strategic Marukh Pass, one of the gateways into the Caucasus. The pass was occupied by the Germans around September 1942 and recaptured by the Soviets in January 1943. The Soviet defenders included mountain troops, infantry rifle brigades and even cadets from the Tbilisi Infantry School. These figures focus on the actual mountain troops as you can tell from the equipment they are wearing, particularly the crampons on the shoes. The man with the Cossack hat is the only outlier. The figures also come with a few additional mountaineering accessories like picks and hammers -not shown in the picture-, but they don't have any free hands to hold them. I suppose you could glue them to the bases, but I don't think I will have much use for them. Not surprisingly, the sniper on the left is a woman. Something worth noting is that the grenade man leans quite a bit forward. Even after multiple hot/cold water treatments I could not get it to stand straight. To get a decent shot of him I had to place his base on a part of the rock with a bit of a slope. Speaking of bases, the prone machine gunner also comes with a separate base for the MG, just FYI. My favorite figure is the guy lying on the ground leaning back while firing his submg. This may have been a common situation in such uneven, mountainous terrain. All in all a nice set which will be a good addition to the other two sets of Soviet Mountain troops!
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