Introducing the German Waffen SS

 The latest addition is the Plastic Platoon Waffen SS (Berlin) at the bottom of the post.

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The Waffen-SS was the armed branch of the National Socialist Party. A large number of its members were volunteers. Many of them were hard core believers in the party ideology; many others saw themselves engaged in a crusade against Bolshevism. In any case, that made them a highly motivated fighting force to deal with. The Waffen-SS also raised multiple divisions with conscripts from the occupied territories, many of them ethnic Germans. The 38 SS Divisions fought alongside the regular German Army and were under control of the German Army High Command. Their legacy has been tainted because several Waffen-SS units committed crimes against POWs and civilians, and because they were part of the overall SS organization which was responsible for many of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime. Nonetheless, as a military fighting force, they earned themselves a reputation as elite troops.

The Waffen-SS was often outfitted with cammo clothing. In the pictures below you can see two platoons. One of them is wearing the spring/summer cammo pattern in green and the other one is wearing the fall pattern with orange/brown tones. Towards the end of the war, the uniform code was fairly relaxed, if for no other reason that they were suffering substantial supply problems. I've tried to reflect that in the painting scheme of these figures, who are wearing different types of clothing throughout the unit. You may notice that some figures appear in both sets, while some others appear only in one of them, so if you want to see all the figures produced by a given manufacturer you will need to look at both sets and identify the unique poses. In terms of manufacturers, this is a service branch that was not covered broadly in the past, but has received better coverage recently. Let's take a look. 

Conte Waffen SS

Nice mix of cammo smocks and regular field grey uniform items. Notice also the helmet covers. I really like the second guy from the right. A very dynamic pose conveying lots of action.

Conte German Infantry

These are a few figures taken from the regular German Infantry set and made to wear cammo trousers to give me a few extra poses/weapons to complete the set.

Italeri German Elite Troops

Notice how Italeri shied away from calling them Waffen-SS. I wonder if it really makes a difference in terms of sales. Anyhow, some of their figures are wearing extra layers to keep warm which suggests that these men were fighting in the very early spring. You will see why that matters a bit further below.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part I

Toy Soldiers of San Diego also called them elite troops. Nonetheless, they came out with a very good set. First manufacturer that I am aware of to produce mounted WW II troops. The machine gun team is also very well done.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part II

Some more nicely sculpted poses. The guy on the left offers a bit of drama to any scene he participates in. The  man with the sniper rifle is wearing one of those tent quarters (Zeltbahn) which could be joined with another 3 parts to make a tent in the form of a pyramid to get some protection from the elements.

TSSD Germans in Long Coats

Well, these guys are not really Waffen SS, but I threw them in to get a few more poses and also to further relax the uniform code in the unit. Since we are assuming they are fighting in the early spring, a coat might have come in handy.

Conte Waffen SS - Part I

This is the first set of the fall cammo pattern. This one contains the commanding officer, which can actually be used to command the spring troops as well. The guy who is looking back is wearing field grey trousers in this set.

Conte Waffen SS - Part II

This set contains two figures that were not present in the spring cammo set. Can you find them?

Conte German Infantry

As with the green set, I recruited a couple of regular army guys to complete the set, and also because your squad can always use an extra MG-42. The guy who is leaning/running as he fires is one of my favorite Conte figures, so he was easy to include.

MPC and CTS German Infantry

These two guys also came with regular infantry sets. The green set already had a prone guy with an MG-42, so we had to balance that out. The CTS sniper man is wearing cammo clothing which made him an ideal candidate for this unit.

Italeri German Elite Troops

Nice inclusion of a panzerschreck figure. This was the German equivalent of a bazooka, but with a more powerful 88mm round, which earned it its nickname 'panzer terror'.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part I

This picture is showing the second mounted figure, including a different horse.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part II

Showing the same figures from the spring set from a different angle.

TSSD Germans in Long Coats

Containing two new guys that were not painted for the spring set. Note also how underneath the coat you can see a bit of the cammo pattern in the guy who is running. Again, assuming they were fighting in the late fall, coats would have been appropriate.

Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops - Part I

CTS just released a new set of German 'Assault Troops'. Considering that most of them are wearing cammo smocks I am going to paint them as Waffen SS, to go along with the other figures depicted on this post. I like that some of the poses are a bit different from what has typically been done in the past for such weapons. For instance, the panzerschreck is held by a prone guy and the man operating the MG 42 is not actually firing it, but urging on his comrades.

Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops - Part II

These other poses are also nice and interesting. Note the guy with the flamethrower on the right, and the guy pulling the cord off the hand grenade. The guy surrendering is not my favorite as I prefer fighting poses, but even that is original.

TSSD German Infantry expansion set

These are some recently released German guys that complement the TSSD German 'Elite Troops'. They will paint well as SS guys in cammo gear or as regular Landser wearing winter gear, as they go well the Germans with long coats, with the nice added touch that they come with a different head gear. You can't see well in the picture, but the man on the right is holding/throwing a grenade also. The only thing to complain about is that they only released four poses.  

Mars German Elite Division (Waffen SS)

I love that Mars has thrown its hat into the WWII 1/32 ring, and are coming up with sets that had not received as much attention in the past. As far as this 'Elite Infantry' set, I have to say that it is just OK. For some reason the way the clothes look on the legs of these figures seems a bit artificial. Either too baggy, or the men's legs are too skinny to fill them... not sure what's going on. I also found it amusing that they preferred to avoid calling the set Waffen SS and went with 'Elite Division'. Anyhow, the poses are dynamic enough for my taste, and they could easily be used as regular infantry if you also wanted to avoid depicting Waffen SS troops.

Plastic Platoon Waffen SS / Elite Troops

By now it should be clear to anyone reading this blog that I love Plastic Platoon's figures. They've set a new standard in the Plastic Toy Soldier world with their amazing level of detail and the energy and high level of action in their poses. That's mostly true with this set as well, except that in this set the faces have gone off the rails. They definitely over did them. I don't know if the intention was to depict these men as evil, but their expressions resemble that of possessed zombies or something along those lines. Other than that, this set is just as exciting as any of their prior ones. Just look at the man firing the machine gun a-la-Rambo. Or the man on the right with the Stg 44. Really well posed and detailed. The sniper is also very nicely done, although with that big rock underneath him, it limits the places where he could be posed. Still a great set and looking forward to set 2 of PP's Waffen SS figures.  

Hanomak Waffen SS - Das Reich Division

This is an interesting set for a couple of reasons. Originally, when the pre-release pictures came out, they were published by company called Vympel, but later it seems that Hanomak purchased the rights and began distributing it. This caused a bit of confusion. Also, the original pictures had 6 figures in it, however one of them was of a slightly larger scale, so Hanomak decided to not release it as part of this set. Probably a good decision. These five poses are true 1/32 scale, meaning, smaller than the 'Big 1/32' scale that Hanomak uses for their other figures. In terms of the figures themselves, they are all nicely sculpted, and good action poses. My only criticism is that they also require you to glue some of the hands/weapons to the figures. The molds have pins and holes in them to help with this but the rubbery material makes them useless because the pins bend when you try to put them into the holes. So the only solution is to slice off the pins and glue them as best as you can line up the arms with the hands. The other criticism is that the hands that come wit the weapons are smaller than the hands that come attached to the arms. Not very noticeable, but not great either. What I really like is the cammo foliage on the helmet of the second guy from the left, in addition to his overall stance. A great pose. And the machine gunner is also very nicely done. A unique variation on the pose. The sandbags are a separate piece so you can place your machine gunner behind a wall or any other protection you want. Lastly, the fact that most of them are wearing cammo smocks -even the commander- means that when these guys are painted they will look even more interesting. 

Plastic Platoon Waffen SS Heavy Weapons

PP's second set of Waffen SS Troops has not disappointed. It's only five figures, but they are all very well done. The faces are not as extreme as in the previous set, although still a bit in that sharp style, particularly the machine gunner. The machine gun is probably the crown piece in this set, and I am pretty sure that's why there are only five figures in this set. The machine gun by itself with its elaborate base was probably more work to make than a figure. That's how detailed it is. The man firing the gun, is actually cast separately and placed on the base by hooking up his hands to the machine gun's handle. The ammo holder is a separate figure, and the base of the gun has a notch that fits perfectly with the ammo box so that you don't have to guess where to place him. The panzerschreck team is also very well posed and detailed and it's definitely good to have a loader with it. The fifth man is interesting because he seems to be firing a captured Bren gun. In terms of gear you can tell that these guys were late war guys. They are wearing a mix of cammo smocks and regular uniforms, helmets with and without covers, most of them wear puttees and shoes, although the panzerschreck loader is wearing leather boots. And the ammo loaded on the MG team is carrying an StG 44 assault rifle, which as the model name suggests, came out in the last phase of the war. This set is now very hard to get, so I was very happy to be able to get my hands on one.

Plastic Platoon Elite German Winter Infantry Kharkov - Set 1

And speaking of German winter troops, Plastic Platoon has recently come up with this really nice set! The level of detail on these figures is exquisite. You can even see the fleece lining on the hood of the coats, and you can make out the helmets' insignia. The uniforms are all very authentic, the thickness of the figures is consistent with all the layers of clothing they are wearing, and the captured subMG is a nice touch. The most interesting pieces in this set are the two guys making up the MG team. The reason for that is that the MG itself, along with the hands of the man firing have been sculpted attached to the man where the MG is resting. This means that when you assemble them together, you really need to make sure they line up perfectly. Luckily they do. The other implication is that you can never deploy them separately, unless you took the time to perform some delicate conversions. Another great set from Plastic Platoon!

Plastic Platoon Elite German Winter Infantry Kharkov - Set 2

These guys are a good follow up complement to the previous set. The winter gear is just right. I really like the details like the sheepskin on the inside of some of the coats, or the cloth wrapped around their heads. Another interesting detail is the guy wearing the cap with the ear flaps. Initially I couldn't tell if that was a German or a Soviet cap, but upon closer inspection I realized that it has a German eagle insignia on the front. In terms of poses, I usually prefer fighting poses over wounded guys, but in this case, since these are part of the second set, I am OK with this wounded pose, particularly because it goes well with the medic moving towards him with the bag. Interestingly enough, the medic is holding a pistol just in case. The pose I like the most is the man exchanging the magazine. We don't get many of these, so it is a nice touch. The two other guys, are just good, solid firing poses. Overall a nice set.

Plastic Platoon German SS Infantry, Battle of Berlin

These guys will go well with the Volkssturm as they make a last effort to prevent the inevitable fall of Berlin. The first interesting bit is the presence of an Indian soldier, likely from the Indian Legion recruited from British POWs. This guy had to fight to the end or face tough consequences if captured. Another thing that they did well is the bases. I know that some folks find them too bulky or constraining in terms of the scene where the men can be used, but in this case, I find them quite appropriate. One of them is standing next to a grandfather clock, and another one is standing next to a broken gramophone, not to mention the several sections of brick wall. The weapons are all good choices for urban fighting, with a panzerfaust and a panzerschreck, plus other automatic weapons. And similarly to the Soviet guy in the Kursk set, we have a guy handing over his ammo pouches with sub machinegun magazines to a Kamerad. Overall, a good, intense set. 

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Here's a post of the Waffen SS in action defending the Siegfried line.

Here are some pictures of the Waffen SS fighting the British in Normandy.

Introducing the German SA

Latest edit: Hanomak German Allgemeine SS Troops

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The Sturmabteilung (SA), also known as Brown Shirts, was the original muscle of the National Socialist Party when it was being formed up in the 1920s and 30s. Made up primarily by unemployed Germans and former soldiers, they took care of beating up and ejecting any hecklers or dissenters at their meetings in the Munich beer halls. As the party grew in power, they took a more offensive paramilitary role, disrupting the meetings of other parties and engaging them in street fights. Their low income background made them more radical in their ideology, favoring full socialism over more centrist economic policies. This eventually became a problem for Hitler who was trying to appeal to the bulk of the country. At its peak in 1934, the SA had about 3 million men, and had become a threat to the German Army as well as other wings of the Party such as the Schutzstaffel (SS) headed by Himmler. All this persuaded Hitler to have its leader Ernst Röhm and about 200 of his associates eliminated in what became know as 'The Night of the Long Knives'. After that, the SA was significantly downsized, with the SS rising in prominence. The SA nonetheless, continued to exist under new leadership. Among its subsequent activities, it harassed and engaged in violence against the Jewish community within Germany, with Kritsallnacht being a prime example of this. On the night of November 9, 1938, the SA destroyed over 7500 Jewish storefronts and 200 synagogues, damaged multiple cemeteries, arrested over 30,000 Jewish men, and killed several more. During the war, many of the SA men were drafted into the Army or were formed into SA-only units such as the 'Feldherrnhalle' Standarte Regiment, featured in Nazi propaganda films. These units began at the Regiment level, but grew to Division-size and even Corps-size. In the course of the war they were destroyed and reformed with new SA recruits several times over.

Atlantic German Brown Shirts - Part I

This is a harder set to find. The complete set includes Hitler as well as a jeep with a driver. If you get enough of these guys you could put together a nice parade scene. I am contemplating combining them with the Marx marching men, perhaps painted all in black. The only problem is that these guys are marching with the right foot forward, as opposed to the Marx men who are one step ahead... BTW, this set could be a bit controversial in some places because of the standard bearers, particularly in Germany, where the Nazi symbols are outlawed. 

Atlantic German Brown Shirts - Part II

Here is the rest of the set with the much harder to find Jeep and the Hitler figure. I must admit that this was one purchase that made me think twice. Not only because it was a bit pricey, but also because Hitler is definitely a character that I do not wish to glorify. In the end I made the purchase as he is certainly a key character in WWII, and also, with every other set I make an effort to find the missing figures so that I can show the complete set, so I decided I should treat this set the same way. 

Hanomak German Allgemeine SS Troops

These figures are meant to represent the non-combat branch of the SS. These guys in particular seem to be the ones that might be found guarding the Nazi headquarters or standing at attention during the military parades. In the early years of the regime, they would have likely worn black uniforms for ceremonial purposes. One thing I wish had been done with this set is to provide two or three guards with the same pose. That way they could be placed guarding a door or lined up next to a parade observing the same stance. I would have gladly traded one or two of the officers for more guards. And the female guard, that one seems like she could be working at a concentration camp for women. Not a scene I care to recreate, so I really don't have much use for her. Overall a decent set that will give me a few more good poses for a parade scene. These will be the guys around the podium. In terms of scale, these guys are closer to true 1:32.

Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country

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Click here to see a post about the Atlantic Figures

Click here to see a post about the German Waffen SS

Click here to see a post about the German Waffen SS in action

Click here to see another post with German Waffen SS in action

Introducing the German Panzer Crews

Latest edit: Added Plastic Platoon German Tankers

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The German Panzerwaffe or Panzertruppe were the men responsible for operating the armored vehicles such as tanks and self-propelled anti-tank guns within the German armed forces. They were known for their black uniforms, and tight fitting, double-breasted jackets, inspired by the uniforms of former Hussars. This makes sense, considering that they were the armored evolution of the cavalry. Their piping color was pink and their insignia in caps and collars included skulls / Totenkopf which is something that they earlier Brunswick Hussars also wore, but which became problematic for the Panzertruppen particularly towards the end of the war when many of them would get shot on the spot upon capture after being mistaken for death camp guards. Within the command of the Panzerwaffe, and attached to the armored units, there were also Panzergrenadier which could be transported in half-tracked armored vehicles, or in trucks. Panzer crews would typically remain within their vehicles, as that's the way in which they could be the most lethal. It was the Panzergrenadiers, who were much better trained in infantry tactics, which were responsible for complementing the tanks offensively or defensively. The ratio of half-tracks to trucks available to transport the Panzergrenadiers would depend on the elite status of the division. Divisions such as the Panzer Lehr, raised from skilled, decorated veterans who had been transferred to the two main training schools for motorized troops, received many more armored vehicles. It was also within some of these divisions such as the Panzer Lehr, that also the Panzergrenadier wore the double-breasted jacket as their uniform, albeit in grey fabric. In terms of toy soldiers, Panzer crews have been released along with their vehicles by firms such as Forces of Valor or 21st Century Toys, however the poses are usually that of a commander standing at the turret or a driver/machine gunner taking a peek out of the front hatches. Up to now, nobody had manufactured dismounted Panzertruppen. But that changed recently. Let's take a look.  

Mars German Panzer Crew

This is an original set. Typically when you see tank crew men, they are mounted in their vehicles, but when you think about it, they must have had to abandon their tanks at times due to battle damage or mechanical failure, and when doing so, it seems reasonable to expect that they had to engage in small arms combat. The set provides a nice variety of action poses depicting the urgency of the situation. What's also good about this set is that if you are into painting your figures, this uniform with a short, double-breasted jacket can be painted in a variety of color schemes, including cammo pattern and various tones of grey, as it was worn not only by panzer crews -in black-, but also self-propelled gun crews, and panzer grenadiers. What's not so great about this set is that one figure in particular -standing in the middle of the picture- has a serious manufacturing issue, with a lot of extra plastic down the middle of his face. This is not just my set, as it has been reported by other collectors. I may try to shave it off a bit or simply replace the head.

Dragon CanDo Tiger Aces

This is a special set from Dragon. They represent famous Tiger commanders such as Michael Wittman (in black standing on the turret). There's also Hans sitting up front, Georg stand off to the side wearing an officer's cap. Kurt (Knispel) - the most prolific Panzer ace-  standing opposite him with a regular cap (that's the only difference between him and Georg), Woll to the right of Wittman, and Karlheinz resting his arm around the tank's gun. These guys are now not so easy to find and they can be a bit pricey of you do run into them. That's particularly true of Kurt who was only manufactured 4 times out of every 100 figures in the set. If you can find them they are a great complement to the FOV and 21C panzers.

Hanomak German Tank Crewmen

This set represents dismounted tank crews in intense close quarters combat. Well, except for the officer who seems to be taking in the action. I am not sure why they depicted him like that. This set will be a good complement to a similar set from Mars, although I am not sure that I need that much volume of dismounted tank crews. What is interesting about this set is that it was produced using digital sculpting. That's why the lines are so smooth. You notice this specially on the clothes. I have to say that I prefer the hand-sculpted figures better, but I expect that this technique will continue to improve. In fact, the 3D printing is already quite impressive. As far as the figures, they are well posed and I do like that their bodies reflect the urgency of the situation.

Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting

Here is a picture of how the German guy is supposed to be combined with its Soviet counterpart. The German guy has his pistol drawn, while the Soviet guy is about to stab him. Who do you think will prevail? BTW, notice that the Soviet guy is also a tank guy, which suggests that these two crews disabled each other's tanks, which would have had to happen at very close range for them to end up fighting hand-to-hand or were part of a larger tank battle and ended up running into each other while evacuating from the battlefield. Neither scenario seems very likely to me, but hey, everything is possible in the world of plastic toy soldiers...

Plastic Platoon German Tankers, Battle of Kursk

This set came with 3 tank crew members from each side. But that's not where the symmetry ends. Each side has what looks like an officer firing a pistol, a crew man firing a sub machine gun, and another crew man firing a light machine gun from the waist - a la Rambo. The poses are all in Plastic Platoon's usual high action style. One detail that I like from this set is how they made the man firing the machine gun step over a piece of tank track. You can tell that this panzer crew is definitely having a challenging time evacuating its disabled tank! These guys will go well with the Mars and Hanomak tanker sets.

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Click here to see a post of the German company in action.

Here are some pictures of German Paratroops in action.

Here you can see German Waffen SS in action.

Introducing the Soviet Tank Crews

Latest edit: Added Plastic Platoon Soviet Tankers

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The Soviet Union started expanding and modernizing its tank forces during the late 1930s in preparation for the potential conflicts ahead.  As the war began and intensified in 1941, the demand for tank crews increased significantly. Tank crews were often formed through a combination of new recruits -factory workers, peasants, students- and individuals with prior military and combat experience who were reassigned or transferred to tank units. Soviet tank crews are also commonly referred to as tankists or tankmen. Soviet Armored units were organized into Companies, Battalions, Brigades, Divisions, Corps, and Armies. Sometimes they also operated as detached Regiments. Units which distinguished themselves in battle could earn the distinction of being designated a 'Guards' unit, as was the case of the 1st Guards Tank Army. Several hundred thousand men passed through the ranks of these units over the course of the war. The Soviet armored units played a critical role in the defeat of the German armies on the eastern front, applying similar tactics of fast and deep encircling attacks as the Germans had used against them. The encirclement of the German 6th army at Stalingrad was a good example of what was to come for the remainder of the war and it marked the high-water mark of the German advance. The Soviet armored units also distinguished themselves during the battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, which was the largest tank battle in the history of warfare and the last major offensive of the German Army on the eastern front. During this engagement, which lasted about 7 weeks, the Soviet forces lost about 7500 tanks and assault guns and the Germans lost about a third of that. Even though the German losses were numerically smaller, they were much harder to replace and the German Army never regained the initiative. For the rest of the war, the Soviets pushed back the German Army and their armored units were an integral part of their offensive capabilities, all the way to the Battle of Berlin. Soviet tankists wore a distinctive uniform which included a padded helmet made of leather or canvas. The helmet often had ear flaps and a neck curtain for added warmth and protection. They typically wore one-piece coveralls made of thick, flame-resistant fabric and a padded jacket made of quilted fabric or leather for additional insulation and protection. Their specialized leather gloves had reinforced palms and fingers for durability and not only protected their hands but also provided a better grip on the tank controls. Their sturdy leather boots which often featured steel toe caps provided ankle support and protection, and their thick soles provided good traction. Tank crews were also issued gas masks and protective goggles to safeguard against chemical attacks and debris. In terms of plastic toy soldiers, there have been a couple of manufacturers exploring this topic. Among them Engineer Bassevich and Hanomak. Let's take a look at their sets.

Hanomak Soviet Tank Crewmen

This is the counterpart to the German dismounted tank crew. Similarly to that set, these guys are engaged in intense close quarters fighting, except for the guy who is holding his binoculars while his comrades struggle for survival. The poses are fairly decent, depicting the intensity of the moment. The only guy that I don't quite like is the man firing the subMG. His body is too stiff. You would expect him to be crouching slightly, even if only to brace himself from the recoil of his weapon. The detail on these guys is also fairly smooth -few creases on their uniforms, hardly any wrinkles on their faces-, due to the digital sculpting. These guys will join forces with some other dismounted tank men from Engineer Bassevich. 

Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting

Here is a picture of how the Soviet tankist is supposed to be combined with its German counterpart. The German guy has his pistol drawn, while the Soviet guy is about to stab him. Who do you think will prevail? BTW, notice that both men are tankmen, which suggests that these two crews disabled each other's tanks, which would have had to happen at very close range for them to end up fighting hand-to-hand or were part of a larger tank battle and ended up running into each other while evacuating from the battlefield. Neither scenario seems very likely to me, but hey, everything is possible in the world of plastic toy soldiers...

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Tank Crewmen

These two guys came as part of a set which was mostly infantry figures. Their poses are not the most versatile. They'll mainly have to be used for non-combat situations, but then again, they complement the other action poses from Hanomak which are at the other end of the spectrum. The level of detail on these guys is nice and they will look pretty good when painted.

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Tank Crewmen - Battle of Berlin

These two guys came with the Battle of Berlin set which had a range of figures from different service branches in fighting poses. I like these two guys quite a bit more and they will be a good addition to the guys from Hanomak. The only tricky thing is that the sculpting of Engineer Bassevich is a bit chunkier compared to Hanomak's slim style. But I actually like the detail on these figures a good deal better. Of all the Soviet tank crew figures, these two are my favorite ones.

Plastic Platoon Soviet Tankers, Battle of Kursk

This set came with 3 tank crew members from each side. But that's not where the symmetry ends. Each side has what looks like an officer firing a pistol, a crew man firing a sub machine gun, and another crew man firing a light machine gun from the waist - a la Rambo. The poses are all in Plastic Platoon's usual high action style. One detail that I like from this set is how they made the Soviet commander bald. The Soviet tank helmets and the reinforced knees on the uniforms are also a nice touch. These will go well with the Bassevich and Hanomak tanker guys.

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Introducing the German Volkssturm

Latest edit: Plastic Platoon German Volkssturm

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The German Volkssturm, or People's Storm in German, was a loosely organized militia formed by the Nazi party in the last months of the war, when shortages of men and materiel required them to 'scrape the bottom of the barrel' in a futile attempt to resist the Allies further. It followed the concept of total war, promoted by the Nazi ideologues in which it was better to fight to the bitter end, along with the destruction of German towns and cities, than it was to surrender. While the idea of such units had existed for a long time, it first came into being in the fall of 1944. Men and teenagers, 16 to 60, in non-essential occupations were conscripted into the Volkssturm. Many of them had been deemed unfit to serve before, and some had already been discharged due to wounds. By February of 1945, as the war raged on, younger 'men', women, girls as young as 14 were also drafted. They were typically trained in the use small arms, grenades, and panzerfausts, however there was strong shortage of equipment including uniforms and weapons, which meant that many were not issued arms, and those who did, often received old rifles or captured weapons for which there were often problems finding ammunition. Many of them also wore their own clothes, or some type of non-military uniform, and they also had to procure their own cooking kit, blanket, etc. The only insignia they had to identify them as members of the Volkssturn was an armband sown into their clothes. In terms of organization, each Kreis or county was supposed to raise and train a battalion under the leadership of the local party authority. Often the trainers were WWI veterans, members of the Volkssturm themselves. Even though these units were initially intended to defend their local towns, they were often sent into battle at the front line, under the command of the Wehrmacht, and often mixed in with regular troops to give them greater effectiveness. This was deemed necessary as early engagements proved disastrous when volkssturm units were sent into combat on their own. As expected, the performance of these units was mixed. Some units, exhibited fanatical resistance, while others were quick to surrender. Those units with greater percentages of WWI veterans also fared better. This does not mean they survived, but they held longer. Another reason why some of these units were sometimes reluctant to surrender was because they were afraid that they would be shot as Partisans, due to their lack of uniforms. Perhaps the most prominent role of the Volkssturm took place during the Battle of Berlin, where approximately 60,000 of their members fought. It is not known precisely how many Volkssturm members died, but it is estimated to be at least a couple hundred thousand, perhaps as high as 600,000. In terms of toy soldiers, this is a set that had not been produced to date, even though we have seen Partisan units made for other nationalities. Recently, Mars Toy Soldiers has come up with the first Volkssturn set that I am aware of. Let's take a look. 

Mars German Volkssturm

This is another unique set recently released by Mars. Not seen before in 1/32 as far as I know. They will be useful for any late war battle scenes for which you need a few civilians as reinforcements to defend the German Fatherland. The mix of poses is good. I also like how they are generous in the issuance of panzerfausts, as was the case at that stage of the war. The set contains a couple of smaller figures representing a teenage boy and girl, likely from the Hitler Youth. The only thing I did not like was the number of poses that I got in my set. Three of the poses were present 3 times, and 3 only once. Unfortunately, the poses that were over represented were the ones that look less like civilians, and more like regular army men. But still, happy to have this set. Will definitely come in handy in one of my upcoming projects!

Plastic Platoon German Volkssturm

Definitely a hodgepodge of uniforms and gear for this crew. Some of them are still wearing some civilian items. The most interesting character in that respect is probably the man with the brim hat about to throw a grenade. Others are wearing military issued gear, but definitely nothing standard. In terms of weapons, it is interesting to see how they have what looks like an old MG. Maybe left over from WW1 or captured and reissued? Another interesting bit is the female in the unit. She is handing over a canteen. I wonder if most were in such supporting roles, of if some of them actually picked up weapons. Lastly, the guy on the left with the glasses and the coat looks a little bit like he could have been a professor or an accountant before taking up arms...

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