Introducing the Gurkhas

The Gurkhas were Nepalese soldiers fighting on behalf of the British Empire. In all about a quarter of a million men volunteered to serve and, as was the case in the Indian divisions, they fought under the command of British officers. They did so with distinction in places like Syria, Greece, North Africa, Italy and Burma. Nepal's location next to the Himalayas created the necessary conditions to produce very tough and resilient troops, very well suited for operations in mountainous terrain such as the one encountered in Italy. Fond of engaging in hand to hand combat with a kukri -a very sharp Nepalese curved knife- Gurkhas were also fierce warriors, respected and feared by their foes. An account of a British officer from the 78th division found in Matthew Parker's book 'Monte Cassino' tells the following story which helps explain why: 'I came across some Gurkha soldiers who were laughing uproariously. When I asked what the joke was, one who spoke some English explained that they had been out on patrol when they came across three Germans asleep in a slit trench. They cut off the heads of the two outside men but left the chap in the middle as he would have a terrific shock when he awoke!'

Unfortunately, as far as manufacturers of Gurkha figures go, there is only one option in the market to this day.

Airfix Gurkhas - Part 1

Luckily for us Airfix decided to make twice as many figures as they typically released for their WWII sets. The figures are slightly smaller than their other 54mm figures, although that could perhaps be by design.

Airfix Gurkhas - Part 2

These guys are wearing a tropical outfit, which means that they were likely fighting the Japanese in Burma. Given their jungle setting, you would probably expect them in a greener shade of khaki, but apparently, they wore the same uniform as other Gurkhas in the Middle East. But what I should have done is given them a slightly darker skin tone for greater realism. Note that one of them is handling the kukri knife, ready to take on his enemy in hand to hand combat.

Airfix Gurkhas - Part 3

Here we have three more figures with kukris and a guy handling what looks like an oversized Bren gun. Not featured here, but I recall seeing it at some point many years ago, is one more pose of a Gurkha casualty, lying face up on the ground with one of his arms around his head holding his kukri.

I wonder if these guys would be acceptable to use in a scene about Monte Cassino. The alternative would be to use regular British Infantry, as Gurkhas fighting in Italy wore the British battledress, but then in the pictures you would not be able to tell that they were Gurkhas... a tricky decision. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there!

Here are some links to other participants in the Cassino campaign. Note that I face similar dilemmas with some of them in terms of the uniform that they are wearing not being the same as the one worn in Italy.

New Zealand Infantry

Indian Infantry 

French Infantry

British Infantry 

(British might also be used for Polish and Canadian who also fought there)

US Infantry

(Could also be used for Free French Moroccan Infantry)

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

Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country

Click here to see more British Commonwealth Troops

German Infantry Part II

German Infantry happens to be one of the most popular sets amongst manufacturers. In this post I would like to show 66 new German Infantry figures, in addition to the 100 unique poses that I described in the first post about German Infantry. Most of the figures in this post are already factory-painted, except for the Atlantic guys, which I would have painted myself had I found them on time to include them with the rest of the other guys from the other post. But sooner or later they will get there.

Atlantic German Infantry - Part 1

This set reminds me of the Airfix poses. The guys are a bit thinner, but many of them are in very similar positions. Note that the prone guy on the left is supposed to be operating a machine gun, but I bought these on eBay his machine gun was missing. Maybe that's why nobody outbid me! I've got a few other MGs as among my loose accessories, so eventually, when I paint them I will provide him with a weapon.

Atlantic German Infantry - Part 2

The prone guy throwing a grenade is a good idea, but the figure is not well balanced, so you need to prop him up a bit from the front if you want to avoid having his feet stick up in the air. A little rock or tree stump will do the trick. In this picture I used his neighbor's foot.

Dulcop German Infantry - Part 1

These guys were hard to come by. In fact I only managed to get 7 out of the 8 poses. The guy who is firing from the kneeling position is missing. A few of the poses resemble Airfix a little bit. Perhaps what I like the most is the variety of weapons.

Dulcop German Infantry - Part 2

There are a couple of funny details though. Not how some men seem to be sculpted in a different scale. Also, the helmet on the guy on the left. Was that meant to be a paratrooper helmet or did they just did not sculpt the edge well enough? Anyhow, a nice set to round up your collection.

Dulcop German Infantry - Part 3

This is the last man in the set. He came in a different plastic. Not just the color, but it is also harder and feels a bit easier to break. If not for the color, he seems to have been cast from an original mold. As you can see, he is a typical pose in most infantry sets. His carbine seems to be a bit small, but other than that he is a solid guy. 

Lido German Infantry - Part 1

These guys are pretty rare. The poses are fairly decent and a bit less common. There are a couple other poses out there that I am trying to get my hands on. The three with color on them were painted by a previous owner, but they used to come in plain grey. The guy on the right is operating a flamethrower. The original figure used to have a flame at the tip, but this one is missing it.

Lido German Infantry - Part 2

Here is a close up of the two guys in their original color. As you can see, they are well detailed, down to the facial expressions. The main thing that jumps out as being a bit off is the machine gun that the man on the left is holding. 

Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones - Part I

I recently found the whole set of Lido Germans. They are not originals, but at least I got all 8 poses. 

One of the 'new' poses is the second guy from the right. Not my favorite one though. He is about to throw a grenade, but he is in a very awkward position, and the grenade is not even German.  

Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones - Part II

The other two new poses are the ones on the left. Another grenade thrower -with a real German grenade and a man engaged in hand to hand combat. These two are much better and round up the set nicely.

Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones - Part III

Since they are clones, I wanted to show them next to the original figures to show the difference in size. Since the molds are generated from actual figures, some shrinkage is innevitable as you can appreciate from the picture.

Trojan German Infantry

This is another scarce set. They appear to have been produced factory-painted, although as you can see, not with the most accurate color scheme. The level of detail is not as good as what you would expect from original figures. They almost feel like clones. Maybe they are and I just got duped when I bought them!

Classic Toy Soldiers German Medical Team - Part 1

This is a recently released set from CTS. It contains a mixture of medics and casualties. It is nicely detailed and when painted they will blend very well with other German figures, such as Conte's. The only thing to criticize about these figures is the shape of some of the helmets, which seem to have a softer edge than expected -like the kneeling guy's helmet.

Classic Toy Soldiers German Medical Team - Part 2

Here you have one more casualty -who does not seem to need any more medical attention, a man carrying a stretcher and a presumed prisoner. Not sure what the prisoner has to do with the medical team, but since these are all non-fighting poses, I can see how he fits in in that respect. Overall a nice set from CTS who will go very well with the FOV ambulance.

Classic Toy Soldiers Artillery Crew - Part 1

CTS just released a set that was sorely missing: an artillery crew. Italeri had also produced a PAK 40 with crew, but you had to buy them as a set, so you could not really staff any artillery pieces purchased without a crew. Well, now you can. The set comes with an observer/officer and two loaders.

Classic Toy Soldiers Artillery Crew - Part 2

This crew can also be deployed to serve an 88 gun. They look equally good and the size of the shell might be more in line with an 88.

21st Century Toys German Infantry - Part 1

21st Century Toys released several series of German Infantry over 8 or 10 years. Some of them were released with their playsets. Unfortunately I did not keep track of what figures came with each set, but I have tried to group them in the pictures by the paint scheme used, which should not be that different from how they were grouped when they were released. Overall, 21C Toys did a nice job with the sculpting and paint work. The first series though were made of a plastic that was a bit brtittle and some of the weapons would break, but that was improved in the later series.

21st Century Toys German Infantry - Part 2

The only thing I don't like about these figures is that the men come glued to the base and sometimes they glued them way off-balance as you can see in a couple of the guys in this picture. I suppose you can try to fix that yourself, but I have not wanted to risk breaking them by trying to pull them apart from the base.

21st Century Toys German Infantry - Part 3

While some of these guys are not action/combat poses, they come handy for scenes where you need some guys in guard duty. Forces of Valor has released some accessories that are ideal for road blocks and go very well with some of these guys.

21st Century Toys German Infantry - Part 4

This was among the last and best series released by 21C. Note that the base is different and also the quality of the painting and even the sculpting is improved. The base for the prone guy is a bit too bulky for my taste and forces you to set him in an urban setting, but the nice thing is that the figure can be removed from the base, so you get the best of both worlds.

First Gear German Infantry

These are new production figures of the old Britains Deetail figures. They only make six poses and they have given them bases with round corners. The uniform is painted grey which makes more sense to me than the blue of the originals.

Britains Deetail German Infantry - Part 1

These are the original figures. I have placed them in the same order as the new First Gear guys for ease of comparison. As I said, I am not sure why they gave them blue uniforms, but I still like them. There is something special about these old figures with a heavy, metal base that makes them just cool to have.

  

Britains Deetail German Infantry - Part 2

Here are a few more poses. Note that some of these guys were manufactured in two parts, with arms that can move up and down, but can also come apart. That can sometimes be a problem and some of the guys that you can buy second-hand are sometimes missing arms. Note that a few of these guys still retain some of the stickers on the side of their helmets. A couple of rare poses are the guy with the flamethrower and the guy marching.

Britains Deetail German Infantry - A few modifications

Now, here is a more common pose. Unfortunately most of the guys I have in this pose are missing their weapon, which in the original seems to be an anti-tank rifle. So I have given these guys a variety of weapons/accessories and tried to make something good out of the situation.

Britains Deetail German Infantry - Mortar Set

Here is another nice set. The mortar can actually 'fire' mortar shells. It has a small spring inside and a little lever on the back that compresses it so that when it is released, the shell is fired. Unfortunately I do not have any of the shells that came with it, but you can improvise your own kind of shells and have some fun lobbing some shells at the opposing army.

Forces of Valor German Infantry - Part 1

These are the first series of FOV German Infantry. The paint job on the figures is very realistic and the poses depict a decent level of action. The scuplting is on the blukier side, particularly when it comes to details like hands and facial expressions. The bases are also detachable and they constantly come off.

Forces of Valor German Infantry - Part 2

This is the most recent set of FOV German Infantry. They still have the same detachable base system, but the sculpting of hands and faces has improved. This set comes with a nice MG mounted on a tripod. The plastic for the MG however is really felxible and you will need to spend some time straightening it with hot water. Hopefully it stays that way, as mine hasn't.

Forces of Valor German Infantry - Part 3

These were actually released before the previous set, but as you can see, they are not meant for battle, but rather for some specific diorama scenes. The sculpting of these guys is actually better than that of their other figures. You can tell that they were made by the same people that sculpt the guys that come with the FOV vehicles.

Starlux 60 mm German Infantry - Part I

I was pleasantly surprised by this set. My first set of Starlux figures. The poses are 60 mm in scale, but are really close enough in size to 54mm that they blend quite well with the rest of the 1/32 guys. The sculpting is nice and detailed, and the poses well balanced and proportioned. Quite surprising for the time when they were made. My only complaint is the paint job. I am not sure if this is how they were painted at the factory or if the previous owner gave them a touch up. Particularly the faces/eyes are a bit odd.

Starlux 60 mm German Infantry - Part II

Here are two more figures that I recently found. Unfortunately one of them had the rifle tip broken, but they are still quite nice and match the other guys perfectly. I like the stance of the man on the right. He really looks ready for some action.

Starlux 60 mm German Infantry - Part III

Here are a few more guys. By now I am starting to realize a manufacturing pattern used by Starlux. If you pay attention, the manufactured the bodies and arms separately and then they glued different arms to different bodies to create a large combination of figures. Conte used the same approach with his first set of Germans.

Starlux 60 mm German Infantry - Part IV

A not very common pose is the one carrying the anti tank rifle.

And we also have an officer wearing a field cap.

Elite Command German Infantry

This is a set of 4 metal figures representing Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and some of his infantrymen. Compared to other metal figures, like King and Country and so on, they are not as nice. In fact, I bought them thinking that they were plastic figures as that is the focus of my collection. As far as the resemblance with Rommel, I think it requires a bit of imagination to get there. 

Armies in Plastic WWI German Infantry - Part I

Lastly, if for some reason you find that you don't have enough German Infantry options you can always throw in some late WWI guys. These already had steel helmets. The only thing that is noticeably outdated is the use of the puttees up to the knee. Most WWII German soldiers used ankle puttees during the second half of the war when leather became scarce and jackboots were no longer manufactured. But I have seen one picture of a WWII officer wearing puttees up to the knee, so that opens the door for these guys!

Armies in Plastic WWI German Infantry - Part II

As you can see, the AIP figures are not the most detailed -for instance, the faces look a little plain. The poses in some cases do not show enough movement for my taste, or the movement does not 'flow' as is the case with the grenade man on the right. Still, they are good enough if you need to add extra manpower to your unit.

Timpo Swoppets German Infantry

Here is a sample of Timpo Swoppets German Infantry figures. A bit hard to find, particualrly with helmets and weapons. As you can see, some of the poses are better than others. I personally prefer the three guys in the middle over the two on the sides which are leaning in a bit of an unusual way. 

Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Mortar

I am quite happy with the state that this set is in. All parts seem to be there, including helmets, and as you can see, it was a fairly decent set. In addition to the actual mortar and its crew, it also comes with a few extra shells and a detachable bush which can be swapped for another plant of your choice :-). A nice addition to the collection.

Speedwell German Infantry - Part I

These are not quite 54mm. They are at the most 50mm in size. They are very rare and therefore a bit pricey. At the same time, the sculpting is nothing extraordinary. The poses are a bit stiff and the level of detail is not quite there. Also n terms of the color scheme that they came painted in, it is also a bit unusual. Perhaps they could be used as Afrika Korps troopers.  

Speedwell German Infantry - Part II

Here are a few more poses. From what I've heard, I am still missing one additional pose: an officer with a moveable arm holding binoculars Note that these guys have different head gear. The man on the right seems to be wearing a paratrooper helmet. Again, the poses are a bit stiff. 

Cherilea 60mm German Infantry

These are old Cheriela DAK figures, cast in darker colors to represent regular German Infantry. As you can tell there must have been multiple iterations based on the colors represented. One thing to note is that even if they are cast in darker tones, the laced up boots and the officer's (Rommel?) shorts still give away the fact that they were originally sculpted as Afrika Korps figures. In terms of the sculpting, it is well done in terms of the posing and the level of detail. There are two more poses in the set. One wounded man crawling and another one charging forward.

Click here to see hand painted German Infantry figures.

Click here to see a post about the German figures who did not make the 'paint cut'.

Click here to see pictures of German Infantry in action.

Here are some pictures of German Paratroops in action.

Here you can see German Waffen SS in action.

British Infantry and Waffen SS in Action

Northern France, Summer of '44. The British have been engaged in tough fighting through Normandy's countryside for three weeks. They are still trying to reach the city of Caen, which was supposed to be the day's objective on D-Day. By now the Germans, having realized that this is the main invasion, have begun a series of fierce counterattacks, using some of their battle-tried Waffen-SS divisions. In this post we see a company of SS Panzergrenadiers in action against a company of British Tommies which has a bit of a surprise in store for them.

The German column is advancing through a section of wooded and hilly terrain leading up to their objective. The intelligence they gathered before moving out indicated that the village and its surrounding area are not occupied. 

However, the night before, the British moved into position on a hill just outside the village and lie in waiting for the unsuspecting German column to come by.

  They are well dug in and concealed in the high ground. On the opposite side of the road, small ridges make it hard for vehicles to move off road. Gradually, the rumbling of engines, the clanking of tank's tracks and the shaking of the earth puts the Tommies on alert that the Germans are coming. The time to spring the trap is almost there.

Watching the column go by, the British commander waits for just the right moment, when the length of the column covers his entire front, and then gives the order to open up.

First, a bazooka man knocks out the tracks on the leading vehicle.

Then a second anti-tank round is unleashed against the trailing tank destroyer...

The Jagdtiger is also left unable to advance or retreat, and with a limited turning radius. These fearful tank destroyers have been neutralized for all practical purposes, as the absence of a turret, makes it hard for them to bring their main guns to bear against the enemy, and even if they could turn and point their guns in the right direction, the high ground is beyond the reach of the gun's maximum elevation.

But the Panzergrenadiers' reaction is instantaneous. These guys have been battle-hardened in the eastern front and know just what to do. All along the length of the column training and experience take over. They rapidly dismount, locate the source of the fire and immediately begin to pour defensive fire on it.

Even the mounted officer at the head of the column quickly doubles back and joins the fray, firing as he goes.

With bullets snapping in the air all around them and ricocheting from their vehicles, these seasoned veterans remain calm and methodically return fire.

But the Tommies are hitting them with all they've got.

Some of these guys still remember Dunkirk and have even fresher memories of the preceeding three weeks.

A hail of bullets, automatic fire, grenades descend on the German column.

Past are the initial days of the campaign when some men were hesitant to pull the trigger. Now, they are emptying clip after clip with their automatic weapons.

The British know they have the upper hand and have no intention of relinquishing the initiative.

Even the officers join in, with their side arms.

But the Germans are also firing back with everything they've got.

Using their heavily armored vehicles for cover, they manouver around them to get into the best firing position.

From behind their half-tracks,

or on top of their disabled Panzers, 

All along the column, these men are making every shot count.

Their officer in charge, a highly decorated career officer, is not the kind that ducks when bullets are flying around him, and least of all today, as he is well aware that he has led his men into this trap.

But the Tommies are picking them off gradually, with well aimed shots from unsuspecting places.

However, the Germans also have some pretty lethal marksmen amongst them,

and in a moment of exposure, some of the Tommies pay the ultimate price.

The British are now laying down some heavy machine gun fire along the length of the column,

and from the high ground.

But the Germans have managed to setup a machine gun team on the opposite side of the road, which is helping to even things out.

Then the British begin to plaster the Germans with mortar fire, which given its indirect nature is very hard to defend against and will tear the Germans to pieces if they remain in their current positions. The situation is now decidedly in favor of the British.

The German officer knows they can't stay there. Unable to move along the road, or attack uphill, he decides to abandon the rest of the vehicles and fall back into the woods behind them. 

But the British officer anicipates their movements...

....and he instructs the reserve platoon to move around the right flank to prevent that.

A squad is dispatched to cut off the German retreat.

Then all of a sudden, after managing to stay calm and composed through the hellish ordeal, a Panzergrenadier's scream can be heard, filled with terror.  

He has spotted a flamethrower, one of the most dreaded weapons, about to open up on them. Even if the men manage to avoid the flames, the burning vehicles, loaded with ammunition would explode shortly afterwards, killing anyone remotely close to them.

Then the unexpected happens. A panzergrenadier with a panzerfaust scores a direct hit on the British man with the flamethrower. The resulting explosion not only kills several British men close by, but it creates enough of a commotion, that it allows the German retreat to proceed.

Covered by a few self-sacrificing panzergrenadiere that remain behind on the flank to hold off the pursuing British, the rest of the German survivors slip into the woods where they will regroup, and make their way back to their lines. They have barely escaped the well laid trap, but at least a few of them have lived to fight another day. Even so, the tide of the war has turned and they know it.

Here is a more detailed description of the British Infantry figures as they were being painted.

Here is a post with the entire British Infantry unit, paint job already finished.

Here is a description of the Waffen SS figures.

Here is post with the Waffen SS figures in action wearing the spring cammo pattern, defending the Siegfried Line.

Vehicles featured in this post:

Forces of Valor German Sd. Kfz. 186 Jagdpanzer IV Jagdtiger

Forces of Valor German Sd. Kfz. 251/9 Kanonenwagen 'Stummel'

Forces of Valor German Sd. Kfz. 251/1 'Hanomag'

21st Century Toys Sd. Kfz. 251/1 'Hanomag'

Figures featured in this post:

Airfix British Infantry, Atlantic British Infantry, BMC British Infantry, Britains Herald British Infantry, Marx British Infantry, Matchbox British Infantry, Steve Weston (SWTS) British Infantry, Conte Collectibles Waffen SS, Conte Collectibles German Infantry, CTS German Infantry, Italeri German Elite Troops, Toy Soldiers of San Diego (TSSD) German Elite Troops, MPC German Infantry.