Hasegawa December Releases—not too much from the WWII-era.
A report on effective use of DUKWs at the Salerno landings from Combat Lessons, No. 3:
DUKWs at Salerno Report of a Quartermaster Truck Battalion (DUKW), Italy: The DUKWs (amphibious 2½-ton trucks) again proved of immense value at Salerno, supplies and equipment being handled over the beaches at a far greater rate than had been expected. The following points regarding their use should be borne in mind when planning for their use:
1. DUKWs must not be used for long trips inland.
2. Relief drivers and crews must be provided.
3. Definite steps must be taken to prevent overloading. Overloading at Salerno resulted in some being lost by sinking. One method of avoiding this would be to develop standard loads, particularly for ammunition. The load should not exceed 3 tons.
4. Ships to be unloaded should be moved inshore as close as possible, and should take position approximately opposite the beach landing point in order to reduce the turn-around. Unnecessary water travel means unnecessary delay in the discharge of cargo and increases the problem of maintenance.
5. A rigging crew from the DUKW unit should go aboard the vessel prior to unloading and rig the ship with necessary lines and hooks.
6. A great saving in time and labor can be effected if cargo nets are equipped with base plates shaped to fit the cargo space of the DUKW. Where cargo nets are not carried ashore by the DUKW, pallet loads can be used to expedite the discharge of cargo.
7. If possible each DUKW should carry only one type of cargo to avoid wasting time unloading at beach dumps.
DC Comics has released two showcase volumes of the The Haunted Tank comic books:
 Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank Volume 1 |
Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank Volume 1 Written by Robert Kanigher; Art by Joe Kubert, Russ Heath, Irv Novick, Jerry Grandenetti, Jack Abel. The Haunted Tank gets the showcase treatment in this volume collecting stories from G.I. COMBAT #87-119, BRAVE AND THE BOLD #52 and OUR ARMY AT WAR #155. Includes the Haunted Tank teaming up with Sgt. Rock and Lt. Johnny Cloud. (560 pages, B&W, Softcover, $16.99 MSRP, ISBN 1401207898) |
 Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank Volume 2 |
Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank Volume 2 Written by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert; Art by Joe Kubert, Russ Heath, Irv Novick, Mike Sekowsky; Cover Are by Joe Kubert. 500 pages of classic war stories, from the pages of G.I. COMBAT #120-157 from 1966-1973. (560 pages, B&W, Softcover, $16.99 MSRP, ISBN 9781401217938) |
New Eduard releases of WWII models.
  |
Eduard Plastic Kit – Aircraft – 1/32 3403 Bf 109E-4 1/32 Eduard Plastic Kit – Aircraft – 1/48 Photo etched set – Aircraft – 1/32 Color photo etched set – Aircraft – 1/32 Color photo etched set self-adhesive – Aircraft – 1/32 Photo etched set – Armoured Fighting Vehicles – 1/35 |
December 2010 Figure Releases from Alpine Miniatures:
35111 1/35th Waffen SS Grenadier Late War #1
Sculpted by Taesung Harmms / Boxart Painted by Sang Eon Lee
35112 1/35th Waffen SS Grenadier Late War #2
Sculpted by Taesung Harmms / Boxart Painted by Sang Eon Lee
35113 1/35th Waffen SS Grenadier Late War Set (2 Figures)
Sculpted by Taesung Harmms / Boxart Painted by Sang Eon Lee
16011 1/16th Waffen SS Grenadier “Kampfgruppe Hansen”
Sculpted by Yukio Honma / Boxart Painted by Man-Jin Kim
S0002 1/35th “Die Wacht am Rhein” Waffen SS Set (4 Figures)
Sculpted by Taesung Harmms / Boxart Painted by Calvin Tan
Special Limited Edition is only available in limited quantity of 200 sets. Each box is individually numbered, autographed, and stamped.
The Japanese company Taisho Modeling has released a resin 1/35th scale figure set for the Lionroar Zundapp motorcycle kit.
YH35015WF: German Motorcycle Rider Set with Spare Heads (for Lionroar Zundapp KS750)
New “Mid” Tiger I announced from Cyberhobby — full name: Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. E Tiger I MID Command Version January ’44 Production.
The following report on the German Maxim light machine guns was published in Foreign Military Weapons and Equipment, Vol. III, Infantry Weapons, Pamphlet No. 30-7-4, Department of the Army, 1954.
7.92-mm Maxim Light Machine Guns MG 08/15 and 08/18
(MASCHINENGEWEHR 08/15 and 08/18)
The 08/15 machine gun was standard in the German Army in World War I. It was still in use as a second-line weapon in World War II, and large quantities of reserve stocks were captured by the Soviet Army. Although it lacks the improved characteristics found in later machine guns, the MG 08/15 has certain basic characteristics which still make it an effective weapon. It is a water-cooled weapon fitted with a rifle-type shoulder stock and designed to be carried by one man. However, the water-cooled barrel adds to the weight and required maintenance.
A warning about the dangers of the WWII German “Butterfly Bomb” (Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg or SD2) from Booby Traps, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Navy Department, Washington D.C., 1944.
German “Butterfly Bomb”
The “butterfly bomb” is the German’s favorite bomb against personnel on beaches, in camps, and against airfields. It is small and light, and can be dropped in great numbers from airplanes. One plane can carry several hundred of these deadly little devices with no trouble at all. As each bomb descends, the fist-sized iron ball full of explosives swings free at the bottom of a rod about the size of a lead pencil. The unfolded fins on the top of the pencil-rod are whirling in the air and turning the rod, thus arming the bomb.
Some “butterfly bombs” explode in the air just above ground, some on hitting the ground, and some incorporate delayed action (about 8 to 30 minutes) which makes everything just dandy for the persons who have to come out after the raid to fight fires. See figs. 8 and 9. That should be enough, but the end is not yet. Part of the crop of “butterflies” will not go off at all until someone disturbs them—picks them up, treads on the wings, or the like. Often the bodies of the bombs will have buried themselves in the soft earth. The only part visible will be the brightly colored (green and red, or green and yellow) upturned wings, like the lovely discarded shells of some crabs or lobsters. What a memento for the office desk back home—but pick it up and you won’t get back home!
As an example of how the “butterfly” can let you down: One night last spring in North Africa the Germans raided a forward area of ours where there happened to be a P.O.W. (prisoner of war) cage full of Germans we had captured that day. Jerry dropped hundreds of “butterfly bombs” and one of them drifted into the P.O.W., settling to earth without going off. Naturally the German prisoners were greatly relieved and shied clear of their own infernal machine. But next morning was a different story. Three of our allied soldiers guarding the P.O.W. came across the little yellow wings, and the pencil rod, and the iron ball.
Figure 8. Danger lurks for the inquisitive in the form of the German anti-personnel bomb known as the “butterfly.” Here is one of these bombs, lying as you might find it in the field.
“A-ha!” said one of the guards to his pals. “Something new has been added.”
And while the other two held onto the little iron ball, he tried to unscrew the yellow wings, and up went all three—the German prisoners, watching from a distance, were delighted.
Figure 9. “Butterfly” in tree. Stay away from this kind of a situation. The bomb may explode through a time device or as a result of any disturbing pressure.
Vehicle paint problems from Army Motors, Vol. 6, No. 5, August 1945.
Dear Half-Mast,
We’ve had a lot of trouble with gasoline-soluble paint, used to paint the large service command insignia on administrative vehicles and the national symbol on tactical vehicles. The nomenclature is Paint, gasoline-soluble, lusterless (paste), white; Fed. Stock No. 52-P-2732. This problem came to a head at our last inspection by the CG, who was able to wipe the things off by hand. We’ve also found that rain causes them to run and wash away or fade.
How can we prevent this?
— Lt. R. W. G.
Dear Lieutenant,
It’s now okay to use Enamel, synthetic, stenciling, lusterless, white (Fed. Stock No. 52-E-8400-275) for the star on all motor vehicles assigned to tactical units and AGF installations, and on administrative vehicles in theaters of operations as directed by the theater commander. Says so in AR 850-5 (15 Feb. 45).
This white enamel should also be used for registration numbers. If yours are still blue, AR 850-5 says repaint ’em by 15 Aug. 45.
For any other national symbol, as directed by the Commanding General, ASF, for vehicles assigned to service command installations, gasoline-soluble paint will still be used. Likewise for unit identification markings, tactical markings, and weight-class markings—which ain’t necessarily permanent.
— Half-Mast
Erkennungsmarke (German Dog Tag)
From Handbook on German Army Identification, U.S. Milit...
Italian Navy Uniforms and Insignia
Italian Navy Uniforms and Insignia:
CON...
Valentine Tank Illustrations
Front and side views of the Valentine Tank (officially...
Japanese Type 1 Ho-Ki Armored Personnel Carrier
The Japanese produced a limited number of the innovativ...
Early-War Uniform
A private photograph from 1942 showing details of the e...
89th Infantry Division in Germany
Photographs of the U.S. Army's 89th Infantry ...
Bendix Chin Turret
Bendix manual on the Operation and Maintenance of the B...
German 105-mm Howitzer
Three views of the German 105-mm howitzer (10.5 cm leFH...
How’s Your Sherman, Herman?
M4 Sherman Tank modification and upgrades from Army Mot...
