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Something a little different.

26th May 2023

As promised, we are attempting to resume ‘Normal’ service this week – I will leave it up the more observant of you out there to define the term, as that is a task well beyond my misfiring neurons.

The order number this week is #24473, but as usual, there will be some prior to this that will be sent out next week, and the odd one ahead of it that sneak through.  One of the reasons for the irregular announcement of order numbers over the past few weeks has been the peculiar clustering of UK Bank holidays.   April saw us lose two days over Easter, while May will contain three, (three!) more Bank holidays.   That means that over the period of April to May, we have effectively lost a whole week’s worth of production.  Add to this the preparation for two major shows, one of which was Salute and that puts a lot of pressure on the system.   We are bouncing back pretty quickly, but please bear with us.

The process of completing the photographs of the Comnenan Byzantine  continues with the wonderfully overarmoured cataphract horse archers

and some javelinmen.

 

All of which brings us to this week’s new releases, which are something a little different.   In 1944, ahead of the Ardennes campaign, the German Army thought it might be a good idea to form a unit equipped with captured Allied equipment and uniforms to infiltrate the enemy lines, seize strategic bridges and sow a little chaos in general.   As a result, Panzer Brigade 150 was formed.   Just to prove that not all Good Ideas really are Good Ideas, the supply of captured vehicles was pitifully inadequate, the number of English-speaking German soldiers proved to be extremely limited and the uniforms to put them in inadequate to clothe the entire unit.

Not letting Reality get in the way of a Good Idea, five Panthers were given a makeover to make them look like something that might just pass for an M10 Tank destroyer at night to a short-sighted soldier wearing dark glasses.  To add to the fun a few Stugs and half tracks were given a new coat of olive drab and some white star markings. What could possibly go wrong?

Given this preparation, it can be no surprise that things didn’t go according to plan.  It proved impossible to reach the three designated bridges, only 10 out the 2500 members of the Brigade could actually pass themselves off as Americans when spoken to, and in their only real action of the campaign the unit was forced to retreat with heavy losses, including the wounding of the commander, Otto Skorzeny.

Reading that back, that’s not the greatest incentive for anyone to actually try and use this formation on the tabletop, but hope springs eternal and all that, so we have released a nice little group of models for your consideration.   You can find all the details here.

Back to more ‘sensible’ releases next week.