Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade 1943-1945

TANKS

Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade 1943-1945

After the break of Czechoslovakia, soldiers and civilians began to leave their country to
exile into Poland, France and Great Britain. Most of them re-organize forces into army corps to fight the German enemy. Later Great Britain offered support, training and tanks to the Czechoslovaks to build up a Armoured Brigade. And so this volume starts narration about the history of the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured  Brigade from the first days of training in Great Britain to the last days of the war with the Dunkerque Battle.

The publication is a 84 pages A4 softcovered book and written side by side in Czechoslovakian and English.

After pure historical notes, the topic moves to tanks. First we have the Cromwell A27 ARV Mk I and in deeper detail the Cromwell A27 ARV Mk IV 75mm with a large chapter description. Many photos show the Cromwell IV during training days. Photos are of good quality and denote many details of the tank. To complete we have a full page with Camouflage and markings relative of two version.

Cromwell mk IV A27 Typ E 75mm is the next tank and it is reported with photos shot during May 1945 during their homeward journey to Czechoslovakia and passing through liberated cities and villages.

With the Cromwell Mk IV A27 Typ F 75mm  we find many intetesting photos with crews during maintenance services or parades. Again photos are in good conditions and many details are well visible. As like all photos of this book there are many interesting markings along with nicknames for each tank. Various profiles with Camouflage colours and relative markings are splitted on different pages of this chapter.

Cromwell Mk.IV A27 95mm is shown after the application of the S.C.C. No. 2 brown camouflage color.And exemplary photos of a ‘Desert Rat‘ Cromwell 95mm of the 2nd company of 1st tank battalion.Another interesting vehicle is ‘BRUMOVICE‘ a Cromwell Mk.VI Typ E A27 95mm with interesting markings and painted with British Olive Drab.

The Cromwell chapter is closed by last variant the Cromwell A27 Mk.VII 75mm, with just one page and couple of photos.

Next turn is for the  Crusader (II, III and AA) family.After a short introduction note we find dozens of photos, Camouflage schemes and markings.Most photos have been took around 1943/1944 in Scotland.

Czechoslovak Independent Brigate received 22 Challenger 30 Tanks as an exchange for M4 Shermans Fireflies which were needed at other battlefields.These tanks however have not seen any combat. Anyway the book has a few page of good photos and nice camouflage schemes of this tank.

The Challenger 30 had a good gun performance but it was too heavy and never gained respect. On the other hand the Sherman Firefly was the most famous allied tank and different variants served on all battlefields of the WWII. Czechoslovak Independend Brigate was equipped with the Sherman Firefly Ic and the Sherman Firefly Ic Hybrid.

The book closing topic is related to the M5A1 Late Stuart, with 40 vehicles assigned to the Armoured Brigade and used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes.

On my view this book is targeted at two audience types:  One is the pure Czechoslovak that wants to build a deeper knowledge on the Czechoslovak topic. The other audience is the Allied vehicle fan that wants to build out a different camouflaged.

Actually the book has a huge amount of  good quality photos and Czechoslovaks had the interesting habit to give nick names to tanks and make interesting markings. So this will give out to the modeller many options to the usual British Army Crusader, Cromwell or Sherman.
A must have if you want to build something different.

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Nuts & Bolts Volume 24:

Bible of Panzer II Ausf D/E

AFV NEWS - REVIEW

Volume 24 puts under the lenses the Panzer II Ausf D/E and all its variants and derivations.
The time-lapse covered starts from the period of time when Germany was not allowed, by the Versailles Treaty, to  produce or have any own tanks forward to the last operative days of the Panzer II series.

The publication, a 160 pages A4 softcovered book, is written side by side in English and German. You will find out that this volume is a very rich resource of information with an impressive amount of historical photos, data tables and drawings.
To be more precise we can count 274 photos of these 237 are historical shots of the Panzer II Ausf. D/E,  Flammpz II, Marder II Ausf.D with all known variants such as Brückenleger and Fahrschulpz. Most of them are unpublished and hard to find around internet or other publications. But there is much more…

The book starts depicting and explaining the political and historical reasons of the development of the panzer II family. It will also focus on the production assignments to the awarded companies. Information about serial numbers or particular codification demonstrates a deep research job from the authors.

Next step will see the volume concentrate on the D/E variants with many pages dedicated to particular topics such as: Performance and technical data, Armament, Chassis, Superstructure, Tracks, Engine and Radio Communication apparatus.

As before, every topic has a very high detail of information. In the armament section you will find charts with ammunition weight, service range or penetration performance.  There is also a topic relative to the crew members armament.

At the tracks and wheels section we can find measures data and useful drawings relative to each Pz.II D/E version.To complete the scheme there is a chart and a three view drawing that identifies inclination and thickness of all armour plates.

Now that we have all the knowledge about the tank, next chapter deals with it’s service history. Using official documents the book covers service under  Panzerabteilung 66, 67 and 33.

An important paragraph for modeller is the ‘Camouflage and markings‘, a careful reading will help to avoid historical errors. At support of this topic  you will find many photos with relative comments. There are shown also a couple of contradictory and uncommon markings.

After the excursus on the Ausf D/E the authors move focus on their variants such as the bridgelayer, the flammpanzer and the tank hunter Pz.Sfl.I

The Flammpanzer and the Pz.Sfl.I have received a very good coverage with charts, photos and drawings. Topics under discussions are history and service, technical data, armament camouflage and markings.

For the happiness of modellers there are 16 pages of scale drawings from all versions in 1:35 scale. Drawings, performed by John Rue, are very clean and show the tank in front, back, side, top and also in a 3D view. There are 24 additional detailed views covering the running gear,shock absorbers, hull, cooling system, muffler, turret, and none the less the dashboard!

To close the circle, the authors write about Fahrschulpanzers (training tanks) and about the retired turrets recycled into fortifications as ring stands in the two variants bauform 232a and 232b. Mostly used in Denmark, Norway and in the eastern front.
Eleven colour photos of existing Ringstände with flame turrets in Norway close up the section.

Dulcis in fundo, we have the long awaited paragraph “Modelling the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. D/E and Variants“.It’s not a very rich section, but it gives some good hints and there is also a chart with models , manufacturers and relative scales. There is a final six page gallery about a Panzer II Ausf D/E, a Flammpanzer II and a Marder Ausf D/E.

In my opinion the ‘modelling section‘ does not match the rest of the book. I am not talking  about quality but more about completeness. This sensation comes up by comparing the meticulous analysis of every single nut & bold on the Pz.II on the other chapters of this book.

Maybe the expectation was to find a step by step build-up. Or a chapter with guides to update the old kits to today’s standards or again a guide to convert modern kits into Pz.II D/E and variants.

To compensate this small bug, there are 13 pages of: camouflage schemes, graphics of tactical markings and table of organization of units. There is also an ammunition schemes!.

The huge ammount of information and data gives a very good knowledge background while photos and camouglage schemes will give to any modeller at least a dozen of good ideas on how to produce the model and also a diorama.

If your next model is a Panzer II Ausf D/E and variants this is a ‘must have’ book.

You can buy Nuts & Bolts in good assorted book- and modelshops or directly at hfd.duske@t-online.de

I would like to thank  Heiner F. Duske of the Nut’s and Bolts team for the chance to review this book.

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AFV News is proud to present the first in a long series of interviews.

Today we are pleased to have an exclusive interview with :

Andy Renshaw of “History in Scale“!

Andy

1) Hi Andy, would you like to introduce yourself to AFV NEWS ?

Hi, I’m Andy Renshaw.  I’ve been building scale models since I was 8 years old when my dad introduced me to the hobby with 2 kits.  One was a Monogram A-7B, the other a Revel HH-3 “Jolly Green Giant.  Dad and I built the A-7B (still on display at a local high school), and then he turned me loose.  I’ve been building ever since then for the last 25 years.  Currently I am very active with IPMS USA being both on the Reviewers Corps and President of our local chapter.  Plus I am also a regular contributor to Armorama.com and have started authoring articles and reviews for other printed publications.  My personal interests lie mostly in military subjects, but I also build model railroad subjects and occasional autos. I currently live in Florida, USA with my wife, two dogs, two cats, and several horses.  My current full time employment is in engineering and GIS, plus my wife and I are independent customer managers of a very successful internet and product brokerage company.   I also own and operate a third company, History In Scale.

2) What is ‘History in Scale’ about ?

History in Scale provides a wide variety of custom built scale miniatures to collectors, hobbyist, and individuals seeking a high quality scale model.   I also have a very high interest in capturing and preserving the historical significance of the machines and scenes modeled.  When I can, I try to obtain original stories and recollections to tie into the scale model.  For instance, with the F4F-4 wildcat model done in the markings of Joe Foss, the highest scoring USMC ace, I have a signed “Ace” card with his signature and will eventually put combat excerpts and historical background about Joe Foss on the website.  I have several other projects in the works that will also be the linking of real pilots, crewman, soldiers, and personnel to models of the vehicles, aircraft, or dioramas that I build.  I feel this not only gives the model more life, but also preserves our history in the scale model form.  We are also working with a local upcoming aviation museum and restoration center during their events to promote the hobby and history, plus design some of their future displays.

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3) When did you think you turned your hobby into an profession ?

This happened almost by accident.  Back when I was 19, I had some stuff on display at a local hobby shop and a customer noticed my items and asked the shop owner if he thought I would be willing to build some items for him.  I built a number of projects for him, and I have been building on commission on the side ever since. I’ve done many items from full kits of aircraft, ships, submarines, and figures, to just doing a cockpit or assembling photo etched parts for another modeler.

4) Can you tell us something about your latest commissioned projects ?

The latest projects I just finished include a monogram 1/48 B-24D and a scratch built 1/16th scale Ornithopter.  the B-24D was actually sent to me from another modeler who was commisioned to build it, yet wasn’t very interested in dealing with all the clear parts.  He sent me the mostly built model, and I finished off the assembly, attached and masked the canopies, then finished up the paint/decals/ weathering.  I actually took it to a regional show where it placed 3rd in its category. The ornithopter was built for a client who collects fishing lures and one of the main types he collects was made from the skin of the actual aircraft.  He wanted a model of it as a focal point of his lure collection.  The whole thing was scratch built from brass and covered with silkscreen that was then coated with clear varnish.  The end result gave the model the look of being covered by the plastic type material the original aircraft was.  The wings on the model also flap just like the real Ornithopter.  That project took over two years to complete! I am also currently working on a HobbyBoss LVTP7 for a upcoming article in a modeling magazine.

5) Of course every new work is different, but what about pricing ? Usually the job to finalize a scale model takes many hours if not many days. Can you give us some examples?

As you said, every project is different so pricing is totally dependant on what the client wants.  How much detail?  Added accessories? What kind of paint scheme?  Scratch built items?  Projects can be less than $100 USD up to $3000 depending on what they want.  Time is the main factor, and of course the projects that require the most time have the highest value.  Also larger projects tend to be spread out over a long period of time, so clients usually pay during the completion of various stages over a long period of time.  For a very general idea, a single 54mm figure might be about $100 to do, while a 1/48 jet could be as much as $700.  Again, every project is different and I always encourage potential clients to set up a consultation so we can discuss the specifics of the project.  Plus, one gets what they pay for, as the result is a contest quality model that is more of a work of art than just bunch of assembled plastic parts.

6) How much time do you spend on research?

That depends on the project and the expectations of the client.  I always at minimum become acquainted with the subject, find pictures, and make sure that basic accuracy in both the kit and markings/paint are correct.  More in depth projects, including my own, I spend countless hours researching every detail, history, and key notes on operation.  I have a vast library of my own, plus I also utilize the internet and fellow club members’ libraries.

7) And about your research sources ? I use the internet, books and magazines.  There are many talented and knowledgeable sources online within the modeling community and much of my knowledge is learned from them by posting questions and following threads on various forums.  The internet has become one of the most invaluable tools within my modeling.

8 ) It ever happen to receive complaints about your work ?

Not too often.  I have only had two clients that were truly disappointed, one just did not like how a particular model turned out (yet he was very pleased with others I did),  and the other was just a simple miscommunication which I quickly fixed and now he is very pleased.  I do occasionally get constructive criticism at contests and such, but that is well received as it helps me grow my skills, encourage me to try new techniques, and become a better modeler.

9) Any strange requests ?

The ornithopter was probably the strangest project I’ve had to do so far.  It made an interesting conversation piece for sure!

10) At the end, is it easy to give back, and say goodbye forever to the model you have been working on?

I have personally never had any trouble giving the client their model.  I think because i am excited for them to have it and I always enjoy their reaction when they first see it.  Its always a good time, and both the client and I walk away feeling pretty good!  I do take lots of pictures though for my portfolio, so the model is always with me at least in photos.

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