- The Airfix Tribute Forum -

Richard M · Last edited by Richard M on Wed 22 Jul 2009 20:32 pm; edited 1 time in total

James' build will be reported here.
_________________
Best
Rich
---------------------------

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."

Visit my PORTFOLIO

James Russell · Posted: Mon 13 Jul 2009 14:18 pm Post subject:

I'm interested in taking Airfix's 1.76 US Paratroops (01751) and making a full platoon, properly equipped, for D-Day. I want to stay with 1.76 scale and Airfix products. Anything I can't find within this range I'll scratch build.

Should be fun - there ain't a Garand in the bunch! Careful Airfix jarheads - I'm coming to take your weapons!

James Russell · Posted: Thu 16 Jul 2009 21:48 pm Post subject:

I hope to build a US airborne platoon. This will require a few important additions and changes to the Airfix US Paratroops. Perhaps you are looking at a build centring on a box of little rubber men as not especially promising compared with all your boats, planes, and tanks. I hope I don’t disappoint. I will, with luck, spice it up by making some .30 cal. Browning teams, 60mm mortar, an airborne 57mm ATG, and a 75mm pack howitzer.

My paratroopers have come from this big box 60th anniversary collection:

The first, and obvious question is: will these 48 figurines be enough to fill a platoon? I already know they have the wrong personal weapon mix – by Normandy most troopers had found an M1 Garand (with a proper .30 06 rifle round – much better stopping power). These 14 poses have: 3 Thompsons, 6 .30 Carbines (a sub-munition), 1 Sten??, and 3 poses with no firearms.

Plastic Soldier Review and my own research have satified me that the uniform is correct for D-Day. My paratroopers come from a set put out during Airfix’s French exile. The set even came with the Heller “Jour-J” instruction leaflet. Still the same great stuff – just a funny set of subjects for Airfix to use on OVERLORD’s 60th anniversary. Still, for my purposes it suits. An impressive number of US subjects and great value for money.

I love Airfix 1.76 scale figurines from this era in Airfix history. They are well proportioned and rendered in humanly possible positions. The set is a bit limited – many of the figurines don’t seem to be up to much. I don’t know why they weren’t given a 2.36 inch RL (Bazooka) or a .30 cal. Browning, but I suppose that’s where my fun begins.

Can anyone make me a glider for the AT gun? That piece of equipment was one of the reasons Horsas were needed in US operations.

See you in the DZ!

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Thu 16 Jul 2009 23:50 pm Post subject:

That looks like a pretty major challenge to me!

Here is a rough breakdown of a 1944 US Paratroop Platoon (from a wargaming list, so may not be 100% accurate):

Command Section
1st Lieutenant (M1 Carbine or Thompson)
2nd Lieutenant (M1 Carbine or Thompson)
Sergeant (M1 Carbine or Thompson)
Corporal (M1 Garand or BAR)
4 Troopers (M1 Garand)

Three Rifle Sections (each comprised of)
Sergeant (M1 Carbine or Thompson)
Corporal (M1 Carbine or Thompson)
Gunner (M1919A4 MMG)
9 Troopers (M1 Garand)

Mortar Section
Sergeant (M1 Carbine or Thompson)
Trooper (60mm Mortar)
4 Troopers (M1 Garand)

Other weapons assigned to the platoon might include several more BARs, up to two bazookas and/or a flamethrower.

Good luck with your build.....It looks like you are going to need some more figures!

HTH & All the best
Sgt.S
_________________
ATF Unverified Spam Appreciation Society - Founding Member

"The Monkeys Are Going To The Stars!"

Ratch · Posted: Fri 17 Jul 2009 06:29 am Post subject:

James Russell · Posted: Fri 17 Jul 2009 14:31 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the comments.

The pack howitzer is going to be a scratch project. I will be using the drawings found here:
http://www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/Photos/Pic75pack_1.htm

A great site for any interested in British airborne stuff, by the way.

I have some photographs of an airborne 6pdr. and some rough sketches on the modifications I'd need to incorporate into our little Airfix specimen. Not that my modelling skill is all that brilliant, but does anyone know of any line drawings of a 6pdr., or better yet - a QF 6pdr. MkIII (air transportable)? Did Ken Musgrave, for instance, ever do a line drawing of a 6pdr?

Thanks for the suggestions about platoon composition - I'll be checking out the "TO&E" stuff in Steven Zolaga's recent US Airborne ETO book in the Osprey series. I'll let you know what I find. Probably another big box is not the economical way for me to find reinforcements. I'll have to see what's on offer on ebay. Although it is true that few if any platoons in the 82nd or 101st were at full strength after they left the planes on 6 June.

I'm leafing through Gen. James Gavin's book, "On to Berlin." It is a fine read - full of charming anecdotes and vital observations. Worth your time if US airborne is at all interesting to you.

James Russell · Posted: Tue 21 Jul 2009 23:27 pm Post subject:

For some reason I’ve decided to start this project with the 6pdr. Interesting because it was probably the last piece of big equipment that US airborne forces brought into their divisions before D-Day.

When the US first began organizing parachute formations the Army Airborne Command had identified the 37mm M3 as suitable in the anti-tank gun role in airborne operations. The 6pdr. (57 mm M1, US designation) was tested and rejected in the summer of 1943. It was heavy and didn’t fit in a Waco (Hadrian) glider. More, it didn’t lend itself to airlifting using other methods. So, five months before D-Day, February 1944, the Table Organization and Equipment (TO&E) for airborne still had divisions keeping their 37 mm guns as the longest reach and biggest punch against enemy armour.

Nevertheless, the 82nd and the 101st airborne divisions were partially reequipped with British-manufactured 6 pounders on carriage Mk 3 (airborne) for the Normandy airdrops. After Normandy the guns were officially introduced under the TO&E of December 1944. A division was issued a total of 50 pieces: 8 in divisional artillery, 24 in AA battalion, and 18 in glider infantry regiment; parachute infantry regiments did not have anti-tank guns. The British guns were referred to officially and in writing as 57 mm guns, but from what I’ve read, most airborne GIs appear to have called them 6 pounders.

The Airfix 6pdr. Might not be the most accurate model out there, but I think it comes mighty close (and considering the price compared to its resin cousins I’m expecting Airfix will yet be making money off this mould for years to come.). In 1.76 scale there appear to be five aspects to making the Airfix 6pdr. Look like a Normandy airborne piece:
1) Modify the muzzle break
2) Cut down the upper and lower shields
3) Shorten the axle
4) Modify the towing ring
5) Model the folding trail-legs

stuzzar · Posted: Wed 22 Jul 2009 16:33 pm Post subject:

This is a very interesting and different topic for a group build, I will be looking for some tips for sure.

If you need any more Airfix airborne figures let me know, I am sure that I have quite a few spare knocking about somewhere.

You may be interested to note (or may already know) that the US Airborne troops made extensive use of the M1916A6 .30 cal browning (on a bipod rather than tripod). This weapon had a wooden stock fitted and was apparently very popular for the added fire power it offered against that of the BAR which they apparently managed to 'loose' in favour of this piece of kit. The prone MG figure from the 2nd Airfix US Marine Corps set would make an easy conversion as he appears to be equiped with this weapon.

Here is a link to the manual
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/TM/PDFs/TM_9_206.pdf

Somewhere among my many files I have details on the major changes required to make a US 57mm gun although it may be the standard version rather than the Airborne type, I will have rummage and if of any use will post what I can.

Cheers

Stu

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Wed 22 Jul 2009 16:57 pm Post subject:

I'm glad you brought that up Stu.....I'd always thought the US airborne tended to use bipod equipped LMGs in infantry teams and tripod mounted MMGs or HMGs in the fire support teams, yet the list I consulted referred only to A4 MMGs, sloppy editing no doubt.

All the best
Sgt.S
_________________
ATF Unverified Spam Appreciation Society - Founding Member

"The Monkeys Are Going To The Stars!"

stuzzar · Posted: Wed 22 Jul 2009 17:21 pm Post subject:

Found the 57mm gun article, not much help as it was for the standard weapon rather than airborne (this had larger wheels and a longer barrel), it would seem that the 6 pounders used by US Airborne troops on D-Day were indeed simply the British Airborne version with the flash supressor removed from the end of the barrel, I have checked several pictures which seem to confirm this.

Cheers

Stu

James Russell · Posted: Wed 22 Jul 2009 20:24 pm Post subject:

Dear fellows,
Thanks for your comments. I’ll reply in the text below.
Our Airfix US Paratroops come armed with nothing heavier than personal weapons. An obvious omission is the M1919A4 .30 cal Browning Machine Gun, a tripod mounted, belt-fed piece that was supposed to serve as a squad light machine gun. The ammunition belts were either canvas or metal-link and I can’t find evidence for one over the other being used in Normandy.

For the purposes of my little project, the obvious candidate to donate a .30 cal. is the Airfix US Marines set. The Airfix Marines, however, have another version of the M1919A4, the M1919A6. Here is the story of this curious hybrid: A captured MG34 was sent to Aberdeen Ordnance Proving Ground in 1943 and evaluated for copying. As I recall, it was rejected because of the ridiculous amount of ammo needed to support its fire and that it would require an entirely new production line. Some of the MG34’s features were scabbed on to the .30 cal. in an attempt to make the weapon more closely resemble a squad light machine gun - attaching a buttstock and lighter barrel (4lbs. instead of 7lbs).

This new A6 turned out to be heavier than the A4 without its tripod, at 32 lbs., though its bipod made for faster deployment. The A6 version saw increasing service in the latter days of World War II. I’m not sure it was available for D-Day. I’ll be modelling the A4.

Stu, check the post I made earlier and you will see a photo of a 6pdr. in US service in Normandy – muzzle break and tyres are as supplied from British stores.

The US Marines will next be asked to give up their bazookas. The 2.36 in. Rocket Launcher, christened by GIs “bazooka”, after a crude wind instrument made of pipes, invented by American comedian Bob Burns (1896–1956), was handy and effective. Although it doesn’t appear to be standard equipment at platoon level they were certainly made available (I don’t know whether bazookas were just borrowed from company level or if the operators came with them).

I took the RL with the arms from the Marine and gave them to the kneeling and firing paratrooper. I drill holes, join with brass wire, and then bond the whole piece together with “super glue”. Sometimes the piece gets a film of PVA afterward. Below I am starting to figure out how to increase the number of M1 Garands in the platoon.

No small amount of engineering and imagination had gone into the little M1 Carbine to make it the perfect compact weapon for paratroops. And yet, experience in Sicily had GIs begging for the .30 06 M1 Garand. The .30 Carbine round just didn’t have stopping power; it was smaller, lighter, and very different, in both design and performance, from the .30-'06 used in the Garand. Far superior to the pistols it replaced among technical troops and officers, it was, nevertheless not up to snuff as a rifleman’s service rifle. Furthermore, it added another wrinkle to the quartermasters war – needing .30 carbine, .30 06, and .45 ammunition to supply platoons. Pistols and Thompsons took .45, Garand, BAR, and 1919A4s took .30 06, and the M1 Carbine used the .30 cal carbine ammo all on its own.

Roger 410 · Posted: Wed 22 Jul 2009 21:42 pm Post subject:

Most informative details on the weaponry.
_________________
Roger.

James Russell · Posted: Wed 22 Jul 2009 22:04 pm Post subject:

Dear Stu,
Thanks for the FM on the A6! September 1943 would mean there was plenty of time to get the A6 into the hands of Normandy bound units. I will claim modeller's arrogance, however - I'm going to make the .30 cal. Brownings on their M2 tripods.
Thanks also for the kind offer of reinforcements. I have found some more US paratroops squirreled away here in my basement.

Ratch · Posted: Thu 23 Jul 2009 09:56 am Post subject:

Lots of interesting information here

I shall be following the progress

_________________
and was Jerusalem, builded here
The new No. 2
Airfix Club 500287
IPMS 10983

stuzzar · Posted: Thu 23 Jul 2009 09:58 am Post subject:

No worries James

I am sure that they would have used a combination of both types, I got the impression that they had purloined the A6s from somewhere to bolster their fire power I think it is called 'Airborne initiative'

.

Incidentally the chap in the background of the 6 pounder picture that you posted earlier seems to have a .30 Browing tripod slung over his shoulder so there you go.

The following link has a pretty extensive unit breakdown on it if it is of any use

http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.c...0battalion%201942%20to%201944.htm

Great work so far by the way

Cheers

Stu

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Thu 23 Jul 2009 13:37 pm Post subject:

My list seems to have added an extra rifle squad to the platoon!

All the best
Sgt.S
_________________
ATF Unverified Spam Appreciation Society - Founding Member

"The Monkeys Are Going To The Stars!"

James Russell · Posted: Thu 23 Jul 2009 14:16 pm Post subject:

Yes Sarge, your info. might be right . The US army in WW2, like the British was a triangle organization. Two rifle squads sounds weird to me. I have not yet checked Steven Zologa's text. I'll be using him as the final authority (might have made more sense to check him first).

When I have his composition I'll record it here.

You are correct Stuzzar - he is carrying the M2 tripod. I won't post a proper image of the photo because it is owned by someone else. Hopefully, I won't be sued for an odd-angle, grainy, partial image.

stuzzar · Posted: Fri 24 Jul 2009 10:57 am Post subject:

Remember this is for a Parachute Infantry Platoon, it seems that regular Infantry had three rifle squads Parachute Infantry two, see link below for breakdown of regular Infantry units within the Battalion

http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.c...lion%20mid%201943%20to%201945.htm

http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/toe/USInfantry/rifle_company.htm

Cheers

Stu

James Russell · Posted: Fri 24 Jul 2009 20:15 pm Post subject:

Dear fellows,
Thanks for all your helpful comments and source suggestions. Thanks Stu for the lead to "bayonetstrength". Much of what has been offered agrees with the author I have chosen as my authority - Steven Zaloga (sometime contributor to the old Airfix Magazine) who has a new Osprey title “US Airborne Divisions in the ETO 1944-45”. The following information comes mostly from p.26-28.
The Parachute Infantry battalion’s tactical unit was the rifle company, consisting of company headquarters and three rifle platoons. These platoons were organized under the February 1944 table as follows: a platoon HQ, two rifle squads, and a 60mm mortar squad; the December 1944 table added a third rifle squad increasing the platoon strength from 36 to 49.

My platoon will have 36 personnel. Though it would have from 2 to 4 .30-cal. Browning A6s, my model platoon will have 2 A4s and 2 BARs. Explanation to follow.

Platoon headquarters: 1st lieutenant, 2nd lieutenant (added under the December 1944 table, so not present in my model platoon), five enlisted men (platoon sergeant, guide sergeant, 2 messengers, radio man w/SCR-536 handy-talkie (the original name for the walkie-talkie). Our Airfix radio man appears to have an SCR-300 (the original walkie-talkie. Popular use gave the name to the afore mentioned SCR-536). I'm simply going to use the Airfix offering as-is. Later, I may try a 536. The HQ also had a couple of support weapons: a bazooka and a sniper rifle.

The rifle squads:12 enlisted men lead by two sergeants: a squad leader and an assistant squad leader/demolitions specialist. The squad had seven rifles plus a three-man machine gun team armed with the .30 cal. Browning light machine gun (gunner, assistant gunner and ammo bearer with one or two light machine guns). All members of the rifle squad were armed with .30 cal. M1 Garand rifles except for the machine gun team, who were armed .30-cal. carbines. The December 1944 table substituted a .30-cal. BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) for one of the .30-cal. light machine guns. I’m interested in making at least a couple of BARs. Obviously, I have a lot of transferring of Garands to do. Gen. Gavin’s book “On to Berlin” describes the preference for Garands over carbines in the Sicily chapter.
Notice that Thompson sub-machine guns aren’t mentioned here, but they were certainly used. Like all elites, US paratroopers would scrounge what suited their needs and interests. Also, there is no mention of BARs for D-Day, but I will use the same license - my platoon has preferred the benefits of A4s for sustained fire and stability, and the BARs because they are more mobile and don't eat ammo as rapidly.

I won’t be posting for a week. I’m taking high schoolers from my church to Appalachia to make house repairs for needy families. A fine group of young people involved in good work. I’ll be back amongst the plastic models beginning 2 August.

Until then . . . Geronimo!

James Russell · Posted: Wed 05 Aug 2009 18:29 pm Post subject:

Having just survived a week of teaching teenagers how to safely use circular saws, wasp bombs, reciprocating saws, and 2 ton house jacks, I dived back in to the 6 pdr. upon my return home and immediately sliced my index finger open with the modelling knife. I’m giving the 6 pdr. a rest while I heal.
Here are some photos of conversions.

Firstly, HQ. For June 1944, this should contain 5 men: Lieutenant, platoon sergeant, radio operator, and two messengers (runners). The Lieutenant will have a carbine, the sergeant will have a Thompson SMG (although many NCOs preferred Garands), the radio operator would have a carbine or pistol (pistols were popular acquisitions among troopers and later became regular issue), and the two messengers would likely have Garands.

The .30 cal. 1919A4 is a swipe from the 2nd US Marine set. I cut him off at the top of the sleeve cuffs as I thought this would provide the strongest place to join the two parts. This Marine LMG is a 1.72 scale model. The scaled-down from 1.32 scale part of the Airfix Marine set (the running and the crawling rifleman, bazooka, LMG, M3 “grease gun”), is bigger than the balance. The oarsmen, fellow firing into the treetops, kneeling rifleman, the marines with the grenades, and etc., are all 1.76 scale and make ideal donors for the US Paratroops.
The loader’s arms are donations from the MG34 loader in the Airfix German infantry set (another set that is a 1.76/1.72 hybrid).

Each platoon had a mortar squad with one 60mm mortar and six men. This little model was made from scrap and an old bipod from the spares box (I think it was Nitto).
My first sell-out to Airfix: the mortar men’s’ rifles are courtesy of Fujimi – it is just about impossible to carve a Garand away from the marines and have it look alright. And yet, the Airfix Garands are such well-done models; I don’t believe they have been bested in braille-scale. Were all the 1.72 and 1.76 scale Garands to suddenly become 1:1 scale, I have no doubt the Airfix Garands would look closest to true.

Here are some attempts I’ve made to get Garands into paratroopers’ hands. The 1.76 donations all come from the marine firing into the trees and are in the left-hand column. The 1.72s are all from the crawling rifleman and are in the column to the right. The scale difference is obvious – I think it calls too much attention to itself. I will stick with 1.76 scale for rifles from now.

These last three photos are of other conversion attempts.

The first shows arms and rifles donated from Japanese Infantry. The fellow on all fours has the arm and rifle of the similarly posed Japanese, and the other is one of my all-time least favourite Airfix poses – the dude running with his rifle aloft (one such pose is kind of neat, two is too many, and more than that is impossible to hide in a crowd!). I don’t think these look too bad, but they are not as good-looking as the others.

The US Paratrooper grenade thrower is one of the weak-links in the set. I’ve tried bringing him to earth and giving him a Fujimi Garand.

The last for now is the bazooka man converted using the marine arms and weapon joined with the kneeling paratrooper rifleman. This does not look too bad, even though the bazooka is 1.72 scale. There is a 1.76 scale bazooka in the 2nd Airfix Commando set, but I’m not cutting any of my cockle-shell heroes apart until Airfix find their mould again.