Saturday 7 May 2022

Greco-Italian war

Photo from here

Intend to cover this war in the blog.

Belgian infantry May 1940 full marching order by David Conrad Butler

Excellent portrayal and useful reference.

Ils étaient là - armée de l'air 1939-1940

French language Facebook group dedicated to the Battle of France in the air. Here. It is really active and has been going for years.

1940 immersion event 2023

2023 event in the U.S.A. Facebook page

See photos of the 2022 event here

La cartouchière

Facebook

La cartouchière est un groupe ayant pour volonté de regrouper les passionnés de l'histoire militaire française et ceux pour les périodes suivantes :
- Armée du Nord, Guerre Franco-Allemande 1870/71
- Infanterie Coloniale, conquête du Tonkin fin XIXème
- Première guerre mondiale, 1914-1916
- Deuxième guerre mondiale, 1940

Saumur in uniform (2013)

-SAUMUR-SAUMUR EN UNIFORME -CHAR RENAULT R35 -CHENILLETTE RENAULT

More here

Tank chats - Matilda Mark I - the Tank Museum

One of the more successful British tanks of the Battle of France. Wiki. We used to wargame the Battle of France in 1979 and I would have loved a model of this. Lancer miniatures do a nice one in resin. Not to be confused with the Matilda II.

Battle of Britain full movie 1969

Probably the most successful film to be made of this period. Watch it here. Just had a thought - the 2017 film Dunkirk was probably more successful. What do you think? Battle of Britain film wiki

Tank chats Panzer II the Tank Museum

Here David Willey discusses the Panzer II, a German tank which was instrumental in the early days of the Second World War, especially during the Blitzkrieg.

Friday 6 May 2022

Matchbox Char B1 bis and Renault Ft. 17

Who remembers this pairing from 1983? I had it. Revell re-released it. This blog has a nostalgic thread running through. Matchbox kits usually came with a diorama - destroyed building frontage etc. We used to use them as terrain pieces to wargame around. See the models made up and painted here.

Thursday 5 May 2022

French artillery tractor 6x6 W-15T

Here for a 1/72 kit. Here is a list of stockists.

Kfz 13

This is an armoured car used by the Germans in 1939 although it was quite archaic. Retired 1941. First to Fight 1/72 do a model of it.

Autochenille Citroën Kegresse P17

Here at A.S.P.H.M for more. Wiki (French)

Polish armour of 1939

Here at Weapons and Warfare

Event in France May 14

https://www.museefrance40v.fr/?fbclid=IwAR1PcMnZA2cUwU9r_uahggqTcCVixXAeBG-iSSOKRkEk9sRSeR4EeS2ONWs

1940 Battle of France, private immersion event

‘This is in the USA - looks great so maybe now would be a good time to plan going over in 23.

'We just concluded our 2022 event. Next event is April 21/22, 2023, New Windsor MD. Looking for; French, Germans (Heer), British (BEF), Dutch, Belgian, and Civilians.' Photos by Craig Alarie

https://www.facebook.com/groups/737046459961240/

Belgian combat vehicles of World War II

Wiki on the subject

See this Pinterest page which is good. Looking at who makes these in 1/72 - there are a lot of resin models on etsy and ebay - best to browse and see.

French Tanks In Action (1940)

British newsreel.

Battle Of France (Invasion of France)

Captured Film -- Germany Invades Poland 1939

Some interesting footage.

EWM or Early War Miniatures

A comprehensive range that covers all the major early war armies in WW2 in 20mm or 1/76.

Schneider P16 Half track armoured car (France)

Does Danish Norwegian French you name it - go here

Pegasus Hobbies French WW2 infantry

These look good. Plastic Soldier Review article here.

9 April (2015)

From the wiki April 9th (Danish: 9. april) is a 2015 Danish Second World War film directed by Roni Ezra and starring Pilou Asbæk and Lars Mikkelsen. The film depicts the German invasion of Denmark which commenced on 9 April 1940 and follows a group of Danish bicycle infantry sent as a vanguard to slow down the German advance until reinforcements can arrive.

Wednesday 4 May 2022

Heroes of Westerplatte 1939 - (Tajemnica Westerplatte) - trailer - English subtitles

I watched this the other day. Quite good. Read the English wiki on the film here

"1940 Le Soldat Francais" by Oliver Bellec

I've found myself interested again in the Battle of France. All images from the book "1940 Le Soldat Francais" by Oliver Bellec

Week-end à Zuydcoote (1964) - Bande annonce d'époque

French film set in 1940.

Set during the Battle of Dunkirk, the film follows Julien Maillat, a French soldier who tries to join the British Army on the Royal Navy's boat flotilla to England. No matter how hard he tries to make it, he and his French partners are hard pressed to get away as the fight is getting harder and the Germans closer and closer.

Wiki

Rare Color Photographs of World War II Taken by Hitler’s Personal Photographer

See them here

Battle! Charles Grant

These old school wargames rules for ww2 were published in book form in 1970. Copies of this book fetch high prices but fret not. They are available in magazine form free to download here

Polish Ursus Wz. 29 Armoured Car, September 1939

I have, inspired by the First to Fight 1/72 range, been looking at Polish 1939 images. First to Fight is a very comprehensive collection of an interesting selection of afvs and artillery.

Polish Light Tank 7TP

Wiki

From the book Tanks and other AFVs of the Blitzkrieg era BT White

Battlegroup Blitzkrieg

I asked the people at a facebook group dedicated to WW2 for the best rules for Poland 1939 and they recommended this supplement. Review here

TKS Polish tankette

As blog readers may know I like tankettes. They are a 30s thing.

List of Polish armoured fighting vehicles

The TK (also known as the TK-3) tankette was a Polish design produced from 1931 based on the chassis of the British Carden Loyd tankette, with an improved hull and more powerful engine, and armour up to 8 mm thick (10 mm on the TKS). TKS wiki