Matilda I the little tank that did. Tank chat #176

New!

In 1940, this small but well armoured tank was pretty much all that stood between the German Blitzkrieg and a battered British Army that was retreating to the coast.

Here

Artwork by Fortunino Matania depicting the German fallschirmjäger in the Netherlands in May 1940. 

Thought this an impressive photo

 I think they are this armoured car.

Discovering Airfix figures.

 

I think these came out in 62

So about 60 years ago I started discovering Airfix. The first set in 1960 was the Guards colour party followed by Infantry Combat Group and Germans. I had all the sets as they came out once I was old enough. I am 64. They were designated HO & OO then which I believe is a railway scale. Airfix had produced their first plastic kit, a Spitfire in 1953. Here is an article on these early figure sets. 

Polish armour 1939

 From here where there is more.

Polish armour

From the Facebook by Grupa Polska Broǹ Pancerna w116th wS

Char B1 bis at Bovington

 "On paper the Char B1 bis was the most powerful tank in the world in 1940. It was armed with a 75mm howitzer in the hull, intended for infantry support, and a 47mm anti-tank gun in the one man turret.

Although heavily armoured it was slow and had limited range – a consequence of its long development, which had begun in 1926.

This tank was one of many captured by the Germans after the Fall of France. It was issued to Tank Battalion 213, stationed in the Channel Islands. It never saw combat and was taken by the British in 1945 when Jersey was liberated."

http://www.tankmuseum.org/museum-online/vehicles/object-e1951-40