German Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B, mit Schneeräumer System Schmidt (Dragon)

This is the Dragon 6764 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B, mit Schneeräumer System Schmidt’.

German Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B, mit Schneeräumer System Schmidt

History

The Panzer IV Ausf.B – fitted with a snow plow. The Panzer IV Ausf.B still featured a short-barreled 7.5cm KwK37 L/24 main gun and an MG34 machine gun.

A crew of five operated the Sd.Kfz.161 tank, and it saw service in the 1939-40 campaigns in Poland, Norway and France, and also in the Balkans and in Russia from 1941 onwards.

A snow plow was very useful for winter combat in places like the Eastern Front, which was subject to extreme temperatures and large amounts of snow that severely hampered mobility.

Source: Dragon website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel/Wespe (Dragon)

This is the Dragon 6535 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel/Wespe’.

German Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel/Wespe

History

‘Bumble Bee’ might seem an unusual nickname for a self-propelled howitzer, but that is what the Germans initially called their 15cm sFH 18 L/30 howitzer mounted on a Panzer IV chassis.

The Sd.Kfz.165 Hummel, of which 714 were produced from late 1942 onwards, was created because of an urgent need for artillery that could keep pace with Germany’s panzers during WWII.

Interestingly, the prototype of the Hummel was originally fitted with a 10.5cm leFH18 gun, the weapon that eventually found its way onto the Wespe that was based on the Panzer II chassis.

Source: Dragon website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

German Kampfgruppe von Luck – Normandy 1944 (Dragon)

This is the Dragon 6155 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Kampfgruppe von Luck – Normandy 1944’.

German Kampfgruppe von Luck - Normandy 1944

Hans–Ulrich Freiherr von Luck und Witten (15 July 1911 – 1 August 1997), usually shortened to Hans von Luck, was a Colonel in the German Armored Forces (Oberst der Panzerwaffe) during World War II.

He served with the 7th Panzer Division and 21st Panzer Division, seeing action in Poland, France, North Africa, Italy and Russia. He was a close associate of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel.

Source: Wikipedia

Manufacturer

Where I got it

  • Unknown