A Brief Interlude

 Of course, you KNEW I could not completely ignore all the shiny new stuff that's turned up over the last couple of weeks, didn't you?! 

It's only a very minor detour though - the GNW project continues apace, with another battalion nearing completion.

As a small taster of what will be in store from late August onwards, here are four 28mm WWII Blitzkrieg era Germans to give you a brief idea of where my painting will be heading next.

First up are the two Propaganda Kompanie figures from Col Bills....

A movie cameraman...,. 

.... and a stills photographer

For anyone interested, here is a bit too much information, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Wehrmacht Propaganda Troops (German: Wehrmachtpropaganda, abbreviated as WPr) was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II. Subordinated to the High Command of the Wehrmacht (the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht), its function was to produce and disseminate propaganda materials aimed at the German troops and the population.

Planning and formation

The planning for propaganda activities by the Wehrmacht began in 1938. Joseph Goebbels, the head of Ministry of Propaganda, sought to establish effective cooperation with the Wehrmacht to ensure a smooth flow of propaganda materials from the front. He deferred to the military in setting up and controlling the propaganda companies but provided assistance in supplying personnel.

Function and operation

The service was subordinated to the OKW Chief of Operation Staff, General Alfred Jodl. Commanded by General Hasso von Wedel, the department oversaw the numerous propaganda companies (Propagandakompanie or PK) of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS, attached to the fighting troops. At its peak in 1942, the propaganda troops included 15,000 men.

The propaganda companies were the only news-reporting units in areas of military operation, as civilian news correspondents were prohibited from entering combat zones. The troops produced the written, audio and film materials from the front and sent them to a processing center in Germany, where they were reviewed by censors, mostly for security purposes. The filtered materials were then forwarded to the Ministry of Propaganda for immediate dissemination. Among the propaganda materials produced was the Wehrmachtbericht, the official news communiqué about the military situation of the Reich and was intended for both domestic and foreign consumption.

Secondly. a couple of fighting troops, on the left above from Crusader Miniatures and on the right from 1st Corps

1st Corps junior officer armed with MP40 sub machine gun.

And an NCO from Crusader, again armed with the ubiquitous "Schmeisser"

Both figures have the standard belt kit of ammo pouches, bread bag, water bottle and gas mask cannister. The 1st Corps figure also has an entrenching tool and bayonet (not sure why the latter when he isn't armed with a rifle...?)

I am pretty happy with how these have turned out. I have undercoated a couple of the Warlord plastic figures, just for completeness, but they are going to be a bit of a pain, as I haven't been able to figure out a solid, but temporary, way to attach them to a base for painting purposes, so looks like I may have to hold them by one boot as I paint the rest of the figure, which I have not done for thirty odd years!

Thanks for your visit and for your comments.