Verlinden 200mm Cossack Bust

[Guest]

Back to the busts and, another cheap Verlinden one depicting a Cossack in German service, WW2. Looks like a nice sculpt, well detailed and nicely cast:

[SteveH]

Morning Peter

Looks like an interesting choice, hopefully the head will pass muster?

At least it should last all week with all the distractions at home at the moment.

Your busts are usually a 3 day affair at best, so here's hoping you have a good day with some paint and plenty of fun too

Its another cold one, and someone somewhere is on the ""White Christmas"" band wagon already!!

Have a good day with the paints and family

Regards

Steve H

[Guest]

Morning Steve

I didn't manage to do any painting yesterday as I suffered a diabetic hyper for some reason. Really ropey and slept all day. Hopefully a bit of quite painting will be possible today. Actually warmer here in the South, though incredibly wet and dull. The girls are putting up the Christmas tree today, so even more reason to find a quiet retreat!

[Tim Marlow]

Hope you’re feeling better today Peter. Looks like an interesting subject.

[Andy the Sheep]

Cossacks in German service in July 1944 where moved from Russia to the Italian region where I live. They were meant to control the area against the return of partisan units (Op. Ataman). To bolster their motivation, having lost every possibility to return to their homeland, they were told that the area known as "Carnia", which is the most northern and mountainous part of this region, would have become their new homeland, precisely named "Kosakenland in Nord Italien". At that itme the whole NE of Italy was under full German control being an area of operation extending from the Tagliamento river to the current Croatia under the rule of the infamous SS Gruppenfuhrer Odilo Globocnick.
Please note that Carnia was already an inhabited area, so the local Italian population had to suffer a lot from the cossacks.
My father in law, a kid at that time, told me that looting and violence where the trademark of those terrible days as the Cossacks where more apt to disrupt, (if that is the word I need...:worried: ) the civilian population than fighting the partisans.
At the end of April 1945 they moved to Austria and tried to surrender to the western Allied in the town of Lienz. Having realized that they were going to be handed over to the Soviet authorities many of them preferred to drown themselves in the Drau river. Those who didn't commit suicide disappeared into the Gulags.

I hope I didn't bore you too much. For those who are interested, there are several books in Italy on this topic, but I don't know how many translated into English.
Have a nice painting day, Peter, and many more even happier to come.

Andrea

[Neil Merryweather]

watching quietly :thumb2:

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
That does look nice. I am sure you will make a fine job of it. I always think the boxart on these Verlinden figures does the contents no favours.
Jim

[Guest]

Tim - Feeling bloody awful. Not sure if I'll get anything done today.

Andy - Thank you. That's very interesting indeed. I would recommend the book The Last Secret by Richard Bethel. It tells the story of the Cossack surrender and round up by the British in Austria. After being handed back to the Soviets and shipped back to Russia, many were promptly shot on disembarkation in dock-side warehouses. A tragic story.

Neil - Quiet is good!

Jim - The box art suffers in the photography. Have a look at BNA Modelworld's listings on eBay. They have close ups which show that the box art painting is very good indeed.

[Tim Marlow]

Sorry to hear that Peter, hope you improve soon.
I seem to remember reading that the Cossack transfer was entrusted to a battle hardened British division to ensure they were not shown any undue leniency or sympathy at handover. Pretty cynical if true.

[Guest]

Something like that Tim, though they won the hearts of their British captors and many were in tears as they saw them off to Russia.

[Guest]

OK, I've made a start:



A late start, so just a couple of hours light left for painting in, but I got the basics done.

[JR]

Great not missed too much, that's a lived in face alright Peter.

[Guest]

Hi John. Yes he's seen a bit of life.

[outrunner]

Pulling up a chair to watch the master at work.

Andy.

[Steven000]

That's looking very nice again Peter,
look after yourself :thumb2: Have fun
Steven