Dog Green Sector, Omaha Beach, June 1944

[stona]

Those figures look very good indeed. Major surgery with no blood or risk of litigation. Top stuff!

Cheers

Steve

[yak face]

JUNIOR HACKSAW!!! Field surgery at its best ron mate, you should have been in M.A.S.H. (MMMM! mash that reminds me , its teatime!!) cheers tony

[Guest]

This is going to be a monster of a build Ron, going to be watching this one very closely, picking up a few tips from one of the masters.

[Guest]

Excellent work on the figures Ron. Looking forward to more pics of your build.

[spanner570]

Thanks for the feedback gents, makes very good reading.

Just a little update.

The modelling of the figures for the landing is finished, they just need painting.

For a bit of a break from them I have turned my attention to the diorama, specifically beach defences....

These were formidable things designed to catch out the transport, tanks and anything else that fancied having a go at getting through to the bluffs.

Here is my first type. Made from twigs out of the garden and fastened with sewing cotton and UHU glue.

Placed to be just underwater at high tide, they stood around 8ft tall and made of tree trunks lashed and fastened together. Then mines were fastened to them. Some had twin long poles, some like this, had single.

At the time of the invasion these were high and dry. The engineers in the 1st wave, who were supposed to clear the obstacles couldn't because (A)soldiers were trying to shelter behind them or (B) they were mostly dead!

Ron

[ATTACH]30236.IPB[/ATTACH]

[stona]

I knew about the steel "Czech Hedgehogs" some of which have of course survived.

But had no idea that they built such large wooden obstacles. I found some rather bad pictures of them online and they were huge! Is this one of Cappa's pictures?

You live and learn

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Great looking figures ron, a great idea for the build also. They did use quite a few of those on the beaches steve, another one that they used is the Belgian gate. http://users.skynet.be/jeeper/belgiangate1.jpg

http://users.skynet.be/jeeper/avre1.jpg

http://users.skynet.be/jeeper/belgiangates1.jpg

The second is a Churchill AVRE clearing one of these obstacles.

The third is a line up of them on omaha beach,

Cheers

Kresten

[Guest]

Nice work on those figure alterations, Ron. You make it sound easy; I've tried that method before, and the end result was a particularly short looking soldier around half a centemeter smaller than his comrades. :tongue:

I like the look of the log-ramp as well. Make sure to remember that only one in every three had a mine on top, in case you decide to do a few. I don't suppose you've got any plans to try a Belgian Gate, have you?

Edit: Was about to post a pic, but looks like Kresten saved me the effort.

[spanner570]

Thanks for the pictures Steve.

Yes, that is one of Robert Capa's surviving shots. All his surviving Omaha shots are blurred because of the balls up in the photo lab. If you Image Google his name, you will find all his Omaha pictures there and some more up to his death in Indo China.

Edit:- Sorry Kresten and Greg, I posted my reply to Steve not seeing your posts.

From what I have read, they were built by the Belgiums as anti tank barricades in 1939/40. Then used mainly by the Germans in Belgium as road blocks, although they were indeed used in the 'Atlantic Wall'.

I can't find any pickies of them on Omaha beach (Thank goodness!) so I will pass on making them! lol

Thanks all for the input fellas, I'm learning new things and seeing new images with almost every post...

Great stuff!

Ron

[Ian M]

The Wooden beams where intended to be hidden by a high tide and rip the bottom of landing craft open as they sailed onto the end. I was unaware that some of them where mined!!!

Ian M

[Guest]

Indeed they were. There are also records of some Czech hedgehogs having mines lashed to them, as well as on the vertical sections of the Belgium Gates. In the second picture Steve posted, you can also see some single logs, pointing up at a slight angle. These too had a Tellermine 35 strapped to each one. Their scondary function was to cause the landing craft to weave around them, hence slowing their advance and making them easier targets for mortars and artillery.

An interesting note is that some of the log ramps were fitted with sharp iron 'blades' running down the main beam. 'Tetrahydras' were another form of obstical with this function, also rarely seen in photos.

[spanner570]

Some of the log ramps not only had the iron blades running down the main beam, but had mines sandwiched between the 'rails' and the beam, so if the blade didn't work, the mine would be set off by the weight of whatever ran up on to the structure.

It's no wonder certain landings had such a rough time of it. Very brave and resilient men, every one of them...

Ron

[Guest]

Your Model build sounds extremely interesting. I have had the privilege of visting all of the landing beaches. It has to be said that some of the bunkers are in a very sorry state paticularly in and around WN62 at the Coleville end of Omaha beach. I would love to see the French invest a little bit of money trying to preserve them a bit better. I have also visited Austwitz, Remagen Bridge and Arnhem but nothing comes near the peace, beauty and tranqulity of the American cemetry at Coleville Sur Mer. Heroes each and everyone.

[Guest]

This is most interesting Ron. We're in for a treat.

[spanner570]

Your Model build sounds extremely interesting. I have had the privilege of visting all of the landing beaches. It has to be said that some of the bunkers are in a very sorry state paticularly in and around WN62 at the Coleville end of Omaha beach. I would love to see the French invest a little bit of money trying to preserve them a bit better. I have also visited Austwitz, Remagen Bridge and Arnhem but nothing comes near the peace, beauty and tranqulity of the American cemetry at Coleville Sur Mer. Heroes each and everyone.

Thanks Neill and Adrian.

Niell.

My son and his family are off to the landing beaches again mid. April this year. he managed to get a good travel and accomodation deal to the place he stayed on his last trip over there :- Return ferry and a nice modern static caravan for 7 days, close by Sword beach, all for under £200 !

He was in bits the first time he saw the Coleville sur Mer cemetery, and he says it will be no different this time. He too said he had never seen such a peaceful and as he put it, some how 'happy' place with all the young lads resting together....

Sounds a strange thing to say but I know what he means.

The Cambridge American Cemetery at Coton nr. Cambridge which contains 3,810 headstones and a huge wall with the names of 5,127 m.i.a. has the same feeling. I had to take a minute when I visited it recently.

Ron