Scrap Heap Challenge - KampfGruppe Mullhalde

[dadlamassu]

Kampfgruppe Müllhalde – October 1944

Kapitan Gert Mehnding answered the field telephone, it was the Battalion Commander," Come to my office," was all he said.  Leaving the comparative comfort of his command post in the Village of Nirgends he walked swiftly to HQ.

He was ushered into the CO's office, saluted and stood to attention.  The CO looked up and smiled thinly, "Orders for you," he said fingering the brown envelope on his desk.  "You are promoted to Major and you are to proceed to the depot tomorrow morning.  You will take command of the replacements there and form a mobile battlegroup.  Unfortunately you will need to find your own vehicles and heavy weapons.  You have authority to take any vehicles and weapons you can get running from the repair and replacement park.  The General wants the battlegroup fighting fit in 3 weeks.  Good luck and I think you will need it."

"A fine gift for my birthday," the newly promoted Major thought as he put his new rank badges on his grubby uniform.

The "battlegroup" was on parade as he arrived.  About 450 men and a few women drawn from army hospitals, training units, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine as well as some Hitler Youth stood in the drizzle.  At the side of a ruined warehouse stood a group of black clad SD.  Hardly a fighting force to strike fear in the Allies!  Kampfgruppe Müllhalde indeed.

He set the men and women to work finding workable equipment and renovating the workshops in the warehouse and factory.

This project arose from a couple of boxes of broken and damaged models and toys that were found in a school where 30 years ago I helped run a wargames club.  The Deputy Head was one of the young wargamers and he remembered me when he saw me pick up my grandchidren.



From the wreckage two SdKfz 234/6 (6 rad) Armoured Personnel Carriers made from two badly broken Airfix Armoured Cars


One SdKfz 234/7 with 8cm mortar made from an Airfix Armoured car with scratch built mortar


One Airfix SdKfz 222


Two Panther Chassis acquired Matchbox Puma turrets to become AufklarungsPanthers


Two heavily damaged Airfix Stug III had their guns fixed and a new mantlet fitted on one,  Both had missing track lengths so card schurtzen (bazooka plates) fitted to become a StuG III and a StuH III


In the box was a few bits of a PaK-40.  Not quite enough to make a gun but I have plenty of them.  There was also the hull of a Matchbox Firefly lacking some suspension units but there were a couple of Airfix ones so I mocked up a self propelled gun.  Ans also tried the gun on an RSO.  Not sure yet which I'll use.



The leftover Pak-40 bits combined with a Revell 10.5cm leFH18 to become (nearly) a leFH 18/40.  It needs a bit of work yet and a muzzle brake.


More to come.

[NARSES2]

I like this 

I'd go with the PAK 40 on the RSO

[dadlamassu]

I like this 

I'd go with the PAK 40 on the RSO

That was my original thought too.  Then, oddly  enough, on another forum it was suggested that the RSO/PaK40 combination was too ordinary because it existed and that I should go for the Sherman which apparently did not. 

Mind you there almost a whole Airfix T-34 hull and enough bits to make 2 or 3 of the 76mm turrets without guns and another 10.5cm leFH18 gun and shield so another SP Gun might be on the way.

[NARSES2]

I was thinking that if you mounted the PAK 40 farther back on the RSO then the crew could jump down and serve it when in action. They wouldn't be as exposed then, at least not from the forward arc ? Also they wouldn't be in quite as much danger from the recoil ?

[dadlamassu]

Oddly enough the real one looks like mine (or maybe mine looks like the real one)
Sides down




Sides up

[NARSES2]

Oddly enough the real one looks like mine (or maybe mine looks like the real one)
Sides down

That one looks as though it has a bigger cab/front end ? Also I think the position of the guy trying to serve the gun is a little exposed. It's o.k. with the one guy, but 4 or 5 (not sure what the crew size was for a PAK 40). Still it was what it was, a rather makeshift weapon

[Old Wombat]

I like this 

I'd go with the PAK 40 on the RSO

That was my original thought too.  Then, oddly  enough, on another forum it was suggested that the RSO/PaK40 combination was too ordinary because it existed and that I should go for the Sherman which apparently did not. 

Mind you there almost a whole Airfix T-34 hull and enough bits to make 2 or 3 of the 76mm turrets without guns and another 10.5cm leFH18 gun and shield so another SP Gun might be on the way.

I'd stick with stuff they have a fair chance of getting spares for to keep them in service beyond the first breakdown for the important vehicles/equipment. Things like the Sherman could be used as tractors for hauling consumables, like fuel or food, that can be re-distributed when it dies.

[dadlamassu]

Most of the "standard" self propelled conversions were mounted on German, French, Czech chassis where the factories had been overrun early in the war so spares (and development) were reasonably easy to obtain.  The ones on captured (as opposed to conquered) chassis appear to mount complete weapons and seem to be rare field conversions. 

So the KG will get the RSO version.  The model is made of a very brittle resin so I think the load deck sides will need replaced with card for wargame purposes.

Apparently only about 60 of them were actually made.