November 2016

Messerschmitt Down?

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Film director, Christopher Nolan, is no stranger to demanding authenticity in his films. Responsible for Inception, Batman The Dark Knight and Interstellar, Nolan demands that his films look as genuine as possible, making use of actual artifacts where ever and when ever possible instead of relying upon CGI graphics. For his upcoming film, Dunkirk, which covers the Allies’ evacuation from the french port in May 1940, reports are circulating that he may even destroy a precious WWII artifact valued at up to $5 million to make his point as believable as possible.

According to War History Online, “Online commentators have expressed the disapproval they feel for the reported actions of Christopher Nolan. It was released that he was the Interstellar director planning to use a priceless World War II plane valued at $5 million in his latest movie, Dunkirk. The report claims that the plane is scheduled to crash and ultimately be destroyed. However, there has been no official confirmation that this story is true. It was originally reported by IndieRevolver’s Jay Carlson, and has been attributed to an anonymous source.

This war plane is said to be a former Luftwaffe aircraft that was bought for $5 million by the Warner Brothers production company. The IndieRevolver story reported that Nolan would be linking the IMAX cameras to the actual plane. This technique is intended to facilitate and create some impressive in- flight action for the movie.”

Frankly, we are of the opinion that he wouldn’t dare damage or outright destroy such a valuable piece of military history and would look at using alternate techniques to fill in the blanks yet communicate his intent. If he does decide to wreck a WWII fighter, he would likely face a tremendous backlash from the military history community, who would likely boycott his film in protest.

For more information on the story, you can visit this website: http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/rumor-says-nazi-plane-will-destroyed-dunkirk-movie-christopher-nolan.html

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New Line: Panzerkampf

Evey so often, a new line of diecast military vehicles seems to pop up on the radar screen that catches us completely by surprise. One such brand is Panzerkampf, a new Chinese company that seems to be offering several subjects that no one else has done before such as a three-piece Israeli Iron Dome missile defense shield set. It would appear as if they plan to offer a T-14 Armata main battle tank too as well as a T-15 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the core of the new armored forces currently being fielded by Russia.

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Now here’s the rub. We’ll be posting all of this information on Friday since its my youngest daughter’s wedding day today, which obviously takes precedence over any new product information. We hope you join us in the celebration and I know you can wait just one more day before we shed further light on this new manufacturer and their interesting mix of products.

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Product Spotlight: Dancing with Doodlebugs

Perhaps the most curious development arising from the Second World War was the so-called Wunderwaffe (Wonder Weapons), which came about when the German military sought a qualitative solution over the Allies as they closed the noose around the Third Reich during the final stages of the war. One of the technological breakthroughs was the Vergeltungswaffe 1 or V-1 (also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb, or doodlebug) – a rocket propelled, unmanned aircraft filled with explosives that was flown off of low slung ramps from the westernmost bases along the English Channel towards targets in England. Once the V-1 reached its target, its engine would cut out and the aircraft would descend vertically towards its target, which was usually a dense civilian population center. To defeat these high speed threats, the RAF employed their fastest interceptors to either shoot down the bombs from a distance before they could reach their targets or tip them over using a highly risky wingtip-to-wingtip toppling technique (“the Doodlebug Dance”) that put the pilot’s life in jeopardy, as well as his aircraft.

Corgi’s upcoming set consisting of a Gloster F.1 Meteor and accompanying Doodlebug is a fitting reminder of what air-to-air combat had become towards the waning stages of the War (AA27403).

Under the cloak of extreme secrecy, Britain had been testing the viability of a jet-powered fighter since early 1941, with the Gloster E28/89 Pioneer proving that this was indeed possible. The race was now on to produce an effective, operational jet fighter, at a time when every available resource was required for the war effort and experimental technology was a luxury that often proved to be more of a distraction. Work continued apace and the twin-engined Gloster Meteor neared a test flight.

This work was so highly classified, that any test flight required the roads around the airfield to be sealed off by the local constabulary and all residents ushered away from the immediate vicinity. All non-essential personnel were forced to leave the airfield for the duration of the test flight, even though they would have clearly seen (and heard) the strange new aircraft once it was in the air! Following completion of the flight and the safe recovery of the aircraft, life could get back to normal.

As the Gloster Meteor entered RAF service, it was originally charged with destroying the V-1 flying bombs that were being sent indiscriminately in the direction of southern Britain. The first Meteor victory over a Doodlebug occurred on the 4th August 1944, when Flying Officer T.D ‘Dixie’ Dean spotted a V-1 flying in the direction of Tunbridge Wells. Placing his Meteor EE216 in a shallow dive to build up speed, he lined up the V-1 in his gunsight and fired – after a short burst, all four guns jammed.

Dean was determined not to let the Doodlebug get away and maneuvered his Meteor alongside the flying bomb, wing tip to wing tip. When he was positioned as close as he safely could, he flicked the control column of his Meteor and banked sharply away – the sudden airflow disruption caused the V-1 to go out of control and crash without causing injury on open ground. Dean had the first Meteor victory over the V-1 and was the first pilot to use the risky ‘tip and run’ tactic to destroy one these feared flying bombs.

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The Motor Pool’s “Gobble Up the Savings” 15% Off Sale!

The turkeys may be running for the hills in anticipation of Thanksgiving but that doesn’t mean you should! In fact, you can load up on all of the “fixins” and main course at our annual “Gobble up the Savings” 15% Off Sale! This discount can be applied to any item listed on our web site. Please enter discount code ” TMP159” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Sale ends Wednesday, November 23rd, 2016. May not be combined with any other sales discount.

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Hammers Slammer’s Nears Reality

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Just a day after we published a blog post discussing the US Army’s MPF program, and in an eye-popping development that would likely make the author of Hammer’s Slammers proud, comes news that any new combat vehicles being fielded henceforth would likely run on hybrid power and feature laser weapons. According to UPI, “The U.S. Army’s next-generation combat vehicle will likely run on hybrid power and feature laser weapons, possibly for offensive and defensive purposes, experts said during an event to discuss the system’s future on Tuesday at the Association of the U.S. Army.

The service’s efforts to field its first next-generation combat vehicle by 2035 requires major decisions to be made by 2025, less than a decade away, Col. William T. Nuckols, director of the Mounted Requirements Division at the Maneuver Center of Excellence,said during the association’s Institute of Land Warfare forum that focused on ground combat platforms.

Such a vehicle will likely also feature advanced-composite armor and active protection systems, but final decisions will hinge on future threats.”

UPI goes on to say that “when it comes to protecting such vehicles, different advanced-composite materials are being assessed, including nanotechnology and nano-grain metals, Dr. Bryan Cheeseman, team leader at the Army Research Laboratory’s Material Manufacturing and Technology Branch, said at the forum.

While several potentials were bandied about at the forum, the exact manifestation of the next-generation combat vehicle remains to be seen.

It could be a single combat vehicle replacing the Abrams tank, or Bradley fighting vehicle, or it could emerge as a family of vehicles.”

The problem with laser-based weaponry isn’t so much its lethality, but the size of the weapon itself. Typically, laser weapons are large and cumbersome, like the one shown here, which leads to a high and obvious profile on the battlefield. To acknowledge its employment on next-gen systems implies they have been able to reduce its footprint to the point where it does not appear any larger than a current weapons system, and that it can recharge itself quickly enough to get off rapid fire results.

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Films in Focus: My Honor was Loyalty, 28 Men

Co-opting the slogan of the Waffen SS, My Honor was Loyalty (German: Meine Ehre heisst Treue) is a new independent film directed by Alessandro Pepe that follows the paths of three soldiers who enlisted in the 1.SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. Spoken in German with English subtitles, the film attempts to portray what it was like to serve in one of the most feared yet despised units in the German Army during the latter stages of the War, as seen through the eyes of the Deutsches soldaten.

Meanwhile, if you like your war films with subtitles, then you won’t want to miss the Russian-made film, 28 Men. If you believe the tale, The Panfilov Division’s Twenty-Eight Guardsmen (Russian: Двадцать восемь гвардейцев дивизии Панфилова), commonly referred to simply as Panfilov’s Men (Russian: Панфиловцы, Panfilovtsy), were a group of soldiers from the Red Army’s 316th Rifle Division who took part in the defense of Moscow during World War II. According to official Soviet history, they were all killed in action on November 16th, 1941, after destroying 18 German tanks. The Twenty-Eight were collectively endowed with the title Hero of the Soviet Union. An investigation by Soviet authorities in 1948, since declassified, revealed that the description of the events was exaggerated. Six of the soldiers were still alive, including one who was arrested in 1947 on charges of high treason and confessed to having “voluntarily” surrendered to German troops and later joined a German police force. The findings were kept secret, and the Twenty-Eight Guardsmen were considered national heroes until the collapse of the USSR.

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Product Spotlight: Going Down with his Flagship

“Searches by my carrier planes revealed the presence of the Northern carrier force on the afternoon of 24 October, which completed the picture of all enemy naval forces. As it seemed childish to me to guard statically San Bernardino Strait, I concentrated TF 38 during the night and steamed north to attack the Northern Force at dawn. I believed that the Center Force had been so heavily damaged in the Sibuyan Sea that it could no longer be considered a serious menace to Seventh Fleet.”

– Admiral William “Bull” Halsey in his dispatch after the battle of Leyte Gulf to CINCPAC, October 24th, 1944

One of the Eaglemoss warships that we just received and has been selling unexpectedly well is the IJN battleship, Yamashiro (EMGC54), the flagship of Admiral Shoji Nishimura at the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944.

Near the end of the war in the Pacific, Nishimura was named the commander of the “Southern Force” in “Operation Sho-Go”, which was aimed at a final and decisive naval battle against the United States Navy in the Philippines. Nishimura′s Force “C” consisted of battleships Fuso and Yamashiro, heavy crusier Mogami, and destroyers Shigure, Michishio, Asagumo, and Yamagumo.

Launched in 1915, Yamashiro was an aging warship, although she was modernized between 1930 and 1935, with improvements to her armor and machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style. Nevertheless, with only 14-inch guns, she was outclassed by other Japanese battleships at the beginning of World War II, and played auxiliary roles for most of the war.

By 1944, with the prospects of defeat for the Imperial Japanese Empire looming, Yamashiro was forced into front line duty despite its shortcomings. In the Surigao Strait between Leyte and Dinagat Islands on the evening of October 24th, 1944, Nishimura’s force came into contact with the US 7th Fleet under Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf, which consisted of six battleships, eight cruisers, 29 destroyers, and 39 motor torpedo boats. Nishimura′s force was crushed when the Americans crossed the Japanese “T”, thereby enabling the US forces to deliver crushing salvos against the Japanese fleet while minimizing their own exposure to enemy action. Nishimura was killed during the battle when his flagship, the Yamashiro, was sunk after being hit multiple times from the U.S. battleships by torpedoes and naval gunfire.

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Calibre Wings Hints at the Devil in the Details

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Perhaps riding atop a wave of enthusiasm since revealing the first product photos of their upcoming F-14s, Calibre Wings hinted at the seventh version of their 1:72 scale Tomcat, no doubt due out some time in early 2017. Earlier today, the manufacturer posted an image of “Satan in the Cross Hairs” on their Facebook page, likely indicating that VF-74 “Be-Devilers” would be their next choice for an F-14 replica. Before being disestablished in 1994, after 50 years of service, VF-74 served as an aggressor squadron that was pitted against various US Navy and Air Force squadrons. So, we don’t think its a stretch to conclude that an aggressor livery will likely be chosen to commemorate this illustrious squadron, perhaps one designed to resemble a Russian-built Su-27 fighter.

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Mobile Protected Firepower: Big Guns, Slimmer Waistline

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Its no secret the US Army has faced the challenge of bringing firepower to bear anywhere around the globe within an acceptable period of time. If a regional conflict should erupt, the Army must either preposition heavy assets within protected enclosures for unforeseen periods of time or attempt to move them from one location to another, a timely, expensive and unrealistic option that could spell doom for a friendly ally.

Enter the Mobile Protected Firepower Program (MFP). According to The National Interest, “With the resurgent threat of Russia and the growing power of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Ground Forces, the U.S. Army is working on developing ways to increase the firepower resident within its infantry brigade combat teams (ICBT).

One such effort is the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) program, which aims to provide a company of vehicles—which the Army adamantly does not want to refer to as light tanks—to brigades from the 82nd Airborne Division or 10th Mountain Division that can provide heavy fire support to those infantry units. The new vehicle, which is scheduled to enter into full-scale engineering and manufacturing development in 2019—with fielding tentatively scheduled for around 2022—would be similar in concept to the M551 Sheridan light tank. The Sheridan used to be operated the Army’s airborne units unit until 1996, but was retired without replacement.

The Army does not want a “new” vehicle per se, rather, the service wants something that it can quickly put into production in the shortest amount of time at the lowest possible cost. “What we have said in MPF is: We’re not willing to wait for you to go through a lengthy bottom-up design process,” Maj. Gen. David Bassett, the Army’s program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems told reporters at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting on Oct. 5. “What we are willing to do is to give you some time on your own to get a design ready to compete and then we’ll evaluate that into a fairly rapid engineering, manufacturing development phase.”

The Army has not quite fully figured out what kind of resources it has available for the MPF program, but the service is focused on keeping the cost and schedule under control using the Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) program as a model, Bassett said. The key is to have at least two competing designs. Ideally, the Army would benefit from having multiple contractors competing for the program. And there are already indications that the competition to secure the MPF tender will be fierce.”

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The Army is currently field testing a number of potential candidates that could fill the role of a lighter weight tank, one that could stand toe-to-toe with a number of adversarial vehicles from around the world until heavier and more capable ground systems could be brought to bear. (Images courtesy of Defense Technology Review)

Since mobility and air transportability would be key, whichever MPF system is chosen will mean the requisite use of lighter materials, including strengthened aluminum, much like the M551 “Sheridan” AR/AAV light tank employed by the US Army during the Vietnam conflict or the Bradley family of infantry fighting vehicles. Such vehicles have very thin armor so a similarly conceived vehicle designed to meet the MPF program would likely have to rely upon an active protection system to defend itself against a litany of direct-fire threats. It would also likely be rigged for low-velocity airdrop from the back of a cargo plane using a Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System (LAPES).

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