German Heer Pt.9- Tanks (& SPGs)

StuG III Ausf G

This is, hands down, my favourite German vehicle of WW2. I knew immediately that I wanted to include one in my force. This is a plastic Warlord kit, complete with schurzen armoured skirts.

I have a Pen & Sword book from their Images of War series that focuses on the StuG. It shows it's development over the years of WW2, using extensive archival photography. There are some excellent pictures from all theatres of conflict which proved really helpful. I particularly liked the pics of laden StuGs covered in all manner of stowage and equipment. As infantry support vehicles, they clearly got plenty of stuff dumped on them by the men they fought alongside. There was one picture of a StuG fording a river with a dispatch rider's motorbike slung on the back! This inspired me to cram tons of stowage onto the back of my StuG. When I later discovered the rules for Begliet squads that can ride on StuGs, I knew my decision was correct. I may sling a motorbike on the back at some point too...

Panzer IV Ausf H

I knew I didn't want to include Panthers and Tigers in my German force. Numerically, there were never that many of either, and I don't feel BA represents their enormous unreliability that well. They are enormous point sinks for an army list, and can be quite unbalancing/ dominating on the battlefield. No, I was always going to use Panzer IVs in my army- the workhorse battletank of the Wehrmacht.

There are so many excellent models out there to represent every kind of fighting vehicle in WW2. Plastic. Resin. 3D printed. So much choice. I went for a 3D printed model from Paint & Glue, because, at the time, I was on a budget, and it meant I could get a complete 2-part kit relatively cheaply and quickly get it onto the table. I've got several P&G vehicles in my collection, and this one was not a disappointment again. 

I tried to add shrubbery to this model to give extra camouflage, but ended up going way too over the top. The end result looked ridiculous, so I stripped off the clump foliage I'd applied and tried again. I was a bit more sparing the second time, and also added bits of a seafoam tree to vary the texture. I'm happier with the second attempt. If I add another Panzer IV to this army, I probably won't attempt this again, however.