Stalingrad Germans 28mm (Great Escape Games) Winter

These figures depict the German army in its final, fatal days during the street fighting around and in Stalingrad in late 1942. At this stage the army on the ground was more concerned about keeping warm and feeding themselves than any sort of tactics and who should be in what and which weapons they should use. The PPsH was very popular with the Germans that captured them. This range depicts that. Russian rifles were taken and used but not as popular and are not depicted in this range.

Food would have been a real issue. So to that end the figures are sculpted with all manner of liberated foraged food attached to their assault packs: dead rabbits, birds, loaves of bread, sausages and carrots, etc., giving some fun to the paint jobs. At this stage the Germans did not use camouflage uniforms or smocks as much. 

For this period the men used the standard regulation 1939 double breasted issue greatcoat with collars turned up or down, depicted in this range with a multitude of scarves, torques, gloves and captured Russian 'fish fur' type hats either under the M35/40 helmet or in place of it. By this time gas was less of a 'threat'. So on these figures the gas tin has now shifted to the rear of the A frame with the mess tin and zeltbahn tent quarter.

One of the squads in the range has an emphasis on SMG's, both PPSH and MP40's depicted as an assault squad. More in line with quick movement this squad does not have the food from packs of the more 'static' infantry squads.

The command section includes an officer in a large privately acquired sheepskin or fur lined coat. And a man pack radio with battery pack set up and being used to call in air drops.

The main machine gun of the German army at this time was still the MG34 - the MG42 was at least a year away. We have depicted this in a moving state with one being loaded and one being fired in an 'over the shoulder' stance; fairly inaccurate but a great 'look' for the gaming table. There was no such thing as Panzerfaust or Bazooka in 1942, so street fighting tank hunters would have resorted to more primitive methods of mines and grenades depicted in the set. The light 50mm mortars were not really used anymore.

This has been a great set to sculpt, I hope I have done it great justice. It has been nice to do some figures 'specific' and not be tied to making it general to all winter Germans. I'm sure there will be great opportunities to sculpt other German sets for Great Escape Games in the future.

Michael Percy, sculptor