PlaymoFriends
Creative => Customs Gallery => Topic started by: tanotrooper on September 14, 2010, 23:43:04
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One of the most epic and gruesome conflicts is the Great War, better known as World War I. It started with the assasination of Archduke Ferdinand from Austria-Hungary and ended with a conflict all over various continents with millions of casualties. WWI is best known for the trench warfare and all the horrors combined with it although it's also the first war that brought warfare into the skies and showed the effectiveness of submarines. Whereas the battle became a stalemate alongside the Western front, the front moved at great speed on the Eastern and African front. All kinds of new weaponry was designed during the war, from armoured cars to flamethrowers, airplanes and tanks but also saw the demise of some of the old gloryful warfare such as cavalry, colourful uniforms, and officers clearly distinguishing themselves from their troops.
This is one of my favourite wars, because it was such a confusing event in which warfare was brutally forced into the way we have learned to know it. Therefore, I'll be creating several customs and scenes from the troops who fought throughout the war.
The first up is an Austrian infantryman. Like all other soldiers at the beginning of the war, the Austrian infantryman carried headgear that wasn't able to protect the wearer from schrapnel or debree, as it was designed to fight with on open ground where the soldier wasn't stationary:
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/earlyaustrian.jpg)
As trench warfare started to appear on the Western front, all armies started to use metal helmets in order to replace the non-protective headgear made of cloth or leather. (Steel helmets hadn't seen action on such a large scale since late medieval/renaissance warfare.) This proved to be a succesful idea, as casualties by the debree caused by artillery fire diminished considerably. Germany started using the M16 Stahlhelm in 1916, and (as far as I've found info about it) Austria used a variant from 1917 on, the M17 Stahlhelm. Very similar in design, it protected the neck and head and also had a distinctive brow.
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/lateaustrian.jpg)
That's it for now but I'm working on a German Sturmtruppe and a British infantryman. :)
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True Story-
The first recorded modern combat helmet was a cook pot worn by a French soldier on his head. His comrade mocked him heavily- Until he took a shot to the head and survived (he had a hell of a bell ringer, but he was alive, making him the first known survivor of a direct hit to the head in over a hundred years). Some French general actually visited him in the hospital and within days of this issued a specification for metal helmets for combat (rather than just decorative) use.
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Thank you for your detailed information and two very neat customs, TT. Look forward to more. :wave:
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Thank you for your comments, Andy R and playmofire :)
Quite an interesting story Andy R, thanks for sharing! :D
I'm able to bring an update for this thread! :) Today I present to you a German Stosstruppe ('stormtrooper'). These were some sort of elite German troops, trained for a specific purpose. Since the stalemate on the Western front couldn't be broken despite heavy artillery fire and massive infantry charges, the German army looked for a solution. They decided to create Stosstruppen, small units which would be able to infiltrate the enemy trenches at their weak points and take out or capture command centres or artillery positions and thus creating a strong position. They would be followed by support crews (armed with machine guns, flamethrowers and mortars) which would destroy any strongposts that remained. After that wave, the regular troops would clean up what was left of resistance.
In order to achieve this, the Stosstruppen were trained for trench warfare. They were trained to cross no-man's-land quickly in an open formation (infantry usually attacked in a large group, making easier targets) and engage the enemy in the trenches with close quarter combat, right after a small but accurate artillery bombardement which usually also contained gas shells. (The enemy trench had to be neutralized, not destroyed.) Although these troops were to be issued with body armour, this was cancelled in order to make them lightweight. Their equipment existed of their Stahlhelm (Stosstruppen began seeing action in the later part of the war), reinforced uniform (padded elbows and knees since they crawled a lot), extra ammunition pouches, two special grenade sacks and they wore light or no backpacks at all.
The standard weapon was the Karabiner 98 which was shorter than the standard infantry rifle (Gewehr 98), although this was rarely used since they only shot when they had to. The two grenade bags were filled with a lot of grenades, so that they could bombard the enemy lines before the melee. Weapons for close quarter combat consisted of trench knives and clubs. (I don't know if standard troops had pistols.) The standard shovel was also a good weapon, but the Stosstruppen took full length spades with them in order to quickly make a fortification of a captured position.
At the end of the war (1918), Germany issued the Stosstruppen with the first mass produced submachine gun that would be used in a war, the MP18. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP18 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP18)) Only 5000-10000 of these were made but they did terrible damage in the trenches. (32 bullets that spray out vs. a bolt action rifle that requires every shot to be manually reloaded.) The allies were so afraid of this weapon that they put it under forbidden weapons in the treaty of Versailles.
Now for the pictures ;D :
posing for the camera
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/stosstruppe1.jpg)
Fighting in the trenches (he's holding a club)
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/stosstruppe2.jpg)
I'll add a reference picture aswell:
(http://www.military-art.com/mall/images/dhm1543detail.jpg)
I'll be adding a regular German infantryman soon (I finally found a way to do the webbing with Playmobil parts! ;D ) and I'm looking for the parts to create a British infantryman.
Enjoy the read and let me know what you guys think! :)
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Stormtroopers would storm over to enemy trenches, taking them by force of numbers. The British, French, and other combatants had a version of these troopers. The enemy would, ideally, be overwhelmed and wiped away. It didn’t always work.
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Well yes, the theory involved smaller units, but they eventually attacked in large numbers on one weak spot. (Instead of a larger unit of troops attacking over a large front.)
As I read on Wiki, the Russians were the first to succesfully use this tactic but they didn't continue to develop it. (With the defeat of Russia and the civil war that followed.) The British already had the theory for this kind of warfare even before WWI, but they and the allies didn't produce anything near effective as the German stormtroopers.
Attacks didn't always work, and stormtroopers had a heavy loss count. At the end of the war though, 4 succesive breaktroughs almost broke the stalemate and ended the trench warfare.
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As I read on Wiki, the Russians were the first to succesfully use this tactic but they didn't continue to develop it… The British already had the theory for this kind of warfare even before WWI, but they and the allies didn't produce anything near effective as the German stormtroopers.
It’s been used extensively since Uhg and Tor grabbed clubs to raid Cave 46 for the cherries. The Germans may have refined the WWI (and WWII) focus of the tactic, but the Brits had it at least 100 years before (calling them “Forlorn Hopes”).
Oh dear, terribly off-point… I noticed the caption saying he’s holding a club… I just assumed it was a potato masher (sorry, don’t remember too much about them).
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Brilliant! Excellent! Stunning Customs!!! :clap: :wow: :clap: :wow: :clap: :wow: :clap: :wow: :clap: :wow:
They are amazing TT, I absolutely love them! :o :o :o
I am almost thinking of making a few... ;D
No I can't! ..... But.....
No, you're killing my wallet! 8} 8} 8} ::)
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Another very interesting post and custom, TT. Thank you very much. Again, I look forward to the next customs. :wave:
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Very nice work!
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These are very nice, detailed customs, tanotrooper! :)9
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Excellent figures, Tanotrooper. :clap: :clap:
Simple and very well done!
Jimbo :hatoff:
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Thanks for all the replies :D
Today we have the standard German infantry after 1916. (with Stahlhelm)
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/greatwar/germaninfantry1.jpg)
The German infantry was one of the first to enter the war in a more suitable uniform colour called Feldgrau. (field grey) This in comparison to for example dark blue coats and bright red pants for the French infantry. He's armed with the Gewehr 98 and ready to throw a Stielhandgranate. (the so called 'Potato masher' grenade) The grenade part is a kooking tool from the Victorian kitchens. I'm also proud to present his webbing! ;D Made with 100% Playmobil parts, I used two rubber strings that usually hold binoculars, rifles, etc. to make the German webbing. It doesn't go all the way on the back though, the strings go around the back of his collar. :)
I also got some System X parts recently and tried to make something out of it, eventually ending up with a prototype trench. :D
Flour bags will be used as sandbags but I'll have to find a way to fic them in place:
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/greatwar/trench1.jpg)
The trench crossing can also be used. :)
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/greatwar/trench2.jpg)
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hey tanotrooper!
you do have some good ideas using only PM parts!
and this is the first PM trench I have seen...you'll be digging longer ones soon ;)
if you use those flat flour bags, then you can use bluetag where they wont be seen...they'll be stackable too like I did but I'm trying not to cross the 1914 timeline :P
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WOW! :o I love the webbing,
Doesn't matter if it doesn't reach the back, magnificent! :wow:
And your trench is great too!
I hope to see longer ones soon. ;D
What parts did you use to make the trench? ???
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Nice figures, I really like them.. ;D ;D
The standard infantry guy really has a "potato masher" I mean, literally, it's a potato masher. :lol: Nice creative use of parts, it looks great.
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thanks for the replies :)
Parts from the trench come from this set I believe:
(http://www.collectobil.com/images/items/3243.jpg)
I wonder if DS has similar parts left?
I'm also looking for a suitable ladder as the height isn't as high as a castle wall for example; I'm thinking of this one:
(http://www.collectobil.com/images/items/4617.jpg)
Thanks for the the el jefe, now I know where the grenade gets its name from ;D
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thanks for the replies :)
Parts from the trench come from this set I believe:
(http://www.collectobil.com/images/items/3243.jpg)
I wonder if DS has similar parts left?
I'm also looking for a suitable ladder as the height isn't as high as a castle wall for example; I'm thinking of this one:
(http://www.collectobil.com/images/items/4617.jpg)
Thanks for the the el jefe, now I know where the grenade gets its name from ;D
Thanks. :)
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Hi Tanotrooper :wave:
Great new figures, and awesome trench as well.
Nice idea using a potato masher for the "potato masher grenade!" ;D
Jimbo
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Another great custom, TT.
Your custom work is very creative with clever use of Playmobil parts. I like the way you've used the potato masher for it's name sake, and the webbing is a very neat piece of work.
The trench looks very good and the crossing. I can let you have some of the ladders from the sweep Special or the same ladder in other colours. PM me with your wants and your address.
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First of all, thanks for the replies, haven't checked this thread in a while. :-[ (Gordon, I'll send you a PM tomorrow.)
Since it's the 11th of November (on which we remember the end of WWI), I thought I ought to make something for the occasion:
Belgian grenadier 1914
Belgium was a neutral country in 1914, but when it was invaded by Germany (who wanted to evade the French fortresses this way and head straight to Paris) it was dragged into the war. The Belgian army was small and outdated since the country relied on several fortresses and the support of those who were to protect Belgium's neutrality. The fortresses were quickly destroyed though, and the army was pushed back to West Flanders. There they were able to flood the fields with the water of 'de Ijzer' and hold their ground. This area would see some of the fiercest fighting in the Great War, especially Ypres and Passchendaele. The role of the Belgian army in the war has often been criticised since, although they fended off the enemy, they didn't took part in the large allied offensives. (Some say with the idea of waiting how the war would turn out.)
The officers spoke French, while most of the common soldiers were Flemish (speaking various Flemish 'dialects'). Although the troops did receive French lessons during their training, there was a lot of tension between the regular soldiers and the officers (who were often building out careers and mostly hadn't seen action). This created the myth of Flemish soldiers dying or getting shot by the fire squad because they didn't understand their orders. The tension between the French and Dutch speaking groups are still an important part of Belgian politics.
But anyway, the situation stabilized around 1915 and all the different uniforms were slowly replaced by a khaki uniform, based on the French design. (But I believe it was made with the British khaki fabric.) But as in all armies, old gear remained in use for a long time so a mix of uniforms and equipment was mostly the case.
The parade uniform used a bearskin hat and red epaulettes but the field version used a German style Feldmütze.
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/greatwar/belgiangrenadier1914.jpg)
Here's a good infosite on the Belgian army in WWI I just found:
http://www.landships.freeservers.com/new_pages/belgian_unifs_ww1.htm (http://www.landships.freeservers.com/new_pages/belgian_unifs_ww1.htm)
I'm hoping to continue my work on the trench system very soon, I hope DS still has the parts available.
Cheers,
Gaetano
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Nice customs. However, I can't see some of the pictures in the new post. Only the last one is visible.
:wave:
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Thanks. :)
The first two are reference pictures, they work both for me when I'm logged in and out. ??? Perhaps they will work later on.
Gaetano
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Incredible customs, tt!
Very detailed!
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I can't see the first two either. There is a box that says "remote linking forbidden. freeservers does not support remote linking of images or files for free accounts. Please upgrade your account." ???
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I like your use of those 'high boots', double-sling bags and the rare 'sailor' caps...all quite rare items now....its a challenge to build a big army but I think you will enjoy adding each one (like I do for my korean soldiers)
...and thanks for the bit of history ;)
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Wow, you've made some great customs here!! 8-) 8-)
I still remember my grandmother and her sisters talking about German troops they were obliged to take in the house for food and sleeping, when they were children during the occupation of Flanders during the Great War! Your customs ("ze Zermans" as Basil Fawlty would say ;D ) look really good from a historical viewpoint. :)
I can't see the first two either. There is a box that says "remote linking forbidden. freeservers does not support remote linking of images or files for free accounts. Please upgrade your account." ???
Exactly the same here...
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A great custom!!! And I can't see the first two pics either...
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Thanks for the comments! :)
For some reason the pictures don't work for me (although they did yesterday) so I've removed them.
Cheng: with the 'sailor hat' I think you mean the hat worn by the Prussian/German soldier from the Victorian set? (The one with the soldier and the general.) It's actually a standard police cap, turned around.
Hadoque: also a fan of Fawlty Towers he? :D
Cheers,
Gaetano
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Those are fantastic customs! Very historically accurate :wave:
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Thank you very much for the history,
as I have said before I always enjoy learning,
and your lesson has helped me with a project I am working on. :)
Magnificent custom, it looks very period. :wow: