Supplied under the Lend-Lease programme to Great Britain the M4A4 was renamed the Sherman V by its new owners. The Sherman V would be the mainstay of the British and Polish armoured units during the later years of the Second World War (and was also used by the Free French).
The most produced Cruiser tank of the European theatre! Armed with a potent 75mm gun and with good cross country performance this vehicle was more than a match for the venerable Panzer IV! Though sadly it was still outclassed by the German „Big Cats” Cromwells were used in the 7th armoured division and in the armoured recce regts of the Guards and 11th Armoured Divisions. Even the 6th Airborne armoured recce regt acquired about 8 Cromwells in Normandy and kept hold of them during the Winter fighting in „The Bulge”.
Taking the form very reminiscent of earlier WWI tanks, the Vauxhall motors built Churchill was the basis for a slew of variants from the MkI with a 2pdr gun to the MkVII 75mm guns. Other versions would see more specialist engineering equipment added including the likes of bridging equipment and minesweeping devices – and a favoured 'close support’ option of the 95mm howitzer!
The British Expeditionary Force was an army of nearly a third of a million troops sent out to France to try to resist aggression from Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. Allied with Belgium and powerful French forces, it fielded ten infantry divisions, artillery, tank brigades and supporting air squadrons.
Use the New Bolt Action British Commonwealth plastic infantry, based on the 8th army plastic with heads to represent Australian, South African, New Zealander and LRDG/SAS troops, to stop the Axis forces in their tracks and defeat the Desert Fox himself, Erwin Rommel.
Struggling against the oppressive daytime heat, choking dust and freezing cold nights in addition to battling their German and Italian opponents the 8th Army become more popularly known as the 'Desert Rats’ – a nickname adopted from the 7th Armoured Division, a key component of the Western Desert force.
Few divisions in the British Army have earned such a valorous reputation so quickly as the Parachute Division. Known as the Red Devils by the Germans for their trademark maroon beret and dogged fighting ability, the British airborne grew into a force to be reckoned with, whether delivered by Dakota aircraft, Horsa glider or as front line shock troops.
The Commandos established an extraordinary reputation for dash and bravery in World War II. Formed in 1940 by order of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill with the express goal of taking the fight back to the apparently unstoppable German armed forces that had thrown the British Expeditionary Force out of France with such apparent ease. An all-volunteer force, they recruited from all parts of the armed services. Indeed there were Army commandos, Naval commandos and the Inter-Allied Commando regiment which included nationalities such as the Belgians, Polish, Dutch and others.
The new plastic kit for the British and Canadians is fantastically detailed and allows for myriad customization options. Our customer service boffins worked out that there are a possible 396 variations that can be made BEFORE the consideration of optional heads and additional accessories such as maps, waving arms and binoculars.
Re-equipped with the new M43 uniform following the D-Day landings the US Airborne were ready to tack some of their greatest challenges of the war – Operation Market Garden and the Ardennes Offensive.
Few fighting forces rival the hard-won reputation of the US Marine Corps. Showing their mettle during the island-hopping campaigns in the Pacific, and then to pushing the enemy back to their homeland, the US Marine had few equals in WWII. Facing the deadly combination of the fanatical Japanese enemy and the sweltering jungle conditions in which they fought, the US Marine Corps triumphed in actions which have become legendary – Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and more.
American forces started the war with no experience of combat and often with minimal training. Once exposed to the realities of warfare both officers and men learned quickly. However, the constant demand for troops meant that relatively Inexperienced offers could still find themselves leading men into action even at the end of the war. Both experience and promotion often came very quickly whether in Europe or the Pacific.