German Infantry, 1943–1945
Valiant Miniatures 26 mm Figure Review
Valiant Miniatures German infantry wearing the field-grey Feldbluse M.1943 field blouse, with Rundbundhose M.1943 trousers, and Schnürschuhe M.1937 ankle boots with canvas gaiters (Gamaschen, Segeltuch).
Contents
48 Figures in 10 Poses – 26 mm equal 187 cm Height
- Officer with Walther P38 and Binoculars, standing, pointing (4)
- Senior NCO with MP 40, Binoculars and Map, standing (4)
- Senior NCO with MP 40 and Binoculars, kneeling, signaling (4)
- NCO with MP 40, advancing (4)
- Signaller with Tornisterfunkgerät radio, kneeling (4)
- Machine Gunner Nr. 1, cradled arms, advancing (4)
- MG 42 LMG (4)
- Machine Gunner Nr. 1 Gunner, kneeling, firing (4)
- MG 42 HMG on Tripod (4)
- Machine Gunner Nr. 2 with Ammunition Box, kneeling (4)
- German Infantryman with Kar. 98k, low port arms, advancing, (8)
- German Infantryman with Kar. 98k, port arms, advancing, (8)
20 Mulitpose Figures in 3 basic Poses – 26 mm equal 187 cm Height
- German Soldier, Multipose, advancing (8)
- German Soldier, Multipose, advancing, looking right (4)
- German Soldier, Multipose, kneeling (8)
- Left Arm (4)
- Left Arm holding Ammunition Box (4)
- Left Arm holding Binoculars (4)
- Left Arm holding Panzerfaust (4)
- Left Arm holding Panzerschreck (4)
- Right Arm (4)
- Right Arm holding Kar. 98k (4)
- Right Arm holding StG. 44 (4)
- Right Arm holding Morter Bomb (4)
Separate Weapons and Equipment
- 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 Medium Mortar (4)
- Ammunition Box with Mortar Bombs (4)
- Karabiner 98k Carbine (8)
- MP 40 Submachine Gun (8)
- Stielgranate 24 Stick Grenade (8)
- Separate Head with Steel Helmet and Helmet Cover (16)
- Separate Head with Feldmütze M38 Side Cap (8)
- Separate Head with Feldmütze M43 Field Cap (8)
- Separate Head, bareheaded (8)
Evaluation
Excellent choice of subject, Valiant Miniatures are designed by wargamers for wargamers interested in raising an entire German infantry battalion for Rapid Fire!. Advertised as “1:72 scale figures”, these Valiant miniatures are actually much too tall to be compatible with 1:72 scale.
Useful wargame poses of infantry advancing, while being supported by heavy machine guns and medium mortars of their own battalion. In Rapid Fire!, the basic infantry manœuvre element is the infantry company of eight figures, which actually looks like an infantry section on the tabletop. While light machine guns may be included in this “company” for visual purposes, they play no part in the game. The entire company advances or fires as one group, which is contrary to how German Infantry Tactics were actually employed. The scale of the game simply does not allow German players to realistically mass their LMG squads to support the Schwerpunkt.
Unfortunately, Valiant sculpted the Feldbluse M.1943 without a button placket and the six exposed buttons on it. Instead, the field blouse is slit right down the middle, and the occasional stray button ends up being placed left of center. The sculptor likely never laid eyes on a buttoned jacket – a flaw for which the box artist‘s accuracy offers scant consolation.
The Kochgeschirr M31 mess tin and Feldflasche M31 canteen are worn incorrectly, on the soldier‘s belt, when they should be attached to the Y-straps of the Gefechtsgepäck, and the Brotbeutel M31 bread bag, respectively. Only four of the poses even carry a bread bag, which is probably where the cascade of mistakes began.
The officer is wearing a Sam Browne Belt with a rather narrow supporting strap across his right shoulder, which had been replaced by Y-straps before the invasion of Poland in September 1939. The error may be fixed by attaching a gas mask canister to the strap. Of course, the officer might also want to carry a bread bag and water bottle on campaign.
Seven infantrymen are wearing the Gasmaskenbüchse on a strap across the left shoulder, and the remaining five poses appear to be equipped with anti-gravity gas mask canisters which simply float at the soldier‘s back without the need for a strap.
The kneeling signaller, pictured at left, is a rather underwhelming pose which might have been better designed as an assistant machine gunner or anti-tank gunner. Valiant could have just added a separate Tornisterfunkgerät (manpack radio) which would have allowed modellers to convert any advancing infantryman into a radio operator. The circular item on the soldier‘s back is a Kabelhaspel M.1934 field cable reel.
Most of the figures in this set are marred by grotesque faces with protruding lips which, in the case of the officer and senior NCO, look like stuck-out tongues. To add to this Orcish appeal, helmet straps are incorrectly worn on the chin as if they had a chin cup in place.
Like the giant figures themselves, the infantry weapons in this set are incompatible with 1:72 scale, although the mortar might be used to represent the larger 12 cm s.Grw. 42.
German machine gun ammunition boxes (Patr. Kast. 34 f. M.G., or Patr. Kast. 41 f. M.G.) were designed for double-carry. The handle of the Patronenkasten was offset to one side. This allowed the assistant machine gunners to carry two ammunition boxes back-to-back, with their handles close enough together to be comfortably grasped in one hand. It is unfortunate that Valiant failed to model this arrangement. As a result, the assistant machine gunners in this set are all just carrying a single ammunition box with 300 rounds of belted ammunition, not nearly enough to keep the MG 42 supplied in action. The German LMG Team was issued 2500 rounds of ammunition. Machine Gunner Nr. 1 advanced with a 50-round Gurttrommel (belt drum) attached to his weapon, gunners Nr. 2 and Nr. 3 carried two ammunition boxes each, and the remainder was kept in the Gefechtstross (combat train), to be brought forward when needed.
Cast in hard polystyrene, these Valiant miniatures can be welded with plastic solvent cement. The material is hard and brittle, which may result in some breakage of MP 40 and rifle barrels during play.
Valiant Miniatures‘ German Infantry is a good source of wargame troops for Rapid Fire!, even if they are not compatible with 1:72 figures and vehicles.