Full Battalion

The full battalion all drawn up in battle array.

Engineers and horsemen.
 

Towing anti-tank guns.

Platoon command group.

Infantry platoon.  horses don't last long on the Eastern Front.

WWII German Cossacks

A unit like this fighting against the Soviet Union would do anything to avoid capture.

They know certain death is the only outcome.

So I give these troops a +1 morale bonus when fighting Soviet forces.

 These troops don't have the firepower of regular German infantry.

But I have given them machine guns and a few anti-tank rocket launchers.

 Troops morale is higher if they can see the flag.

 Flag troops are often easy to knock over, so they get a larger base.

The unit.

Full Units

I like full units when I can do them.

These troops wear a mixture of traditional and WWII German uniforms.

German helmets and stripped to the waist for heavy work.

German uniforms on the men on the horses.

The mortar crews also enjoy a quick dance to entertain the troops.

WWII German Allies

I tried to make this unit complete.

Commanders, and flag men.

Anti-tank platoon, with horses to tow the guns.

The Revell German Artillery set to tow the HaT anti-tank guns.

Crews for all the guns.

Cossacks

In WWII many oppressed peoples in the Soviet Union sided with the Germans against Communism.  These are Orthodox Christian Cossacks.

I took a variety of Cossack figures and others and made these troops.

Some of them are Cossacks by Strelets and others are various WWII figures by Ykreol, Revell and other companies.  Some of these are Imex Pioneers.

Christian clergy as part of the command group in the front row.

They also have anti-tank guns.

Infantry and heavy machine guns.

Two platoons of infantry.

Last of the Cossacks

Roco Kubelwagen, Strelets Crimean War Cossacks, and Imex Pioneers, with yurts. Notice the cross held by the figure in the lower right hand corner. My massive wargame armies are not generally painted but sometimes I will paint them so they are all the same color. It helps to tie units together, since I don't base my troops. Often I convert figures by swapping a head or adding some other bits. I like complete units with supply troops and even camp followers, as in this case.

Here is a good view of the members of the camp as they do their typical camp duties, care for the kids and sew torn clothing.

Milk maids bring milk back to the camp. They can drink the milk or make cheese out of it. Cheese stores longer than milk without refrigeration.

A young man in the background stands in the doorway of his yurt. Other members of the host fill the cargo truck with heavy items. The radio operator monitors the frequencies for important messages. The radio man is a lead figure. While the bulk of my collection is plastic, I have thousands of lead figures to fill in gaps left by the plastic manufacturers.

A good close up view of the cargo truck. The German Army had cargo trucks made from all over the world. Even captured American trucks were in the German Army. French truck factories continued to produce trucks until nearly the end of the war.

An army moves on it's stomach. Here Imex pigs spend time with Imex Pioneers. Armies and refugees herded vast herds of animals to keep them out of the hands of the Russians and so they could eat. US forces ate many canned and frozen foods but not so much in the German Army, and even less so in their allied forces. Imex and Pegasus make several sets with farm animals in them. The old Airfix Farm Animals set was good too but having been out of production for 30 years makes it pretty rare.

More Russian Front Cossacks

Three generations of Cossack women wait for the men to determine what will happen. Mother, daughter and grandmother.

There is always time to dance. Play the balaclava and dance. Keep the traditions.

The Cossack Commander and German Commander consult on the tactics for the move.

The Ortohdox priest greets the returning cavalry with a blessing and thanks for their safe return.

A hunter brings in a rabbit. The Cossacks may be the rabbit if they don't get moving soon.

Yurts Up

The small camp seen from the air. In the harsh winters, the Cossacks actually bring the horses inside they yurts to keep them from freezing. Their body heat adds to that of the humans keeping their masters warm as well. These resin yurts are painted to represent several types of hides used to make a yurt. While well known as Tibetan housing, Cossacks also used this practical method of housing.

Women bear a yoke to carry in heavy canisters of milk. Little girls help round up the cows in preparation for the move. Imex Pioneers set is probably one of the most versatile sets ever made in plastic. I use them for many things, in this case as Cossack women. The little girl figure originally was playing by rolling a hoop with a stick. The hoop has been removed and she is now herding cows with the stick.

Spring is here as the thick plant life will attest. A good time for cows and a good time for a spring offensive by the Soviet Red Army.

A Cossack patrol returns to the camp. You can't move a large party of men, women, children and animals without scouting out the route first. By 1945 the Soviet Army was fielding many armored cars and halftracks supplies by the USA. That allowed them to cover great distances in a short period of time. The German Army was hard pressed for enough soldiers to maintain a continuous front line and often the Soviets would find a gap and pour through it. That would turn the flanks of German units who had to take up hedgehog positions or withdraw.

A close up view of the riders as they enter camp. Their arrival is greeted with flag waving, and people running up to greet them and get the latest news. The German commander, wearing his Cossack headgear, stands waiting for a report. Figures by Strelets, Odemars, and Imex.

Cossack Camp Continues

Pigs only care about the mud. The advancing Red Army is not concern of theirs. They will be bacon soon either way.

Even a camp that is about to move still requires firewood, latrines, and all the other maintenance that any other camp needs.

Men take boards into the center of camp. Lumber, like everything else is in short supply. It will be needed at the new camp.

The men perform the chores needed to break down the camp and prepare to move. The soldiers have not returned, they have not broken contact with the Reds, so they still have some time. These moves have to be well planned in advance to insure there is time to break down the yurts, pack up the supplies and for the women, children and animals to move to the new campsite.

A picturesque scene when viewed from the air. A small camp on the steppes. Cavalrymen ride into camp from the east with news of the war.