Submarines and Commandos

Each of the tiny submarines came with a larger submarine.

I painted this one up as an old rust bucket.

My plan is to use the larger submarine as a minisubmarine for landing special operations troops.

Most nations that have full size submarines operation little ones too.

They only have to carry one or two troops.

Troops go ashore and sabotage buildings or stay in the harbor and blow up a ship at the dock.

Submarines

This is a 1/2400 scale Soviet Typhoon nuclear ballistic missile submarine.

I have a whole navy of Modern Soviet ships.

I found this little submarine at my local dollar store.

Short but tall.

I got a few of them.

I figure they will work as an unknown type submarine in games.

I got a small fleet of them and painted them up in a couple different schemes.

Miniature Sub, Spy Photo

Soviet spy photo of the operation to recover the B17. While the focus is not good, Soviet analysts were able to determine the nature of the operation. The rear of the minisubmarine was captured on film by Soviet spys for the first time with this shot. Only years later did this photo come to light when the Soviet Union fell and the KGB archives were opened to the public.

A good view of the support raft. These rafts also come in an oval shape, but they only held two people. The three man raft is much better for this type of work.

The minisubmarine at depth preparing to return to the surface, mission successful, but not yet completed.

The diver and minisubmarine are returned to the surface and prepares to return to the Mother Ship. These recasts of the Ideal submarine and support ship are lots of fun, with crew, divers and minisubmarine. The sub can be propelled by a rubber band motor.

As a kid I loved having boats to play with in the water, in the bathtub, the back yard, in the gutter. My brother and Iused to flood the backyard and use the lawn as a big swamp in the hot Southern California summers. The MPC sportsfishing boat and PT boat spent many days on patrol and catching fish in that backyard ocean.

Minisubmarine Arrives at B17

The Mother Ship arrives at the scene of the B17 crash.



A sailor armed with a submachine gun guards the Mother Ship. Security is tight.




The downed B17 sits quietly in the deep, clear, cold waters of the lake. It's secret bombsight waiting undisturbed - for now.




The support team prepares for the launch of the minisubmarine. They are heavily armed, a successful mission will mean the bombsight is on the surface and vunerable to interception.



The minisubmarine on the surface and prepares to visit the B17. It is slowing filling it's ballast tanks with water to sink to the bottom. The diver will leave the minisubmarine, enter the B17, remove the bombsight, return to the minisubmarine, and back up to the Mother Ship.

Mini-Submarine Loading Procedures

The sailors, MPC ring hand figures, prepare to load the minisub onto the converted minisubmarine tender.

The minisubmarine tender gets into position to receive the minisubmarine. Note the sailor with the green helmet with a BAR.

The safety team makes one last check of the systems and moves the minisubmarine to the Mother Ship.

The minisubmarine has been loaded and the Mother Ship is prepared to move off to the site of the B17.

The raft support team crew prepares to cast off, they will be towed behind the Mother Ship. The sun goes down as the team prepares for the short trip to the underwater B17. The sailor in the white hat is armed with a carbine, and the man behind him has an M1 rifle.

B17 & Mini-Submarine Adventure in 60mm

It never rains in Southern California, except these last two weeks. The garden next to my house floods whenever it rains. My garden has a die cast model B-17 laying in it for years, since my little daughter no longer plays with those kinds of toys.



The Second World War is over, but with Stalin ruling Eastern Europe with an iron fist and threatening his former allies, the defense establishment still needed to be vigilant. While the B-17 Flying Fortress was obsolete the day Japan surrendered, they were still used for many special purposed, even into the 1950s. This one was observing an atomic testing event but due to engine trouble, crashed in this lake. While the small crew was able to bail out and get rescued, there still remained the TOP SECRET Norden Bomb Sight still needed to be recovered.

A converted landing craft will be used to carry a mini-submarine to the crash site where the diver can get the sight out and bring it back safely to the surface. Here the recast 60mm US Navy craft docks just prior to loading the mini-submarine. The area is heavily guarded by MPC US Navy ring hand personnel. The Shore Patrol man in the foreground not only sports an M1 carbine but carries a bully club as well. Even the lab technicians in the background are armed. With the threat of Commie Spy's under every bed, they can't afford to be too careful.

The Mother Ship prepares to cast off to get into position to pick up the mini-submarine. The mini-submarine can be seen in the background, with the diver already in position. Complex high technology like this submarine requires constant attention to insure correct operating. While the lake water is clear, fresh water is less buoyant than salt water, making this a dangerous mission.


Three safety divers will be on station with the mini-submarine diver in case of emergency. The boat commander can be seen near the cannon.

Sailors in the background stand by ready to defend this makeshift Naval base. Heavily armed with even a bazooka and a ray gun rifle. This ray gun technology was only recently declassified and only now being shown to the public. There is a small raft that will provide additional support services to the Mother Ship. More on this exciting adventure will follow soon.