Generalmajor Kleeman meets up with 5.(PzJg)/SdVerb 228

[KLOTZEN]

I started this last year, I have no in progress pictures to share but I hope to finish this year.

Final product will be something in the time line of these two photos.
The hardest part of recreating a photo for me is the figures, I do not perform very well in the figure sculpting space so I spend a lot of time going through figure sets and offerings for a close as possible volunteers. I do work on figure sculpting but work may be a generous term, maybe one day.
The photos were taken by PK Moosmüller in 1942 during the battle of Bir Hakeim up through El Adem south of Tobruk. I have the whole set of picture some were also taken by PK Koch.
Dragon 6905.

Dragon 6911

Current crop of conscripts.

 

[moon puppy]

Nice!

 

[jknaus]

Looking very nice. Looking forward to more.
James

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Cool! Keep at it, you will get there.

 

[Barney]

 

[centaur567]

WOW!! Gary S.

 

[KLOTZEN]

So, with Abt. 237 "Jungs holt fast" out of the way I've been surveying this for continuation. Going through my collected information I realized that there are some pretty glaring oversights.
My StuG. III started as the Dragon 6905 kit - Tropical air filter version which includes decals for the Sd.Ver. 288. close, but not quite. While it does represent a StuG. with "tropical" air filter it does not represent one of the three documented StuGs sent to Africa. 5 issues - Wrong type of air filter and mount, no additional spare road wheel mounts, no additional torsion bar mounts, no rear water/fuel can rack and no additional spare track link fender mounts. Oh, and no 288 decals. Any way, of all of those issues, I worked the all out except the spare tack link mounts which I actually missed even noticing, more on that later.

So I make my mods and I'm happy. Toss some paint and she sits around for awhile.
Now, in the future, I'm looking over my pictures with Ol' Kleeman and I start noticing some uncomfortable issues.

He looks, maybe, a little aggravated with me!

Anyway, this will probably be a little boring for some.

This is the picture that got it all started.

I grabbed all of the archive photos I could find and started to work up the StuG. But what I missed initially and found more of later is -

When these three StuG's arrived in Africa, and in the picture above, they looked a little different than what I had produced.

So, what is it and does it even matter? Apparently of the three StuGs for Sd.Ver. 288 that made it to Africa they all arrived with an additional protective structure over the precleaner housing, most were gone by the time of their capture, with the exception of the picture immediately above. Not 100% what it is but it does matter because they are still intact on the subject reference photo.

Additional observed annoyances.

And,

Two different chassis above. 90678 or 90681 on the left and 90683 on the right.
Interesting spare track link bracket there, ready for some real nerd stuff.
90683 also has some red dots. Those are the covers for the access holes to unlock the front hatches for the transmission. Those are the only visible differences between the Ausf. C and D, C's not having the key holes.

On to the spare track link brackets.

Anyone familiar with the Pz.Kpfw. IV series would be able to relate that every model up to the G had allowance for 4 spare links in individual storage locations on the fenders, right side. Familiarity with the Pz.Kpfw. III would also inform one that no such provision was made on any of the versions even though both used the same track. Well, the III did have them, they were in the engine compartment attached to the underside of the engine hatches, The brackets on the fender of these Sd.Ver. 288 StuGs. are those brackets, relocated.
They are not easy to find in the wild.

How to fix this silly shenanigan.

First, I ordered the Bronco kit

It has everything except the spare track brakckets so I dug around and came up with:

I think I have the last one known to man, I pried it out of the hands of BNA in Australia.

So now all I have to do is convince myself to either rectify mine or start a whole new one. I'm thinking to attempt sorting out the one I already have.


Further note on the Precleaners, two versions existed, what I refer to as High and Low.

On the left is a "Low" mount, removal of the jack was required on the right and the fire extinguisher and cleaning rods on the left fender to use these.

In the right photo is a "High" mount, only the empty brackets remain, of the three captured in Africa by the British only one still had anything mounted, the rest just empty the brackets.

 

[moon puppy]

Man that's a lot of deep digging on your subject. It's cool that one photo can inspire us so much.

 

[jknaus]

Very very close attention to detail. So very cool.
James

 

[panamadan]

So, with Abt. 237 "Jungs holt fast" out of the way I've been surveying this for continuation. Going through my collected information I realized that there are some pretty glaring oversights.
My StuG. III started as the Dragon 6905 kit - Tropical air filter version which includes decals for the Sd.Ver. 288. close, but not quite. While it does represent a StuG. with "tropical" air filter it does not represent one of the three documented StuGs sent to Africa. 5 issues - Wrong type of air filter and mount, no additional spare road wheel mounts, no additional torsion bar mounts, no rear water/fuel can rack and no additional spare track link fender mounts. Oh, and no 288 decals. Any way, of all of those issues, I worked the all out except the spare tack link mounts which I actually missed even noticing, more on that later.
View attachment 189691View attachment 189690
View attachment 189687View attachment 189688

So I make my mods and I'm happy. Toss some paint and she sits around for awhile.
Now, in the future, I'm looking over my pictures with Ol' Kleeman and I start noticing some uncomfortable issues.

View attachment 189693

He looks, maybe, a little aggravated with me!

Anyway, this will probably be a little boring for some.

This is the picture that got it all started.
View attachment 189694
I grabbed all of the archive photos I could find and started to work up the StuG. But what I missed initially and found more of later is -

When these three StuG's arrived in Africa, and in the picture above, they looked a little different than what I had produced.
View attachment 189695View attachment 189696
View attachment 189697View attachment 189698
View attachment 189699View attachment 189700
View attachment 189701View attachment 189702

So, what is it and does it even matter? Apparently of the three StuGs for Sd.Ver. 288 that made it to Africa they all arrived with an additional protective structure over the precleaner housing, most were gone by the time of their capture, with the exception of the picture immediately above. Not 100% what it is but it does matter because they are still intact on the subject reference photo.

Additional observed annoyances.
View attachment 189704View attachment 189706

And,

View attachment 189708View attachment 189709

Two different chassis above. 90678 or 90681 on the left and 90683 on the right.
Interesting spare track link bracket there, ready for some real nerd stuff.
90683 also has some red dots. Those are the covers for the access holes to unlock the front hatches for the transmission. Those are the only visible differences between the Ausf. C and D, C's not having the key holes.

On to the spare track link brackets.

Anyone familiar with the Pz.Kpfw. IV series would be able to relate that every model up to the G had allowance for 4 spare links in individual storage locations on the fenders, right side. Familiarity with the Pz.Kpfw. III would also inform one that no such provision was made on any of the versions even though both used the same track. Well, the III did have them, they were in the engine compartment attached to the underside of the engine hatches, The brackets on the fender of these Sd.Ver. 288 StuGs. are those brackets, relocated.
They are not easy to find in the wild.
View attachment 189710View attachment 189711View attachment 189712

How to fix this silly shenanigan.

First, I ordered the Bronco kit

View attachment 189713

It has everything except the spare track brakckets so I dug around and came up with:

View attachment 189714View attachment 189715

I think I have the last one known to man, I pried it out of the hands of BNA in Australia.

So now all I have to do is convince myself to either rectify mine or start a whole new one. I'm thinking to attempt sorting out the one I already have.


Further note on the Precleaners, two versions existed, what I refer to as High and Low.

View attachment 189716View attachment 189717


On the left is a "Low" mount, removal of the jack was required on the right and the fire extinguisher and cleaning rods on the left fender to use these.

In the right photo is a "High" mount, only the empty brackets remain, of the three captured in Africa by the British only one still had anything mounted, the rest just empty the brackets.

Did you notice the 250 also has a British antenna base?

 

[KLOTZEN]

Did you notice the 250 also has a British antenna base?

A No.11 Wireless antenna to be exact. As well as:

A No.11 Wireless set.

 

[moon puppy]

What? Listening in on the other team's plays? That's not very sporting.

 

[KLOTZEN]

What? Listening in on the other team's plays? That's not very sporting.

A bunch (some) were captured in France and at Tobruk and pressed into service, Kleeman was the Co of the 90th light Africa Division to which the 288 was assigned.
Not really sure how this 250 was set up, it is a Z Chassis Sd.Kfz. 250/3. Based on how the other two guys are sitting it does not have the standard radio rack in it, I just made up how I would have put in a No. 11 set based on that and how the antenna cable runs.

 

[panamadan]

A No.11 Wireless antenna to be exact. As well as:
View attachment 189765
A No.11 Wireless set.

Awesome. I think I saw a pic of a vehicle in the group that had insignia of a radio Intel unit?

 

[KLOTZEN]

Awesome. I think I saw a pic of a vehicle in the group that had insignia of a radio Intel unit?

I can't say.
There were two KP's that day Koch and Moosmuller, the series of pictures were taken when Kleeman met up directly with Col. Menton, CO of Sd.Ver. 288, somewhere on the way to El Adem.
By KStN Sd.Ver. 288 had two Sd.Kfz. 221's and one Sd.Kfz. 223. at least one of each are in the series.
By KStN Sd.Ver. 288 had one radio and one telephone company in its signal Tp. but no specific intercept unit.
The Nachricten Tp. for the 90th was larger and likely had something and it would not have been unusual for it to be in the AO with Kleeman but I don't know at this time.

Lets see the picture.