German Grenadier Machine Gunner - Otto

The Panzer-Korps consisting of LAH, Das Reich, and Totenkopf divisions returned to the Eastern Front in January of 1943. As the Russian Winter offensive surged forward, the three divisions were established east of Kharkov, the fourth largest city in the Soviet Union. By February 9th the Soviets had captured Bielgorad and Kursk to the North of Kharkov. To the south, the Russians were driving towards the Dnieper River and Sea of Azov hoping to isolate Army Group South, commanded by General von Manstein. With Kharkov in danger of being cut off, the Panzer-Korps chose to withdraw on February 15th despite orders to defend the city at all costs, It was occupied by the Russians the next day.

Recognizing that the Soviet forces were overextended south of Karkov, von Manstein launched a counter attack on February 19th with the intent to destroy the enemy advances, and by March 2nd this task was largely completed. On Marth 7th the counterattack coninued in an effort to destroy the Russian forces in the Kharkov area. The task of recapturing the city was given to the Panzer-Korps and by March 15th it was again in German hands.

After its experience during the previous Russian winter,the German military acknowledged the necessity of proper winter clothing for its soldiers. The Army's answer was in the form of a padded parka and trousers, reversible from field gray to white (later versions made use of a camouflage material). The Waffen chose to provuide a fur lined anorak, which was made of canvas or rayon with a full lining made from a variety of animal pelts. The anorak had four pockets with flaps and a hood that was entirely lined with fur. The size of the hood was quite variable. The exterior could vary in color from a slate gray to a field gray to even an olive green shade. The anorak was issued in this form until the last winter of the war, although several modifications were incorporated in later production such as a full length front opening was provided to allow better ventilation and easier access.

The MG42 was designed to correct the flaws in the earlier MG34, which had been time consuimng and expensive to manufacture and was prone to malfunction. To address these problems, the MG42 had an improved breech and simpler trigger mechanism, which resulted in an incredible rate of fire of 1200 rounds per minute. The gun was equipped with a bipod for the light machine gun role, but it could easily be mounted on a tripod for sustained fire in the heavy MG mode. Ammunition was supplied from the standard Patronkasten ammo box or from 50 round assault drums. The parts pouch worn on the gunners belt contained an anti-aircraft ring sight, oil can, spare bolt, wrench, ruptured cartridge remover, nuzzle covers, ammunition belt tab, and a caliber gayge. A hot barrel pad was usually carried behind the strap of the pouch.

This 1:6 scale collectible figure from Dragon is approximately 12 inches tall. The figure includes his field blouse, winter trousers, heavy winter anorak, helmet, and felt boots. This figure also includes detailed accessories, including a MG-42 machine gun with two ammo drums, a P38 pistol with holster, water bottle, bread bag, and parts pouch for his weapon.

Price: $45.99

Item Number: DR70010

In stock - available for immediate delivery!

Quantity:

Quantity in Basket:none

Add to Wish List