MiniArt's 35th scale "German Tank Crew Winter Uniform, 1939-41"

MiniArt's new "35th scale "German Tank Crew Winter Uniform, 1939-41" features four figures & a sprue of weapons & equipment. See about the soldiers & the set in our preview...

MiniArt's 35th scale "German Tank Crew Winter Uniform, 1939-41"

German Tank Crew Winter Uniform. 1939-41

From MiniArt Models

1/35th scale

Kit No: #53054 

Four figures & a sprue of weapons & equipment included...

Product Link on the MiniArt Website

The Subject: German tankers in the winters of 1939-41

During the bitterly cold winter of 1939–1940, early German tank crews found themselves thoroughly ill-equipped for the freezing temperatures of the "Phoney War" period. Their standard attire was the striking, double-breasted black wool uniform (Sonderbekleidung), which had been designed primarily for functional mobility inside cramped armoured vehicles rather than thermal protection. Because its short jacket and tight trousers lacked heavy insulation, tankers suffered immensely as temperatures plummeted across Germany and the western border. The military high command had not anticipated a winter campaign, leaving crews to endure sub-zero conditions without specialised cold-weather-issue gear.

The gunner of a Panzer III is poking his head out the side of his tank. The commander’s greatcoat would have done little to keep out the bitter cold. An interesting photo of some frozen horses being used as telegraph poles is a diversion here, but interesting nonetheless.

To survive the elements, resourceful crews resorted to improvised layering strategies that compromised their uniform appearance but kept them alive. Tankers wore civilian sweaters, civilian scarves, and standard-issue infantry greatcoats over or under their black wraps, creating a bulky silhouette that made entering and exiting narrow tank hatches incredibly difficult. On guard duty or during outdoor maintenance, they frequently donned heavy sheepskin coats and makeshift cloth wraps around their boots. This period highlighted a critical logistical failure in winter clothing production that the German military would struggle to correct in the subsequent campaigns of the war.

German tanks caught in snow in Russia – this doesn't look too bad as things go...

Service during this exceptionally harsh winter was defined by exhausting physical labour and endless maintenance rather than active combat. Crews spent their days fighting the freezing weather to keep their Panzer I, II, and III tanks operational, which required draining engine fluids nightly or lighting small fires underneath the hulls to thaw frozen oil and tracks. Tactical training continued despite the snow, forcing drivers to master the treacherous handling of steel tracks on icy roads and frozen terrain. This gruelling winter routine served as a harsh testing ground, hardening the crews and refining their mechanical survival skills just months before the spring invasion of France and the Low Countries.

A Panzer IV stuck in the snow, with her crew and some other soldiers besides her. The soldiers attempt to free the tank with shovels and pickaxes while a war correspondent (far right) captures photographs of the scene somewhere on the Eastern Front in winter...

The Kit:

This set features four German tanker figures with weapons, designed for the early part of WWII dioramas in winter scenes. The figures are shown in dynamic poses with cold-weather clothing and equipment, accessories, gear and weapons to accessorise your soldiers.

There are four small sprues that each hold one figure, moulded in light grey styrene. These features easily distinguishable faces, fingers and sunken detail for their accessories to fit more neatly into their bodies.

Included also is a sprue of weapons and equipment, most of which could be used as side arms or equipment for soldiers mostly outside their tanks. The latter war guns wouldn't be applicable to this set and would fill your accessory boxes. Included is the Kar.98 sniper rifle; the Fallschirmjägergewehr 42, "paratrooper rifle 42"; Lugers; Walthers; ammo pouches; the StG 44 (Sturmgewehr 44, "assault rifle 44"); and even an Erma EMP machine pistol included here.

This kit is due for release in a month's time

See more about all of MiniArt's kits on their website...