Builds Group Build - The War in the Desert 1941 - 1943

[Smeggers]

As next year is the 80th Anniversary of the commencement of the battles in the North African desert, I thought it might be a good idea to do a group build on it. There is plenty of scope for vehicles of all shapes, sizes and nationalities, aircraft and indeed boats. Plenty of nationalities involved in the war as well, British, German, French (for & against), Italian etc. So come on let's see them.
By the way, a tank on a piece of sandpaper is not a desert diorama!

 

[ches]

Oh yes, oh yes. As long as it last all year long cos I'll be ages on mine as ever!

 

[Rodney2q]

As next year is the 70th Anniversary of the commencement of the battles in the North West African desert, I thought it might be a good idea to do a group build on it. There is plenty of scope for vehicles of all shapes, sizes and nationalities, aircraft and indeed boats. Plenty of nationalities involved in the war as well, British, German, French (for & against), Italian etc. So come on let's see them.
By the way, a tank on a piece of sandpaper is not a desert diorama!

...it was good enough for the real thing...

 

[OllieReeder]

As next year is the 70th Anniversary of the commencement of the battles in the North West African desert, I thought it might be a good idea to do a group build on it. There is plenty of scope for vehicles of all shapes, sizes and nationalities, aircraft and indeed boats. Plenty of nationalities involved in the war as well, British, German, French (for & against), Italian etc. So come on let's see them.
By the way, a tank on a piece of sandpaper is not a desert diorama!

Actually, it was the eightieth anniversary of the start of Op Compass three days ago. But still an excellent idea.

 

[Daz]

As next year is the 80th Anniversary of the commencement of the battles in the North West African desert, I thought it might be a good idea to do a group build on it. There is plenty of scope for vehicles of all shapes, sizes and nationalities, aircraft and indeed boats. Plenty of nationalities involved in the war as well, British, German, French (for & against), Italian etc. So come on let's see them.
By the way, a tank on a piece of sandpaper is not a desert diorama!

Bugger

 

[AlienFTM]

By the way, a tank on a piece of sandpaper is not a desert diorama!

Give troopy a piece of sandpaper, tell him it's a map, it'll keep him out of trouble.

Edit. If he looks at it blankly, tut, take it, turn it round and chide him for holding it upside down.

 

[SkippedOnce]

As next year is the 80th Anniversary of the commencement of the battles in the North West African desert,

North West Europe - check
North West Frontier - check
North West African desert - ? (Even Tunisia '43 would struggle to be considered NW)

 

[SPROCKET321]

let's just say the Western Desert Campaign.

 

[Daz]

let's just say the Western Desert Campaign.

We could have a singalong




It's fun to stay with the L.R.D.G
It's fun to stay with the L.R.D.G
They have everything
For young men to enjoy
You can hang out with all the Boys (Anti-tank Rifle)

 

[SPROCKET321]

I need help and advice from our resident BF109 expert Daz,, is this kit eligible for western desert service? being this mark it may be too late to have been available in the desert battles.

 

[Daz]

I need help and advice from our resident BF109 expert Daz,, is this kit eligible for western desert service? being this mark it may be too late to have been available in the desert battles.
View attachment 528129

Not a chance in hell is the answer, you need either a Bf 109 E-7 trop, Bf 109 F-4 trop, Bf 109 G-2 trop and Bf 109 G-4 trop for those dates in the main, that G/K kit is far to late

 

[Chef]

Give troopy a piece of sandpaper, tell him it's a map, it'll keep him out of trouble.

Edit. If he looks at it blankly, tut, take it, turn it round and chide him for holding it upside down.

He might have thought it was a map of the Simpson Desert in Australia.

 

[Daz]

Just to add, you could sneak in the G-5 and G-6, just bear in mind the most of them went to Sicily, rather than NA in 43

 

[dingerr]

As next year is the 80th Anniversary of the commencement of the battles in the North West African desert, I thought it might be a good idea to do a group build on it. There is plenty of scope for vehicles of all shapes, sizes and nationalities, aircraft and indeed boats. Plenty of nationalities involved in the war as well, British, German, French (for & against), Italian etc. So come on let's see them.
By the way, a tank on a piece of sandpaper is not a desert diorama!

You layzeeeeeeeeee barsteward, where’s your offering.

Be here at 1800hrs tomorrow showing vehicles, desert, for the use of (and shiny boots).

 

[Ex_crab]

Give troopy a piece of sandpaper, tell him it's a map, it'll keep him out of trouble.

Edit. If he looks at it blankly, tut, take it, turn it round and chide him for holding it upside down.

Drifting, but relevant, but during GW1 RAF aircrew, when asked, would reply that they were over MMFD. The USAF could hear this and it got to a point that they thought that we had a reference point that they were not aware of. They finally tabled a formal question asking the RAF where MMFD was? "That's easy" said the RAF," It stands for miles and miles of f****** desert"

 

[Stovepipe]

Like the GAFA, the Great Australian **** All, ie the inner bit.

 

[Daz]

@SPROCKET321

 

[Daz]

Previous Desert E's One Aifrix, One Eduard's

 

[AlienFTM]

Drifting, but relevant, but during GW1 RAF aircrew, when asked, would reply that they were over MMFD. The USAF could hear this and it got to a point that they thought that we had a reference point that they were not aware of. They finally tabled a formal question asking the RAF where MMFD was? "That's easy" said the RAF," It stands for miles and miles of f****** desert"

Reminds me (I may have told it before). Consulting at BT about 96, there were two permanent staff STABs with whom I (only out about 7 years) got on just grand. One knew a PSI who'd been 15/19H. The other was an Engineer, specialising in mapping and charting (I'd once considered a job with Mapping and Charting Establishment Royal Engineers).

He'd been sent out to sandy parts at the end of Granby. He was tasked with marking 45 gallon drums with an 8-figure grid and planting them exactly every kilometre across the wasteland, using newfangled GPS.

He'd just about finished when he got called in for an interview without coffee because a unit had complained they were all 400m out.

It transpired that a troop of 14/20H had brought their shiny CR1s out from Tidworth, found a discrepancy between the grid and Troopy's GPS, so they set about dragging them all to the right place.

Then a grown-up had found them all moved to the wrong place.

Troopy promptly got a lesson on the theory of why Earth and satellite orbits are not perfect spheres, so that GPS needs recalibrating after you move ¼-way round the world, and how a GPS set for Tidworth is going to be 400m out in the Middle East.

Edit for mong Operation name recollection.

 

[SkippedOnce]

Reminds me (I may have told it before). Consulting at BT about 96, there were two permanent staff STABs with whom I (only out about 7 years) got on just grand. One knew a PSI who'd been 15/19H. The other was an Engineer, specialising in mapping and charting (I'd once considered a job with Mapping and Charting Establishment Royal Engineers).

He'd been sent out to sandy parts at the end of Herrick. He was tasked with marking 45 gallon drums with an 8-figure grid and planting them exactly every kilometre across the wasteland, using newfangled GPS.

He'd just about finished when he got called in for an interview without coffee because a unit had complained they were all 400m out.

It transpired that a troop of 14/20H had brought their shiny CR1s out from Tidworth, found a discrepancy between the grid and Troopy's GPS, so they set about dragging them all to the right place.

Then a grown-up had found them all moved to the wrong place.

Troopy promptly got a lesson on the theory of why Earth and satellite orbits are not perfect spheres, so that GPS needs recalibrating after you move ¼-way round the world, and how a GPS set for Tidworth is going to be 400m out in the Middle East.

Oh for the simple days of (depending on where you were in the world, 'Grid to Magnetic, Subtract' (aka Gran'Ma Sucks).