I know you’re probably had enough of German vehicles from us recently, but this will be the last one for a while – I promise!
This time around we are supplying the front with tows and transportation. First up is the Hanomag SS 100 artillery tractor – capable of towing the feared 88 or even a V2 rocket! Next we have the Sd.Kfz 10 – a sturdy workhorse half-track that handles the smaller artillery pieces as well as carrying their crew. The Opel Blitz is an iconic WWII vehicle, and along with the fuel tanker variant could soon be ferrying troops and fuel across your battlefields. Finally we have Sd.Kfz 252– an armoured half-track ammunition carrier with a trailer for extra ammo!
These are all available in a range of scales from 1/87 up to 1/35, but other scales can also be produced – just ask!
Stay tuned for something completely new (and big!) next week – and I promise it is not just more German vehicles!
Today’s release sees the Germans receive some much needed anti-armour support in the form of assorted tank destroyers. As well as lighter tanks such as the Jagdpanzer IV L/48 and L/70 variants and the Hetzer, there is also the powerful Jagdpanther – capable of defeating any deploy Allied armour.
These are all available in 20mm and 28mm, but other scales can also be produced – just ask!
More information for each vehicle can be found on their pages, linked above.
This release sees the introduction of some new infantry options for the Soviets. We have often been asked about NKVD troops and here they are along with Naval troops!
The NKVD (or “People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs”) was an internal politicised police force in the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. Well known for conducting the Great Purge and mass deportations to of “undesirables” to the Gulags, troops of the NKVD also served alongside the Red Army during the defence of cities such as Stalingrad and Moscow.
During WWII, much of the Soviet’s sea power was contained by the advancing Germans. This meant that the fleets of the Black Sea and Baltic were largely unable to contribute to the war effort. Battleships were sometimes used as artillery and anti-aircraft platforms if they were close enough to ongoing fighting, but many were simply redundant. In both cases, ships were often stripped back to a skeleton crew, and the majority of the crew deployed as ground troops. In this over 350,000 Red Navy sailors were redeployed as infantrymen.
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We hope that soon our models will be reinforcing your Soviet armies – Ura!
This release is the start of a line of Eastern Front German designed by the amazing Just Some Miniatures, and to say they’re something awesome is not an exaggeration! It’s been incredibly difficult prying these excellent models from Martin’s hands long enough to photograph them all
Starting with the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22nd June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa), the Eastern Front lasted for the remainder of the war until 8th May 1945. Encompassing the invasion of the Caucasus (Case Blue), the Battle of Kursk, Siege of Stalingrad many more famous incidents of the war, it ended with the Soviet push into Berlin and subsequent surrender of the German forces. It is estimated that 75-80% of all combat during WWII took place on the Eastern Front.
The sheer amount length of time it lasted, the terrain involved and the range of forces arrayed against each other, means that sooner or later almost any vehicle, artillery or infantry fielded by either the Soviets or Germans saw action. We covered some of these last year with our focus of Soviet and German vehicles that fought at Kursk, and now we expand with a range of cavalry and infantry suitable for your Eastern Front battles.
First up are some fast moving cavalry, with both an officer team and two troops available – a rifle armed squad with a supporting MG42, and an assault squad armed with STG44s and an MP40. These are then followed by three separate infantry options – a 10 man rifle squad with a pair of MG42s, a 5 man assault squad with SMGs and an STG44, and a deadly 5 man support squad with two MG42 machine guns. Finally, some anti-armour capability is offered with a two man Panzerschreck team.
However, this is just the start of rolling out new German models, in the coming weeks look out for vehicles, heavy guns, more cavalry and more infantry alongside and assortment of support teams……
This release sees the French army entering into the fray, with the introduction of our first new nation since February. The initial platoon includes an officer team, medic team, two different rifle armed infantry squads, a sniper team and an mmg team. As well as the foot sloggers, heavier support is provided by the 75mm M1897 howitzer and teh Panhard 178 armoured car.
In addition, we also offer a French infantry platoon bundle of all of the above models. This is available at a very reasonable discounted price and free UK shipping. This is the ninth of our platoon bundles, in addition to the Japanese, Italian, British, 8th Army, German, Winter War Soviet, Finnish and Soviet platoons already released.
As always, here’s a little background on the various new units…..
The French high command of 1940 may have been ponderous at times and still fighting the static war of 20 years earlier, but at the sharp end, French officers were just as good as those of any army. When given the opportunity many stepped up and at least gave the invaders a good run if not a sound beating.
As with all armies, the French made good use of medics to ensure the survival of their men. As well as trained surgeons behind the lines, front line medics and stretcher bearers saved the livs of many French soldiers.
Armed with a variety of bolt action rifles, some dating to the 19th century, but also supported by the Chatellerault M24/29 light machine gun and often a dedicated rifle grenadier, a French infantry squad was a flexible unit in assault and defence. However, the sheer size of the French army, combined with its rapid expansion meant that the level of skill and experience between units could vary considerably, with some running almost at the first shot and others holding out to the last bullet.
As with the British and the Vickers machine gun, the French Army was still using its WWI era Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun at the outbreak of WWII. In addition to the unusual 24 round strip magazine, it was also capable of using a belt feed and could reach 450 rounds a minute.
The “Canon de 75 modèle 1897” (variously also called the “French 75”, “Soixante-Quinze” or simply 275”) was a French field gun originally designed in the late 19th century. At the time of introduction, it was one of the most advanced pieces of artillery in the world, and is widely thought to be the first modern artillery piece. This is due to a hydro-pneumatic recoil system, which allowed for sustained and accurate fire of between 12-15 rounds a minute at a time when other artillery had to be realigned after each shot and could fire 1-2 rounds a minute accurately.
Conceived as an anti-personnel weapon, it saw action in WWI as one of the primary guns for use with gas shells, as well as being the main armament of the Saint-Chamond. The US also purchased and used it during WWI.
It was already venerable by WWII, yet was still in use and was deployed against advancing Panzers during the Battle of France. A number had been sold to Poland and it was the most numerous artillery piece in the Polish Army. After the fall of France a number were also used by Germany, and the British purchased some from the US after Dunkirk and the loss of so much equipment.
Developed during the mid 1930s, the Panhard 178 was a 4×4 armoured car used by the French during WWII. The 178 was comparable to its contemporaries, with around 20mm of armour and a 25mm light anti-tank gun in a turret. It had a good road speed of 45mph, but relatively poor cross country capability with a top speed of 26mph and limited obstacle crossing ability.
After the Fall of France, many Panhards were captured by Germany and used throughout the war, particularly on the Eastern Front.
Around 1150 were built in total and were still in use during the Vietnam War.
We hope that you found this little bit of background history and that soon our models will be reinforcing your French armies!
This release sees the introduction of a range of new and replacement units for the Japanese in what is one of our biggest releases yet!
First up are the additions to the HQ units – models to represent a Senior officer or a Kempei, both along with a second to act as an aide. There is also a more combat orientated officer team termed the “Banzai officer” for those who want their commanders to look a little more pro-active!
Next, the SNLF make an appearance with both an SMG squad and a rifle squad (with LMG) bulking out the infantry selections for the Japanese.
Finally, support arrives in the form of some Big Guns! Single and twin mounted light AA options, a light AT gun and a pair of howitzers (light and heavy) round out the available options.
As for replacements, the standard rifle squad, officer, light mortar and MMG teams all get new models, designed as the rest of range are by the talented designers of Studio Grozny.
As always, here’s a little background on the various new units…..
The Kempeitai were the Japanese military police from 1881-1945. However, due to their additional roles covering counter-intelligence, espionage and secret police activities, the Kempeitai were more akin to the NKVD or Gestapo than the Feldgendarmerie or Royal Military Police.
Charged with the organisation and running of the Japanese internment and POW camps, the Kempeitai’s reputation in WWII was one of cruelty and brutality as they enforced strict rules with summary executions and massacres against both their charges and civilians. They were also responsible for the procurement of human subjects for Unit 731 and the “comfort women”.
The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) were Japanese naval infantry units during WWII. They were not dedicated marines, but were instead formed of members of a ship’s crew who had infantry training in addition to their naval basic training. As with regular IJA soldiers they were trained in the use of infantry tactics, rifles, SMGs, mortars, machine guns and various other small arms and heavy weapons.
The Type 96 25mm AA gun was a Japanese variant of the Hotchkiss 25mm and was used during WWII. A dual purpose weapon, designed for AA duty and as a light anti-vehicle weapon, it was most frequently deployed for AA cover in a single, dual or triple mount. It was the standard medium AA weapon used by the Japanese navy, though was vastly inferior to similar weapons in use by the navies of other nations due to its slow reload (manually changing a 15 round magazine), elevation and traverse.
The Type 1 37mm was a light anti-tank gun used by the Japanese during WWII. Essentially a modified Type 94 37mm AT gun, it suffered many of the drawbacks of its predecessor, most notably a lack of penetration against heavier US tanks such as the M4 Sherman. However, it had a low profile and was effective as an ambush weapon. It was also used as the main armament in light tanks such as the Type 2 Ke-To and Ka-Mi.
The Type 98 20mm AA “machine cannon” was a light AA weapon used by the Japanese during WWII. Introduced in 1938, it was the most common light AA gun in service with the Japanese Army. It was an effective weapon and generally considered to be well made and maneuverable. It could be deployed in around 3 minutes, but was also usable (inaccurately) from the carriage. The high rate of fire combined with an AP round also saw it used as an emergency anti-tank weapon at times.
The Type 41 75mm light howitzer was a Japanese artillery piece of the early-mid 20th century. Built as a licensed copy of the Krupp M1908, it saw service from 1908 to 1945. Due to how it was fielded, the crew could number as high as thirteen with the majority being gunners and ammunition carriers. It was also designed to break down into manageable components that could be carried by packhorse.
The Type 4 150mm howitzer was a howitzer of WWI vintage used by the Japanese throughout WWII. Despite being outdated by the late 1930s, lack of a suitable replacement in sufficient numbers meant it continued in frontline service until 1945. While it had some good points – it was relatively light for its size which made transportation over rough ground easier, and it had excellent elevation; it was also considerably underpowered compared to contemporary howitzers and its crew were out ranged and out gunned when facing Allied artillery.
Further updates are also available via our Facebook page.
Hopefully you found this bit of background history interesting and our models will be reinforcing your Japanese armies.
Happy New Year (belated!) and welcome to MarDav’s first release of 2023.
As you may have seen on our Facebook page, we have put together a roughly planned schedule for the rest of the year, but to begin with we are adding some of the models that have been worked on over the Christmas period. There will be another release of infantry and such at the end of the month, but for now, here is some new terrain.
The schedule for the rest of the year looks like –
February – assorted terrain & Italians
March – German Flak tanks
April – Soviet infantry & European rural village terrain
May – Light Vehicles (cars, tows etc)
June – Japanese infantry + artillery & landscaping terrain
July – Medium German + Soviet vehicles
August – Heavy German + Soviet vehicles
September – British armour & and Urban terrain
October – French armour & Winter War Soviets
November – Trucks….lots of trucks for everyone!
As always, here’s a little background on the new stuff
Across all theatres during WWII, engineers would clear the way and where necessary, quickly build improvised airfields for bringing supplies, moving fighter support closer to the front for many other reasons. Chief among the necessary buildings is the airfield control tower to allow for the coordination of incoming and outgoing flights whatever their mission.
This is a generic model suitable for use by most nations in most terrain types. It may just as easily be seen on an German improvised airfield in the desert, or an American airfield in the flattened jungles of the pacific. Unlike our other buildings, the control tower is printed as separate walls to be glued together, not as a one piece structure with a roof. This may vary with scale.
A coastal emplacement with a large calibre gun was a common sight in WWII; from the early war examples in Britain, preparing for Operation Sealion, to massed batteries of the Atlantic Wall, built to repel the Allied invasion of Europe. The Pacific Theatre was no different, and amongst the Japanese defences the attacking US armies had to face were massive concrete gun emplacements.
This example is based on an emplacement 8” gun located on Beito, part of the Tarawa atoll chain.
Many different games have scenarios or missions based on crashed aircraft or similar events that occur during the game. These down plane markers are supplied as an improvement on the usual “use a token or similar to mark the spot” suggestions made in rulebooks.
The models are a generic fighter plane and generic light unarmed plane. As a simple marker they can stand in for anything suitable that the mission requires. They also make good terrain pieces on their own, or can represent an unsuccessful strafing attempt or such.
Simply lengths of girder welded or bolted together, “Czech hedgehogs” are an incredibly simple static anti-tank defence that are very effective. Similar to an ancient caltrop, these can be tipped, rolled etc by explosions or such and are still functional as the shape means that there is no right way up for them.
These have been used during and since WWII and remain in use today.
They are available either based or loose in groups of 4.
The Daihatsu landing craft is a Japanese motorised boat from the 1930s that was used throughout the Second Sino-Japanese War and WWII. 14m long and weighing 21 tons, it was a sturdy vessel capable of transporting 10 tons of cargo including howitzers, infantry, supplies and light vehicles and tanks.
It featured a bow ramp that could be lowered to allow embarkation and disembarkation of cargo, and this was later copied by the US in the design of the LCP(L), LCP(R) and LCVP. However, the construction of the Daihatsu meant it was more seaworthy that the US designs.
This model is supplied with both a folded ramp for travel and an unfolded ramp for loading/unloading.
Despite the rise in mechanisation throughout the 1920s and 1930s, many European countries began WWII without enough trucks, artillery tractors and similar to fulfill all their needs. The horse drawn limber, a common battlefield sight for hundreds of years, made another return, transporting food, ammunition and even towing heavy guns.
This generic limber can be used to represent a horse drawn transport from any nation. It is available as either two or four horse combination.
This release sees the introduction of a raft of models to bring Finland into the fray!
The completely new models are detailed below and as always for a new army, there is a platoon bundle as well. This features a range of infantry, mortar and anti-tank support, and a BA-6 armoured car! This is available at a very reasonable discounted price and free UK shipping. This is the seventh of our platoon bundles, in addition to the Japanese, Italian, British, German, Soviet and Eighth Army platoons already released.
As always, here’s a little background on the various new units…..
Officer team
As the Finnish Civil War of 1918 was barely 20 years before the start of WWII, many Finnish officers were veterans and brought this experience into the new conflict. The Winter War quickly brought new officers up to standard as learned from the veterans, and by the time of the Continuation War many officers had served in two wars and were more than competent.
Forward Observer team
Though not as large or numerous as those of other armies, the Finns could call in both artillery and air support. Finnish forward observers were adept at pinpointing the enemy in snow covered terrain and calling down thunderous artillery barrages and devastating airstrikes on enemy positions.
Medic team
As with all armies, the Finns made good use of medics, though due to the Soviets lack of distinction between medics and regular soldiers, Finnish medics were more likely to be armed than others!
The extensive snow encountered during the Winter War meant that often vehicles were unable to reach areas with injured troops and often medics would bring troops to aid stations by sledge, either pulled by fellow soldiers or drawn by reindeer or horses.
Infantry squad
The infantry squad was the backbone of the Finnish army, and as with the officers a number of soldiers had already served during the 1928 Finnish Civil War and were able to spread their experience to the newer recruits. Equipped with excellent rifles, the Finnish Lahti-Salorata M/26 was less well received as it was prone to jams, heavy and awkward to keep clean. However, it was exceptionally accurate and when maintained correctly, very reliable.
As they encountered Soviet vehicles, many Finnish soldiers were also equipped with improvised anti-tank measures in the form of Molotov cocktails.
By the time of the Continuation War, the equipment of the squads had improved, and in addition to German grenades, they were also equipped with Panzerfausts to deal with Soviet armour.
Jakaari squad
These specialist units were experienced and incredibly fit handpicked soldiers. Jakaari squads were exceptionally mobile due to the use of skis and bicycles, and often were used for scouting and counterstrike missions.
Flamethrower team
Though not developed natively, the Finns used a number of flamethrowers, usually the Italian Lanciafiamme Spalleggiabile 35 or captured Soviet ROKS-2 units.
AT rifle team
The Finns made use of both the imported Boys AT rifle and the native Lahti L-39. The Boys rifle was a 0.55” round capable of penetrating 23mm of armour at 100 yards, and the L-39 had a 20mm round capable of 30mm penetration at 100 yards.
This model is depicted with a Boys rifle, which was the smaller and lighter of the two. Both were also used in a counter-sniper role, where a mannequin was posed as an officer and the once a Soviet sniper revealed themselves by taking a shot, the AT rifleman would attempt to shoot the sniper.
Sniper team
Finnish snipers were the terror of the Soviet army during the Winter War, with snipers such as Simo Hayha counting hundreds of kills. The purpose built M28-30 rifle was an excellent high quality rifle, though many snipers ignored the scope and would instead shoot over iron sights.
Panzerschreck team
Finnish troops were issued with the Panzerschreck in 1944, though it was given the Finnish name of “Pansserarikauhu” – a direct translation of “Tank Terror”. It was a reloadable shoulder fired anti-tank weapon and a development of the one-shot Panzerfausts. Within its most effective range (50-60m) the hollow charge warhead could penetrate up to 160mm of armour – higher than the frontal armour of a Churchill VII.
81mm mortar team
The 81mm mortar was an exceptionally common support weapon during WWII. As the Finns imported a lot of their equipment from other countries, their inventory listed French, Swedish, Polish, Finnish and even German and Soviet examples simply as “mortar, 81mm”.
Generally the range was around 2500-3000m, with an HE round weighing about 3-3.5kg. Medium mortars were popular with the Finnish army, and were the standard infantry support choice with nearly 1000 being available. They were even capable of knocking out Soviet tanks!
Medium machine gun team
The Finnish army made extensive use of medium machine guns, often captured Soviet Maxim and DP-27 models, sometimes dating back to the FInnish Civil War.
45mm Anti-tank gun
The M1937 45mm anti-gun gun (also known as 53-K or Sorokapyatka) was a small quick firing Soviet AT gun of the 1930s. While relatively successful initially, it quickly became obsolete when facing new German armour such as the improved PzIII and PzIV tanks.
A number of these were captured by the Finns and put back into action against their former owners.
BA-6 armoured car
The BA-6 was a Soviet heavy armoured car introduced in 1936. Built on a 6×4 chassis of the GAZ-AAA, the BA-6 was thinly armoured but well equipped with a 45mm AT gun capable of destroying many contemporary armoured vehicles.
BA-6s were used in the Spanish Civil War, on the Eastern Front and even in the Far East. Their use in the Winter War also saw them captured by the Finns and put back into service against the Red Army under a new designation of BAF B.
BT-7 tank
The BT-7 was a Soviet cavalry tank of the 1930’s. Due to the Christie suspension and a decent engine, and a range of guns, the BT-7 was a mobile and well armed tank even if it was lightly armoured.
The last of the BT series, it was replaced in 1940 by the T-34, though it saw use throughout the war with the Red Army, as well as others including Finland and Romania.
The Finns also converted 18 of these into the BT-42 assault gun in 1942.
Reindeer team
Due to the great expanses of snow covered country they had to cross, the Finnish army made extensive use of reindeer. They were used as pack animals, to tow guns and to move sledges and cars of supplies and wounded men.
While not quite as hardy as horses for these tasks, they were much better suited to the harsh winter terrain and conditions and so proved more than up to the job.
Further updates are also available via our Facebook page.
Hopefully you found this bit of background history interesting and our models will soon be defending the Karelian isthmus from Soviet advances!
This release sees the introduction of a raft of models to expand our range of Brits in the desert. First of all, there are some additions and tweaks to existing models; the LRDG gun truck and LRDG support truck have new crew and an improved Breda 35, the 17pdr AT gun and Bofors 40mm AA now have options to take 8th Army crew members. There are also now officers for the SAS/LRDG and 8th Army available. Additionally, the new 25 pdr and 3″ mortar models are also available with crew in standard battle dress.
The completely new models are detailed below and in addition, we now offer a Britsh Desert platoon bundle. This features a range of infantry, mortar and artillery support, and a Matilda tank! This is available at a very reasonable discounted price and free UK shipping. This is the sixth of our platoon bundles, in addition to the Japanese, Italian, British, German and Soviet platoons already released.
As always, here’s a little background on the various new units…..
Trained in liaising with artillery batteries or RAF squadrons, forward observer teams can coordinate devastating barrages of fire or close air support to cover the advance of troops or soften an enemy position before an assault.
Active from 1941-45, the 8th Army has become synonymous with the Allied fight in the Western Desert. Seeing action in the Tunisian, Sciliian and Italian campaigns, the soldiers of the 8th Army fought a very different battle to the forces in Normandy and the Far East. Large expanses of desert and the often close fought clashes that evolved around what few objectives there may be, created a different soldier to the battles of Burma or Western Europe.
However, still at the core of the 8th was the stalwart of all armies – the rifleman. Even if his uniform may differ from those of his fellows in other theatres, the trust .303 Lee Enfield did as well in the desert as anywhere else, and were it not for the khaki shorts clad Tommy, there would have been no victory in the desert.
The SAS were founded in 1941 by Lt David Stirling and originally was seen as a raiding force designed to disrupt the enemy through sabotage, intelligence gathering and outright attacks.
Initially, the new force failed to impress the higher command, as Operation Squatter, their first mission, was an unmitigated disaster. However, given a second chance, and transported by the LRDG, the SAS proved themselves by destroying 60 aircraft across 3 airfields with no losses.
Further missions in the desert, often teamed with the LRDG, saw them sowing mayhem across German occupied airfields and harbours. Later in the war, they engaged in amphibious landings, parachute rescue drops and more of their hit and run attacks
The 3” mortar was the standard mortar of the British army for over 30 years, including over WWII. Initially inferior to the similar calibre German GW34, improvements to the propellant, barrel, sights and baseplate dramatically improved its performance and it was a reliable and effective weapon through the war.
This model is also available with standard battle dress crew.
The 25pdr or “Ordnance Quick Fire (OQF) 25 pounder” was the standard British field gun during WWII. Combining a high rate of fire, good mobility, a good shell, and capability for both direct and high angle fire, it was a popular artillery piece that stayed in service with the British army until the 1960s.
The primary armament of the 25pdr was a HE round, but AP, smoke, chemical and star shells were also available.
From its introduction in 1940, the 25pdr saw service in all theatres of war that the Commonwealth forces were present. This meant it had to cope with everything from hot, dry desert conditions to the wet, steamy humidity of the Burmese jungle.
In addition to its role as a field gun, the 25pdr was also adapted for use in vehicles. Starting initially with the unsuccessful Bishop and finishing with the Sexton, they gave the army much needed mobile artillery support.
This model is also available with standard battle dress crew.
Developed as a more heavily armed counterpart to the A11 (“Matilda I”), the A12 Matilda II (or just “Matilda”) was the first of the British infantry tanks to see serious combat as the Matilda I only seeing action in the Battle of France.
A heavily armoured infantry support tank, the Matilda was equipped with a 2pdt AT gun for engaging enemy vehicles and an MG for against infantry. While the 2pdr was an excellent AT weapon, outperforming contemporary and comparable weapons, it was distinctly lacking a suitable HE round that would allow the Matilda to be truly versatile.
The Matilda was the only British tank to see service throughout the war; first being introduced in 1940 during the Battle of France. In the North Africa campaign, the Matilda proved itself against the lighter Italian tanks, with them often unable to penetrate its thick armour, while in turn the 2psr was highly effective against the much lighter Italian armour. It was during the NA campaign that the Matilda earned the nickname “Queen of the Desert”.
As the war progressed and Axis anti-tank weapons improved, the Matilda was phased out of British forces simply through lack of replacement when they were destroyed. However, many were supplied to Australian forces in the Pacific theatre where it found a new lease of life as the Japanese tanks it faced were not dissimilar to the Italian tanks of the Desert War and so the 2pdr was once more effective, and the heavier armour again proved impervious to many enemy shots.
Variants of the Matilda included mine flails (Scorpion), flamethrowers (Frog), rocket launchers (Hedgehog), CDL and bulldozer equipped tanks
Stripped down to keep unnecessary weight to a minimum, then loaded up with fuel cans, ammo and as many guns as they could muster, the roving jeeps of the SAS were raiding terrors of the desert. On the night of 26-27th July 1942, 18 jeeps of the SAS tore through the Sidi Haneish airfield and destroyed around 40 aircraft for the loss of only a single jeep and a single soldier – Lance Bombardier John Robson.
Future attacks, either on their own or in conjunction with the LRDG, earned the SAS a deadly reputation, and one that would not have been possible without their dangerously overloaded jeeps!
This model is supplied with multiple crew for different options including single and twin Vickers K guns, Lewis gun and a .50 cal. Un-crewed vehicles are also available as 1 crew set is sufficient for two jeeps.
Further updates are also available via our Facebook page.
Hopefully you found this bit of background history interesting and our models will be reinforcing your British armies of the Western Desert.
