Defending Swords - Arnheim, September 1944

Again I found a great diorama in the internet, it can be great inspiration to yours works ! This is a diorama built by Dietrich Wolf, for me it's a great job, very realistic, there is a Stug III, limousine of the commanderand and anti-aircraft cannon. Soldiers of the Waffen SS infantry and Wehrmacht. I especially like the building located at the backdrop of the diorama with a suspended parachute. Now some information from the author of the dioramas... ,,One of the most legendary fights of WWII took place in late summer 1944 near Arnheim (Holland) A visit of the "Airborne Museum Hartenstein" in Oosterbeek inspired me to plan and built the diorama "Defending Swords", which has been realized between October 1999 and March 2000. The pictures provide some interesting impressions about the German approach in Utrechtstraat, a street which looks today almost the same as in 1944. Among several mixed units the main focus on defending the Arnheim bridge were on the shoulders of 9. SS-PD "Hohenstaufen" and 10. SS-PD "Frundsberg", whose soldiers were sent for rehearsal (NO wellness!) into this area. The base of the scene measures 50x41cm. Although this is not that big I managed to arrange a well balanced street fighting scene. As Utrechstraat was not damaged that much I took special care to show this on the diorama. Houses, trees, masts, fences and the whole street as such are built on my own. In all my dioramas I take special care in creating a harmonic surrounding. It is important to transmit the "feeling" of the scene to the spectator as realistic as possible. The stranded red parachute is representative for those thousands of supply-parachutes which have been intended for British airborne troops, but often fell into German hands. In this case red means ammunition and for the diorama the item was tailored from an old anorak. As typical German AFV representative I have chosen a Stug III G late of Stug Brigade 280. The Revell kit has been detailed with Zimmerit, ABER PE parts and camouflage branches (Reference from an issue of "Ground Power"). Personal gear is loaded onto the engine deck (Royal Model). The crew is Tamiya, with Warriors heads. The Möbelwagen belongs to "Hohenstaufen" and is from CMK, the Flak 43 is from Italeri (unfortunately Tamiya's 3,7cm Möbelwagen was not released at the time I built the diorama) The BMW R75 sidecar in front of the Möbelwagen has been superdetailled with PE parts from The Show Modelling. The staffcar on the crossing to a sideroad, which shows an officer with his young and impatient driver, is a Citroen Legere from Matchbox. All vehicles camouflage schemes represent the original. Markings have been applied with stencils. A total of 20 figures have been added to the diorama. They are from Tamiya, Dragon, Verlinden, Jaguar Warriors (heads) '' GALLERY :