Saturday, December 7

Preview: 1/16th scale US 3rd ID, "Rock of the Marne" from Alpine Miniatures...

John Rosengrant & Calvin Tan team up to create the latest Alpine Miniatures 1/16th scale figure. US 3rd ID "Rock of the Marne" infantryman of WWII is the subject. We look at the figure & the unit in our preview...


Preview: 1/16th scale US 3rd ID, "Rock of the Marne" from Alpine Miniatures...

US 3rd ID, "Rock of the Marne." 
From Alpine Miniatures
Sculpture by John Rosengrant
Box Art by Calvin Tan
Figure no. #16046
Shipping on Dec. 10.
Alpine Miniature's latest 1/16th sculpt is from John Rosengrant, with the box art painted by another master, Mr. Calvin Tan. We have information on the 16th scale figure, plus photos of the assembled resin kit painted in our preview.

The Subject: The 3rd Infantry Division—"Rock of the Marne" in WWII
The 3rd Infantry Division was one of the few American divisions to engage the Axis powers on all European fronts during World War II. Over 531 consecutive days of combat, the division participated in four amphibious assault landings, suffered significant losses, and ultimately ended the war in the ruins of Hitler's Eagles Nest at Berchtesgaden in May 1945.

This campaign map below shows the route of the 3rd Infantry Division throughout North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany during World War II. "Rock of the Marne" came from WWI, when the 38th Infantry Regiment repelled the German attack near Mézy, France, across the Marne River in July 1918...
The division's first major action took place in North Africa, where it landed at Fedala on November 8, 1942, as part of the Western Task Force. The division swiftly captured half of French Morocco, marking a crucial victory in the region. Eight months later, the division launched an assault landing on Sicily, securing key towns and racing to capture Messina, which brought an end to the Sicilian campaign.

The insignia of the 3rd Infantry Division has a symbolic meaning. The three white stripes represent the division's participation in three major World War I operations. The blue field signifies loyalty and self-sacrifice in defence of American ideals. The insignia was originally approved in 1918 and has undergone two amendments since then.
Following the invasion of mainland Italy, the division landed at Salerno on September 18, 1943, and drove through Italy, crossing the Volturno River and reaching Cassino. After a brief respite, the division participated in the amphibious landing at Anzio on January 22, 1944, where it faced intense German counterattacks. On February 29, 1944, the division fought off a three-division German attack, suffering over 900 casualties in a single day—the highest number of any U.S. division in World War II.

The division's commander, Lucian Truscott, took over VI Corps, and the division broke out of the beachhead in late May, pushing towards Rome. However, this decision allowed enemy forces to escape, and the division was subsequently removed from the front line and trained for Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France.

Infantrymen of 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment (3rd ID) depicted near Bult, France, 11th November 1944.
On August 15, 1944, the division landed at St. Tropez, advancing through the Rhone Valley and the Vosges Mountains, and reaching the Rhine at Strasbourg on November 26-27, 1944. The division maintained defensive positions, cleared the Colmar Pocket, and struck against Siegfried Line positions south of Zweibrücken. On March 26, 1945, the division crossed the Rhine, driving on to take Nuremberg in a fierce battle, capturing the city on April 17-20. The 3rd Infantry Division continued its push, taking Augsburg and Munich on April 27-30, and was in the vicinity of Salzburg when the war in Europe ended.

A photo taken on May 4, 1945, shows the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division arriving at the Berghof, Adolf Hitler's home, near Berchtesgaden, along with the French 2nd Armoured Division.
Elements of the 7th Infantry Regiment captured Hitler's retreat at Berchtesgaden in May 1945. Throughout the war, the 3rd Infantry Division suffered 4,922 killed in action, 18,766 wounded, and 636 who died of wounds in 531 consecutive days of combat. The division's battle honours for World War II include:
Algeria-French Morocco
Tunisia
Sicily 
Naples-Foggia
Anzio 
Rome-Arno
Southern France
Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace
Central Europe

During World War II, the 3rd Infantry Division earned 39 Medals of Honour—more than any other division in the Second World War. Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy, featured in the Hollywood movie "To Hell and Back," was a member. The unit's song "Dogface Soldier" was used in this movie. The division also served in the Korean War. 

US 3rd Infantry troops, before a patrol in the Imjin River area in the Korean conflict. 17-April-1951. Although we assume this figure is from WWI, it could well be used to represent a Korean-conflict soldier.

The new figure from Alpine Miniatures:
This figure was sculpted by John Rosengrant. John is a great sculptor and a natural fit with the quality control of Alpine Miniature's figures. He has a great knack for capturing the essence of the figure without it being instantly recognisable that it is his work. What we mean to say is they look more realistic than stylistic in nature. A compliment, to be sure. The faces he sculpts are realistic but show a separate emotion to others every time it seems.

US 3rd ID, "Rock of the Marne." 
From Alpine Miniatures
Sculpture by John Rosengrant
Box Art by Calvin Tan
Figure no. #16046
Shipping on Dec. 10.
This figure, like all of Alpine's creations, is supplied with two helmet choices. These being both bare and netted M1 helmets. The liner and suspension were developed after a modified Riddell Football helmet. The M-1 helmet was approved for production in June 1941. This helmet is offered “bare” without any camo covering and also with the mesh netted covering, which could hold foliage in it for camouflage.
The soldier's expression is that of a grim man, looking into the near distance; his face is really well detailed and in proportion. His cleft chin and glum expression match well with the winter-weight clothing that he wears here—beautifully painted by box artist Calvin Tan. The winter setting this soldier is seen in is highlighted with his scarf around his neck.
Below, we see the painted version with the netted helmet on his head. You can see him from every angle with this head choice; the posture, with open legs and M1 Garand slung over his shoulder, gives him a patient but ready-to-work pose. The clothing, wrinkled and creased, makes the feel of this sculpture worn and well-used.
You will notice the jacket of the soldier pinned below the bandoleer of M1 ammunition to feed his M1 Garand rifle. This was the primary weapon for most U.S. soldiers throughout World War II. It shot.30-'06 bullets from an eight-round clip, and a paratrooper might typically jump with 136 total rounds of ammunition. The rifle had a maximum effective range of 440 yards but could still do damage in excess of 1,000 yards. What really made the Garand so effective was its semi-automatic firing. He is seen holding his rifle in his right hand casually as he gestures with his left hand, so you would think this is a soldier behind the front line in his mannerisms.

He is not short of ammunition, with a khaki webbed canvas U.S. M23 Cartridge ten-pocket ammunition belt, as well as the M23 Rifle Cartridge WWII Springfield M1 Garand 10-pocket canvas ammunition belt bandolier.

Versions of the reproduction ammo pouches and bandoleers are below. .
The version with the bare helmet is next, with another all-round view. You notice on this corporal's left-hand sleeve the single stripe and the unit's blue and white badge, painted expertly on the hemlet also by Mr. Tan.
On the sides and rear of his belt, the soldier has the M43 entrenching tool with a wooden handle & folding & locking steel head, an M42 flask with a canvas cover over a Bakelite bottle, and a M42 field dressing pouch.
His pants are of the same material as his field jacket; these are tucked in to the US Army double buckle boots, seen clearly here with the twin straps to tuck the trousers into. Below are a pair of the boots from apparently a real pair on sale on eBay. 

The kit is shipping this coming week, December 10th...
You can now purchase all of this from the Alpine Miniatures Online Store or their distributors worldwide. If you are in the USA, you can now purchase Alpine products directly from their online store with free shipping (within the US) on all orders.