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August 06, 2008
| 15mm 1941 US Marines | The first hours and days of the Pacific War saw Japanese forces launching surprise attacks across the Pacific and South East Asia. These included amphibious operations against US forces on Guam, Wake Island, and ultimately the US troops that formed part of MacArthur’s forces on the Philippines.
At Wake Island a Japanese air raid (launched at the same time as the attack on Pearl Harbour) destroyed a number of US Marine aircraft but left the atoll’s meagre shore defences intact. When a Japanese invasion force arrived three days later these shore batteries and the four surviving aircraft successfully drove the Japanese away – sinking two Japanese destroyers with great loss of life. However, the situation remained grim for the island’s 450 US Marine defenders. The air raids continued, vital equipment was in short supply, and a projected US Navy operation to relieve them was aborted by Vice Admiral Pye when intelligence suggested the presence of two Japanese carriers and two battleships in the area. Twelve days after the original assault the Japanese force returned, this time reinforced with 1,500 marines, who managed to force a landing, despite losing two patrol boats. There was then a protracted land battle for the small atoll, during the night and most of the following morning, before the outnumbered US garrison was finally forced to surrender. Although a defeat, the spirited defence remains a proud event in the annuls of US military history, and the success over the first Japanese invasion was the only occasion during World War Two that an amphibious assault was successfully repulsed by shore based guns and aircraft.
Our new miniatures range depicts the US Marines in their late 1941 / early 1942 appearance – wearing leg gaiters and the British style (M1917 Brodie) helmet as opposed to the more familiar M1 helmet worn later in the war. They are equipped with Springfield rifles, Thompson SMG’s, BAR’s, and Browning HMG’s, as well as some slightly more ‘exotic’ weapons for the US Marines at this time – including a Boys Antitank Rifles and several Lewis machineguns. The latter were popular antiaircraft weapons, so Mike has added a Lewis gun on an antiaircraft mount so your troops can blaze away at those Japanese dive bombers!
To supplement this release, our future plans include a small selection of 15mm armed US Sailors, which we intend to release along with a complete range of 15mm 1941 Philippines army figures – all sculpted by the talented Mr Broadbent.
Here are the catalogue details for the new miniatures.
15mm 1941 US Marines (from our 15mm World War Two range) 300WWT120 1941 US Marine with Springfield rifle (8) 300WWT121 1941 US Marine with BAR (2) 300WWT122 1941 US Marine with Thompson SMG (3) 300WWT123 1941 US Marine Browning HMG team, 2 figures (1) 300WWT124 1941 US Marine with Boys anti-tank rifle (1) 300WWT125 1941 US Marine officer (2) 300WWT126 1941 US Marine mortar team, 3 figures (1) 300WWT127 1941 US Marine artillery crew (3) 300WWT128 1941 US Marine with Lewis gun (2) 300WWT129 1941 US Marine with Lewis gun on anti-aircraft mount (1)
Click here to see detailed pictures of this set or to place an order.
Click here to see colour pictures of this range.
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