A book; Commandos from the Sea

Commandos from the Sea; John B Dwyer, Paladin Press

'The first amphibious operation in US military history occurred in March 1776...' this book begins and the rest is history, as they say. This is an eye witness account of the build up, training and operational roles of the US amphibious commandos. Ever heard of the Scouts & Raiders, Naval Combat Demolition units, Underwater Demolition Teams, Unit Robby, Phib Recon Marines or Beach Jumpers? Of the units mentioned, only UDTs were known to me. This book is in a big size and not many photos are included so there is the more to read and learn from.

Recommended.

On the bench; LCM 3, Operation Torch 1942, part 2

After a good base layer of black I airbrushed brown earth in a grid pattern to break up the monotony.

As you can see the hull has now a layer of white in a number of shades. A compact layer wouldn't be fun to watch so I had to work on it a bit .

Now I'll let everything rest a couple of days, have a new look at things, touch up areas I think need a bit more paint and then carry on doing the top sides. Dark grey, anyone?

A book; The World Encyclopedia of Amphibious Warfare Vessels

The Wold Encyclopedia of Amphibious Warfare Vessels; by Bernard Ireland, Lorenz Books


I have been searching high and low for quite some time  for an encyclopedia containing and comparing most, if not all, amphibious vessels. Now, i got it! The first 90 pages are texts on amphibious landings of different kinds and tactics, planning, logistics etc. The following 150 pages are dedicated to ships, various landing crafts and air cushion vehicles. Almost every type is getting one or two pages each for history, use and development. If you thought LCMs and LSTs were the only vessels for amphibious operations, please rethink! The book concentrate on the large countries capabilities but misses out totally on smaller crafts from smaller countries like the Swedish CB 90, now in use in half a dozen countries. The US Navy and Royal Marines have or are planning for including this nimble little boat in their inventories.  A Norwegian CB 90 is on one of the opening pages in this book so it's only half an omission! Read more about Combat Boat 90 here.

Much recommended.

A book; British Commandos

British Commandos in Action, Squadron/Signal


A smashing little publication on the British Commandos in action. Weapons, training, equipment, battle dress, transportation and so on is covered. All operations including commandos are accounted for. I especially appreciate the Vågsö, St Nazaire and Madagascar chapters as they are not too well known. This is a thin but well packed publication on the hardest of hard men. Few things symbolize true amphibious operations as well as the commandos.

Much recommended.

Japanese propaganda art 1904

Went to the military archives yesterday to dig a bit. Doing a bit of research on amphibious vehicles in Sweden but it's hard work and takes a lot of time. Didn't find much useful but just before leaving I cast my eyes on this post card. It is a reproduction of propaganda art from the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05. The scene is from the landing on May 5:th, 1904 at Hishika peninsula in China. No copyright holder or artist name on the post card.

A bunch of things since last time

Yes, it´s been a while now since last time. Not much time to spare and a final push to have something to show at the Modellexpo 08 Open in Stockholm last weekend took all my effort. I searched the tables for some amphibious related models but the only one was my LCVP from Pegasus. What a shame! This has to be changed from now on, I have to get on with my mission of letting the world be aware of all things amphibious. If you're curious about the model show you'll find the class winners here.

Now, what did I find on the show then. Well, there was a couple of books on Dunkirk, a sure must have as an amphibious freak.

DUNKIRK, The Great Escape by AJ Barker...

...and the comic novel Dunkerque by Pierre Dupios. The first is in English and the second is in Swedish. I'll get back to theese two a bit later.

Three of Osprey's books on amphibious matters found their way into my shopping bag; The Rhine crossings 1945, Anzio 1944 and US WW2 Amphibious tactics. Great reading this spring.

And last but not least, a T-37A from Ukrainian firm Fort /LF Models. This is a model kit I've never heard of before and a pleasant surprise.