Verlinden Modeling Magazine Vol.3 No.1

Anyone involved in warfare operations will tell you that logistics and troop support can be vitally important in any conflict. This was all too well illustrated during WWII when roads across Europe were packed with convoys moving in either direction in support of the fighting GI's. This was somewhat different in Viet Nam where, because of the primitive road conditions, other means of transportation had to be found. For one there was the helicopter which turned out to play a primary role throughout the war ranging from MEDEVAC carriers to heavily armed gunships. The river seemed to be the alternative to ensure swift deployment of troops and equipment, or to perform patrol duties along the dense river banks. Apart from a few books and a brief appearance in some Hollywood movies, little has been shown on one of the more interesting aspects of the Viet Nam War, RIVERINE WARFARE. This may be the reason why modelers have not been requesting more kits of boats and other floating craft. Many modelers, fascinated by the subject had to convert existing kits or scratchbuild their own, both requiring endless hours of work.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Verlinden Modeling Magazine Vol.2 No.2

One of the least successful battles of WWII (from the allied viewpoint) was "Operation Market Garden". Although the goal of the operation was commendable and the setup was very promising. the outcome was not what the generals had expected. Operation Market Garden was a twofold undertaking. The airborne part, called Market, involved the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the British 1st Airborne Division who would take all key bridges along the invasion road which would be used by Montgomery's 2nd Army to push through the Siegfried Line stronghold and into Germany (a ground operation called Garden). On 10 September, only six days before the actual invasion. MGen R.E.Urquhart (1st Airborne) was given orders to plan the invasion. Intelligence reports, which turned out to be wrong, indicated little or no German resistance. On top of that, some British officer carried the complete plans of the operation with him, while his glider was shot down. The information carried allowed the- Germans to take evasive action under the command of General-oberst Kurt Student, who was an expert in airborne tactics. Underestimating the German strength in the region, the slow speed of XXX Corps moving along the roads (due to heavy resistance) and airborne drops too far from the objectives were some of the mistakes leading to the lost battle. Few people could foresee the prophecy of LtGen Browning's words when he was claiming "This time we may be going a bridge too far".

Download (depositfiles.com)

Model Railroad News 04 2009

MICRO-TRAINS has delivered the first release of their new Z-scale American Car 8c Foundry Smoothsidc 85-foot Passenger Cars. Decorated for the Union Pacific, the series includes a 44-seat coach, a dome observation car, a sleeper, and a combination baggage/mail car. The cars should be at your favorite Micro-Trains reseller. A second release was issued in February decorated for the Illinois Central. This month, the folks up in Talent are scheduled to release a set of Great Northern cars. Alaska Railroad cars and Amtrak cars are planned tor May and June, respectively. American Car & Foundry came into being when thirteen car builders merged on March 17, 1899. Like everyone else at the time, ACF originally built their railcars primarily from wood, but that changed in 1904 when the company delivered the world's first all-steel passenger car to New York City's Interborough Rapid Transit System. By 1912, all ACF passenger cars were built of steel. The company grew to become one of the leading suppliers of railroad passenger cars. Following a period of diversification, the company changed its name to ACF Industries in 1954 and built its last passenger car in 1959.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Verlinden Modeling Magazine Vol.1 No.4

The value of a bulldozer for removing obstacles or debris became clear in WWII. The advantage of having such a device mounted on a combat tank, which in the mean time regained its fire power, was even greater. In WWII, dozer blades were mounted on the M4 Sherman which on many occasions came to the aid of stranded convoys while under fire, capable of anticipating any hostile threat. After WWII, dozer blade kits were mounted to the M46 and M47 tanks to further improve the system, but test results were considered to be unsatisfactory. However, when the M48 tank became available, a standardized M8 bulldozer blade assembly was fitted and more test runs were accomplished. This was in the late 1960's. Fitting of the bulldozer blade to the M48 called for a complex installation of the hydraulic feed lines to operate the blade assembly. With the arrival of the new M60 tank series, a study was made to simplify the hydraulic feed system. A modified version of the M8 blade, designated M9, only needed one hydraulic reservoir mounted on the left rear fender and dual feed lines running underneath the hull to the front of the vehicle. The M9 type bulldozer blade became the standard configuration and was also used on the M728 CEV (although with a different installation kit), an M60 derivative with a 165mm demolition gun in lieu of the 105mm gun and an operating boom/winch assembly fitted to the front side slopes of the turret.

Download (depositfiles.com)