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WWII - French countryside ambush
image 1 image 2
This display is intended to house a German armoured column moving through the French countryside in WWII, with an ambush set up by Allied (British and US) forces.
The German column includes:
- Panzer IV Ausf. J medium tank
- Sturmgeschutze IV assault gun
- Sturmgeschutze III Ausf. G assault gun
- Panzergrenadiers and assorted troops riding on the armour
Allied forces waiting in ambush include:
- Sherman M4A2 medium tank
- Sherman M4A4 'Firefly' medium tank
- British 6 pounder anti-tank gun x2 and crew
Materials
- 10mm extruded foam board
- 30mm extruded foam board
- PU adhesive
Building the boards
Planning the layout
I started with a few sketches. First I tried to include a water feature; a small stream or brook, with a stone bridge or culvert to cross it. But this proved problematic to flesh-out; it would have meant building up the height of the boards more than I already intended to, to allow enough vertical space for the raised roadway to cross the (lower) stream.
Fig. 1: First plan - this incorporated a small stream.
The second idea did away with the water crossing and added a small hill or mound to the lower left (front) edge. This would allow me to position the British anti-tank gun squad on a raised area.
Fig. 2: Second plan - no stream, but a small hill added for artillery.
Both designs feature a T-junction, with a partially destroyed building on one corner - a perfect place for one of the Sherman tanks to wait, with another of the Allied vehicles waiting further up the adjoining road.