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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, as the German column advanced from upper left to lower right.