Communications

Modern US Army satellite communications truck.

Matchbox makes this truck in several different versions.  

The only difference is the paint job.

I stripped one down to the metal and made it into an Army version.

Modern armies depend on instant world wide communications .

Space is also an important part of today's warfare.

Geo. Washington

There is no evidence that this unit ever existed, but there is proof of service in the German military of at least a few dozen Americans, including at least one deserter.  So my plan was to keep this unit small, basically a heavily armed platoon.  Here are two troops with a .50 caliber machine gun.  Gun is from Roco and mounted on sheet styrene for greater durability.

I mounted this Roco air cooled machine gun on a German MG mount.  I replaced the air cooled barrel with a water cooled barrel, the air cooled one was broken.  I added ammo can and water can.

Figures have American packs, but German weapons, including a panzerfaust.

The standing figure has a new arm from the Imex US Paratroopers, so he is firing a Colt .45 M1911 pistol.  I gave every figure in this unit at least one piece of American equipment to identify him as belonging to this brigade.

The officer got a new Imex arm.

Grenade thrower and seated soldier.  Some of these troops may serve some of the crew served weapons.  This little group has a lot of weapons, but not really enough to service them all at the same time easily.  I wanted variety but not large numbers.

Troops ready for primer job.

Geo. Washington

These Airfix Germans have been converted into Geo. Washington Brigade SS troops.  German 37mm AT Gun with hollow charge projectile.  Note, more in the box.

They also get a captured US 37mm gun with the same hollow charge on the end of the barrel.

American bazooka and #2 with extra rounds.

American flame thrower from the Esci US Marines set.

Mounted on a Matchbox figure from one of their vehicle sets.

Geo. Washington Brigade

In WWII the Germans tried to get units organized from all the nations of Europe and other nations as well.  They had a small unit of former British soldiers, and a few thousand troops from India serving together as the Indian Legion of the SS.  This is a small unit along those lines.  It is formed by Americans living in Germany when war started in 1939, German / Americans who returned to Germany before the end of 1941, and a few POW's and defectors to the German side.

These are mostly Imex German Infantry with various American bits of equipment.  These first two have Thompson SMGs.  The French deployed the Thompson and the Germans captured many of them.  Both of these figures have American packs and entrenching tools, from Fujimi.

Seated figure is from an Airfix kit.

This guy has pouches and pack from Valiant.

Another Airfix figure from a kit.  He has a .45 from an Imex US Army paratrooper along with the American canteen.

"National" armies often got at least some weapons, equipment or uniform items from their original nation.  French SS troops wore some French uniform items and decorations; former Soviet troops in the PLA carried many Soviet weapons.