DISPATCHES
March 2017
Hong Kong 26, February 2017. Outside it’s a cool, relatively clear winter’s day but in a few days’
time I will be heading off to Australia where it’s late summer to meet with
dealers and collectors in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne.
But, as usual, before all of that ... there is all of this
...
1. ARRIVING THIS MONTH ...
A. “Aayo Gurkhali!” (The
Gurkha Battlecry)
FOR MORE THAN 200 years, The Gurkhas, the fighting men from the hills of
Nepal, have been loyal and brave soldiers of the British Army.
Originally recruited by the British East India Company in 1815
they were first incorporated into the Indian Army in 1857 after The
Great Mutiny.
By the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939, 10
regiments had been formed, each of 2 x battalions.
Following the evacuation of Dunkirk and the Fall of France in
June 1940 another 15 x battalions were raised and, by the
end of the war a total of 43 were in action.
INDIAN INDEPENDENCE
After India gained its independence in 1947 the original 10
Gurkha Regiments were divided between India and Great Britain with the
former retaining 6 and the latter 4.
MALAYA 1941 / 42
During the Japanese attack on Malaya and Singapore in 1941
and into 1942, several Gurkha battalions fought stubbornly and bravely in that
ill-fated campaign ... and suffered accordingly.
After the defeat in Malaya and the fall of
Singapore many Indian troops were coopted into the pro Japanese ‘Indian
National Army’ ... Not one Gurkha however joined them ... all remained
loyal to their own regiments and the British Crown.
GURKHAS IN ACTION
King & Country’s
newest battlefield figures show a Gurkha patrol taking on
the Japanese somewhere on the Malayan peninsula.
6 x Individual fighting Gurkhas,
led by their British officer are available as is one 2-man set
where a Gurkha rifleman is about to decapitate a Japanese soldier using his
famous “Kukri” knife!
These new additions to the series depicting the war in South East Asia
provide even more variety and excitement to an area seldom covered in the world
of toy soldiers and military miniatures.
FOB144 “British
/ Gurkha Officer firing Tommy Gun”
Up until today the majority of Officers in Gurkha Regiments have always
been British. Among the most famous officers who served as a Gurkha was Field
Marshal Sir William ‘Bill” Slim, who commanded the British 14th
Army in Burma during the later part of
WW2.
Our officer takes careful aim with his Thompson
submachine gun.
FOB145 “Gurkha Standing firing Rifle”
Marksmanship is highly-prized in Gurkha
Regiments and Gurkhas have always been among the very best ‘shots’ in the
British Army.
FOB146 “Gurkha
Attacking with Kukri”
Having unsheathed his famous fighting knife
this Gurkha has to ‘draw blood’ from his enemy ... usually fatally!
FOB147 “Gurkha
Kneeling firing Rifle”
This Gurkha adopts the second-most popular firing position.
FOB148 “Gurkha
Lying Prone firing Rifle”
The number-one most popular shooting
position.
FOB149 “Gurkha
firing Bren Gun”
Although not the easiest position to fire
the Bren from ... Firing from the hip, in an emergency, still results in
enemy casualties!
FOB150 “Gurkha
Killing Japanese”
On a man-for-man basis the little Gurkha is
more than a match for any ‘Son of Nippon’. Although the Japanese
like using their bayonets they were not-so-fond of being on the receiving end
of a Gurkha armed with a Kukri.
AVAILABLE : Early March
B. NOTTINGHAM’s TOP BRASS
From the lush green jungle
of Malaya in 1941 to the lush green fields and forests around Nottingham
during the cruel reign of Prince John and his evil henchmen ...
RH029 “The High Sheriff of Nottingham”
One of Robin Hood’s most
implacable foes and a dangerous man to have as
an enemy!
In movies he has been best portrayed by the late Alan Rickman in “Robin
Hood, Prince of Thieves” and also Aussie actor, Peter Finch
in “The Story of Robin Hood & His Merrie Men”. And now,
here’s our interpretation ... suave, sophisticated and ... decidedly
dangerous!
RH030 “The Bishop of Nottingham”
Next to
the Sheriff, the second most powerful man in Nottingham and the
surrounding shire.
Also perhaps, the richest and best fed.
Here, our portly and prosperous churchman gives up a small portion of
his wealth as Robin & His Merrie Men invite him to be a ‘guest’ at one of
their forest feasts.
AVAILABLE : Early March
C. NORMANDY & NORTHWEST EUROPE
After the D.DAY invasion as
Allied troops fought their way off the beaches and into the Norman countryside
it was more essential than ever to have good reconnaissance ahead of your
advancing forces to help seek out the enemy, their strength and their position.
Specialized recon and scouting units used their own kinds of vehicles to help
perform this vital task.
One of the best vehicles used in this role was the Daimler Armoured Car ...
DD304 “The Daimler MK. II Armoured Car”
This was one of the most successful
British military designs of WW2. Conceived in parallel development to the
Daimler “Dingo”Scout Car this heavier armoured car mounted a 2 pdr. Quick Firing cannon alongside a
coaxial Besa 7.92 machine gun in the turret.
Occasionally a Bren Gun might also be added
atop the turret for anti- aircraft defense.
After
the success of our “Desert” version K&C decided to produce a second
one for Northwest Europe. Produced in typical British olive drab
this new version is in the markings of 44 Brigade belonging to XXX
Corps which fought all the way from Normandy through France,
into Holland and finally all the way up to Northern Germany by
war’s end.
Our K& C model comes with an NCO vehicle commander belonging to the famous
11TH Hussars.
AVAILABLE: Early March
D. “KIWIS
& TURKS”
As many collectors know our
K& C series based on the exploits of the Australian Light Horse
has been very popular not just in Australia ... but all over the world. Fighting
alongside the Australians in Palestine, Gallipoli, Egypt and the Western
Front were their Antipodean ‘cousins’... The New Zealanders.
Although
then as now New Zealand is a relatively small country (in terms of
population) it has provided many thousands of fine fighting men in both
world wars and other conflicts.
In 1914 it offered its best volunteers to help support the “Mother Country”
in its war against Germany. Among those soldiers were the men of their
own “Mounted Rifle Regiments” who performed in the same military
role as Australia’s Light Horse units.
After arriving in Egypt in 1915 they helped form the very first joint ANZAC
* mounted division.
*Australian
New Zealand Army Corps
Over
the years since we introduced our Light Horse figures we have been
requested to design and release some of their Kiwi cousins ... and this is
them.
AL072 “Dismounted Rifleman”
In appearance the uniform
of the NZ Mounted Rifles volunteers was not dissimilar to the Australian
Light Horse. Both wore a slouch hat although the ‘Kiwi’
trooper does not have an emu feather in his hat band but instead has the
Khaki pugree (hatband) with a forest green
stripe in the centre.
In addition the New Zealanders wore cloth puttees instead of the Aussies
leather leggings.
Our figure is also in ‘shirtsleeve’ order wearing the army blue / grey
collarless shirt together with braces and belt holding up his khaki
trousers. Across his chest he wears the mounted troops
ammunition bandoleer. His rifle is the standard SMLE (Short
Magazine Lee Enfield) .303 rifle.
AL073 “Kiwi Flagbearer”
This mounted rifleman
carries the National Flag.
AL074 “Mounted Kiwi Charging w/Rifle”
Galloping forward into the charge
this soldier has already fixed his bayonet to his rifle.
AL075 “Mounted Kiwi Charging w/Rifle#2”
A second
“Galloper,” rifle and bayonet pointing towards the enemy.
*AL086 “Mounted Officer w /Pistol”
Service revolver thrust forward this officer leads his men in the charge.
*To be released in April. All other New Zealand
Mounted Rifles figures available in Mid March.
“JOHNNY TURKS”
Both the Australians and the New Zealanders had a healthy respect
for the fighting qualities of their Turkish opponents who they fought on
numerous occasions throughout the Middle Eastern campaign ... Here are some new
Turkish reinforcements ...
AL080 “Turkish Officer w/ Pistol & Binos”
Looking out for the
advancing ANZACS this officer stands ready with his German Naval
Luger by his side.
AL081 “Turkish NCO Aiming Rifle”
Wearing a colourful red fez this Turkish non-commissioned officer
takes careful aim.
AL082
“Kneeling Firing Johnny Turk”
A kneeling Turkish Soldier
with rifle and bayonet fixed.
AL083
“Turkish Machine Gunner”
Sitting behind his Maxim
machine gun this soldier opens fire on the
enemy.
AL084
“Turkish Soldier Kneeling Reloading”
This kneeling ‘Johnny
Turk’ is working the bolt of his rifle ... extracting an empty cartridge
... chambering a fresh round.
AL085 “Turkish Soldier Standing Firing”
You can never have too many soldiers in your
“firing line”
AVAILABLE: Mid March
E. “DEUTSCHLAND 1933”
On 30 January 1933, Adolf Hitler
formally became Chancellor of Germany. Who could or would have
predicted the next 12 years ...
?
Here, two old
soldiers meet for the last time ... One, Generalfeldmarschall
Paul von Hindenburg hands over the reins of power to a lowly former
corporal ... Adolf Hitler ... soon to be Führer of all Germany!
LAH210 “Taking Power”
A seemingly humble ex-corporal silently
shakes hands with an old general. The General maybe old but he is not
senile ... he detests and despises the little Austrian corporal ... For the
moment though the former corporal will play his part and gracefully accept the
Chancellorship ... but only for the moment.
See what happened
next!
LAH212 “Like Father ... Like Son”
Dressed in their brown
shirt uniforms this father and his small son “Sieg
Heil” the new Chancellor ... and Fuhrer.
AVAILABLE:
Mid March
F. “BEHIND THE FRONTLINES”
From the moment “Operation Barbarossa”
began it was clear that it would be a war and a campaign fought with
ever-increasing barbarity on both sides.
The campaign was driven by
the Nazis ideological desire to conquer the Western
Soviet Union,
drive out the existing population and repopulate it with ethnic
Germans. Any remaining locals would be used as
‘slave labour’ and totally
expendable.
Whether you were fighting the invading Germans or trying to live under
the occupiers your life was totally at the mercy of these members of the master
race ...
WS330 “Do
you know this man?”
Behind the lines a member
of SD (Sicherheitsdienst /
Security Service) unit questions a Russian peasant about a portrait of Lenin
that has been found during a routine search of the man’s cottage.
WS331 “The
Threat!”
Another SD
officer points his pistol menacingly at the unfortunate peasant
...
AVAILABLE: Mid March
G. “REVENGE IS SWEET” ...
By
January 1945 Russian troops had crossed the River Oder and were just 100 miles
from the centre of Berlin!
After years of brutal warfare between both sides in Russia itself it was now
time for the Soviets to inflict their own brand of death and destruction upon
the Reich itself.
RA075
“The Josef Stalin Tank”
The JS-2 was
a Soviet designed and built heavy tank with thick armour
to counter the deadly effectiveness of the legendary 88mm gun.
The JS-2’s own 122mm gun was also powerful enough to knock out
both the Tiger and Panther tanks of the Germans. It was
also a ‘breakthrough’ tank capable of firing a high explosive shell that
could easily penetrate and knock-out entrenchments and concrete and steel
enforced bunkers.
The JS-2 first went into service in April 1944 and was used as
the armoured spearhead of the Red Army’s final assault
on Berlin itself.
Our K&C model is well and truly battletried and
tested and maybe even a little bit battle-weary but it still carries that huge 122mm
main gun and comes complete with 2 x crew figures.
RA076 “Captured!”
A solitary, unarmed German
soldier is roughly handled by his Red Army captor ... He should consider
himself lucky he is only being manhandled because he is Wehrmacht ... If
he was Waffen SS ... He would be
shot out of hand!
AVAILABLE: Late March
2. BEING RETIRED
No retirements
for this month…
Well, that’s us for another month ... Looking forward to The Land of Oz
and meeting up with a whole big bunch of K&C collectors down under ...
In the meantime ... All the best to one and all!
Andy C. Neilson
Co-founder & Creative Director
King & Country Hong Kong