Germany’s early successes in armoured warfare were centred around the intelligent use of combined arms; tanks, artillery, infantry and even aeroplanes working together to outmanoeuvre and overwhelm static and bewildered enemy troops. It is true to say that the mighty German war machine marched to war, but not the Panzergrenadiers!
Mounted in trucks or tanks or like our squad here, in powerful armoured half-tracks, the Panzergrenadiers cleared the way for the main assaults to come. They were kept close to their supporting armour and would use their mobility to advance quickly on the battlefield, overwhelming enemy strong points or bypassing well defended positions for the ‘stubble hoppers’ to mop up.
These Panzergrenadiers are shown in full action, leaping from their Hanomag half-track, to continue a close-in assault on foot. Panzergrenadiers were also known to fire from the vehicle at some speed, though most assaults were carried on foot, with their vehicle’s machine guns adding weight of fire to the final approach.
Models supplied unassembled and unpainted
