Tank vs Dice - Part I

A few weeks ago, I bought on the “Dice Shop” (http://www.thediceshoponline.com/) some die with the logos of the WWII armies.

They look good next to my miniatures and they look stunning on any table game, do you agree?

 Marder III - Dragon kit 1/144

In the summer of 1941, Germany's invasion of Russia was unfolding favorably for the Wehrmacht. However, German authorities began to notice the inferiority of their tanks and anti-tank weaponry to those of the Soviet army, such as the T34. To cope with this disparity they decided to: improve the Pz.Kpfw.III and Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks; develop new tanks; and increase production of the 7.5cm anti-tank cannon. Finally, as an interim solution, it was decided to improved captured Russian 7.62cm anti-tank cannons and deploy them for Wehrmacht use. These fearsome cannons could penetrate 83mm armor plating at a range of 1000m, but after improvement, could penetrate up to 122mm, and were renamed 7.62cm Pak36(r) gun. Until the new tanks were ready for deployment, 7.62cm Pak36(r) guns were to be mounted on the chassis of obsolete Pz.Kpfw.II and Pz.Kpfw.38(t) tanks for the creation of a stopgap tank hunter. The 38(t) tanks were based on the LtVz.38 tank, which was developed for use by the Czech company CKD (later BMM) for the Czech army in 1938. In 1939, with the annexation of Czechoslovakia, this tank went into production for the Wehrmacht. The base this Czech-made tank was combined with the Soviet 7.62cm Pak36(r) gun, resulting in the creation the Wehrmacht's fearsome tank hunter, the Marder III Sd.Kfz.139. The turret base of the Pk.Kpfw.38(t) was removed and a 16mm steel plate was attached in its place. The Soviet 7.62cm Pak36(r) gun was mounted on that plate, 11mm armor plating installed to the front and sides, and massive stirrups immobilized the gun.

 M10 TD - WGS kit 1/144

The first Tank Destroyer Battalions entered combat in the North African campaign in November 1942 equipped with the M3 Half-track mounted with an exposed 75mm gun.  This clumsy expedient was quickly replaced by the M10 Tank Destroyer.  The TD was purpose built as a fully tracked tank armed with a flat trajectory long barrel 3 inch main gun.  Using the American M10A1 motor carriage, the M10 went into production in 1942.  This was the same chassis used in the M4 Sherman tank.  Mounted on this chassis was a fully traversable open-top turret housing this 3-inch high-velocity gun.  Over 6,000 were built in the USA by war's end.  The British version was called the Wolverine. In 1944 the 3-inch gun was replaced by a more powerful 76mm gun.  This improvement made the weapon capable of destroying late model heavily armed German tanks like the Panther and Tiger.

JF