Bases by Bill produces display bases, display cases, and associated products. This particular item is part of their Painted Display Bases line. It is made of hardwood cut in a 10” diameter round shape with a thickness of ~¾”. The base is painted on the top and sides, with this particular one displaying the Messerschmitt logo in black and white. Quality is very good. The paint finish has a light satin coat. It looks durable. The bottom is sanded smooth and has a horizontal keyhole slot cut toward the upper side so that it can be hung on a wall.

The German Operation Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine), also called the Ardennenoffensive (Ardennes Offensive) occurred from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945, launched in the same area as the German 1940 attack on France, through the densely forested area between Belgium and Luxembourg. At this late stage in the war, the German military realized the only hope of stemming the Russian assault, which paused only when they outran their supply lines, was to force the Allies to surrender or accept a separate peace. Germany realized that a sudden, swift attack into this lightly held area was the only way they had any chance for success. The goal was the capture of the Belgian port of Antwerp, which would increase Allied supply lines and have the secondary effect of splitting four allied armies.

Hungary found itself on the losing side of World War I and the Treaty of Trianon was similar to the Treaty of Versailles imposed on Germany. As a result, Hungary was partitioned (see map on page 5) and reduced from 282,000 square kilometers to 93,000 square kilometers and its population from 18 million to 9.5 million people, absorbed by foreign countries hostile to Hungary; Hungary’s industrial base was reduced by almost 80%, and its military was limited in size and scope. Hungary’s involvement in World War II was seen through the lens of regaining their lost territories from Slovakia, Romania, Austria, and Yugoslavia. When political methods didn’t work, Hungary’s limited military did what it could, but soon found itself allied with Germany to achieve its aims.

Headlines: Cold War Intrigue. Secret MilOps. Prison Camp Raid! Merry Band of Mercs & Rebels Overthrowing a Corrupt Regime. Freedom Fighters vs. Commies. Sean-Connery-James-Bond Style / Peter Graves Style Mission Impossible Skullduggery. Government Disavowal of Actions. Records Expunged. Postmortem Analysis From Forgotten Document.

Guinea is the setting of this Africa@War Series book, describing the little-known commando assault by Portuguese and Guinean ex-pats to overthrow the current government and rescue Portuguese prisoners to thwart the Guinea guerilla tactics trying to overthrow and absorb neighboring Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau).

For the visually inspired, this is the perfect format. This volume is 40 pages of color renderings of six different Mig fighter versions, 15,17,19,21,23 and 29. Each type has one four-view layout to assist with camo patterns where applicable. The renderings are very well done with a slightly worn appearance to them. As the series title indicates, a small decal sheet is included with national markings for Polish, East German or Czechoslovakian Mig 15 or 17s in 1/72 or 1/48 scales. These have a very glossy appearance I’ve encountered with decals from Eastern European manufacturers before, so I tested them on a scrap part. You'll have to be very careful where you use these. Even with aggressive decal solvents, they didn’t want to settle into panel lines. They worked on a smooth surface and the film did not silver. For the money, I would have rather a decal sheet with a couple complete aircraft insignias including bort numbers.