Sturmartillerie Crewman - Sturmgeschütze, Panzerjäger, and Panzerartillerie

Published: August 3, 2025
Book Author(s): Simon Forty and Richard Charlton Taylor
Company: Casemate Publishers

The U.S. Army’s Tactical and Technical Trends (Vol. I, No. 11: July 1943) quoted Red Army sources,

The Germans make extensive use of self-propelled guns as assault artillery. Their most important mission is to destroy the opposition’s antitank and heavy infantry weapons… Assault batteries, which are assigned a limited number of targets, have the mission of supporting the attacks of the infantry, and of destroying the opposition’s heavy infantry weapons and strong points disclosed during the attack. In supporting tank attacks, the self-propelled artillery assumes some of the normal tasks of heavier tanks, including the destruction of antitank guns.

While the German Army was largely a horse-drawn army, the Germans focused, and relied on,… more

Acrylic Paint Set for WWII US Naval Aviation

Published: July 29, 2025
Company: ICM

ICM continues to be prolific with their production of both model kits and paint sets. This Acrylic Paint Set for WWII US Naval Aviation continues their trend, and it consists of six 12ml, wide-mouthed, paint bottles. The packaging includes a picture of a Douglas SBD (Scout Bomber Douglas) Dauntless in an early war scheme of pale blue over light gray two-tone scheme on the front. The back shows both the SBD Dauntless and a Grumman TBF-1C Avenger in Measure 22 (light gray over white, primarily used in the Atlantic Theater during 1943-1944), with the color call-outs noted. These paints are designed to be used on early World War II US Naval aircraft. The paint colors include the following:

• Camouflage Green (No. 1071)
• Pale Blue (No. 1074)
• Sky Grey (No. 1033)
… more

PE/Resin Set for M5A1 Stuart (Tamiya)

Published: July 14, 2025
Company: Hauler

Tamiya kits are known for their ease of building and detail. There are some tradeoffs that come with that philosophy, particularly with engine screens and other small metal parts on the real vehicle. While the base Tamiya kit is great out of the box, there is always room for more detail, and this Hauler kit does not disappoint.

This PE set fills that void and takes the Tamiya 1/48 M5A1 Stuart (Kit No. 32606) to the next level. This set includes two PE frets (A (1 ⁵/₈” x 2 ¼”) containing the M1919 MG mount, ammo can, periscope cages, spare track hangers, light guards, grab handles, etc.; and B (1 ³/₁₆” x 1 ⁵/₁₆”) containing the four engine screens and tool tie downs, and a resin sprue with onboard tools and M2 HMG… more

Curtiss Kittyhawks in the Soviet Far North 1941-45: Volume 1 - Origins and Early Combat Operations, 1942–May 1944

Published: July 6, 2025
Book Author(s): Andrey Latkin
Company: Helion & Company

Author Andrey Latkin writes,

Introduced through the Allied Lend-Lease program, the Kittyhawk entered Soviet service in the Artic in 1942. This volume explores the logistical hurdles of maintaining and operating these American-built aircraft in extreme northern conditions, and details their early missions supporting convoy protection, intercepting German bombers, and later, transitioning into reconnaissance and fighter-bomber roles.

This 76-page book is a part of Helion & Company’s @War Series. Curtiss Kittyhawks in the Soviet Far North 1941-45: Volume 1 -Origins and Early Combat Operations, 1942–May 1944 (Helion No. HEL2004) is outlined in the familiar @War format and is a little light in black and white photographs (not surprising given how… more

Araguaia War, Volume 2: Counterinsurgency Operations Against the Communist Guerilla in Brazil, 1967-1974. Counterinsurgency and Legacy: The Struggle for Control in Araguaia

Published: June 30, 2025
Book Author(s): Antonio Luis Sapienza
Company: Helion & Company

This is the second volume on the Brazil’s Araguaia War. The author, Antonio Luis Sapienza wrote,

In Volume 1, the military regimes that ruled Brazil during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s were examined. This included an overview of the various guerilla groups operating within Brazil, as well as an analysis of the military strength of the Brazilian armed forces. This current volume focuses on the operational aspects of the conflict, detailing the guerilla actions and the military operations that ultimately dismantled these groups. The efforts targeted not only the guerillas in the Amazon region but also the urban factions. The military government’s directive was explicitly to ‘wipe them off the map’ at any cost, or, as they phrased it, to ‘root out the communist cancer’ – a… more

Acrylic Paint Set for US Special Operations Aircraft

Published: June 30, 2025
Company: ICM

ICM continues to be prolific with both kits and paint sets. The Acrylic Paint Set for US Special Operations Aircraft continues this trend and consists of six 12ml wide mouthed paint bottles. These paints are designed to be used with the following ICM kits (48290 – Cessna O-2A Skymaster; 48278 – B-26K Counter Invader (Early); and 48279 – B-26K Counter Invader). The colors include:

• Deep Green (No. 1009)
• US Dark Green (No. 1072)
• Extra Dark Green (No. 1069)
• Tan Earth (No. 1058)
• Rubber Black (No. 1039)
• Sky Grey (No. 1033)

Painting instructions are on the side of the packaging, stating

• Shake well before use
• Paint is prepared for a brush, for the airbrush dilute… more

The Crimean Offensive, 1944 - The Russian Battle for the Crimea

Published: June 15, 2025
Book Author(s): Ian Baxter
Company: Casemate Publishers

Ever since the German war machine occupied the Crimea in 1942, Hitler had been obsessed with the peninsula. In his eyes, the Crimea was the gateway to the Black Sea and the Romanian oilfields, on which his armies depended, and which were within distance of Crimean airbases. Hitler often referred to the Crimea as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier,” and for that reason, he said it was imperative to hold on to the peninsula at all costs

The Crimean Campaign was fought by German and Romanian forces as a part of Operation Barbarossa in late September 1941. While most Soviet forces were defeated, the Siege of Sevastopol lasted until early July 1942. The German 17^th Army garrisoned Crimea with assistance from Romanian troops until the 4^th… more

Acrylic Paint Set for Special Forces

Published: June 13, 2025
Company: ICM

ICM continues to be prolific with both kits and paint sets. The Acrylic Paint Set for Special Forces is no exception and consists of six 12ml paint bottles that are surprisingly not dropper-top style but are rather wide-mouthed. These paints are designed to be used with the following ICM kits (16101 – S.W.A.T. Team Leader; 16102 – IDF K-9 Unitz “OKETZ”; and 16103 – Delta Force Fighter, Mogadishu, 1993). The colors include:

• Black (No. 1002)
• Buff (No. 1032)
• Green Ochre (No. 1059)
• Camouflage Green (No. 1071)
• Tan Earth (No. 1058)
• Dark Blue (No. 1077)

Painting instructions are on the side of the packaging, stating

• Shake well before use
• Paint is prepared for a brush, for the… more

The Waffen-SS in Poland, 1939

Published: June 12, 2025
Book Author(s): Massimiliano Afiero
Company: Casemate Publishers

This book does a lot to dispel some of the myths of the “easy” German invasion of Poland. While it does so, it is also not the focus of the book, but rather the nascent Waffen-SS evolving into a military arm of the Nazi war machine. Author Massimiliano Afiero writes,

In September 1939, the Waffen-SS was effectively only three regiments plus several hodgepodge units. Poland would be its baptism of fire: during the campaign, SS combat units participated in operations attached to formations of the Heer. Still considered more parade troops than frontline soldiers, they did not prove a decisive factor in the fighting, but the campaign was important for their transformation into real fighting units.

By 1937 the SS was divided into three branches: the… more

Tank Craft 45: Nashorn Self-Propelled Tank Destroyer, German Army, Eastern Front 1943-1945

Published: May 27, 2025
Book Author(s): Dennis Olver
Company: Pen & Sword

Tank Craft 45: Nashorn Self-Propelled Tank Destroyer, German Army, Eastern Front 1943-1945 outlines the history, development, and use of this dedicated self-propelled gun. Initially named the Hornisse (Hornet - also the name of the Me-410 heavy fighter/fast bomber), it was soon renamed the Nashorn (pronounced Nahz-horn – Rhinoceros). From the earliest days of Operation Barbarossa, it became apparent that the German anti-tank guns of the time were underpowered, and towing them into position was problematic. The 88mm flak guns were soon given the successful anti-tank gun role. In June 1942, the 8.8cm Flak 41 entered production, and it had superior range and performance to its predecessors. It was decided to produce both a towed and self-propelled version for testing. This is the story of… more