8.8 cm Flak 36 batteries at Guernsey

Mainly manned by Luftwaffe men of Flak Regiment 292, the multi purpose 8.8 cm Flak 36 were the main defense with a 7,500m effective range, located in six Guernsey Island batteries and controlled by radar direction finding equipment, backed up by 150 cm searchlights.Two batteries were to Fortress-quality positions; the remaining four were in field emplacements. L’Ancresse common has, in the middle of the golf course, the six gun Flak Battery Dolman, in concrete emplacements that could be used for a dual purpose as they commanded sea approaches with a 14,000m effective range. The crew room and ammunition store was below each open gun placement. The battery had its own Würzburg Dora radar position and command bunker. The plastic soldiers are produced by CTS.

 

Edler Schweizer Ritter Othon, Soldier and Diplomat, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands

The Edler Schweizer Ritter Othon monument, Soldier and Diplomat,at St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands. Otto de Grandson,also spelled Otton, Othon or Otho (c. 1238–1328), was the most prominent of the Savoyard knights in the service of Edward I, King of England. He was the closest personal friend of Edward, and shared the king's many interests. The son of Pierre, lord of Grandson near Lausanne, the young Otto travelled to England probably in the company of Peter II of Savoy in 1252, certainly not later than 1265. There he entered the service of King Henry III and by 1267 was placed in the household of Prince Edward. In return for likely service for Prince Edward at the battles of Lewes and Evesham he was rewarded with property at Queenhithe in London. In 1268 both prince and servant were knighted and in 1271 the latter accompanied his lord on the Ninth Crusade, where he served at Acre that year. According to one source, it was Otto, not Eleanor of Castile, who sucked the poison from the wounded Edward after an attempted assassination. In 1272 Otto was appointed an executor in Acre. Returning to England, he was a key household knight of King Edward I in his campaigns in Scotland and Wales, where he served as chief justiciar of Wales, based at Caernarfon Castle from 1284 to 1294. During the Welsh Wars of King Edward I Otto was very active diplomatically and militarily, beginning with the siege of Dolforwyn Castle in April 1277. On behalf of Edward, he concluded the Treaty of Aberconwy in November that brought the invasion of Wales in 1277 to an end. In 1278, he was appointed King's Lieutenant in the Duchy by Edward and sent to the Duchy of Gascony along with Robert Burnel. to reform the government He was also employed as a diplomat and gained contacts with most of the sovereigns of western Europe. During the second invasion of Wales in 1282–83 he narrowly escaped death at the battle of Moel-y-don before in April 1283 taking the town of Harlech at the head of 560 infantry. In 1283 he was briefly in the employ of Edmund Crouchback, the king's younger brother, for diplomatic work. It was said that no one could do the king's will better, including the king himself. He was appointed governor of the Channel Islands and in 1290 appointed a bailiff for each of the bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey, giving them civil powers to administer the islands. In the spring of 1328, the ninety-year-old knight set out tor one last trip to Rome. Close to Aigle, he was taken ill. On 5 April 1328, he died.

PGH Effelder and Lineol DDR NVA army soldiers (50s)

These DDR NVA army soldiers were produced by PGH Effelder and Lineol in 50s. The T34 with a clockwork drive (spring drive), was manufactured by MSB.

World's largest collection of toy soldiers is to be auctioned - Daily Mail

April 19 2018 .World's largest collection of 250,000 toy soldiers is to be auctioned - Daily Mail The figures, made out of materials including lead, metal and plastic, belonged to Carmelo Mazzotta, of Brislington, Bristol, who died of leukaemia aged 55. Carmelo Mazzotta began collecting toy soldiers as a boy and dedicated his life to them. Alongside the soldiers, the collection features accessories ranging from miniature forts and weapons to planes and trees. Most of the soldiers stand between one and two inches tall, although some are larger. As well as the floor space in the double garage, there was also a mezzanine floor - and four shelves wrapped around the side of the garage - filled with the figures.
The collection, some of which was displayed in their individual regiments in the garage, is understood to be the biggest in the world ever to go to auction.

Please use the link below to watch the Daily Mail video:

The Trebuchet and the Mangonel models from the Story of Castle Cornet museum at Guernsey

The Trebuchet first appeared in the 12th Century, and there were several variants. This type relied on a large box of stones as a counterweight, which when the machine was triggered, would hurl a missile through the air. The model scale is 1:15.

The Mangonel was a siege engine in which the torsion created by a wooden beam between twisted ropes, when hurl a large stone ball. Although useful against fortifications, the Mangonel was also used by defenders, and one is believed to have been fitted inside Castle Cornet. Scale 1:15.

Hasbro G.I Joe action figures commercial 1960s

This is one of  the earliest of the Hasbro G.I. Joe action figures commercials directed by Herb Dietz.

Please use the link below to see the commercial video :

Mont Orgueil (Gorey Castle) and plastic knights (Part 3)

Mont Orgueil (Gorey Castle) at Jersey and plastic crusaders from Biplant.

Visiting the WW2 German underground hospital (Hohlgangsanlage 8) at Guernsey

The largest construction in the Channel Islands at 7,000 square metres, the underground hospital was hewn out of solid rock.Construction began in the winter of 1940 and was built underground so as not to be seen by overhead planes given the site was also used as an ammunition store.The photographed plastic German soldiers are from CTS and TSSD.

Mont Orgueil (Gorey Castle) and plastic knights (Part 2)

Mont Orgueil (Gorey Castle) at Jersey and plastic crusaders from Biplant.

Visiting the Battery Moltke at Jersey

Battery Moltke is an uncompleted World War II former coastal artillery battery in St Ouen in the north west of Jersey. It was constructed by Organisation Todt for the Wehrmacht during the Occupation of the Channel Islands. The battery structures include bunkers, gun emplacements and the Marine Peilstand 3 tower, which are located on Les Landes, a coastal heathland area at the north end of St Ouen's Bay. Four captured French Canon de 155mm GPF, known as the 15.5 cm K 418(f) by the Germans, were located at Moltke. One of the original guns can be seen there today. These guns could be fully rotated to fire in any direction. They had a maximum range of around 19,500 m. The primary purpose of this battery would have been the defence of St Ouen's Bay in the event of an amphibious assault by the Allies, although Jersey's entire coastline would have been within range of the guns, as would the stretch of water between Jersey and Sark. The photographed toy soldiers are made by Classic Toy Soldiers (CTS) and TSSD.

DDR Tank model T-54 Tank model of the Soviet T-54 with cable remote control

Tank model T-54 Tank model of the Soviet T-54 with cable remote control (Bakelite housing) . The model is battery operated and has a wooden  cannon.

Please see more the tank photos from the DDR Berlin museum:

A knitted depiction of the Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781

The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781 is a 1783 large oil painting by John Singleton Copley. It depicts the death of Major Francis Peirson at the Battle of Jersey on 6 January 1781. This is a knitted depiction of this painting  made by Nancy Le Clerq in 1987 (Jersey Museum & Art Gallery).

Mont Orgueil (Gorey Castle) and plastic knights

The Mont Orgueil castle (Gorey Castle ) in Jersey had been fortified in the prehistoric period, but the construction of the castle was undertaken following the division of the Duchy of Normandy in 1204. The castle was first mentioned in 1212. The photographed  plastic knights are French and English crusaders from Sunjade.