Deutsches Zinnfigurenmuseum German Tin Figure Museum (Plassenburg)

The Plassenburg castle (The city of Kulmbach in Bavaria) is home to the largest collection of tin figures in the world. Founded in 1929, the museum now has more than 300,000 individual figures. Around 150 dioramas bring history to life in miniature. Visitors can marvel at classical hunts and encounter Romans, Germanic peoples, knights and lansquenets. They can also witness Frederician and Napoleonic battles, discover foreign continents, meet figures from the world of fairytales or experience the magic of scenes from famous paintings. The world of tin figures offers unlimited opportunities to experiences fantastical journeys and adventures. Photos are sourced from Thomas Quine.

German kampfgruppen

The Kampfgruppe was an ad hoc combined arms formation, usually employing a combination of tanks, infantry, and artillery (including anti-tank) elements, generally organised for a particular task or operation. A Kampfgruppe could range in size from a company to a corps , but the most common was an Abteilung (battalion)-sized formation. Kampfgruppen were generally referred to by either their commanding officer's name or the parent division. Hundreds of German Kampfgruppen are documented to have taken part in operations ranging from a few days to over a year during the war. They left a significant impact in the popular culture and the picture of the Second World War. Famous examples include:Kampfgruppe Peiper, Kampfgruppe Das Reich and Kampfgruppe 1001 Nacht. (Elastolin composition soldiers).

Delusions of Grandeur

A delusion of grandeur is a false or unusual belief about one's greatness. A person may believe, for instance, that they are famous, can end world wars, or that they are immortal. Delusions of grandeur, also called grandiose delusions, often accompany other mental health symptoms, including other delusions...

The 65th Anniversary of DDR National People's Army (Part 2)

More DDR NVA army soldiers from PGH Effelder....

The 65th Anniversary of DDR National People's Army

The National People's Army (Nationale Volksarmee - NVA, German) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), East Germany, from 1956 to 1990.The NVA was organized into four branches: the Landstreitkräfte (Ground Forces), the Volksmarine (Navy), the Luftstreitkräfte (Air Force), and the Grenztruppen (Border Troops). The German Democratic Republic (GDR) established the National People's Army on 1 March 1956 (six months after the formation of the West German Bundeswehr) from the Kasernierte Volkspolizei. This formation culminated years of preparation during which former Wehrmacht officers and communist veterans of the Spanish Civil War helped to organize and train paramilitary units of the People's Police. Though the NVA featured a German appearance – including uniforms and ceremonies patterned after older German military traditions – its doctrine and structure showed the strong influence of the Soviet Armed Forces.

Composition soldiers from PGH Effelder.
 

23rd of February - Red Army Day

The Red Army Day, 23 February 1918, has a two-fold historical significance: it was the first day of drafting recruits (in Petrograd and Moscow), and the first day of combat against the occupying Imperial German Army.

Wehrschach Tak-Tik boardgame

Tak-Tik Wehrschach was a German board game inspired by the game of chess. The aim of the game, which was primarily aimed at Wehrmacht soldiers, was to promote military-strategic thinking. Unlike chess, Tak-Tik Wehr-Schach has 121 squares and 18 Bakelite pieces on each side. The pieces have militant names representative of the game’s era of origin: Infanterie, Hauptfigur, Panzerkampfwagen, Artillerie (flak), Flieger: Jagdflieger and Kampfflieger. In English, they refer to infantry, protagonist, tank, anti-aircraft artillery, and flyers: fighter pilot and combat pilot. Some of the pieces fit the literal translations, while others, such as the Hauptfigur and Jagdflieger, have been represented more symbolically: as a large predatory bird and a winged human, respectively. These piecese can move only vertical or horizontal, but a different number of squares, with the exception of the "Panzerkampfwagen", which might also move like the knight in chess, but without jumping over other pieces. To capture an enemy piece you need to threaten it with two of your pieces instead of just one.

The board is divided through diagonal lines (the main road and the river) and two more lines crossing the 3rd and 9th row indicating walls and two lake tiles which block all movement except for the planes. The game has several ways to win (e.g. capture of the Hauptfigur; destruction of all enemy Infantry; reduction of his fighting power; occupation of his homeland; etc. This, coupled with the two-to-one capture rules makes it even more challenging than Chess. Two editions of the game were published before the war (1937/1938), and a war edition followed in 1941. 

 The Android version is available at Google Play here: 

Louis & Eduard Lindner toys catalog (1840-1842) - Part 2.

Louis & Eduard Lindner toys catalog (1840-1842) from Deutsches Spielzeugmuseum Sonneberg museum archive.

The catalog (262 colour lithographies) is available here: 

Happy Friday ! - Drei Kameraden :)

German accordionists (Lineol, Leyla and Elastolin).

Louis & Eduard Lindner toys catalog 1840-1842 (Deutsches Spielzeugmuseum Sonneberg)

Louis & Eduard Lindner toys catalog (1840-1842) from Deutsches Spielzeugmuseum Sonneberg museum archive.

The catalog (262 pages) is available here: 

Hausser pea cannon and artillery vehicles

This Hausser (Elastolin) tinplate pea cannon (Erbsenkanone) with an artillery horse drawn drawn carriage was produced in 30s in Germany. The composition soldiers are representing Italian army (Elastolin, Lineol and Durso).

Tipp & Co. Catalog 1937

Tipp& Co. Catalog 1937 (53 pages) is located here:

Elastolin MG08/15 crew.

Elastolin German MG08/15 machine gun crew and a MG15/34 machine gunner.

Britains Models Catalog 1965

Britains Models Catalog 1965.  The catalog contains different product lines of Britains toy soldiers: Indians and Cowboys, swoppets, zoo, road models, knights, American civil war, American war of independence, regimental soldiers "eyes right", the UK army infantry, gun models and farm models. 

The catalog (32 pages) is located here:

Dommage et Cie composition soldiers

Domage et Cie (D.C.) was a Paris based company producing toy soldiers from 1920 to 1955. D.C. made its composition soldiers from a mixture of plaster and flour. This production technique was inexpensive that was mainly used during the war time and post-war shortages. During the post-war time D.C. produced soldiers on different subjects, including French Army, spahi, zuaves and Indians.