Imperial Germany's Invasion plans for New York

Following some comments on my War Plan Red post, I did a bit more digging on Kaiser Bill's plans to 'put America in her place'.

Apparently, this increasingly ambitious series of late 19th Century plans included dispatching a significant fleet to cross the Atlantic, conducting a decisive engagement in the vicinity of Norfolk Virgina, dashing north to shell Boston, and then sending battalions of Prussian chaps ashore in New York to install panic and plunder the city.

Cheeky Blighter!

Not sure how successful that might have been but there has to be some games in that!

http://europeanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa050902a.htm
http://www.americanheritage.com/content/german-plan-invade-america
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/09/kateconnolly
http://en.potiori.com/Imperial_German_plans_for_the_invasion_of_the_United_States.html
http://io9.com/the-secret-german-scheme-to-invade-america-before-the-f-1628063060

Princess Viktoria and Friends

2025 EDIT: After a sad period of non availability, the Hinterland ranges has been picked up by Dragon Bait Miniatures! Now available again here: 

https://www.dragon-bait-minis.com/hinterland-archive/

A wonderful range from Hinterland miniatures received some more additions last month.  If you aren't aware of it, here is the intro blurb from the website:

On 22 October 1909 Princess Viktoria-Luise of Germany received her commission as Colonel-in-Chief in the 2nd Leib Hussaren regiment.  The 28mm-scaled miniatures available on this site are intended to represent a fictitious unit of female Hussars, serving at the end of the 19th Century, up to World War I.  Although these miniatures wear the famous Death's Head Hussar insignia on the busby, they could be painted to represent a variety of Hussar regiments.  I hope you enjoy these products.
                                                                      - Jason

Have a look at the great range here (all pics from this site, not mine - unfortunately!)
http://hinterlandminiatures.weebly.com/storecart.html

If you go to the customer gallery section, you'll see these great VSF style conversions by Froggy from the Lead Adventure Forum - he has added breathing tubes for the harsh conditions on Mars (maybe even Venus?)

Then delving further into the www, I found that Froggy had gone further, making this Martian Cavalrygirl (note she is even riding sidesaddle)

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=27526.0

https://shadowking-shadowkings.blogspot.com/2014/06/hinterland-miniatures-painted-up.html

Or....they have some in sailor style uniforms!

https://inhermajestysname.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/hinterland-miniatures/

Thanks to Der Feldmarshall for the heads-up on this figure range!

Note to self for painting: Imperial German tropenhelms (tropical helmets) from c.1910. Left: Full dress helmet with brass helmet plate and fittings. Right: Field service version with white metal helmet plate.

Dragon Bait Miniatures also sell these rather nice British female soldiers:

https://www.dragon-bait-minis.com/shop/miniatures/sculptors/david-soderquist/british-infantry-squad-nco-ten-models/

https://www.dragon-bait-minis.com/shop/miniatures/sculptors/david-soderquist/british-rocket-artillery/

As well as some less conventional (and fun looking) options!

British Guard Maiden Clockwork Cavalry Trooper with Sword

WW1 Described In Terms As A Bar Fight

Sent to MAC by Mal Wright and as he said quite a good laugh.

Germany, Austria and Italy are standing together in the middle of
the bar-room, when Serbia bumps into Austria, and spills Austria's
pint.Austria demands Serbia buy it a complete new suit, because
there are splashes on its trouser leg. Germany expresses its
support for Austria's point of view.Britain recommends that
everyone calm down a bit.Serbia points out that it can't afford a
whole suit, but offers to pay for cleaning Austria's trousers.Russia
and Serbia look at Austria. Austria asks Serbia who it's looking at.
Russia suggests that Austria should leave its little brother alone.
Austria inquires as to whose army will assist Russia in compelling
it to do so.Germany appeals to Britain that France has been
looking at it, and that this is sufficiently out of order that Britain
should not intervene.Britain replies that France can look at who it
wants to, that Britain is looking at Germany too, and what is
Germany going to do about it? Germany tells Russia to stop
looking at Austria, or Germany will render Russia incapable of
such action.Britain and France ask Germany whether it's looking
at Belgium. Turkey and Germany go off into a corner and whisper.
When they come back,Turkey makes a show of not looking at
anyone.Germany rolls up its sleeves, looks at France, and
punches Belgium.France and Britain punch Germany. Austria
punches Russia.Germany punches Britain and France with one
hand and Russia with the other. Russia throws a punch at
Germany, but misses and nearly falls over. Japan calls over from
the other side of the room that it's on Britain's side, but stays there.
Italy surprises everyone by punching Austria.Australia punches
Turkey,and gets punched back. There are no hard feelings,
because Britain made Australia do it.France gets thrown through
a plate glass window,but gets back up and carries on fighting.
Russia gets thrown through another one, gets knocked out, suffers
brain damage, and wakes up with a complete personality change.
Italy throws a punch at Austria and misses, but Austria falls over
anyway.Italy raises both fists in the air and runs round the room
chanting.America waits till Germany is about to fall over, then walks
over,waves a fist at Germany while Britain knocks it out, then
pretends it won the fight all by itself. By now all the chairs are
broken, and the big mirror over the bar is shattered.Britain, France
and America agree that Germany threw the first punch,so the
whole thing is Germany's fault.While Germany is still unconscious,
they go through its pockets,steal its wallet, and buy drinks for all
their friends.

Nobody comes out of it looking particularly good.

More Germans

Here are some close-ups of Nuni's lovely German Nefs. I really like the way he has added colour to them with the red keels and the deck staining.

He tells me:
These I actually did some research and found that some German ships of the period had a reddish lower hull side and I tried to go for that look, with a grey superstructure. I decided I wanted the deck to feel darker than was the actual case

- white undercoat
- 1:1 vallejo game colour gory red/blood red for the side of the hull
- GW ogryn flesh wash on the decking followed by a watered down GW badab black wash
- GW foundation adeptus battlegrey on the turrets, superstructure and the sides an rear of the tail
- GW bleached bone on the top of the tail and superstructure, followd by devlan mud wash
- GW chaos black for the chimneys
- Devlan mud wash on the masts

New Brits and Germans

Nuno (aka Rastamann from the TacCom boards) has finished up his British and German starter sets and they have come out beautifully!

Well done Old boy! They look great and I love the thematic presentation style you've adopted. Great stuff!

Wotan Review

"JohnCS" has posted a review (and some nice pics) of Brigade's WOTAN class Land Ironclad for the Imperial German Army:

http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=711

Thanks John!

Marx Industries, Part II

More Land Ironclads by Marx Industries!

HLMS Klompton (LandRamship)

HMLS Kelso and Nelson

The highly inventive "Das Foot-Boot" from Germany!

Prussian Air Navy

More brilliant large scale work, this time at the Lead Adventure Forum.

This wonderful flotilla is the work of Rabbitz.

Read all the descriptions and see all the pics here:

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=7466.0

Kaiser's Goliath Gun

Egad! A 42cm cannon that fires 2800lb shells!
Sounds like a grand target for the Royal Aeronautical Service to take out!

http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Goliath_Gun/Goliath_Gun_01.htm

http://www.landships.freeservers.com/420mm_morser_m17.htm

Jaste Braune

You may recall last year's greatworkbench article on building the USS Kearsage by panzerdampfwagon. This time he has built three smashing SMS Hamburg-class armoured gunships! Great Stuff - and the Mars terrain comes out great too

http://theminiaturespage.com/workbench/648470/

Karsten's Aeronef Fleet

A gentleman is as good as his word, and have no doubt that Karsten is that.

As promised on the weekend, he has sent me some pics of his German Aeronef fleet (figs by Brigade) click for larger images

Thanks Karsten, they look great. I especially like the Digs and the WW1-esque cam scheme.

SMS Rhein/Mosel - German Monitors

...are paper models which are free to download from paper Shipwright:

http://www.papershipwright.co.uk/ps13/details.shtml

One of these would be handy for my Hunt for the Great White Pleasiosaur!

More Contraptions!

Today I discovered Andrew's VSF page, which I hadnt come across before and has some wonderful 25mm VSF contraptions, shown below.

You can find his webpage here: http://andrewnz2.tripod.com/id59.html

Prussian Steam-powered Walkers (old 40k sentinels converted and painted by Ken Crawford)

Brit Steam Armour

Need a Monster aerostat?

Here is a 1/144 scale model of the German WW1 naval Zeppelin LZ4, by Airalex

With this beast you can cross the channel at will and bomb with impunity!

At $300 each I'm guessing you wont be flying squadrons of them on the table but she does have wonderful detail as is hand-made. I love the paint scheme too, I might have to use that on my next big Dig.

http://airalex.homestead.com/ZEPPELIN.html

German propaganda

The German propoganda machine has started to rattle sabres about the vulnerability of London to Dig attacks - no doubt the recent unveiling of the 7th Dirigible Flotilla has made them a tad cocky!

Come on Jerry - we are ready for you!
(Note: These pics are all original WW1 pieces. I think the first one is themost interesting, because it shows a coordinated aerial and surface attack)

New Dig Squadron takes to the Skies!

The long rumoured formation of the Luftschiffewaffe's 7th Zeppelin Flotilla was confirmed this week when they conducted their first series of aerial manoeuvres over Hamburg this week (click for bigger pics)

Several of the smaller dirigibles that comprise the 7th Flotilla are fresh from the builder's yards, while others have been reassigned. The Flotilla's veteran flagship, the mammoth Dig-battleship Frederick der Grosse, is one such example, having been withdrawn from the Baltic Reserve for refitting last year.

She is supported in the main battle line by the Zeppellin Cruisers Munchen, of the Royal of Bavarian Aero-Korps, and the Trident, recently reassigned from the Nacht Vitch (Night Witch) Raider Squadron and has yet to be repainted in more traditional colours.

In keeping with Luftschiffewaffe escort doctrine, the Flotilla is well supported by light elements. Amongst the lighter Zeppelin Squadrons are a pair of Dirigible-Destroyers, the Adler and the Falke (from the Kingdom of Württemberg)

A Light Zeppelin Squadron is assigned, though it is is still short a unit for a total of 5 Zeppelin-Frigates.

Two flights of the new winged Dig gunboats have also been assigned to the 7th to provide it with a precision bombing capability in support of the land army. The success of these new methods has still yet to be validated against an enemy field army.

The Luftschiffewaffe High Command has announced that the 7th Flotilla will undergo further field training and working-up exercises before being declared operational and assigned to Strategic Reserve later this Summer

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Modeling Notes: All miniatures produced and supplied by Brigade Models, and painted by me. WW1 German decals by Skytrex. 2mm terrain features by Irregular Miniatures, home made hills, ground mat by GW