Pacific 'Digger'

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all,


Now for something a little closer to my heart - the first of a ten figure Australian Army infantry section circa '42-43 SWPA (advance to Buna-Gona). Armed with his trusty .303 SMLE MkIII, the Australian soldier was by no means (initially) the experienced jungle fighter that legend and myth dispels as they were just as unfamiliar with the foreboding environment as other Allied nations involved and that of his enemy - The Japanese (who just happened to adapt better to the terrain that his adversary). Before the arrival of the 2 Australian Imperial Force - 2AIF - (who were brought back from the Desert War), the militia were the first in action against the Japanese in New Guinea and despite being ill-prepared they did a grand job. The regular battalions of the 2AIF arrived in their desert attire which soon proved useless in the 'green' and many began to dye their clothing as a result. The 'Digger' featured wears the iconic Aussie slouch hat, improved clothing designed for the environment and wears a mix of British/Australian/American clothing and equipment. The 'Rising Sun' badge (3rd Pattern) and 'AUSTRALIA' shoulder title are from my own collection which I found on Shaggy Ridge back in 1993. More to follow...enjoy, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

In addition, the Diggers will represent an infantry section-strength fighting patrol and will so be equipped. The two scouts will be armed with the then newly-introduced Australian 9mm OWEN SMG, the riflemen with the famous British-designed (though made under license by the Lithgow small arms factory in New South Wales, Australia) .303 Lee Enfield SMLE MkIII of World War One vintage, the section machine gunner will carry the reliably accurate .303 BREN LMG and the section commander a .45 Cal Thompson SMG (which was gradually replaced in the Australian Army by the lighter 9mm OWEN from 1942 onwards). Cheers, Steve

 

[Ostfront43]

Cool subject. Like the history behind the figure. Look forward to the rest of the squad.

 

[SteveKrieg]

Cheers, one of the great things about the hobby is learning about the history behind it all in order to make the figure/scene as authentic to the period as possible (something I'm sure we can all relate to).


The figure is one of the classic Blue Box 'Elite Forces' Australian Soldier. Over the years, I've managed to attain enough of these figures (mostly the parts required) to realise an entire section. At the moment, I'm in the process of flattening out several slouch hats which come with side up (or Grade 1 - ceremonial) though worn, in the most part, with brim down (or Grade 2 in today's Australian Army speak) in the field. The way the hat is moulded makes this somewhat difficult but I'm getting there thanks to a heating torch (hairdryer did not give off enough heat to warp the plastic enough). A couple of the figures will wear 'Brodie' type helmets with netting. All will wear Pattern '37 webbing and the U.S. leggings (British style gaiters proved unsuitable in the jungle) that came with the figures changed out with DML leggings.


The clothing was washed and left out on the line during the warmer months for a few weeks to allow natural fade (I told the neighbours that my uniforms shrunk in the wash). I'm hoping pastels will come in handy for the weathering of the uniforms/webbing (I used paint on the first figure).


The combined Australian/U.S. assaults on the Japanese beach heads at Buna, Sanananda and Gona came at the end of the Kokoda trail campaign in November 1942. The Japanese had built extensive fortifications along the coastline making the most of the swampy terrain. At General Macarthur's insistence, U.S. troops were rushed in to support the Australian offensive plan (the first combined Australian/U.S. land effort of the war) with their inexperience providing less than satisfactory results - particularly in the battles for Buna - underestimation of enemy strength a key factor.

 

[Panzercommander HOH]

Looks good, Steve - love the fixed bayonet look as well!

Looking forward to seeing how the whole section turns out!

Fred

 

[Tony Barton]

Admirable project. Had you thought about making the slouch hats for real, in felt ? Trying to beat vinyl ones into shape sounds like more work that you want. Moulding them in felt only takes a bit of preparation, and a little practice. Or you could buy ready made stetsons from BGT and reshape them : I suspect that if you just put the fore-and-aftcrease in the corwn they would look fine.
For pagris, I use 6mm silk ribbon from Little Trimmings ( look her up), and if you buy the dull gold colour you can paint it very easily.

 

[SteveKrieg]

Cheers all,


As for Tony's suggestion, I was thinking about some other material for the hats but found that reshaping the Blue Box hats an easier option given the amount of work I need to do on the section. The section will be of the 2/25th Battalion (25th Brigade) who were tasked to take Gona (the most northerly of the coastal objectives) so I will scratch-build colour patches for several of the puggarees (which will themselves be repainted and detailed).


The fixed bayonet (particularly the 1907 Pattern 17in 'Sword' type seen on the rifle) was imposing and added considerable length to the rifle when in hand-to-hand combat though I placed it on more for show than for practicality and the bayonet was rarely fitted in the jungle environment except for when clearing out enemy positions. Shorter rifles were preferred (which led to the development of the British .303 No.5 jungle carbine) and the length of the .303 SMLE MkIII made patrol work awkward thru jungle and narrow track (rifles having a habit of catching themselves on every vine they can find).


Additionally, the close proximity of jungle fighting and the thickness of the foliage made long-range shooting redundant in the most part.


Appreciate the tips though and that's one of the key likes of this site - the sharing of knowledge. Cheers, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

Here's a pic of the Australian section weapons - Fm top left down - 1 x .45Cal Thompson M1 SMG for the section commander, 2 x 9mm Owen SMGs for the scouts (each of whom also carried a machete), 1 x .303 BREN LMG (the gunner also carrying a .38 Enfield No2 MkI revolver) and 6 x .303 SMLE MkIII for the riflemen (one of whom is No.2 on the BREN) which came with the 1907 Pattern 17in 'sword' bayonet as part of its CES. A shorter bayonet/fighting knife, designed for the No.5 Jungle Carbine, comes with the Blue Box figure though I will not be utilising that with the section as it does not fit with the timeline. A couple of 'diggers' will carry the No.36 Mills bomb on the belt though the more popular method of carriage was inside the ammo pouches given the weight of the grenade meant it would not hang on the belt when moving on your guts through jungle (it was the most effective of Allied grenades because of its thick serrated casing). Though I'm doing a complete (doctrinal) 10-man section, by the later stages of the Kokoda Campaign, it was rare for an Australian infantry section to be complete as casualties due to both enemy and jungle took their toll and the average section was whittled down quite easily though to be effective (in terms of firepower) fighting and standing patrols required at least seven men and it was determined by the powers that be that this be the minimum. Enjoy, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

I only had one Owen gun in my 1/6th armoury - a 21st Century Toys example that came with the Commonwealth Weapons pack. It comes in a distinctive camouflage pattern (most Owens were factory painted in camouflage from early 1942) and is functional - the problem was finding a second for the section. A local firm currently makes the all-metal Australian weapons collection which essentially covers the small arms history of the Australian Army and is 1/6th in scale - the Owen machine carbine features amongst the several so far produced. Whilst it's all-metal (and therefore heavier) it works well when positioned on a figure so I purchased a couple and painted one up in its initial non-camouflage finish (for the second scout). The Owen came with a wooden stock which was, on later models, replaced by a skeletal metal stock.


The Owen was unique and came about more by necessity than planned designed (akin to the British STEN in that regard). The length, calibre and prominent top-mounted magazine fitting helped make the Owen very suitable for jungle fighting. It was designed by Lieutenant Evelyn Owen of the Australian Army in 1940 and came into use in early 1942 first to augment the Thompson M1 SMG (as we only had that in small numbers) and then to replace given the Owen was lighter and more reliable in the jungle environment.


Such was the popularity of the Owen that it continued to serve with the Australian Army through the remainder of WW2, Korea, the Malayan Emergency and finally Vietnam where it was gradually replaced by the Australian-designed F1 SMG (basically a British Sterling SMG with the magazine top rather than side fitted like the Owen). Enjoy, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

Forgot to add, in the previous post, the top Owen gun is how they come and the bottom is the repainted one. Cheers, Steve

 

[Pangaea95]

Great looking figure, nice to see something a lil different

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all, just a quick update.


Firstly though, a correction to my weapons post. The Thompson I described as an M1 (for the section commander) is actually an M1938 which was basically an M1928 that allowed for the fitting of both stick and drum mags. The second Owen will also be camouflaged as further research alludes that all Owen's produced around this time of the war were factory-painted.


The Kokoda Campaign features largely in Australian Military History though pales in the wider context of the Pacific Campaign, particularly when the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway as well as the land assault on Guadalcanal heavily influenced not only the change in Japanese strategic mindset but also the ambitions behind the Japanese advance towards Port Moresby.


Additions to the post are the Australian jungle green uniforms. Whilst I used pastels to dirty-up the uniform on the first BBI figure (which I did several years ago), I've decided to give natural wear and tear to the rest by wet, mud, dry , wash and repeat in order to get the right amount of fade and wear effects (first pic). Australians were not properly geared for jungle fighting, in-fact those returning from the Desert War were sent to Papua in their Desert attire which was soon dyed green (this wearing off after a prolonged period). Purpose-designed jungle greens started to come into issue towards the end of 1942.


Head dress (second pic). The BBI figures came with the famous wide-brimmed slouch hat side-up (which we wear for ceremonial purposes these days) and a heat-torch was used to soften the plastic enough to remould brim down (this took several attempts). The front row - 2 BBI (netted) and 1 DML British 'Brodie' pattern (note that the steel helmets made in Australia differ somewhat to the British model as they do not have a rimmed-edge - both types were worn by Australian soldiers). Despite the stifling heat, helmets were worn by the Aussies in the Papua. A Slouch hat in 'Stetson' fashion (based off a period pic), one slouch hat will retain its classic left-side up though the majority wore the hat with brim down as the last hat (with repainted puggaree) illustrates. Most hats retained the 3rd Rising Sun badge though some were naturally lost through wear and tear. Enjoy, Steve

 

[Mohawk03]

What I have seen so far has piqued my interest. Looking forward to seeing this realized, it is a wonderful project. I thought the weapons part very interesting..........Jim

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all,


I alluded earlier that research is a key component of our hobby (something that we can all relate to) and the need to get it right plays a key role regardless of the project; I also find the aspect of research very interesting and an enjoyable adjunct to the hobby overall (the bookshelves in my library testament to the fact).


With that in mind, I thought I'd share some of the history behind the current project, particularly the period references I'm using to accurately tell the story behind the diorama. First pic is three of the five Australian Army booklets (missing from the pic are the weapons pams covering the BREN and .303 Lee Enfield which are currently being scanned by a fellow enthusiast). The little red Australian Soldier's Pocket Book - basically a reference guide to the service conditions, laws of war, the Japanese soldier, first aid treatment and such. The late-war pamphlet on 'Tropical Warfare' covering the Japanese way of war in the jungle, avoidance of tropical diseases which was just as deadly (if not more so given the casualty rates) as a Japanese sniper's bullet (noting that many Allied soldiers shot during the Pacific Campaign claim to have been taken out by a sniper whereas, in reality, the majority were hit by a standard Japanese soldier acting as a sniper with his standard bolt-action). Malaria was the most problematic and, in addition, the need for proper hygiene and sanitation (also covered). The nature of the jungle environment and how best to use to ones advantage.


The third is a Small Arms Training Pamphlet covering the SMGs in-use by the Australian Army - from the lesser known AUSTEN (a local version of the British STEN), the Owen (which I've covered enough I guess) and the Thompson.


With regards to the figures, currently providing the final ageing touches to the section's clothing. Enjoy, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all,


With the uniforms naturally faded, it was time to dress the section today. Note that I've used, save for my original BBI digger, DML figures for the rest of the section choosing, from my stash of spare bods (which to my shock and surprise numbers 170), heads that had not only stubble but more so the look of weariness of constant patrol against an elusive enemy that harboured no fear of death.


I'm currently awaiting the arrival of two more sets of BBI Pattern 37 webbing so that it matches the rest of the section's load carrying attire (as the DML variant stuck out too much) for the seco and gunner figures - other than that, the section's wherewithal is complete.


The uniforms will now go thru an additional aging process (my first attempt at using pastels so any info by those in the know much appreciated). Webbing, leggings and such will be 'dirtied' as well and the slouch hats will get repainted and detailed puggarrees and aging (which will dull down the shiny plastic finish).


Hoping to finish the section by early October (where I'll then be away for a time). Enjoy and thanks for the kind comments thus far, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

G'day all,


Just a quick, albeit small, update on the 'Diggers'...


I've spent the last couple of days re-adjusting the BBI 'Paddy Ryan' webbing. For those that aren't familiar, the Ryan '37 Pattern webbing is unlike the DML variant in that the Equipment Braces cannot be adjusted to suit the figure as they are stitched to the back of the ammo pouches. This therefore required unpicking and adjusting to each pouch to suit each figure which is a somewhat tedious but necessary requirement in order to make the webbing fit accurately as well as look right which also entailed readjustment of the buckle and shoulder strap areas...all in the name of detail.


Speaking of detail, I've repainted the Mk VI water bottle tops to match the blue enamel that Australian water bottles (in both wars) had. Whilst Australians did indeed wear stainless steel ID discs, this was not 'til later in the war as, at the time of the Kokoda Campaign, the 'Diggers' wore compressed fibre discs of green (No1 disc which remained on the body) and reddish brown (No.2 disc which was taken off the body for recording purposes). The Pattern 10085 Boot with Jungle Cleats started to come out in late 1942 so I'm in the process of repainting the soles as a couple of the figures will be in the kneeling firing position (and another maybe shot) in the diorama (given it'll be a contact left scene as the Japanese attack) which will leave the boot soles noticeable. The cleats are brass whilst the heel guard is metal, naturally these will be weathered once I repaint them all. The work on all the aforementioned continues.


Enjoy, Steve

 

[Hammer's Africaners]

Looking good and very interesting.
Looking forward to seeing what you do with them.

 

[SteveKrieg]

Cheers muchly, as an addition, the pics now show the section completed in terms of fit-out so now onto the enjoyable aspect of finer detailing/weathering. The uniforms are in varying shades of green which is based on several factors, wear and tear (including replacement clothing) and places of manufacture (which is indicative of the varying types of dyes used) noting that the green jungle clothing was rushed into service initially. Whilst work on the Pattern 10085 boots continues, a couple of 'Diggers' have the flat-soled variant. The webbing has now been sorted and there'll be some padding of the ammo pouches and the cloth bandoliers that the riflemen will be fitted with. Whilst the BBI 'Paddy Ryan' (who I was use to lead the Rifle group as Section 2IC - bottom left) comes with a scrim scarf (basically netting), I cannot find any reference to Aussie troops using such during the period so I will fashion neckerchiefs instead. I've since taken the ID discs off their string for better repainting and will re-thread the sting when done. Enjoying this one immensely and is a nice change from the stock-standard. Enjoy, Steve

 

[SteveKrieg]

Just another quick one,


Thought, given I've posted on the front of the figures, to show the backs (the total rig in what we term as 'Patrol Order') I've also repainted a couple of British 'red' enamel mugs in colours of those produced in Australia during the war. The mug is of the same pattern as the British though, based on the manufacturer, the colours varied (predominantly lime green, light grey or light blue). I marked the bottom of each with the Department of Defence 'crows foot'. The '37 Pattern webbing used by the Australian was of British and, more-so, Canadian manufacture (largely because the Canadians had a massive textile industry). The Canadian brass buckle differed slightly in shape to that of the British type (what we termed, and preferred for our belts back in the day) as 'Canadian Brass' (as it was easier to polish).


Still to do - the last couple of sets of ID tags (green and brownish red), stringing of the ID discs, weathering/detailing of the figures (now that they are fully fitted-out) and their weapons. Last part of the process will be their headwear. Enjoy, Steve

 

[ROB48]

Fantastic work. As said earlier, this is a great site. Not only do I learn as I do my own research when doing a project, I also learn a lot (as in this build) from others. Very refreshing to learn about the war and struggles on the other side of the globe. I've always thought of the Aussies as the unsung heroes of the Atlantic conflict. Thanks for all you hard work (and the history lesson). Keep it up. Very anxious to see your progress and the finished dio.
Bob