[MoMo]

Hi Guys,

Exciting news! Check out HM's site to see the latest releases in 1.72 scale. I am most excited about the Centurion and the Tank Destroyer.

Lots more pics on HM's site !!!!

On December 16, 1941 the 634th Tank Destroyer Battalion was formed. On June 30 1944 the Battalion landed on Utah Beach with "A" and "B" Companies supporting the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red 1) and "C" Company supporting the 4th Infantry Division. The 634th played a major role in the Allied breakout at St. Lo to begin the drive eastward to the Siegfried Line and beyond. After many hard fought encounters with German forces the 634th took part in the capture of the high ground at Mortain resulting in the famous “Falaise Pocket”.

Moving east at 20 miles a day they crossed the first river, the Seine and then the Marne. Fighting their way through Belgium in support of the 1st Infantry Division the next major task was to breach the Siegfried Line (a defensive line of bunkers, tunnels and tank traps) at Aachen, Germany. This was the first major city in Germany to come under attack from the Allies. Since Aachen was a very historically significant German city.
Hitler ordered it defended at all cost. After the German Garrison Commander refused to surrender an attack by air bombardment and fire from the M-10s and other artillery began on October 11 1944. "A" Company of the 634th supported the infantry when they entered the city the next day while "B" and "C" Companies along with infantry encircled the city and prevented several attempts by the enemy to re-supply and re-enforce the troops fighting within the city. October 21 1944 after devastating the city with their 3-inch guns the fighting ended with the surrender of the remaining German troops.

They continued pushing east and in early December the 634th along with the 1st Infantry Division were relieved and sent back to Belgium for a well- deserved rest. The rest didn’t last long because on December 16 1994 the Germans attacked in the Ardennes to begin the well-known Battle of the Bulge. The 634th and the 1st ID were rushed to defend the northern flank of the Bulge and were called upon several times to counter enemy attacks.

After the Ardennes the 634th and the 1st returned east to continue the war. On May 7, 1945 VE Day they found themselves halfway across Czechoslovakia. Three hundred and six days after landing in Normandy the 634th Tank Destroyer Battalion and the 1st Infantry Division had been in actual combat conditions except for 7 days. They managed 3 days of rest in August and another 4 days in December.

During the 299 days of combat, the Battalion destroyed 55 enemy tanks, 12 self-propelled guns, 18 armored cars, 76 general-purpose vehicles, and 25 anti-tank guns. Forty-nine pillboxes, 80machine gun nests and 189 strong points were neutralized. Over 3,000 prisoners were taken and 45 enemy vehicles and 5 anti-aircraft guns were captured intact. The known enemy killed runs well over 6000. During combat the Battalion fired a staggering 17,855 rounds of three-inch ammunition.

Because of their actions the 634th TDB were awarded 55 Silver Stars 4 with clusters, 157 Bronze Stars 9 with clusters and 2 members received the Croix de Guerres. Seven enlisted men received battlefield appointments to second Lieutenant.

The Centurion Mk. I, the first of 13 variations was delivered to the British Army in 1949 with a 17-pound gun. The Mk. 3 went to war in Korea with a 20-pound main gun. After Korea came a NATO standardization program for ammunition so the 7.92mm coaxial machine gun was changed to 7.62mm and a bore evacuator installed on the main gun and it was re-designated Mk. 5. The next improvement was replacing the main gun with an L7 105mm and an additional 2-inch armored plate on the front and this became the Mk. 6.

At the time of development and for many years the British military tank philosophy was well armed and very well armored. Speed wasn’t of the essence so the top speed of 34 km/h wasn’t a big concern. This would be their thinking until the arrival of the Challenger that would offer all 3 components. The British were the main customers for the Centurion but out of the 4,423 manufactured over 2,500 were sold abroad to over 16 countries.

The T-55 is a very mobile chassis with a low profile and with external fuel tanks has great endurance. All this is topped off with a high-velocity gun with 43 rounds available. However the low profile means cramped crew compartment and a slow rate of fire for the gun. The external fuel tanks make the unit vulnerable and the armor is thin compared to western standards. The T-54/55 is the most produced tank in history and has served with over 40 countries. It is the AK47 of tanks, inexpensive and everyone has one.

On August 2 1990 as part of the 4th largest military in the world the Iraqi 5th Mechanized Division with approximately 200 T-55As invaded Kuwait. On January 29 1991 as part of a larger group the 5th MD attacked Coalition Forces and captured the Saudi town of Al-Khafji. After 2 days the Iraqi forces were driven back to Kuwait and on February 26 1991 began a retreat to Iraq. When it was over Iraq’s forces were diminished from 70 army divisions to 23 with the loss of over 400 aircraft.