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Thursday, June 19, 2008

Horses and Elephants
















This is a HaT elephant and a HaT WWI towed gun. The Free India Army was on the side of the Germans in WWII and used these guns. There were Indian elephants in the Berlin zoo and several were evacuated to avoid the Allied air raids on the city. Perhaps a couple of them could have found their way into the Free India Army where they could stand in for horses. There was a great shortage of horses in the German Army in WWII and Indian elephants have been domesticated for thousands of years.
















The riders are conversions of both the HaT mahouts and various German horse riders. These are great elephant kits, the bodies are two halves and the head a third piece. They fit together very well and with the separate heads the animals look different.
















As more of my Free India Army I took a Wespe Models wagon and used two large HaT wheels from a pair of French wagons and the horses from a French Napoleonic wagon set and made this kitchen wagon. I figure the Free India Army being at best a second line unit would have gotten older equipment from the Germans and so I gave them all French horses and wagons. Quick, simple conversions that give me a unique unit with a limited combat history, but an interesting look to them.

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