This 12mm /1:144th scale WW2 British Airborne (Paratroopers) set contains 184 superbly detailed miniatures. 1st Airborne division was created in 1941 by demand of Winston Churchill who realised the need for airborne troops in the British army. The first two missions undertaken by 1st airborne were Operation Biting, a parachute drop in occupied France and a glider borne assault in Norway Operation Freshman. After these raids elements of the Division were sent to North Africa in 1942 to take part in the Tunisian campaign were they fought bravely. They were then part of the Allied invasions of Sicily and the Italian mainland in 1943 before being sent back to Britain to refit and train for the Normandy invasion. Also in 1943 a second airborne division was established called 6th Airborne, their heroic exploits during the D-Day landings in 1944 proved vital in securing the Allied left flank. In September of 1944 1st Airborne with Polish 1st Parachute Brigade took part in Operation Market Garden, where they were tasked with trying to take and hold the bridge at Arnhem. They failed to secure this important Rhine crossing but fought like Demons for 9 days against overwhelming odds. They took horrendous casualties and eventually were surrounded by the Germans with many having to surrender due to lack of ammunition. The 6th Airborne were dropped in Belgium in December 1944 to help counter the Germans surprise offensive in the Ardennes and took part in the battle of the Bulge. 6th Airborne final mission was in March 1945 as part of operation Varsity where Allied airborne units were dropped over the Rhine. Set contents This superb set of 12mm miniatures is packed full of detail for such a small scale. There are some really dynamic poses and great mix of arms and equipment. Camouflaged helmets and the iconic Berets are depicted. We even have a figure of Major Digby Tatham-Warter famed for carrying an umbrella in battle. You get 184 miniature sin the pack giving you enough to field a whole company plus heavy weapons and command. 12 x Bren gunners 4 x 2 inch mortar teams 4 x 3 inch mortar teams 4 x Piats and loaders 4 x Radio teams 8 x Officers 16 x Ammo carriers 64 x Riflemen 4 x Snipers 20 x Sten gunners 4 x Flamethrowers 8 x Spotters 4 x Vickers teams
