Master list for the new Korean War range - Input required!

[fsn]

May I repeat my plea for some extra Communist SMG poses?

Also, could we sneak in a Korean porter figure?

[Sunray]

The porter type figure- as illustrated- would be justified.  It was the lack of this basic logistical component that led to the Communist counter attack running out of steam (food, ammo, essential supplies) and allowed the UN to regroup.     The communists learned from this mistake about tactical overstretch.  Hence the porter battalions of Viet Min and Viet Cong. 

A second figure with the SMG would not go amiss.

[Sunray]

Well it looks at 30 votes that the polls have closed.   It is difficult to decide on figures without seeing them.  Interested on what Leon's take is.  The remarkable feature of the Korean war is the range in dress and gear between Summer 1950, Winter 1950, summer 51 and the following winter.

The opposition needs to match in clothing - otherwise its the equivalent of Ardennes Germans circa 1944 meeting 8th Army Brits in desert gear.

[Rifleman65]

My dad was in Korea from the Inchon landing till after the armistice in 53.   He told me he never saw an sks rifle used there. In fact the first one he ever saw was at a gun show in the late 1980s. Are there photos of its use there? 

[Sunray]

My dad was in Korea from the Inchon landing till after the armistice in 53.   He told me he never saw an sks rifle used there. In fact the first one he ever saw was at a gun show in the late 1980s. Are there photos of its use there? 

Welcome to the forum Rifleman.  You raise an interesting topic.  I have scoured US Intel reports from the war and have never seen a reference to an SKS being captured.  I have seen no photographic evidence.

Now that does not mean the weapon was not issued in small numbers for field trial. The Soviets were already re-equipping with the AK-47, so would have tons of surplus.

The source that has inspired war game figure designers is the Osprey illustrated guide.  But this may be based on an exhibit in the Yonssan Museum.   And museums can get things wrong as does wikipedia

The Chinese started their massive production of the SKS in 1956, but did they have Soviet samples as early as 1950?

The only American source is Colonel David H Hackworth in his book About Face.   The book is ghost written by Julie Sherman and is more anecdotal  than factual.

We considered these arguments and hence the token representation of the SKS in the Pendraken Korean range. 
Personally I have to go with the evidence - and it won't be in my KPA, but the option is there if anyone wants to go with the popular Osprey inspired narrative.

By 1956 the SKS was in widespread service.  Warminister has examples captured in Suez. And the Pendraken range is designed to have utility as bush war Soviet client groups.   Some of mine will be painted up as Ethiopians - who had the SKS.

If any forum can find Primary Source material or photos of SKS in Korea, I would be most interested.

[Rifleman65]

Hi Sunray, I agree with everything you said. It existed and could have been there. I remember dad talking about the Koreans and Chinese using a large caliber bolt action rifle, probably a mosin- Nagant, or Mauser variant, and of course the famous burp gun, psh 41?   And whole platoons of Chinese armed with Thompson sub machine guns. The Chinese supposedly manufactured a copy of the Thompson. He also mentioned a large sniper version of the Soviet anti-tank rifle from ww2, equipped with a scope for sniping. He also mentioned large amounts of Chinese troops with NO weapons at all. They were supposed to pick up the rifles of the fallen.  He said they all had bandoliers of ammo,and maybe a grenade .I have a Fairbane Sykes fighting knife he got from some British troops. He traded a m-1 carbine bayonet for it.

[fsn]

How's this?

[Sunray]

 Very interesting Nobby.  It illustrates just how much the Chinese were forced to adapt captured weapons including the vast supply of Nationalist kit.
Serving in the PLA must have been a quartermaster's hell.   Its an AK -47 mag (Chinese copy) so would possibly date from 1956 .

I was guest of the Irish Army Reserve at Finner Camp back in the 1990s and was amazed at their average squad equipped with Carl Gustav SMG in 9mm, the FN in 7.62 and the BREN LMG in.303.   It was a logistical nightmare.

Techno (Phil) is paying special attention to grenades. Indeed he was heaving a tin of beans around to get the right throwing sculpt for the distinctive RG-42.   He then had to go and look for the tin, as the light goes early in the Welsh hills....and he likes his beans does Phil.

As the war progressed the KPA regrouped and would need to have been re-equipped in dress and kit.  Images I have verified show the Soviet Gymnasterka being worn by NCOs.  How widespread was this practice ?  Some war movies show elite "Flag assault units" in the Gymnasterka which would be a nice touch on the table.   For this reason the canny Phil has sculpted the shirt outside the trousers - so it can be painted as the Gymnasterka and indeed a host of post war third world uniforms.       It will be a great range this Pendraken Korean.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

A friend served out in Korea, was posted as a liaison with an Ozzie unit.
He arrived, had his SLR removed from his person (for protection purposes), to immediately be 'loaned' a fully automatic version...
With instructions to 'lose it when you return to your unit'!

[fsn]

Very interesting Nobby. 

I think the aspect that I found most interesting was the way that a Czech design, reworked in Britain, was made in the US, fro China, adapted for different ammunition (twice) and was probablty in service for 20+ years.

Techno was heaving a tin of beans around to get the right throwing sculpt for the distinctive RG-42.   He then had to go and look for the tin, as the light goes early in the Welsh hills....and he likes his beans does Phil.

That's what he told you. Actually, he just lost the tin opener.

[Sunray]

I think the aspect that I found most interesting was the way that a Czech design, reworked in Britain, was made in the US,

No,  it was the good old boys of John Inglis & Co, Toronto who made the Bren, and a very good model it was too. They also knocked out a very tidy 9mm Hi Power Browning that was the British Army pistol until the Glock arrived.

[paulr]

I think the aspect that I found most interesting was the way that a Czech design, reworked in Britain, was made in the US Canada, for China, adapted for different ammunition (twice) and was probability in service for 20+ years.

Agreed, says a lot about the design and build quality

[Sunray]

It was also helped by the nature of post war conflicts.  If you need accurate and controllable bursts from a portable weapon,  then you go with an LMG like the Bren or indeed the LSW fed with a magazine interchangeable with the rifle.  If you need heavy suppressive fire, then you want a belt fed GPMG.

The Brits fought a lot of police type actions in the years 1948- 2001.

[Mako]

I'd like to see American flamethrowers.

3.5" bazooka men in two poses, e.g. kneeling and firing, and prone and firing, if possible.  These will also work for early to mid-Cold War Danish troops, and early Cold War West Germans.  Probably for lots of other armies around the globe throughout the Cold War as well, e.g. Europe, Africa, South and Central America, etc., etc..

105mm/106mm recoilless rifles with American crews - ground mount, and jeep mounted weapon.

75mm recoilless rifle and crew.

Prone/firing, and prone/crawling figs, especially for the Chinese and North Koreans, who might try to infiltrate enemy lines by crawling in order to get close to their opponents and surprise them.

[Sunray]

I'd like to see American flamethrowers.

3.5" bazooka men in two poses, e.g. kneeling and firing, and prone and firing, if possible.  These will also work for early to mid-Cold War Danish troops, and early Cold War West Germans.  Probably for lots of other armies around the globe throughout the Cold War as well, e.g. Europe, Africa, South and Central America, etc., etc..

105mm/106mm recoilless rifles with American crews - ground mount, and jeep mounted weapon.

75mm recoilless rifle and crew.

Prone/firing, and prone/crawling figs, especially for the Chinese and North Koreans, who might try to infiltrate enemy lines by crawling in order to get close to their opponents and surprise them.

The 3.5 Bazooka is I believe already in issue (code MC18) US Marines WW2 and the 75mm M20 RR (code VM21) is in the Indo China range.
There is a long running request for the 106mm RR - it will come