Willys Jeep
 The
Jeep was the workhorse of the U.S. Army during World War II, and that was no less
true for the medical battalions. Each aid station platoon was issued three Jeeps,
not only for moving the wounded, but also for transporting the platoon and its
gear to the front. These Jeeps often had metal frames across which litters (not
"stretchers") could be laid for evacuation to a field hospital.
Tamiya's
Jeep is a gem of a kit, and while I had the Aber photo-etch set on hand, I opted
instead for a sweet little fret from Ordnance Models. It really has all you need
to fine-tune the kit. The Tank Workshop provided the chained wheels. I
planned to use Verlinden's M*A*S*H conversion set for this build up, but the litter
frame is very disappointing, particularly in design: the angle iron has the top
of the "L" upward, which is incorrect from the numerous photos I've
seen. Also, the size of the frame does not allow for two litters to be placed
side-by-side. I built new frames out of Evergreen, and included the corner extensions
that helped keep the litters on the frames (also aided by the placement of the
litters' "feet" within the frames). The kit's driver was used, and the
wounded passenger was configured from the driver in the deuce and a half. 2.5
Ton 6x6 Cargo Truck
Surely
one of the most onerous tasks in the military is the retrieval of the dead from
the battlefield. This is typically the task of the graves registration unit of
the Quartermaster Corps. The photo above shows men from the QMC collecting frozen
corpses for transport in a cargo truck during the Battle of the Bulge. Tamiya's
"Deuce and a Half" is another sterling kit, and other than being enhanced
with their cargo accessories and a set of The Tank Workshop chained wheels, the
rest was built out of the box. The tarps covering the corpses were fashioned from
lead foil. For more information on this kit, check out my review. Trailers |
Aid station platoons
were issued two 1/4 ton trailers, and the company headquarters had one water tank
trailer. I
used Italeri's water tank from their trailer set, discarding the frame and building
a new one from Evergreen strips. The tank was given prominent weld beads across
the curved sides. Electrical wiring replaced the hose. The
1/4 ton utility trailer that comes with the Italeri water tank is a post war item.
I scrounged up two trailers from both of the old Jeep kits from Italeri
and Tamiya, one for
the aid station and one to attach to the halftrack. I rebuilt the framing and
detailed the trailers with tie downs, parking brakes and cables, and chains. |  |
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"Between
Life and Death..."
The
Battle of the Hürtgen Forest
Evolution
of the Diorama
M3A1 Halftrack
Dodge
Ambulance and Beep
Willys
Jeep, 2.5 Ton Cargo Truck, Trailers
The Figures
References |
