Welcome to the January edition. Here we introduce the new announcements. We visit the WWII and German Armour. We heard back to Ancient Rome with Germanic Warriors. We visit the Fur Trade and the formation of the North West Mounted Police. We hope you enjoy!

The images shown are Prototype images of the sculpted work, prior to master painting.

We hope you enjoy!

THE SECOND WORLD WAR
GERMAN ARMOUR - PANZERKAMPFWAGEN "PANTHER" - PREORDER
This M.N.H. Factory "Striped" Camo Panther G will only be available for Pre-order.
PRE-ORDER PERIOD ENDS 31st JANUARY 2023
NO PRE-ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE 31st JANUARY 2023

To order GA-041 German Panzerkampfwagen Panther Ausf. G (Sd.Kfz.171)

The next "big cat" release from JJ Designs is a late model Panther Ausf. G in factory "striped" camouflage paint scheme, unique to Panthers from the Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen Hannover (M.N.H) assembly firm.

The Panzerkampfwagen "Panther" was arguably the finest tank design of World War Two. Heavily influenced by combat experience against the Russian T-34 on the East Front, the Panther possessed an excellent balance of firepower, armor protection, and mobility. The Panther's long barreled, high velocity 7.5 cm Kw.K. L/70 cannon possessed greater penetrating power than the 8.8 cm cannon on the Tiger I, and was capable of defeating any Allied tank. In addition, the extremely flat shooting trajectory made first round hits at distances in excess of 1,000 meters probable. This lethality was coupled with excellent armor protection, especially from the front, where the Panther's 80 mm front glacis plate sloped at 55 degrees provided more armor protection than the Tiger I. Powered by the same Maybach engine as the Tiger I and TIger, yet weighing significantly less, gave the Panther a good weight to horsepower ratio. Coupled with wide tracks that reduced its ground pressure, the Panther was a nimble and highly maneuverable tank with excellent cross country mobility.

When the assembly firms were directed to begin painting camouflage on Panthers prior to issuing them to the troops, the initial camouflage paint scheme used by M.N.H. was very similar to the patterns used by both M.A.N. and Daimler Benz. However, at the end of October 1944, M.N.H. began to use their characteristic "striped" camo scheme. This consisted of stripes or bands of color crossing the Panther diagonally from one side to the other including over the hull top and turret roof. The pattern began with wide curvy bands, where the three camo colors would often overlap each other, but over time the bands started to straighten, tighten, and become distinctly sequential. Additionally, the camo paint was sprayed onto the Panther extremely tightly, so that when viewed any farther than a meter or two away the paint scheme appeared to have a very hard, distinct edge as if it was applied over a mask or with a brush or roller. Another feature unique to M.N.H. was painting the German national insignia, the Balkenkreuz, on the sides of the turret (although many M.N.H. Panthers went into combat without any Balkenkreuz at all). These features would remain the same for M.N.H. Panthers until the end of the war.

The JJD M.N.H. Panther also has the distinct features of a late war vehicle. The strengthened "chin" gun mantlet was re-designed so the shape would prevent enemy shell impacts from being deflected downward and penetrating the Panther's thin hull roof armor, as often happened with the earlier curved gun mantlet. Additionally, it has the flame suppressing exhausts (Flammenvernichter) designed to prevent the Panther's exhausts from being seen at night by enemy troops. Lastly, the M.N.H. Panther has small rings welded to the sides and angled rear corners of the turret. The purpose of these rings was to make it easier for tank crews to attach foliage to the tank, in order to disguise it from Allied air attacks. This practice was crucial to survival late in the war when the Allies had complete air supremacy over the battlefield.

The John Jenkins Designs M.N.H. Panther was inspired by historic pics of Panthers and Panzergrenadiers from the Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1 "Hermann Goring" fighting in East Prussia in 1945. Although the elite Fallschirmjager were the most famous ground combat units of the Luftwaffe, the Luftwaffe also fielded numerous regular infantry units (Luftwaffe-Feld-Divisionen) along with two armored units. The first of these armored divisions was the Panzer-Division "Hermann Goring" which fought in the Mediterranean theatre against the Allies; first in Sicily and then later on the Italian mainland where it was involved in heavy combat attempting to destroy the Allied beachhead at Anzio. Renamed the Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1 "Hermann Goring" was combined with the Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier-Division 2 in February 1944 an continued to fight in Italy until July, when it was transferred to the Eastern Front.

In Russia, the division initially fought alongside the IV. SS-Panzerkorps (consisting of the 3. SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf" and the 5. SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking") during the defensive battles for Warsaw. Later in the fall, the Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1 "Hermann Goring" was combined with the Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier-Division 2 "Hermann Goring" to form the Panzerkorps "Hermann Goring"; a true testament to the ego of the Reischmarschal and head of the Luftwaffe! In November 1944, the division fought alongside the 5. Panzer-Division during the successful Battle of Goldap, and then continued with heavy defensive fighting with the Russians, where its combat strength was continually dimished from heavy casualties. In April 1945, the remnants of the division fought in Silesia and Saxony. Finally, after a failed breakout attempt to surrender to the Western Allies, the Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1 "Hermann Goring" surrendered to the Russians.

The John Jenkins Designs Panther Ausf G comes with the following features:

• - all turret hatches open, including the rear turret escape hatch
• - fully detailed turret and hull interior
• - opening engine hatch with detailed engine
• - removable schurzen side skirts
• - commander's cupola mounted anti-aircraft machinegun

Although the JJD M.N.H. Panther is meant to represent a tank from Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1 "Hermann Goring", due to the late stage of the war when panzers often went into combat without unit markings, it will also work for numerous regular Heer and Waffen SS Panzer divisions.

ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF ANCIENT ROME
ANCIENT GERMANS

Following two decades of Roman occupation, Germania Magna erupted into revolt in AD 9, resulting in the stunning loss of three Roman legions to an alliance of Germanic nations at Teutoburg. The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, described as the Varian Disaster by Roman historians, took place in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE, when an alliance of Germanic tribes ambushed and decisively destroyed three Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius Varus.

The alliance was led by Arminius, a Germanic officer of Varus' auxilia. Arminius had acquired Roman citizenship and had received a Roman military education, which enabled him to deceive the Roman commander methodically and anticipate the Roman army's tactical responses. Despite several successful campaigns and raids by the Romans in the years after the battle, they never again attempted to conquer the Germanic territories east of the Rhine river. The victory of the Germanic tribes against Rome's legions in the Teutoburg Forest would have far-reaching effects on the subsequent history of both the ancient Germanic peoples and the Roman Empire. Contemporary and modern historians have generally regarded Arminius' victory over Varus as "Rome's greatest defeat", one of the most decisive battles recorded in military history, and as "a turning-point in world history"

The Germanic warrior was a well trained, battle-hardened, combat ready and motivated fighter, who excelled in irregular warfare, ambushes, raids and petty warfare. In an ambush the lightly armed Germanic fighter could decisively defeat a heavily equipped legionary by using surprise and the terrain to his advantage. These warriors were perfectly equipped for the Germanic landscape of open fields, forests and swamps. The weapons which were used included the long lance or Framea, which could be swung, thrust or thrown at an opponent. Hair was grown long and often tied up in a figure of eight or "Suebian" knot.

In a set-piece battle the German could stand up to the Roman Leginary discipline and formations for a while, but in close quarters combat the advantage eventually shifted to the legionary.

GERMANIC WARRIOR WOMEN

For the Romans, ethnographic observations were often a by-product of campaigning. All the more is it noteworthy that Roman historians repeatedly delve into descriptions of the warlike nature of Germanic women. The most common involvement of women in combat seems to have been in the defence of the wagon fort. Germanic tribes used laagers to protect their baggage and sometimes also as a defensive tactic in itself. For example, at the battle of Adrianople (378 AD), the Goths formed up behind a circular ring of wagons. When an army was beaten and the enemy moved against the wagon fort, the women and sometimes even the children entrenched there often put up a fierce fight. Plutarch writes about one of Caesar's battles against the Helvetians: "After a long and hard struggle he routed the enemy's fighting men, but had the most trouble at their rampart of waggons, where not only did the men themselves make a stand and fight, but also their wives and children defended themselves to the death and were cut to pieces with the men." (Plutarch, Life of Caesar 18) Scenes like this seem to have happened often, as they can be found in several sources. This of course if not surprising if one considers that surrender would have meant slavery at the best.

Germanic women were forced to defend the wagon trains after many battles against the Romans. If a tribe was caught up in a fight while migrating or moving for any reason, women would not be left behind. Germanic women would yell at their fighting men, sometimes with their children on hand to witness the fighting. The women encouraged their children to yell and, with bare breasts, shouted reminders at the men that they must be victorious in combat or their families would be captured and enslaved... or worse, slaughtered wholesale. Their shouts encouraged their men to fight harder, as women were considered holy spirits. Letting them fall into enemy hands was the ultimate failure.

The Roman Senator and historian Tacitus wrote in his work, Germania:

"A specially powerful incitement to valor is that the squadrons and divisions are not made up at random by the mustering of chance-comers, but are each composed of men of one family or clan. Close by them, too, are their nearest and dearest, so that they can hear the shrieks of their women-folk and the wailing of their children. These are the witnesses whom each man reverences most highly, whose praise he most desires. It is to their mothers and wives that they go to have their wounds treated, and the women are not afraid to count and compare the gashes. They also carry supplies of food to the combatants and encourage them. It stands on record that armies already wavering and on the point of collapse have been rallied by the women, pleading heroically with their men, thrusting forward their bared bosoms, and making them realize the imminent prospect of enslavement - a fate which the Germans fear more desperately for their women than for themselves. Indeed, you can secure a surer hold on these nations if you compel them to include among a consignment of hostages some girls of noble family. More than this, they believe that there resides in women an element of holiness and a gift of prophecy; and so they do not scorn to ask their advice, or lightly disregard their replies. The women were more than just morale builders, though. They provided aid and comfort to their men after the battle was over, of course. And they would bring supplies and food to their male warriors in the middle of the fight."

If the battle didn't go well, however, Germanic women could take on an entirely new role. They might kill any male members of the tribe who attempted retreat. They could even kill their children and then commit suicide rather than submit to enslavement by another tribe or army.

THE FUR TRADE
NORTH WEST MOUNTED POLICE - THE MARCH WEST

The NWMP was established by the Canadian government during the ministry of Prime Minister Sir John Macdonald who defined its purpose as "the preservation of peace and the prevention of crime" in the vast NWT. Macdonald''s principal fear was that the activities of American traders which led to the Cypress Hills Massacre would lead to the First nations peoples killing American traders, which would lead to the United States military being deployed into the NWT to protect the lives of American citizens under the grounds that Canada was unable to maintain law and order in the region. His greatest fear was that if the Americans occupied the NWT that they would not leave and the region would be annexed to the United States.

The NWMP was established in 1873, and were deployed to the area of the present Alberta border. Their ill-planned and arduous journey of nearly 900 miles became known as the March West, and is portrayed as an epic journey of endurance. Over the next few years, the NWMP established a wide network of forts, posts and patrols and extended Canadian law across the region. The living conditions of the NWMP on the prairies were spartan and often uncomfortable, and only slowly improved over the course of the century.

Colonel George French was the commissioner of this new force, and was ordered to proceed west from Fort Dufferin to deal with what the authorities described as the "band of desperadoes" around Fort Whoop-Up, before then dispersing his force to establish police posts stretching across the territories.

Following instructions from Ottawa, French agreed that the expedition would initially follow the trail along the southern line of the border, but then would steer north away from the border and Sioux territory, as it was argued that it might encourage an attack by the Sioux on the column. The mounted police finally left Dufferin on July 8th 1874 and the 275 strong expedition was divided into six divisions, supported by 310 horses, 143 draught oxen, and 187 Red River Carts and wagons. The column stretched out 1.5 miles along the track. The force also took two 9-pounder guns and two mortars. Henri Julien a journalist had been given permission to accompany the expedition. The Expedition made slow time, progressing only 15 miles a day at most.

On July 29th, the main force then turned off the trail and headed across the much drier and rougher prairies, the north -west. The police had no water bottles and soon both their food and water ran out, and as the weather worsened, their horses began to die. When the force arrived at what they thought was Fort Whoop-Up at the junction of the Bow and South Saskatchewan rivers on September 10th, there was nothing to be seen, as the fort was in fact another 75 miles away. The police had also expected the area to contain good grazing for their horses but it was barren and treeless. French was forced to abandon the plan to head to Whoop-Up and instead travelled 70 miles south towards the border, where supplies could be purchased from the United States. More horses were to die from the cold and hunger, and many of the men were barefoot and in rags by the time they arrived at the border, having travelled a total of nearly 900 miles. After resupplying, French led some of his force back east, leaving Assistant Commissioner James Macleod to advance on Fort Whoop-Up with the three remaining divisions, approximately 150 men. When the force arrived at the Fort on October 9th, they were prepared for a confrontation, but the whisky traders had been aware of the approaching expedition and had long since moved away.

The force received new orders from Ottawa to garrison the area and settled down to build Fort Macleod on an island in Old Man's River.

The expedition had been badly planned and executed, and almost failed; the historian William Baker describes it as "a monumental fiasco of poor planning, ignorance, incompetence, and cruelty to men and beasts".

The lance had developed from the crude spear as one of mankind's first offensive weapon. At the time of the formation of the NWMP, the lance was a weapon of the cavalry. Although it started in this capacity as a weapon with the NWMP, it was eventually to assume a purely ceremonial role. The pennon supplied for the March West was the British pattern, red and white in colour. The origin of the red and white pennon has been coloured by legend, with the most popular misconception being that white cloth was originally wound around the lance shaft prior to an engagement to stop enemy blood from running down the shaft and making it slippery. When the cloth was removed after the battle the part nearest the point was blood red. In fact the original idea of the pennon was to frighten enemy horses. The crimped pennon is an innovation dating from the British defeat of the Sikhs at Aliwal, North west India on January 28th 1846, when the pennons of the 16th lancers became crumpled and bloodstained.

By parliamentary decree the assignment of colours is a royal prerogative, and a royal proclamation dated November 21st 1921, assigned red and white to Canada as her national colours.

James Morrow Walsh (22 May 1840 - 25 July 1905)

Born in Prescott, Ontario, James Walsh was one of the original officers of the NWMP. Superintendent Walsh was assigned in 1875 to establish a post in the Cypress Hills in what is now Saskatchewan. The post was located here because of the 1873 massacre, an atrocity stemming from the illegal American whisky trade. Walsh's original role was to shut down this trade, but in June 1876 his position grew in importance when several thousand Sioux crossed the border into Canada, taking refuge there after the Battle of Little Big Horn. Walsh developed a strong friendship with the famous Sioux leader Sitting Bull, and successfully kept peace in the region. Walsh became famous in the American press as "Sitting Bull's Boss". In reality Walsh's orders were to convince Sitting Bull and the Sioux to return to the United States, but the Canadian government decided that Walsh's friendship with Sitting Bull was an obstacle to the Sioux's return across the border. In 1880 Walsh was transferred to Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, and soon after he reluctantly resigned his commission.

In August 1897 during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, Walsh was appointed Commissioner of the newly created Yukon Territory. He resigned in 1898, returning to Ontario where he died in 1905.

Mount Walsh a mountain peak in the Saint Elias Mountains in the Yukon is named after him.

For those interested in learning more about James Morrow Walsh and Sitting Bull, Ian Anderson's book "Sitting Bull's Boss, Above the Medicine Line with James Morrow Walsh" is recommended. ISBN 1-895811-63-5

Jeremiah "Jerry" Potts (1840 - July 14, 1896)

Jerry Potts also known as "Bear Child" was a half-blood Indian, half Scottish scout In 1871, Potts' mother was murdered by a man drunk on "firewater." So, Potts declared his own personal war on the whiskey runners. By the time Potts was 36, he had killed at least 40 men, mostly whiskey runners.

In September 1874, Potts was trading horses in Fort Benton, Montana, when he was hired as a guide, interpreter and scout by the North West Mounted Police. Potts was already a legend in this part of the world, and became an extremely important part of the NWMP in his diplomatic communications between the police and the various native American tribes. His contract as a guide was to last twenty two years. He was paid three times a police constables salery. He ceased working at the age of fifty eight because of the pain from throat cancer, and was to die a year later on 14th July 1896 at Fort Macleod.

The Macleod Gazette and Alberta Livestock Record paid tribute to the man who "made it possible for a small and utterly insufficient force to occupy and gradually dominate what might so easily, under other circumstances, have been a hostile and difficult country. . . . Had he been other than he was . . . it is not too much to say that the history of the North West would have been vastly different to what it is."

Jerry Potts was buried at Fort Macleod with the rank of Special Constable in the North West Mounted Police.

By 1896, the government planned to pass policing responsibilities to the provinces and ultimately disband the NWMP. However with the discovery of gold in the Klondike, the NWMP was redeployed to protect Canada's sovereignty over the region and to manage the influx of prospectors.

NWMP volunteers were sent to fight in the Second Boer War and in recognition for that and 30 years of service policing the North West and Yukon territories, King Edward VII, awarded the title Royal to the North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) in 1904. .

Large numbers of the RNWMP volunteered for military service during the First World War and the future of the badly depleted force was once again in doubt. Towards the end of the war, however fears grew about a potential Bolshevik conspiracy and the authorities tasked the RNWMP to investigate the threat. In the aftermath of the violence of the Winnipeg General Strike, the government amalgamated the RNWMP and Dominion Police to form the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1920.

The first sets of the NWMP will be available this spring.