1/6 DID D80166 WWII Wehrmacht Feldgendarmerie - Richard (Oberfeldwebel) + E60072 Road Signs & German Shepherd Accessory Kit

[Asta]

 

[FlyAndFight]

Would be very cool if they give him the head sculpt of the Feldgendarme from "Band of Brothers".

 

[Asta]

Would be very cool if they give him the head sculpt of the Feldgendarme from "Band of Brothers".

View attachment 634337​

I wouldn't put it past them!

The painting on DID's gorget looks surprisingly rough, as though they rushed to get the photo posted. Maybe they got wind that another company (i.e., Facepool) is making the same subject.

 

[Asta]

On BBICN they're saying it's obviously 1/12 because it looks so bad.

However, the announcement clearly tags it as 1/6:

Qu Rachel​

Admin
· 20 h ·

Who is on the way?
#wwii #ww2
#onesixthscale
#actionfigures
#didcorp

 

[Asta]

 

[Asta]

D80166 WWII German Military Policeman – Richard

Brief Introduction​

The Feldgendarmerie were a type of military policeman, responsible for maintaining discipline and order in the German army, directing traffic, guarding prisoners of war, suppressing guerrillas etc. They all wore a crescent-shaped metal gorget around their necks. The Feldgendarmerie were first established in 1810 when Prussia and other states imitated Napoleon’s military police force and established Germany’s first military police force.

After World War I, Germany was restricted to keeping only 100,000 troops under the Treaty of Versailles and the military police force was disbanded. In 1933, the military police force was re-established and a training school was set up. The German military police were under the command of military police headquarters and were empowered to stop any disorder and arrest any violators. After World War II, German military police in the British and American occupation zones were retained to help maintain order in the occupied areas. However, those in the Soviet occupation zone were mercilessly executed by the Soviets. In 1955, West Germany established a federal defense force, which reorganized its military police force under a new name “Wild Hunter” to distinguish it from the “Chain Dog” of World War II.

DID proudly brings you the 1/6 WWII German military policeman – Richard with a super realistic headsculpt featuring a screaming expression and a stern gaze that perfectly captures the fearsome image of the German military police during WWII.

Richard wears a WWII German M41 tunic and trousers, with a waterproof motorcycle coat on top. In addition, he wears a helmet on his head and a pair of genuine-leather boots on his feet, along with grey gloves and a German toque.

He is armed with an MP41 submachine gun with 5 bullets. MP41 is primarily provided to the police force and is actually a combination of the upper component of the MP40 and the lower component of the MP28. Its wooden stock design provides better stability for the weapon. Meanwhile, it is highly accurate, easy to control, and reliable.

Richard wears a gorget that symbolizes his status as a German military policeman which can glow in the dark. He holds a wooden traffic control paddle. A whistle with a lanyard is around his neck. He also carries handcuffs with a genuine-leather case and a signal flashlight that can be turned on. Moreover, many beautifully-made accessories are also included, such as a bread bag, canteen(plastic), all-new German gas mask canister(plastic), goggles, magazine pouch and a genuine-leather map case with map.

The 1/6 German military policeman is indispensable in your WWII German soldiers team. Just come and take him home to DIY different scenarios.

PS: The action figure (D80159) and the motorcycle with sidecar shown in the images are NOT included in D80166.

Full Part List​

Base:
1 Super realistic headsculpt
2 All New – DID 1:6 HG Body (Slim Tall Ver.)
3 Left palm x 2 + right palm x 4

Outfits:
4 WWII German helmet with inner liner
5 WWII German M41 tunic
6 Trousers
7 WWII German motorcycle coat
8 Grey gloves
9 Grey toque
10 Belt (genuine leather)
11 Black boots (genuine leather)

Accessories:
12 WWII German gorget
13 Bread bag
14 Canteen (plastic)
15 WWII German gas mask canister (plastic)
16 WWII German gas mask pouch
17 WWII German Traffic Control Paddle (wooden)
18 WWII German signal flashlight(can be turned on)
19 Whistle with lanyard
20 WWII German Magazine pouch
21 Map case (genuine leather)
22 Map
23 Goggles
24 Watch
25 WWII German police come along handcuffs with case (genuine leather)

Weapon:
26 MP41 submachine gun with bullet X 5

Insignia:
27 Collar tab X 1 pair
28 Breast Eagle X 1
29 German police Gendarmerie sleeve eagle X 1
30 Shoulder board X 2 pairs
31 Wound Badge X 1
32 German Sports Badge in bronze X 1
33 Feldgendarmerie cuff title X 1

 

[Asta]

Not a fan of yelling sculpts, and it's funny that DID had to wrap the toque round his face so he'd fit into their scenes.

Which recent DID figure came with a Soldbuch? It wasn't with D80159 Winter, and isn't listed as one of Richard's accessories.

Is the motorcycle and sidecar an upcoming product, or an old model DID used as a prop? Because it looks quite retro, with what looks like imprints from the moulding process and rusty screws.

 

[Chambea1114]

Not a fan of yelling sculpts, and it's funny that DID had to wrap the toque round his face so he'd fit into their scenes.

Which recent DID figure came with a Soldbuch? It wasn't with D80159 Winter, and isn't listed as one of Richard's accessories.

Is the motorcycle and sidecar an upcoming product, or an old model DID used as a prop? Because it looks quite retro, with what looks like imprints from the moulding process and rusty screws.

Most likely the old one thy made years ago.

 

[Chambea1114]

Something about these newer DiD German figures just doesn't look right even though I know the quality is there, the aesthetic isn't.

I went back to get pictures of my favorite DiD figure that was made in 2014 and it looks 10x better than the newer stuff they make.

Thomas figures kit is almost identical to the newer Winters figure and looks like a real person and fully kitted is very natural appearing and authentic even the way they used to take prototype pictures looks much better.

New stuff looks like comic book sculpts almost as if sideshow was good at their sculpting and painting, this is what they would look like.

 

[Asta]

The screaming sculpt is killing this one. It's reminiscent of lesser companies when they try to do the same thing. It looks a lot better when they cover the lower half.

I'm wavering between either not buying him, or buying two. Because there's a distinctive uniform under the coat, and Felgendarmes seem better in pairs. The last one I had was Dragon Models' Gustav (with his dog, Kaiser).

I suspect DID will be offering an accessory set with a dog soon, though I have a selection of higher quality 1/6 German Shepherds to put to work if necessary.

 

[Asta]

I don't think I was even aware there was an MP41.

The top end of an MP40 married to the bottom end of an MP28. It was never formally adopted and was used by the SS and police units.

 

[FlyAndFight]

They really should have included a second, non-yelling sculpt. Not a fan of it, especially for this figure.

I do like the motorcycle with sidecar. A long time ago I had the 21st Century version which was fantastic but I was in the middle of one of my "purges" and it went, along with the 21st Century Willys jeep and the little bird helicopter. I miss that jeep, though.

 

[Nosferatus_lair]

A bit surprised and taken aback by all the negative comments on this one. Thought it looked like a fantastic figure when I first saw it!! Love the headsculpt. To each his own.

 

[Asta]

Never had cause to look into the Feldgendarmerie before, but the figure made me curious about how they were organised.

Osprey's German Military Police Units 1939-45 provides a detailed breakdown of their command and composition:


The command structure started in the OKW where the most senior ranking officer of the Feldgendarmerie was attached. He was under the discreet control of the Quartermaster-General of the German Armies.

The next level of command lay with each Armee Oberkommando, to which was attached a Feldgendarmerie staff officer.

Each Field Army had under it's command a Feldgendarmerie Battalion, and each Division a Feldgendarmerietrupp.


A typical Feldgendarmerie Battalion

Command Group

1 Officer
1 Warrant officer
2 NCOs
3 Other Ranks

1 field car and 1 small bus


Motor Transport Section

1 NCO
3 Other Ranks

1 motorcycle and 1 field car


Platoons (x 3)

1 Officer
3 NCO drivers
17 NCOs
10 Other Ranks

3 motorcycles; 2 motorcycle combinations and 8 Kubelwagens


Support Group

1 NCO clerk
1 Motor Transport NCO
1 armourer NCO
1 cook NCO
1 cook Other Rank
1 armourer Other Rank
1 clerk Other Rank
1 cobbler Other Rank
4 driver Other Ranks

2 x 2-ton vehicles and 2 x 3-ton vehicles.


A typical Feldgendarmerietrupp (Armoured or Motorised Division)

1 Officer commanding
2 Officer platoon commanders
3 NCO motorcycle drivers
3 Other Rank motorcycle drivers
8 NCO drivers
4 Other Rank drivers
13 Other Rank drivers
30 NCO drivers

(The last two entries are confusing as they appear to repeat the two lines above)

6 solo motorcycles; 4 motorcycle combinations (sidecar with M34 or M42); 17 light field cars (usually Kubelwagens); 2 x 2-ton vehicles (generally a 4 x 4 Horch or Steyr) and 2 x 3-ton vehicles (usually an Opel Blitz or similar light truck).



Former policemen drafted into the Feldgendarmerie were allocated military ranks in keeping with their former police status as follows:

Wachtmeister – Unteroffizier der Feldgendarmerie
Oberwachtmeister - Feldwebel der Feldgendarmerie
Bezirkswachtmeister - Oberfeldwebel der Feldgendarmerie
Hauptwachtmeister - Stabsfeldwebel der Feldgendarmerie
Meister/Obermeister - Leutnant der Feldgendarmerie
Inspektor - Oberleutnant der Feldgendarmerie


The FG's authority allowed them to pass through secured areas, roadblocks, guard posts, etc, and to conduct searches of both personnel and property wherever deemed necessary, and in doing so they could commandeer assistance from any other military personnel. In the event of dispute, any Feldgendarme held superiority over any other soldier of similar rank from any other branch of the services.



The .pdf of Osprey's German Security and Police Soldier 1939-45 allowed copy and paste, so I copied everything referring to the Feldgendarmerie:


Feldgendarmerie
Recruitment and Training

By far the largest and most significant of the army’s security organs was the regular military police or Feldgendarmerie. On mobilisation in 1939, the Germany Army followed a practice carried out by many other nations (including Great Britain) of recruiting significant numbers of civilian policemen into the nation’s military police branch. This provided a sizeable cadre of men who already understood the legal aspects of their duties and had belonged to a uniformed organisation with high standards of training and turnout. In Germany the police were an armed organisation, so these men were already fully trained in the use of small arms. The induction of former members of the Gendarmerie and Schutzpolizei thus provided the Wehrmacht with a body of men who needed little or no additional training before being sent into action.

The Feldgendarmerie Vorschrift, the official regulations of the military police, specifically stated that ‘Feldgendarmerie officers and NCOs positions will be filled by police officers and NCOs of the Ordnungspolizei, commensurate with the ranks to be assigned upon transition to the Army…’ Indeed examination of surviving pay books from Feldgendarmerie NCOs show in the entry indicating civil profession that the majority did indeed hold NCO rank in one of Germany’s many police branches.

As time went on the original cadre of former policemen was augmented by influxes from the Wehrmacht proper. It was clearly laid down that ordinary soldiers had to be existing NCOs or at least display suitability to progress to NCO status, in order to be acceptable for transfer to the military police. Feldgendarmerie training schools were set up at Prague and Litzmannstadt-Gornau in Czechoslovakia to train army recruits in the policing aspects of their duties.


Active Service

The duties of the Feldgendarme were many and varied. The official German military police regulations (Feldgendarmerie Dienstvorschrift) describe some of them as follows: ‘Traffic control, the maintenance of good order and discipline, escorting of prisoners of war, redirection of stragglers, prevention of looting, supervision of civilian populace in occupied areas, disarming civilians, searching captured enemy soldiers, investigating traffic accidents, checking ID and movement papers of soldiers in transit, removal of any propaganda leaflets dropped by enemy aircraft, searching for shot down enemy aircrew, street patrols in occupied territory, prevention of sabotage, co-operation with the Geheime Feldpolizei, arresting deserters, and anti-partisan duties as well as many others.’

In addition to those troops permanently assigned to the military police, it was not uncommon for others to be attached on a temporary basis for a specific policing task if sufficient military policemen proper were not available. Temporary assignees wore the armband described in the uniforms section.

In addition, at divisional level, it was a common practice for combat soldiers who had been wounded in the front line to be allowed to convalesce with the divisional support element. This could mean spending some time with the unit clerical or quartermaster staff, but for many it also meant a spell of duty with the divisional Feldgendarmerie Trupp. Such duties could have two distinct advantages. First, the wounded soldier was given sufficient time to recover from his wounds while still contributing to the efficiency of the division. Equally important, the appearance of combat front line soldiers within the ranks of the military police added a certain moral authority to these often unpopular troops while allowing the combat soldier to appreciate the difficult job carried out by the military policeman. A military policeman wearing combat decorations commanded additional respect and few would argue with him.

It is a fact of life that combat soldiers in most armies heartily dislike the military police, who are regarded as an unwelcome presence intent on making the soldier’s life more difficult and unpleasant than necessary. Military policemen are often seen as having an easy life compared with the front line combat soldier. The fact is, however, that the life of the Feldgendarme was often extremely dangerous and the conditions in which he served extremely unpleasant. Standing point duty on traffic direction at some remote crossroads with no shelter in the midst of winter on the Eastern Front, exposed to attack from enemy partisans who would be extremely unlikely to take prisoners was no easy task. While military policemen operating in garrison towns in Germany may have had a relatively safe posting, with nothing more taxing than disciplining unruly soldiers, the tasks of the military police in the combat zone were more onerous. Their duties usually involved operating in small patrols or Streife, with little or no back-up, meaning that they were particularly vulnerable to enemy attack. Significant numbers of military policemen were lost to enemy action, particularly from partisans.

In each military district or Wehrkreis, military garrisons had their own military police elements. In the field, corps, army, or army corps level, the administration and command structure also had its own military police elements. The highest rank within the Feldgendarmerie was a Generalmajor serving at the Headquarters of the Army High Command (Oberkommando der Heeres). At army level, a Feldgendarmerie Oberst was attached to the staff element.

The smallest operational element of the Feldgendarmerie was the patrol or Streife, which could be as small as just two men. Streifen were component parts of the platoon or Zug, commanded by a senior NCO or junior officer and a number of Züge were formed into a troop or Trupp, usually commanded by a Hauptmann. Ultimately, most major military units such as army divisions fielded their own company or Kompanie of Feldgendarmerie often commanded by a major. Feldgendarmerie were carried on the pay and rations accounts of the units to which they were attached.

On operational service, Feldgendarmerie were usually equipped with a mixture of solo and sidecar combination motorcycles, light field cars and a small number of trucks. Heavier vehicles were rarely used. The typical personal armament of the Feldgendarme was the Kar98k rifle and the P.08 or P.38 pistol. Unlike infantrymen, who carried two triple ammunition pouches for the rifle, Feldgendarmes carried a single pouch on one side and the pistol holster on the other. The MP38/40 machine pistol was also widely used. Machine guns such as the MG38 or MG42 were also used where fire support may be needed at a control point or road-block, and these weapons were also often fitted to the sidecar of the motorcycle combination. In the field Feldgendarmes would rarely wear full marching order, wearing simple belt order instead and carrying only their weapon, ammunition and other minimum requirements. Unlike infantrymen who have to carry virtually all their equipment on campaign, the Feldgendarmes were motorised troops based with the divisional support elements, so their personal baggage remained with the supply train. This applies in fact to almost all of the troops covered by this title. Wartime photographs rarely show police and security troops burdened down by carrying equipment.

The capture of a military policeman was always considered a great prize, as their knowledge of supply routes, troop movements, military signing and radio codes, etc., was invariably much greater than that of ordinary soldiers. In order to prevent the easy identification of a military policeman, the uniform use of the sleeve eagle and cuff title eventually ended. Only the gorget plate worn around the neck and the orange-red Waffenfarbe (badge piping) remained to identify the Feldgendarme. In the second half of the war the Waffenfarbe was actually the same colour as that used by other branches, such as the Corps of Engineers, so that once the gorget was removed, there was no visual definitive identification of the soldier as a military policeman. As another means of concealing their identity, military policemen were issued with a second, false paybook, endowing them with a unit less interesting to the enemy. If capture was imminent, the real paybook would simply be thrown away along with the gorget.

Uniforms and Insignia

The basic uniform of the Feldgendarme was identical to that worn by any other soldier in the Wehrmacht. What identified his status were specific pieces of special insignia.

The Waffenfarbe or branch of service colour was orange-red and was worn as piping or underlay to shoulder straps, collar patches and as piping to the crown and hat band of the peaked cap. A cuff title was worn on the lower left sleeve, woven in grey gothic script lettering on a medium brown band, with the legend ‘Feldgendarmerie’. A police style eagle, within an oval wreath of oakleaves, embroidered in orange-red on field-grey and clutching a black swastika, was worn on the upper left sleeve. For officers, it was executed in hand-embroidered aluminium thread. This insignia was deleted in 1944. An armband in green cloth with orange-yellow lettering ‘Feldgendarmerie ’ was worn on the left sleeve by non-military police personnel on temporary attachment.

The gorget plate or Ringkragen was the badge of office of the military policeman, and was worn only when on police duty. This anachronistic throwback to the Middle Ages was originally a metal plate designed to protect the throat on suits of armour, but gradually became more of a symbol of status or authority. The Feldgendarmerie gorget was a stamped half-moon-shaped sheet of metal with a raised strengthening-rim around the edge. At each end of the crescent was a plain stipple finish button. In the centre was a spread-winged Wehrmacht eagle over a dark grey painted scroll bearing the title ‘Feldgendarmerie’. The buttons, eagle and lettering on the scroll were finished in luminous paint, while the gorget plate itself was a matt silver grey colour. The plate was worn on a plain open-link chain around the neck. On the reverse of the gorget was a long, narrow, blunt prong, which could be slipped into the tunic buttonhole to prevent it swinging about if the wearer was obliged to bend forwards.

Though not in any way unique to the Feldgendarmerie, the Motor Cycle Coat was used by them on a regular basis. It resembled the greatcoat, being double-breasted and calf length, but it was more 10 generously cut and was made from a rubberised waterproof material. The front flap and edges of the long rear vent could be buttoned up to create what almost amounted to ‘leggings’ for wear while riding on a motorcycle. The only insignia visible on this garment were the shoulder straps with their distinctive orange-red piping.

 

[Asta]

Brief Introduction​

To help you easily create more classic scenarios for WWII German soldiers, we are glad to bring you the 1/6 WWII Road Signs Accessory Kit, including a platform, two WWII road signs and a German shepherd dog.

The road signs are made of stiff paper boards, wooden strips and resin. You could adjust the sign’s position based on the situation! The smart, loyal and brave German Shepherd was widely used by the German army during World War II in guarding, reconnaissance, communication and search and rescue. The all-new 1/6 German Shepherd is posed with its front leg lifted up and tongue sticking out, a vivid portrait of a resourceful dog helper.

The WWII Road Signs Accessory Kit can be used with any WWII German soldier action figures to DIY different scenarios as you wish. Don’t miss it if you like WWII German army!

PS： The action figure shown in the images are NOT included in E60072.

Full Part List​

Platform

WWII Road sign (Stiff paper boards, wooden strip and resin)
German shepherd dog

 

[Chambea1114]

Well they got me Battle of the bulge related signage. Good call @Asta on the dog. I was about to put the pictures and you did it so quick! Lol.

The dogs paint looks really bad though..

 

[Asta]

That dog!

It looks like a cheap rubber toy!

 

[Chambea1114]

That dog!

View attachment 636253

It looks like a cheap rubber toy!

He almost has the same comic book look of his handler.

 

[Asta]

Marseille's dog was good, Patton's looks good, but this one reminds me of the rubber dogs that came with Sindy and Barbie dolls in the 1970s.

I have some higher detailed 1/6 German Shepherds in resin/polystone, and the leads from Mr. Z's Great Dane and Alert Line Hyenas, but I need to make collars for them.


That leaves the base and signs. I still haven't found a use for Marseille's resin desert stand, so that only leaves the signs.

I'll be buying two of the Richard figures from Kit, but they're not listed yet.

 

[Nosferatus_lair]

I've preordered both the figure and the diorama kit from Giantoy. Can't wait for them. They both look good, tho I have little to no interest in the dog. I'd rather they included motorcycle gloves for Richard.