19th August 1944...Falaise Pocket....An awful decision.....

[spanner570]

I've been quietly building this since me 'ols!


I hope you like the following bit of imagination that flashed into this usually dormant organ sitting on my shoulders......


Please try and read the imaginary story before blimping the pickies....


Sat in the saddle of his faithful horse, Rittmeister Brauer is day dreaming. His mind wanders back to the 'Happy' days of 1940. When, after the fall of Paris, he rode on this same horse at the head of his mounted troops under the Arc de Triomphe.


Now racked with fatigue, he is part of a rag tag convoy heading east, away from the relentless advance of the Allied armies....It is August 1944. He passes a road sign - Falaise. He neither knows nor cares where he is.


"Get us home, Greta." He mumbles into his horses ear.


He is so tired he fails to notice his horse's increased agitation. Too late, a flight of rocket firing Typhoons attack the convoy. Soldiers run for cover. Vehicles and men are blown to bits. After the rockets come the cannon fire, as the aircraft strafe the convoy. The attack finishes as abruptly as it starts....men climb out from cover.


Dead and dying litter the road. Horses die still fastened to their carts.


Brauer walks amongst the carnage looking for his companion. He soon finds her.....


She lies by a smashed stone wall, cannon fire has shattered her legs.


"Bastards!" he shouts, shaking his fist at the now empty skies. He kneels by his horse's side and gently strokes it's head.


"My poor Greta, what have they done to you?"


The horse raises her head, it's big brown, trusting eyes look up at her master.


Tears start to roll down the soldier's dusty face and fall on the horse's head.


"Sorry old girl."


He looks at the shattered legs and knows nothing can be done.....


He takes out his revolver.


"Goodbye my faithful friend."


He pulls the trigger.


Rittmeister Brauer gets to his feet and starts to walk away....Right now he couldn't care less where.


Here are the pictures.


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All a bit sensitive, but this sort of scene must have happened many times. I've tried to keep the 'damage' to the animal to a minimum.


The old 1/35 Tamiya Mounted Infantry kit is awful...all I used was the horse suitably altered to a lying down and raised head, rather than it's original standing pose. The soldier - from another set - was difficult to do as I wanted him holding the horses head with one hand and a pistol with the other. The base is my usual sweepings from the garden.The walls are polystyrene Pizza bases. The figures are painted with Vallejo acrylics and Humbrol enamels, and the base done with children's acrylic water colours.


For the some of the B&W shots I used my "Wait 'till they are on the bridge." diorama...The one with the canal running through it. It has made a nice background for the figures.


I hope you approve of this mini dio. and not upset by the content.....All comments - suggestions well received.


Cheers,


Ron

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[eddiesolo]

A very sensitive subject but one that I think, we shouldn't shy away from. Mankind is horrid to not only each other and although many build aircraft and armour, 90% are military, designed for one thing only.


A lovely build showing a distressing scene, well done Ron.


Si.

 

[grumpa]

Very sad scene but sensitively done, had to put down one of our dogs a few years back{same method} but if done properly is totally painless but still very difficult. One must make these hard choices at times but it doesn't make it any easier horses and dogs are mans true and noble friends so sad that so many innocent and trusting horses and other draft animals had to be subjected to the horrors and cruelties of mans wars, makes one wonder just which species is really the "dumb animal"o_O

 

[dougie]

Nice build mate enjoyed the little story too... Good job

 

[papa 695]

A very moving piece Ron and well thought out and constructed

 

[Alan 45]

I supose it could be sensitive but it's also very human , nice piece Ron well thought out and well made


I'd call it a poignant moment in time well executed

 

[grumpa]

Was watching a show once about WW2 gun camera footage and one of the most heart breaking- to hear one midweastern farmboy turned fighter pilot- things to him was having to fire upon ammo wagons heading to the front {horse drawn} he said he would take great pains to avoid hitting the horses as he had such a love for them, how sad yet ironic to have no regrets of killing men but tried to avoid harming the animals

 

[Gern]

Well you had to be doing something to keep you occupied! Yet another great story backed up by a great build. Nice one Ron!

 

[Lee W]

Well Ron, yet again another fantastic build, he says, reaching for another tissue! :oops: :D


Lee

 

[Laurie]

I went through Falaise a few years back and it is just a very nice large village. Very quiet very peace-full place.


It was in 1944 still as such until as Ron's diorama shows with in a few days the German Army in Normandy was routed.


The Germans stiil even at that time used horses and this was the abyss of war with human and horse remains.


That was that all left behind by the remnants of the German army. They either stayed there dead or left.


For me the true awfulness of Falaise was that the British had to clear up the place. The most foul of jobs.


From what I have read that was the worst part of the war. The stench of war in more ways than one.


Well done Ron. I would never be afraid to portray a reality of a situation. I think you have actually portrayed


not the brutality of war but the sadness. The human feelings for an animal. Very nice diorama Ron and a very nice


indeed sentiment to go with it.


Laurie

 

[dubster72]

A very sad story Ron, nearly had tears in my eyes! Very nicely done & there's nothing wrong with showing the personal cost of war.

 

[geegad]

Superb dio love the drama in the scene cracking return

 

[PhilJ]

Great dip Ron, I especially love the b&w shots with nice aperture control.


Regards


Phil

 

[flyjoe180]

An emotional and sensitive piece Ron, very nicely and tastefully done. Great job on the scene, and also the photographs.

 

[monica]

sensitive subject,as said by a lot above,


myshelf an animal lover,who rode horse,s for most of my life,and it saddens me seeing


the doc,os which shows mile of dead and dieing horse lefted by the road side,


for me this is very well done and shown with good management and carefulness ,


very well done Ron to show the bond for horse to rider,much the same as the litehoresmen


towards there mounts,


well done,

 

[dave]

Emotional diorama.


With the blitzkrieg we forget just how reliant the Germans were on horse drawn transport. Recently read an account of a German soldier captured by the Americans on d-day. He said he knew the allies were going to win when he realised all the American transport was mechanised.

 

[Ian M]

A great subject expertly done.


It is appalling the amount of horses that where shipped off to war. Worse was the amount that survived the actual battlefield only to be unceremoniously shot and sold to the French for food. Apparently it was to expensive ship them home. I digress.


Excellent work Ron.


If you have not seen it I can recommend the film WAR HORSE

 

[tommy1drop]

Superb scene Ron.

 

[spanner570]

Thanks to everyone for your comments. It was a difficult subject to tackle, but being horses it's conveniently forgotten or perhaps too sensitive to have a go at.....


Yet we build human figures shooting, getting shot at and dead as just fine and dandy....Strange eh?


Thanks again all,


Ron

 

[grumpa]

Never ran into a horse that was tying to kill me, men are much easier to kill