Bringing History To Life

Last summer I was contacted by a group of British World War II reenactors planning to display a Bofors 40mm antiaircraft gun at Peak Rail in England. Sam Harris, the contact person for the group, explained their desire to go beyond a simple static display and properly dig-in and man the gun. I was happy to provide drawings and dimensions of standard AA gun emplacements, photographs of field fortified forties, and an outline of how a Bofors would be operated by sight control.

Sam's soldiers absorbed this information and did an outstanding job, as seen in the above photo. Gun pointers wearing tracer goggles are seated and ready, the loader/firer is at station, and an ammunition handler is passing another clip up to the gun. In the background, another soldier is standing in the pit that would have housed an M5 director. Sam and his crew presented a very respectable recreation of a U.S. 40mm fire unit ready for action. The display was well received.

Here in the United States, there are several privately owned Bofors guns. It is not uncommon to see one or two show up at airshows, like the one held every June in Reading, Pennsylvania. However, to the best of my knowledge, no one has attempted to bring the old pieces to life as did our British friends. That's too bad. I am a firm believer that living history can be a powerful vehicle to teach our younger generation about the past. It is impressive enough to see a 40mm AA gun on display. Consider the educational impact that same display could have with the gun properly emplaced  and manned.

I expressed these very sentiments to Sam last year. This summer, I relocated and discovered that I now reside within a few miles of two Bofors guns. Perhaps it is time for me to put my convictions to action and see if a group of Americans can pull together a presentation that would be just as good as the one created by our friends across the Atlantic. Is anyone interested?

Of Modelers and M16s

I, like almost every other web publisher, habitually track the traffic sources for my website. By far, the scale modeling community sends the largest number of visitors to Antiaircraft Command. This may surprise some, but it does not shock me. Scale modelers take their prototype research seriously. Many are intent on reproducing every rivet and guaranteeing their creation is painted in the proper color (when viewed under the lighting source of the room in which the model is to be displayed, of course). Historical accuracy is something that is to be pursued with all vigor. I understand that. Yes, I even respect that.

Recently, a conversation started on a modeling discussion board that left me a little befuddled. It seems that a modeler was seeking photo evidence that M16 halftrack crews actually folded down the side panels of their carriages. After all, why model a halftrack that way if the practice was rare? A kind fellow modeler posted a link to Antiaircraft Command in reply and created a huge spike in my traffic for that day. (Thank you.) That alone is nothing unusual. The M16 has consistently been one of the most commonly modeled World War II vehicles and my M16 page presents plenty of good information for fine scale craftsmen. What puzzled me is that many posters insisted they saw no photos of M16 halftracks with folded down panels on the website's page. Of the six M16 photos presented there, three depict the track with side panels in the down position, including the image reposted here. The conversation eventually careened into a discussion of modified M2 halftracks and the always somewhat mysterious M16B. Although I was impressed with such a display of AA savvy, that sidebar really had nothing to do with the original question.

Strangely, of the several hundred people who viewed these photos, nobody thought to email and ask me to resolve the question. So, for all modelers interested, the answer to the perplexing puzzle is a simple "yes". The M16 halftrack (and not the M16A1 or M16B) was designed with hinged side and rear panels that could be folded down. This design feature allowed the halftrack's M45 quad mount turret to depress to ten degrees below horizontal in order to place fire on ground targets. Not only do the three photos on the Antiaircraft Command webpage illustrate this, but so do many others in my collection and in other publications. Model on, modelers. Build your M16 halftrack with panels down.

Incidentally, I would be happy to post photos of modeled World War II antiaircraft equipment here on the blog. In addition to the M16, I know some have been working on scratchbuilding or kitbashing models of the more challenging M15 halftrack and the Brisbane M15 Specials. I'd love to see your handiwork. Please feel free to send a shot or two.