Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Happy Tanksgiving!
I'm a retired Colonel of Infantry (Regulars by God!) and Military Historian who likes to play with toy soldiers. I've been married to the love of my life since 1986, I have 5 honorable sons (my geeks in training), 4 daughters-in-law, al2 grandsons, 1 granddaughter, 1 dog and a gazillion miniatures.
Hobbies include . . . wait for it . . . Toy Soldiers, Reading, Wargaming, Reading about Toy Soldiers, History, Reading about Wargaming, Gardening, Reading about History and Reading.
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I served as a tank officer in Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, I bought a Soviet tank officer's cap. The band is black. Are you certain about the color of the band on your tank commander's cap? I believe the light blue color is that of the airborne troops.
ReplyDeleteIt’s WW II and the figure is painted as the charasmatic Brigada (Brigade) Kommisar M. A. Dedov who was second-in-command of the 42nd Guards Tank battalion of the 29th Tank Corps. The tank is a T-34/85 which interestingly the Republika Serpski still had them in Bosnia when I was the S-3 of TF 4-12 INF from Dec 85 to Nov 86.
DeleteI forgot to add that I was in the 7th Bn, 6th Infantry in my second company command in Bamberg as part of the 3rd Brigade, 1AD. I was actually on the Czech border attached to 2nd ACR when the Wall came down. Where were you stationed?
DeleteI was assigned as a tank platoon leader to the 6th Dragoon Regiment, part of the 1st Armored Division. The regiment was stationed in Sarreburg, south of Trier. It was equipped with 54 AMX 30 B2 tanks.
DeleteAmerica’s Tank Division! I was honored to command 2-6 Infantry later in my command 2-6 Infantry in Baumholder.
DeleteI am not an active-duty officer but a reserve officer. I therefore completed my military service in tank units. I then commanded a platoon of armored cars in the Marine Corps. Returning to civilian life, I commanded an infantry section, a reconnaissance section, and a commando company, all within a Marine Infantry regiment. As deputy chief of the operations officer and then chief of the intelligence regimental office, I success the staff officer exam. Simultaneously, I completed the first, second, and third levels of intelligence level in order to serve on a staff in the intelligence function. If the Berlin Wall hadn't fallen, I would have commanded a reserve Marine Corps regiment. I continued my career on a staff until reaching the Joint Staff Headquarters in Paris, where I commanded an intelligence office attached to one of the theaters of operation where our troops were engaged: the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, and Mali.
DeleteAs you can see, in France reserve officers are employed in operational roles and deployed to theaters of operation, like British reserve army officers and certain units of the American National Guard. In civilian life, I worked for the Ministry of Culture within the public institution responsible for acquiring works of art on behalf of the state.
Viva la France! I forget the unit but my southern flank in Bosnia was a French unit.
DeleteHappy thanksgiving to you Neil from across the pond! Some cracking tanks on show, very nice!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving, Neil! Beautiful collection of tanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill!
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