Randy Davis from Fidelis Models was showing me some of the new Battlefield Miniatures figures. 20 mm white metal World War II German troops called TeNo, the Technische Nothilfe, or Technical Emergency Corp. They were tasked with cleaning up after the air raids or repairing other battle damage. They were technical specialists and could repair gas works, electrical systems, water works and canal locks. The figures are made in the somewhat chunky style of Battlefield Miniatures. They are cleanly cast and come in 12 castings. One of the castings is two figures. A TeNo man helping an air raid victim with a blanket over his shoulders. The others include several removing rubble, a man with a broom, one directing traffic, a seated NCO, an Officer directing others and a man smoking a cigarette, which is actually visible! Accessories include a warning sign, road block, and a diffused, unexploded bomb. Each comes in a set of three different figures for about $3.00 each. A great team of troops to get things back in shape after the battle. They would fit in well with a campaign game, to allow the German player to reconstruct the battlefield after the air attack, or artillery barrage. The next set of troops is called the Last Levy. German troops were drafted in groups called a "levy." The Last Levy was the final group of troops called up to serve in the German army. This is a great set of figures! 36 different poses, in 12 sets of 3 figures each. The first set is an Officer saluting, a man with a radio and NCO. The sets include men in civilian clothing, wearing a variety of hats, helmets and bareheaded. There are many poses of firing and running with a variety of weapons, including panzer faust, panzer schreck, rifles and sub machine guns. The heavy machine gun team of three men is nicely molded, with the ammo bearing soldier bent down and advancing. Several of the figures are smaller then usual and represent Hitler Youth members. Imagine if all the boys from your high school and a few of the bigger boys from junior high were drafted and sent into the army. Hitler Youth were used in army formations and also served alone, with adult officers. Several of the bridges in Berlin were held almost to the last by these boys, destroying Russian tanks at with panzer fausts at point blank range. The most unique group is the BDM figures. The League of German Maidens was an organization vaguely like the Girl Scouts. Near the end of the war, many of the older girls were helping with antiaircraft guns, acting as messengers, and performing many other combat support functions. These figures include a kneeling girl with field glasses, a girl carrying an ammo box and a third girl wearing a skirt carrying a message. Most of them are armed with a panzer faust in addition to any other weapons and some have several. This late in the war many troops wore civilian clothing and an arm band for a uniform. The arm band was supposed to legally make them a combatant and subject to the protections of the Geneva Convention. The Last Levy is a fantastic series of figures and totally unique. They will work great for those very late war games, like the Battle of Berlin. In real life, these troops varied in quality from those who surrendered or ran away at the first sign of trouble, to those who fought to the last round. Back to MWAN # 121 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com