The recent release of 25mm World War II figures by 1st Corps, sculpted after the characters in the movie "Cross of Iron", has re-ignited an interested in skirmish level gaming. It has made possible true infantry level skirmish gaming in a scale large enough to see clearly and which invites a paint job of a quality capable of creating a collectible.

Until now the world war II skirmish field has been dominated by 20mm. With it's ready access to the 1/72 and 1/76th scale models it created a demand which spawned a number of cottage and large scale manufacturer's interest in resin and lead casted products. Go to any Target retail store's toy department and find the Mattel and Zymex die cast military toys and scale them against 1/72. I believe you will be surprised.

The popularity of 20mm WWII gaming was accelerated by the various 50th anniversaries of WWII historic events. With increased popularity came the amassing of collections and the subsequent need to field larger and larger armies. The "I bought 'em, I painted 'em, damn it I'm using 'em" philosophy took over. Squads became platoons, platoons became companies and so on with infantry and tanks.

I've seen, no I've run games that looked like motor pool day at Kursk. Something had happened to Skirmish Gaming. You could see it in the rules, you could see it in the industry. The clearest example is the design of Command Decision 15mm vehicles and figures based on the rules set of the same name. If garners want to play a game filled with tanks and "stuff'' somebody will give it to them. That's just the way it works. Just add one tank to an infantry game and see what happens. The firing ranges change the scales and radically alters the character of the game.

But what about games reflecting what's best about skirmishing? The man to man hunt, mono-a- mono, the up close and personal reaching out and touching someone. The introduction of a line of 25mm figures helps re-establish the fun in an all infantry skirmish game. Several things will help ensure that these games occur without too much armor support. Although there are some vehicles available in the plastic arena in 1/48th scale, most table tops are too small to accommodate them. They are extremely expensive, starting at about $20.00 and the choices are limited. If you think the tanks are too big and cost too much compare the size of a 1/48th scale airplane. What is usually available, and useful, are transport vehicles from a variety of nations.

When you actually get down to skirmish gaming what makes these games more fun is the variety of roles and missions you ask the players to undertake. Games become more unpredictable as each player is often tasked to preform missions that may be mutually exclusive. Sometimes players on the same side work at cross purposes. Few people give their tanks names but it adds to the character of a skirmish game to know who your figure represents, especially when they are sculpted after characters in a somewhat famous movie. This article may fill some gaps.

''THE CROSS OF IRON", written by Willi Heinrich, is a war novel published originally (in English) in 1956. The book was a hit having 10 more editions through 1972. It laid there for about five more years until made into a movie in 1977 when the book was re-printed for the 12th time. The book and the movie are almost completely different. The movie is better from a variety of perspectives. The story is more coherent, the plot is more complex and interesting, the character development is better and it is just the best war time action flick ever shot. But I would still recommend that you read the book, if you can find one.

In general the book describes rear guard and escape actions centered around the Kuban Bridgehead in 1943, on the Eastern Front. After the great battles at Kursk the German Army had begun a series of retreats which never stopped until the gates of Berlin. The Soviet army has been moving in the Caucasus to trap the German Army in the Taman Peninsula near the Kuban River basin with their backs to the Black Sea. The book describes this as the "race to Krimskaya". "The Cross Of Iron" is filled with Steiner's exploits against the Russian Army and with the internal politics of his own regiment. The movie follows these same themes only better. The escapades of the Second Platoon form the basis for several good scenarios. You get great ideas for everything from a Stalingrad type city fight or numerous platoon or squad sized meeting engagements.

For the purposes of this article I will concentrate on the movie as the 1st Corps figures are based on the character representations found there. Let me just get all my biases on the table. "Cross of Iron" is the standard by which all other war movies should be judged. The attention to detail was way above average. They even had the correct "Krim shield" on Steiner's arm. The real T-34-85s were outstanding and the action sequences were superior. Yes there were flaws such as the Russian Air Force Corsairs dropping bombs on the trench line, but after the air raid I was spitting dirt and popping my ears. All this way before surround sound.

The movie was a master piece of cut and paste, with action sequences flawlessly edited together. Hell it was directed by Mr. Sam Peckinpaw the father or choreographed mayhem. He also did the films, "The Wild Bunch" and "Straw Dogs". His slow motion action shots have never been duplicated as effectively. The slow motion fire fight during the mortar raid, at the beginning of the movie is the basis for the 1st Corps figures.

The book discusses many other characters and established the chain of command in two of the battalions in Steiner's regiment. I will list some of these individuals however their character descriptions will be more limited. As I discuss a person I will give some general painting directions which will help you match the figure with the movie. Other characters can be painted to match general uniform guides for the period.

SGT STEINER: The major figure in the book and movie. He wears the field cap as a 1st corps figure. This figure is sculpted very accurately including his campaign medals. Sgt. then Corporal then Sgt. again Steiner is labeled "a figure of mythic proportions. "You'll see why when I identify his awards. Steiner is a young man of 25 in the book and shows himself about 35 to 40 in the movie. The solid head of grey hair is the give away.

The book describes him as the classic warrior poet always carrying a book of Shiller Poetry. An immensely competent soldier who always comes up with the damn luckiest plans in the entire war. He is a tormented figure, several times he is ready to quit and actually walks off once.

The movie also casts him as a tormented soul although less James Dean like, more a class hero and generally anti-authoritarian. "You cannot believe how much I hate you and all officers'' is a classic line. Much of his torment takes an anti-nazi line which is not present in the book. In the book Steiner's problems with authority are covered in discussions about his getting busted to Corporal because of beefs with a hospital administrator. He was accused of stealing property from patients, busted and shipped to the front. This is not covered in the movie. However the ever trench smart Steiner is promoted back to Sergeant soon after the movie starts.

Steiner wears a field drab reversible parka. The winter side is white and shows on the figure. His shirt is light grey and his scarf is black. His field cap is also field drab. Steiner is a very decorated soldier. He wears the Iron Cross on his left pocket. Paint this black with a white border. He also wears the Infantry assault badge (to left of iron cross as you face figure, paint this black and highlight with gray. He also shows the wound badge. This can also be painted black. In the movie he also has the close assault clasp above the left pocket (not on the figure) in gold indicating about 10 or more assaults and wears the red white and black button ribbon for his iron cross. On his arm is a bronze "Krim Shield". This unique badge was given to soldiers actually participating in the fighting in the Crimea. Steiner will soon get one for defending the Kuban bridgehead, but it's too soon and he still has to live to get it.

KRUGER: Another major character in both movie and book. Kruger is an East Prussian from Konigsberg. He speaks fluent Russian, a very handy skill on the Eastem Front, as his father was from the Soviet Union. He is an older man with bad teeth and bad hygiene. His "I don't give a damn" attitude was summed up in his speech about how " After Stalingrad, I learned to waterproof my body by letting the natural oils combine with dirt to form a protective layer." His figure wears an olive drab ski cap with the front ripped and sporting a Soviet Star. Nice touch for a recon man crawling around behind Soviet lines. Kruger has seen war up close and personal as evidenced by the tank killer badge on his sleeve. Paint the badge light grey with a dark grey stripe a quarter way down from the top and a quarter way up from the bottom. A silhouette of a tank is in the middle.

KERN: The Kern figure is bare headed. He wears his side cap tucked into his shoulder epaulet. He has bushy brown hair. He also has a club ear. So if you want your figure accurate, cut off one ear and add some two part putty. Since he doesn't have a helmet on this is possible. Kern is a whiner. He is a basically solid soldier although in the book he has only been at the front for two weeks after transferring from a baker's unit. He is a vulgar man with huge hands. He has the extremely bad manners of not going outside and farting even though they are not being shelled at the time. Paint his uniform standard field grey. I usually tend to paint the pants a darker grey and the jacket lighter to give it some contrast. You will blend in some earth colors on the boots and pants to lighten up the pants later.

ANSEL: Ansel is a major character in the movie the book and is the 1st corps figure with the sniper rifle. He has a camouflage covered helmet also. In the movie he is shown, during the mortar raid, as a somewhat spacey person. I le does not pay attention to the raid and fools around with the rifle missing the entire f ire fight. Nice rifle though. By the end of the movie he is a very competent person and one of the few survivors. Ansel gets a standard uniform also.

SCHNURRBART: In the book he is a deep thinker often with a pipe, which is not present in the movie. He does have the largest moustache in the second world war. He's been with Steiner almost Irom the beginning and has his share of battle honors. He sports two tank badges. Twice as many butts kicked. Schnurrbart has a camouflage covered helmet cover, otherwise his uniform is also standard grey.

MAAG: The last figure in the Steiner package could be Maag. There is no character with a heavy radio on his back on the mortar raid in the movie. However this is a very useful figure for many scenarios. Maag has red hair and is described as a somewhat burly man. That's probably why he gets to carry the radio. This radio is very important later in the movie when they are trying to sneak back into their own lines after being over run. Maag's shirt shows through the jacket and should be light grey, he also wears a scarf, which several figures in the movie wore. Paint this olive drab or field grey.

DIETZ: Dietz is a young replacement who shows up during the movie, sorry he is not on the mortar raid. He ends up with the rifle and a netted helmet so the rifle toting figure could be Dietz. You might cut off the scope and/or put netting on his helmet to help distinguish between the figures. He is the youngest member of the platoon and is considered a dreamer from Sudeten Germany. Later in the movie he gets balled out for playing a game with shadows in the forest similar to that old sidewalk game of not stepping on a crack so as not to break your mother's back. Some how he has taken the space cadet role from Ansel.

ZOLL: In the book Zoll is there from the beginning. He is an "eternal trouble maker" from the start. In the movie this character is a replacement. He is also the Nazi Party spy in the platoon. He is the focus of much anti party rhetoric throughout the movie. He is also the character who suffers the oral penis-ectomy while molesting the female Soviet medical personnel. This may be somewhat difficult to duplicate on a 25mm figure. When painting a Zoll figure give him a yellow scarf The radio figure has a scarf so you could use him.

DORN: A very scholarly type person. Known in the book as "the professor. He should have glasses on though. In the book he is often the only person who can really communicate with Steiner and often serves the role of father confessor.

LT. MEYER: It. Meyer is an important figure in the book and movie. He is somewhat revered by his troops and they even celebrate his birthday in their dugout. His death during a trench raid by Soviet troops, is the focal point of the movie. It seems that the Battalion Commander Capt. Stransky feels he deserves the Iron Cross for leading the counter attack. Steiner is named as a witness but doesn't want to get involved. More tension in the trenches. Lt. Meyer wears a field cap so the officer figures offered by 1st Corps with dress caps are inappropnate.

Several other names of 2nd platoon characters are named in book and movie but participate without much comment on their character. If you want more names use Anslem, Pasternack, Dudek, or Dieter.

If you want to add other figures into your scenarios you may wish to add in the different battalion and regimental command groups to give your games some flavor. The regimental commander for Sgt. Steiner's bunch is Lt. Cot. Brandt. This is the character played by James Mason in the movie. He is a good guy in book and movie and has a special relationship with Steiner as Steiner once saved his life. Other regimental of officers include Major Vogel and Major Komer. Captain Kiesel is another important player at headquarters and is the commander of the second Battalion. For a Battalion commander he seems to always be hanging around headquarters and often takes the role of gadfly when any heavy discussions happen.

If you want more officers you might use Lt. Gausser, he runs the 1st Company. Lt. Tliebig is another company commander in the 1st Battalion and is in Steiner's chain of command. In the movie he never gets past the Font door of the dugout, however in the book he actually leads an assault into a Soviet factory, he is still pretty gutless in book and movie.

Hopefully this article has done one of several things. It has encouraged you to look into the new ranges of 25mm figures now coming on line. I may also have sparked your curiosity about both the book and movie "The Cross of Iron". Both are somewhat rare but are available, probably from other collectors and history buffs. If nothing else you now have a fine collection of German names for use in personalizing your figures.