BRITISH 8TH ARMY
Represented here are 28mm miniatures figures and all metal 1/56 th scale vehicles of the LRDG and SAS, suitably attired with a variety of uniforms and headgear. The British Eight Army is famous for its exploits in North Africa in 1940-43, especially under Field Marshal Bernhard Montgomery, where they fought and finally defeated the Axis armies, comprising of German and Italian troops, under the leadership of General Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox”.
A SHORT HISTORY
Supporting the regular army units in the desert were formations of irregular type units, such as
Popski’s Private Army. Amongst these units and under the leadership of Major Ralph Bagnold was a formation known as the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). Tasked with driving long distances behind enemy lines, through inhospitable territory, often unsupported, the LRDG’s missions were to seek and destroy enemy installations, aircraft and airfield, and fuel dumps. These units would often take commercial or military derivative vehicles, such as Chevrolet or Ford trucks and significantly modify and enhance them to suit the purpose and arduous nature of their use, adding sand channels, extra stowage’s, and spares. In addition to these modifications they were heavily “up gunned” with a variety of weapons, including light and heavy machine guns, such as Brens, Vickers “K” Guns and Vickers Machine guns. Later the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), under David Stirling, developed and built upon these skills and employed adapted Willy’s jeeps for their missions.
