As with the 8th army, these were based on laser-cut MDF 25mm round bases. These have several benefits over lighter basing materials (styrene / foamcard), as the very light weight of a 28mm plastic miniature is not enough to tip such a wide / heavy base over, so they're more stable. And if you like to go wild with basing texture (as opposed to my 'very flat bit of sand just North of Qattara' style), you have a bigger canvas to work with. The Zug consist of three ten-man squads, plus command, plus mortar team and AT rifle gunner.
I had spare prone bodies, so went with MG34 teams lying down. This first squad shows a mix of steel helmets and field caps, plus one traditionalist in a cork topee. Despite what some books have said about the troops all hating their puttees and tropical helmets, a lot of the photographs from really late in the campaign (Libya) still show them worn, even in action.
The bases for the MG34 teams were custom-cut from foamcard. I tried circular bases, but the prone soldier and weapon measure 50mm or so in length, making the base look huge and empty. Conversely, a rectangular base (actually a 25mmx50mm cavalry base) looked odd next to all the round ones... so I ended up cutting what is effectively a 40mm circle with a 15mm or so insert in it. Works nicely, doesn't 'lose' the figures in a sea of sand.
As well as varying the headgear, I also introduce more variety in uniform colours than I typically would for 8th army. Light olive, field grey, and dark yellow (sand) all feature. In this unit, the cork-hats are operating the MG34. The rest of the squad is the same throughout - NCO with MP38, and seven riflemen.
Now, having carefully cut lozenge-shaped bases for the MG34 teams, I completed some other work before returning to the DAK job and basing / finishing the support teams... as a result, they ended up on 40mm round bases and look a bit overcrowded. Well, maybe not the mortar team, but the AT gun team re spilling out all over the place. I don't know how much action these men will see, but I'd be worried about the gun barrel particularly.
The command group, with the radioman really filling his 25mm base to capacity. The officer features one of several techniques for doing goggles, which I waver between. Sometimes I like plain grey or beige or whatever, suggesting the reflections of the soldier's surroundings. Other times I go for a light grey smokey look. The light blue used here was an idea I pinched from my daughter's 'How to Draw Japanese Cartoon Characters' book (title may not be correct...). In it, the suggested colour for glass was light blue, so I thought I'd try it on miniatures. I think it looks good on this guy, and I've also used it on some zombie miniatures elsewhere.
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